WAR NOTES AND NOTIONS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11282, 9 January 1915, Page 11

WAR NOTES AND NOTIONS.

~ The Nobel prize will limp to be bigger' lor the man uho brings- peace this year.—" Toledo Blade." • * • We've been wondering lately whai uncivilised warfare must be. like.— "New York American." « Italy feels compelled i<> flunk twice before '.risking her valuable 'opera singers in war. —" Conner." Lousvillo. :■• ■ V Before ili is war is .over they may fiirn' Carnegie's Hague Peace Palace into an arsenal.—"Town Talk/' ban Francisco. 1.1.1 December of 1910 a "barracks to coast test.'" of iroop ' transportation was .held, in England. Five, hundred soldiers, with ammunition, entrenching equipment, and one day's rations, were moved to a point on the coast at an average speed, of twentytiie mles an hour. To-day England has 10.000 buses which are dield in reserve for dashes to any part of an unprotected roast iine. 'Forty thousand men could be moved '2OO miles by them in-less than ten hours. This is part of Britain's '••unseen '' service. « Being an American born, Sir Hiram Maxim suggests to rich Britishers that they raise, a fund of £20.000,000 to be applied to the support of the families ol men" in the field. lie also proposes pay at the rate of Gs. a day for all soldiers. ll' Sir Hiram can introduce a. few of ihese. American ideas into the military establishments of Europe, reinforced later with a big pension system, he will make war so terrible that, it will never be heard of any more.—"The World.'' Everybody fa now' learning what strategists mea.n by au "offensive move." Shelling' a . cathedral 700 years old is a typical illustration. Sunday school children attending a .Sunday harvest festival at St Peter's "Rochester, took with them some thousands of cigarettes. They were for the wounded soldiers lying in the. military hospitals at Chatham. * » The "Daily News" quotes the "Berlin Taeglicho Runds'chau. "■ as follows:—" Germany and Holland . . . a re'neighbours of ethnological affinity and united by numerous commercial and intellectual bombs." Even the bombs in Germany are cultured. Despite the recent Order-in-Couneil regarding names of aliens, -the London and North-Western Railway locomotive Germanic has changed its name to •Belgic, and the. Great Western Railway locomotive Knight of the Black Eagle is in future to be known as Knight of Liege. - *-:-■' ' * * ■■ i. . A PLACE IN THE SUN. An' Emperor of haughty, demeanour. Whose methods might well have been cleaner, Said "Every good Hun Wants a place in the sun." And he'll get it—in bright St Helena. %* ' GERMAN culture."Kultur." What does this betoken? Undertakings bafely broken. Laws of Clod and man denied.. Townships sacked, cathedrals battered, Unoffending nations shattered, Ruthless rapine glorified. . . THE CURE. "Poor Kaiser Bill is very ill." So the doctor said ; But looking again to locate the pain. lie found a much swelled head. " It needs ai once a speedy 'cure, AVith action prompt, and .swift, and sure, Give unto him" the doctor said. "Three drams of powder, with an ounce of lead." « • RULES OF WAR; A young couple crime out of'a kinema theatre iu the East tend of .Loudon. "Did you notice that bayonet-that was cut,like a saw on one edge?" she asked. "Wicked. T call it."

"Rats, dear!" said the man. " But, surely —it isn't what you would call playing the gamer" " Whose game:-'" be demanded.

''Vnii wouldn't like us io 'use a weapon like that, would you?'' she insisted. "Xo: T would like us to nso on<> with two edge*. - cut like ;: saw."'

" It wouldn't, lie civilised." ensue, the feehle protest.

" Xo hut it. would he wnr," was the .apt retort. " We ;w'<> such a lot of nice, civilised. Sunday school-maximed, Llamed fools, we are! AVe don't like

fining this, and we are. thank heaven, too-'clean to do that.- [.'reckon this war isn't in open-air sanatorium' nor a travelling commission on longevity, it's war !" " Yes but isn't there rules?" she ;:sked. ungrammatically. "Lots!-" he answered. "And if our rule is to look' nice and'not soil our pinnies, and the-other fellow's rule i's to give black eyes, we shall never walk along Untor den Linden to the martial strains of ' lt!s a Long, Long Way to Tip'pera'ry.'' Ugh!" ' *»• GERMAN NAVAL SONO. Thoutjh . " Might is Right " We still sittight, Behind the Bight. Both day and night, Though Might is Right. We still' sit tight. Well out of sight We still sit"tight. Though Might is Right, We dare not fight,' Well out of sight We still sit tight. ' V SCRAMBLED STRATEGY. A colonel of the Muscovites Entrenched his men at Krjsywcze And there awaited' orders from The general staff at Dziabvsclce. The enemy in numbers vast Advanced "from Szczuczwn And'tried .to get around bis ba-se That rested-on the Tyczyn. The colonel pulled his scraggy beard, Looked westward, toward KopyczynoOj. And muttered as he clenched his teeth:— ,••'■ '•'-' - • ■': " They've lost at Kupczyace. " If Rennenknmpf could only know And send some guns from -Dnbrzvn, Wed hurl them back on Hrjbieszow And on to Mikulrczvn."' '■'•.•*. KATSER POSING AS A CHILD OF THE PROPHET. The -character "of the influence brought to bear on Turkey to induce her to play the Kaiser's game in Eastern- Europe is indicated with engaging hiuntness m the German Press." Battered by the Bnlbn war and all but driven back into Asia, Turkey has little more tolbse in Europe. Germany " ap- ■ pealed" to her,, in the sacr«d name of Islam, pointing out that a victorv of the Allies -would- destroy the last remaining stronghold' of Mahomedanism. As .a hist inducement, the Kaiser has even allowed it to go forth that he has himself embraced the Moslem faith! "WE WANT TO GO HOME!" .• ( Tt is : reported in a telegram from ■ Sluis that/ German, soldiers passing through Bruges substituted the following song—which is probably characteristic of their feelings since their repulse'on the Yser—for the famous i " Dsutschland über A lies ": . '.-.'' Gloria ! Gloria! Wir wollen nach Hause . g"ehoh ; Gloria .'-Gloria ! In der Helnmt soil keip Ki-ieg mehr sein- - whicli being translated: runs: Glory! Glory! W.e want to go homeGlory! Glory! At .home there will be war no more. . •***« '%• AMftR rOA X NEIITRA LITY. j ■Mr Harold Begbie is visiting the United States to ascertain what Americans really feel about the war. We gather from his despatches, that he is somewhat disappointed at American trepiditv. In the "Daily Chronicle " Mr Begbie had a poem, written in New York, appealing to the heart of neutral Amorica. We quote two verses:— When men are told in years ahead How Fury forced the Belgian Door. And 'ravi.-hed maids, struck children do-vl. And fired the houses of the poor, AY ill none*, if still'that nation lives Our .sires with blood .and sweat begat. A--k with the pride your greatness gives"What said America to - that?" We ask: not that of'all your hosts One man,' one sword, be sacrificed: Your cousins guard these ancient • coasts. Your kinsmen charge this antichrist; But we expect your mighty voice With judgment'through the world to . run. ■ . O Land of Freedom, make your choice. '. Are von for Belgium or the .Hun r*

A word <'■( protest, from President "Wikon against Oennnn mine-laying on tin- track of .Atlantic liners would bf> of i'lfiniio value to humanity. What we shall get, perhaps, 'is a pVo.test from American cotton exporters to Germany ng-inst the' closing of tlie North >Soa In- the British A'dmirnUv.--" Christian World."