The building operations at present in progress on the Bund and the erection of the imposing structure, described on another page, for the Hongkong & Shanghai Bank calls attention to the fact that within a very few years all the old hongs and houses—which sive been the customary sights of Shanghai's waterfront will have given place to a real skyline—not so imposing as that of New York, perhaps, but sufficiently awe-in: spiring for us provincials to delight in. A point which has _probably missed the attention of the casual observer of edifices which have recently sprung up. the is amount of genuine artistic merit which is making itself shown in the designs, and the very ready departure from styles which up to a very few years ago were considered indispensable to meet the conditions prevailing out here. It has to be admitted that things of real artistic beauty demand the expenditure of large sums of money,—-even an artist nowadays is coming into his own in the matter of remuneration—and the fact that, having the money, the men of Shanghai are prepared to spend it not only for the utilities but the beauties of life is one of the most promising signs there are for the future architectural well-being of Shanghai.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.