1923-10-25 — Page 7

SHAN: A STUDY.

"WHOSE BODY NATURE IS AND GOD THE SOUL.”

" TELEGRAPH” SPECIAL). Shan's father was a glass blower. As everyone knows, that

THE HONGKONG TELF

DEATH OF "ISHII BLACK."

Founder of First Japanese

Newspaper.

green space. The space itself) was not particularly, beautiful. People slept there, and furry little lang-legged chickens scam- pared about When the chickens. lost their baby down and began to sprout their real, grown-up feathers, their absurd little terra- cotta bodies made patches off

There passed away in Tokyo colour on the dusty road.

the other day a character as Right at the end there was a unique as that of any of the at its bass can be an enthralling tree. No-one but Shan took any migrants from the West whe and mystical art; even & modernotice of the tree: It was have thrown in their lots with ately skilled craftsman can make recent discovery of her own. Japan, states the Jupon Chronicle. delightful small blue birds, and short while before, a great wind This was Henry James Black. pink flowers, and other objects had anapped off one of the slim, known as Ishii Black, the eldest charming to the eye. At its worst awaying branches, and round the son of John R. Black, the auther. it is what it was to Shan- any leaves, crimson from the des-Jof the first newspaper published! wound bad sprung a cluster of of "Young Japan" and the founder monotonous, soul-killing, horrible trade. How Shan hated them,porate burry of their adventure in Japan. Many foreigners in tha rows and rows and piles and into the world. It was that scarlet the past have not only made piles of hideous little bottles:fringe that Shan had seen, and Japan their adopted country-dut also absorbed Japanese now it was a spirit tree to her: have always the same thick, greenish there she carried her dreams ways of one, however, who so far glass, the кате round, ugly mouths, gaping for corks doubts when the men in the shops clus-cast aside his native influences sered round and talked vehejand entered so thoroughly into less as badly made and poor as mently over their meals. Shan Japanese life as Ishil Black. themselves. She wondered how

Ishii Black was born in Eng- her father could go down into slowly became aware that the

message for her; land and came to Japan with his the shop and live amongst them tree had a day after day, month after

subtly, intangibly it was striving parents when he was eight years month, yet never rebel and turn

to fulfil bar desires and longings. old. Children at that age can She sat under it one day and pick up a foreign language with upon them in hate and smash them, as she was quite sure she the leaves, dark green spears, great facility, but it is recorded fell upon her. That was strange, that he did not show any special for when she walked up to the fluency in using the language at

its foliage seemed as

Shan Japan lasted about seven years

would have done.

tree

over. noticed never

trees

that time. The first residence in

when his father left for Shanghai

Shan decided that her father was a dull, unimaginative fellow abundant whose thoughts were no more had beautiful that the bottles he before: thes were dark and and his mother went home to made. Perhaps she was right.

colourless. One morning as she England with the children. But Next door to her father's shop approached it she perceived a young Black did not find life at was Shan's fairy palace. You new tree, a thing of beauty, home to his taste and he soon 18- would not have thought that it clothed in irridescent, rippling turned to Japan, where his father, was so and Shan would not cascades. Here was colour indeed whose health had broken down, have told You for worlds. where no colour had been. The later joined him. Mrs. Black com She would slip down

thehim stems were shedding a thin ing out within a month of ber little wooden staircase, after the brown coat under which gleamed husband's death. Ishii Black was: early morning work was done. marble limbs, infinitely dainty thus thrown upon the world to and shyly sit at the corner of the tones, a new world of colour: make his own way and his in- open front and enter her Wonder-colour undreamed of. Under its creasing fluency in the language land. If you passed by the shop new, tender green shoots the tree quickly enabled him to carve out you would see within a dim figure had covered the fall of the old a path for himself. It was a time twanging on a quaint string, and leaves: without triumph, with anf political turmoil and politics! all the time would be piling up infinite tenderness, the young bad meetings were popular, and Ishii heaps of white, incredibly restful-protected the old.

