POSTSCRIPTS

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 109, 10 May 1934, Page 10

POSTSCRIPTS

Chronicle and Comment

BY PERCY FLAGE

I Two guesses as to -who was the | proudest man in England last evening. * "•■...* Quotas arc not palatable, but neither is a large dose of castor oil, if it comes to that. * » • If it were not for Royal and nearRoyal Commissions, how could a lot of ambitious citizens possibly get their pliotogvaphs in the papers? * * « That one out of the bos before you get your eye in is liable to happen to the best of batsmen. It has happened even to us. * ' * ■■ ♦ One of our leading educationists, criticising the system, asserts that it is preparing people for work that is not there. Still, it may be just around the corner. *• * * POLITICAL. "Omadhaun," our unbiased political correspondent, writes:—So Mr. C.A. L. Treadwell has agreed to become the Reform N.C.O. for the Wellington Ivorth seat at the next election—whenever that may be. Soon wo may be expecting to hear the legendary refrain of the Reformers: "The Legion of the Lost Are We." .*■ •. ■.* .. * INFORMATION DEPT. In reply to "Heiniweh," Blenheim: Ihe composer of the German national anthem, "The Watch on the Rhine " was Carl Wilhelm. The words were written by Max Schncckenburger, an obscure Swabiau merchant, who wrotenothing else that is remembered. He died some years before Wilhelm set his words1 to music. Wilhelm was a music teacher with strong Bohemian tastes. He composed much of his work oa lager tables in favourite inns, and was content to sell it for the price of a few drinks.. He did not set out to compose a national anthem, and when. The Watch on the Rhine" was sung' for the first time as a male chorus it attracted but little attention. It was the war of 1870 which made the song. The Emperor William-I awarded Wilhelm a small pension, but he lived to draw Iftwice only. ■■*■■*♦ • nai;ve old countrymen. Further examples of village simplicity m the United Kingdom, as cited in J. L. Garvin Js '.'Observer,"London: Garvagh is one of the places in Ulster which is always having fun poked at it tor its excessive Orangeism. On ona occasion the Garvagh football team— all stout Orangemen—were playing the team of a neighbouring village, which! was 100 per cent. Roman Catholic. Garvagh felt that the eyes of the world: were on it. They won, and after the match one Garvagh man was heard to say to another, "Han, Wullie, there'll be sore hearts in the Vatican thd night I" An inspector, on a visit to an elementary school in the city of Aberdeenwas questioning a class of small bova on the Scriptures. He asked one (who had just been transferred to the school)' what he knew about Solomon.. The boy re ained silent, but the next was quick! to explain this—"He winna ken, sorr, he's fra Buckie.". * * ;.,' * NO EMPIRE MONOPOLY. "Anglo Indian" forwards this not* —with his compliments. When-the tune of .""God" Save tha King" was played for "the" German. Emperor in the film "I was a Spy " recently shown in Calcutta the audience was inclined to laugh. But England " the United States, Germany, Switzerland, and Denmark all have national anthems to this tune. One authority attributes the tune to Henry Carey who is supposed to have composed it in, 1740. No copy of this exists, but in 17-15 the words and music were published in "The Gentleman's Magazine." : The authorship is made still more obscure by the fact that as early: as in. 1619 different forms of the air and music arc on.record. In. 1742 a; Scot named James Oswald worked for John. Simpson, the publisher of earlier copies of "God Save the King" as it is now sung, and this Oswald was afterwards composer to George HI. It appears ' probable, therefore, that Oswald evolved the anthem from earlier forms. The tune was adopted by Germany and, Denmark, before the end off the 18th century. .•" " . . •..'... .• ' / ' ■ ■» : ■>'• ■ ■ ■■•,■# .- -'■■; ._ MORNING TEA MONOLOGUE. Hey! /Wot's a cure for fallin' 'air, ... For mine is missin..' 'ere-'n'-there? It oughtn't of because, you see, I?m only 42 or 3. '. ■. •_..";" ■ I've not persooel year after year -.. 'Igh livin' an' low 'abits, dear. I 'e'ard it said: that karrowsene Was good to keep one's scalpel clean^ An' make two 'airs, or even more, . ' Sprout 'earty where one grew before, I got some an'l xubbed;it in Where the ole thatch, was Tvearin' tniri^ Bill sniffed when 'c comes 'onie an^ said: . - "Whatyer "been doin' to your 'cad?'? An' when I told 'mi why-'n'-'ow 'E parssed hecs 'and across hees browj An . like the brute 'c is, sez 'c: " 'Enecforth I sleep on the settee." I washed me 'cad. Then I was told That pickled onions, young or old, Et often—they would do the trick, An' make 'air glossy-like an' thick. I tried that, too, day after flay, Till, me digestive gear gave way, An.' left me, dear, to my surprise, : With' pillers huriderneath me heyes. A frien' of Bill's, a 'crbalest, 'E said that birdseed baths was bestj With a small glarss—an'not to stint The rum—of ,rum-'n'-peppermint. I liked the toddy part of it :, But hotherwise it didn't fit. >' I thought then: worry is a curse, An' if the worst came to be worse, I could afford a nice cheap wig « . . < 'Ow do you like me in this rig? ■ * ; «■ -:♦.-."'■ HEARD THIS ONE? Throughout the world the- cockney i^ known by his quick tongue. This story, of a private soldier of a London regiment was heard by myself; and being nest to the cvlprit, standing: rigidly to attention in the front rank ■ directljfacing the n.c.0., I eventually collected a spell "of C.B. for laughing on parade. It was a warm morning in the month, of August, and the n.c.o. drilling the thick-headed recruits had had enough of us. Being a very typical drill sergeant, he vented his sarcasm on tiro-squad bybarking the usual and familiar satirical phrases of disgust—'.'By the right! Pick 'em up! Y'r like a bunch of wandering Jews! C'rect y'r slopes—think you're 'olding some Cissies umbrella!" —and so on. Presently we were halted, and waited to learn who had been signalled "out for the drill sergeant's scorn. It was the cockney again. He.was.iotmust have been, one of those cheeky sparsely-built sons of London who make their presence felt by their bony; elbows when in a crowd, and onceheard, never forgotteiu At least, I have not forgotten those fire days' C.B. "Where do you think you are,-Wilson —picking daisies'?" came the snappy censure. "Yer; ta stick- on yer grave, Sergint," was the retort. ";■ Wilsou scored three- days' detention, needless to-sayV ■■■■■•'•'-'■-■-"■■'■ ■■ n'--:-- i:'"- : STAND Aa^EASEf