The Rangitikei Advocate TWO EDITIONS DAILY. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1918.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLII, Issue 11633, 7 September 1918, Page 4

The Rangitikei Advocate TWO EDITIONS DAILY. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1918.

Fair Play For Britain.

MR MASSEY is learning a few useful things in England. In the Weekl Despatch, a few clays ago he advocated the increased use of the film as an educative ' influence and means of spreading knowledge between toe various parts of the Empire of each others’ concerns, manufactures and products. He also’said that he intends to see tbafe British films shall get every chance on his return to New Zealand. If his good tions do not escape him before he sights the bolder aspects of the New Zealand coast he is likely to work a vast reform both in the school and the hall. One of the items in the school sylalbus is nature study. Wou ! d half an honr or a quarter ot an hour’s teaching of this subject by the aid of the cinema not impart more information on the subject than a week s oral tuition, especially if co-ordinated with intelligent description ? Then, again, what do we ever learn of the “various parts of the Empire its concerns, manufactures and products?” We certainly do not draw much of that kind of information from erotic American pictures. It is, too, full time that British, Canadian, Australian and, South African film makers had a chance. The picture, business in New Zea-

land is evidently a close monopoly which, 'besides absolutely decidin'? for us what wo sliall or shall not see, is probably alsoextraccing the uttermost farthing from exhibitors for the two hours use of the 61mc. If it is not, it is a very rightenos monopoly, the hind of monopoly that will be eternally saved without the need of saying any prayers.

IN June last the Kaiser proclaimed himself a Jt'au-Ger-

A Pan-German.

man, and apparently mad« a strong bid for the leadership of the party, which aims at world dominion, with a few additional material things thrown in. Ety doing so he, of course, rendered it practically impossible to agree to any concessions which whittled away any of the aims of that bellicose and perverse crowd. It was a foolish thing to do, because he must now inevitably go down with his flag .flying, and all the diplomats of the natious'wondered greatly at his |,illcousidered action. The reason has now been revealed. It was that he might intercept by his august person the popularity which was finding its way to his prodigal sou, the Crown Prince. The Kaiser is, in fact, fighting on two fronts—tor victory in France and for popularity at home against his heir. The Crown Prince has'sacrified hundreds of thousands of German lives by his entire'iack of. military [ability, as, for instance at Yerdun. But that is of no consequence. A rattle of the sabre and a little bombast atones in Germany for hecatombs of dead, aua the Crown Prince, by the violence of*his pan-Germanism \vas becoming quite a pan-German darling. The Prince once said of his father, [,“Tnat man is always getting in my way,” ibut what ‘‘that man” has said of the Grown Prince it is j||not very ‘ difficult |to imagine. There is bitter hostility between them. The Kaiser was a brute to his own parents, and that eternal fate which, ;in the great majority of cases measure for measure, is returning it to him in brimming plenty.

THE German Crown Prince is more amusing than that bsnevelolEut and [respected man, his father. If the Kaiser

, Elastic Defensive.

could be prevailed upon to give a newspaper man his comment on the facility with which his armies are getting themselves out of Foch’s road, his deliverance'wonld he bombastic and intensely pious in his heathen way. But it would not be amusing. LHe -has much to ’learn from the Crown Prince if he would place himself under his tuition. Besides becoming an adept at burg lary, like the eldestTof his offspring, and many other infractions of the Commandments, he would acquire a very useful method iof expressing himself’ amusingly when within ho is being scarified by his apprehensions. For instance, what could have been happier than the Crown Prince’s characterisation of the present disastrous defeat as an “elastic defence.” Since *Fooh lashed the German armies into ’hurried reteat they have strewn much of the soil of France with their dead, whole armies . have been taken prisoner, the whole route of their flight is covered with the abandoned spoils of war, vast numbers of guns which it will he impossible for them to replace have been left behind, and this is an elastic defence. Some time he will probably inadvertently get very near the front and he will be seen spriutingflike mad for safety, with a British whippet after him, and he will have a very vivid experience of what an elastic defensive is like, an experience that is now confined exclusively to his soldiers.