Comparison of American and Chinese Transit Options

Whitman compares his views of progress in transportation in China versus that in America in the early 20th century. 

Here Whitman writes about the differences between the connected road systems in the U.S. and China. He states that China's system is roughly 1/40th that of the U.S. One of the best examples of his frequent comparisons when experiencing something foreign to him. Perhaps his focus on transportation experiences was his easiest way to exhibit the vast differences between the countries. Through these differences he could perhaps take more pride in being American. "We must especially consider how stereotypes—often misinformation produced by ethnocentrism—create orientations toward out-groups which are rooted in in-group collective pride and consciousness, rather than in the different cultural and social experiences of out-group members". [1]
Though his well documented travels exhibit an ethnocentric view, they greatly contribute an insight to Salem and it's inhabitants in the early 20th century. 

[1] Stanfield, John H. "The Ethnocentric Basis of Social Science Knowledge Production." Review of Research in Education, 1985.