A delightfully interesting book about China and things Chinese, with the additional.recomnmendation of being devoid of the somnolent heaviness which too frequently accompanies accuracy in such works, A String "of Chinexe Peach-Stones will be welcomed by two distinct classes—those reading for wnusement and those seeking instruction. The author, the Rev. W. Arthur Cornaby, has been an observant and intelligent resident of Central China, and for nine years gathered up the curious fragments which he has presented tous so skilfully in this volume, dedicated to the Rev. David Hill, whose death has occurred since its publication. The author says. that to a considerable extent it is the result of many chats with a young Chinese friend whose acquaintance he made—a_ walking encyclopedia of anecdote who had abnet but varied experience of life. Every night it was the young Chinainan's custom to tell his friend a tale, which was jotted down and' afforded encouragement and stance to the listener to continue his researches into the comparative folk-lore of the district in which his lot was cast. Although the materials have been collected in this manner'the book has. a connecting thread of narrative on which the tales sre atrang, dealing with the years, 1849 to 1807, und involving the Taiping Re-hellion." But of 60 entertaining a companion as Mr. Cornaby's book we do not too strictly demand that it should "stick to the point." Its garrulity is so attractive that we stop not to ask whether the heading of the chapter has, had a wider interpretation than we at first thought, In this way an unexpected amount of information about the people is unconsciously absorbed, whilst the morals axe pointed and the tales adorned with the Tight touch of the genuine artist.
One of the early chapters is on "Rural Seenes and Sounds" and an extract from it, describing ple of the author's style the children at their sports, is good exam-
On New Year's morning. everybody goes out and fites as many esackers as he can well efford—a necessary" precaution against. evil, and an indispensable accompaniment of worship then. Mere child's play it all seems to us. And if the gods and goddesses existed, it would seem such to the kindest of them. But after the mutual congratulations of the early daylight some of the more favoured children" get a handful of loose crackers i ing with higher amaties, we may safely set down' the cquation—Chinese child +handful of crackers Nay, it is almost, deifica-'The lad in question becomes a juvenile god of war, Who can withstand him? But several are armed in the same way, And the deification goes to the lad whose crackers last the longest. On this particular day the victor in the mimic battles is a certain Li Song-teh. (Li is the Smith surname of China Song-teh is "victorious virtue.")... Meanwhile Song-tch has gone up to ihe village school teacher, who is standing at the gate and, being an intelligent little lad, asks a. question, which may be quoted Vy is i sir, that the eh: as that for whip?" Because," teacher, with a brightened face full of hope for the future, "in ancient times, rs were known, bamboo whip:
rods were used instead. These being dried, were lit at the end, and brandieh The North - China Herald and Supreme Court & Consular Gazette (1870-1941); Jun 5, 1896; about. As each knot was reached, the bamboo China; there has been a great growth of the toned away the evil? Sengteh is a well "whip" gave a loud pop." And that fright: population within the past fifty years. Like China, Persia is in: great need of internal instructed youth, and so does not utter the word demon on New Year's morn, The men-improvements;..she needs good wagon: tion of evil spirits is supposed to bring them. roads and railways. But..the. greatest They come when they hear their names called. need of Persia,, as of China, is of such a Some well-instructed youngsters, however, on New. Year's day come up to mother. and reform as shall put a.stop to/the all-prevalent corruption, which is as: deeply. father, saying, "I must not say demon rooted as anywhere in.the. world.. There is today, must' I?" Hush!" "Yes,..1 the, same redundancy..of. officials, the: know}. nor death, nor coffin, nor lion, or plurality. of. offices: combined in. one 'i tiger, or elephant,. or snake." Until' the dividual, who, perhaps, does no toward bewildered parent sticks up in his house performing the duties. of, any of his sine-lip of red paper, which says, "Children's cures,; the, sume: system of.squeezing, and words do not count," or over his front door bribery, and miscarriage of justice. "There the words, "Heaven, Earth, Yiu, Yang (male and female principles); all things without is the same need of popular education danger from' unlucky words" but well nigh as in China, but in.one respect. Persia is, trembles at the sound of any unlucky word much worse off than the Celestial Empire, nevertheless. But the school teacher's in being. largely governed -by a fierce reply has not yet been given. "No," he and bigoted. sect of Mahommedans.. She says; "hardly that, for, as the Household has all the material for a, savage war of Treasury says (a work of twenty odd races, and. for: such fearful massacres. volumes, full of concentrated" essence' of have disgraced: Asiatic' and, European, ly-goodness), these sounds agitate the key.' AS in China so in Persia, rival civili-Yang principle (the productive principle) sations contend for the dominant influence, and disperse that of the Yin (which is merely and there-as here Russia has the enormous. absorptive) and so.ensure good luck.' advantage of territorial proximity, and of the The extract is long but characteristic irresistible momentum. of her glacier-like, and it will-have served its Burposs if movements. She has already absorbedalarge it sends readers to: the book itseli—which can_be obtained at the local book-partof what was once persia and Mrs, Bird ishop tells us that.many provinces. of stores. Some. very effective sketches Persia are"looking forwand, to Russian rule are given of a Taiping camp; and as a distinct relief from some of the burdens the strange system' of Christianity the rebels inclined to. A word of special under which they at present groan; The Persians are inveterate liars, and, as we know, commendation. must be reserved for. the the Chinese do sometimes prevaricate. But veneral appearance of the ~book, and the state of morals in Persia appears to, be its numerous illustrations. Several. of the incomparably.inferior. to that of China, latter are reduced fac-similes of Chinese thanks, we are glad to believe, to the com pictures of various penmanship, whilst the bulk are composed in the. style of the best. paratively lofty' mons of Gonfucianism, he Persian years, like the Chinese, -wte Chinese artists, and harmonise with the arranged in cycles of. twelve, and the Jeneral tone of the book more successfully animals which "govern" them are almost than the elaborate process productions of identical, the Persian' leopard and while foreign printing. t standing instead of the Chinese tiger anid dragon." The Persians, like. the Chinese, have a proverb that he who lias been ones Persian Life and Customs, swith Scene ind Incidents of Residence and Travel in the well tops; and like the Chinese they dress bitten by a serpent, is always afraid: of, a Land of the Lion and the Sun. By the boys.in the clothing of girls, ta cheat evil Rev. S..J: Wilson, Ma, fifteen years a spirits. As' in, China, time is no, object to Missionary in Persia, with map and illustrasions. Fleming H. Revell Company, New any one, and the physician is honoured with an hour's social chiot before the ailments
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.