378
if no
ing to her. China, even if the state of her finances admitted of the realisation of her plans, has no need either of a large army or a large navy. Her integrity is assured. The Western nations stand as her sponsors, and
higher motive inspire them international jealousy will effectually prevent any one nation from attempting to take advantage of China's weakness. With her integrity guaranteed, why should China seek to emulate the other countries in massing expensive armaments P It would be a foolish waste of money for her to attempt to emulate those countries, except in so far as the preservation of peace and the maintenance of law and order de- manded. She would be better advised to let her development proceed on more peaceful lines. If the Chinese advocates of expansion in armaments think that it affords the quickest means of gaining respect and esteem for China in the world, they are sadly mistaken; and we venture to suggest that this object would be much sooner achieved by those reforms of an educational and administrative character about which there has been so much talk, but down to the present very little action. If the craze for a big Chinese Navy should become popular in China it might, however, do more than anything else to focuss public attention on the crying need for a radical reform of the financial ad- ministration, without which it is hopeless for the Jingoes to expect to see China possess ed of a Fleet of Dreadnoughts or to keep any sort of Navy in a state of efficiency.
RANDOM REFLECTIONS.
What should we do without the weather to speak about? It helps us over conversational difficulties when we have nothing to say, and occasionally produces some interesting yarns like that of the Irishman who remembered the year when there were six weeks of snow in May! But though we have little or no weather lore here, there are many who cherish the convic- tion that the latest summer is always hotter than any of its predecessors. Of course we do not venture to contradict an opinion expressed with so much confidence, though we may hold different ideas on the subject ourselves.
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Now who among us has known greater vari- ableness in the weather than during the past week? One day sweltering in a summer heat and absorbing cooling drinks; the next day glad to get back to warm clothes and anxious to conceal the shiver which we could not Such changes of temperature are decidedly trying, the more so that we foolishly thought we had got rid of all that when we left Europe with its samples of weather.
restrain.
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND associated it with the church, though I am prepared to admit that both deal largely with the same. Both are concerned with the future of the individual. The one good feature which it seems to suggest is that the church is not so jealous of its privileges as before-that it does not mind competition.
The low rate of exchange has given the sterling paid men a good innings, but those whose hopes lie in the opposite direction are beginning to smile now. The dollar is going up. It has risen practically a penny in a month and the tendency is still upward. Those who gamble on exchange should now be having a busy time making calculations.
Congratulations to Mr. C. A. Carr! He retains the proud position of the champion tennis player of Hongkong, and though he was not called upon to defend his position this year, there is little doubt that he would have succeeded in doing so. His play is without doubt beyond compare in the colony and some new arrival will have to appear before his laurels are wrested from him.
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Apparently life is full of illusions and dis- allusionments. For years I have been under the impression that the church set its face against any man or woman attempting to read the future and yet I see the notice board of one of our local churches covered with a bill on which is writlarge," Fortune Telling." "Fortune telling is of course one of those little deceptions which we know is a deception, but somehow I never
I notice that the Daily Press is optimistic as to the future of the colony. It announces that the fact that the cases at the bankruptcy court being so few-only three this week-may be regarded as indicating that business in the It is certainly colony is not so bad as it was. one way of feeling the business pulse of the colony, and I have no doubt that there is good reason for feeling hopeful as to the future, the opium question notwithstanding.
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We all like to be surprised by generosity, and it is no straining of languago to say that a pleasant thrill was experienced by most folks in the colony on learning that Mr. Mody had increased his handsome offer of $35,000 to the Seamen's Institute to $50,000 on being acquainted with the difficulties in which the committee found themselves. If Mr. Mody has prospered in Hongkong he has shown that he is grateful, and the colony will not readily forget the name of a gentleman who has done so much for our public institutions.
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•
Home papers tell us that there is a silk hat revival, that the threatened extinction of this hall mark ef respectability is repulsed, and that for some reason or other the stove pipe is becoming popular again. The bicycle and the don't-care motor car bred in men a spirit of for-appearances," and one of its effects was that The period of the silk hat went out of use. soft hats and collars appears to be ended, come to and city men. I read, bave now
that the conclusion
headgear 110
is SO eminently suitable as the silk hat. Happily the popularity of the silk hat is not likely to strike Hongkong, where on Saturdays and Sundays we shall be content to wear our two-dollar straw or five-dollar topee when the the sun is hot. Weddings excepted, but then we can always borrow a friend's !
were
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[May 10, 1909. the atmosphere and the peculiar click of its delivery suggests the chink of glasses and the I hope all who are afflicted popping of corks. will take heed next Sunday lest they become
the cynosure of all eyes."
