Llais Llafur

NEWS IN BRiEF. VALUE OF WOODEN SHIPS. Tha presence of numerous Norweig-I ian and Danish barques in the Tyne has recalled a significant incident in the value of shares of this class of vessel within the past few months. Owners prior to the war were prepared to accept the normal figure of E400 to JE500 for wooden ships of that build, but when the Scandinavians were pressed for tonnage five times that amount is known to have- been realised. SHE GOT HER WISH. I "You can put me away for the winter months," said Sarah Ann Scott, a middle-aged women, when arrested by a detective at Blackpool for stealing bed linen, worth 14s., from a house where she had been staying. The Blackpool magistrates fell in with the prisoner's suggestion, and sent her to prison for three months. A yiVISECTIONIST'S WILL I In making a reversionary bequest to six London hospitals, Mr Christopher Welch, a large landowner in Somerset, whose will has been proved at E24,155, directed that no hospital should be chosen by his trustees "where vivisec- tion is disallowed or discountenanced, anti-vivis>e>ctionists being enemies of the human race." THE COUGHING CHORUS. I The problem how to deal with a coughing congregation puzzles many a clergyman, and the vicar of Wycombe (the Rev. C. P. S. Clarke) adopted a rather novel plan on Sunday morning at the Parish Church, High Wycombe. When the hymn before the sermon was announced he asked those who felt the need to cough to endeavour to get it over during the singing of the hymn, or go outside for the purpose and at the same time obtain a breath of fresh air. The appeal was effective, re- ducing the coughing chorus to a mini- mum PREJUDICING RECRUITING. I A young man named William Mann- I ion was at Glasgow Sheriff's-cooirt on I Tuesday sent to prison for one month I with hard labour for making a state- ment likely o ^girejudice recruiting. AN EYE TO BUSINESS I In a small town recently, says a cor- respondent in the "Drapers' Record," the lighting regulations were more rigidly enforced. One of the special constables was the loca.1 draper. Ar- ¡ rayed in oilskins and sou'-wester, he went to saying, "Heavier and darker blinds must be substituted." Next morning the same inoffensive draper was seen all smiles behind his counter doing his utmost to oblige the many inquiries for dark green blinds. HONESTY REWARDED. A Sheffield labourer, named Joseph I Chambers, while walking along Sheffield Moor early on aturday morning, found a p.xket-book containing £ 125 in notes I and cheques. Upon taking his find to tho owner he was rewarded with four- penco and politely tha.nked with the re- mark that "Honesty is the best policy." Chambers afterwards handed his reward to the local war fund. VICAR ENLISTS. I The Rev. C. Strange, vicar of Single- ton, Lancashire, having obtained the per- mission of the Bishop of Manchester, has enlisted in the Army. 67 YEARS' COURTSHIP. I Mr. Eli- Renaud, aged 85, a pioneer farmer living near Amherstburg, Ontario, has recently been married to Mrs. Vital Martin, aged 84, after a courtship lasting no fewer than 67 years. MEDICAL BOYCOTT AT BRIXTON. I .1 ,'? I I ?,  I "wirig to une attitude 01 wie rmusn Medical Association, which maintains that the director of the municipal tuber- culosis dispensary at Brixton should be I paid £ 500 a year, no dotcors are forth- coming. The medical boycott is such that the eforough council lias received no application for a part-time officer at £ 350.

REMARKABLE DREAM. TON PENTEE SOLDIER FALLS. I Intimation h" been received by Mr. and MVS. Thomas Lewis, 16. Co-operative ¡' Str<?,TonPontre,of the death in .France of th?ir son, Rineman Jonatbave Levi is, 13th Battalion, Rile Brigade, at the agt- of 23. It appears from letters received by the parents that he was killed while returning from the trenches for a reit by a shell which exploded amongst the party, killing five and wounding 20 men. Rifleman Lewis was well-known in the I't..?f1t1l'b u.¡Lrlcl. DrlJ1:t. tlc. vi.i' 1\ vv«la engaged as an insurance age:it, and was a faithful member of Bethssda Chapel. Mr. and Mrs. Lew is have received letters from the superior officers referring to their son in commendable terms. His parents received a letter from Rifleman Lewis about two months ago, in which he stated I had a beauti- ful dream the other night. I could see us all united together in the sight of God Oh, how happy it was. It was such a, happy meeting, free from all care. I was so sorry to awake and find myself here. j A voice seemed to say, Not yet. Wait a little.'

