To the Editor of the "Norra-Cama Dairy News."
Sin,—A little time ago you published a letter from a correspondent complaining of the neglect of men towards single members of the fair sex. Now you are publishing co:- respondence' regarding the high cost of living in Shanghai.
It will perhaps not occur to the writer of the letter anent the young men's deplorable conduct, that the latter have the same grumble as the rest of Shanghai. namely the expense: and it will probably soothe her injured feelings somewhat if she will consider the young men's attention to married ladies as merely economic practice.
Young men existing on a small salary in Shanghai simply cannot afford to be nice to single girls. Where the maiden is unmarried, it is naturally the man who pays. But where the lady is married, there is nothing on earth to stop her being nice to the men at ber own (or rather her husband's) expense.
'A single girl cannot entertain a young man in return, but a married lady can give him the advantages of company, meals, tennis and perhaps the zenith of his ambition, frequent use of-acor. In return she only demands him as a dancing partner and a lapdog, surely not much of a bore to any man; while, be it whispered, the single girls of Shanghai have no time for anyone who cannot give them a better time than they can get at home.
It is true one can enter the various dancing places free of charge, but there are always chits and no man would consider himself doing the thing properly if he walked the lady home or even took a ricsha. These uncomfortable facts, compared with a good dinner in a comfy house, a fine car, and dancing to the accompaniment of champagne (at the husband's expense) are not to be considered, and so the young man strays to the feet of the married lady while the maiden is left repining.
Tam. et O. N. Looxer. Shanghai, July 10.
Apropos of the above we usually prefer to dance to the accompaniment of music. Is there any special affinity between "jazz" and "fizz'
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.