CITY AND SUBURBAN
Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to bow down in the house of Mammon
CHRISTOPHER FILDES
Hong Kong THE banker looked up at Hong Kong's ever-soaring skyline and gaped. 'You know, Christopher,' he said, 'what a temple of Mammon this is!' I hope that when in cen- turies to come archaeologists excavate its ruins, they will find enough evidence to work that out. This week Mammon's cult is in full swing and myriads of votaries from all over the world have gathered for their annual festival: the meetings of the Inter- national Monetary Fund and World Bank. The appropriate ceremonies have been observed, long invocations delivered, liba- tions poured and sacrifices offered, human and financial. Tidings of joy have been brought by the high priest from Beijing. The Chinese attitude is ecumenical. They are happy to see Mammon cultivated in Hong Kong, they say, and, in accordance with the pragmatic teachings of the prophet Deng, they will adopt some of its more use- ful practices for themselves. Disestablish- ment from the Church of England has not hurt it. The closer the day of schism on 30 June came, the more the Mammonites looked forward to it, and the sacred Hang Seng Index ascended towards heaven like a tower block. Now, though, it has gone into reverse, and in the midst of the festival, the red chips — objects of special devotion were depreciated by one-tenth in one day. So is Mammon displeased? The view from his temple is that he is wrathful for the sins of others. On Malaysia he has visited a cloud of darkness, even a darkness that might be felt and is causing interference with sched- uled flights. That will teach Mohamed Mahathir of Malaysia to insult Mammon and his servants. Divine wrath, though, does not always know where to stop.
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