To the Editor of the Sir,—Allow me through the medium of your Valuable and widely circulating paper to draw attention to the fact of the above estimable institution being rendered conspicuous by the general absence of the younger members of Shanghai society, who apparently fail to avail themselves of such intellectual pursuits placed within their reach by its liberal supporters. Is the youth of Shanghai degenerate, or, with their very superficial knowledge, totally oblivious of anything so sublunary as that of elevating their minds by literary and scientific acquirements, or, is it attributable to the cogent fact that the high class reviewing periodicals and pamphlets—the perusal of which is so essential to the rising generation—predominate over the current sensational novels of the present day, which are so detrimental in imbuing the slender mind with erratic and absurdly chivalrous ideas, If it be argued that the generality of those to whom I refer have come solely to the "rich East" for the specific purpose of accrue ing wealth upon which eventually to retire, and that presumably being their intention, would then ask in what society they hope to enter upon their Homeward return. Pecuniary affluence may gloss over many deficiencies, but how galling will it be for them, when looked to for rather more than ordinary talent, to show themselves beneath even a mechanic in intelligence, for their monetary possessions cannot atone for, amend or counteract the effect of such avoid in their intellectual capacity. Hypothetically speaking, he returns a self-made Croesus where he will find everything unharmonious throughout, as the coarse core cannot be enveloped by lavish expenditure even in the most ordinary class of society, and he will find himself virtually isolated from that social circle to which he has so long aspired, and might have entered but for his deficiency in the one essential egredient. But as he is, he will be com-
Shanghai, 25th June.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.