Dr. Robert E. Lewis on Signs ephetic of New Future Dr. Robert E. Lewis, general secretary of the Shanghai Chinese Y.M.C.A. 80 years ago, who has has just retired from his post as general secretary of the "Y" la Cleveland, Ohio, US.A., was speaker at a tiffin of the Pat Association, on February 7.
Wong Kok-shan presided.
'After referring to the old days when the Association was in Nan~ king Road, and the work was carrie'
along a modests scale, Mr. Wong mentioned that, at that time the Association did not have a building of its own but, through the defatigable efforts of Dr. Lewis, i moved to Peking Road until it was able to boast of its own building 'Szechuen Road. 'The work had since extended, a boys' building had been added, and, to meet the steady growth of the work, a new building was being erected in the French Con-min, which would be the largest} bauding in China. In calling gather Wong mentioned that upon the speaker to address the Dr. Lewis was now engaged in a very important piece of work, viz, that} of cultivating international" good will.
Dr, Lewis, after referring to the old days and to his old colleagues, some of whom had passed away, mentioned the changes which had taken place and which were taking' place and which had not culminated. He mentioned that he was now. engaged in making a study of the new nationalism in the Far East Dut he was not prepared to discuss China.
He had been a month in the interior of Fukien, where conditions were not exactly normal. There he had been surrounded by a gang of 1,300 bandits and there his launch had been pirated. When he reached Foochow, he found that the Government itself had been lifted out of power and six commissioners spied away by a former bandit general.
In Nanking, ko had talked quietly behind the scenes with the heads the Government and with Consu-and diplomatic representatives of the various Powers and he was] satisfied that all was prophetic of a new future.
Jing with some of the forces which had much to do with international understanding and goodwill, the speaker said the greatest fores in America was its educational system, Through education, interna-inal mind was being developed among the people of America.
One was sometimes likely to be discouraged with the slow progress made but one must appreciate the difficulties facing the Ministers 02 State and the local authorities, Here! the speaker appealed for patiencs He mentioned, as an instance, tt American opposition to the intro duction of the bath-tub in a most witty manner. "If the process of evolution in such a small matt were so slow, he said, it was easy Yo understand how slow it was st far as the. process of national changes was concerned
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.