A BRILLIANT CELESTIAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 223, 26 October 1909, Page 1

A BRILLIANT CELESTIAL.

;; .STORIES 01'' HIS EXCELLENCY WU Tl.Nd FAXti. c ' ' 1 One uf the must intellectual and brilliant of living Chinamen is his Excellency Wu Ting Fang, until lately the 'Chinese .Minister at Washington, who , has been recalled tu Pokiii pending hi* > appointment to another post. He was t very popular in America on account of I \ his wit and clever' after-dinner speeches, | > land he has become known all over Wash- I [ ington for his predilection for askin« I > burnt questions. Wu Ting Fang his | been called "the most up-to-date Chirm- , man in existence," and certainly if vereatility be a sign of up-to-dateness, he well merits the title. He is a fine English scholar, has written on Confucius, is a fair hand nt golf, and has been called to the English Bar. He will ever be remembered by his countrymen for protesting against the national dish of ' roast pork. HOW TO LIVE TO 200. I . "Mr. Wu," as lie prefers to be called, I is a great believer in hygiene and proper dieting, and he stated not long ago that men could live a couple of centuries if they would only lead regulated lives. He himself started to put his ideas into practice, and gave the following details ] of his system:—"l lave given up break- i fast and take two meals a day," he said. ' I abstain from all flesh food, my diet \ being rice, or, when Igo out to dinner, < wholemeal bread, fresh vegetables, nuts, ' and fruit. I avoid all coffee, cocoa, tea, ! liqueurs, condiments, and all rich foods. ' I have given up gait also, because it is ' found that salt makes the bones stiff. * 1 masticate every mouthful thoroughly < before swallowing. I do not drink at ' meals, but between meals. I practise J deep breathing. I take moderate exer- <i cise." t. "A DISTINCTION, NOT- A DIFFER- i EXCE." 1

Many are the stories that are told of Mr. Wu's repartee. Some time ago a certain smart lady wae arguing with him on the superiority of the AngloSaxon women over the Chinese women. In the course of tile conversation, she mentioned the barbarous habit in China of compressing the girls' feet as an in stance of their backwardness. "Not at all," replied his Excellency with a smile; 'Chinese women squeeze their feet with the object of getting husbands. AngloSaxon women squeeze their waists for the same reason. It's only a distinction, not a difference." The smart lady hastened to change .the subject NEVER SEEN.

j Another lady was once chaffing t';ie Minister on the customs and traditions of China, and asked him why the Celestials attached so much importance to the dragon. '-Chinese tradition is fufl of tnis creature," she said, "but you must know there is no such thing. You have never seen one, have you!" "Madame," replied hi s Excellency, gravely, "why do you attach so much importance to -the Goddess of Liberty on your coins' You have never seen her, have vou?" IN CHINESE CHARACTERS. On one occasion his Excellency was pestered by a number of people at dinner to autograph their menu cards. He politely acquiesced, while a merry twinkle glittered in his eve. Of cuurse.'he wrote in Chinese, and as the characters on each card were different, their owners determined to get them translated. The : r surprise may be imagined when . they found that each one was a personal description of its possessor. ''Wiint a funny, red-haired man," read one "autograph." "How short and fat you are" was the translation of another, and a third read, "An amusing, bald-headed person." It is only fair to add that the 'victims of this harmless joke enjoyed the fun as much as did Wu 1W Fans himself.—M.A.P. "