1937-07-24 — Page 10

R S

White Label

SCOTCH WAS

CREAT

lewar & Sops!

PERT

SIRTILLERE

WONDERFUL WHISKY–

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ALSO THE DE- LUXE WHISKY-

“VICTORIA VAT”

Sole Agents: A. S. WATSON & CO., LTD.

CLEARANCE SALE

FOR ONE WEEK ONLY

Beginning Monday,

July 26th.

Our entire stock of dresses to be

cleared at cost and below cost

"You pay less if you buy-now."

Watch our window display.

HENRY & CO.

Gloucester Arcade

G FALCONER & CO. (HONG KONG LTD.) WATCHMAKERS – & JEWELLERS, DIAMOND MERCHANTS, UNION BUILDING (opposite G.P.O.)

Agents for:-ADMIRALTY CHARTS. ROSS' BINOCULARS and TELESCOPES KELVIN'S NAUTICAL INSTRUMENTS, ENGLISH SILVERWARE Direct from Manufacturers, High Class English Jewellery,

THE CHỈNĂ VALA JU

The China -Mail

Ninety-Becond Year of Publication SA Wyndham Street, Hong Kong Telephone 20022.

London Office:

reverential

imitators repeat chuckles the feats of absent- mindedness performed by their heroes. They point to the profes-✨ - sor who, going upstairs to dress" for dinner in a host's house, went on with his undressing and step- ped into bed, where he soon fell. fast asleep, and to Francis railway ticket fastened by - his Thompson, who always had his

friends with a string round his Notice To Contributors.

neck. Or they turn to science and All communications intended for recall Sir Issac Newton cutting, publication should be addressed to in his study door a large hole for the Editor, and be accompanied by the cat and a small one for its Writer's Name and Address, kitten.. But the absent-minded not necessarily for "insertion as' a` guarantee of good faith.

7, Garrick Street, London, W.C.2

the

Subscription Rates.

One Year

*Months

Months

but

H.K.$36.00 H.K.$18.00 H.K.$ 9.00 Postage Abroad Extraži

Hong Kong, Saturday, July 24, 1937.

ON LOSING THINGS

are to be found in all ranks of mental ability. The world, in fact, can be divided into two fairly equal divisions, those who lose things, in trains or shops or any- where else, and those who do not. Of some value to the student of human nature would be a care- ful and exhaustive enumeration of the persons whose forgotten goods are picked up, if only such could be obtained. We can guess, however, at the composition of that motley crowd of absent- minded travellers. But we would like to know how many professors were among them.

North China

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a more

The number of absent-minded people in the world does not seem to grow less. Proof of this is forthcoming each time there is a sale of lost property at the Cen- tral Police Station. The hetero-1 geneous collection of lost pro- perty put up to auction includes There is ground for suitcases, overcoats, jewellery, hopeful view of the North China gloves, various other articles of crisis. Disposition to peace dress, cameras, pipes, tobacco seems to prevail both in Chinese pouches, and scores of oddments. and Japanese quarters. Whether At Waterloo station in London, the situation is altogether satis- at a similar sale recently, there factory from China's viewpoint figured four thousand umbrellas, seems rather less certain. There a large number of mackintoshes, is much talk of a secret agreement, and among many other articles, between Sung Cheh-yuan and the one garden shelter. It is difficult Japanese North China: Command, to see how anyone can forget but Tokyo ̈ withal, nothing about a garden shelter at least is really known regarding in ordinary English weather, and the conditions under which even if staggered by an outburst General Sung agreed to the of sunshine. But much larger withdrawal of the 37th and more unlikely things have Division. Reliable reports suggest appeared in the list of lost pro- that Nanking is not acquainted perty. Some years ago one of with the terms, while leaving it the railway companies in Eng-to be inferred that Chiang Kai- land had to advertise: for the shek would rather not know them owner of a traction engine that for the present. His attitude is had been left in the station yard intelligently realistic and his. and forgotten. Hong Kong per-counsel to more belligerent col- haps, could offer nothing like this leagues to maintain calm is un- in the way of size, but for strange doubtedly in harmony with the and valuable articles to be left line of policy which is governing on a ferry and never claimed it the Generalissimo's. decisions. was able to make a brave show China's policy for some time yet with a set of false teeth and a must be to preserve herself in- costly diamond ring. The owner tact until she is soundly equipped of the diamond ring, it is true, for self-defence. Her efficiency in may have been a happy-go-lucky that sense to day is highly ques- person, or one who had lost faith tionable. It is not sufficient, that in the honesty of his fellow-be- she should be able to give a good ings, but the traveller with the account of herself. She probably false teeth, unless they fitted so would, even as things are. But badly that he was glad to get if a Sino-Japanese clash is ine- rid of them, must surely have vitable, delay favours China. discovered his loss almost as soon She must wait till she is in a as he left the ferry Nothing is position which holds prospect of impossible, however, to the ab- ending conflict once and for all. sent-minded. There is a story of To-day that is inconceivable. a man who one day took his small However courageous her troops, boy with him to London when go military defeat would be certain. ing on business; and when he At all events, Japan would not be returned home in the evening his brought to a halt until she had wife said to him, “Where's occupied large territories for Henry?" He had left Henry in employment as a bargaining London and forgotten all about weapon. Chiang Kai-shek, there- him."samp

fore, is probably prepared to pay Absent-mindedness is not ne the price of peace demanded by cessarily a vice. Indeed, by very Japan, unless it involves a-vio¬ many people it is reckoned next-lent alteration of the status quo door to, a virtue, if not a sign of ante. It does not matter, particu- superior intellect! Have not all larly, for instance, whether the the great ones of the earth Mayor of Tientsin i is - one-in- professors, poets, philosophers, dividual or another, or whether scientists, statesmen been pro- Peiping is occupied by the 37th The verbially absent-minded? Their Division or the 132nd minds are so occupied with re-principle of China's sovereignty condite trains of thought that is attacked but not vitally, and they can scarcely be expected, to as long as Japan seeks no în- remember such inconsiderable fringement beyond this previons- trifles as umbrellas and gloves. ly accepted dictation of who and Their admirers and would-be l what, a compromise is wise.