Evening star., 1934-06-17


sity of Peiping He was a member OF
the Kuomintang, as an inheritance
from his revolutionary father The teacner
suggested his desire to write the biography OF
q Chinese student and for half year, IN con-
ferences of from 4 to 6 hours daily, Shih-Hua
paye q "bio-interview' covering the 26 years
of his life The story told as nearly as posi-
BILE in his own language is rich In reveatlon
of family life and its irksome ceremonials under
the Manchu regime, of details Of one local Sec
ton of Sun-Yat- Sens revolution, and OF the
sadness. bitterness and nightmare coniuslon
which were one young mans life. Shih-Hua
was later with Tretiakov In Moscow. one Gay
ne failed to make his visit and Tretiakov has
never seen heard from him since He
plunged into China and disappeared" He may
he editing pamphlets acting as a clerk teach
ing or after looking closely into the split face
of the Kuomintang he has become a conannu,
MIST and like his father, who once wandered
from village to village with his inSurgent army
continues to carry on guerilla warfare arouno
the populous villages of Human and Tzlan-s.
It is possible, it occurs to us, that he may nave
been a member of the band which kidnapped
q missionary in Szechuan few weeks ago.
The autobiography of Shih-Hua rings true
The young evidently opened his mnd
with all its reColleCt0nS and thoughts and emo
tions to his teacher. Because OF the view
which his story gives OF portion OF real Cnl-
nese life and more pulsating human
experience the interest which it arouses Is M
tense and continuous. 1t is difhcult TO selece
parts for mention, as all are SO vital 1he pic
ture of the big ancestral house on the YangtZe'
with its courts. terraces, orchards and vege-
table garden where lived the child Shlh-Hu
with his mother, grandmother and two uncles
contrasts painfully with that of the uncomfort-
able little house, entered through shop, 10
which the family moved on account OF tnelr
poverty. Shih-Hua's father, in university IN
Japan, studying law and m1l1tary scleflce'
oil family resources and the QnCleS
were frequently obliged to form mutual loan
groups to raise needed money. So the family
sank deeper and deeper into debt and vhen
the father finally returned home it was only 10
turn the house into revolutionary headquarters
and to demand heavy service from all the mem
bers of the family. Little Shih-Hua used 10
peek through a hole in paper window at the
circle of consprators in the living room ana
listen to their plots, which he could not unoer-
stand.
His gentle mother worn out with overwork
and anxiety, died of tuberculosis He himseh
had an illness lasting nearly year. His 1atner
was away most of the time and cared Tor
nothing but the revolution The two uncles'
one o teacher, the other literary oAettanIe
embittered because Is years Of family mourning
had prevented his taking examinations Tor gov
ernuient preferment, provided an education for
the boy. When he was almost man and was
dreaming of going to Peiping to WORK on q
newspaper, he was forced by his stepmotner'
and Chinese custom into distasteful mar
riage with an illiterate country girl The pres
ence Of my wife tortured me like an aoscess.
like constantly dripping water. Besides, women
In general held little attraction for me- Soon,
following his fathers example OF irresponsioiiity
In family relations he left for Pelplng 70 STUDY.
ST looked at the women, smiled, bowed to them
and wished them the best Of luck" He was
polite II entirely indifferent. The news OF the
arrival of daughter of his caused no emo
ton except that now his stepmother could de-
mand nothing more of him. Later he divorced
his wife because she had betrayed the reVolu-
tionary activities of his father. His story ENDS
with his joining university group Tor the
study of military science, preparatory 10 throw
ing in his lot with the followers Of Sun-Yat-
Sen.
THE MONGOIS OF MANCHURIA. BY Owen
baltimore. New York: The John Day Co.
4 AR. LATTIMORE, a native Washingtonian,
iVl spent his childhood in China and re-
turned there at the age of 19 for business and
Journalism Later he and his wife Travelled
through Mongolia and Chinese Turkestan.
overland from China to India. He knows both
the Chinese and Mongol languages and has
wide acquaintance with Mongol leaders. For
some years he has devoted his whole time to
the study of Mongolia and its problems and is
by many considered the leading authority on
the subject. He is now connected with the
Institute of Pacific Relations as editor OF
Pacific Affairs. His recent book, "Manchuria
Cradle of Conflict" gave the historical back
ground of Manchuria's desirabilty in the East
and at the time of its publication brought
the narrative of events there and their inter-
probation as nearly as possible to date. This
present book discusses the tribal divisions Of
the MongolS In Manchuria their geographical
distribution their historical relations with
Manchus and Chinese, and their present po-
litical problems. The name "Manchuria" is
used geographically and historically; MAN
chukuo" is used for the new state which COM