LIFE IN A HONOLULU GAOL. The Now York "Evening Post" con- tains an interesting article on the humane, not to say luxurious, treat- ment which the convicts in' th<* Oahu Prison, Honolulu, receive. A short time ago the gaol was "a blot on the good name of the Hawaiian territory," and the change has been brought about by the High Sheriff, Mr William P. Jarrett, who is himself half-Hawaiian. "The Evening Post, writing of the present conditions in Oahu Prison, says:— "During the day time the 'prisoners' (they are scarcely prisoners any more) are scattered far and wide over this island of Oahu, some in road camps, some working on Government buildings or projects. And they are thus scatter- ed entirely without armed guards, and with merely one of their own number, selected bv ballot, to direct the work, settle disputes, and keep order. They got to work early, and stop at three o'clock. "At five o'clock a gong sounds, and the men file up to the three different windows, where food is served. Here was a further difficulty which Jarrett faced, for Hawaiia-ns, Orientals, and Caucasians all demanded different kinds of food differently cooked. They .get it now, and the culinary depart- ment is one of the prides of the prison. "Filing back to the long tables, where they can eat like hiin-iin beings, they gather into congenial groups, and laugh and talk as they partake of food. Immediately after the evening meal, on the day of the writer's visit, a chal- lenge from the Y.M.C.A. basket-ball team having been received, all the prisoners left the enclosure of the yard for unenclosed grounds near by, where the game was played. One unarmed guard oversaw the entire multitude, and the Sheriff, unarmed, stood on the side-lines. "The game over, the men turned in the early dusk, and crowded back into the prison yard, seemingly glad to go there. Their willingness to go was soon apparent. Extending; over the ya.rd is a. huge banyan tree mare than 150ft. in circumference of spread and from the lower branches were suspended festoons of electric light. Under the lights walked groups of men talking cheer- fully, or Sl t <» together on the benches smoking. From one side came a chorus of well-trained men's voices, and the scnind of guitars, ukuleles, and a piano. The music-room is another of Jarrett's innovations. "At 7.30 o'clock the men formed in lines for their calesthenic exerci&es, a. system arranged like the setting-up exercises of the army. They kept tim3 to the music of a prison orchest: a playing in the music-room. A chosen squad went through an elaborate flag- drill with military precision and obvious enjoyment. After half an hour of excerise, the men broke into small groups again. Music was re- j sumed by different groups, pitched quoits, while others sat quietly where the light waa good, busv on some handiwork. Every few min i* some man would walk up to the Sheriff who sat quietly smoking on the steps of the main building, and made some suggestions or complaint. They talked respectfully, but without .restraint or awe, and Jarrett knew each man by name." i nun, e.

FATAL TREPASS. j PANTYFFYNON LABOURER I KILLED ON THE LINE. I Mr. F. H. Glynn Price, coroner, con- ducted an inquest at Pantyffynnon on j Monday afternoon on the body of Jno. I Thomas (46), labourer. Mrs. Thomas (wife) said deceased and herself went by train to Ammanford on Christmas Eve. She left him by the station, a.nd that was tho last time she saw him alive. I John Davits, Cardonnel-terraoe, said he [ met the deceased at Ammanford at } about eight o'clock. He was going to- j wards the station. Deceased was neither sober nor drunk—betwixt the two. ) Thos, Evans, engine-driver, said that near Pantyffynnon station he fancied he felt something under the engine, and, re- ported the matter at pantyffynnon. There was no right-of-way at the place of the occurrence, but people walked that way frequently. It was rough at the time, blowing hard and raining. William Powell, signalman, said he found deceased lying between the. metals about 100 yards from the signal box, with his head towards Ammanford. He was unconscious and there was blood oozing from the head. I Dr. J. W. Irving said there was a cotii pound depressed fracture of the vault of the skull. The injuries were consistent with the buffer or some part of the en- j gine having caught deceased on the. head, The Coroner, in summing up, said there was po doubt that deceased met has kV' -I tr-ppaKsimr on t-h« line. It was a stotrmy night, and he was not f sober. I A verd;ct that deceased died from in- juries received through being struck by a passenger train whilst trepassing on the line was returned.

