11
A CIIAJR IX CHINESE.
rm: MYSTERIOUS gift to Columbia TO
FOUND A "DEAN LUNG "PRO
FESSORSHIP."
The establishment of a Chinese department in
Columbia University may be looked for in the
near future. In his annual report to the trustees
nf the institution President Seth Low said thai
.- ij^mmj had already been placed at the disposal
.1 tli.- trustees for that purpose by anonymous
piomolers of the plan. Mr. Low also made pub
lic sin anonymous letter which he received on
June S. r. • '1 . In which the writer pays:
For ltft> years and more I have been saving
KmTetUing from whiskey and tobacco bills which
with fair interest would amount perhaps to
;¦ , ,< the sum of the inclosed check,' which I
have pleasure to send you toward the founding
of a department .of Chinese languages, lftera
tuic religion and law, to I"- known as the I an
Lung professorship of Chinese. The gift is with
out condition; exife.pt that it .is anonymous; but
1 should like to reserve the right hereafter to
in re.,.-, the sum. and also the privilege of con :
ferring with you as to changes of plan, if any
should be desired': Some delay in organization,
also may be. thought necessary or convenient,
bin this will best determined by the authori
ties of i lie university.. ,
in making choice of .the object to which the
money should be applied, I am guided mainly
by in appreciation of its importance, and partly,
perhaps, by a fancy that nobody else at this
time would' be likely to give for that or a like
purpose.
•It heck referred to was for $100,000. and
this amount was immediately transmitted to the
treasurer with a copy of the letter of gift.
(in July - Mr. Low received this letter, signed
•I ••¦an Lung, a Chinese person": ""I send you
herewith a deposit check for $12.«HM.) as a con
tribution to the fund for Chinese learning in
your university." The letter did not come to
Mr. Low direct, but under .over of another let
ter from the founder of the professorship, which
contained the information that the donor of the
$r_'.iMM> was a man of ''modest means." The
founder also hinted in his letter to Mr. Low
that any public statement as to the gift should
be limited to a bare statement that an addi
tional sum of $12,000 had been received. "It
might be of value generally." said the writer,
'as a suggestion to others who are able and
willing to give." He thought, also, that in order
t.. make the chines.- department what it should
be there should In- a lix.-.l endowment of at
least s::immmmi. or possibly :>.> >,<.*•<>.
I; »as not until after the second gift had been
received that even the name "Dean Lung" was
made known, and when the generous man con
. sented to the publication of this name he asked
that no '.t •of thanks to him should be passed
by the trustees, as he found in the pleasure of
; iking the gift sufficient reward. Notwith
• standing this request, Mr. Low thought it would
!'•¦ appropriate to thank "Dean Lung" fur the
exceptional gift, and in recommending such ac
tion said that he doubted if there was another
instance In the history of education where a
Chinaman had made a similar gift, without
conditions, to a university of Western learning.
"Such a gift," he said, "is certainly auspicious
a* an indication of the spirit in which this de
partment will be welcomed by the Chinese
themselves, and it ought to be an inspiration to
other Americans to make it the complete and
comprehensive department which its founder
wished it to be." In keeping with Mr. Low's
suggestion, resolutions thanking the anonymous
giver of the $100,600 and Dean Lung for the ad
ditional $12,000 were adopted at a meeting of
the board of trustees, and the subject of a
• Chinese department was referred to the com
mittee on education.
The giver of the $100,000 sent a note to Mr.
Lor- with his gift in which be praised the
Chinese for their religious spirit and for their
devotion to their country and family. He
speaks of "their devotion to family and almost
superstitious love of home, holding to their pur
pose with the conservatism of Englishmen and
the tenacity of Israel." He refers to the Chi
nese as a "scholarly people, with an abundant
literature no less valuable than those we call
classical." The Chinese, according to the donor,
had acquired governmental systems "long before
the makers of our common law had come out
from their savagery." Because of the trade
which has already sprung up between China and
the United .States, he speaks of the Pacific as
the "Chinese-American .sea," and predicts a
Chinese trade amounting to billions of dollars
yearly. "Considering this," he says, -would it
not be a reproach to this university not to have
taken a first step in this direction, to promote a
better understanding, a larger comity and more
hospitable relations?"
