I have travelled through many countries in Europe and South America, and wherever I have gone and at whatever hotel I have put up, I have always found some Americans, and on many occasions I have met friends and acquaintances whom I had known in Washington or New York.

But it is not only the men who go abroad; in many cases ladies also travel by themselves.

On several occasions lady friends from Washington, Philadelphia, and New York have visited me in Peking.
This is one of the Americans' strong points.

Is it not wiser and much more useful to disburse a few hundred dollars or so in travelling and gaining knowledge, coming in contact with other peoples and enlarging the mind, than to spend large sums of money in gaudy dresses, precious stones, trinkets, and other luxuries?
In a large country like America where a considerable portion of the land still remains practically uncultivated or undeveloped, hardy, industrious, and patient workmen are a necessity.

But the almost unchecked influx of immigrants who are not desirable citizens cannot but harm the country.