RODERICK RANDOM,
To speak of waists, ladies' waists, I mean-uot the kind spelt with an "e" and without an i-re calls love's young dream to some of us who have wakened and discovered the reality. Consequently no one will misunderstand mo when I say that my feelings were somewhat mixed the other day when I read that fashion had decreed that ladies' waists were to be increased, that is to say the girths
now to measure twenty- four inches instead of the hitherto orthodox inches. I have no doubt twenty-two the ladies will enjoy the additional comfort! afforded them by Dame Fashion (or is it Mr. Fashion ?), though some will be foolish enough to regret the departure from the wasp-like ideal for the human form divine. I don't know how it will appeal to the beaux. They won't be able to circumference the waist so successfully as before, but the more frequent efforts to attain success may gave them some solate.
man,
* *
Yet a
out-
I wonder if any of my readers have ever allowed their thoughts to wander at church and for a moment reflect upon the different coughs The and wheezes heard at frequent intervals. subject is very profound but to the casual observer it probably does not appear so. clerical friend once assured me that he could tell all about his congregation without Paramount is the even looking at them. assertive aggressive snort of the self-made whose length of parse is plainly
his the frequency of indicated by bursts and the volume of sound. The "hen- pecked" mau, after a cautious glance at his soul mate, allows himself a discreet and timid cough, say once in twenty minutes. His better half in the mean time preserves a rigid silence and listens to the sermon, which she swallows care- fully, lost a fit of coughing should upset the serenity of her toupee. The dry discordant cough of the atheist, who merely attends for form's sake, grates with that of the respectable atten- tive Christian while the resonant blast of the sinner drowns the fervent amen of the convert. But most distinctive of all is the "gin and bitters" cough; its pungency seems to envelop
HONGKONG.
The temperature in Hongkong on the 1st inst. fell to 63 deg. Fah.-a drop of 20 degrees in two days.
The name of Mr. George Leopold Wilson has been added to the list of authorized architects in the Colony.
On May 1st the Dutch flag was hung from many buildings in the city in honour of the birth of a princess in Holland.
Dr. J. M. Atkinson, Principal Civil Medical Officer of Health, left by the Siberia on May 3rd for home, on leave.
Prosecutions for failing to stamp receipts are still taking place at the Magistracy. On May 4th five cases were dealt with and the usual fine of $25 imposed in each case.
Under a regulation made by the Governor-in- Council no dogs brought from Bangkok will be permitted to land in this Colony for a period of six months from May 1st, 1909.
Mr. J. C. Peter, sub-manager of the Hong- kong and Shanghai Bank, and Mrs. Peter were among the passengers who left by the P. and Ợ
mail steamer last week for Home.
}
At the Marine Magistrate's Court on May 6 Commander Basil Taylor, R.N., fined two boatwomen and a boatman each $30 for failing to exhibit regulation lights
A Chinese merchant appeared before Mr. F. A. Hazeland at the Magistracy on May 1st on two charges of failing to stamp receipts. On each count he was fined $25.
A Chinese blacksmith, while engaged putting up wire netting round Mr. Jupp's tennis court at 16 The Peak, on the 4th inst., accidentally overbalanced and fell a distance of 70 feet. He died almost immediately.
►
H.M.S.
Four messroom boys from Moorhen were brought before Mr Hazeland at the Magistracy on May 5th charged with tea. having stolen quantities of jam and One was discharged but the others were sen- tenced to six weeks' imprisonment each.
An order made by the Governor-in-Counci and published in the Government Gazette, lays down that there shall be established two Dis-
as
trict Land Offices in the New Territories. One the Northern District is to be known District and the other as the Southern District. The office for the Northern District is to be situate at Tai Po, and the office for the Southern District in the City of Victoria.
A meeting of His Majesty's Justices of the Peace was held at the Magistracy on May 1st afternoon to consider an application from Carl Fiedler for permission to remove Weismann's business to 4, Des Voeux Road Central. Mr. J.H. Kemp presided, and there were also present Messrs. F. J. Badeley, C. D. Melbourne and R. H. A. Craig. No police objection being offered, the application was granted.
While a gasfitter was connecting a pipe in the moulding room of the Quarry Bay Ship- yard, the board on which he sat slipped out of one of the rope loops by which it was supported, and the fitter fell to the ground, a drop of He was immediately removed about 30 feet. to hospital, but it is not expected that he will recover from the effects of his fall.
was mentioned An interesting opium case at the Magistracy on May 5th. A Chinese re- siding at 3 Jubilee Street had been found with a quantity of "opium in his possession, and he had been liberated on a bail of $60, which was about the value of the opium. Since then the excise officers discovered, concealed in the ceiling of the house, a long tube which had apparently held about 40 mace. dant did not appear at the Magistracy yesterday Mr. Hoggarth, excise officer, informed his Worship that the bail was inadequate but Mr. Hazeland replied that he was sorry he could not assist as it was a matter to be
The bail arrauged with the police. accordingly estreated.
When defen-
Was
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