The Savannah morning news., 1902-07-20
NEW YORK TOPICS.
DRIFTS AND UNDERGRADUATES OF
THE METROPOLIS.

DRIFTS AND UNDERCUHHENTS oF
THE METROPOLIS.
WHY, Courteous WI Ting-fang, the
Chinese Minister, and How He Got
the BETTER of a Lot of Occidental
Statesmen-StOries of the Presf-
dents Vacation at Oyster Bay.
BishOp Potter and His Approach
ing Re-marriage-GeOrg Gould,
the Western Union and the Extern
sion of the Gould RaiIways-War
between Yachtsmen and Cable
Companies-GOOd Health of the
Children in Hot Weather-BrutaIi-
ty on the Brooklyn Trolley Cars.
New York, July 19.-Wu Ting fang,
the Chinese minister, who has been
called home to help codify the laws of
the Celestial Empire, has many friends
in New York who sincerely wish he
were to remain in this country and
there is no doubt whatever that he
might find ways a-plenty to earn
good income in America were he so
disposed. Indeed, as many readers will
remember. there was a strong move
ment when there was talk of his recall,
a year or more ago, to give him
place at Columbia University as pro-
fessor of the Chinese language and lit
erature. At the time Mr.. WI declar-
ed that he could not take such post,
but his friends believe that he spoke
with a mental reservation; that he
would have been glad to accept a post
in a great American university had
the opportur ity come to him under cir
cumstances that were wholly favora
BILE
WI likes the genius of Caucasian
life, despite his good natured and fear
less criticisms of our habits and GUS
toms and he has never been more sue
cessful in anything than in adapting
himself to the bibulous habits of the
Yankees. This doesn't mean that he
was ever known to indulge IN intoxi-
cants to excess. but simply that he has
always been able to hold his own.
Sometimes he has done better than
that.
An ex-cabinet minister of the writ
er's acquaintance delights Lell the
story of Mr.. Wu's most conspicuous
exemplifcation of his powers in this
direction. The manifestation took
place at a new years reception in
Washington. Some of the minister's
friends got together and agreed that
it would be a good time to test his ca
pacity, and on his appearance he was
promptly invited to partake of some
exceedingly palatable and potent punch
by an American stateman of great
prominence. WI had no sooner ac-
Al
Oriental grace, than he received a like
invitation from another and equally
prominent American publicist And
so it went for an hour or two. Just
how many glasses of punch the affable
Monaghan absorbed has never been
learned, but after a while it was no.
ticed that he took pains to see that
each of his Occidental friends took as
many drinks as he and that they were
all getting hilarious while he was still
as sober as a judge. Finally, when
they had become so interested in the
punch on their own account as to
cease paying attention to the China
man, he strolled over to the relator of
this story:
They are pretty well saturated,
aren't they, Mr.. Secretary" he re-
marked with the most delightful sang
froid, and with a wink which showed
that ne had previously been put on to
the game.
Mr. WI by the way, writes his name
in English WI Ting fang the 'f in
fang" being "Iower case" and not a
capital letter. He is a little sensitive,
strangely enough, about the persistent
nn3sprinting of his name, especially as
he has repeatedly given out the correct
style.
at a ot he
Oyster Bay which have not found their
way into print. as yet, are f1ltering
their way to the big city at the Hud-
sons mouth. There is no question that
Oyster Bay worships its Teddy
There are many rich people in the
neighborhood of the rambling little
town and they speak of him as Mr..
Roosevelt or 1.-The President" But the
old timers-the fisherman, the clam
diggers and the farmers-call him
Teddy" and when they speak of him
there is generally a slight straighten-
ing of the slouchy shoulders, or some
other trifiing indication of local pride
in the hero of San Juan Hill A caller
who helped to organize a congratula-
tory parade of Oyster Baymen a few
days after Mr.. Roosevelt had been
ele cted to the Vice presidency tells this
story:
Among the people who rode from
the village UP to Sycamore Hill in the
strange procession was a raw-boned
Long Islander who had loudly pro-
Claimed on election day to a gossiping
group of men and women that he had
voted for Bryan, greatly to the dis
gust of most of the members of the
group. / was especially surprised and
said so. But again the man asserted
with emphasis that he had voted for
Bryan. A day or two ago the same
ma shook hands with me:
Say. mate, said the man, YOU
didn't feel hard against me, did YOU?
Il had forgotten the episode and
asked him what he meant He brought
1t back to my memory and 1 said that
how the man voted had been none of
my business. and that, therefore.
there were no hard feelings
Well, she's dead now, said the
man.
Who's dead?' / asked.
The old woman-my wife, he said.
Tn sorry to hear it, said 1.
WE'LL" so am for some rea-
sons he said. slowly, but after this
won't have to lie no more about vot-
in fer Teddy
What do you mean?" I asked:
l." WE'LL he said, I voted for i'm
all right; but the old woman she was
a Dimicrat an 1 didn't dare let her
know 1 got cagey, KNOWN her
p'litical feelin's an spoke out loud
that night before you an the rest of
the crowd an her and said ia voted
for Bryan. Twan't true; but 1 said
1t just so as to have peace. Poor