Another Soliloquy One who has been resident in the East for many years sends us the following soliloquy which appeared in the "North-China Daily News" as far back as October, 1801. While we have been discus. sing our social problems with a certain amount of vigour, we have, apparently, been treading inch old ground. The Problem before the community in 1801 seems to be fairly summed up in th following, the bearing of which on present day matters is also plain, Lone bachelor standing on a doorstep aicaiting the answer to his timid ring, sotiloquizes To call or not to call? that is the ques tion Whether tis better heedlessly to suffer The slights and snubbings of offended ladies, Or to take cards against their sore dis.
pleasures, And, going calling, end them, To call, to' talk, Great Scott! ant while one talks to try to tea,"
'Tough teacake, -blandly drink strong cups of tea, A whole hour brewed—Ugh!' tis Devoutly to be damned, To call, to talk, To bs in with the swim—ah! there's the rub!
For in that giddy swim the thought will come Of books, and pipes of peace, and deep arm chairs, And how much happier twere to stay home 4 With these in quiet rest, in slippered ease, Instead of dancing, dining, all one's time Without a rest or pause, There's the That' makes calamity of social lifes The fear of being out of everything, The dread of being clean forgotten quite.
For who would risk the coldness of the The maiden's mock, the—matron's patronage, Tha schoolgirl snigger of some mind.
less child, The cossip's garbled, chanes of cuts, Or change of manner, confidence misplaced, The insolence of urchins, or the spurns, That patient plain men get from "sweet and twenty But that the fear callous, chill OF social' ostracism, from whose ban No power non-calling bachelors can save, Puzzles a man and makes him rather choose, To drop his pasteboards liberally about, Than dare to 1 "Severely left alone. Missee have got?
Have go!
Hurrah! Pay these.
(Hands in cards and exit hastily) his story and hope that it will not industry|be lost upon the leaders of that death amazing nation, his own country-a problem upon the solution of which depends the fate, not only the other nations of the earth.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.