ENGLAND IN CRISIS.

Thames Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 14471, 10 March 1913, Page 6

ENGLAND IN CRISIS.

•• :■■■•■■■ '-■• -| ,■-.■- ••'.. BY- WILLIAM WATSON,

The two sonnets following, written years ago by Mr. William Watson, but bearing ( upon the siaval crisis and the uprousing of Greater Britain, are taken * from ,the anthology, "Poems of the Love and Pride of England," published by ¥7ard, Look, and Co., in 1897.) ' RESTORED ALLEGIANCE. Dark is thy trespass, deep is thy remorse, O England ! ' Fittingly thine own feet bleed, . Submissive to the purblind guides that lead Thy weary steps along this rugged course. • Yet . . . when ,1 glance abroad, and track the source, More selfish far, of other nations' - ; deed, - And mark their tortuous craft, their 'jealous greed, Their serpent-wisdom or mere soulless force, Homeward returns my vagrant fealty, Crying, "O England, shoiildst. Thou one day fall, Shatter'd in ruins by some Titan -■ - ioe,, . ' ■ . ' .-.,■■ Justice were thenceforth weaker throughout all The world, and Truth less passionately free, And God the poorer for thine overthrow." . - LAST WORD : TO THE COLONIES, Brothers beyond the Atlantic's loud expanse ;' And you that rear., the innumerable fleece ■ Far southward, 'mid the ocean . named of peace,; . Britons that past the Indian wave, advance , Our name and spirit and world-pre-dominance ; - And you our kin that reap the earth's increase Where crawls that long-hacked mountain till it cease, Crown'd with the headland of bright esperance :— Remote compatriots, wheresoe'er ye dwell; By your prompt voices ringing clear and true We know that with our England all is well: Young is she yet, her world-task but begun ! By you we know h»r safe, and know by you Her veins are million, but her heart is one.

A young friend or ours in the country wants to know what is the object of saying "Bo" to a goose. Well, we don't quite know, but we never say it. We always say "Belle" to a goose and "Beau" to a gander. You see, we live to teach, these things, and that is part of our "propergander" method." Mistress: "A penny for your thoughts,. Nora."Cook : "That's just what I was thinking of." Mistress : " Explain, Nora." Cook : "Why mum, I was thinking of a copper !" Giraffes, porcupines, and armadillos are entirely voiceless.

The Secretary of the Aucklaiict Drivers' Union wrote to the City Council calling attention *o- the large number of. tram1 acefdents in Auckland as being out of all proportion to the population and suggesting that the contributing' cause was the excessive hours worked by miotormen. The writer stated that he understood motormen often worked 16 and 18 hours per day herein: Christehurcli in one week out1' driver worked; 98 T,nd another 10-1 hours.