"Kowrore "Cly, Trincet ead Con New York Der Ling The Princess Der Ling is well known as the author of two books, "Two Years in the Forbidden. City," and "Old Buddha." This is the story of her childhood days and, to a great extent, a eulogy of her father. Vu Keng, the father of. Princess Der Ling, was a Manchu, and like many of his race, a big, powerfully built, man. He was ambassador to Franco in the very. early days of the author's childhood and the writer of this notice has an impression that, though he was resident in Paris, his commission was to the whole of Europe. China, then, thought of Europe as a congeries of petty states and did not see why one Minister was not enough to deal with them all, At the time the story in this book opens Vu Keng was back in China and appointed Inspector of Likin at Sha-ssu (Sha-shih) in the Province of Hopeh. This was a lucrative post and was probably given to the ex-Minister that he might be able to recoup himself for his outlay in a foreign country, where he must have been at considerable expense and found very little coming in to meet his outlay. Later he was promoted to be Treasurer of the Province and as this was one of the plums of government appointments in Central China, we may conclude that Vu Keng was a very rich man. After the "Japanese war he went as Minister to Tokio and was, from that post, transferred again Paris, where he died. His family returned to China'and, at this point, the story ends, Little Der Ling, by her own confession, was a pretty handful to bring up. At six years of age she Jumped into a cance and seulled out on the miniature lake in her Father's garden to get some course she fell into the pond, but was rescued and saved from chastise ment by her fond father's, indulgence. When she was twelve the family was in Japan; her father having been appointed Minister to that "country after the China-Japanese war of 1895.
The Emperor and Empress gave a garden party to which all the Ministers and their wives were invited. The little Manchu maiden, on account of her high junk-shaped shoes, looked older than: her. years and secured an invitation to the Party. She was determined to see all that went on and planted herself right in front of the Minister for Belgium. He Was of little stature and protested against being hidden behind a girl in Chinese costume, But their majesties were coming and the child was pert. There was nothing to do but put up with what was 2 kind of insult. No wonder that her son, to whom the book is dedicated, thinks she would have been wiser not to let him know how mischievous she had been in her youth for he feels that a mother who was once such a naughty child should not exact strict obedience to the letter of the law from those who are children in their turn, The tale is told in somewhat artless fashion and Princess Der Ling seems to live again her childhood's life in its pag gets a good i life of the fami Vu Kang, had been sent abroad id his ideas were much in advance fof those of the majority of his countrymen. His life at court was anything but happy. Peking, in the days of the Empire, was full of hungry officials waiting for jobs. It seemed to these harpies that the best way of getting a place was to make one vacant. So they got in touch with the Censors and persuade ed this or that scholar to impeach some one of the men in office, in the hope that he would be cashiered and there would be a vacancy for one of the hungry ones. Even a Manchu of was Vu Keng. ery places. Had not Prince Kung and Yung Lu been s friends, time and again, he would have fallen under the wheels of the juggernaut of state and lost his all; counting himself lucky if he escaped with his head safe on his shoulders.
Aman who held office under. the Banchus walked warily ike " cixeus performer on the ght rope." To be favour was to walk in silk attire have silver Yo spare. int, one morning, the dread Empress might be in a bad mood and, for no reason whatever, the early audience might she vented her spleen being in prison, 'The Princess's account. of their arrival in Jepan, immediately after the war, is interesting reading, Their shaven' heads end pig-tail aroused the derision of the Jnpanes and they were followed by a evriou jerowd erying "Chan chan be zu"
pigtails, shaved heads," this was the: ery' and even stones were thrown, much to the disgust of our little Princess. One wonders if it ver' occurs to her how many missionaries had many still more serious experiences in Chinese cities when they were yelled at as "Yang waite," foreign, devils, and ace, cused of taking cut children's eyes to make medicine. In Chou-ta, once upon a time, the houses of the missionaries were burned down "and they took refuge from the mob in the Viceroy's yamen. The Viceroy declared he must: beat someone [satisfy the shouting hooligans out~ side and a Chinese Chi volunteered to take the beating and was publicly bastinadoed there to save friends, The Viceroy further de-Jclared he must hold a trial and the court was set and a pile of decayed thanes placed on the floor. 'These were said, by the prosecution, Ihave been discovered under the floor fof the missionaries' houses, and rare the bones ofthe children they had murdered to get their eyes aslnaey dock' slopped Tereied fand began sorting out the bone These were dog bones; these sheep and thege something else. That was worse than the way the Japanese treated little Princess Der Ling but, happily, nothing worse eae of it.
There is nothing startling in the book but it is a plenantly told tale of the childhood of a Chinese maiden who was bl doting father.
Scunstes have been drawn up by the Commissioner of Reconstruction for Shanghai-hsien for the estab-Vishment of telephonic communica. tions between various villages of that district, It is estimated that {$20,000 will be needed for the work,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.