204
ENTERTAINMENT AT CANTON.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
SAIGON.
(FROM A CORRESPONDENT.]
Saigon, 7th March.
M. DOUM?R'S APPROACHING DEPARTURE.
can
[March 15, 1902.
as being somewhat in the nature of a luxury provided for one special class or section of the A very enjoyable evening was afforded the
community and being such it should be paid for by them, for they alone would reap the benefit. residents of Shameen on Saturday, the 8th inst., the Canton Amateur Theatrical Society re-
Again, these gentlemen ask for a school for the education of the upper classes of the peating their successful entertainment, already once rendered about three weeks ago, the pro- M. Loumer, the Governor-General of Indo-Chinese and want it reserved especially for Why should they make ach a request ? gramme being the farcs Dearest Mamma, fol- Chins, has definitely decilel to return to them. lowed by that well-known musical comedy A France, and sails by the. Sydney on the 14th Such schools are not provided by the Govern-
As in Tonkin, he desires to mark Trial by Jury as a piece de resistance. The inst.
ment in England, or for the matter of that in farce was well staged, the parts of "Dearest his departure by a series of festivals, but any other country. All public institutions of the kind are open to all classes, no Mamma" and "Uncle Bowser being especi- people in Saigon do not quite see the reason for
matter what their social position may be, ally high up in amateur form. The audience these celebrations. However, the arrangements
so long as they
pay the necessary experienced however, a surprise in the comedi- connected herewith seem to be well advanced, etta; several changes in the orchestra were notwithstanding public apathy, and to-day fees. The schools reserved for the children of noticeable, and although numerically weaker, M. Doumer is to officiate at the inauguration the upper classes are supported by the upper the music was a decided improvement on the of a bridge to be built across the river, joining classes themselves, and the rest of the com- first production, the quality amply making up the land of the Messageries Company to the town munity are not asked to contribute to them in any way whatsoever. They are, in fact, luxuries for the previous, evidently surplus, quantity. proper. The bridge is to be a low-level one, and The plaintiff sustained her part most admirably, will be so constructed as to permit of its being and as such are paid for by those who make use her voice being at its best and her appearance opened and closed at certain hours during the of them. Therefore I contend that if those of simply charming; repeated encores and nu- day. Its lowness, however, is sure to prove the upper-class Chinese of Hongkong require a merous lovely bouquets proved the audience's an impediment to the large junks coming down school reserved exclusively for their children, river from Cholon. Following this then they, and they alone, should supply the appreciation. The bridesmaids looked piquan- the
necessary funds, which they can well afford to tes in pink, light blue and white, aud the jury function, M. 1 ozmer, who previously stated were excellently got up, one as Dan Leno and bis desire to do so, is to lay the foundation- do, without asking for the expenditure of public money, contributed by all, for the benefit of one two others representing local celebrities evok-stone of the new quays that are to line the ing much mirth. The judge could not have river. A gala at the theatre marks the close particular section of community been better chosen, and the usher might do of a busy day. On Saturday, the 8th inst., the worse than leave the "muck-and-truck" line for retiring Governor-General opens the iron the stage, in spite of his rather Teutonic bridge spanning the Saigon River at Binh Loi, pronunciation. The defendant's part was taken the completion of which marks an important by Mr. F. H. Bell, of I.M. Customs, whom we step in the construction of the railway to have to thank for the entire creation and who Biephon and thence along the coast to Tonkin. has worked very hard to give us what. Shameen In the evening he attends a ball given in since 15 years has not been able to boast of, his honour by the Philharmonic Society, namely, a musical amateur play; as usual, he made On Sunday, the 9th inst., M, Donmer is races, and. resum- his part perfect and was called to the front and to be present at heartily cheered at the close of what certainly proved to be one of the most successful and enjoyable entertainments ever given by the C.A.T.S.
SWATOW.
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT]
Swatow, 11th March.
MEN-OF-WAR MOVEMENTS.
The U.S.S. Wilmington, which arrived here from Shanghai about two weeks ago, is leaving for Amoy this afternoon. H.I.G.M.S. Tiger called in here on Saturday last from Hongkong and will be departing for the North in a few days. The Chuentian, the Chinese revenue cruiser, is in here making an extensive survey of the harbour.
A DANCE.
The bachelor members of the Kialat ( lub
++
gave a ball; the Wilmington dance," in their
Club rooms on the 7th instant, and it was attended by some of the officers of the U.S.S. Wilmington.
A CONCERT.
The Minstrel and Variety Company of U.S.S. Wilmington gave an entertainment, consisting of songs, plays and boxing display, in the Kialat Club. It was a complete succes.
AN "AT HOME,'
"
The captain and officers of the Wilmington held a reception on board their ship yesterday. to which the leaders of the community were invited.
SAD LOSS.
