The Carmarthen Journal and South Wales Weekly Advertiser

THE MESSAGE. LBY RIFLEMAN PATRICK MACGILL.] (Author of The Great Push," &c.) Lie down and take cover The Company on the left, all that was left of it, vanished into various shell-holes and hugged the earth, while a perfect bt:> tornado of machine-gun bullets churned the wet soggy mud of No Man s Laud. The voung officer who had given the order to take cover raised his head over the lip of his shell-hole and took stock of the field in front. That's where the nest of ma<-hiiie-guns is." he said, turning to the sergeant on his .left. "In that ruined farmhouse in front. Here, Bubb, what are you up to The remark was addressed to the inmate of an adjacent shell-hole, who was up 011 his knees in full view of the enemy, fumbling in the pockets of his t unic. On b his face was the look of the utmost concern. My fags, sir," he said, in answer to the officer's question. Lost Vru 011 the way across, 1 bet. It's always my blooniin' luck Keep down your head anyway," said the officer. "If you stick it up like that, you'll lose something d more value than your cigarettes." Private Bubb, a young Cockney soldier, lay down, so that nothing of him was Visible, bar the muddied top of his trench helmet. The officer looked at a map, then wrote something on a slip of paper. "Bubb," he shouted, peering across the rHnof the shell-hole. ''Yes, sir. came a voice in reply, and Pubb with the utmost composure walked upright across the field, his rifle in his hand, a cigarette in his mouth, and came to a halt in front of the officer. 'Ave got my fags, sir," he said. Don't be a fool, Bubb," said the officer, sternly, but unable to hide the admiration he felt for tihe dare-devil youth. Take this message to Head- quarters," he continued, and slipped the Hcrawled paper into the Cockney's hand. Bubb, the runner, took to his heels, back through the barrage towards the line which the troops had left when they set (m on their attack. Somewhere in the Irench was a big dug-out, known as Battalion Headquarters and, though Bu bb ha-d seen it that morning he had a very hazy idea of its locality now. At points, the trench was beetled down by shells, and. looking in from No Man's Laud on the reverse slope of the parapet, it was difficult to say where such and such a bsCy was and where the desired dug-out was placed. Seen from a new angle, the trench which he knew quite well from the 'inside was now to Private Bubb a foreign world. ) A shell burst near him with a dizzy < latter, and a shower of scrap-iron swept past his ears/ burying itself in the mud. The boy's feet were heavy, and the oozy slime of the field caught at his heavy boots if endeavouring to swallow the runner. The machine-guns with a fiendish clatter kept firing viciously and flicking the mud upwards in spurt.s. But still he raced along, panting from exertion and sweating from every pore of his body. He reached the wire entanglements to find a wounded man sitting up and leaning his head against one of the massive wooden stakes which held the wire. Arti I right for Headquarters' dug- out- asked Bubb. To the left," said the wounded man. Well to the left, matey. If you see the stretcher-bearers "I'll tell them where vou are, ole man." said Bubb, hurrying ahead. In his heart the Cockney was sorry for the f.tricken man. but now there was no time fo stop and help him. Lives of dozens depended oil the delivery of the slip of paper which 112 held in his hand. He kept along the rim of the trench. ever stray strands of trip wire, gutted p-andbags. trunks of trees, ammunition loxes, and corpses. And all the time the hat? of war was loosened over the devastated country, shells were falling in the slush, bullets were hissing through the tjir. But, never faltering, Bubb sped on. He was a runner, and the message which he carried had to be delivered. The appointments of war, the pack, the ammunition pouches dragged his shoulders down. When he stumbled, his rifle got in his way, impeding his progress, and trip- ping him. The old front line, even in parts untouched bv shell-five, seemed to be utterly deserted. Not a soul was in right. In a.i elbow of trench, a soldier was Hijddenlv seen. This man. with a cigarette in his mouth, was repairing a telephone wire. Headquarters i* asked Bubb. "You've passed it," said the man. It's twenty yards back." Rubb turned and slipped into the trench. First he entered a bav where the slush rose to his knees, then round a traverse with two wounded men in its shelter. Vkoth smoking. Another bav, another traverse, and there under the parados appeared an opening. An officer vtood at the dc-ov. Bubb saluted and hs;Wl the man the white slip of paper. From the Officer f C Companv, sir." Five minute? later, the men of C Com- r'r; hidden in the shell-hole of "No Ivlar.'s Land," were aware of a new note breal'^ng into their day. Shells flew low over their heads, and burst on the ruins a farmhouse in front. The men were I leased when thev sa"; this house, the nest of many rnaeliine-guns. dwindling to earth, Thev knew the gnnners had received a .message, and had cowe to their aid. j