MR CARNEGIE AND BELGIAN WAR I SUFFERERS. I The Brussels correspondent of the Handelblad" states that Mr. A. I Carnegie ha; sent to the relief committee at Brussels a first donation of R2,400,000 I to help th-e Belgian, war sufferers.

CITY TEMPLE PULPIT. WHY DR., HUGH BLACK DE- CLINED THE INVITATION. The Rev. Hugh Black has given the reasons which caused him to decline the invit&t:on to become minister of the City Temple, and they appear in a letter which he has addressed to the editor of "Christian Commonwealth" which is published in that journal this week. Dr. Black explains that the mvitac- tion came unexpectedly, and then he proceeds: Coming at this time of war, the call came as an insistent tug at my heart. To me, as to you, Great Britain, with her Allies, is fighting the battle of civilisation. All that I mean by religion is at st.ake, though I know that in the long run religion is secure. If Germany, wit.h her hellish doc- trine of might overruling all right and all law, were to win the world would not be worth living in for men of my creed. I think I have the message which London needs at this day of stress. I know that the City Temple gives the commanding pulpit from which to preach it. And after the war in the years of reconstruc- tion there will be need for every voice in Europe that can speak the complete Christian message, when the outlaw Germany must be re- ceived once more into the family of nations. I never again, I trust, can experience the emotional appeal all this has made to me. All my avail- able relatives and friends are serving in the British Army, and I. Loo. have longed to serve the Old Country in her struggle. Dr. Black adds that he believes the City Temple can be better served by another man. He has (he savs( been a long time out of the regular pulpit, and it seems to him a waste to throw away fue time in which he has been learning to do another kind of job. A second and more pressing invita, tion to Dr. Black has been sent by the City Temple.

STILL IN THE DARK' AGES. I HOW A GYPSY TRADED ON WOMEN'S FEARS. Stories of how a kypsv traded upon the fears of soldiers' wives were told at Newton Abbot Police Court this week in the course of a charge of steal- ing made against Florence Penfold, a member of a gypsy tribe. Matilda Davis, whose hu&band is at the front, said the gypsy pressed her to buy a jug for 7s.6d.. and said wit- ness had a neighbour who was wishing all the harm s h e could to her and her soldier husband, but that if she bought the jug it would be all right. She paid the 7s.6d., but the jug was afterwards valued at a.bout 8d. De- fendant told her to kesep a cork and two pins in the jug to avoid death. Another witness, who bought a. dish for 3s.6d., the shop price of which was 6d., said the defendant asked for a dress, valued at 10s.6d., to put over her planet." She let her have the dress, being afraid that the accused might otherwise do her harm through her planet. Defendant also told her that she would receive a letter at Christmas with money, but she did not get it. (Laughter). Defending Solicitor: Where was this planet? Had she got it in her hand? —Witness: No, she said she had it at home. (Laughter). Another witness, a soldier's wife. said she paid 15s. for three dishes and two vases. She was quite satisfied, and believed what the gypsy said would come true. The defence was that the dress was given, and not stolen. The Bench imposed a fine of £ 1 and costs.

-———- Maud: I'm a little uneasy m my mind. Ned asked me to ma,rry him, and I told hini I might some day. Now, would you caM tlii.t a promise ? Marie: No, I should oall it a threat.

