Tuere is perhaps no department of social life in which Shanghai has made such progress during the last twenty years as that of recreations. A young man of athletic tastes has certainly far more choice of outdoor amusements here than he wou'd have if be were living in London or in any provincial town in England. Any afternoon in the week he can play at lawn-tennis on perfectly kept lawns, and in the most agreeable soviety; a walk of five minutes or not mach more will bring bim to the boat-house, should he feel inclined for row; a superb cricket-ground is at his disposal whenever he chooses to avail Limself of it; and above all things ho can keep a horse. The widespread taste for out-door exercise which charac-tenses the community of Shanghai is healthful sign, and should be encouraged in every possible way. Our climate, bad and trying as it is oocasionally, is at any rate well adapted to the prosecution of bodily recreation, and there is no better way of overcoming the feeling of Ianguor and inertia which it sometimes induces than to invite the healthy feeling of fatigue and free opening of the pores of the skin which are the natural results of exertion. Our position in this respect is infinitely more fortunate than that of our friends in India, where the climatic inflacuces are so unfavourable to muscular activity, and bitter beer offers so insidious a temptation to Uhiraty man.
Twenty years ago, however, when Shanghai was just straggling into its existence as a social commanity, things were vastly different. In some respects, perhaps, they were better; but the disagreeable features of our out-door life in 1882 are, after all, only the necessary result of improvements which are too valuable to be lightly spoken of. At the time of which we are now the Bubbling Well Road did At present it forms a handsome suburb, only spoiled, alas, by the rampant displays of Chinese cockneyism. of which it is the daily scene. The opening of the Shanghai Gardens and Tea-house opposite the Bubbling Well Temple has virtually deprived many persons of their usual afternoon drive or ride. The foreigners one meets on the Rond now are numerically insignificant as compared with the Chinese—and the latter of not the highest class. The road to Yang-tsz-poo is fast becoming the more frequented of the two by Earopeaus. Its approaches are perhaps more objectionable than the Maloo, in that they are much longer; but the road itself, winding by the river-banks, is undeniably prettier and more pleasing than that to the Bubbling Well. Bat in those almost forgotten days we have referred to, there was only one walk available for residents in Shang-hoi. Its destination was. a certain well-known landmark called the Forty. minute Tree, an object that may still be seen across the plain which lies to to the east of the city. This famous tree was reached by a Chinese road or pathway that now of course is entirely deserted by pedestrians; but once it was the promenade par excellence of Shanghai, and an afternoon pilgrimage to the tree was then the regular thing. It is difficalt for the present young generation to realise such a state of things, though it was probably not much worse than that which exists at some of the smaller open ports to-day. There may even have been advantages
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.