The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-05
THE MORNING NEWS: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 1896

eyes seemed to look over their heads, at
some scene in his mind. Occasionally only
would his gaze meet that Of one or an
other of his interlocutors. Talking
through the medium of an interpreter is
something like lovers kissing through q
wall; one misses the personal contact
which, after all, is the best part of the
transaction.
In speaking, Ii was ready and to the
point; he answered us without any pre-
liminary humming and having or pause
for elaboration. He has a gesture with
his right arm, simple, but effective, and
expressive of the resolute and impervious
nature of the man; horizontal, outward
sweep of the arm, palm down.
have seen Irving and Booth make such
gesture when enacting some august
character With his left hand grasping
his cane, he would ever and anon lift the
cane and thump it down on the floor
again, not heavily but you felt the en-
phasis. Everything he did was done in
low key, but the significance of slight
movements was thereby greatly enhanced.
Ii was as finely expressive, with simple
means, as an etching by Whistler. Once
only he threw back his head opened his
mouth and laughed-a dry chuckle. 1t
was when he had spoken of Chinese
newspapers and aScribed their lack OF cir
culation and of influence to the fact that
they do not tell the whole truth and moth
ing but the truth as ours do, but oAly
part thereof, mingled with inaccuracies
Ii is far from being insensible to humor.
Such was his aspect and the manner of
his speaking; what he said is another
thing. l shall make no detailed or YER
batim report of It, He courteously de-
clined a few questions. He would not
affirm that anything he had seen here
had disappointed his anticIpations; nor
was he willing to single out any one fea-
Of ba oil hax
interested him more than another. Meth
er would he consent to draw any compar-
ison between America and England; but
he observed that we, being of English
origin, must have derived our ideas there
AS to the expediency of educating the
common people, he remarked that China
already chad schools for that end, though
mot so many as We; and l gathered that
he was not favorable to the suggestion Of
the introduction of new women among his
fellow-Celestials.
He, perhaps, failed quite to comprehend
the inquiry whether the attentions of the
people in mass or those or particular dis
tinguished individuals had most Impress
ed him; at any rate, he waived a reply.
He stated that he would welcome the
employment of western capital in Chinese
enterprises, such as railroads and so
forth; but he was careful to add that, in
all cases. the administration of such en-
terpr1SeS must remain in Chinese hands.
The point upon which Ii was most en-
phatic and explicit was that of the ex-
clusion law, term by the by, which the
uniformly clear-tongued interpreter found
vast difficulty in enunciating. You
boast of your freedom" quoth he; ''is it
freedom to put restrictions upon labor?
Would you be content were such restric-
tons applied to your
Hes a free trader!" calculated some
one at my elbow Ii enlarged more upon
this topic than upon any other. The law
was not right, he declared and appealed
to us to say IL this were not 50.
We had outstayed our time and little
Of our interrogations were unasked. We
rose and he rose with US, giving his slen-
der hand to a few of those nearest him.
There was the group of Cinnamon, in
their subdued red and blue silk robes, at
one end Of the room and the score of New
York reporters at the other. Ii was still
standing and chatting with two or three
newly presented persons when l caught
my last glimpse of him. He is the most
interesting and significant figure that has
visited us from the Old World. He stands
for a world enormously different from
ours, but which is, perhaps, much near
err blending its way and views with ours
than most of us are at present disposed
to think.