Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-18

what sounds like a commonplace phrase
in vernacular English. Some combina-
ton chances thus to strike the Western
ear as familiar. and 1t takes q bit OF
quick thinking to realize thaG the talk
ers are wholly ignorant Of any English
and are just speaking In coolie dialect.
Woman at Her ScoIding.
A little while ago heard an un-
usually loud vocal demonstration out
side of my window. Looking across the
street, saw woman, low-caste Chill
nese, being gently. but steadily, pushed
along the sidewalk by a stolid-faced
man. She was engaged in the livliest
bit of monologue have heard out here.
which Is saying much: Her words
poured fourth In a perfect torrent of
invective abuse, vituperation-call it
what you will. Evidently. though not a
syllable could. of course, be understood,
she was out of patience with the OBJ
jective of her language. He had plainly
annoyed her In some manner. She was
giving a public demonstration of what
/ understand is the Chinese woman's
world-beating capacity for scolding.
The man showed no sign OF annoyance,
but kept pushing her along. Just be.
hind the pair, accompanied by a small
group of giggling Chinese. walked a
DOllCeUldn III WCdkAlB OAlC VA
those conical hats that mark the Anna
mese members of the force. He may
have been only one of the audience,
but he was right on the trail Of pos
sible case of assault. The episode
passed in a few moments. and other
noises drowned the echo Of the shrill
voice.
Bells constantly are sounding. All
sorts of bells-the rickishaw boys ring
them occasionally. the bicycle boys con-
stantly and the tram motormen Jangie
them viciously. Even in the hotel. down
in the main lobby, the bell-hops are
really such in fact, for they page" the
guests who are wanted by walking
through the public rooms ringing little
jingling bells and holding aloft stand
ards bearing the room numbers OF the
desired persons. This, ] contend, Is a
better system than the American style
of entrusting ones identity to bawl-
ing youth whose pronunciation of ones
name is work Of nodernist art.
Strong Breeze-and Loud"
Not only are the noises in the street
loud. but watts of air come up from the
Soochow Canal occasionally that are
densely packed with junkS and sampans
at all hours, and the savors from them
are decidedly of the East Eastern. A
little more of this sort of thing and I'll
be tempted to use stronger word than
SAVIOR. Just now there came waiting up
from somewhere, the Soochow or the
Whangpoo, a veritable stencil that Tor
a time escaped identification. Then
remembered where had caught 1t last
1t was the odor Of old silk cocoons
Away back in Nagoya, IN Japan, we
went through silk mill specializing In
second quality cocoons and waste silk
which. before using. had to be steamed
That was it. This never-to-be forgotten
aroma was probably from a ship in the
Whangpoo bringing cargo OF cocoons
from somewhere along the upper
Yangtse.
over across the way, in front of one
of the smaller shops, I have noticed
now and then some strange bits Of color
on the sidewalk. They were often In
motion. They puzzled me. So awhile
ago put on my clothes sufflclently 70
appear decently in public--it is very
good practice in Shanghai In Summer
to do ones writing as lightly clad as
possible-and went over to investigate
found that they were young chickens,
all dyed a bright pink. I asked about
them and was told that 1t is the prac-
tice here to color ones poultry for pur-
poses of identification. OF course, the
suggestion popped into my head that
there must be some connection between
Easter egg dyeing and the protective
coloration of the Matched chicks. But
when this was suggested to Chinese
with whom talked 1t seemed to leave
much to be desired on the score OF
understanding and appreciation: Wh1ch
by the way, reminds me to say that very
little of our American humor. real or
imagined, gets across to these Eastern.
ers. They have a sense Of humor OF
their own, but 1t is decidedly not. ours.
It may be much keener, for all we know.
Motor Drivers Are Noisy.
I have not yet paid tribute TO the
motor driver as a generous producer OF
noise in China. had thought that the
japanese chauffeurs were clamorous
with their horns. but they are mere
mutes in that respect when compared
with the Chinese. 1t may be necessary
for them to blow their tooters as
steadily and as loudly as they do. IN
order to clear the road, but I am prone
to believe that at least half the time
they blow because they like to make
a noise. Yet it is to be said that the
average Japanese and Chinese reacts
very slowly to warnings OF this sort.
You are perhaps driving along at q
l5-mile rate in fairly clear street and
see a pedestrian strolling across on
slanting course so feet ahead. Inc
chauffuer gives a boot. Nothing doing.
He gives another. still nothing doing.
Finally. just before the catastrophe.
which seems inevitable. he. gives a
terrific honk and the pedestrian comes
out of his walking trance and leaps to-
ward the curb, just missing the machine
by one seam of his blue gown.
All this makes for liveliness, II not for
restfulness. in this busy town OF Shang-
hal, and this especially busy street OF
Broadway. I believe that If ever come
here again will demand a room rlgnt
Re.. AlaAHn lASG