Show SAYINGS OP OF TJ HUNG CHANG Trustworthy Tru Anecdotes of Chinas Great Statesman and Soldier New York Sun The TIM following anecdotes of or LI Ll Hung Chang are partly from interviews with Dr Louis Lou Livingston Seaman one of the few Americans ns who ever enjoyed the con confidence of ot the Chinese statesman sta n and partly grow from other trustworthy sources During Durine general ral Cha fees command m in Pekin Ir hf Seaman Seama was Lis American Amerlean physician p being 1 associated with his na ac active native native tive physician Dr Mark The palace in Pekin occupied by Li Lt Liwa LIwa wa was an aa old Buddhist temple situated in inthe the innermost of three compounds fitted together like Uke a Jugglers j ers boxes The outer oater wall a whole city block A Chinese temple of this sort is a kind of monastery inhabited by bv a colony of ministering priests Sometimes with the march of progress the temple becomes and in that case the priests are only too glad to have their th lr temple taken possession of by a great Mandarin who is la II able to feed and clothe the colony and keep up the magnificence of the ancient building That was the state of affairs a irs with Lis temple Architecture having h ving long Ion ago reached the perfection of its type in China the th entrance to Lis compound was the stere stereotyped stereotyped stereotyped Chinese e opening in the outer wall beyond which the view from outside was shut off by a carved screen around which you p led to the right or left Once within the f enclosure you found yourself in th UI t of an array of do domestic anim SL at s it as at ponies goats donkeys and heir chattering attendants lounging about the stables Within the second compound you came upon chickens and geese seese and other do domestic domestic fowls and always dirt On en entering entering entering the enclosure of the temple itself You vou were welcomed by the cawing of thousands thousand of ot crows flapping about the theold old trees tree and roo roofs The rho rooms of the tM palace were superb Usually they had baa ba red lacquered walls wall walland and great t carved beams ornamented with withcall dragon 4 in sold gold and and d sliver silver ver under uDder call ceil ceiling lags ing 1 of greens and blues S 5 V J Here LI kept patriarchal state with Jill soldiers and a eighty priests ta in his retinue all aU housed in this and it Its outbuildings And yet the establish establishment establishment ment nt ws was so democratic that a travel traveling lug ing shoemaker w to tn a kit of greasy grea y tools would sit alt t alP all day on the palace steps mending the shoes shoe of the priests or of Lt La himself One day in a familiar conversation conver atlon with Li Dr Seaman asked askEl him what re religion r religion ligion he really believed in reminding 5 him that he seemed to favor equally t the ls Shinto the Confucian and aDd the Buddhist faith The old man with a twinkle In his bis eye relied that he was sure to be beall beall beall all right rf ht as he be took care to keep priests of each kind Dr Seaman first met Li Lion on board th the St Louis on the passage between tw en South Southampton Southampton Southampton ampton and New York when Li Lt made his memorable visit isit to this country He was presented pre to Li La by b now Chinese ambassador at the Court of or St James It happened that Li who was former fonner formerly ly Iy of Shanghai was already acquainted ac acquainted acquainted with the doctors brother who w has been a merchant there for a genera generation generation generation tion After discharging a volley voney of his usual questions boat about Dr Da Seamans wealth number Dumber of wives etc LI settled down to a sort of ef civil service exam examina examination na nation I tion of Ms his victim which ran about as u follows I S S Who is the greatest philosopher in England Well Ven your excellency there are a Il great many philosophers In England Its a great pe country tf for philosophers ph ers X philosopher her in n England or out l of it Yes said 14 Li I 1 am aID acquainted with his writings T r have his works Who is the greatest y I in tn America Well said The doctor that is a ahard abard ahard hard bard question Philosophers are so plenty In America that you run against them at every turn but I guess Mr Emerson was about as good as any of them themA A great man said Li Lt I am ac acquainted acQuainted acquainted with his writings I have bae his works Who bo is the greatest poet in America Nearly ever eve everybody body is a poet in Amer America Ameri AmerIca ica lea We have wily o one good poet in the medical profession prote eton Dr Dry Oliver Wendell Holme Holm Then there was Bryant and a poet of the sect of Friends by the name of Whittier and a fellow by the name Dame of Bret Harte Harts But probably Wy the greatest American poet was Longfellow Lon fellow allow I 1 never heard of him replied LI I must mu l possess poa e a hi his work and he seemed to be giving an order ord r to hie his secretary to make the purchase If your excellency will permit me began the doctor falling the Oriental hyperbole with which he was quito quit fa familiar it will be the delight of ef It ft will add peace to my declining years and fill the soul of my ancestors with Joy if you will permit me to present you with a copy of our greatest poets works Nothing will give me iss greater pleasure than to accept the gift said LL LI You are the light of my day eJay days 00 s e s V The morning after his hi arrival a fine edition of the works work of Longfellow in a 3 rare binding was sent to the Waldorf In two hours houn after the books had bad hads gone street near Dr Seamans of office lice fice was blocked with carriages contain containing containing ing a section of Lis suite and with peo pee people people who had followed to see the China Chinaman man Two servants of ot the suite withdrawn with withdrawn drawn swords cae m up the steps s of Dr If Seamans n house