PASSING NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16873, 9 December 1916, Page 6

PASSING NOTES.

Lord John Russell, statesman of the early Victoria time, " Little .Johnny Ilust'ell," was muly on occasion either to " cut for the atone or take command of the Channel Meet." Ho they said of him. Tho group of party politicians charged with British destinies in the fateful August of 1914 were suddenly required to do both, and were capable of neither. They were as unapt for the conduct, of a great war as for an operation in abdominal surgery. Thanks to our British luck—the luck of the honest muddler—we and the war have alike survived and l are well on into tlic third year. But, for the moment, our luck is out. The Germans are masters at Bucharest; Tino of Athens, unehastened, has spat once again, on the British beard. Over which things the powers of Hell are cock-a-hoop, and Germany orders another million-copy edition of " Ilindenburg's March on London." In short we are at a pass when in the British conduct of the war old things must vanish and all things become new. Either that—or finis.

Thus explains itself the political crisis in London. Government by politicians, as politicians, 'having done its best war, and its best having brought us in the twenty-ninth month to where we are, we muddle into the next phase —a, Ministry of War. Mr Asquith, resigning, advises the King to send for Mr Bonar Law, the party leader on the other side. Strict following of party precedent! Mr Bonar Law by grace of Heaven forgets party and advises the King to send for Mr Lloyd George. This was evidently in accordanco with a previous arrangement, Mr Lloyd George and Mr Bonar Law having been together throughout the day. Mr Lloyd George made an early call on Mr Bonar Law at Kensington, and they journeyed to Whitehall together, tho two being seen in Whito-

hall arm in arm after Mr Bonar Law's

ifoid-day visit to tho Palace. Which things are an allegory, and of happiest omen. Elsewhere the party idea dies hard?' Even so far away as America it asserts itself. The New York Herald discerns a "Tory plot," and a " Tory cabal." Then the Germans it; the Greeks are in it. If Hindenburg and Tino are British Tories,- the New York editor is right.. It is the repercussion of events in Rumania and at Athens that has shattered the Asquith GoVernment. Conceivably a Lloyd George Government may fail of a Parliamentary majority. Then let Parliament be prorogued for the duration of the war. For verily we are at the parting of the. ways:—King or Kaiser, Life or Death, the Flag of the Three Crosses or Prussia's foul bird of prey with grasping claws and double beak.

Wisdom after the event is usually snubbed, and usually by people who have failed to be wise before the event. Yet, " experientia docet." What are the vaunted lessons of experience but wisdom after the event? The overrunning and overwhelming of Rumania, —now that the thing is done we see how easy a thing 't was to do. It is not my business to expand and expound this thesis; amateur strategists will be busy upon it for many a day to come. Readily also do we see how the Germans are profiting by unity of command. Since the entry of Rumania into the war, since Verdun, since the Somme, all German war authority—Kaiser, Crown Prince, General Staff —has been summed up and brought to a point in Hindenburg. Unity of control, —against capable adversaries there is no other way of winning a war. Again we now discern how deftly King Constantine has played the Kaiser's game, an I how obvious should have seemed to lis the duty of wringing his neck. We are befooled and put to shame; General Sarrail's army is held up as if by evil enchantments.This wisdom is now anybody's wisdom; no simpleton can miss it; we have reason to hope that it will -not be hidden from Mr Lloyd George. We are at the darkest hour of the war; yet now for the first time on our side the war begins to have a chance.

This morning I open a. copy of the Westminster Gazette, which is not what is known as a religious journal, not goodygoodv. The first thing 011 which my eye chances is this—in special type, in the editorial part of the paper: — A Thought for the Day. " Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." 1 Cor.- xv, 58. / I pass it on

Among things that should vanish away under a War Government sane and strong is the guilty isolation of Ireland. Recruit■ing is near at a stand, and- conscription there is none. "The attempt to enforce conscription would be resisted in every village in Ireland," says Mr Redmond. Whereupon London newspapers bring up the awkward precedent of conscription in America, time of the Civil War, and of resistance thereto by the considerable village of !New York.

Lincoln listened to arguments and weighed them, and then without hesitation and without fear decided to

apply the Draft, and told the Governor of New York, the Redmond of tho hour, in plain terms what he thought of him. The Draft was ap-< plied, and the Irish mob rose and held tho city for three days. Then the soldiers of the Union shot down some two thousand of these Dublin-like murderers of soldiers and loyal citizens and the wholo thing was over. There was no more resistance to the Draft, and tho Federal Government, instead of being weakened, was immensely strengthened by Lincoln's firmness in resisting the sophistical cry that men who professed to hate the North ought not to be "enslaved" to light her battles. We don't want any shooting, and it is to be hoped thai the Irish won't ask for it. But the Empire will not be allowed to perish for want of men, least of all for want of Irishmen, who, as everybody knows, love nothing better than a fight. There is nothing wrong with the Irish but their miserable subjection to bad leadership.

