Anecdotes of 2 China that long since gained the perspective of years, historically speaking, engaged. the attention of Mr. Stephen Bonsal, eminent author and journal Ast, Who. was interviewed by a representative of the "North-China Herald" last Wednesday at the Me-tropal Hotgl on the eve of tis departure fof Japan. Accompanied by his wife and son, Mr. Richard Bon-sal, Mr. Bonsal hag managed to keep his) presence in Shanghai more or! less unknown, for as he explained, he held the view of his former distinguished chief, Mr. James Gordon Bennett of the "New York Herald" who always "remarked to reporters that he' "refused to take his own Work Times" to "cover" the Mexican [Revolution of 1910 and 1911.
From 1891 until 1896, he served in ithe United States Diplomatic, corps Jas Secretary of the Legation and Charge affaires in Peking, Madrid, Tokyo, and Korea. Again in 1913 he Jacted as secretary to. the Governor-JGeneral of the Philippine Islands. Jand as Commissioner of Public Utilities "in 1914. In 1915, he was on a Jspecial mission to Mexico, and in 1015, he was with the late Marshal lyon Hindenburg's army on the East-Jem Front. Several other important missions occupied him before he became a major in the American medicine."
However, the genial gentleman who has served pondent for the and other famous papers since 1885. as well a5 in diplomatic posts chatted famlably of the personalities who; helped' in the moulding of modera China once he was cornered.
"When I was questioned by reporters some years ago, In Peking he observed, a glint in' his eye betraying his appreciation of the quip "they considered me such an old~ timer then that they asked me when ther or not. Marco Polo wore pointed beard! I don't date back that far, however, When I was out here In' the earlier days, 1 thought that Sir Robert Hart knew more about China than any other man. He entertained me when I was in Pe-King in. 1895, and greeted me one morning when he came downstairs with a-query on how my book was coming along. Naturally, 1 told him not to be absurd, for I'd been in. China such w short time. He looked at_me very seriously and said, You're making a, tremendous.mistake, Bonsal. forty years ago I could have written a splendid book fon Ching, and now I could write 3 paragraph, And If I wrote in the morning, Td have to change the afternoon!" Incidentally, the Journalist declared the statue on the Bund to depict Sir Robert well.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.