Of all forms of murder perfected by our present civilization killing time seems as justifiable as any and far preferable to being killingly: funny. Apparently Shanghai people are often driven to tempicide, - if _we may use the expression, and judging from their complaints it is not the easiest occupation in the world. 4 At all events we have heard the Superiorly Bored of the Settlement, those who merely loan their pre~ sence to Shanghai during the brief periods between Home Leaves, Jament that there is actually nothing doing on.the Bund and that no new diversions offer themselves pour passer lo temps. To fill their idle moments with some substitute for occupation let us recommend boat-meeting. Note that we do not insist on meeting friends—there are plenty of other reasons for meeting boats, and one of these is that it can fill a day so completely as to leave no room for boredom.
We hardly expect to be believed but nevertheless there is one man in Shanghai who always meets the boats from Seattle just to get a drink of water. Don't laugh! He does. We am going to try it ourselves some day, although we never have experienced any premonitory twinges of ennui. Nevertheless if Seattle aqua puru is so superior to anything we can bottle in Shanghai it might be worth the trip.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.