New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-10-17
IN THE ORIENT.
Tsoo Books on China and Japan.

ORDERED TO CHINA. Letters OF Muo1r
Stokes Company.
THE HEART OF JAPAN GllInpses Of Life e ana ana
Nature Far from the Travellers Track IN ,, IN
rrowneiL Illustrated. l2mo. PIP. So'. Mcclure
Phillips & Co
To those acquainted with the work Of the late
Wilbur J. Charnberlin. the freshness and humor
manifest In this collection OF letters. written
mainly TO his wife while he was observing Tor
his paper in New-York the events OF the
,rouhlous ,eriod IN China subsequent 20 the
suppression Of the Boxer uprising in l9oo. VIII
came as no surprise. He describes all that
came within his ken from the time he LETT New
York until, homeward bound, his pen was stilied
forever lbv the disease which had sent him from
ronaon 10 Carlsbad. where he passed away on
ausy,,st II 1901 The last letter Of the COLLECTION
,ras written exactly a week before the DAY ol
his death. and breathes the optimism 'ha' ""'
a marked Characteristic OF all its predecessors
Anarr from the personal note which adds its
atbetic charm TO these letters there is through
ont them a vein OF human interest that cannot
hut make an appeal TO the reader MT oii'Ain-
Merlin tndulges but little in morahzing OF ''i9o
-,zsnr. He writes OF what VIII most in'9i
IS. wife and the result is a curiously panoramic
,,,cture Of life in the Far East, and OF the con
a,tions under which the people OF FeKlHB "NeN
IS ,,o,,as during the long drawn out peace
,,o,o.,sr,ons. He did not arrive at the Chlnese
,oanstal until after the relief Of the leEa''oiiS'
,r, ne was there in time TO see the chaoS anu
,,,,serv that prevailed while the peace collli'i-
stoners were hagglng and BARGAINING. ->o' 'e
least interesting OF the letters are 'hoSe III
.ansc, ne throws some sidelights on the CAUSES
,,o. contributed TO the delay, expressing hl'seli
very strangely as regards the respected repre-
eentatives OF the powers.
1Kbue ,n Picking Mr. Chamberlin visited an
~s ,,,aces Of note. including the Forbidden Cl'y'
che I9eu Temple and the Yellow Tempe anu HIS
,.,.e-s tell in the expressive II colloquial IAN
xr,oge which he so frequently employs what ne
.ovv during the visits and the impressions ne
-sce,,ed In common with many Others VINO De-
held the results Of the vandalism that mao sc-
COMMANDED the oueliing Of the reoelhon ne Ut
ters a protest loud and long, protest 10 Whlch
he had already given expression IN ms us
matches 70 his paper. But in these private ie'-
ters he unburdens himself even more 1reely'
II is apparent that Mr.. Chamberlin's syInpathles
were with the Chinese and that he had no pa
sience with those who had desponeu 'ieiA u
their possessions.
One Of the many personages with whom he
came into contac; while in Picking was the late
statesman Ii Hung Chang and for him MI.
x-hamberlin expresses the greatest admiration
although he finds his idea Of the humorous
ystber disappointing Here is a characteristic
anecdote from one of the Picking letters;
II Hung Chang's sense Of humor is immense.
but very often he oversteps the bounds To-day
he joshed the Congers about the siege ana
asked Mrs COnger if she had recovered from
the effects OF ii vet. Then. in that JOY that
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS IS the father of. he wanted to
know how they liked horsefesh, anyway Ihat
\ think Won will admit was rubbing il in bit
You know that during the siege the folks We're
all reduced to horse meat and the Congers hau
-. NCaaf a ar
rleasant thing 10 recall, particularly when the
ponies were pets those that were eaten
were.
Later we find Mr. Chamberlin telling very
briefly. as was his wont. Of verbal encounter
he had in Hong Kong with some Englishmen
who were bent on vilifying Ii Hung Chang, and
he relates with evident enjoyment that Il get
the Englshmen so mad that they are ready to
fight However. I haven't had any fights yet.
and guess now I won't have any. may have
changed a few minds, though"
A singular contrast to the Outspoken Ordered
TO China" is presented by Mr.. Brownells work
life In Japan Appearing in the form il
takes. one would naturally look for continuity;
but, strange as IL may appear. the Chamberlin
volume, epistolary though it be, forms a much
better rounded out whole than this study Of the
LAND Of the Rising sun" Again the human
snterest predomnating in the letters is missing
here. There are. it is true. many interesting
anecdotes and accounts Of personal experiences
but for some reason they do appeal TO one
as dealing with real things and real people II
may be that Mr.. BrownelI has absorbed too
much of the atmosphere OF Japan. OF it may
be that he has not absorbed enough for as
suredly he impresses as one who looks upon
the japanese as toyland people despite the
snany tributes he pays TO their adaptability to
Western civilization II is from the pictures he
draws OF the transition period through which
the japanese are passing that his work derives
SITS chief importance. its sole raison d'etre one
Is almost tempted TO say
A great drawback 10 enjoyment Of his volume
lies In the garb in which the author has chosen
70 array his thoughts. The diction reminds the
reader Of those books Of which we are assured
that, although they are intended for children
they will appeal equally 70 adults" But Mr.
Brownells work is obviously not intended for
children.
There Is, for example. a story about poker
game between noble japanese. with geisha girls
the stakes. There are other passages not
altogether adapted TO youthful consumption.
Nevertheless. Mr.. BrOWnen persistently follows
the child story book style as though by no
chance viii his readers be intelligent men and
women who have read books on japan before