OUR ALLIES. The Japanese Fighting Man. [BY V. C. C. COLLDL] Recently, the Japanese Empire has paid the British Empire the highest compliment )ossi I possible. The Japanese, in olden days- and" oldan days" in Japan are only about sixty years ago—were a warrior people, with chivalry as the soldier's religion. Soldiers to them were knights, noblemen, however humble their homes. To be a gentleman meant to be a soldier. Their supreme Lord was the Mikado. The Mikado is now the Emperor of Japan. He is still the highest soldier in a land of soldier people. And because lie, as representative of a soldier people, desired to pay the highest honour to the citizen Army of the British people, which has distinguished itself so gloriously since March 21st this year, a Prince of the Imperial House of Higashi Fushimi was sent over to present in person, to our King, the sword and insignia of a Field Marshal of the Japanese Army, with the compliments of the Japanese Emperor. They are our Allies, these Japane.se soldiers, and thev have been fighting the same battle as our own men during this wa.r-but. British people know very little about them. They are, indeed, a difficult race to get to know but it. is worth while to know them. I lived among them for four years, and was in their country during their war with Russia. By the end of the four years, I was just beginning to understand them. Y-ou must not think o £ the Japanese people as traders. Before the Restoration of the Mikado, in 1868, when the country opened itself to foreigners, and began to adopt modern Western* ways, there were four "classes" in Japan—not upper, middle, and lower; not capital and labour even. Thev were.No. 1 class. Soldiers; No. 1 class. Agriculturists No. 3 class. Artisans; No. 4 class, Traders. In class No. 1 were included the Mikado, the great. feudal Lords who ruled the different pro- vinces of the land, and what we should probably call ncblei-tieti." In No. 4 class, the traders' class, were included thieves and rascals. So it is not difficult to understand that even now, since the soc-ial revolution of fifty years ago. nobody in Japan thinks of the traders as the most representative people of the race. Nor is ¡ it surprising that commercial morality in Japan is often below the standard of European commercial morality. After four years' among them, I should say that the soldier class and the peasant or agriculturist class were the really repre- sentative Japanese folk. Unfortunately, it is the traders who get into closest con- tact with Europe, and stay-at-homes over here never get to know the real Japanese at all. The peasants are simple, honest, hard-working-, with a thoroughly Scottish love for education. A Japanese small- holder will do anything to get his son" an education." The old soldier class, which is now scattered into every walk of Japanese life, has a great love for beautiful things—gardens, paintings, china, carv- ings, poems, chivalrous conduct. They cherish their traditional warrior's sense of honour. Their word is their bond they will die for it cheerfully. And their old- time veneration for their supreme Lord, and Chief has become a passionate patriotism. Tt is not so much La Patrie "—MY COUNTRY—as it is with the Frenchman. It is "My Japanese Tradition of Knightly Honour, as typified by my Emperor." Once a year, on May oth, the Boys' Festival, all the little boys are called together by their fathers, and are, told the great tales of Japanese history, and of their own family history. Each boy is dedicated, as it were, to Japan and the Emperor. Each family with a son born to it during the year hoists a flag in token of rejoicing. It is a sort of birthday and Christmas day rolled into one for every small Japanese boy. But the great lesson of the day is never forgotten if Japan rejoices in her boys. the boys are expected to love and honour Japan, to be worthy of her history1, to work for her prosperity, to die, if need be. in her defence. Conscript soldiers who have been brought up to look on military duty in this idealistic light easily become heroes when thev go on active service. You will remember some of the heroic tales of the Japanese Army and Navy in the Russian War. And now they are fighting again— far awav, in Siberia—for the Allied cause, side by side with their old antagonists, against German might and Bolshevist madness. And their Navy has been help- ing to defend our sea routes from the beginning. In this war. too. there have been heroic doings bv Japanese torpedo boat crews, who have sacrificed their lives for our tornedoed civilians and merchant seamen. When we know the kind of TX?ople who have conmlimented our Army by conferring their highest military rank on onr K ine, bv the hancl of one of their Princes, who has come all the wav to do it in person, we realise better what sort of compliment it is. None can better appre- ciate a soldier's bravery iii(I than our Japanese warrior Allies.

