Founded Nearly 70 Years Ago and Same Old Buildings Still in Nanking Road But Now Sold So the Shanghai Bowling Club's alley in Nanking Road has beet sold to. the.proprietors of the Fives Courts, and with it disappears the last visible the romance of Old *Bo far at least as foreigners concerned. The old decrepit walls, the ancient door' and uneven stops, all are to go. That. start. Ting "contrast it presented, to stand now for so short a time, of old and modern will be lost, never more to arouse the be wil der ment of the uninitiated and the griffin,
ityhag taken wi with the aid of ley ig Jong one and varied, he history of the Bowling At
Dr, Goode, the' present. honor feeretary, some time to compile Dut the result have been well worth the trouble. The names of Old Fesidents long forgotten. Ieap out at us from the pages of the old minute books and documents Tecalling memories of men once famous in the Far East, and ow forgotten,—almost unknown) cepting to the few.
The idea of the Club was rst conceived in the carly "Bftics and fon February 8.153, we find. forded in-an ancient minute book the report of the first meeting. The econnt is not a very com prehensive one, but is, worth Ing in its entirety. Te veads:
a meeting held at the Ji8- kee Hong a few days since the mh, occurs between the years 1858 and 1870. In the minute ook there is a gap, no entries ing made during those years, til, on June 17, 1870, the then retary, My. John H, Purdon, makes the following statement "The proceedings of subsequent meetings to this are entered 1 the visitors' book. This is error, 80 this bock, the proper tone, is resumed. Juno 17, 1870, 7H. Purdon, "Hon. 'Sec.'
How such a remarkable mistake could have been committed. its Aitiet to, understand, and On: tiappiiy "the visitors" ook witch the entries were made cane tot be found.
But to revert. The report the first mesting conelides with the following. peragrap The undersigned hereby. gre to pay their proportional part of the expenses of erecting fowling alley in accordance with the plans submitted by the burld. ing' conmitiee, the. number of members being limited. to 2.
Sei.
Ws, Werwone, Sous Fosrnn, N. Srooxtn, J. Sav Crostrros, F. Fosren, Nye Exo." Brgseen: Kiso, Lovee Huan,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.