TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11500, 5 February 1903, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Dr. Morrison, the A Oorreepcwndenit'e' world famous corres"Beat." pondent of "Th» Times" at Pekin, ia now on a visit to hi* pe*«ite *t Qedong, enjoyiog a brief furtongh between the act* ol tba Far Eastern drema. Hβ haa prt*ably th« largest "ibeat" of any correspondent in the world, for ifc stretches. fram Siberia to <Skm. and whereoa Wα or three months ago he wae tvpottmg or* th* Russian oceupaltioa of Manchuria, he hae just finished a trip to Oochin-Chdna and Siaio. H« hae much to cay that ie of int««etr, and was interviewed right and left as coon oq he reached Australia. Hβ scouted the idea that the late war in China was caused by the nuaeioaaries. '^Good 1 gracious," he re. marked, reflectively, "why, look at the number of people who were attacked, independently of tb* missionaries The Catholic* interfered a good deal in lawsuite, and that hae given rise to much trouble." At the sine *ime, It appears that they only idt-erfwed for the protection of tbeor converts, for, aa Dr. Mormon admitted, bo such thing aa justice hae yet been discovered in China, unleee what is bought and sold a* the hands of ite adminktratore may be termed justice, and the missionaries feel called upon to protect -their converts when th« latter are pere&cuted. Dr. Morrison noted that whereas in France reetric*w* legislation has been enacted against the clerical order* ; the French Government uphold everything j Freoch pwets do ia Ghana. The doctor ; has • certain vmouat of admiration for the Chinaman. He regards him as a brave man. "During the siege, ,, he said, "I w-w one spiece of bravery, of whjeh any nation, aiity might be proud. A number of men were wanted a certain tpoc, and though one after the other was tkot ere. they could reach it, there wae no lack of volunteers among the Chinese cocSies. They are courageous enough, vxj word for it, and only require to be tt«U Jed to bo really a formidable Power." With regard to UiQ future of China, Br. Morrison will not be surprised if there is trouble again before long, for rebel bands, a* we have heard, have been fome«tiag disturbance ia the Southw<«£, and incidentally making things unpkaaoirt for those who did not, take part in the previous Boxer movement. So Dr. Morrison'* stay in Australia will be short, as he -wants to ''see the Eastern trouble through."

Wben King Edward, Twa on the l*t of tbia N«w Year D»ye. month, presented a minium* eefc witJ) diamonds to the Emperor ■*& Japan, he eeeros to bare J>eld »a fri<»dly olwerwnc* the oufitom which prevail* in that country of keeping * eeocrod New Year's D»y. Th« January celaJwatioo ia no l«as festive tiitn with us. Official receptions are )»\\ ail

the city foSt pay caßa en one. another,, aw* tho cotrafcry people come in to ahare the excitements* present* are exchanged, or. postcards cent to every inaccessible acquaintance, and lor two Nrhok weeks, My* an enthusiastic writer, "joy floors in streams along the thoroughfares, swelled by rivulets from every hoot*.* Brit on February, the Ist there begun a second celebration. Th« January da*« aay be called the official New Year, ite adoption having been only since 1570, when the Japanese v©rument obligingly changed |ts calendar to suit with that of the European world. With February arrives the New Year of Old Japan, and it remains dear, especially to tho rural heart. "All the country folk," we are told, "now call on one another, and the city folic go out to help them. There is less formality about this, and less eclat; but good fellowship abounds, and joy is rampant for a week." The custom of New Year calls, once prevalent in England, and still familiar in American novel*, is Mid to have taken ite rise from the February visiting week k> Japan; Dwtch merchantmen adopting the-practice in the first place while trading there in the fifteenth century, and the United SUtee carrying on a fashion brought ovw by the earliest Dutch families to New York. And though visit- '■ ing and feasting now from January Id until Janaary 15th, to conform wita modern ideas, Uie. pleasure-loring Japanese decline to forego, any the more, the truiy national celebration. They have only to repeat the rejoicings to thoroughly pl*a*e everybody. "The country folk enjoy the official New Year in town hugely, if tney have an opportunity of going. City folk, especially those who long for the good old days, are sure to be with their country cousins for the second feasting, and to stay at least a week with them." Presents and reinennbranots are equally welcome, and our King's gift to the Mikado, : i not etrictly demanded by official etiquette, would come all the more gracefully as & token of sympathetic interest in older times, from the Power to whose example Japan owes so much of her preeent-day advance.

When the last mail left LonA Jewel don & reward of £250 was Mystery, awaiting the Sherlock Holmes who could unravel the mystery of the Countess of Carnavon's stolen jewels, valued officially at. £500<X The J getne disappeared in the etrangett fashion while the Earl and Counties w«* travelling from Paris to London two days before Christmas. Their luggage consisted of fifteen trunks and packages, which were. registered and duly seen into the luggagevan of the Parii-Calais express. Among these waa a wicker dress bastefe, secured by means of a lever lock aod two straps, and enclosed in a canxaa cover, which was* also strapped. Inside the basket ■was a, green leather case containing the. Counteu's jewels, a costly and beautiful collection. The unobtrusive and innooeat-looking basket w»a chosen as. a receptacle for the jewellery, with the express purpose ol baffling would-be thieves. Lord and Lady Carnaven, who were accompanied by a vakb and a lady's-maid, (reached their London residence in due course, and the luggave was then opened for the first time. It was not till the Countess was dressing for dinner that.her maid discovered that the basket) containing the jewels had been interfered with. "The straps were etiU securely fastened," sayj a London paper, "but the lock was fount! to have been; tampered with, and oa lifting the top tray it was seen that the contents of the basket had been tumbled about, and that the green leather jewel-case waa weeing." A famow jewel robbery expert was at once commissioned to investigate the affair, bub apparently neither the jewela nor the thieves have yet been traced. The robbery is believed to have been the work of. a clever gang of Continental thieves, who make the railway route between Pari» and Calais their hunting-ground. If tbie us the case, it is evident that their plana must have been very ingeniously Said and carried out -with an audacity no less remarkable, '