Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-07-12
WI TINe-FANe.
Personal Characteristics Of the Pres
ent Chinese Minister at Washing


ton.
Little was known about Minister
WI to indicate that his career in
Washington would differ materially
from those that had gone before.
The brief introduction by Minister
DENLY, however, contained three spec
ifications, which were encouraging, to
say the least. He had been admitted
to the bar in London; he had served
the ex-Viceroy, Ii Hung Chang, at
Tientsin; he spoke English perfectly.
These qualifications presumed more
or less contact with Western ideas
and gave promise of a capacity to deal
Understandings with American af-
fairs. But that the new Minister was
to leap at bound into a position of
diplomatic influence hardly equaled
by any of the representatives of the
European powers was not dreamed of
any more than it could have been fore
seen, that events in China would cul-
inmate speedily in such a way as to
entangle the whole civilized world
and give scope for the highest dip
lomatic genius.
No ordinary person could have
achieved this, but WI Ting-fang is
the most extraordinary person who
ever came to us out of the East. He
is one of the Northumberland in any
country. His intelligence is uni
versal in it's range. He is a man of
the world in all that the phrase i'm
plies. There is no company of men
or women among whom he would not
be at home. His mind plays easily
and swiftly. He is quick of appre-
hension and speedy in response. Sa-
gacious, witty astute, discerning, and
catholic in sympathy, his aim has
been to learn the ways of the country
and adapt himself to them. He is an
untiring student of American litera-
ture and customs. He reads the
newspapers religiously, and has an
intimate acquaintance with the top
les of the day. He is fond of travel
and likes to meet all kinds of people.
He sees everybody who calls to see
him at the legation. no matter how
unimportant the person or trihing
the errand.
He is democratic in his ways, and
fond of good-fellowship. But every
person he meets is a specimen to be
studied. Like Lii Hung Chang and
like many other Cinnamon of the
| class, he is a living interrogation
point. Just how far his incessant
| flow of questions is due to a real de-
sire to learn, and just how far it is due
to a determination that no embarrass-
ing question shall be put to him, it
| is impossible to- say. Nobody has
ever yet been able to treat him to a
| dose of his own medicine. He has
a genius for fencing and parrying per-
sonal inquiries, which is comparable
only to the ingenuity he displays in
| framing inquiries of his own. No
one who has not experienced his run
ming fire of questions can realize what
a relentless cross-eXamination means.
! And no one that has not undertaken
to reply to his searching queries can
appreciate how difficult it is to ex-
plain satisfactorily to an alien intelli-
gence conditions which to the ordi-
nary American mind are matters of
course. His logic is irresistible.
His face is study in physiognomy
1t lightens with intelligence and hui
NOR, and yet there is a firm set in the
features, and a suggestion of stern
ness in the eye which betokens sturdy
thinking and determination. One
feels, in talking with him in his light
est moods, that in other moods he
can be cruelty severe; that, however
gracious and delightful he may be
he is not a person to be trifled with
that his lip is as quick to scorn as to
jest. and that his voice is no better
fitted for flattery than for command
Physically he is of medium height
and of medium build, trifle stouter
perhaps, LIAM the average of his race
and clothed with muscles worthy OF
an athlete. There are few women
who would not envy him the perfect
teeth. white, hard and small, which
ne displays as often as he smiles. He
is graceful in his movements, and car
ries himself always with a dignity
that is enhanced by his flowing robes
of silk. His manner of life, to al
outward appearances, is that of any
well-born American. There is hardly
an Oriental suggestion in the furnish
ings of the handsome house in fash
ionable quarter of the town, which
he engaged for legation purposes
when he first came to Washington
Madame WI, whom he married TWEEN
ty years ago in China, and who looks
like all the world as if she had step
ped out of a Chinese picture, pay:
calls and receives them as regularly
as any other woman of her station
She attends the theatre with him anC
frequents public places. His eight
year-old boy plays with American
youngsters, and is getting an Ameri
can education; he goes to the public
schools, and beats all the other chill
dren in their studies.-[L. A. Coolidge
in Ainslee's Magazine.