LONDON TOPICS

Evening Star, Issue 19722, 24 November 1927, Page 16

LONDON TOPICS

WELLS AND PACIFISM Ll'uoa Our Coukusuo-ndunt.] October 10. jN1 1 * 11. G. Wells’s discussion of the possibility of Avar between Britain and America scorns somewhat inconclusive. Ho argues that, pacifism being thoroughly unpopular at moment of warlike crisis, it behoves-'all true disciples of peace to start now agitating against all or any war, and preventing the danger thereof by.impressing.our,.rulers with the certainty of immense defections of service if any adventure of the kind should', over ensue. Most people would discount utterly the barest possibility of hostilities between the two great English-speaking nations. The truth is that the last war emphatically proved Mr Norman Angel's theory of its catastrophic clfects on all parties concerned. Any more such upheavals would inevitably spell universal anarchy on the Moscow model, and the civilised world would reach a stage envisaged by Shakespeare:— The rude scene may end, And darkness be the burier of the • dead! PEACE DOVES. For seven years the Economic League has been quietly working for an industrial millennium that still seems rather below the misty horizon of practical politics. But recent declarations by leading masters and trade union duels have stimulated hope a little, and an intensive campaign for industrial peace is being launched this month. Some (300 open-air meetings will bo held in London alone at suitable times to catch the genuine, proletariat, and a strong platoon of picked speakers will endeavor to hammer in the salient facts of our industrial position to-day. The campaign will culminate on Sunday, October 110, with muss demonstrations m Hydo Park and Trafalgar square. Among tho experts wiio will give lectures at tho Ca.xton Hall is Sir Allred Mond, M.P., perhaps the most practical talker on this vital topic. That enterprise of this missionary kind is desirable there can be not the faintest doubt But it will bo uphill spado work. The “Red’’ agents ol tho Moscow Soviet, spread in a network over this country in all its main industrial centres, have been sapping away at tho foundations of goodwill for five or six years, and not only is their organisation efficient and their propaganda adroit, but it is being financed to the tune of about £7oU,ot)o a year. It is a -pity something cannot be achieved, beyond mere pious admonition, to reach the masses of the workers by means of tho cinema and wireless. if a striking calculation couldbc submitted showing what tho working people in' this country have Just through mischievously fostered . trade disputes since the war it might carry conviction to many -honest men and women. FIRM MEN. Spain’s Foreign Legion lacks the romantic legend of the famous French Foreign Legion, first popularised in this country by (Jidda. But the Tercio, whom .King Alfonso and Ids English Queen have just inspected in Morocco, all 6,000 of them volunteers, arc a magnificent lighting regiment. We heard some distressing stories of the Spanish Foreign Legion in the carlio’ - days of its enrolment to assist Spain’s conscript troops against the Rilfs, but perhaps a good many ex-Servico men, without adequately realising the nature of the adventure, joined up who Jacked the right temperament. It is one thing to have served in the British Army_ in the Great War, but quite another thing to go campaigning with tho Spaniards against wild hillsmcn in the burning terrain of Northern Africa. To-day tho Tercio is a seasoned regiment of veteran lighters, among whom, as Queen Ena must have realised, are quite a fair proportion of men whose native tongue is that of Drake. ARMY’S PHYSICAL FITNESS. Apart from profcsional lessons which the higher command may have learnt from them, tho recent Divisional trainings have proved tho present British soldiery to bo worthy siicccsors of the “ Old Contcinptiblcs ” in physical fitness and marching powers. _ Without exception the march discipline of the, troops deservedly received tho highest commendations. Many exacting feats, in full pack, and in most, trying weather, were accomplished without a single “ straggler.” Tho Ist Guards Brigade, lor instance, covered 28 miles at an average rale of slightly under three miles an hour; while the Lincolns, East Yorks, Seafortbs, and Ulster Rifles, which compose the 2nd Infantry Brigade, marched 29 miles in equally good time. The Ist .Dragoon Guards came right in from Thames to Aldershot (50 miles) in eight marching hours—a -rather striking performance, seeing that most of tho roads were inches thick with mud, in some places more or less Hooded, and that all. the horses were brought in fit and sound. A VIRILE INVALID. Quo drawback about holding a big job for an unusually long time is that people are perpetually guessing when you. are going to resign it. This has notably been the ease of Dr Davidson, who lias been at Lambeth Palace just upon a quarter of a century—longer than any posL-Rcforinatiou Archbishop—and will celebrate his 80th birthday next April. According to tho gossips ho has been about to resign any time these last 10 years, and now comes another rumor that ho means to do so on reaching his 80th birthday and his 25th year ns Archbishop. Wo shall see. At present his Grace, more or less a chronic invalid all bis life owing to a serious gunshot accident in early youth, is about the liveliest valetudinarian in Great Britain. Nevertheless, of course, the ecclesiastical busybodies nro discussing whether bis succesor will ■bo Dr Lang, now ruling the See ot York, or some darker horse. BREAKER OF RECORDS. Record breaking might very well be described as tho hobby of the Marquess of Reading, who was 67 tins week, and a young man for bis years. As Rufus Isaacs bo carried all before him at the Bar and made an income in the courts hitherto reserved only for the leaders of the Parliamentary Bar. Entering Parliament, lie became in quick succession Solicitor and Attorney-General, and was tho first holder of the latter office to attain Cabinet rank. To the Lord Chief Justiceship was only a step. But even then ho continued to create precedents. Tho first was to go to Washington as Ambassador Extraordinary without relinquishing the judicial post; and the second was to transfer from tho King’s Bench Division to the Vice-royalty of India—a country bo had entered _ onco before in the humble capacity of a sailor before the mast. His lias been a career unrelieved by a single failure beyond a very youthful ouo on tho Stock ikxchange. Now lie has undertaken the duties of Captain of Deal Castle, and appears more satisfied with that Hudibrastic marine residence than most people would be. THE VISA NUISANCE.

