Overseas News

Camp News, Volume 3, Issue 123, 22 May 1942, Page 7

Overseas News

THEY WORSHIP BEER! I’m willing to take on a large-size bet you’ve never heard of the KHEVSURS. And another bet that' when you’ve heard of them you won’t easily forget them. The KHEVSURS live in the mountain country not far from Tiflis (between the Black and Caspian Seas). They call themselves Christians, believing in the Cross and St. George, also the apostles Peter and Paul; but Jesus is unknown to them! Their life is one long holdiay, as they keep holy Sunday, Friday, Saturday and Monday. As Georgian Christians, they keep Sunday; in deference to Mohammedans they keep Friday; on account of the Jews they keep Satturday. Why Monday? Just to show that they have a mind of their own they choose Monday to suit themselves. Not that they allow religion to irk them overmuch. Their chief god is BEER, and their temples contain huge barrels of beer and copper pails. At every festival beer is taken, the congregation waiting deferentially for the priest to get inotxicated, and then politely following suit. I find no mention of KHEVSURS ever stopping away from church. Needless to say, such a people knows how to deal with home-life. The KHEVSUR has no doubt at all who is master in his house. For the first twenty years of his married life his mother-in-law is not allowed to enter his home. As it to be expected in a community showing so much religious tolerance that it celebrates other people’s holidays, the Khevsurs are an easygoing race, and great child lovers, and unless in a drunken brawl they dislike fighting. ' They are not mentioned in travel agency booklets and they are well off the general tourist track, but, having read this, there must be many thoughtful people who feel like saving their pennies to sample this earthly paradise when peacetime comes again! * * ♦ ♦ . TWO V.C.’s IN BRITISH HIGH COMMANDS. Two V.C.s and altogether 267 military or naval titles, are among 301 new H.G. appointments announced by the War Office. Brigadier General John Vaughan Campbell the “Tally-ho” V.C., is one of the new lieutenant-colonels and battalion commanders. He won the decoration in 1916 for rallying the Coldstream Guards under heavy fire by sounding the hunting horn he used as Master of the Tanatside Hunt. ' The other V.C. is Captain Reginald Leonard IT a inc, who won the Cross in 1917 for leading six mombing attacks agianst the enemy and recapturing a

strong point. He is also appointed lieutenant-col-onel and battalion commander.