THINGS IN GENERAL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16357, 11 October 1916, Page 10

THINGS IN GENERAL

OFF THE TARGET.

THE BABIES AND WAR NAMES.

Before another decade lias been passe( quite an army of boys and girls, whc now. see the world only from perambu lators, will become koen students of som< phases of the greatest war of the ages during which they commenced their lives. They'will be eagerly turning up the histories of tho great battles and plying t.heii parents with questions concerning names which are now so familiar to all readers of war news. As was only to be expected, war .names have beon given to a. large number of the babies who have been born during the past year or two. When they . become older they naturally will want to know all about the origin of their names. Quite a number of Auckland babies bear one or more war names. There are several "Kitcheners" of course, . and that there are "Anzace" goe3 without saying. One highly-endowed infant rejoices in the double cognomen of "Kitchener. Anzac." The mothers of these particular babies, it is said, have been greatly perturbed by the Government regulation against; the use of the name Anzac, and 1 the' decree that all persons using the 'name must discontinue its use within three months. They wish to know whether they will be prosecuted or whether they will have to change the names of their babies. Such anxious mothers, of course, have little cause to fear that they will be required to do either. The name " Lorraine " has been one of the most popular, and "Alsace," " Verdun," and " Mons " also have been Warm, favourites. Viscount French, General Joffre, Sir Douglas Haig, and other military leaders, have supplied names for several boys, s who may be amongst the soldiers of the future if unhappily our hopes of a " lasting peace " are not fulfilled. The Gallipoli campaign' has been commemorated, not only by ".Anzac," but by the names of "Gallipoli," . " Dardanella," and " Suvla." The exhortation to "Remember Louvain" lias been taken perhaps too seriously by the parents of one infant, who is destined to carry through life a name with the most unpleasant associations. A YOUNG MAN NAMED " WIPERS." There is one young Aucklander, who in after.years may not feel inclined to bless those who are responsible for the selection of his war name. In their flush of patriotism they have adopted " Ypres " as one 'of the baptismal names for the . innocent and unsuspecting youngster. The • pronounciation of this name has always been one of the greatest difficulties that have confronted the readers of war news. It is commonly rendered in this Dominion as " Y'pray " or " Ee-pray," and although neither pronunciation is correct many people think that the ' one they use is correct, whilst others comfort themselves with the reflection that it is ■'* near enough," or at least, as near as %y'are likely to get. There, how.ever, are Winer interpretations, all of which ' havij'*iinmerons exponents. There is the war-poet, who ingeniously contrive* to make I the name", rhyme with ".express." !Will the boy 'follow this example? Or will ha-adopt..the version o! plain and unadulterated "Wipers," on which Tommy 'Atkins has set his seal ? TIE RUMOUR-MONGER. , The rumour-mongers Van had a sue* cess. A wicked and heartless story was spread throughout the' Dominion that a New Zealand, transport had been sunk. It caused quite needless anxiety to thousands of people until it was officially denied by Mr. Allen, but now the cable tells us that a transport was sunk. It was not a New Zealand transport, and it was an empty transport, but still it was a transport, and that is as substantial a " sub-stratum of fact as the. rumourmonger can well'hope. for. Such reports , of i disasters which to New Zealanders would be personal and intimate are of the order diabolical, and if the Minister for Defence can find the cruel tongues which started them he will have public support in silencing those tongues. The harmless rumour we have always with us, and it is hardly worth suppressing. In some of its forms it will eventually come true. The Emperor of Austria, for example, will die, and whether rumour buries him one hnndred or two hundred times before then does not'reaily matter. The Kaiser also will eventually cease to trouble the earth, and

if we could kill him prematurely by rumour—well, so much the better for everybody, perhaps even for the Kaiser. The war will really end, some day, and a few of the universal prophets must succeed in anticipating the date. So harmless, and withal interesting, are these l • rumours, that it might be desirable for newspapers to have a standing heading, "Humours," following the prosaic war news furnished by Sir Douglas Haig and General Joffre. Under such a heading ■''.wr could let Mr. H. G. Wells fix any , date ha cares for the end of the war; : w* might have the King of Greece thrashI ing his wife for her pro-German views; ;.- might lave American millionaires manufacturing munitions for the allies for nothing; and we might have Krupp's turned into a motor-car factory. pi A FIGHT TO A FINISH. This war is not a .'Pickwickian duel. PThe unanimity with wliich the allies are .warding off pacificists ia final evidence—if any were needed—of the determination of every allied country to stop at nothing short of complete victory.. Mr. Lloyd George has said, in his felicitous Welsh way. what every Englishman has been thinking. The determination of Britain to have a fight to a finish fas not surprising, for Britain, always slow to fight in earnest, is traditionally sure when she gets • bet grip Neither is it surprising that .Russia should be ready for a long war. Ihe Russians, with their vast reserves of men, have always taken a far view, and a long war would have less effect on Russia than on any other belligerent But when "the Italians say they are reconciled to three years more of war, and France reiterates her determination to crush the enemy the student of history must realise that this is no ordinary war. For the French and Italians are Latins, sensitive and high-spirited, but generous and chivalrous, often volatile. France has fought many war's, but she has ever fought fairly and honourably. All the instincts of the French and the Italians prompt them to sheathe the sword when honour has been' satisfied, yet they, too, . declare for a war to a finish. The reason is not far to seek. It is not that the character of France has changed, but that she has learned that this is no war j,of,; honour, but a war of chastisement. France felt the German hand at her throat in 1870, and know it to be the ussassin's hand. The Germans showed no chivalry vor generosity, to France in 1870, none to and have ■ , shown ' none in this war!-'" Now' they ■ can ' expect none. IHad, the Germans fought cleanly they Jmight have appealed to the sporting instincts of the British and the warm hearts' of the ' French; they" would < not ■' in vain Jiavja asked for mercy from the most f democratic States of Europe., But they" have, fought : W without • excuse, • without honour, without t decency, and so far with'out:repentance.'>v Hence the fight to a finish, „ . , , , ___. . . I

. Among the sorrows of the Germans, none is more pathetic than the protest made to the German Consufat Flushing that careless commanders of Zeppelins have been Shopping bombs on "camps in England in which German prisoners are interned. It does not appear that any Germans were hurt but twice the bombs came so dangerously near to the prisoners that they were able to pick up and preserve fragments. The thing is unpardonable. We may hear next week of some Zeppelin commander, who has got the Iron Cross for killing British babies, be-1 ing stripped of his decorations for placing! good German lives in peril. Incidentally the incident is a strong justification of! the strict censorship that has been main-! tamed in regard to the locality of Zeppelin raids. It would have tickled British l newspaper readers immensely to read that) Zeppelin bombs fell near an internment! camp, but the announcement would have I given the German airmen a sense of locality which it was not desirable they should have. It is far better that they should aim at random and go go far off the target as to get near a German internment camp. The GmraitAt,