29th Oct.
'Te familiar poetical idea of nature in her varying moods displaying sympathy with the varying moods of men has been strikingly suggested during this year's dull season in Shanghai. In all' communities there happens once a year a riod of social stagnation—a time of inactivity—a respite from the round of pleasures—a breathing space—a fast and in none is it more needed and felt than in ours. The life of many a sleepy provincial town at home sees little change even when Lent forbiddingly frowns upon all sorts and conditions of social mirth and jollity. There is so little taking place asia rule that a little less makes no difference. With us, on the other hand, so much goes on, that a drowsy time of do-nothingness is inevitably felt by all. Desirable in all communities, such a season becomes almost a necessity here. Our usual pace is bound to tire, Iucessant gaiety needs must pall. Moreover the striking contrast between summer habits and winter customs requires that we should have a peacefal interval in which to adapt ourselves to the new conditions. From duck to thick tweed—from an almost unbearable sheet to a couple of welcome blankets—from long chairs and dolce [far niente to paper hunts and riding parties—from houseboat dinners and bare necks in the Gardens to roaring fires and hot toddy, is a long ery.
"The time of change—the betwixt and between—must necessarily be a dull season. his year it has been duller than usual, and nature has done all she could to help us to realise it. Grey skies have glowered and rained day after day, week after week. The seldom sun has only shone to tempt us out defenceless for a ducking. Now warm, now cold, but always damp, the dreary time has drizzled on. Ihe burden of each man's. sigh has been the burden of the old home song:
With heigh-ho the wind and the rain, For the rain it raineth every day.
At home no matter the weather there is always something in the landscape to console. Even chill October has a strange weird charm, and who is there would dream of setting the vagaries of September against. the glories of the foliage effects But here-nature has no scope Autu i. g here and there A fiery finger on the leaves has nothing to work ov. What ca she make of the scraggy treelings that struggle for existence on our wind-swept bund? No! When nature turns glum on these mudd) flats the gloom is complete, all enshrouding. But we have not often mindful of the wisdom of the wit who to complain of her, and now, though
said " never prophesy unless you know," we venture to express the opinion that she is both brightening up and settling down. In like manner things socially are brightening up and settling down for the Winter's amusements. Once more on the Cross of St. Andrew is inscribed a Bul. The Philharmonic bestirs itself; the A-D.C. shows signs of life; the Literary and Debating is under way; dances are thought of; dinners are discuss in general there is a sense of stir—it is the beginning of the end of the dull season. By all the signs we should have a gay winter. True there are those who tell us the contrary, who point to the losses the community has sustained since the Spring by the departure of this person, the ill-health of that, the lassitude of the other; who mourn over "many a season fled" and tell us gloomily that their like will never come again. It would be easy often to answer these linists by reminding them of talent lately brought to light, of promising new arrivals, of certain "happy returns," but it is not well to deny to mournful-minded men their only pleasure. We have listened to all this before. The tones are familiar; the words not new. We have seen such predictions falsified time after time. We shall see them falsified again. A week or two more and the strong tide of social activity will set in as strong as ever. hen perchance with the inconsistency seem-
of us uow looking forward will wit ingly inherent in human nature, many almost a yearning glance look back affectionately upon the greyness and gloom of one of the dullest dull seasons ever seen in Shanghai.
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Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.