Black, with good presence and a looking rounds of fluffy cotton. Shan looked around: the fine voire, was a favourite speaker Shan's bed was hard, but she shadows of the branches lay upon

in advocating the views which did not mind that: I do not the grass; men and woman were his father had advocated before think that she ever wished grouped about: over beyond lay ahim--that is the establishment off for a soft one such as this cotton stagnant pond, where dragondies representative institutions. These would make.

flew political addresses were delivered It was not her poised, quivered. and material desires that were unceasingly to and fro. All were free, but the wealth of anecdote satisfied by the sight of the cosy-enveloped in the atmosphere of and the interest they aroused looking mass it was to her little the banks of bare earth that lay raised the suggestion that he restless, beauty-craving spirit beyond. Shan opened her eyes should appear as a professional that it appealed.

upon a new world. Her dreams story-teller. The suggestion was

Surely, thought Shan, it must seemed parish and tawdry beside taken up and thus Ishii Black's be meant for a Princess: her all this wonder: these mystic career was fixed. For the rest of imagination clothed it with silkstones: these lights and shadows, his life he was to be a profes

entertainer-an and placed it in a luxurious room

sional Quietly she arose; the same

into the shop. It was dusk, and the open furnace blazed upon the stacked glass, gleaming, transs figuring.

enter-

entered that he could sway them as well as the finest professional of their own country,

a room of wondrous lights and plump, placid little figure. tainer of another race but a race regal shadows. crimson and Quietly she made her way the into whose spirit he had so greatly gold. blac and silver. It was colour in her own life for which she longed. There was no colour in her father's shap, and there was Do colour in their room upstairs. She had a bright crimson" silk twisted round her long, shining plait, and she loved ingly. that strand: she could not see it. lare." -aid she. of course, but she knew it was

there.

The

place in which Shan

lived was

rather difficult for

Shan gazed at her father: his eyes too seemed to speak. She touched one of the bottles cares

beautiful thes

**How

R C. W.

OUR TAXI-CABS..

WIDE KNOWLEDGE GAINED. In the practice of his profession Ishii Black travelled all over the country, learned all the dialects and accumulated a fund of know. ledge of the folk lore of the coun- try which would have been in- valuable bad he found time to communicate it to the public. But he had nope of his father's!

and with the literary energy exception of a few articles written in his later years, his knowledge died with him. As a story-teller say that Hongkong is gradually he possessed great dramatic force coming into line with Shang and a remarkable power of hai by introduring taxi-cabs and mimicry, which

indeed motor buses.

one with such desires. There were To the Editor of the North

What I want Where are the taxi-rates Shanghai?

ac-

Bunsets, but they were hidden | Chin Drily News, by the hilltops and she was not Sir. In your issue to-day you allowed to go round by the water- side, although it was so near at hand. On rare occasions, perhaps after some great storm, she would

counted for his proficiency in go with parents to look at the

to know is. language. But his powers did tossing waters and wind-swep: sky. In her heart, counted over

I not extend beyond speaking I have never seen the language. He could neither one by one. were the lantern any on the streets. The Hongwrite or read it, the inclination to nights, the great festivals. She kong taxi service is very good, acquire these had watched the solemn beauty there are always cabs on the parently

being ap of the sun rising over the great stand.

lacking. His public slope, and once. wonderful

appearances were not confined to As for Hongkong coming into story telling. He also gave exhibi-) memory, she had seen across the line with Shanghai as regardsitions as a hypnotist and was also! sea the primrose sky of early transportation. I think it would seen

where, stage, morning deepen, and change into

in- the rosy flush of dawn.

a

Round the corner, and down the next street, was an open

SEA-FEVER.

I am, etc..

VISITOR.

on

the

i- said, he received

AY, OCTOBER

DAIRY FARM NEWS

Just received

KRAFT

Canadian Cheddar Cheese

in tin

60 cents. per tin.

THE DAILY FARM, ICE & COLD STORAGE

COMPANY. LIMITED.

EVERY LOAF OM-

CAFE • WISEMAN'S DAYLIGHT BAKERY

CONTAINS ONLY INGREDIENTS OF ABSOLUTE PURITY, AND IS MADE AND BAKED UNDER SCRUPULOUSLY CLEAN CONDITIONS UNDER THE DIRECTION OF AN] EXPERT EUROPEAN BAKED.

LANE, CRAWFORD, LIMITED.

HONGKONG MOTOR

GYMKHANA

Saturday November, 3rd 1923.

Under the distinguished patronage of His Excellency the Governor, Sir Edward Stubbs K.C.M.G.

LIST

OF EVENTS

(Entrance fee. 50 cents per event or $2.00 per all events in each series)

MOTOR-CARS

Decorated Cars Skilful Driving Backwards Bace Spearing the Ring Musical Chairs

COMBINATIONS Decorated Combinations Skulful Driving Spearing the Ring Tilting the Bucket Musical Chairs

SOLO CYCLES

Decorated Cycles Skilful Driving Spearing the Ring Tilling the Bucket Potato Race

THE BAND OF THE KING'S REGT:

will be in attendance

Entries defintety close on Wednesday, the 31st inst:

{"Entry forms now available from Mr. P. M. Hodgson. the Union Insurance Society of Canton, Ltd. or from the Offices of the Hongkong Telegraph.")

