Book is published. It will in due course be reviewed on the: Book Page of the "North-China Daily News." Its appearance, however, marks a definite stage in its history. The Editor and founder of it, Mr. H. G. W.
has' transferred his from Tientsin to he has consequently and the services of Shanghai book pro duction, circumstance on which the "North-China Daily) News, desires to congratulate him.
ith suitable modesty fs not an, exaggeration to that the "China Year, Book" is one of the most remarkable proauctions of its kind in the world. Its origin recalls the creation that other invaluable book on. the journalist's table, "Benham's: Quotations." Mr, WW. Gurney Bonham was an able editor of provincial newspaper and discovered that his methodical genius for preserving quotations, and verifying popular say: ngs: had produced a store of knowledge which he felt it incumbent upon him to. share, with his fellow craftsmen. The " result came in the publication of his book which now has a worldwide circulation and immortalizes the memory of its author who has now passed away. Similarly, Mr, Woodhead in the course of his persistent and industrious study of Chinese! affairs found it necessary to accumulate a mass of valuable information which in 1912, in. the midst of the first Chin pul The task was specially Revolution he presented to the plucky because, to use the Editor's own words, he started with no money and no stenographer. And the reward for hess of their own land, may his first effort was the modest honour St. Andrew as dourly. 30) sum of £28. It is. pleasing. to mmchatka as in Aberdeen; fry nat he was" not dis.
Irishmen, never so cheerful a3] when their hearts are growing! fonder, may in generous hospitality bring St. "Patrick glowingly to life, far from their! native shores—it is their tradi tional habit; _Welshmen can' always sing to St. David whether, Jin the coal mine or on the top-of the "Himalaya. With Englishmen and their St, George this cannot happen; they can per-_ form'the prescribed ritual. The real celebration is something intimate, remote.
For to-day is the day of the England of the countryside, the winding lanes, the, well-kept hedges just bursting tite green and white-blossom, the thickets with their' yellow flecking of couraged and that he has met with the reward of his pertinacity.
The reputation of the Year Book needs no. emphasis from this journal. It is, constantly quoted witha confidence due to fis accuracy and comprehen~ sivaness. Its Editor has, as is Known, his own very definite views on Chinese politics, but hho has consistently, subordinated those views to. the paramount need of producing a reliable work of reference. Even those Who most violently disagree with Mr. Woodhead's opinions can comfortably Turchase this book and rely on it to. give them information even for the purpose ited without permission. pays tribute to the new. con tions in which it has been pr duced by showing a marked sign of. improvement in arrangement. and presentation, The mere fact that although it con tains actually more letterpress than the previous editions and yet has only 750 pages instead of 1200 will commend this: point to the notice of the reader. A' number of experts, both foreign. and Chinese, have cooperated' with Mr. Woodhead, but, in the main, the book represents his own personal labour, even, a3 he points out in his preface, to the reading of the final proofs.
There perhaps lies the secret of the appeal which this book makes. It represents the labour of an enthusiast who, unable to rely, as the compilers of other. rhe year books can, on "a copious supply of Blue Books from highly-trained official secre tarists, has had to throw out his own personal tentacles in order the information on important subjects the student of - any. country requines, Within recent knowledge is the survey conducted by Mr, Woodhead personally into the extent of the traffic in China, It is to now that the survey is included in this year' head's professional colleagues ly feel a pride in th fact that one of their craft
need which in the peculiar con-$0, successfully supplied ditions of China would have otherwise be to very difficul fill, He himself stated that the only adverse criticism he had ever received was that of a Shanghai weekly newspaper which asserted "As it is the only work of its kind in exis tence, it is bound to have a certain vogue no matter what its faults may be." In some ways this tribute, unconsciously though it tay be, is in overwhelming. No one who pretends to desire to discuss or study affairs in China can afford to do without this book. No Year Book that was eve) compiled was free from: faults.
would interesting, for example, to compare Whitaker's first infant with the full-grown, Almanack of, to-day, The remarkable thing, about Mr. Woodhead's book is that, in the he has given the public a volume in which so few errors, either of fon or of commission, can detected. "In this matter, jndeed, it may be said that' the, non-official publication has seta standard on which Blue Books might well be modelled,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.