Speaking on behalf of the Ameri can community Judge Franklin sai that it was the existence of mer like Mr. Fessenden that solved #0] many sectional differences, and that fact made him very proud that night of being an American. He world not, however, speak as an American eulogist, but would refer man who, oblivious of nationality, had worked for the public good amd Yer the service of his fellow. men The activities of their honoured nest that evening had not beet, confined to a single state or section or nation, nor had they been cloud. ed by racial prejudice or by national or political animosities. Mr. Fes feenden had served them all. in Shanghai with impartiality. and marked ability, and when he (the! speaker) said' this, ho included Chinese as well as foreigners (applause). Not only was he proud tit)
ssenden was an American, but he was even more pleased Chat man had been found regardless nationality to cope with: the present, crisis here and to give such univer-jail satisfaction. Men of his type working in international affairs had, me much to make misunderstand~ impossible. Mr, Fessenden's Service had been the more noteworthy. because rendered in this most inter. national of communities where he Thad displayed the wisdom of a Solomon and the patience of a Job (upplause).
Sie Sidney Barton on the Shanghai Mind Sir Sidney Barton announced that) the had been given the duty of presenting Mr, Fessenden with a casket containing the names of those aditers of their guest who wished to bbe associated with thig celebration of his Sind birthday. He was proud to have the honour of doing this, and if he had any qualification for it, it was because he had been associate with Mr, Fessenden for over 20) years. A good deal had recently been heard of. what was deseribud as} the "Shanghai mind." Press corres. pondents had come from every quart. for of the globe, wud many of them had sed that expression, Well, fortunately for the governance of the countries whoxe nationals were re-Presented in Shanghai, there was only one Shanghai in' the world: hone of their governments could stand than one (Laughter). If Shanghai had developed into such a community as it, was, it stood to} reason that it could not have done without a mind. No city such jas they saw it was produced without a mind, and that mind was: ndt such a mind as some of the users of the expression "the Shanghai mind" would have them believe.
Shanghai had been called various Neither extreme was true.
If they asked him to describe un example! of the Shanghai mind in a conerete form, he would say that their guest way the finest expression of the Shanghai mind at'its bee and in its proper sone that he" could give them. He then proposed the health of Mr. Bessenden, to which there Was an enthusiastic response, Mr, Bernard Firth read a message from: the Shanghai Fascisti congratulating Mr, Fessenden and as suring him of their loyal support, In rising to reply Mr. Fessenden was heartily cheered, He said that the hud to admit that he came from the Jand of the Pilgrim Fathers who, it was suid, were sometimes ne-customed to drown the sorrows of suffering in the flowing bowl, That jas before prohibition, He felt very greatly the honour that had been done him in this celebration, Somebody had! alluded to the reason why he left his own country, but he not feel called upon to explain that. He would like to say that in doing his tittle bit for Shanghai to-Gay ts so many other men here hid done, if he: had ina measure gained their confidence or respect, that Was ample reward for any man, He could also say that what little ho had tried to do was because of the real affection she had for Shanghai and the people of Shanghai, "Many of those he saw present that night hhud been virtually boys with him Shanghai, when Shanghai looked a.fittle more rosy than. it did now, He had always felt that Shanghai was a human place -and that. the people in it were human people, A Word (o the Reckless (Mr. Fessenden went on to say that he wanted to utilize this eaxion to sty some things which he could not ordinarily refer to.in an official manner as Chairman of the Council but which he could impart this evening to his friends and to which he referred because of the seriousness of the situation which faced Shanghai, He believed that conditions at this time were not un Juke those which faced them during January and March of last year, and that because of the seneral difficulty of making the Powers real-me how much their support was needed, some of even the most i fuential foreigners in Shanghai had mistaken idea that they might ain greater support for the cause of Shanghai by creating incidents hhere in the hope that such incidents might lead to more support at Home.
"Nothing could more seriously burt the prospects of "united -aetion Jamong the Powers to maintain the political and territorial integrity of Shanghai than such illkeonceived infeidents, Instead of bringing greater support, they would un= Aoubtedly result in a withdrawal of whatever support and protection we now have, From my experience with this problem and with some knowledge of what going on behind the scenes, I can tell you to-night that there can be greater menace to Shanghai than the occurrence of incidents provoked by foreigners, We should all seo to it that they do not occur.
have to-night been offered the support of the Fascisti organization.
have many friends in that jganization—many men whose advice Ido much more ey management, lack of restraint, might result in just such a perilous situation ax we are all trying to avoid, My advice is to leave the management of affairs here in the hands of those men who have been chosen by the various Governments and the ratepayers to conduct them,—T believe that Shanghai will ultimately win, but we must have patience and faith, With patience and faith, we cannot lose; with indiseri ction, uncon. trolled by authority, [Shanghai will be lost.
feel that our cunduet must always be justified by Jaw and morals, Often suggestions have been made to mic in the hone that something: drastic might be done, but when such suxxestions were not justified by and morals, they were triened down. "Ty was suggested to us t jvade Chapei and the Chinese city, but such a suggestion could have no basis cither in law or morals and was turned down. As business be-joomes worse, men serow, panicky think of many expedients to the situation, but the Tead-of cur of [what can be done, nid-wre must have patience and faith. They will pull Shanghai through."
On the call of Mr. E, T. Byrne, ithe gathering toasted Mr. A. J. Gommijs on whose initiative the dinner was held
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.