Despite the efforts of Mr. Low and his as
sociates in the management of Columbia Uni
versity to keep the name of the donor from the
public, the fact became known that it was
Horace W. Carpentier. .Mr. Carpentier's home
is in Thirty-seventh-st.. this city, but x at present
he is in California. "Dean Lung," who sent
$12/XK) to the fund, is Mr. Carpentier's body
servant and has been in the employ of the
family more than twenty years. Tie was six
teen years old when Mr. Curpentier engaged him
at San Francisco to do light work about the
house, and he has been in his employ constantly
si«ce that time. "Dean," as he is called in the
Carpentier family, is married and has three
children. He has undoubtedly laid aside money,
but it is believed that the gift of $12,000 had
uo effect on his capital and that the amount
NEW-YORK TRIBUNE ILLUSTRATED SUPPLEMENT.
was given by Mr. Carpentier in <he name of
his faithful servant.
I /;/'/ HTRKTCH OF C I/.'/./.".
ELECTRIC POWER WIRES FOUR- FIFTHS "V
A MILE LONG.
What is at present the m"st remarkable elec
tric power transmission line in the world is that
which starts at the headwaters of the Vuba,
in California, and supplies Oakland with cur
rent fur lighting and railway purposes. This
line, which i.- owned as well as operated by the
Bay Counties Company, is H- miles long, while
an extension southward to San J"s.\ belonging
to another corporation, calls for transmission
for a distai t 1M miles. Electricity is now
sent over the wires of these two systems at a
pressure of M), 000 volts, but provision Ins been
made for raising the voltage to 00,00 ft
Although the plant and line have already
l.een somewhat fully described in The Tribune,
no mention has thus far been mn.i. in these
columns uf one unique feature, concerning which
"Engineering News" supplies details. When ap-
proaching Oakland from the north, the line
crosses an arm of San Francisco Bay, known as
Carquinez Straits, which is half a mile or more
wide. There it was necessary t.. carry Ihe ra
bies either under the water or well alwve it. and
the latter course was Anally adopted. •KiiKi
neering News" believes that the span of cable
at this polni is the longest in the world
Along m. .si of the route between the three
power houses which generate the current and
Oakland the wires are carried on poles l&! reel
apart. In a few Instances perhaps no) ..\.-r
half a doxeti the interval is one thousand feet.
The crossing at Sacramento River is on* of
these. But Hi.- distance between the supporting
towers on either shore of Carquinez Straits is
1,427 feet, or more than four-fifths of a mile.
The towns of the Brooklyn Bridge ar My
LOW feel apart. .Multiply these figures by three
and you will have a span but little larger than
that in the vicinity of Oakland.
Over a x 1 pan of the line aluminum is em
ployed to convey the current, l>ut near the sea
roast copper is used, because aluminum e..i
lodes under the Influence of damp s.^it air. The
calil.K ov.-r Carquinea straits are made from
still another metal, st.-ci. It was necessary that
they should be stout enough to .any their own
weight as well as to transmit the electric cur
rent. The material selected is called "plough
steel," and possesses a remarkably hind tensile
strength, 19£.L00 pounds to the square inch. As
the rabies are seven-eighths of an in. h in diam
eter, it WOUM lake a strain of !>t;,<MX) pounds to
break one. There are four BUCh cables, and at
the lowest part t h>-> are 308 feet above Iho
water. This is about lirty feet more, clearance
than that of the Brooklyn lirid^o.
JAPAN'S GREATEST ACTOR.
:¦ iiikawa DANJURO AND HIS THEATRI
CAL ANCESTRY THE STAGE
IN; JAPAN.
!;k'im a STAff . o!;i:i:si-..M.i:\r or THH ti-.iihm:.]
