Dec. 22.
Boys and girls are not animals in the technical sense, however, accurately that definition may be given to them in the biology class. Therefore, the Shanghai Society' }for the Prevention of Cruelty to [Animals cannot be called upon to deal with that species of cruelty which demands that boys and girls should not be allowed to go on their Christmas Holidays until they have been publicly admonished. The procedure is simple in its barbarity. The luckless children fare collected in a huge hall, under the pretext that some of their number are to be given the rewards of: often misplaced virtue. To make the ordeal as severe as possible, parents are almost cajoled to appear as witnesses. Then some chosen visitor is given the opportunity to afflict the helpless, youthful victims with an exposition of his or her philosophy. Shanghai, no doubt, being what it is, sees that the traditional torture is\ applied humanely. Shanghai Jendeavours to avoid rubbing salt into the wounds of the tortured.
So the platforms of "speech days" this week have obviously been adorned by speakers who would not hurt a fly and, therefore, have been the most amiable thumbserewers ever to put the finishing [touch to a term well-ended. That does not. excuse a practice which has its roots in the inhumanity of man to man, in the callous indifference of Adults to the sufferings of the Most Important People. Let it. be hastily added that the [scholastic profession, which has its gentler moments, would be only too willing to see' "speech-days" relegated to the suitable limbo of the obsolete. It is not easy to break an iron tradition. Shanghai might lead the way by carrying it toa more logical conclusion and then to extinction by the action of sublime ridicule.
Why should the Most Important People alone be made to pay for their holidays by listening to exhortation? Why should not Adults be similarly sped on their way? From to-day onwards—except in newspaper offices where no work is ever done—a large number of Shanghailanders of full age will be Jon holiday—de facto or de jure, Jas Geneva would say—until the [consequences of saying welcome to 1935 have spent themselves. Now, surely, it would be fitting to collect these potential holiday-makers for a speech-day and have them addressed en masse by a specially selected mentor. Such an adven~ ture would give them a wonderful introduction to the forthcoming festivities. They could cavort under the mistletoe with the maxims of the mentor murmuring music in their ears. They could sing about the Herald Angels with even greater fervour after having learnt how much was expected of them in the future. And, as the burden of every speech-day address is "Be Good and You Will Be Happy", they will be well-equipped for having a thoroughly Merry Christmas, despite the depression. Nor will they be disposed to quibble like the ag-Jarieved scion of noble birth who, adjured by his father to "have a }good time, my boy, but always be-Ihave like 'a gentleman", plaintive ty asked how on earth he could jeombine the two feats. The idea certainly worth trying. If there is not sufficient time to take it up officially and thoroughly for the present season, perhaps a few tentative words of exhortation to figures in the public eye will be appreciated. They will at east show the Most Important People that some compensatory influences with reasonable ideas on justice fare getting to work.
Tt would be helpful if these pieces of advice, words of wisdom, aphorisms of age, whatever they be labelled, were clearly admenitory. They should point to perfection and encourage an early approach to that blissful state. Shanghai is not in much of a holiday mood. It expects that those who can take holidays should ponder over ways and means of improving their contribution to Shanghai's welfare on their return. Why should Shanghai not have reasonably clean streets, _pave~ ments free from the irrelevant, jand air of ozone instead of thick black smoke? Why should Shang~ thai be so vexed about the financial jerisis? Cannot the bankers, the [brokers and the borrowers put their heads together in approved fashion and thereby create a con-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.