22nd June, Tue annual report of the Committee of the Shanghai Literary and Debating Society for the season 1891-1892, re-fleets the depression under which Shanghai is suffering. It is hopeful enough in its terms, and as far as 1 its working this hopefulness is justified by the record of the session, in which fourteen meetings altogether were held, the list comprising four debates, six Jectures, a Shakespeare reading, a dramatic entertainment and two concerts, his is avery good list, considering how difficult it is to find disengaged evenings in the winter in Shanghai nowadays... The entertainments given have certainly been up to the average. It is only very exceptionally that debates attract a lange attendance here. If they are on a religious subject, and there is any suspicion about the orthodoxy of the opener or his opponent, people will go in considerable numbers, as they look forward to a discussion with some fire in it; but to the ordinary academic discussion, in which theproposerand hisopponentmight change places, as far as their real interest in the subject goes, people will not go however much they admire a good speaker, they will not turn out at night to hear people talk, when the talk can have no practical results. Some of the lectures were of a decidedly high class, if one or two of the subjects were a little too deep or too wide for the occasion and the audience; but the committee must. be congratulated on securing the services of men who know their subjects so well, and are so Reid, Mr. Moffat, Dr. Edkins, Dr. competent to speak on them, as Dr.
Jamieson,, and Mr. Playfair. The Shakespeare reading, with which the season opened, and the dramatic entertainment given last December were very much enjoyed, while the concerts were up to the average. As long as the Society retains its name, it will, we suppose, be necessary to have some debates; but we have heard a suggestion that some of these debates would have been of more value to the members, for whom they are primarily intended, if they had not been thrown open with so much liberality. It is objected that the committee distribute invitations so lavishly, that there is so much the less inducement toa man to pay five dollars and call himself 2 member.
Tt is soon that this point requires consideration when we come to the very brief sentences in the report, which deal with the Society's financial position. As to this all that is said is: "The finances are in a satisfactory state, as will be. seen from Treasurer's Balance Sheet: 25 new members joined,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.