New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-04-28

IyRES IN ASIA-TIIE AIM OF HIS
RoOK AND IT'S CHARACTER
HIS ACCOUNT OF FRANCE
IN INDO-CHINA AND OF
FRENCH COLONIAL.
METHODS.
Nice Apin IL.
Mr. 1enrv Norman the author OF me '"r
rost :" &c a well-knOwn figure IN LONDON Jo'" "ai-
ter, aud destined 10 be more widely known SUM-
both IN that world which concerns Nsel VIII"
N. production Of newspapers. ana the l''sei
ooo ~ II no larger-which reads DOCKS anu HAS "
40 with great affairs. He ia. II mistake no. INC
creator of that third page OF Inc Chio"i'N
vbich was IN effect new departure IN 'he JouI
-a,,sn, ~ London. Before that. the great daily
.rors thought 1t sufficient TO supply their reade'S
,,i,b an occasional book review. or weekly no
s,,,s % tho week Some Of them did both;
. hooL being first briefly reviewed in this weekly
or,ic,a and then. if opportunity offered. BENG
,s,dera1 more deliberately in q separate aru-
,o Pint ..The Chronicle was. 50 far az Know
AZ fret manor TO include literature In its scheme
=, revs to regard ii forming part OF 'ha'
great movement Of the world Of when a he"Spe-
ner professas to give an account day py "aH'
This seems t. me perfectly just coh'ep"o"' y
now hook NAV be. and often is, an event quite q"
nonortant as the last debate in the House Oh 'oi'
mons or the last sensational case III the ponce
conrt WHY report the debate or the trlai on '"e
r,orrow ana leave the book to take It's VhaIl00 vi
being noticed week or two hence! Inc o0S'
journalism is that which is most comprehensive.
And perhaps the best Journalist rtaii'S '''e va
tho hest-;s he who has a new idea and the prac-
teal capacity to carry it out ana 10 cIe"e' 90 '
Norman did new department.
This now widely known third page rs dlVersllIeu
hv column headed writers and Readers IN
1T e. - ba found n more complete collection
than elsewhere Of news relating to authors anu
hooks There are Science Notes. also; Art Notes.
Dramatjc Notes special articles on Literature OF
tho Drama often letters of interest IN large type
<ror, literary or dramatic celebrities some
,;n,es an interview with one Of them; anu Oh Ia'e'
illustrations There. is. perhaps, no single pas
in an English periodical of equal interest," - '09
whose interests intellectual MI MI imam
idea and the successful execution OF II nave "'u
the usual effect They have hau 4'I''"''''
Nothing is so productive as an ldea' II mp
mems often enough that those VINO annex "
or adopt IL improve on II. Not so IN 'hs caH7'
Two at least Of the chief daily papers III h'Hu0''
have set UP a third page OF their OWL NOR VI
less on Mr. Norman's pattern But the oiisi"''
rar,,ins nv far the freshest most various. most
interesting and altogether the best Inc secret
"a IN the man. not in the model. merely from
,,,,c, others have wrought. Mr.. Norman was
never content to rest on his first laureIs OF 10
think he had reached perfection when he hau
s.,t,sd the outline OF a novel enterprise. lie mas
worked At II steadily and improved II as ne went
on
Within the last few weeks there has been soI'
~ revolution in The Chronicle office Inc eu-
tor Mr. Fletcher, has retired, and MI. Nass'"e-
ham has become editor, and Mr.. Hehry No'""i
assistant editor. Whether this takes MN away
from his third page do not know. hope not HIS
roca,sor IN that post would not be easy TO find
Nr Norman married not long since Miss Muf1el
Dowie the young lady whose first book' a "iiI
IN the Karpathians." was among the orliliaht sue
cesses of several seasons ago; book OF marKed
originality which gave rise to expectations OF
o+ber hooks The expectation has been met by
the recent appearance Of "Gallia; not RECORD
~ travel but Of social experiences and views. in
the form Of a novel; not less original than the
first. and considerably more daring. But the
partnership between Mr. and Mrs. Norman is not
Judge a literary partnership. There is no sign
Of collaboration. The two minds are independent
/ and each writer goes his or her own road. There
is nothing In "Gallia' u suggest the husband
and "The Far East is masculine throughout.
Mr. Norman is however very far from being
merely a man OF books or Of newspapers. He
has had. as THE Far East shows, an adventur-
Gus career He set out on a journey to those re-
mote countries OF Asia 10 which his title applies
and TO them he meant TO devote three or four
months He was gone four years and this book
is the result. You cannot turn over q Few pages
Of it without seeing that he is traveller Of no
ordinary kind. His tour was 10 holiday tour.
Mr. Cook himself would have been puzzled to do
much for Mr.. Norman His track lay far out Of
the trodden route along which Mr. Cook can con-
duct you. China or fringe OF il, and Japan.
no doubt, and some parts OF the other countries
which Mr. Norman explored lie within the juris-
diction Of the great travelling agency. Corea.
imagine does not and Mr.. Norman's jungle jour-
ney in Unknown Malaga, or his bold push on a
raft through the forbidden State Of Kelautan, or
his expedition into the very heart OF the waters
which are the headquarters and stronghold OF the
Tong King Pirates--these certainly do not. There
are Others like these In this book-enterprises on
which none but a OF cool courage would
have entered and which bat man OF
resource and firm nerve could have carried
through You feel on all these pages Of modest
narrative that you are in company with man Of
action with a lover Of adventure for the ad
ventures sake; a traveller with hand that car
keep his head; good shot, moreover, and a keer
lover Of sport. All that. however, might have re-
suited merely in one more good book OF travel
but for the serious purpose and the love Of serious
studies which just as characteristic Of
Mr. Norman az his appetite for novelty and fol
danger To him the Far East is the last Wonder
land Of the World but is also 1.-The seeded Of {
multitude OF new political issues" Therefore
as he SAYS 1.-THE record OF mere travel Is interwov
en- with that of investigation; the incidents an(
the adventures OF the hour are mingled with tn
factors and the statistics of the permanent prob
lens"
Mr. Normans own account Of his book Is an &C
curate one He has seen much, studied much
and holds strong views which he states with force