Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1906-12-19
GREAT TRAVELLER
HAS ASPIRATIONS
WOULD LIKE TO BECOME A.
CALIFORNIAN
George Kennan, Famous Author and
Explorer, viii Investigate jap
anese sltuation on the
Pacific Coast

George KEENAN,, one of Americas
best known travellers and writers, was
at the Alexandria yesterday en- route
from San Diego, where he has been a
guest of the California promotion COM
mittee, to San Francisco.
Mr.. KEENAN, has come west repre-
senting McClure's, to make q study of
the Japanese question, which is now
agitating the east and the west.
For several years he was a member
of the staff of the outlook and for
that publication he was correspondent
during the Russo-Japanese war. He
was in Japan long enough to get much
valuable information concerning the
people and there are few men in the
country who are so well fitted to dis
cuss the subject.
81 have come to get little knowl-
edge upon the California side of the
question" said Mr.. KEENAN,.
1.-THE Japanese problem has aroused
not only the people of the Pacific coast,
but the people fof the entire country,
and it enbodies many phases.
1.-THE class of Japanese who come
into California, the attitude of the la
Dor unions in San Francisco, the schools
and half dozen other questions must
be taken into consideration.
Wants to Be Californian
"As guest of the California promo
ton committee I have learned many
things about this wonderful state. L
have always wanted to be a Califor-
Man. Years ago, when / was boy of
Is, | came to Los Angeles on my way
to the Orient. / fell in love with the
place then and determined that some
Gay It would be my home. AS it hap
pened 1 came back to my own coun-
try by way of the east instead of the
west and thus I was sidetracked."
Mr.. KEENAN, is the author of several
Russian books and some of his expert
ences with the Russian government in
gathering material for these works and
in having them published were thrill
ing.
In 1901 he was arrested by the censor
and ordered to leave Russia. never to
return. He had fallen under the ban
of the cars government because of his
writings about the country, and no
magazine containing one of his articles
was Above to go into the country un-
til the offending page had been re-
moved. Fifteen years ago, after 49,
OOO-mie journey through Russia and
Siberia. he wrote a book on Siberia and
the exile system and this book is being
published in serial form in Russia for
the first time. 1t has been translated
into four languages and is now being
widely read and discussed. Things
move even in Russia" says he.
Studies Russian Language
"I want to go back to Russia again
and I think / will do so in spite of the
command to stay out of the empire.
You see, things have changed since
then, and I hardly think the censor
would be quitefso hard on me-"
Mr. Remnants account of his attempt
to master the Russian language is both
| ludcrouS and characteristic of an
| American.
"T learned the language around the
camp fires listening to the people talk,
but ! really thought it would be well
if 1 could have little deeper knowl-
edge of the construction and the gram
mar. 1 bought a grammar and went to
work. / picked out the first regular
noun and when / found that it was
proper to use it one way afer observ-
ing twenty-four different rules l closed
the book and gave up. Later l con-
ceived a grammar of my own from my
reading. 1 began by reading light
works and gradually went into the
deeper things"
Mr.. KEENAN, was war correspond
ent in the Spanish American war as
we'll as the Russo-Japanese conflict
and he has a fund of good stories and
happy faculty of telling them, which
makes him a most delightful enter
tainer.
He left for San Francisco late yes
terday afternoon and will be there un-
til after he has completed his investi
cation of the Japanese question.