Donations towards Christmas fostivities were generous. 'The Fmigrants' Committee gave $590 Various organizations for Christmas trees and presents. The Charitable Home, the Refuge for Aged Men, the. Refuge for Aged Women, the St Tichon Zadonsky Orphanage, the 'SI Olga's Orphanage, tte Union of Russian World War Tnvalids—all these and other charitable organizations received generous donations from many parties. Mr. S. I. Osipoft donated $120, Mr. G. Kirlian gave $250. There were many other donations so that the colony's orphaned and poor did not feel themselves forgotten this year. In all orphanages and schools Christmas parties were held on the first and second days of Christmas. The Russian Club hield a party in conjunction with the Russian. Women's League. On Janu ary 8 the school founded in the name of Pirogov held a party in conjue-Mien with the Sokol. club. Mmes.
Metzler, Lemibieh, Jaspar, Altadukova, Sarmanova and Bebikova organized a party in the St. Olga's Orphanage. The St, Tichon Zadonsky Orphanage threw a party on January 9, its Christmas tree being donated by the Palace Hotel. On January 10 par~ ties were held in the St Andrew's reheel, in the Russian Commercial School and in the First Russian School. On January 13 a Christmas party will be held in the remises of the Cossacks' Union, On January 8 a Christmas. party—complete with Christmas tree, of course, was thrown even for' adults a "Sokol beginning at 10 o'clock in the evening and provided with music by the "concert department." Generally. speaking, the above shows how: merrily and diversely Russians celebrated their Christmas this year.
An Artiste's Recollections New to Shanghai, Mme. Alexandra Labunskaya, who will appear on the: Jocal Russian stage for the frst time.
operetta "The Charitable:
gave an entertaining inter view to the Russian press in which she recalled gay days of her theatrical career in Russia and Europe. She spoke, with special nostalgia of her experiences in a rather Bohemian hotel in Kharkov, already in the days fof the Bolsheviks, where such stell celebrities as Vavieh, Muratov, Tamara Pavlova and Vertinsky shared the sine roof—with, sometimes, rether eccentric results, The customs and manners in this Yartistic hotel. wet in spite of the hard times, of extremely spontaneous nature. Some one decided to play a practical joke ona confrere and this started a whole cycle of practical jokes which provided gossip to the whole town and may yet go down in books of! some artiste's memoirs, remember," she said, "how, taking opportunity during the absence from the hotel of one colleague, we arranged the furniture of his room thoroughly that when he returned. and entered his room he thought he had penetrated into the boudoir of the ballerina, and backed out muttering embarrassed apologies'
Another was the victim of " more malicious practical joke. When he was wringing his soul dry in some particularly tragic scone on the stage, his wagelsh friends unscrewed the lamp in his room from. its rocket end perched a number of geese and chicken on strategic spots like tables and "mantelpieces. When, late at night, the actor returned t6 his room spiritually exhausted from his tear-Jerking acting, and completely "unsuspicious of the havoc wrought in hhis absence, he opened his door and turned the switch. The light did not open. Instead, alarmed by the noise and the light in the corridor. the feathered denizens bestirred themselves, and launched an attack on the stunned, miserable and frightened, actor, hissing and clucking in unison. and biting at his legs.
Mme, L, Labuskaya also spoke of her tours of the south of Russia, which took her to such cities as Kiev: and Odessa. "Incidentally, twas in Kharkov that she first met the popular local operetta star L. I. Rozen. Shel met him time and again after that in Russia, in Berlin and in Riga, Tn_an interview with the Russian press, Dr. D. I. Kazakoff, for 17 years. the head of the Orthodox Contraternity, painted a picture of health con-_ ditions in the colony. "He said that fu the matter of health, the Russian colony is worse off than any other foreign community in the city. The reason for this is simply money. Thus Russians eat worse than others, and live in worse conditions. They are denied the opportunity of leaving the city on long leaves to recuperate their failing health. During its 17 years of existence, the Confraternity has pital has registered more than 130,000; Embulonce calls. The number of sce! fas boew no Tess than 30000, Tore
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.