John Chinaman is a new book, as the name suggests, on China and the Chinese. The author is the Rev. George Cockburn, formerly of the Church of Scotland Mission, Thong. It is a book of 223 pages, we printed, well bound, and easily read, and costs 3s. 6d.
'So marly booké on China and things Chinese have been written of varying quality that on seeing a new book published'éhe wonders what the author can get to say other than has been said.' Too often new book on China is laid aside unread beyond the preface'and first. chapter, being pronounced dull snd uninteresting an containing nothing fresh. Whatever may be said of some book as uninteresting, the term cannot be applied: to Mr. Cockburn's production. From begining to' end it is interesting; readable, and instructive. The hook, is not -history, nor politics, hor palpable to audiences the luditrous side of episodes that Mr. Gros-smith owes some measure of his success, Then, ho is a sharp observer of the small absurdities and weaknesses of ordinary social life. For instance, he has observed that people who come ostensibly to see a display of wedding presents are most concerned to find out the place in the array of their own con; tribution to the stock. ' Where's ours?" they say, and this triviality Mr. Gross-mith has been able to make effective play with... 'Inever write about anything I don't understand,' said he, and that's why people recognise my sketches. 'And then L always try to be up to date in everything. 'That's the only way for an entertainment to succeed.'. - course Mr. Grossmith has a non-professional social life, when he sinks his public character in that of an ordinary English gentleman. There are some people, however, who are obtuse to what should be obvious enough to men of sense. Mr. Grossmith is well able to deal with the snobbish vulgarity which fails to understand that the great artiste becomes on occasion the Gnee, for example,-a wealthy hatter, with vote person and the distinguished guest. whom Mr. Grossmith had- some slight acquaintance, came up to him ata Mansion House ball' and said: 'Hulloa! Mr. Grossmith, what are you doing here? Are you going to give us any of your little funniments—eh?' 'No,' replied Mr. Grossmith. Are you going to sell any of your hats?" The next article in the Toegasine Is on. avery, diferent subject, "Women in Prison." The writer assures us thai called **The Vice-Consul's Villainous Double," into which Shanghai is introduced and in which bold bad chaasze meets with his reward. From the interesting notes on People we hear about" from week to week the following are extracted The withered arm of the German Emperor has been examined with the Réntgen rays, ig said that a simple operation will is Majesty to use his hand with compara lom.
Prince Bismarck dislikes being stared at in public, but does not object to interviewers.
refused myself to three diplomats," he said one day, but I received five journalists. Jlearned more from them than I should have done from the others."
The United States "Speaker," Mr. Whitelaw Reid, started life as a war correspondent during the conflict between North and South. In recognition of the power which his letters had in sustaining the courage of the North the journalist was appointed—on the conclu sion of the war—to th ion of Librarian in Congress. ive event in his life was his marriage with a millionaire's daughter, with whose dowry Mr. Reid purchased the New York Tribune.
Sir Horatio Herbert Kitchener, the Sirdar of the Khedive's army, has had a distin. guished career. On entering the English Srmy, as a. young officer of Engineers, he interested himself largely in exploration, and spent many years working on the Palestine Sarvey. When the Nile Expedition of 1894-5 was formed, he served on the staff, and was it, later, at the 0} stions at Suakim. in 1889, when the Madhists attempted the invasion of Bgypt, he took part in the repulse of the invaders' at the battle of Toski. It was at this critical period, after Hicks Pasha's disastrous defeat, that Colonel Kitchener rendered valuable aid to the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.