A FISH OUT OF WATER.* THE only chapter in this
book in which the reviewer's interest was neither forced nor morbid is that which sketches briefly the history of the province of Yunnan. For the rest, Mine. Vassal exhibits a much greater interest in such things as the unsuitability of Chinese cobbles for walking in high heels, the behaviour of Chinese waiters upon dropping a roll on to the floor, the lack of more than casual ablutions on the part of Chinese shopkeepers, &c., than in the mental outlook of the people, the glories of the mountain scenery, and the artistic treasures of remote and ancient temples. As to these last, a temple was just a place to go to on a picnic, though she does admit a fondness for the turned-up corners of Chinese roofs. Unfortunately, Mme. Vassal seems to be ignorant of Chinese philosophy, literature and aesthetic ideals. As a result, one blushes for her naiveté before Chinese art and sincerely wishes she had stayed away from the theatre. One feels that her mind was sadly shut up in one of the chairs of which she so bitterly complains, and the curtains drawn. Consequently, her comparisons are odious. Instead of realizing the difficulties under which China has laboured, and making her judgments on a relative scale, she places the comforts to be found in a remote province beside those of the large cities of Japan and Western Europe. Her attitude toward China is practically the same that she would have toward a tribe of head-hunters on an island in the Pacific. Moreover, the book is tiresomely written and overrun with misprints—a most unusual thing in a book published by Messrs. Heinemann.
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