I was coming out of the Country Club gateway the other evening when a victoria, coming from the westward, turned and made for the gate so suddenly that it nearly ran into me. A well-dressed young Chinaman was bicycling along towards Shanghai at a fairly good speed on the off side of the victoria, and when it turned, he had of course to turn also towards the gate of the Club or run into the victoria, He avoided a collision very deftly, and janiped off his bicycle just at the gate. The Sikh at the gate, without any' provocation, caught hold' of the Chinaman and shook him, and seized his bicycle. I remonst-ated with the Sikh, for the Chinaman could not possibly have done better than he did; the Sikh wanted to detain the bicycle, but I protested, and the Chinaman jumped up and rod" away. This morning I received the follo letter—I have token out only the names "Deak Siz,—I write to express my thanks for your explanation given to the unreasonable Sikh the other evening. Then, I was hurrying home with one of my fellow-students, and when I fell in the Sikh I sought for the earliest chance to be off like a turn-tail cur. Unconsciously I made the blunder of not expressing my thanks to you at the very moment." I felt quite free when you said " He is all right," bat when I came to think of it, I'see that, without your timely explanation, I might have had farther serious proceedings with him, for I know how China is not China yet.
"This short note attempts to convey my itude to you. I am student of St.
"Yours traly, "Shanghai, 6th August I must apologise 10 my friend (I don't know how he found out who I was) for making his letter public, but it is too good text to lose. I should like to impress upon those in authority over us the desir ability, especially at this juncture, of getting the police generally and the Sikhs in particular to be as gentle and reasonable as they can with Chinese, even when the Inter have committed no offence. It is very hard for any of us to forgive man who has offended us unconsciously and unintentionally, and harder still if cireum~ stances over which he had no control have forced him into doing something we don't like; and we cxn understand that harder still for n haughty Sikh, who has condescended to put on the white man's hated and unbecoming khaki, to restrain his avenging hand; but it would be better that it should sometimes be restrained.
Reasox Wir Law.
Shanghai, 6th August.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.