A conscientious objector explaining things before the Military Service Board in Christchurch stated that he was " a member of the Brethren" : before that had been a Presbyterian, but " was not converted then." There is record of a Salvation Army professor in a Hallelujah bonnet being " tempted to give up religion and go over tc> the Church." Not dissimilar must have been the tem'ptation that overthrew the Christchurch Presbyterian when he gave up the religion of his fathers and went over to the Brethren. Getting "converted" he calls it. A poor conversion. Not only is he now unable to fight- for^his country but finds that he has no country to fight for. " He took 110 part in politics and did not vote; he did not want to hold any freehold in Canterbury." .Nothing so worldly as the war and the Germans fell within his range of vision. What about the diabolical murder of women and children? Witness replied that if he could have a certain amount of time with tho chairman he could perhaps enlighten him on that point. He thought that the war might have been sent to chastise- tho Christians.

The Chairman : Unfortunately, wo are not tho Christians who are .suffering. He drew witness's attention to what had happened in Belgium, France, Serbia, etc.

Witness replied that- he was speaking generally. They were one body, and were interested in all that concerned the Saints everywhere. Tho Chairman : But you are not prepared to go and protest them? Witness: Exactly; becausc they have

a greater protector—Christ. He will como forth on the white horse and do that.

A cocksure ignoramus—and a conscientious objector! It is a pity that Military Courts stop to argue with these threadpaper specimens of humanity. They are unworthy of their country and their country can do without them. Front the trenches: — .France, October 9, 1916. Dear "Civis," —Do you remember in those far-off days " befo' de war" what heated controversies used to arise over the momentous question whether the top of a moving wheel travelled faster than the bottom? If by any chance some person of dctachcd mind is etill un-

convinced. advise hiin to conic over here (pfreferably with u gun) and sec ono of our caterpillar engines on the warpath The question will then be Rett,led for all time. The lower part of the caterpillar wheel rests quite stationary on tho ground what time the upper portion is Imrrying forward to take up il« job. I have Just, been watching one of these hefty "Barnes's Babies" dragging a nice big howitzer into a handy position to strafe the gentle Hun. I hope my humble contribution will not involve yon in a wrangle with those prehistoric philosophers who used to fill columns of the dear old Times on this and similar problems. 1 receive the Witness regularly, ami, needless to say, always commence with Passing Notes.

Mudlark. My affectionate greetings!—good luck, big business, many scalps, and a prosperous home-coming! A brighter spirit than these men of the trenches already possess it is impossible to wish them. They put us to shame. We are slackers and shirkers in comparison, not to say croakers; —we with our picture shows, racecourse crowds, totalisator gambles, our anti-conscription strikes and "blows for .liberty." A column in Thursday's Daily Times is headed—" A Soldier's Life—Rain and Mud—A Carisbrook Cricketer's Cheery Letter " ; —and cheery is the word. "Wo all kick about the army and its trials and tribulations, but we have all agreed we would not have stayed behind for anything."

Of the same date—October, 1916—and of the same moral are some verses I have just come across, tho writer signing himself " O.C. Platoon." It's cold of a night in tho trenches;

But old Fritz must be fcelin' the same. 'E don't like trench mortars, an' whizzbangs an' mud, An' 'o 'ates the barbed wire. 'E'd quit if 'e could. 'Cos 'c's only a Bosch an' a 'eathen.. But mo ! Why, I'm glad as I came! For we're shovin' 'im out of 'is trenches An' makin' a bit of a name. It's worth 'undrcds of quids to 'ave bin in the show Knockin' spots off the 'Un. An' no one can know, Unless they 'ave bin in tho scrappin', Just why I'm so glad as I came. It is the " flower of our youth " that we have sent to tho war, we say. Precisely. And it is the weeds that are left behind.

From a collector of wayside flowers:— Will the person who' took wrong gentleman's • hat—soft brown felt—from the porch of tho Methodist Church on Sunday morning, return same, to save further trouble, to tho caretaker of Church, Mr Gatehouse, and procure their own. —Waimato Times, December 5. This ecclesiastical and pointed appeal to a person to "procure their own" recalls the very old Punch story of another " wrong gentleman's hat"—not soft brown felt: —

English as sho is spoke at the Universities : First undergraduate (releasing himself from tho throes of composition): " How will this do, (Jus?—' Mr Smith presents his compliments to _Mr Jones, and finds he has a hat which isn't mine; so, if you have a hat which isn't his, no doubt they are the ones.'" Second Ditto (admiringly): "Just the thing." Study in mixed fractions: — Admitted to hospital, wounded, and discharged from hospital.—Lieutenant : gMeßCorporalCS : AGBT: shr sh xz — D. G. Johnston.—(Timaru Herald, December 6.) Only " " of all that! Civis.