Within the last generation, the world south of the Tweed—and, indeed, even south of the Highland Line—has come to a belief that the Harry Lauder stage type, in diction and dress, -is typical of, Scotland as n whole. It is not recognized that the Lowland Scot never did wear the kilt, and that the language of Harry Lauder, even when he is in the kilt, is not the language of the Highlands. Even Lowland Scots have gravitate ed that way, and the descendant of Johnny Armstrong, King of the Border, considers himself as much contitied as a Cameron or a Robertson to wear the. kilt, and, what is more, he produces "my clan's tartan." So, by Scottish: eclebration has come to be really a Highland celebration. In this connection one calls to mind a St, Andrew's Ball in Shanghai of some few years past, when there was a President who had about as much use for the Highlands as had Bailie Nicol Jarvie, but, it happens that. it is the local' custom to have a shield of the "clan's" arms over the head of the President at supper. That was. in the days when the Shanghai Tramway Company used to do the decorations in the Town Hall, and, without any bother, those ingenious people produced a coat-of-arms including more boars' heads, deer's antlers, galleys, and reeking families of the Western Highlands and the Isles combined could have shown.
'A Little, More' Pacifying However, this year the Shanghai] St. Andrew's Society had a real chance to be thoroughly Highland, as well as Scottish, for a Grigor was elected to the Presidency and anyone of that romantic name must trace his ancestry back somehow to stormy Argyle or the neighbouring territory. Accordingly, every man concerned set out. to make yesterday's celebration, truly Highland. One wit _even' declared it to be the final act in the pacification of the Highlands. There was a Grigor as President} and he was offered a Campbell as Hon. Secretary, and the suggesti was that, had the Son of the Mist been true to the family traditions, he should have come tearing down she Bund with fierce yells of He should have burst} ish Chamber of Commerce, and, what time the Hon. Seczel: ry was ineffectively attempting to summon the police to the rallying ery of "Cruachan!" he should have consigned the Chamber's reinforced concrete roof.tree to the flames and fed the Hon. Secretary piecemeal to a flock of eagles previously ordered) from Mr. A. de C. Sowerby and Dr. Alex. Hampe, in strict accordance with "MeGregor's Gathering.'
Present-day laws "forbid that sort of recreation and, instead, the St. Andrew's Day Ball over which' Mr. J. F. Macgregor presided and for which Mr. Perey Campbell made the arrangements will go down in local history as one of the gayest and most successful of the many similar functions under the gis of the Shanghai St, Andrew's Society. Mr. Campbell will not object to an early reference to the work of the Society's "G.S.0.1." After exhausting a young man's fe as secretary of the Society, Mr.
Clay' definitely retired,' and the same year reappeared to help]
Urquhart. This year he to help' Mr. Campbell, have been free in their acknowledgments, A Large Attendance 'The Ball, as in the two preceding years, was held in the Majestic Hotel. Over 3,700 invit sent out (with a record tion list) and of people attended. Of course, they were far more than could be' comfortably accommodated, but the Majestic Hotel is the only public building suitable for such an occa sion and, putting the whole of the: ground floor at the disposal of the: Society, the hotel management did their best, and there was _no grumbling, save from those who had corns, and one is not supposed to bring those where there is reel! dancing. Extra decorations have become a thing of the past since the Ball has been held in the beautiful hotel, and there was little of an extraneous order beyond a few banks of flowers and greenery, of course "the Saint," some shields of clan and regimental arms, and few tartan ribbons just to stamp) the affair for what it was. There of course, also, in the hall long the passageways, those familiar lines of stalwart Sikh troopers, most fervent admirers of Scottish fighting men, even though they "know nothing of Scotland's summer midges and winter bliz-
Passing to the region of the fountain in the winter garden, escorted by smart young men of the. Shanghai Scottish, the guests were received by Mr. J. F._Macgregor,, resplendent in Grigor finery for the possession of which Rob Roy would have engaged single-handed a squadron of His Georgian Majesty's dragoons, and by Mrs. Rod. G. MacDonald (wife of the Vice-President), who acted as. hostess. Grouped' near -fhe President was the Society's regalia, which made a glittering display, prominent amongst the beautiful Dieces being the silver statuette of a Scots Guards piper which was} presented to the" S: ast year} by H. M, Scots Guards.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.