VARIED CAREER.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 46, 23 February 1935, Page 11

VARIED CAREER.

•FRANCONIA'S LECTURER.

IMPRISONED IN TIBET,

Remarkably varied has been the career of Mr. C. C. Batchelder, leoturer on hoard the tourist liner Franconia, which arrived this morning. He has had no education of the university type, yet he has held professorial positions at universities, speaks 10 languages with facility, and has held high Government posts in America.

Mr. Batchclder was born at Boston, and is the descendant of an English family which went to America in 1020. Ono of his most interesting posts was that of Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in the Philippines after the war. He was detailed to stamp out headhunting and in an effort to do that lived amongst tho natives. He so impressed those fearless warriors that they elected him to be their chief.

Passing over his difficulties on these islands, he remarked that the staple diet for weeks on end while on sefari into the interior was roast dog and prilled grasshoppers. "You can sustain life on these," commented Mr. Batchclder drily, "but that is all."

He was later appointed commercial attache in China, and in 1922, just for the adventure, he penetrated into forbidden Tibet. His carriers were 23 women. Each carried a 601b load, and trekked from 12 to 20 miles a day. When well in the interior of Tibet, and near Llassa, he was arrested at the order of the Llama, and imprisoned. A keen student of Buddhism, he had a wonderful opportunity of studying the Llama religion until he was deported from the country by the Llama. Among the many poets held by Mr. Batehelder during his. extraordinary career have'been that of senior American Trade Commissioner in India, in 1023, commercial instructor at Harvard University; and lecturer in the science of Government at the Georgetown School of Foreign Service. As a younger man lie was in business for 2.1 years. He has been round the world 14 times, and save that he is too busy to get married.