CURRENT TOPICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXI, Issue 15334, 17 June 1910, Page 6

CURRENT TOPICS.

Tho appointment of raisuli Raisuli as Governor of tho Alcazar district of Morocco, which was announced by cablegram on Tuesday, is a striking instance of tho adaptability of tho Old World. Raisuli’s career has been a remarkable one. Ho was educated for the priesthood, but, instead of assuming holy orders, ho took to cattle-stealing as soon as lie reached man’s estate. Apparently lie was a born leader of men, and gathering a trusty band around him, he soon made himself the terror of tho mountain sido- ■ The late Sultan, discovering his whereabouts by the treachery of a comrade, captured him, and ho spent four years in a filthy and iron-bound gaol. A file in a loaf of bread and six months’ stealthy work finally effected his escape. A few hours later, however, lio was recaptured, and he then endured two more years of torture in prison. Then he was released on the petition of the Sultan’s representative at Tangier, and sot forth to lead a respectable life. One thing only stood in his way. The comrade who had betrayed him had risen to bo Governor of Tangier, and had seized all Raisuli’s property. Ultimately Raisuli became a brigand again, and such a wary one that the Sultan’s forces wore powerless to check him or to capture him. Eventually there came tho abduction of Mr Harris, the “Times” correspondent, and then of Mr Perdicaris and Mr Varely. The famous negotiations by which these gentlemen obtained their freedom included an enormous ransom in cash, the imprisonment of Raisuli’s enemies, tho freedom of his comrades and tlie deposition of his cld foe, the Governor of Tangier. Tire Sultan agreed to all those terms, and even made the brigand governor. In that capacity lie might have done great things, for liis prestige was immense, and even the most lawless of the Moors had a wholesome terror of him. Unfortunately he became a despot, and tho European representatives in Morocco petitioned for his removal. Then ho took to his old life again, and crowned the exploits of a lurid career by carrying off the Ivaid Maclean. Ho seems lately to have again turned over a new leaf, but the Sultan, in making him a governor, has, no doubt, only done so with the object of conciliating a dangerous foe.

After a trial extendla milo ix ing over five da.vs at court. the Old Bailey, Mrs ’ Pansy Eggena, who is better known to music-hall patrons cn botli sides of tho world as “ La Milo,” v. as last month acquitted on a charge of fraud brought against her by a West End jeweller named "Wood. Tho prosecutor alleged that La Milo, with her husband and a man named Percy Easton, had conspired to obtain from him jewellery to tho value of £6280. Early last year Eggena, who is a German, made tho acquaintance of tho prosecutor and asked him to supply certain jewellery, which he wanted to show to his “ aunt.” La Milo- seems to have been the person really in question. After some negotiations tho jewellery, tho subject of tho charge, was selected by Eggena, tho prosecutor agreeing to accept as security twentyfive motor-ears, worth £20,000, which were stored at premises in Euston Road, of which tho prisoner Easton was ono of tho managing directors. They were represented as belonging to Eggena. Payment for tho jew cilery

was to have been made in January last, but the money was not forthcoming, and upon Easton being applied to for the ears he said he had given them to Eggena upon a properly signed order. In February it was ascertained that the jewellery had been pledged, •and Wood instituted proceedings for fraud. La Milo in the witness-box denied indignantly any knowledge ol her husband’s dealings, and she was acquitted “without a stain on her character.” Easton also was acquitted, the jury believing that he had been ignorant of the real nature of the transaction.. Eggena was sentenced to imprisonment with hard labour for twenty-0110 months. La Milo, in the courso of her evidence, made the interesting admission that she earned about £'sooo a year, her salary as a music-hall performer being from £IOO to £2OO a week.

The legal aspoct of alarm not the Boy Scout movenecessahv. ment is occasioning sejne concern to the “ Herald of Peace.” The journal lias discovered that the oath taken by the lads wlio join the organisation corresponds to the military oath, and that it is legally binding because it is taken with the- consent of their parents. When the Scouts arrive at the military age, which is eighteen in Great Britain, an Order-in-Couneil would bo sufficient to embody them in tlio regular army and “condemn” thorn to servo their country in the field. “It is a serious matter, and ought to bo probed to the very core,” remarks the journal. “If Sir Francis Vane gets his 200,000 boys, as he desires, tlio ultimate union with tlio original Scout movement would mean a possiblo new army of 500,000 trained men. It is a most artful move.” In further proof of the serious character of its discovery, tlio “ Herald of Peace ” quotes from a speech made by Colonel A. Keene, in support of tlio universal service proposals put forward by Lord Roberts. The officer does not seem to have said anything very alarming. Ho remarked that Lord Roberts believed that every boy, instead of being coaxed to join tlio Territorial Force, should bo told: “Now then, come along, my lad. We are going to make a man of you.” The boy would spend four months in a training depot, and a year later would be drafted into a convenient Territorial unit, from which he would eventually retire into the reserve. In tlio event of war, said Colonel Koono, it would probably bo necessary for Britain to throw the whole of tlio regular army into Belgium, or send it to India, and Lord Roberts desired to see the country supplied with an efficient and powerful home defence force. It is not easy to find the connection between these remarks and tile Boy Scout oath. me “ Herald of Peace,” in its dcsiro to avoid the spread of the military spuit, seems to have overlooked the fact that, oath or no oath, tlio Government of the day would bo able, undei existing laws, to call out tlio able-bodied men of tlio nation ioi' defence purposes. Iho Hoy Scouts would have tne initial advantage of a certain amount of training-