T.-kio. September l-~>.
The Jefferson family of actors, which for near
ly one hundred and fifty years has been known
both in England and the United States, has Its
counterpart in this country in the Kik-j i •
and Danjuros. Onoye Kikugoro is the tifth of
that name, the founder of the family having
gone >>n the stage in 17."..">. Ichikawa Danjuro,
considered the greatest living actor of Japan,
.an boast of a line <>f theatrical ancestors that
reaches back two hundred and twenty years.
Horikoshi Ebiao, the tirst of the Danjuros. was
born in lUGO "f "poor but respectable parents."
At the age of fourteen he assumed the stage
name ..f Ichikawa Danjuro, and soon afterward
was acknowledged the leading actor of Yedo,
I' INK \\\ A HaN.HKiI
I he Kn !»tes«i actor in .1 itai
as Tokio was then railed. He was wurdered on
the stage in 17<>l by a fella* player, with whom
he had remonstrated on his licentious lit.-. H i
sin. Kuz.i, who was born in l'l ys . su.-.- led to
the stai;e name, which he maintain. -.1 in high
repute until his death, in 1758, Kuso made a
Journey in his youth t.> t h>* shrines of Narita,
sonte forty miles east of Yedo, where he invoked
the god to aid him in his art; and w h.-n he af
terward became a famous actor, ha took In «rat
itudo the name Narita-ya as his trade name.
Every actor in Japan has since then had three
eparate names bis private name, which •eMoao
becomes public; his stage name, hy which he hi
always known, and his trade num.-. which d.s
ttagutshes his branch fross >>th.-is .if the husm
professional family.
The second bearer of th.> Danjnro name, he-
Ing childless, adopted a son, to whom he gave
l»is own name. The young man died bel r
him. and he thereupon adopted another, the
rourth Danjuro .1711 >m who was sacc* h I
t<\ his sun, ibe afth of that name iliiiisn.;,
The sixth MTvs-:,:,,, ;ilsil , tvni .. ,„..,,,„
rather, whose name had beea traasmHted to Mm
in !7'.»i>. ins nephew il7:h> •.•:.. inhrritcfl the
coveted name. He is said to have (..en the
ablest of the Daajaroa. ins 5..,, « t>^;: r. i.
committed suicide to save his fathet bom r«
'""•" h - •¦"' 1 the name r.-mained in abeya* C
for nineteen years, until it was assumed. In lsT.",
i.y his hair brother, who was born in ISIS. The
I"'- --"I iMiijun.. the of his name, is
therefore, sixty-three years old. and. notwith
standing his as--, worthily up holds the tradi
tioas of his family, one f his favorite parts
is that of the luro in 'The Chushingura," a
••lay written la 1744 by Tukeda l/.muo, wkicft.
has for its .subject, the revenge of their chief
tain's death by forty-seven retainers, and which
to this day remains a stock play, sure to draw
full houses .when all others have failed. Dan
juro has played the part no less than seventy
eight times, a fact which may not impress an
American public, 'accustomed to hundred night
runs, but which, here in Japan, where audiences
still demand variety and would resent machine
made performances, is considered a remarkable
record. .- :
The class spirit, which is so essential a feat
ure of Japanese civilization, even the
actor's profession. There is a theatrical aris
tocracy which no one may eater who has not
had the good fortune of inheriting a great name.
The members of this aristocracy are called
•nadai." They are entitled to advertise their
names on the play,boarda over the entrance to
their, theatre. As there are only rive actors in
Tokio. including Danjuro and Kikugor •. ho
enjoy this privilege, it will he seen that it is a
by no means common one. All these matters'
are regulated by the Actors' Guild, which, u:: - a
a few years ago, is said to have been a. very
exclusive affair. : * "
Among the middle class of acton there ar»
frequently found men of considerable talent.