SMALL FIRES. "————————————————————— Coal is the key to victory. SmaHe fires at home hi mean more rapid fire at the front. I ik

FOOD TOPICS. Items About Production aad Rationing. [By SMALLHOLDER.] The Shortage of Feeding Stuffs. Major Astor. Parliamentary Secretary 1o the Ministry of Food, made a)1 important appeal' to the farmers of the oountrv the other day when explaining the shortage of feeding stuffs for animals. The difficulties of transport are, and will be for some time, very great, the loss of shipping since the out- break of war being accompanied by an altogether unprecedented demand for it. Materials used in the manufacture of food for cattle, pigs, poultry, &c., mostly come from overseas. Sufficient tonnage had been secured by the Board of Agriculture and the Ministry of Food for the feeding of our beasts, but the necessities of the military over-rode the situation, and half a. million tons of shipping were diverted from the task of food-carrying to that of the conveyance of American troops and materials to Europe, Each soldier brought from the United States to the battlefronts requires five tons of ship- ping to carry him, his equipment, munitions and maintenance, and accordingly the sacri- fice of this half million tons of shipping gave us the advantage of another one hundred thousand American soldiers actually in fight- iug touch with the Hun. In such circum- stances, it is intelligible that Major Astor was sympathetically listened to. even by those to whom the restriction of feeding stuffs is particularly irksome. Poultry Plentiful. To others the restriction is, for the time being at any rate, less irksome, for many of the animals suitable for human food, such as cattle, pigs and poultry, are being slaugh- tered for sale, in consequence of the diffi- culties attending their feeding. Thus, for instance, chickens are just now especially plentiful and cheap, being sold at prices con- siderably below the Food Controller's maxi- mum. This fortuitous happening has occured fortunately for many sufferers from the now departing epidemic of influenza, the white meat of the birds being particularly suitable for invalids. Incidentally it may he mentioned that the Ministry of Food is especially generous in the matter of coupons for poultry, one coupon sufficing for a bird up to 3 lb. in weight, two for a bird up to 5 lb. and three for a bird over 5 lb. Turkeys, moreover, are selling below the Ministry's maximum price, and it is reported that the French Food Controller has decided to re- lease many of these birds for export to England. In normal times turkeys are sent to us from Russia, but in the present state of that., country we can expect nothing normal from it.

fbritish Official. Lowering away a target from a French Warship.

FRENCH NAVAL GUNS. 0 IL-rit'-sh OITcial Firing a fub-calibre tforee-pounder.