Major H, E. Iremongcr, director of tho “Come to Britain” movement, has just returned from Yugo-Slavia, where ire urged the International Cmigress of National Associations of Tourist Propaganda to press European Governments to abolish the visa. Ho has had practical experience . on the Continent of the inconvenience which this formality causes genuine tourists. Ho mentions that in travelling to Belgrade the visitor has to pass through five countries, and he is awakened at frontiers at all hours of thonighfc to show his passport. His German visa only takes him ono way across Germany, and ho has to

obtain another one in Belgrade for tiio return journey. Both Hungarian and Yugo-Slaviau visas are made available only for three months. On the Hungarian border the visa was carefully scrutinised before a pass permitting entry into tho country was granted. Another pass has'to bo issued to enable the visitor to leave Hungary, In .Yugoslavia and other Balkan countries trains are held up tor long periods during the unnecessary business of scrutinising visas by armed police. MANY INVENTIONS. The International Inventions Exhibition will attract much interest this week. It is tho third of its kind, and, though tho entries do not exceed in number those of earlier years, the average importance of the novelties submitted'is distinctly higher. Of course,, there are motoring gadgets galore, but not yet that vital device, which seems so easily within the compass of modern engineering skill, to stop all reasonable possibility of cars being stolon. * There is, however, an attachment, which will bo demonstrated, for saving unwary pedestrians Irom injury. VV onion arc not conspicuous with new' ideas, hut there is one that may appeal to them. It is a device for • imparting “ permanent ”. hair waves without heat in half an hour, A remarkable feature is the number of patents by professional men like doctors and lawyers, who apparently amuse their leisure by inventing things. And most of these arc labor-saving devices for the domestic service. 2UOLB TOOTH. A tooth, 2001 b in weight, something like lift in length, and nearly 2ft in diameter, is at present to bo scon on the ivory lloor of the Port of London Authority at London Dock. It forms one of a parcel of what is known to the trade as “ fossil ” ivory, or mammoth tusks. These tusks arc still found in number in tho banks of the great rivers flowing through Siberia. In the northern portions of the valleys of the Lena, Yennessi, and Obi, where the ground below the depth of 311. remains perpetually frost-hound, not only tlnj tusks, but whole mammoths may be discovered very much in the state that they departed this life countless years ago. So well has Nature kept-them in cold storage that Siberian explorers and huntsmen say that chunks of them form tasty morsels in their stew pots. Some of the ivory is in a most beautiful state of preservation, but frequently it looks better than it really is, and only about 30 per cent of what is found proves to be usable commercially. JOHN BULLISHNESS. Owing to the growing habit among industrial organisations in the north of doing. business round a dinner table in London, the big holds here arc already booking no banquets for a year ahead. The increased demand lor ban([iietting rooms has had the cllect of forcing regiments, charity organisations, and societies to inane arrangements for their annual dinners eight, nine, or ten months abend. Our London has nearly all its accommodation for banquets and dinners booked up for the months of dune and July next.year. Another hotel has made arrangements for a banquet to bo Held at the end of October, 1928. The banqnctting habit has grown enormously this year, and there is every indication already that tlio accommodation in London for these functions will be taxed to its limits next year. ROWDY FISH. Tho remarkable controversy about noisy oysters, evoked by the report of a highly technical scientific committee, is a curious illustration how savants are apt to be blissfully ignorant of common knowledge. Experiments in American territorial waters witii submarine signals have been spoiled by subdued uproar from oyster beds. This appears to have staggered the scientists immensely. Presumably they accepted, without realising its profound truth, tho alliterative slogan, “ A noisy noise annoys an oyster.” But so it does. The depth signals caused all the regiments of oysters promptly to shut their shells. It they did it as an Army It.SAL would prefer, the uproar would be terrific. But they lack the smart word of command, and do it sloppily like an awkward squad, so that the result is a slightly protracted murmur. But most seaside holiday-makers knew all about this long ago. The humble mussel has tho same penchant. And “singing oysters” are familiar to Sierra Leone natives.