The admission to the Grandstand will be $1.00 Ladies free.

do well to keep out of line. The ic tramway service for a city of the struction from the first aad You would never have imagin size, of Shanghai is a disgrace. greatest of the Danjiros. When ed all these things if you had both to the company and town. travelling, he 23 generally Inoked at Shan. She had a plump.)

accompanied by a troupe of sleepy face; the thoughts that

eighteen or twenty other per- clamoured in her mind were Shanghai, Oct. 14, 1923.

formers, among them being his veiled by her calm, untroubled The phrase was, perhaps adopted son, known on the stage glance: although perhaps if you rather loose. There are no tasias Professor Hosuke. could have looked deep into her cabs, proper. in Shanghai. but Mr. Black became a Japanese eyes you would have scon: but from many garages hire-cars can subject at a very early age, for that of course. was impossible. be got, by telephone, at a ma professional reasons, as he found ment's notice ut fair rates -Ed.that he could move more freely N.C.D.N.

about the country in pre-treaty}+ revision days. He was adopted into a Japanese family, marrying! the daughter of the house, but his wife died many years ago, and Mr. Black leaves no descen- dants. Of late years he had lived a very retired life in Tokyo, growing gradually weaker and BOOT-FITING BY X-RAY. You look through the top part weaker until he passed away.

and then see the bones of your feet inside the boots X-rayed. If quietly on September 19 in his 66th year, having lived through Lord Haldane's favourite the boots fit perfectly all the the greatest earthquake known doctrine, that science should be bones lie nice and easy, as in an to modern Japan.

the ready band-insiden of anatomical plate; if they do not, Mr. Black is survived by a business is being pursued in then is a case of trying another brother and sister, Mr. S. R. Black directions little suspected. We pair. The instrument is especial- of Kobe and Miss Black of Tokyo, have long been familiar with the ly valuable in fitting children. carefully-adjusted mirrors of the They are apt to declare that boots ready-made tallar which fit when they really do not. The

both There are to be seen lunching Batter

customers and X-ped-ray, as it is called, gives together at the National Liberal clothes. But now some London a final verdict on the point. The Club in London three bale and West End bootmakers have called ex-Serviceman with whose feet. hearty old gentlemen-brothers in the aid of X-rays. When you Jerry has been messing about, whose ages respectively are 97, buy a pair of boots you fit them finds it a great aid. The X-ped- 89, and 79. They come up from on, and then place your feet in ray has a hatred of rubber, and the country every Saturday for the bottom part of a long box refuses to act if there are rubber family reunion.

which seems to stand on its end. soles to the footgear.

BY BERTON BRALEY.

It's well known that I've often planned

To start out for some foreign strand, Across the waters smooth and blue. Yes, travelling's the thing to do,

I think an ocean trip is grand.

+

•

+

For when the sea is calm and bland

And on the steamer's deck the band

Is playing melodies to you,

Its swell!

+

However, on the other hand,

When she begins to roll, I land

Down in my berth. My face in hue

Is sickly green. I'm done, I'm through ! The ocean's fine but I can't stand

Its swell!

VETERAN BROTHERS.

Powell

Telephone C.3146

TAILORING DEPARTMENT

HONGKONG HOTEL BUILDINGS)

Just unpacked ex. S.S. "Kalyan"

NEW STOCK OF

GENTLEMEN'S

SUITINGS AND

OVERCOATINGS

This comprises the Smartest Designs for Day or Sporting Wear in the

Latest London Styles.

SATISFACTION

3 GUARANTEED

J.

T.

SHAW

Tel. Central 1692.

Ladies' & Gent's Tailor

ANOTHER CONSIGNMENT OF

Suitings & Overcoatings,

JUST ARRIVED. SUITABLE FOR

Autumn & Winter Wear

SUITS From $60,00 Perfection in Style & Fit Guaranteed.

No. 11 Beaconsfield Arcade (Opposite City Hall)

BRANDIES.

Legrand et Fils. Courvoisier & Co.

Rouyer. Guillet & Co.

John Exshaw No. 18 Very Fine Old Liqueur,

F. O. V. Liqueur,

B.B. Fale Old Liqueur.

CALDBECK, MACGREGOR & CO., LTD.

15. Queen's Road Central

(Telephone Central No. 75)

The Smoker

of a mediocre cigarette

would wear a happier.

look if he tried ABDULLA

CIGARETTES.

You can get them

The Hongkong Cigar Store, Ltd,

Alexandra Building.