In only rare instances, however, can they hope
to become nadai upon their own merits. An
actor without family antecedents can surmount
these class barriers only by being adopted into
some aristocratic family of Thespian.-. The
"supes" form the lowest class. The laws of
their guild do no.t permit them to play at two
or more theatres on the same day, a privilege
enjoyed by their more d. .-•.:..;..:.-•.• associates.
Their lot, indeed, may be said to be a hard one.
Like revolving bookcases and many other
meritorious things, the idea, of "continuous per
formances" probably came from Japan. For
merly a theatre was open from dawn till close
upon midnight, and even now a performance in
Tokio never lasts less than .-:t;ht hours. In the
country the confirmed playgoer still insists upon
getting all his moneys worth, and grumbles if
-¦¦ • performance takes teas than fifteen hours.
To go to the play, therefore, is really hard
work, a whole day's performance, however, is
rarely taken up by a single play. There are
¦¦.-ally parts of two or three different plays
run on the stage on the same day. The usual
course pursued is to have first an historical, or
o-iye. play. The folia* I deals with warlike and
unsettled times, the favorite subjects being
those connected with the events immediately
preceding the establishment of the Shogunate,
In the early part of the twelfth century. Th-j
latter treats, as a rule, of the frequent attempts
made in the times of the Tokugawa dynasty to
supplant the rightful heirs of noble houses,
Next comes a domestic drama, which pictures
the life of the common people, their quarrels,
troubles an I tribulations. The whole concludes
with a. scene in which dancing forms the chief
feature. In short, the taste of every one seems
to be consulted. "We study to please" might
well be the motto of th Japanese theatre man
agement, as it is that of the "drygoods empo
rium" at home.
Tin conservatism of the Japanese finds an apt
illustration in th» fact that women do not, as a
rule, perform on the stage with men. The two
sexes act in separate theatres. Recent attempts
to bring them together have been only partly
successful. The public doesn't seem to like it.
In all the great theatres only men arc to be
seen, Many of them make a specialty of wom
en's roles. In feudal times such actors affected
in private life the attire and manners of women
The Restoration: of IMS put a stop to the cus
tom by prohibiting the wearing of clothes of
the opposite sex. Actors here are in the habit
of declaiming on the stage hi a voice of a pe
culiar register, which makes it easier for them
to mimic a woman's voice than if they talked
naturally, and for that reason they frequently
show remarkable skill in impersonating women.
The foreigner, certainly, has great difficulty in
such > ases to determine whether it is a man or
a woman who is performing the part.
The social status of the actor in Japan has
undergone a great improvement within the last
century. In feudal times he probably was con
sidered i!. i better than his European colleague.
Indeed, from the first theatre in Kyoto bein?
built on the river side, he, was dubbed a "river
side beggar." Be may not hope for man > years
to come to occupy the position which in Kng
land to-day is occupied by Sir Henry Irving-,
but he is no less the idol of the Japanese "mat
inee girl"— the type existing even here— than is
a ll.ukett or a Kaversham li home.
M. G. .-.
TORTURE IX RUSSIAX I'h'lsOXS
St. Petersburg correspondence of The Pall Mil!
Qaaette.
A correspondent 4 the "N'ovosti" has boldly
raised the question: Does torture prevail in
Russian prisons? In order, as far as possible t»>
Bet at the truth of the matt-- barristers who
have hail charge of th- defence of political pris
oners, and have had frequent intercourse with
their clients in the period preceding their trial
have been interviewed. None could give a cer-
ii:! answer. All were clear that nothing; of th-»
kind takes place before trial, but none would an
swer for what occurs once the portals of the con
vict establishment have closed upon the con
demned agitator. Only one had any direct evi
dence to offer He was a barrister who defended
Solovloff. who. in IS7T. tired at the Kmperor
Alexander 11. This gentleman states that by
chance he met the car on which Solovioff. was
being conveyed to the gallows: Us fingers."
said the lawyer with a shudder, 'had to we all
the appearances of having been crushed." and
he added significantly. '1 think my eyes did no* -
deceive me."