TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 14099, 19 July 1911, Page 8

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

British and colonial boys Through who oomplain of being German worked hard at school Eyes. would probably find if they

went to any German school that tho British system was delightful compared te the German, A German lad 'of 18, who attends a school at Godesberg-on-the-Rhine, and has been spending a week at King's College Sohool, Wimbledon, makes an interesting comparison between the two systems. Ho is impressed by the easy, pleasant times English schoolboys have, by the absence of drill and discipline both in working and play hours. He finds English boys are light-hearted, and no wonder, for they have short working hours, their work is riot difficult (so he thinks), they have a great deal of timo te devote to games, and they devote so little time to drill and are allowed to stand or ait as they like. The day at Godesburg is very different. There the boys work from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and at least ono hour of that time is given up to drill in the gyiniiasium—drill, body exercises, dumbbells, parallel bars! not leisurely acrobatics. From 1 p.m. to 2 they have dinner; from 2 to 2.30 they are free. Then they work at preparation until 4, and on three days in. the week they have on hour's drill in that time. Tea intervenes from 4to 5. From sto 7 comes work again. Between 7 and 8.*30 is their one, real play-time in the day. The time devoted to cricket in English pch.ob impresses this boy. No grass game gave golf is played at Godesberg. Association football, rounders, and other games are played on the gravel courtyards. Nothing shows the difference between English and German methods of handling boys than the fact that in Germany on the occasion of the school sports the school i§ paradecj and marched to tho ground by the drill sergeants I Prizes aro unknown at Ger* man sports; the winner is content with the laurel wreath of the vioter. This German boy's verdict is that life at an English school is immeasurably more pleasant on the whole, because it is much "slacker," but for tfc§t very reason the system is less wise than the German.

Lighthouse trage die $

A have lpng been a favpun Lighthouse ite subject with writen Tragedy, pf short stories. Fr&nce

has now provided a true story which in pathos aud interesl has no superior in-fiction, In Aprlast, tho lighthouse of Jferdpnia, on the south-eastern point of Belle lie, wet tenanted by a keeper, his wife, an. four children. The keeper was takesuddenly jll, and as night came on realised that he was dying. Wil!) almost his last breath he told his wife to light the lamp in the tower, which sho did, A few minutes after tU father had passed away, one of tie children pointed out tp her that wbi a the light was burning, it was not tun - ing. The keeper had been cleani_.,| the light when his illness seised him,

and ho had not set the mechanism that made it revolve. The flashing of the light was all-important; for if it were allowed to burn as a fixed light, ships might mistako it for another light, and be lured to destruction. What was to be done? Tho wife did not know how to set the machinery going. The two elder children of the keeper, a girl of ten and a boy of eight, said they would turn the light; and leaving their mother with the other two, they climbed tho long steep staircase of the tower. All night long, from eight in the evening until dawn, these two children pushed tho light from right to left and left to right again. The elder child understood tho need for regularity, but she understood more—that her brother did not realise it as she did, and that there must be some incentive for him to help her. So she explained to him that ho was playing a game which their father wanted them to play until it became daylight. The story was tho talk of Paris when the mail left; yet it might never have been made public had not the fact that the woman and her children were destitute beeatne known. The man died in April, and at the beginning of Juno tho poor woman was still waiting for her husband's back pay of £2 j3s 2d. Great are the ways of bureaucracy.

For some years past,

Mr " tainted millions " has Rockefeller been a familiar phrase Distrusted, in America, protect*

having been made from time to time by various peoplo, generally ministers, against the acceptance of money for philanthropic work from Mr J. D. Rockefeller and other trust magnates. Tho protests, however, havo had little effect, and nearly everything millionaires havo offered has been accepted. Now, however, according to tho "Daily Express's" New York correspondent, thero is really a strong feeling against the acceptance of the gigantic Rockefeller Foundation which Mr Rockefeller announced last year he was about to make "to promote the advance of civilisation." Tho recent decision of tho Supreme Court, declaring the Standard Oil Trust an illejgal combination, is said to be largely responsible for this feeling. Mr Rockefeller intimated that ho would endow the foundation with £60,000,000, which would provide* £4,000,000 a year, and his eon wag to devote his life to the management ot this great income. According to the correspondent, scarcely any praiso has been given Mr Rockefeller for his intended gift. On tho contrary, criticisms have come from every part of tho country. It has been asserted that tho articles of incorporation, as originally drawn up, would lodge in the hands of the trustees of the foundation greater power than Congress itself possesses. No limit whatever was made to what constituted the " advance of civilisation." If the trustees believed civilisation could be advanced by disbanding the American navy, or by inveigling America into a war with.some other Power, for instance, there was nothing in the original charter to prevent them devoting the entire £4,000,000 a year to such a purpose. In consequence of these objections, tho original articles of incorporation were withdrawn, and articles substituted which gave Congrea. power to impose such limitations on the objects .of the foundation as it thought tho public interest demanded. But oven this and other concessions have not made jeople enthusiastic, or even friendly. The public objects to the'perpetual consolidation of the Rockefeller' millions, fearing that in some way the money may be used against the national welfare, and there is reluctance to accept money from Standard Oil- It ie fifteen months since Congress was asked to incorporate the foundation, but Congress has taken no action. We are promised a lively debate if tho foundation does come before the House.