And then the work itself, there]
brickwork whose jointing is the thickness of a hair almost, there masonry. which would rival Egyptian or Inca in its excellence, the carving is marvellous, each roof tile properly socketed,'to receive its fellow, each wooden tiling peg has its glazed knob to match the tiling: Everything-is of a great empirical solidity, there is no evidence of scamping anywhere, but wood is the essential material in all cases and wood is fatally perishable when roofs leak, as Chinese roofs do Cventually," Thus ruin spreads from the roof downwards, for when a eof collapses it takes most of avistructure with it on account of its vast weight, Art as applied to building in China has been the prerogative of princes. No man of intelligence favor interested himself in the hous-fug of the people. The masses fester in surroundings of drab and awful uniformity. Life's never nding struggle is centred round a mud hovel dark and dank of grovel-ting proportions, 'The roof avially flat and the roof has its use asa lumber room. Lumber is not very sightly anywhere, it is SHU less 80. in a country' where Household wastage is mainly confined to shoes, ashes and smells. Thus it is that you suiter to enjoy China, You approach each nrshitectural gem through a series of discomforts, mental and physical. Mecca attained, there are yet more pin-pricks of priest or guardians with palms. afflicted with "an tolerable itch; the rush, and scurry of raucous slobbered children per-hors, the heaps of ashes, the pools fof water fisheyed blue with soap, ard always the mean names of every nation under heaven (not cluding China herself) scratched high on lacquered pillar, laboriously aul rudely carved on walls and doers.
Generally away from the main gale there is some sanctuary wher? al is decorous, some haven where {in the deep shade of mighty cedars an ancient, priest, the world forget~ ting, by the world forget, divides his time between the incense burner and the gonzon his altar, a bird and a sweet-toned bell in the court, where there is a marble lotus pond and peonys ablaze in couldrons of gikied bronze, Here ig the place ty watch the play of shadows on 8 gorgeous coloured roof to bask beauty soothed by cooing pigeons, Jui'ed by the cadence of the little gong. One thing only will be lacking, the sigh of running water. That youl will never or hardly ever encounter, the Chinese having so litre kill in' hydraulics, and little inelinavfon to dwell' near water for tradition has it that a brook bears away luck.
Thus it is that China is the last place in the world to sight-see by Programme. None byt those for whom life is a mere catalogue of endurance could tolerate it. Time, much time, is needed, intervals to recover from the bruises of each visit. Then at length an_attachment will be developed for a particular temple, you will become mown and when you are known in China your troubles cease.
Thus also it is that cities should be examined from a distance, preferably from the city wall towards sunset when the pitiless clearness of the atmosphere, which displays everything in clear cut burnished relief, is somewhat mellowed by: the violet' haze of evening, cooking fires.
The Magic of Cathay At such a time, when the day's work is done and when the riot of sound which accompanies all doing in the East is soothed to the restful murmur of the ungirt hours, a Chinese city may become a thing of surpassing beauty. Then you may, forget the pin pricks of the streets, the scavenger cowardly dogs, the Toathsome sack clad beggar whose presence is pollution, intolerable Blackmail, the tangle of mean lanes and the medley of squalid houses so colourful but such" an offence to the nose, so shameless in their nastiness.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.