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see the light, but they just as obviously see it through a glass, darkly. Their idea of freezing out the foreigner was not learned from anything they have studied in this Colony. It is the inherited, hidebound prejudice cropping out again, to clog their own feet voluntarily set in the path of pro- gress. There is no more intelligence about it than there would be in the supposed retion of the foreiguer, in endeavouring to do without the Chinese. Each is. of course, indispensable to the other. Each is one of the two legs of China's commerce.
It can march with both, but a very slow and short hopping gait is its fate if the Cantonese do not chase this bee from their bonnet. It is ✡ pity that their reform ideas should be handicapped by such stupid jealousies and prejudices, all the more as they seen to have been spontaneous, and derived independently of the official class, which is as hopeless and impossible as ever. They were sufficiently enlightened to see that some foreign ways and foreign things were good; and that the ignorance of the masses stands in the way of their wholesale obtention. The popular beliefs in evil spirits, bad luck, fungshui, are great hindrances to the realisation of their desire for modern machinery, mills, mines, and manufactories; but they are hoping that a big, permanent exhibition of such foreign manufactures as are useful in China may arouse feelings of covetous- ness sufficient to outweigh those foolish fears, Thus the workmen will be tempted to depart from some of the roundabout or cumbersome methods of generations of their ancestors, and imitate the superior goods of the foreign devil. Dealing with this and kindred subje; 8, a contemporary asks: Why is it that, in China, as in other countries, women do not work in factories with men, and so become
pro- lucers?" It might be answered that it is chiefly because there are no factories, and that could scarcely be less wise thau the reply which the journal quoted itself sup plies. Because, up to the present, owing to the disgraceful innuendoes au fil:hy language in coun.on use, no self-respecting woman would dare to attempt it. This dis-
• gusting habit must the elore be stopped." As if these inuuendoes and bid language were not common in almost all factories, at any rate in England. The fact is that the English factory hand is very much like the Chinese woman in this respect, used to hearing a spade called a spade. It is shock- ing to our unused ears, of course; but allowance bas to be made for the habits and environments of a class in assessing its morality. To use such harsh epithets in the case of what is frequently only Oriental naturalism is to compete with the Boston lady who killed a female dog because it had been immoral enough to drop a litter of puppies while her children were looking on. However, this is quite a side issue, and we must conclude by wishing all encourage- ment to attend the fforts of our neighbour- ing reformers, who have certainly com- menced well by insisting on getting access when necessary to the official ear without all the circus mummery and expensive ceremonial of "olo custom." We have not heard that they have gained this point yet; and, as is usual where Chinese reforms are talked of, we are not optimistic.
"L
On the 23rd inst about a quarter-past eight an amah employed at the Diocesan Boys' School fell off the verandah on the second floor and sustained such severe injuries that she expired almost immediately after being trans- ferred to the Government Ciril Hospital
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
HONGKONG JOTTINGS.
24th January,
The services of His Excellency the Governor are in great request just now for the distribution of school prizes. This week His Excellency's engagements include at least four of this character. Yesterday he was at Belilio School, to-day he attends at the Diocesan Girls' School, to-morrow at Queen's College, and on Friday His Excellency presents diplomas won by
students of the Royal College of Medicine for Chinese.
Governor at school prize distributions are The speeches male by Ilis Excellency the
usually very much to the point. I was particularly struck with the speech His Ex- cellency made last week at the Ellis Kadoorie School on the advantages of a knowledge of geography.
In nine schools out of ten in
England boys
are notoriously weak in geography, but it is even more remarkable that schools in this great seaport of Hongkong should exhibit the same deficiency. Geography seems to me to be a most important study for boys because it stimulates education in the best sense of the word. Give me a boy who knows the geography of the world well, and I'll for- give him if he cannot spell "phthisis" correctly. Hongkong some time in the course of the next two years will be visited by an American school which is lear ing geography by voyaging round the world on a seamer, stopping at a large number of places on the way to receive le sons which the students will never forget It is a three years' course, if I recollect correctly, and the steamer with about 300 youths on board lefl America last summer for England, and will cal: at the China and Japan ports on its way back to the United States. It is a capital · idea, but an expensive one, I guess.
Hongkong is becoming a noisy place to sleep in at nights, and I have some sympathy with a resident who confided to me his conviction that Lantao would be a desirable place of residenc2. There are other people in the Colony who have identical thoughts on the subject if the rumour is correc: that some attempt is to be made to make Lantao vie with Macao
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[January 28, 1905.