I AFTER WAR FINANCE. VIEWS OF SIR GEO. PAISH. Sir George Paish, the eminent finan- cial expert, who has been invited by the Cardiff Chamber of Commerce to deliver an address early next month on the probable financial situation after the war and the measures neces- sary to meet it, has been interviewed by Mr Basil Matthew* who report ap- pears in the "Christian World." "The war," said t"> George, "has involved practically i ro destruction of accumulated wealth. Our loss is main- ly in the wealth which we fail to create —that is to say, speaking broadly, we are making shells and not building houses; building warships and not making railways. In a word, we fail to make further savings but we do not destroy what we have. Our main loss arises from failure to make reproduc- tive expenditure, and this lose is about £ 400,000,000 per annum. "It is true that we are selling American (securities; but we are buying Russian, French, and Italian bonds, and on balance there fvts been little re- duction in our invest -oents since the beginning of the war. "If each one of i.i were to live economictlly during 4 he war we may not need to meet o great war ex- penseM by realising rtur capital, al- though, of course, we shall fail to save during the war the usual four hundred millions a year of o r income we use for reproductive purr^ises—the build- ing of house* railw vs, ships, factor- ies. etc. "What I have ac is mainly from the Briii'.ii joint oi view. "As a whole the world will not, the period of war, i- -L i io p4ecrl() d of war save much and, consequently, there will bo very little expansion in production. On the other hand. the expansion in population) will be much smaller than LISLial, and the economic pressure that would otherwise come from the check to production will tl1u'< be minimised. "Temporarily thee will be economic pressure of considerab e severity at the end of the war. That pressure will be caused mainly by threadjustment of conditions from war to peace. Of course after the war we sh. ll probably get some compensation from a fall in prices of commod ities, and professional men who, with stationary incomes, are now boin-g hit her. "-by th 11 se in prices, may find things much easier. London which is in some measure hurt by the war, should recover it prosperity when peace is concluded, while the manu- facturing districts, which are benefit- ing so much from the war, may have a bad time when peace is restored. "In consequence of T,he war taxation will be doubled, but it ought to be re- membered that this taxation will mere- ly transfer income from the whole com- munity to that part of it which has been able to subscribe the War Loans, and which will be entitled to interest on these loans. The more drastic taxa- tion is now, the easie" things will be after the war. I have no doubt that tho wealth of the country will grow as rapidly after the war as it did before the war.

POSITION OF TIN PLATE WORKS I AFTER JANUARY 1. As from January 1 the tin-pl ate works of the country will become controlled establishments under Government. The Siemens steelworks and certain other works have already become controlled estab lishments. It is estimated that at present the Governmer.t. is taking 70 per cent, of the production of Wel&h tin- plat?g.

——— CAPTURED GERMAN GUNS. I ONE FOR MERTHYR AND ONE FOR ABERDARE. Mr. C. B. Stanton. M.P., has been promised by the Wa- Office authorities a of two captured German guns, one lor Merthvr and the ether for Ab^rdare.

"I WEINI CYFIAWNDER." I It was Captain D. Watts Morgan who adopted the role of Welsh ex- aminer at. the "electoll of coroner for the Western District at the Glamorgan County Council mooting at Cardiff. To each of the candidates he put the ques- tion, "Beth, yn eich barn chwi, ydyw prif ddyledswyddau trengholydd ?" (What, in your opiniou, are the chief duties of a coroner:) Two of the ap- I plicants were nonplussed, bu the third, and he was the successful candidate, was equal to the occasion. and prompt- ly replied: "I wei 1 cyfiawnder" (To do justice).

I I SYVAABLA ISIJKMI A PWLAOMFCK. News has been received concerning Nurse Clement, wllOe parents reside at the Coopers' Arms Hotel, Landore. It is stated that Nunse Clement, with a number of other British nurses, was taken prisoner by the Bulgarians while attending wounded Serbians. They are, however, being well treated. Mrs. Clement received the news from an- other Welsh nurse who was. with Nurse Clement in Serbia, and who had to walk over 100 miles through moun- tainous country in order to escape.

WELSH MAKERS REFUSE GOOD ORDERS. Tin-plate workers are not booking ahead to any extent, and they are in the uneviable position of having to re- fuse remunative orders in a market where record prices are ruling. When figures come to be made up for the year it will be found that the ship- ments are considerably below those of last year. With high freights restricting American competition, many neutral markets which have been holding back as far as possible now find their necessi- ties increasing. The export demand in the United States is reported to be heavier, and it is stated that the Ameri- can Steel and Tin-plate Company has taken a contract for 100,000 boxes of tin-plateg for shipment to China. From inquiries at home and abroad it is evident that but for the restrictive factors operating in the Welsh tin-plate trade makers would now be reaping a rich harvest.

