The annual meeting of the Shanghai Voluntesr Corps, wae, held on Monday evening at the Municipal Council Boa Room, Major Morrison presiding. There was a fairly large attendance.
Major Moxnisox in the course of his address alluded to the fact that the corps was about to use its senior captain. Captain Bright, who would leave Shanghai before the commencement of the ensuing training, was an officer who had taken an immense amount of trouble in connection with his own company, as all the members of that company and all the officers of the battalion Knew very well. Captain Bright had also taken a great deal of trouble in connection with musketry both on the range, where h had been a covatant attendant, und also in making the arrangements with regard to the different battalion competitions, Captain Bright was only going home for a well-earned year's leave, and would, they hoped, be back before next year's training. As to the corps itself it had been going on pretty much as it had done during the last, three years, the numbers were not quite up to the mark and be hoped every member of the corps would do all he could to bring in recruits. By far the larger number of men who did not join the corps were very good fellows indeed whom he would like to see enrolled. They did not juin, simply because they did not think there was much chance of trouble, and no necessity forthe to take the trouble of drilling just now. They no doubt thought it a little hard that there should be a rule that only those on the efficient list would be allowed to turn out in case of a disturbance. But this rule was one of the most useful rules in connection with the corps, and was one that must be adhered to. It was the outcome of a sense of responsibility on the part of those who had the management of the corps. Men of one branch who did not obey orders might place officers commanding other branches in very dificult Tt would not be justifiable to place arms and ammunition in the hands Of men who had not been undergoing a certain amount of drill (hear, hear). There were a good many people who thought that drilling was rather nonsense, and who urged that men who spent all their time on parade movements did not thereby make themselves good soldiers, He would ask these people why they would rather trust themselves to the protection of 250 regulars than 250 volunteers, as they un-Geubtedly would. The regulars were not Bolter educated than the volunteers. physically or intellectually superior to or only one thing had the regulars an advantage over the volunteers, and one could only conclude that it was extra drill which
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.