CURRENT TOPICS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 182, 2 July 1938, Page 8

CURRENT TOPICS

(By “Wayfarer.”) War in Spain and China has shown the world that aircraft can destroy anything, but cajiture nothing. “Thero must be thousands of men who have never done a stroke of housework,” points out a writer. Still, most of them will probably marry sooner or later. m

Giga.ntic deeds get a poor return In these prosaic days, writes a Londoner. There is the story of a Londoner who stole a 100 ft chimney stack. Comp area with this it might seem a‘trivial teat to steal another man’s wile, yet Homer founded an epic on the misadventuie of Paris and Helen, while the demolition of an industrial monument lor the sake of the bricks is rewarded only by a term of imprisonment and a report in a, newspaper. The fact is that are too many heroes of this kina, io take and carry away a grand piano or an Adam mantelpiece lias become an everydav feat, and living poets are preoccupied with other subjects for their very blank verse. m '

The fifth centenary of All Souls College, Oxford, was privately celebrated in May. It was on May 20. 1438, that the society was incorporated under the seal of Henry V 1... It. w,as designed to be the most enduring, work of Henry Chichele, Archbishop of Canterbury, whose successor in 1938 preached in the college chapel. All Souls was one of the first colleges to associate itself with the Revival of Learning., and a distinguished band of humanist bellows was headed by the illustrious Thomas Li mere, founder of the Royal College of Physicians, and “father of modern medicine.” Nowadays few Cabinets are formed without its bellows; even the first- Labour Government included one, Lord Chelmsford, afterwards Warden; Mr Bonar Law s had four, and the present National Government has two. Sir John Simon and Lord Halifax. Moreover, All Souls lias provided three recent Viceroys of India in Lord Curzbri, Lord Chelmsford, and Lord Irwin.

Parisians will miss one feature 1( the visit of the King and Queen t Paris which marks State occasions ii> London. The Royal visitors will no, drive through the streets in landaus. This is because the President I? longer possesses any carriages or carriage horses. M. Lebrun is providij? one of bis presidential motor-cars |r his Royal guests. "jf. They will have, however, a mounja escort. A squadron of the Garde jppublicaine will act in this capacNTheir uniform, though not so splennd as that of the Life Guards or the Blues, is undeniably picturesque, iot least' the brass helmets with t«ir flowing plumes. • - i Strictly speaking, the Garde Republicaine is not a military corps,put forms part of the gendarmerie. |lt was created in 1802 by Napoleon,who called it the Garde de Paris. Sbsequently, he altered the title to Gendarmerie Imperiale. j After various changes to “tarde Royal” and “Republicaine,” it.; reverted to its original title who) the Third Republic was inaugurato- m 1870. j ~ •*** * f *

After a week's hearing ;j Paris Court, recently, delivered judgienton a case in which three men werijcharged on two counts of havingjorged and discounted 3607 share eerficates. The rigour of the law demand'd that to each of the'21,642 question thus arising the jury , should give.k written answer. Twelve unlsmayeu jurymen retired to a specially prepared room, furnished with catp beds, dining table, and quills. Alth determined equanimity it was ilfcided to take luncheon, extending ovjr seven courses, as the first itej on the agenda. Hours later then a “ eight-course dinner, and afll o clock in the morning the Court bjfet, then, alas,! already closed, was bjpeged tor further refreshment. Those few bare facts are all that is knowjf of a day the greater part of which was spent, presumably, in writing “|es’ man> •times and “No” many tilps. At 9 a.m. the victorious 12 agfin stepped into their box- to pronopce with a brave show of freshness }; verdict of guilty for two of the accned and not guilty for the third. Fell juryman received 50 francs for the ay 38 franos more than would ordinary have been given, but meals and digks must be paid for.

Lord Baldwin is the first English Prime Minister to haCebecome president of the M.C.C., evej alter ceasing to be Prime Minister, aid this in turn throws light bn a regrftable fact in our history, for harcy any of our Premiers seem to haviiplayed cricket at all fsavs a eommentjtor). That may be due in part to thf (excessive number of Scotsmen in 1(e list, for the game, though played jrith enthusiasm where it is played, hk never rivalled football in Scotland. \ We, should also have to go farther a;jd admit that very few English • salesmen of the first class have plajed cricket with any distinction. Tl| cricket Blues in Cabinets have beenjvery few. the England players fevlr, even when we have taken Hon. Al|ed Lyttelton into account. In pro-ohsuls cricket has been rich, but in ifime Ministers we may have to go r£ht back to two hundred years to t|? elder Pitt, playing with the Lyttcjons at Stowe and boasting in a liter that he had “play’d very well.)' • All this, one mul admit, looks bad for politicians, foifif cricketers have shone in the Churfl, in pro-consulship, in diplomacy, art in law, the fact that statesmen outlie first rank have been few among good cricketers cannot be the faulljof cricket —it must be the fault of slitics. * * |* Whenever troifle is stirring in Latin America the jj Under-Secretary of State, Mr Suniup Welles, becomes one of the most mhential men in Mr Roosevelt’s AdnJiistration. He is a complete contr.it to his chief, Mr Cordell Hull, | appearance, manner and background An American writer recently referrd to him as “this tall, powerfully bui| beautifully tailored man with the jlacial fnanner.” Like the Prudent, lie was educated at Groton anji Harvard. He entered the Foreign Service and. rose to be head of the L.-ijn American Division in 1925. when lii, retired. He supported Mr Roosevelt jb 1932 and was recalled to the publiepervice, first as Ambassador to Cub} and finally as Undersecretary. Aifexample of his shrewdness was seeijpvhen the Brazilian President Yarg.V organised his coup d’etat last wjter. The American Press condemned president Vargas and spoke of hi j regime as Fascist. Tlie>. German andftalian Press praised him. Mr Sumner i\ T elles saw that unless this stoppe<| Brazilians would inevitably becomiijfriendlier to those who praised tlia.i to those who criticised them. He jerefore took the dangerous course jf making a radio speech coudemninnihe American Pres= in the strongest trms for its attitude. Today Brazil iS a staunch friend of the United Sytes. while Mr Sumner Welles is fcjll unpopular with the Press. k