TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 11006, 2 July 1901, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Judging from the cable niesRecruiting sage in yesterday's paper, for the the W ar Office ia less confiArmy. dent as to it« ability to raise the number of recruits demanded by Mr Brcdrick's scheme of Army reform than-Mr Brodrick himself appeared to be during the debate on the scheme in the House of Commons. The Minister then pointed out that the normal -recruiting for 1898 was about 55,000, and that the new system would demand some-thing like 46,000 men a year. 'Last year, he said, when they were recruiting for certain corps at a high rate of pay and raised over 10,000 men at those high rates, they also took 46,000 ordinary recruits, or something like 11,000 more than a normal number before 1898. "There were confident predictions' that there' would ba a falling off this year. Bub tbey had done extremely well during the first four months. They took 16,000 ordinary recruits, which was at the rate of '48,000 a year, and also during tho same time raised 25,000 men at the high rate of pay. A better proof could not be given that, if they were to offer a higher rate they would have to include a number of men who were willing to enlist for a lower rats.". Mr Brodrick, however, did not mention—possibly he overlooked the "detail"—thut'tha recruiting-for the first four months of this year was no greater than for Ui3 first" three months of 1900. Noither did he dilate upon the fact that it is always more easy to recruit in tima of war than in peace. It is, of course, true that the efforts to make the soldier more comfortable, which are promised in the schen*», may have the effect of attracting men into the army, but undoubtedly the most potent factor in accomplishing i that desired end would bo provided by tbe [measure advocated by Lord Wolseley—an increase in the soldier's pay, or, what is equivalent to that, the abolition of the reductions now made in his pay. His ecanty wage is cut at in all directions. It may teach him to be careful of his clothes to make' him buy any articles spoiled by the •weather or in other ways, but he ought nob to have to do it cut of what remains when he has paid the various other little dues that are booked against him. When he joins he is given an outfit which includes three pairs of socks, two grey shirts, one knife, fork, and spoon, a razor and case, lather brush and comb. If he is in tha service twelve years lis gets no more of these articles unless he bays them. A good deal has been said lately as to the egregious cost of the officers' messes, but much might, yet be said about the parsimonious treatment of Tommy* Atkins by his superiors. Mr Brodrick does not believe it is necessary to offer higher pay to tempt men to join the army, but if his scheme is ever to become anything more th_n the ikeietoa which he admits it is at present we fancy he will have to alter his ( views on this question. For once, at least, we are at on? with aZr__. G. Hales, when he declares he would preier to see an army of 100,000 men at two and fourpepce a day than one of 200.000 at caw and twopence. The higher pay would draw the batter man.

We should have said it was Foreign a moot point whether EngTranslators, lish or French authors had suffered most from translators of either nation. .Some French writers have suffered terribly at rlw h-md--of persons who added to an insufficient ao-

q_aint_nc_ with French idiom an absolute stejility of fmagination', whloh preclu-SM them : from, entering into the spirit of the author for whom they fondly hoped they were opening the path to. fame in England. A contributor to ','ldt**«_t-r_'' grati* fits one's national vanity by'the assurance that English writers .have been equally .unfortunate in their experience- on the other side of the Channel.* He quotes the evidence of one M. Davtay, wh_> is an authority in Prance on our literature, that English authors should not be in a hurry to accept the offer of the first translator who might offer his or her services. The bulk of these people, he declared, did not know the language they affected to translate, and they were equally ignorant of their own. Some writers are worse ' treated others. "Thomas Hardy," remarks \M. Davray, "is completely distorted, whereoa be, of all men, requires intelligent translators, men with sufficient enterprise to visit hia beloved | vVessex, the ■ intimate and characteristic background of his works. Stevenson has been wretchedly done; his tranelated works, almost unreadable in French, are scattered among all the publishers of Faris, and the result is that Stevenson is totally unknown to thf> reading publio* whereas ho ought to be one of its favourites-." An English commentator, in discussing this question, comes to tlie conclusion that, when a translator does set out to m,isiwdej_rt_nd. his author he succeeds with more completeness on the Continent than EngUshnftftn do. The Italian journalist who turned, the -'Absent-minded Beggar" into "distracted mendicant," and explained that "pon of a fcanabelh publican referred to Kruge_v_an hardly be said to have grasped the spirit of Mr Kipling's lines. Another Italian had to translate a report in an English paper about a man having killed his wife with a poker. The passage, one would think, did not offer any great difficulty, even to a translator laboriously working wlth'**'Jl dictionary. The conscientious Italian, however, added a footnote, in which he said, "We. do not know with certainty whether this thing 'pokero' be a domestic or a surgical instrument.'' The term "Welsh rabbit" certainly presents a difficulty, but the Frenchman who translated it as "un la-pin de Galles" fell very badly, and emphasised the disaster by adding that the "peculiarly delicious flavour of the rabbit- of Wales created a large demand for tluam in Scotland, whither they were exported invbulk that would compare with the trade of Ostend." Ono can imagine that Tenimore Cooper provides a pitfall or two for French translators. In one of his books he describes a man tying his horse to a locust, meaning, of course, a locust tree. The Frenchman boldly turned "locust" into sauterelle, a grasshopper, and then feeling, perhap3, he was rather straining the credulity of his readers, he put in a footnote, explaining that in the- States. grasshoppergrew to a- gigantic size, "and that it was the custom to place a stuffed specimen at tire door of every considerable mansion for the convenience of visitors, who hitched their horses to it." Critical French readers could, no doubt, match these curiosities of translation. It is obvious, however, that the footnote is fatal, that the casual translator should never explain.

Latest reports of the condition A Royal of mad King Otto of Bavaria Tragedy, show a state of tilings "even mora painful than those surrounding tho later years of his brother's roign. Otto shows none of the artistic, if insane, extravagance which made Ludwig IT. create splendid palaces and stuff them with treasures of art. Otto's insanity has no redeeming features. Some days he lies tossing in bed and cannot be induced to get up or leava his room, on other days ha is nicked with fear and cannot be prevailed upon to cab anything. "At these times wlten his breakfast ia brought in, he peeps slyly at the lackeys, who wait on him with as much ceremony as if he wero sane. At other times, when ha is hungry and wants to eat, he does not wait, till they have left tho room but pounces on everything on the table ravenously. But generally he waits till the lackeys have gone, and then eats everything up. When the scrvunta reappear and find the empty dishes the King laughs l_artily." He is enormously stout and suffers from-ill-health and insomnia because he will take no exercise. Mad as he is he is peremptory in demanding that no iota of Royal ceremony is omitted on the part of those addressing or attending him. Generally resort has to b8 had to subterfuge to get him to do what is wanted. If his doctors want him to go for a drive they dare not let tha King know it, for his resistance is so furious that he drives everybody from his presence. "But if he can bo made to believe thab he can outwit his doctorp, and make fools of them, he does what is wanted- In order to get him into the carriage to take a drive the following manoeuvre is resorted to. The carriage drives up to the gate ofrthe garden, and is— apparently—left alone there. As soon as tha King thinks he is not watched, he jumps intothe. carriage and calls for the coachman without being in the least astonished at seeing bis doctor follow him into it." His | sanest momenta are when he is allowed to I see some of the old (friends of bis earlier days. Then-he will -brighten up, dine, smoke, and play with his But ths apathetic iiiood soon'Mlows, and as likely as not the demented monarch will begin to undress himself just where he is. The kingdom is, of course, governed by a Regent, and the people are singularly patient and sympathetic in their allusions to the: unfortunate man in whom heredity is so painfully evident. . -''.-.,.-.. '.'_,■