THE WOMAN'S PART. Influenza. [BY MARGARET OSBORNE.] > It is rather hard luck that an I i) ti i i epidemic should have broken out just now. and that we should have a torrent of good advice from doctors on how to avoid influenza, at the very time when there is very little opportunity of taking that adyice. To keep warm, to eat good food, and to avoid over- crowding would be easv enough for a go..d many of us in peace-time, but with rationed food,, with rationed fuel, and with trains and omnibuses full to bursting we might as well ask for the moon. Moreover, the woman's I part—that is to say. the home-keeping woman's part-is often to stay at home rill someone brings in the influenza, and then re- main and nurse it. Evidently the very best medical advice is not for us—we must take the second I)e"t..If you can't be aisy, be as aisy as you can." Warm Rooms. The fuel ration, while it is not abundant enough to keep empty rooms warm. to heat, a cistern of water for every person who wants a hot bath, or to provide bedroom tire-, is quite sufficient for the health of an ordinary household, and no one ought to invite an attack of influenza by sitting *inac.o]d loom. Fresh air is a necessity, but there is no need to warm the street with your sitting-roonj fire. Let the fresh air in, then shut 1he window, warm the room. and sit in it. The luxury of sitting in front of a roaring'tire with all the windows open is not for rationed people. The mistress of the household will see that the air of the room is renewed (from the window, not from the gassy, used atmos- phere of the basement and the two hours (i). so. Hot Meals. The second best in the way of food i-5 have as many meals as possible hot—nor as the Germans say w, piping JI01- -ii-ni .1. )at 1) all hot plates, with hot gravy and sauces. A little trouble taken in this way will ■> a ve- its regretting the meat and cream and butter with which we strengthened ourselves again*: the risk of influenza. in past times. Travelling, &c. As regards the overcrowded trains and omnibuses, the outside, with an extra oca;, however shabby, is the best part of the omni- bus. but unluckily there is no outside a tube train. The only thing that we can d is not to expose ourselves to infection while fasting or over-tired. Any man or wrman who goes to work without a proper break fa-: is asking for trouble, and anyone who works late and is tired or cold is wise to get a hot drink before rushing for the station. If you get a later train on account of staying for a cup of tea, the train will probably b* emptier than the earlier ones. The same pre- caution should be taken by the woman a* home who is nursing an influenza patient if it can be avoided, never take up his or her breakfast while you are fasting yourself. all -I. if you are dea(i-t'i-ed." rest somewhere else for five minutes liefore taking your turn it sitting with the invalid. And remember that, while bed is the best place in th- world for the man who has influenza, or I i,, had it, or thinks he is going to have it; a very good place also for those who arc' determined not to have it. Plenty of sleep, with warm bed clothes, open windows aii,i hot water bottle, if necessary, is a prever.- tive of illness which is unratione<t :t-, likely to remain so. Precautions At Our Ports. Some newspapers are alarming readers with questions a" to whether influ- enza in 1918 is not really something worse, something brouglit on ships America or the East. These nervous writers would be much reassured if they could see the elaburat" precautions taken at the Port of London to discover ca^es f sickness on incoming ships, to isolate them to disinfect sitips and cargo and pers.r.a" possessions, and to keep an eye on a" "contacts" or persons who have had chance of sharing the infection and spiea ing it. Jf the Medical Officer for the p., that rats have died in the hold of c. ship, he is immediately on the alert. thousands of pounds will be spent withou: hesitation in disinfecting that ship and irs crew, lest the rats should have died plague, though no human being on board lia, been ill. The passengers never hear of ary precautions being taken, but the port ofVu- -r- will communicate with the health aut], ities at their homes, and any case mysterious sickness is thus properly »li •. nosed and treated without delay. Shi|>> t also disinfected for typhoid and small-p- and if any mysterious illness came by >]i. it would be dealt with. We shall be to have the promised Ministry of hope that it will rid us of fin and mea>!jv as we have been freed already ivi,ii and plague and the other pestilences i!v-" came to us in ships in the Middle Ages. B we might take a lesson from the port docn search for dead rats and guard against cat. ing influenza from our pet dogs or 1 kitchen cat. They are often the unsuspec?- introducers of this complaint. I do not a- vou to put them out of the way when ih-■ fall ill. but there is no need to allow tlieiii sit with the family and infect the childr-' | To live a reasonable life and to be neitV- fussv nor reckless is the best s;ifeLti-, against illness. CVT THIS OUT. MISCELLANEOUS RECIPES. Stuffed Oatcakes.—INGREDIENTS —12 10 thin oatcakes, U oz. grated c-heese, 1 tab spoonful milk. 1 tablespoonful breademm. • pinch of mustard, pepper and salt. 1 teaspix-r ful vinegi'r. 1 n^^poonful chopped mix- pirk'.es. METHOD. — Mix all the ingredient*, ew-■ (he oatcakes, in a basin with a until a smooth paste is obtained, spread or. •• (vnteakes. and put another cake on the top < ac-h. these -are a pleasant change j'i-oiii ',i i, ,ati(INN Worcester sauce may 1..3 n- instead, of vinegar and pickles. Barley Pancakes. INGRKDIENTS .T flour, 3 oz., boiled pearl barley. t pt. ol j!nd water, oz. of dripping, pinch of -Zill' 1,1:1-pou-iiful baking-povvder. METHOD.—The barley will need to have cooked for quite two hours and then stiar off. You can use the water as a drink, add' i a little lemon and sugar to it. or it can addedlo soup. Mix the flour and salt to -i,100th batter with the milk and water. M and add the dripping; stir in the coo/ luirley. add the baking powder, and J: thoroughly but quickly. Fry just asTor ordiusr- pancakes," but turn them with a knife in sty to of tossing them, and serve them lfat not rob- adding lemon-juice, or. what they \\f1:1 a rcni tli,op, or linie-,iii(-,e. N