T" vernacular press of Peiping, never at any time remarkable for its high class of journalism, has during thẹ last few years fallen into a state of what can only be called colourless insipidity, enlivened occasionally by fantastic distortions of facts. "The Japanese control and censorship is no doubt largely responsible for this, but one would have thought that ordinary j ist self-respect would have put some limit to the absurdities produced nowadays. One need not complain too much of the utter boredom, of the leaders—two or three times a week—on the happiness and prosperity of, Peiping under the New Order; and during the last. month or so, on the great success of the famous "Pacification Intensification Campaign'"—thoygh it is not safe to roam more ihan half a dozen miles outside the city walls, 1t is doubtful whether one in a hundred readers ever glances at these particular leaders. In any case, the are the result of the political con tions reigning in these parts. They have to be written, or the paper would not be allowed fo appear at all It is the occasional excursions into the realm of foreign affairs that contain the chief absurdities, A favourite fo of leader ig a storm warning addressed to President Roosevelt or Mr. Churchill, which is doubtless in-tanaed to make these gentlemen shake in their shoes, Some of thes: leaders are reminiscent of the style of the famous "Eatanswill Gazette, However, some times these leaders are a bit muddled in their ideas, as for instance when in a long tirade aging Mr, Churchill, the, worst the paper could find to say of him was that be was an idealist. Apparently it thought this a very terrible - ad-ensation indeed.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.