The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-07

at Tientsin is c. D. Tenney, who was for a
long time connected with Ii Hung Chang,
and who was the head of Chinese school
at Tientsin. He is a very bright man and
knows as much about China and the
Chinese as any other man in the country
The consulate at Tientsin is a big two
story building, situated on the edge of the
foreign concession, and Mr.. Read has
ample quarters for the entertainment of
his friends. Nearly all of our Consuls in
the East have fine establishments, and at
Hankow, 700 miles in the interior, I found
an establishment which would do credit to
Washington. 1t was that of the Hon.
Jacob t. Childs, better known throughout
the West as genial Jake Childs" He was,
you know, Minister to Siam, and he is now
taking care of the interests of the United
States and of Jacob Childs in the heart of
China.
The dean of the Chinese consular corps
is Charles Seymour of Canton. He has
been in Office for about twelve years, and
he is one of the most efficient men in our
diplomatic service. He comes from Wis
consin, and he has time and again saved
the foreigners of Canton from riots.
Another Consul, famous Southern gen.
eral, called not long ago on Ii Hung
Chang, and while talking with the great
Viceroy Ii Hung Changes son entered the
room. The boy is now about 20 years of
age. He speaks English and French
almost as well as he does Chinese,
and he is what would be called in America
highly educated young man. He had
Just left his tutor TO come in to his father,
and had been taking a lesson in polite
forms of expression. The American gen.
eral-he was Southern general-conversed
with him for some time, and at last, sur
prised at his knowledge of good Anglo
Saxon, he burst out as follows:
"Why, my boy, you talk the English Ian
guage elegant"
Shortly after this the boy went back to
his tutor, who was an American. He
quoted the expression to him and asked
him if it was correct. The American tutor
did not like to go back on his own Consul,
and he told him that the sentence was a
sort of dialecticism, just as the Canton
csc cannot sometimes understand the Pc
kingese Cinnamon.
Another American general am not
sure, but think it was Chinkiang Jones,
so called from the name of the city in
which he now lives as Consul in China
relates an incident of an inspection of Lii
Hung Changes troops. Ii was very proud
of his troops before this war began. They
were armed with modern rifles. They had
been drilled by foreigners, and the Chinese
mobiles of Tientsin thought they were
equal to any troops in the world. While
luey MGIS SOll1S CuCl1 CFOlullOlio
General Jones and Ii Hung Chang were off
watching them, and as they hoped about
with great agility, turning this way and
that, Lis long face broadened into a smile,
and he asked General Jones what he
thought of his army. The general is not
the most backward of men, bat he con-
Guided to feel his way before replying. He
said:
why, your excellency, 1 don't know
how to answer. Do you want me to say
what 1 really think or shall answer you
as diplomat?"
81 want the TRUTH" said Ii. 81 want
the truth"
"Then, your Excellency," replied Chin
kiang Jones, they are all right for run
ming, but for Simon pure fighting 1 don't
think they are worth darn"
Lis eyes snapped. He got pale, then
sallow and finally burst out laughing and
said:
well, to be candid with you, general, 1
have always thought just that way my
self"
And this war proved that both of them
were right.
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| Copyright 1895.