COMPULSORY, ATTESTATION j THE ELIGIBLE SINGLE MEN. The "Weekly Dispatch" says—approxi- mately the figures of Lord Derby's re- cruiting scheme will be found to work out as follows— Number of men who applied to be attested 2,500,000 Number of rejections. 250,000 Number of men still to be medi- cally examined I 1,250,000 Number medically examined and pa-,sed 1,000,000 Number of single men eligible for service remaining unat- tested 400,000 Number of married men eilgible, for military service remaining unattested 540,000 -1 1 1 .1 1 I- 11 -taking these details as substantially accura-te we find, after medical rejections, in Tegard to the first half of the attes- tations, one million definitely passed. Assuming that the rates of rejections in tho second half is not greater, we are left with another million recruits, or a grand total of two millions But- the second million includes an enormous number of starred men, and it is safe to say that at least half will be able to claim exemption. We are left, then, with 1,500,000 recruits at the maximum. People who are in touch with the Cabinet say that Mr. Asquith, during the holi- days, proposes to decide on a form of compulsion that while in effect redeem- ing his pledge will placate all but the most, determined volunta-rist-s. It is be- lieved he will recommend the Cabinet to make the attendance of both single and married men before recruiting tribunals compulsory, and to invest those tribunals with The power of deciding whether the circumstances entail an insuperable ob- stacle to enlistment. The result of such a scheme would be to leave the recruit- deciding whether a man should enlist or ing tribunals with the responsibility or not. Presumably, where they decide in the affirmative the enlistment of that man will be compulsory. NOT NECESSARILY ONLY SINGLE I MEN. I tie Lfondon correspondent ot the "Manchester Guardian" writes — Sup- posing that every effort is made in vain to fulfil the Prime Minister's pledge, I can prophesy with some confidence that what will follow will not be the com- pulsion of single men. The distinction between single a.nd married is recognised as having no reational basis in an economic sence, still less in a military sense. Many single men in the army cost the Government more for dependents than young married men, and from the military point of view it is only age that counts. If compulsion is introduced it will certainly be compulsion all round, and the Government are quite well aware of that.

NOVEL EXPERIMENT. NERVE-GRAFTING ON SHRAPNEL WOUND. A novel experiment in nerve-grafting has just been carried out on a soldier at the Hospital for Nervous Diseases, Queen-square, W.C. A large part of the muscles of the patient's upet fore- arm and a long section of the ulnar nerve (same side as little finger) were earned away by a shrapnel bullet. Although the wound healed, he had no use of certain of the muscles of the third and little finger and the thumb. The surgeon joined the two cut ends of the ulnar nerve above and below the wound to the median nerve, which also supplies some lipjid muscles.

I -"Ilqp- KHAKI POSTMEN. The postal authorities being unable to obtain sufficient male civilians to handle the Christmas rush traffic applied to Ful- wood Barracks, with the result that about thirty soldiers have been temporarily apointed upon the postal staff. They are at present engaged in the collection of letters and handling heavier packages I but later some of the men will be uti- lised for delivering letters also.

