8th March.
When Ignorance is Bliss.
The war seems to have no effect on the situation here in Western China. The small Spring crop gro\ diligent farmer guards and cares for his interests much as usual. Does he know Oh, yes, he hears about it, but it is not near his turnip patch and so causes him no concern, No sleepless nights are passed by him. He has no shares or stocks to rise or fall or anything at stake. The fortunes of war do not come wit the range of his affairs. Wars may come and wars may go, Mr. Farmer Chinaman cares not how many times Japan beats or Russia beats Japan; it will not make his sugar cane any sweeter or his cucumber any more bitter. Two thousand miles from Shanghai! The only hint one has of war comes from questionable sources. Anyway the news may be a month or six weeks old on arrival.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.