bouse ae tiu a card and an in invitation invitation to Dr Seaman to dine that night with Li Lt LiThe LIThe The viceroy was a great Teat admirer of tall men and extremely fond of making puns As soon as aa the doctor entered his pres presence presence presence ence that evening he said through his interpreter that he was u delighted to have the works of one Longfellow and the company of another Although Dr Seaman never Myel heard Li Lt utter a word of English En or of any other language except Chinese he bf is satisfied that LI Lt understood English Ush and could probably speak it a as fluently as his in interpreter Interpreter interpreter if he be cared to It is his bis belief that the wily old diplomat feigned fel ed ignorance I ignorance or orance ance of English to have the double ad advantage advantage advantage vantage of deliberating during the trans translation translation translation lation of his opponents statement and of having opportunity to correct his hN own first utterance if he be so eo desired On board the St Louis were two actresses of the vaudeville stage and it wan WAB Lia LIs Lt delight every Gay day to hive these girls dance and sing for him In gratitude gratitude gratitude tude for his entertainment he fie presented to each of the girl the a ago KOM gokl id witch Dur During DurIng During ing his stay at the Waldorf he be called In Instate Instate state on them tem and blocked another city street for the brief period of his vl lt The first l question he be he asked ked cf of c Dr Sea Seaman Seaman man on his bIB arrival in P Pekin kin was after the health of these two American Ame can dancers dancers d anc I ers Why CUd nt you bring Jn them t wi t you Axe Ate A they neat married T beTh be Kat 1 1 The Th e doctor doe 1 thought that one oneo of oIT them was married Then why you bring along the theother theother other one went w nt on Li LL I always expected ex expected expected my secretary nodding at the particular secretary meant to marry her Then I en ce M ld have her dance for tor forme torme forme me Did you go 50 often to see her He was very fund fond of talking whit any anyone anyone anyone one who would answer him in a satis saUs satisfactory satisfactory factory way and would soon dismiss dl mi s a aman aman aman man who was as only a listener i V S V s What do you yon Americans want of the tb Philippines be he asked once oace They belong belong be belong long to China or they always did up t to 18 about BM lieD yean ye ago PO You have no busi business ness OMS there ben my friend Grant was alive he wa was satisfied with America it was wu big eno enough for him We e dont want them at pt all an alit Dr Sea Seaman Seaman Seaman man replied They were just left on OR our hands handa by the fortune of war I but bitt b t twe we care tart to leave them for the Germans Geins to pick up We will sell them to you cheap or perhaps you will come and take them Oh no ne net sM said w U Lt sadly China is in trouble She is old and broken down as asI asI asI I am alii but if you yell want to get rid of the thel islands l you can sell 11 then than to the Japan Japanese ese They are aft natural soldiers Tb They could whip them into subjection and keep them titers Now said saki the doctor here is your our excellency opportunity you are the richest man in China Why dont you buy then them yourself A As you say China Ching is In trouble with the Russians at Port Pon PonI Arthur and in Manchuria the French in Tonquin and the Germans German Gum at I Yes yes said U LI with the most touching path patho The old bird is weak and aDd with a feeble movement of his arms she cant use her ber wings a any anymore 1 y more Another American physician whom Li Limet LImet Limet met on a former visit to China was in Pekin Perin again in 1890 and went to pay his respects to the old viceroy Dr Coltman Colt man mana a missionary doctor and aDd professor or in the Pekin medical university chanced to be present at the interview It was as the same Dr Coltman who extracted from Lis face the ball bail fired by the Japanese as assassin assassin assassin sassin and was wall present at Lis death Lt Li recognized recognised his former fon er acquaintance a as soon as he be entered the room and his welcoming question was Well your income now now About l replied the American Im not practicing medicine now Fifty thousand dollars rs exclaimed LI LL You must be a great t deal better doctor than Coltman Cottman here bere He can cant t make any such money a ap that ut Well Krell your excellency said the Amer Arne ican lean doctor the trouble with Dr Colt Cott Coltman Cottman Coltman man is that when he be treats rich men like you yon he be know bow how bow to charge When he makes a bill bUl of MS t yen he ought to make it 10 Hush Hush Hub said Li dont put any such Ideas idea into his bis bead head 3 e When 14 Lt went to Niagara Falls the t New York Y ork Central C road furnished the special car r for fol his suite and Passenger Agent Daniels Daniell was Wul in personal charge char e eThere There were several other well known men en In n the te party at whom Li Lt fired an indiscriminate fusillade e of questions Ad M soon as u Mr Daniels appeared in the car carLi carLI carLi Li opened on him with witti a special battery Who owns own this road he be asked Welt Well your y ur excellency Mr Vanderbilt has a large interest in it He is president of the company that owns the Ute stock How much is I he worth Mr Daniels became diplomatic and non noncommittal n noncommittal n committal which seemed to annoy Li Lt Who to is the next DeSt officer in control Mr Air D 8 Cit p president eel F dent 7 How much is he worth Again Mr Daniel Danle t fought t bt shy of or the figures gures l Well I do y t Jarre tart 6 do o with thead the road ad v Vj t adIm Im f t t L How m Five thousand u dollars d dollars US Well they pay you too tw much said Li turning in his chair In search roh of some someone someone someone one more communicative |