Kiangchow, Oct. 7.
The Eighth Regiment stationed at Taiyuan is exchanging with the Fourth of Yuncheng. Hence the big read has been alive with military for the last few days, but the best of discipline is maintained, and neither inn-keepers, shopkeepers, nor even carters, regard these busy days other than a profitable ness opportunity. Shansi must be envied by other province!
And yet the authorities seem to think we are not good enough yet, for to-day this city and neighbourhood is deluged with a new style of poster, and in thick heavy type everybody is exhorted to "ba good!" The gentry and merchants plead with the masses not to use the "golden pill." The entire body of literati issue a similar appeal. The heads of the parishes, districts and wards combine on the same lines, and the primary school boys are responsible for a breezy statement to the effect that "the wicked pill-users should ba killed, killed, killed; the wretched opium victims should be saved, saved, saved; while the bad gamblers should be nabbed, nabbed, nabbed." Than, while other combined forces get out similar placards, last of all in tha series comes the plea of the little school girls, "Bad man, won't you ba good?" What, one wonders, would the sages of old think of this new propaganda?. Hero is no "Thus saith the Lord" to the Tsraclites, nor The Master saith" of Confucius and his ce-patriots, hut the modern little misses aussi arvaign their elders and hours. We understand that this is part of the new goverament system recently inaugurated and which stresses "moral suasion" and calls to slow down as regards the "terrors of the law." Hie The drought in 10 countries around is very serious. Grain is already 95 per cent. dearer than in the famine period of 1920/1.
Waite Judge Lobingier was sitting in the U. S. Court for China at Tientsin, hearing a.case at the end of last week, a woman suddenly entered and. without any preliminaries proceeded to address the court. Miss Mary G. Rabenow was the lady, and she read aloud a lengthy letter addressed to the court setting forth her grievances in connexion with a case of alleged slander. She read rapidly, scarcely stopping to draw breath, so that was well nigh impossible to interrupt her. No one tried to do so. When she had finished, His Honour Judge Lobingier pointed out to her that she had an opportunity of filing a further complaint and that, contrary to custom. he had not set any time limit for her to file such complaint. Meanwhile. till she filed it nothing could be done.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.