The troubles of Mr. Gray Scott, the man iger of the low-level tramway, have bean enough tô ̧· turn his hair prematurely white. The trams, however, now run with greater regularity, and I believe peculati n is not so rife on the part of -ticket-issuers as rumour alleged it to be a few trams ret off the rails rather frequently, owing months ago. The latest grumble is that the to the rails becoming blocked with hard road metalling. This is a matter which concerns not only the convenience, but the safety of the travelling public, and one in which the Public Works Department should be interested,
محمد
Eight British warships firing a salute on Sunday astonished residents who had forgotten that the 22nd was the anniversary of the King's accession The fact that the salute was fired at one o'clock instead of at twelve was because the regulations require that salutes shal: not be fired during the hours of divine service.
Pesumably small-pox is rather prevalent up North, for three or four steamers arriving during the past week have had to moor at the quarantine station on that account. Last week's homeward-bound German Mail steamer had to go there, and so did yesterday's French ail steamer. Six cases of small-pox were notified last week, and three of them are marked on the official return as imported from Shanghai." onsequently Shanghi has been pr. el imed ly the Governor to be an "infected jort
BANYAN
FONGKONG SANITARY
BOARD.
A meeting of the Sanitary Boar was held n the Board Room on the 24th January. Dr. J. M. Atkinson (President) presided, and there were also present. the Hon. Mr P. N. H. Jones (Vice-President), the Hou. Mr. A. W. Brewin. Col W. E. Webb, R.A.M C.. Mr. E. A. Hewett, Mr. A. Rumjahn, Dr. F. Clark, Dr. H. Macfarlane, Dr. B. T. Barnett and Mr T. A. Hanmer (Secretary).
The minutes of the previous meeting were confirmed.
The health resort for the jaded residents of this Colony. There is talk of a large bote being built in the near future on Lantan close to a good beach, and provided with the necessary grounds for good, healthy exercise. With such inducements there is every pro- bability of the enterprise reaping its reward.
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FAR' WELL TO DR. BARNETT. PRESIDENT-Before proceeding with the business I should like to mention tha' this is the last meeting before the departure of Dr. Barnett, who has been offered and has accepted a appointment in Egypt. During his two years at Hongkong he has had an amount of plague experience which will stand him in good stead there, I am sure you will join with me in wishing him success. (H›ar, hear.) heartily. I feel that you have all been very kind.
Dr. BARNETT-I beg to thank vou most
A BANITARY BOARD SECRET.
Mr. RUMJAHN-I notice that the report of the sub-committee appointed in November to
look into a question regarding limewa hing has been set down for the confid ntial meeting. You will remember that at the me-ting in No- vember I made stron r commendations. I would point out that the ree mmendations of the sub-committee agree mainly with the points I wish to recom- I put forward to the Board
I am glad to learn on good authority that during the last few weeks there has been an appreciable exodus of beachcombers from the Colony, but there are still some here who have remained with us a long time, living on the charity of a benevolent public. There is, for instance, a young African Eurasian who has been working on the sympathies of the charit able for the last two months to my knowledge. He has a petition written in quaint English which purports to have been drawn up by one "J, C. Howe. A C.D. Co Material Dept." I am unable to find this gentleman's name in the Directory. The petition describes the applicant for charity as a poor Christian who came frommend to the Board that the report be dealt Africa a few months ag, had been ill in with iu public hospital and now wishes to return to Africa, for which a sum of $60 is needed Some time before Christmas this young man called at the Dada Press Office with his subscription list, to which a large number of people had attached their names for amounts varyin z from 50 cents to $5. He then said he only needed something like five dollars to make up the amount requird, and I have little doubt that this small sum was obtain ed the same day. On Starday and Sunday last this young man was gathering subcriptions
from houses on the Hill I noticed that he had a new list showing over $40 collected If this young man was as anxious as he professed to get back to Africa as quickly as possible, he migh by the charity of the Horg ong public have
reached the land of his birth by this time. But
Hongkong evidently possesses attractions for him and the circumstances related above suggest that inquiries into the case by the police might be desirable.
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The PRESIDENT This is a matter which concerns the reading of certain bye-laws, and we had to ask the opinion of the Crown Solicitor. If you like. you can propose to the meeting to deal with it in public. but it is a departmental affair, aud should, I think, be dea't with privately
Mr. RUMJAHN-I am satisfied with your remarks, and think it should be dealt with privately.
CLEANSING during deCEMBER.
Dr. Clark reported that during December last altogether 5.932 houses in the Colony were cleansed, 127 cart-loads of rubbish being re- moved.
THE FIRST RECORDED CASE OF BLACK QUARTER IN CHINA.
Mr. A. Gibson the Coloni Veterinary Surgeon, reported a case of black qua ter in the Kennedy Ton Animal Depot thus:-I found a case of black quarter (Rauschbrand) in'
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