New-York tribune., 1909-12-08

NHNI tAIfUiI ItakfIs n. A. A-iLaNs DID
26a. =. p. Dufion a. co.
The daily life of foreigners in China.
and of the people themselves. Chinese
hunsor. ART and literature. politics and
the crops. religion and disease. COM
nnerce and horse racing afford vast va
r.sfy 81 subject 10 the discursive pen Of
Mr.. John Stuart Thomson The book
WI hardly claim value Tor permanent
reference. but its fund Of descriptive in
formation. ats breezy generalities. its
comfortable omniscience. its anecdotes.
its range OF topic and its capital illus
rrstions make Il a book 81 the hour
worth more than passing glance. The
life ~ Hong Kong rs wonderful in its
variety. its color. its Individuality. and
the author knows IL intimately. while
he has not through usage lost the knack
of noting those triles which tho new
conner remarks as novel or notable and
which soon fade into The common mass
of distinguishable things. The COM
plicstcd wonders of Canton. ''the pre-
nier city of China" are unfolded AZ
length. and We are assured that this
marvellous place decidedly is the me
tzop0hs Of the country as New York is
with as and il may eventually be the
capital II the Manchus are overthrown.'
Then there IS Macao. with lis very lively
lottciw and its precious memories Of
Csmcens. As we DO homage 10 the
bust ~ the eKiled poet we pause 10 pay
tribute TO the land that almost within
his lifetime was the shore that abut-
tea on the sea OF oblivion" II Camoens
as the Homer Of Portugal. TascO da
Cana was her Ulysses Martin Lopez
discovered Nova Zembla. Evora reached
T!mbuctoo. Andrade Picking and Ma
Eeiisn. boW-ing under the auspiciOus
sign 81 the southern Cross. parted the
violet veil that concealed the Pacific.
end Pinto landed IN quaint Japan in
l.,S1 Little Portugal is the grand
mother ~ the world" But not every
psrc bears such fine writing as this.
There are ordinary descriptions OF fam
ilv life among the Chinese. Of burial
customs. Of the attitude toward women.
~ the multferiOus habits and practices
thai distinguish one nation or race from
another. and facts about tea growing
End tss drinking. Of household manage
meut and everything under the sun.
The writer does not hesitate 10 general
ize freely. copiously. diffusively; the
noriditv Of his expression is somewhat
inoessauf and the superficial scope Of
HE assertions is positively without limit.
sir Robert Hart has so long been an
important international hgure that
biography Of him would almost he
history % China in its foreign relations
for hsf a century. The little work he
fore US Is not biography. hut a sketch
~ an sdoring relative. II is an informal
collection Of anecdotes and remnis-
Cences. intimate. personal. coloqUial
snd. 81 course. frankly eulogistic. as
such work has a right 30 be- The su-
fllor seems - little afraid that her emi-
uent relation viii not be appreciated al
his true worth on account Of his hard
cncd modesty and ingrained self-re-
etraint. ana interjects frequent comment
warning the reader not 20 be misied by
such manifestations Hart Joined the
British consular service in China i'm 1854.
Lefore he Was twenty wears old. and i've
wears later resigned 10 accept a post in
\ ri,e Chinese customs In this service he
spent his life. becoming the well known
J. - inspector seneraD, whose name
and fame are household words through
out tho Far East As organizer and ad-
rinistrstive officer. his habits Of indus
~. system and method bore instant
fruit iu the great success Of his depart
mont. and when. years after. Gladstone
Offered him the post of British Minister
20 Picking. the reluctance ~ the Chinese
government 10 part with him constrained
him 10 decline. strong and salient
personality. a man ~ temperament and
marked individuality. eccentric in some
-syE. but arm and true and upright. and
shrinking from no responsibility. such
WAS fhe man who won and retained for
p lifetime rho respect and confidence Of
thc Chinese government and people
There are pleasing pictures iu this pleas
ing little book. and stories Of Ii Hung
Chang and Auson Bur!ingamc and Gen
orsl Gordon. and many others worthy ~
preservation and happily told.
Professor Parker brings 10 the elucida-
sion 80 Chinese history patience. orudi-
ticn. Industry and an analytical mind.
Chinese annals src mern diaries Of
events. 10 saws. Isolated facts being tum-
llcd together in order Of date without
Eny regard Tor proportion. Tho Chinese
hs,r never seized upon the philosophy
- HISTORY. n Is not easy for the foreign
student disma ycd lg the strange and
confusing names. 10 extract principles
from scattered facts. but the attempt is
made o. doscrihe she general trend of
e,cuts and life of the DCoplc rather than
sire personal acts of rulers. and generally
80 convey 1u imtenigible notion of what
Chimes antiquity really WAS and what
Frinciplcs and motives Underlay d.. Chi
rese history is q rule Of thumb hand 10
mouth. diary sort of arrangement like
"a vast museum of genuine but Wnclassi-
fod snd untickoteG exhibits But there
is no sod reason for doubling tine genu-
ineness az either its traditions or docu-
r,cuts Professor Parker shows great
skin in The division OF his subject. and
has pronidcd for his readers z very full
index. while the list 81 conterts com
srises no less than > per cent Of the let
f..rfrcss. Rut with All his consideration
for tie plodding reader. the inherent dif-
neulties II tlIe subject are such that his
nureal viii DE rather 70 the scholar than