On the receipt of the sad news of the death of the Admiral of the U.S. Asiatic fleet, the
men-of-war in port half-masted their ensigns
out of respect to the departed.
Mr. Alec Marsh, who has been called home from Shanghai by the illness of his talented wife, Miss Alice Esty, is to give a farewell concert on the 15th instant, at which he will be assisted by many leading Shanghai amateurs.
A Peking telegram to the Mainichi, dated the 1st inst., announces that owing to the opposi- tion of the Chinese Government to granting Russia privileges to work mines in Manchuria, the negotiations on the Manchuria Convention have fallen through. The Russian Government according to the telegram, has intimated to the Chinese Government that Russia will carry out her plans despite the opposition of Great Britain and Japan. The Kobe Chronicle says: -We very much doubt the authenticity of the latter statement. Russian diplomats do not work in that way.
|
the
ing his activities on Monday, he unveils a fine marble s atue of the Bishop, Monseigneur Pigneau de Belaine, which has been erected opposite the Cathedral. The Bishop, who is shown standing in a protecting attitude over the young son of the Emperor Gia Lang, was a great favourite at the old Aunanite Court. On Wednesday His Excellency attends a ball to be given by the Officers' Club.
So far, no successor to M. Doumer has been
appointed, and he leaves the Colony burdened with the heavy loans contracted during his term of office, whilst his schemes for railway construction are in a state that is far from satisfactory.
CORRESPONDENCE.
[We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents.]
"
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR CHINESE.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY PRESS
Hongkong, 8th March. SI-My attention has been called to the correspondence appearing in the Government Gazette anent the provision of education for the children of better class Chinese. On perusing
the letter addressed to the Government by Dr. Ho Kai and seven others, I was struck by the fact that it plainly advocates class distinctions which I for one, and I believe many other per- sons in the Colony also, both Chinese and Euro- pean, believe should not be allowed to exist in any purely Government institution. It stands to reason that the establishment of any such school as that proposed by Dr. Ho Kai and his following will have to be paid for out of public funds. That is to say, everybody, from the poorest coolie to the richest taipan, will be con- Tributing to the support of such a school and it would therefore be most unfair for any such institution to be reserved for one particular class at the expense of all. If the disad-
out by Dr. vantages pointed
Ho Kai and his friends really exist, then, I contend that the remedy is in their owns hands. They are not forced to send their children to these Govern- ment Board Schools, as they term them, as are the poorer Chinese, for they can afford to pay higher fees, which the people whose children they object to their own mixing with cannot. In my opinion the daostional facilities provid- ed by Government should be of as high a standard as possible, and, as they are paid for by all, so should they be freely open to all without any class distinction whatever. The class of school asked for by Dr. Ho Kai and others I regard
The gentlemen in question also point out that in the event of their having to send their children to England or the United States at a most impressionable age they find themselves on their return dnable to resume their proper position in the family; but a little further on argue that the establishment of the school they ask for will cause them to assimilate English sympathies and ideas and give them more open minds and public spirit. Does it not seem as if these two statements were somewhat contradic-- tory and that the Anglicising of the children would cause just that difficulty with regard to family life of which complaint is made?-Yours, etc,
ANTI-HUMBUG.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS.' Hongkong, 13th March. SIE. After careful perusal of the petition by Dr. Ho Kai and others for a special English school for the children of the Chinese upper classes, the Governor's despatch to the Secretary of State relating thereto, and the corres pondence published in the papers, I must add my vote against the proposal. The petitioners are clearly advocating class distinctions, and, such being the case, no wonder they command no public sympathy. In no schools maintained at public expense should such distinctions be allowed to exist. A correspondent signing himself "Fairplay" in the Telegraph last night says that since the Government has made the school given by Mr. Ho Tung one wherein class distinctions are to be observed, Dr. Ho Kai and his friends are justified in making their If Fairplay".will present demands. This statement is incorrect and calculated to mislead take the trouble to look up the last number but one of the Gazette and study the subject more thoroughly he will no doubt admit that what exactly a quid pro quo, as alleged. The "Ho Tung School
Dr. Ho Kai and the seven others ask for is not
is reserved for children of
European residents of the Colony and open to all classes, rich and poor alike, whereas the proposed school for Chinese is intended for one particular section of the community, ex- clusively, viz., the wealthy class. Enclosing my card,-Yours, etc.
PERLE ET CIE
VICTORIA GAP TERMINUS.
}
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "DAILY PRESS." Hongkong, 10th March. SIR--I have been waiting for some days to see whether any reply would be given to the letters of your correspondents, and to your own editorial remarks on this question, in which I know a great interest is felt, not alone by Peak residents.
I quite agree with all that has been written, and I hope that the Company will lose no time, now the weather is fine, in getting the station covered in. The covered-in passage is also much exposed, but this can readily be recte by filling in the arches with glass. Compared with the roofing of the station, however, this is
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