Even war has its compensations. And the first to admit this would undoubtedly be the soldiers, wounded in battle, and now filling the emergency hospitals established in cabarets, schools and buildings closed tg their usual activities by the Sino-Japanese hostilities.
Often pain-racked, covered with gary bandages, they are singularly cheerful and uncomplaining even when facilities are inadequate. The splendid spirit and high morale of the Chinese defenders is probably the chief reason for this, but not a little of the credit must go to the women from all walks of life who have discovered that in the face of the national emergency, the "Col-oriel's lady and Judy O'Grady are Sisters under the skin."
United in a common cause their time is now taken up with volunteer work in these hospitals, where no task is too small.or great for them to do. But in all the humdrum tasks needed to run things efficiently, the need for a word of cheer and little services outside of the ordinary routine are far from forgotten: This is where those charming slips of femininity known in normal times as "dancing hostesses" have disting-wished themselves.
Deprived of their means of livelihood, they now use their talents for entertaining for the benefit of the wounded warriors. Vivid illustration of this was afforded the writer when on a visit to a former cabaret which has contributed not a little to Shanghai's famous night life. Now every possible inch of a floor which used to echo the light-hearted steps of dancers is covered with hospital cots, the bar has been converted into a dispensary and the orchestra stand houses the nurses' office. Such has been the transformation effected in the Vienna Gardens.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.