From Ovr Own San Francisco, Mar. 81.
Dr. Wu Ting-fang, with ghat gentle felicity of speech that made him a great favourite in. th country during the whole of his ong official career, "once of this Eastbay region (that is, the collection of cities, large and small, around the beautiful San Francisco Bay) that it would be "the world's largest city before the end of the 20th century." This phrase is invaluable to-day asa. "boosting" factor among the advertisers on this side, But those who use it here probably do not know that that late indefatigable vegetarian Dr.. Wa had a penchant for saying this about other cities. He often. said once inter-owing him on behalf of an Amer-can paper, and he used the phrase ith great glibness regarding Shanghai, and T-can seo him now, jut in his home in Gordon Road, smilingly telling me that Shanghai was destined to become the world's greatest city within the century.
As an unbiased observer, however, much as T like Shanghai, T am inclined to. belie that Wa Ting-out San Francisco steadily growing progress area.
Old Shanghai residents are probably not able to see how their city has grown during the last 20 years, But immediately you return to Shanghai, even if you have been away only a year, you are at once struck on all sides with changes and sometimes improvements and nees of growth. Similarly on this side. To the newcomer it is almost inconceivable that less than 20 years ngo the city was Inid in ruins, from which at the time it seemed she would never recover.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.