Vlll PROCEEDINGS 



Far Eastern Literature. 



Mrs. F. Ayscough read her 14th report as Honorary 

 Librarian of the Society, as follows : 



During my absence in the early part of the past year, 

 Mrs. Cecil Maguire performed the duties of Hon. Librarian 

 most energetically. She wrote to many authors and 

 publishers, placing the needs of the Society before them, 

 and the result was a very handsome contribution in the 

 way of books. At this same time Mr. Mason, our last 

 Hon. Secretary, was at home and managed to pick up 

 a good many second-hand books which he bought for the 

 Library. 



It is, however, very difficult for any Society, which 

 must of necessity keep its desires within the limits of its 

 purse, to buy all the new and valuable publications appearing 

 so frequently at present. 



The ever growing interest shown throughout the world 

 in the history, literature, art, fauna and flora, to say nothing 

 of the trade and commercial development of China is respon- 

 sible for the publication of many beautiful books, books 

 which fill the soul of a Librarian with envy. They all seem 

 most important, they all are very expensive, and the sum- 

 total of $5 subscriptions collected annually by our Hon. 

 Treasurer is pitiably small. Add to the fact that the new 

 books are beautiful and costly, the even more harrowing 

 fact that the old books are rare and keenly competed for, 

 and it is easily understood that the post of a Librarian to 

 a "learned Society" is not an enviable one. 



There is, however, another side to the picture. These 

 sad facts in themselves prove that more and more people 

 are trying to unravel the Far Eastern problems, and in 

 order to accomplish this feat are turning to the silent 

 friends who line our shelves. The great question is how 

 to increase the number of these friends and how to afford 

 them more spacious quarters so that the message they have 

 to give can reach a larger audience. 



The "Far East" is no longer the hobby of a few sino- 

 logues. Popular opinion the world over is waking to the fact 

 that this era of intercommunication is creating relationships 

 of interdependence unthought of a few years ago. In order 

 that this interdependence may prove itself intelligent in char- 

 acter, it is necessary that the documents — the life histories 

 of nations, be available for mutual study. The North China 

 Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society is doing its best to 

 collect the documents dealing with its own special province — - 



