Evening star., 1923-07-21
The Library Table
BY THE BoOKLOVER.

'Peking Dust" is the title of an en-
tertaining little book, about four
years old, by Ellen n. La Motto.
Physically, Peking dust is the fine,
red, powdery dust which periodically
blows in from the Mongolian desert
and envelops Peking, as in dense
(and gritty fog; psychologically 1t
is the flying gossip. native. foreign.
diplomatic, which always circulates
about the Chinese capital. In her
preface the author says:
Take 1t lightly; blow off such dust
as may happen to stick to you. For
authentic information turn to the
heavy volumes written by the ac-
knowledged students OF international
politics"
In spite of her light tone, the au-
thor has several very strong opinions
about China. one is that spheres
developing her nationality in modem
times and have exercised over her an
uncomfortable tyranny. The United
States is. according to Miss La Motto,
fair with China She tells a good
story of the head Of great Amer
lean corporation seeking conces-
sion from the Chinese government
for certain developments which
would greatly benefit the Chinese.
One part of China after another was
ruled ont. as belonging to Russia.
France, Great Britain. and so on.
Finally the exasperated American
turned to the silent Chinese othclal
and asked, where the hell ~
China?"
Miss La Motto was in Peking at
Jriy
ish Shanghai combine, which ''in-
fiuenced" the vice president of China
to purchase for the Chinese govern
ment three thousand chests of opium
just before the date on which, by
agreement with Great Britain, the
opium trade was to end. She was
also there when France seized Lao
Hsi Kai and added it to her sphere
of influence" Finally, she was there
when China was brought INTO the
world war: and Miss La Notes
opinion is that the Chinese govern
ment did not go in voluntarily, but
was advised" "infiuenced,' practi-
cally coerced into the war. One in
teresting chapter tells OF the recep-
ton Of party of Americans under
minister, DR. Reinsch. by the pres
ident of China, Ii Yuan-Hung, who
only a few weeks ago was deposed.
* X
An inexpensive vacation, and per-
hans a more comfortable one than
some spent at seaside or mountain re-
sorts or on rushing motor trips, Is
vacation by what Isaac Anderson IN
the Literary Digest International
Book Review, calls the "AH-book
Route" Mr. Anderson briefly CONF
ments on A number of books ofitraves
TO remoter and less frequently Wis
tied places of the world. Some OF
them are: Head Hunters of the Anna
zon." by F. W. Up de Graf: "Casual
Wanderings in Ecuador" by Blair
Niles; The New Argentina" by W.
II. Koebel: The Trail of the Hemi-
sphere: Chile and Argentina by
Frank G. Carpenter; Alaska Our
Northern Wonderland" by Frank G-
Carpenter: "In the Wake or the Buc-
cancers" by a. Hyatt Verrill: Ber-
muda, Past and Present. by waiter
r. Hayward The Call OF the Noun
tains." by LIE Roy Jeffers; Romantic
Canada" by Victoria Hayward; " mas
of Florence and Tuscany" by Harold
Donald E,berlein: STAINED Glass Tours
in France" by Charles ii. Sheriff.; a
Beachcomber in the Orient, by Harry
/. Foster; Men OF the Inner jungle,
by w. F. Alder; Mainly East" by Mrs.
Alec Tweedie; "A Woman Tenderfoot
in Egypt" by Grace Thompson Seton;
s'On the Gorilla Trail" by Mary Fl.
Bradley: Back 10 the Long Grass. by
Dan Crawford: From Berlin to Bag
dad and Babylon" by Rev. J: a. Zahm;
''The Heart of Arabia by H. st. J. B.
PhiIby; Travels of a Consular officer
in Eastern Tibet" by Erich Teichman;
hx- I
shaw: 'Wanderings in the Queensland
Bush" by w. l.. Puxley. and Bird s.
eye Views of Far Lands" by James 7.
Nichols.
OF the ever-growing multitude Of
those who spend their vacations in
motoring a constantly increasing
number are achieving independence
Of joy-killing high-priced hotels by
camping. To all such F. +. Brim-
mer's "Autocamping" will prove
most helpful guide. The author
writes from long experience about
the necessary equipment OF tents.
beds, clothing, stoves. refrigerator
baskets. cookery and utensils, furni-
ture, Illumination. trailers. photog-
rephy, medicines. hunting and fishing
gear and the packing of equipment.
His advice is made especially Talu-
trade names of the equipment he
recommends, instead of forcing you
to identify II by descriptions. I am
especially glad that the author de-
votes a. final CHAPTER to the ethics
Of autocamping, giving as his golden
YOU would have others autocamp
upon you" He points out that SO
many inconsiderate autocampers
have Uttered up the landscape and
made nuisances of themselves that
unless there is greater self-restraint
exercised the desirable increase in
autocamping is likely to be limited
by law or the force Of public opinion.
A new English monthly magazine,
The Adelphi, is edited by John Mid
dleton Murry. The first number con-
tains as q frontispiece a hitherto
unpublished portrait of Katherine
Mansfield, who died only a short
time ago. Her husband, Mr.. Murry.
is also going to print in his new
left in manuscript.
x x X X.
Last winter the Wisconsin 1egis-
lature passed a law forbidding the
use in the schools of that state Of
any text book of history which "falsi-
fies the facts regarding the war of
independence. or the war Of 1912. or
which defames our nations founders
or misrepresents the ideals and
causes for which they struggled and
sacrificed. or which contains propa-
ganda favorable to any foreign gov
ernment." In the July number of the
American Historical Review DR.. J..
Franklin jameson. the managing ed
itor. in commenting on this pure his
tory law" says: mo one can miss