To the Editor of the "Nort-Emma Dany NEWS"
Sm,—With reference to the letter from Mr. Dant F. Bamoukn which appeared in Sunday's issue of your esteemed newspaper on the subject Gf fires in-Nantao, assuming such "to Sm;—Having read with great interest the correspondence appearing in the "N.C.D.N." during the past few days, on the subject of the B.F.R.C. dances, may I be permitted to air my views on this topic?
I am a British soldier, and on numerous occasions I have come into contact with British civilians of both sexes in the Settlement—mostly at the B.F.R.C. dances.
1 have come to the conclusion that the majority of these people (especially females) are "unadulterated snobs," and your correspondents of British birth, but of mixed blood, would be well advised to leave this type of person severely alone.
The fact remains, however, that most of Shanghai's British population would be mere nonentities in the towns and cities of Britain, but in Shanghai they place themselves on a pedestal. (probably with disastrous results to their pockets) and imagine themselves to be far superior to those of other races,—or those committing the "heinous" sin of being born of mixed blood.
Their counterpart ili England is the suburbanite we read about in humorous magazines, who, although probably just a clerk in a large city office, gives his neighbours in Suburbia the impression that his position is an affluent one, and that, if he so desired, he could buy the whole street, In reality, of course, he has a difficult task in living up to the position he has created for himself This, I think, sums up the outlook of most of the Britishers here.
A great injustice has been done to some people of British nationality by the Committee of the B.F.R.C., in not allowing people of mixed blood to attend their dances, and I think that I am voicing the opinion of the British "Tommy" when I state that we would welcome all British people at these dances, whether they be of mixed blood or not—"The more the merrier."
Shanghai, Jan, 24
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.