The New York herald., 1922-04-02
DR.. Reinsch's
Narrative
AN AMERICAN DIPLOMAT IN
CHINA. BY Paul S. Reinsch
Doubleday. Page & Co.

In DIR. Reinsch's narrative of his
experiences while serving as Amer
lean Minister to China in the six
years from 1913 to 1919 we have
in one volume a political history of
that period and a fascinating travel
book. To the student Of world poll
tics and of Americas foreign rela-
tons the volume win have a special
appeal, while to the general reader,
the man or woman who makes his
journeys chiefly in the pages of
books, this story Of IAN American
Diplomat in China'' viii prove to be
the most delightful and entertain
ing work since DR.. Ross published
''The Changing Chinese
Out of the involved coil of Chinese
internal politics and its international
affairs that DIR. Reinsch untansles
and sets down into a smoothly con-
secutive record two leading ele-
ments emerge. These are the never
ceasing efforts OF Japan to gain con-
troll of the destinies Of her big neigh
bor and the non-political attitude of
the United States toward the new
Oriental Republic, an attitude that
generally resulted in Japan getting
rather the worst Of it In her at
tempts to pick this or that crumb
on the Chinese table. In DIR. Reinsch's
time in China our Governments
attitude was to let our bankers
business interests or the American
Red Cross do the actual work of
helping China Yet at the same
time the Government would give no
actual support to any Of these forces,
rather hampering them by its cool
Indifference. 1t is the opinion Of
this author that American prestige
and advancement in China suffers
through the parochial attitude Of
American bankers and their lack Of
ability to engage in and carry
through large enterprises in for
eign lands as do the British bankers
In particular. But our bankers may
retort to this, and with excellent
grounds for their opinion, that it
would not appear a very wise thing
for them to go into a foreign coun-
try and make investments of mil
lions when their own Government
viii not back them up.
This is quaking earth. however,
over which the general reader will
tread, and as a rather remote spec
tator. Also win he find Chinese poll
tics as troublesome as his own and
even more impossible Of solution.
What he will take most pleasure in
Is DIR. Reinsch's descriptions of the
legation life in Pekin, the pictur-
esque and colorful descriptions Of
that city itself and of some nearby
places and of the life of the Chinese
and the Americans residing in the
Chinese capital.
The political opinions Of Presi-
dent Yuan Shih-kai are not so inter-
esting, for example, as to learn that
for his allegiance to the cause of
the republic the Prince OF the Koer-
sin Banner was allowed to ride in
q yellow canopied carriage" as a
mark of the appreciation of the
President How much more pic
turesque than to have Job
handed out to the Prince, as would
be our political fashion OF giving a
reward for faithful services to the
party" And how naive it appears
to US that the Empress Dowager,
who had a passionate admiration
for automobiles and had bought a
feet OF them was never allowed to
ride In one because the committee
an ceremonies had never been able
10 overcome the difficulty of the
chauffeur being seated in the same
vehicle as the Empress.
DIR. Reinsch comments on this that
until some way has been found OF
having a chauffeur drive kneeling
it was impossible for the Dowager
Empress to crafty her desire to take
a ride in one of the swiftly moving