The Saint Paul globe., 1897-11-21

The New York Sun recently asked
the Chinese vice consul in that city
what he thought Of the two Chlnese
plays, "The Cat and the Cherub" and
''The First Born" both the works Oh
American dramatists. Here Is a Sec
ton of the interview:
What did you think Of the acting
and of the way in which the play was
put on?"
"Is it all Chinese-like life, you
mean? Well, yes. Chinese to an Amer
lean, but to a Chinaman-oh, well, you
know"
The reporter didn't know, but he
wanted to find out.
81 don't know how to tell you" the
consul continued 1T Is like when
fellow from the country comes to town
and puts on good town clothes and
goes out. He is dressed all right, but
every one knows he is from the coun-
try. 1t is in the little things, the way
he ties his necktie and puts on his
hat and uses his hands, and all that.
Now, the actors in both these plays are
good, quite remarkable, and the seem
cry is good, and the plays are good
only Chinaman knows it isn't Chin
ese at all. How can it be? The people
have studied Chinese life from the out
side. They don't know real Chinese
nature and manner L don't know
how to explain what is wrong. You
would have to be Chinese to under
| stand, but just go down to the Chinese
theater and see a real Chinese play,
and that will help you to see what 1
mean. Only you won't enjoy a Chinese
! play, because you are American. That's
the reason you like these new plays,
| because they are Chinese translated
! into English, and very free transla-
| ton"
"I see The First Born was failure
in London. I suppose they don't know
much about the Chinese over there. -
Neither do yous Americans" retort-
ed the consul quickly. you think you
do, but you don't Maybe you have a
Chinese laundryman, and you think
you understand our people. 1t is fun
ny. You Americans are so narrow
about some things. You don't judge the
! Italians by your banana men, nor the
French by your walters, but you have
just one idea of our people. 1 run into
the prejudice everywhere. You say,
oh, Chinese that settles it, You don't
realize that you don't know anything
about our upper class, nor about the
scholarship and skill and culture re-
quired from man who wants to take
a good position in our society. Study?
Why, the American boys don't know
anything about study. You ought to
see how a man grinds in China for
twenty or twenty-five years of his life
before he is called educated. ."a'1-s '9'l
Then the consul laughed his soft, en-
barrassed little laugh, as though re-
GREETING his enthusiasm, but the ugly
fellow on the chimney-piece scowled
and seemed to think the consul alto
gether too modest and polite. If he
could have expressed his sentiments
about America and China, the yellow
dragon would have swallowed the eagle
at a gulp.
81 don't think many of our people
have seen the plays" the young China
man went on. You see you like them
because they give you something new
and interest you, but the Cinnamon
know much more about Chinese char
acter and life than the men who wrote
the plays, and they are satisfied with
their own theater, and don't care to
pay money to see what idea the Ameri-
cans have of them. OF course, some of
the educated men go from curiosity and
as a study. The plays are interesting
from that point of view"
A picturesque Chinaman drifted
Through the hall, and the consul plead
ed a business engagement. The cross
ed eyes Of the fat little porcelain di-
vinity glared concentrated scorn in
two directions as the door closed upon
him. 1t would be interesting to have
his opinion of "The Cat and the
Cherub' and '"The First Born"
Sol Smith Russell told me an anec-
dote about Mark Twain the other night
which is so good that it is a wonder it
has not been made public before this,
says Marshall P. Wilder in the New
York World. While Mark Twain was
i'll in London a few months ago a re-
port that he had died was circulated.
1t spread to America and reached
Charles Dudley Warner in Hartford,
Conn. Mr.. Dudley Warner Immediate
ly cabled to London to find out whether
it was really so. The cablegram in
some way came directly into the
humorist's hands and he forthwith
cabled the following reply:
Reports of my death greatly exag-
gerated."
There seems to be no doubt this time
about Jessie Bartlett Davis determina-