Since the days of Robin Hood we have been accustomed to humour among thieves, but not for long Fave we been treated to such a rare specimen as one just received from Shensi, In an interview published today Mr. G. Findlay Andrew of the China Inland Mission mentions that the robbers in that province describe the operation of kidnapping and holding a wealthy merchant to ransom as "taking out a meat ticket." It sends us straight Wome again, back to war days, when we went to the butcher with a coupon in our hands and, if lucky, received a ration of meat. There were meatless days, and doubtless the robbers of Shensi find a few of them in their calendar. But what we should really like to know is whether those humorous-minded vagabonds ever think in half-tickets, such as the hard-up did during' the war, when, if we remember aright, it was possible to obtain some of the less favoured forts of an_ animal upon its production. These worthies might conceivably regard as a whole meat ticket the capture of a portly exchange broker, banker or piece-goods merchant," but contemn as half-coupon people those who came into the category of journalists, poets or other peddlers of small Wares upon an unwilling public. Only perhaps they might ignore them altogether, or worse still, pay sums of money to them to remove their presence from the reiber haunts.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.