HOW SLIGHTLY DEFECTIVE MEN MAY ATTEST. The Press bureau on Saturday issued the following statement regarding re- cruiting: It has be--a decided to issue khaki armlets of the same pattern as those issued to men accepted for Army Re- serve B under the Group system:— (i.) To men who have. presented themselves since the commencement of the war for service either by way of direct enlistment or under the group system, but who have been rejected on medical grounds, and, (ii.) Until further notice to men who present themselves for direct enlistment but are rejected on the ground that they are medically unfit for immediate service with the col- ours. To qualify for an armlet it will be necessary for all men who have been already rejected on medical grounds to present themselves again for medical examination unless they are able to produce Army Form B.2505A or Army Form B.2-512A showing the date and cause of their rejection. Men i ejected on medical grounds will be divided into two classes:— (a) Men who, on examination, have been c- rtified as medically unfit on account of organic disease, and (b) Men who have been reje"ted on account of eyesight or some slight physical defect. Men under heading (b) above as a condition of being given an armlet v. ill be attested and passed to the Army Reserve. Men under heading (a) ab<>ve will not be attested but their names j will be registered. Men und er twoth heads (a) and (b) will be free to -w-tu;-ri to their civil occupations, bur. m.n under (b) will be liable to be malted up at an tine for medical examination and for immediate service in any oc- cupation for which, as soldiers, they may be liable, and for which they may be considered suitable by the mi-itivry { authorities. The medical exa.mitta.t < will, in cases where it is cons der xl necassarv be by specialists in order to ascertain whether any such llJfn are fit for service in the Army, and, if so, for what particular service. I An ani. let wiF. not be issued ,c, men who t)vi(lll&ly Ulifit for any sorvice in the AT my; for instance, to men who are totally blind or who are crippl, d, as in the case of such men no raiscon- ception cm arise as to the reason for their not wearing any badge of Army service. Armleif:, will not be issued to any men under the above conditions until after January 15, 1916, and applica- tions bv men who have already been rejected on medical grounds should be deferred nitil that date.

POSED AS HUSBAND. J At Wid les on Monday, John Goulding tl of the Scuth Lancashire Regiment, was charged vith an offence against Eliza- beth Ann O'Connor. A polks superintendent ?&id the ino- man was tanding at her dojr on Christ- mas da-y looking for her husband, who had been wounded at the front, and was expe, ted home, when the prisoner suddenly pushed past her into the house, saying, I am your husband, and have been trav dling all day." When she said he mcts not like her husband about the face, he replied, I have been travelling all day. When she said he was not hke her husband about the face, he replied "I have been wounded here, indicating his forehead. Two ehjidren of O'Connor's were called Queenie" and Soriny," and accused addressed them by those names, and dur- ing tea discussed family matters. After tlie couple iiad retired to bed O'Connor's brother oame along and in- sisted on seeing the accused, but the latter ref, sed to get out, oov^ri.v.^ him- self with the bed-clothes. A struggle ensued, v hei other relatives arrived on the scene, and in the confusion prisoner escaped, hut was arrested by the police. When ch,.rg^d he replied, "I don't re- member: fl.) thing. It is surprising how a woman can mistake her husband." He wa; "emanded till Thursday.

INCOME TAX STAMPS I PROPOSAL OF TRADE UNION I CONGRESS. I D. h d I During ihe next few days a deputation from the Parliamentary Committee of the Trade Ui on Congress will wait upon the PostmasT. -General and the Chancellor of the Exch.- pier with the object. of placing before t'? ni the gug,- before tN m the suggestion that stamps should b< issued to facilitate the collection of mconv-tax. I Primar y the suggestion was ma d e foT I v.& ,) _LI. f u_ of higher aid workmen, but the Govern- ment wm be asked to consider the ad- visability of issuing stamps for the middle class. It is sj^'gfsuid that the value of stamps j I should v try from 3d.- to 20s. These would b<> on sale at all post-offices and would he affixed to forms similar to thoee now in operation for children's deposits in the postal savings bank system. Up- I on assess ;nent for inoome-tax the forms might utilised as whole or part pay- ment of iih!e amount due, and thus hard- ship to the working classes would be grfc-tly Minimised.

