Norwich bulletin., 1909-05-29

staff-The Feast of Lanterns--
 Racina-Picnic on the Pei-ho.
 I was looking forward with consid
 erable anxiety as to how would be received by the people of Tien-tsin, hut I found that l had only been DOT rowing trouble for the going out of the old consul and the coming in of the new was Of such frequent occur renee in Tien-tsin as to hardly cause a ripple on the surface of the life or +Er settlement. In a very shoht time l game to know the whole population, and likewise the whole population came to know me- for l seemed to drop into their affection as naturally as. an in fant drops into his mothers lap; and nowhere else on earth, in my opinion, could be found a community, made up as if was oS so many different nation alfties. that made life so well worth living. It really seemed like one hap py family. About the first of Decem- her the Pei-ho freezes over, and then the fun commences. From that time until about the first of March no one comes and no one goes away. All business ceases except in the few re- tail stores. and thrown upon their own resources, the people give themselves up to the enjoyment of everything in sight. The gunboats of three nations are always on station there during the winter and their officers assist mate rially in making the cold months the most agreeable part of the year or course I am speaking now of things as they were in my time. Since then a devastating war has wrought great change in conditions.
 We had amateur dramatic perform ances which would have done credit to professionals. Balls, banquets and skating festivals, one or the other, if not all three. were daily events, and there never was any charge for ad- mission to any entertainment. A na- tive band, taught by a German pro- lessor furnished the music for all fes- tive occasions, but how the teaching was accomplished is mystery to me to this day, when the teacher could not speak a word of Chinese, nor the pupils understand 6 word of German. But there they were, with a repertory of negro minstrel song and dance mu- sic. and very proud of their attain 1nents.
 Soon after my arrival at Tien-tsin ] was elected a member of the Tien- tsin club, which was the means of my forming an early acquaintance with Gome of the best material in the set clement, but soon learned that the other foreign consuls considered it dnfra dig. to be on familiar terms with the members of the club. Yet, as had found them very nice gentlemen to associate with, I didn't permit the opinion of others to influence me, and as the consuls had to pass through the billiard room in going to the li- brary of the club, their sense of off cial propriety would sometimes be shocked by seeing me at the sidehoard tndulging in social glass with the members. Very soon, however, they realized that my way of doing things met with the hearty approval of every body except the consuls, and they were not long in taking in the situation, and seeing the popularity that was coming to me. they gradually unbent, and upon discerning that as good men were engaged in mercantile life as in displomacy, the whole social status of the settlement underwent very pleas ing change.
 When winter came, an organization was formed embracing all the desir- able elements of the community Concert, it's object being the giving of literary anl musical entertainments every Saturday night. The meetings were held in the theater, which was part of the club building, and at the first meeting, which was called to order by the British consul, I was elected president and as taking an active part in an entertainment was 6 new experience to nearly all pres ent I had to do the most of the en- tertaining myself. At the next meet Ing I informed them that the first business in order would be to elect d presiding officer and they immediately proceeded to select me, and duringi the three winters of my residence I had the honor of presiding over the or ganization. Although at first it was difficult to get the members to respond to the invitation to contribute to the entertainment by a song a speech, or a recitation, when they had once made the effort they very soon developed. and 1t was a revelation to themselves when they realized that they could stand upon their feet before an au- dience, and feeling perfectly self-pos- sessed, contribute to an entertainment with credit to themselves. It was then that I discovered that the trouble of getting them on their feet at the be- ginning of a season was only equal ed by that Of keeping them off their feet at it's close. A favorite song of the concert was known as the Swingle Waltz. The solo was by a German and when 1t came to the chorus, the gentlemen at the several tables would lock arms and swinging together woud keep time and sing enthusiasti- cally the imposing chorus. There is no doubt that these smoking concerts were largely instrumental in creating that cordial and companionable sem timent which made the foreign set tlnent of Tien- tsin the most desirable place to live in all the Orient.
 The day after my becoming a full hedged United States consul and the representative of the greatest coun- try on earth Gin my estimationJ I made an official call on the Viceroy Hung Chang at his yamen in Tien- tsin city. When came down from breakfast I saw a pony tethered to one of the trees in the yard, "all sad dled, all bridled," and I asked my Chi ma boy whose it was. He said it was for him to ride to the viceroy's At half past nine Mir. Maclay, the inter- preter, had two sedan chairs at the gate with four men for each, and we entered. As I got in the men looked at me and grunted thinking, no doubt that they would earn their money in transporting such a load. When we started, the China boy with his round top hat and red tassel, and his top boots and flowing grser role. mounted Ais pony and took the lead in order to clear the way for official rank. I fol- lowed, and then came the interpreter, which constituted the imposing pro- cession, and notwithstanding that I have taken part in many processions, have never filled so important a part as this one. It was about two miles from the consulate to the vice. roy's residence. and those four men did greatly sweat ere we reached our destination, while I was nearly frozen Our arrival was announced by a reg ular slam bang of all sorts of noises and at the entrance of the outer court r..a H.. Of