Without making invidious comment on the contributions to the latest discussion of the "Shanghai Mind." it may be permissible to draw attention the valuable appeal for construc~ tive planning made by Joun Scor-tax in summing up the lessons of Shanghai's development to-day. There a general impatience with the argument that the complexities of the problem, the mysteries of the Shanghai "Trinity." the phantasmagoric Qualities of the Diplomatic Body, the preoccupations of Nanking, the Proerustzean perversity of the Land Re-Bulatlons and the cussedness of the genius tock make it impossible for Shanghai to do anything but continue Where other cities can take thought for the mor row, Shanghai is "hopelessly condemnedo'an unrecking complecsney wrapped up in the cotton-we blushful international inhibitions. That impatience finds full expression the letter to which attention now drawn, The burden of the writer's theme Is that some organiza ion should be created to discuss and investigate the problem. So modest 4 plea can hardly be called revolu-Hlonary. Some would describe it as prosaically sensible and harmless. Periodically this or that group of Shanghailanders is told that nothing can be done because of the existence of that or this group which conducts self and its business in quaintly surprising ways. There may be force this invocation "of the sublime doctrine of inaction, but at least it would "be comforting to get all affecie' groups together in order to confront them genially withthe pic-{ure of their individual shorieomings.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.