NOTHING ABOUT WAR

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVII, Issue 23111, 27 January 1945, Page 2

NOTHING ABOUT WAR

Letters To “ The Times ” The letter columns of “The Times,” are as cherished a British institution as Sunday debates at Hide Park Corner, the Houses of Parliiment or London Bridge, states Lewis Gannett, correspondent in Britan for the “New York Herald-Tribune.” And what is England writing about ;n these dramatic war weeks?

Not about flying bonbs on London. The question whether cits or dogs have been the more favoured in homage paid by literature to animals was hotly discussed for a time; a cit-loving correspondent proudly recaled that it was the death by drowning of Walpole’s cat while goldfishing in an Oriental china cistern which lispired Gray to write a famous ode.

An inspiration to Enjlish letter-writ-ers was a dispute wliether the Australian Jones had acjfcally bowled a ball through the great W. G. Grace's beard during a cricket match played in 1896. One correspondent produced photographs which showed that in 1896 the beard was n>t bushy enough. Mr Arthur Porham. of Great Ramsgate, who had collaboiated with "W.G.” on a book about cricket in 1899, said he had never heard “W.G.” mention the incident,, and was sure he would have had it occurred. Incidentally, he suggested that “W.G.” disliked fast bowling. This produced an angry ft>od of refutation.

Beards also figure ii the debate about the coat of arms prepared for Princess Elizabeth by the Cillege of Heralds. These arms include a beardless unicorn, and scholars from al over the United Kingdom are wrangling pro and con the question whethei the best unicorns wear beards. Meanwhile the uaial British debate about good Englisi weaves its way through the letter :olumns. One correspondent having suggested that the war word “directive!’ was an importation from across tie Channel, C. F. Strickland, of Oxfjrd, wrote that it obviously came Hon across the ocean. He suggested "tliateditors should issue

an instructive to tielr staffs to avoid the use of this etpressive except in quotatives from otler languages."

That’s England h wartime. Writers to "The Times" tiidge sturdily along, preoccupied with g'eat questions which have preoccupied ingland for generations. They want b keep the record of the past straight ii the present and of the present in tin future. The war goes, and let ter-writers

carry on the pioid British tradition of colourful indignation about every lil.llp Ihinff under the sun.