To the Editor of the "Norra-Cuina Dairy News."
Sir,—Once in a while there splashes in the local papers some caustic remark against the Chinese frequenters of the public gardens and paiks in the Settlement as altogether unsuited to the taste of what we still dub here the "yank and file'—although I doubt (and this with my apology) much if it exists here in the Far East. As I have always believed and understood the "rank and file" remains at Home and visits the Far East or any other far-flung "heathen" lands to enjoy their holidays, or ease their nerves or forget recent unpalatable events that have crept into their lives. But they don't stay long. They go just as fast as they come.
Our budding social reformers would do an infinite good to this recognized "sect"? or "party" or whatever it is, if they would go a little further in their ways and methods or recommendations for the cleaning of the gardens and parks.
If the gardens belong to this "rank and file,"—_urfemployed British, American, French and italian seamen. and vagrants should not be permitted to make the gardens their sleeping rooms, where they have the long benches for their sofas and the leaves for their green curtains, nor should they be permitted to make the gardens their private rooms where they may chase their alien sweethearts.
Or perhaps, late at nights, we seo fleeting from bench to bench respectable-looking people, some old and some young, shadowing ladies, respectable and otherwise. These rascals should be kicked out of the Gardens.
Or perhaps we see this, which is mow becoming very much in vogue. There are many pretty girlies in flimsy fashion flocking in the Gardens each with a child in hand for a companion and as proof that they are respectable women. I know there are really respectable women going to the Gardens with their babies, but it is just as easy to tell between respectable and disreputable ladies, even with a dozen babies with them, as it is to distinguish a chicken from a partridge. In fact some of them make mistakes, as they bring small of Chinese boys or girls in their hands, showing that in their effort to make appearances they make fools of themselves. These also should be turned out of the gardens.
It is really a disgrace to have these undesirables in the gardens if there is really the "rank and file" in the Far East, and if it is true that this class makes it a point to drop once in a while into our places of resorts.
These I mention are worse than the Chinese, if these are objectionable at all, because as a matter of fact there are no dirty Chinese going into the gardens. Most of those who really want to gain admission into the foreign gardens and parks are schoolboys and schoolgirls-of excellent behaviour. But those who take pride in calling themselves foreigners and hate to see Chingse in the gardens and parks are the ones who corrupt and spoil the innocent ones who also drop in there occasionally.
I should prefer my child to see Chinese in the gardens than some of the "whites" who pollute the gardens by their presence, making the place unsafe for boys and girls and a disgrace for real whites in this community.
Just hang around in the Public Garden, out of curiosity, at about 8 o'clock at night.
I am, ete., Warre Farner.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.