I To the Editor. j Sir,—Where do Mrs. Bruce Glasier s amiahle g--reralif-ations lead us" We know that "mutual aid is the law of progress towards God," but the Germans are in no mood to listen to sermons. There aie times when moralising is futile, and noth- ing but strong and vigorous action will do. If Mrs. Glasior's children were at- tacked by a homicidal burglar she might bethink herself of the worthleesness of violence, but at the same time she would I not hesitate to hit him on the head with the nearest weapon she could get hold j of. j Germany is far more dangerous than a a homicidal burglar, and if German troops were within forty miles of Liscard Mrs. Glasier might appreciate the value of bayonets and machine guns in the hands of trained British soldiers. Preferring to Froebel and his love for little children, as Mrs. Glasier does, v. ith a view W whitewashing Germany, appears to me like excusing Shyloek because he belonged to the same race as Jesus Christ. We are not fighting the Germany ha t Froebel hoped to see, or a Germany built on the principle of the love of little children. Mrs. < 'aBier will remember Herve's book, Country Right or Wrong. In that uook he gives quotations from German school text-books. Here is one of them My dear M. Frenchman how are you ? Hurrah Shall you keep quiet and good this time, ha! Hurrah! What- ever you do braving, defying, deceiv- ing, lying, the devil you will soon have enough of it. Forward then Let us fall upon the French! Hail, King- William, pious and strong hero! Hur- rah Thy entire people acclaim thee B urrah Look at us well, and you will see whether we will beat the French. Forward Forward Let us begin the dance again. Hurrah hurrah hurrah To Paris Paris is our aim. Our fathers have already been there twice. In our turn we shall soon be there. Frcr-W and the love of children forsooth Extracts are also given by M. Herve from books for French children, but not one is as bad or as bloodthirsty as the foregoing. There is a lot of tosh in Eng- lish history books—or there was when I was at school—but nothing as brutal, or making as frankly for militarism as the passage from the German school book. We know why. At the express order of the Kaiser the curricula of the schools and the universitiefl have for many years been directed towards making Germany a militarist nation, and even the very toys and amupements of the children have been shaped to that end. The eurioua thing is that Herve, far more thorough-going in his anti-militar- ism than Mrs. Glasier or the I.L.P. have ever been, is now using his powerful pen I to aid France beat the Germans. Why? The answer lies in the strip of water that divides south-east England from the Con- tinent. It is that, and our JNavy, wnicn allows Mrs. Glasi er to enlarge at Seven Sisters, and in your columns, on the necessity for dealing gently with the good kind Germans. I wonder what Mrs. Bruce Glasier would have said during the South African War if someone, in palliation of the hor- rors of the concentration camps, had pointed out that there was once a British- er. Robert Owen, "the exquisitely kind- ly" Robert Owen, who advocated an edu- cational system based on love for little children. She would have pointed out there was no connection between the teaching of Robert Owen and the horrors in South Africa, and would have con- demned the use of his name as an attempt to mislead. But of oouxse a crime of Britain's is one thing, and an infinitely greater crime of Germany's is another. Our misguided friends of the I.L.P. always find excuses for Germany, even while they experience difficulty in finding words hard enough to characterise their own country. Fortunately their opinions carry little weight with the mass of the working class. In this part the I.L.P. 'rs are mostly inexperienced lads, whose know- ledge of life and the way of the world is sadly to seek. The older leaders of Labour —men like Mr. Vernon Harsthorn, the Labour candidate for Mid-Glamorgan, our worthy miners' agents, Messrs. J. D. Morgan and J. J. James, tried veterans like Mr. John Edwards, Pontai-dawe, etc. etc.—have sized up Germany pretty well. We know we have to beat Germany, and Mrs. (jrlasiar's pleading that "a mere brute force victory must ever bring forth hate" is so much moonshine. (Incidental- ly it may be noted that Germany has now as much hate as she can holdV The North beat the South in the American Civil War, and broke slavery. The Prussians beat the French in 1870, and smashed the vainglorious empire of Napoleon III. In less than fifty years the spirit of "revanche" was practically dead. The Japanese won a brute force victory over Russia; to-day they are Allies. We beat the Boers, and to-dav they are fighting IN FLANDERS fide by side with OUT gallant lads. We have now to dislodge the Hohen- I • «.L4C»1,U lilac nt;L: i people are Jebeirminui to do it, cre", though it involves killing more of the spiritual progeny of Froebel, and lacerat- ing the mother-heart of Mrs. Bruce Glasier.Yours faithfully, LODGE SECRETARY.

END OF A PICCADILLY CLUB. On the gr-and that the club hrd ceased to xist, Mr. Mead, sitting at Marlboroujh-street police court, granted j *n application to stripe the Unit-d Empire Club, Piccadilly, off the regis- ter.