The schools are closed. It is said to be needful to billet passing troops in school buildings, There may be other reasons, but. 1925 must be a record year for respite from hard study, for the students, One recalls 80 weeks a year of five and a half strenuous days each, and lots midnight oil in one's own "Higher Primary" and "Middle School" days in "auld long syne". And much as one appreciates the superior qualities of Chinese brains (in certain direetions) it is hard to believe that the same amount of hard study can accomplished in an aggregate of ubout a hundred days or fewer, froe from family events, local theatres. Political demonstrations,—strikes, entertainments, public functions and the other excitements which brighten tthe lot of the modern Chinese school-Loy. Their scholarly fathers did not study thus easily in the days of the "Threeslegged Essay" and the Provineial Examinations of a generation ago.
Cash exchange for the dolar has been up to 2700, The weather is excellent. Days of cloudless beauty have followed one another for some weeks with the F thermometer on the verandah of our room with a Southern aspect. starting at F, 25 at daylight and registering over F. 80 in the afternoon, "Model" weather in the "Sfodel" " Province indeed. But the dust of the main road is to be avai one's enthi siasm for the pro tained.
Behind a long train of troop carts ether thoughts prevail.
By the way an old countryman stopped me and made a fow interest od inquiries about a world-renowned] foreign hotel in Poking. He then said, "And then there's Shanghai, Yes! Always Shanghai, Shanghai But why do not they couple with the name of the Prefecture? 'What 'Fu' does Shanghai belong to?"
Do we alli know?
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.