The man in the street looks on and shakes his head with apprehension as the alterations in connexion with the old military yamen go on apace. It may be remembered that 1 mentioned in my last letter that the troops of the Fifth Division are making themselves a large parade ground there. It is feared that an ancient right of way will be disregarded. If this is so, it will be very inconvenient for everybody. There is the Public Well, and there sacred associations (I speak as a Chinaman) abound—associations by the way which every Christian longs to see relegated to the "Limbo of Vanities" that cannot profit: but all the same the man in the street hag his religious point of view, and it is none the less right in principle because it is so thoroughly wrong But as the foreigner (at least your correspondent) looks on and aces the improvement in general appearance that is taking place, he cannot, but reflect that here are activities and signs of life that are good to see in our stagnant and age-worn city. It is unnecessary to express an opinion one way or the other here as to the right and wrong of the case. The Fifth Division takes the attitude that it is a long way off. Whether he would be better off in such a case is debateable. It may be that time will enable the two parties to discover that, identity of interest makes mutual consideration a necessary as well as patriotic thing. General Liv docs not seem to be the man to make such a happy state of affairs impossible.
Anti-Japanese propaganda still goes on to a certain extent. The other day a cyclostyled pamphlet came to the Mission Middle School here from the chief Middle School in the Province saying that the Japanese in Fukien were Gnterfering with our student orators, and sending soldiers there, ete., etc," and many more like words, It was not considered necessary to hand this pamphlet over to the boys.
When General Lit came to visit us the other day he did the boys a lot of good by telling them: "the best way for you to serve your country at present is by going on quietly with your studies." He also said many nice things about missions and mission schools which T need not repeat here.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.