South Wales Weekly Post

This a Merry Xm,t only to the thought-leas and irresponsible. Even the; relatively few unbereaved or free frcm the anxiety concerned with the safety and wcll-beiog of l'elabyes, or near friends in the iigh??g line, must be ccnscious that the atmosphere ig charged with natiot?I and individual apprehel.sions and wornes. There is too much suSering and sorrow in | the land to permit of frivolous festivities The chastening bV1d is being laid hea'nly i Qn us, in oomn?a with the people of <J, the belligerent countries. In the course of the Armageddon levity if out of the questio-i, and the orevailing spirit can banlly fail to be serious, earnest and preoccupied. The thought of the gallant hl" fighting, endur- ing, and hourly risking lii'e and limb in France and Flanders, Gallipoli, Salonika, Mesopotamia, East- Africa, or 0.1 the seas, where the dangers of the elements are sup- plemented by those created by the enemy, will interpose again and again to check the disposition to be gay or festive. Nevertheless, wo. construe it to 'be a. pa- t-riotic duty not to be cast down, but, on the contrary, to cultivate cheerfulness and con- fidence as assets of value in the supreme test that destiny has imposed. We have to emulate the proud disdain for troubles and hardships which is so O-istiuctive a char- acteristic of the men under fire. No nation can become, or continue, great unless it p6! pess the capacity for self-sacrifice and the cnality of endurance. We at homo can do our little bit in the Avar, not on'v by seeing to 'it that the armies in tho field are adH- ouately. reinforced, gunned,munitioned, fed, and clothed, so that they can give the best 1 of their powers to the cause of freedom and I civilisation, but also by maintaining unim- •• nairod the resolution and stoicism which the JBms have assailed with a calculated "{rightfulness" for which no precedent 13 1 o be fouiid in the annals of warfare. The remark attributed to the French soldier re- turning from the tranches after more tlnn B s h':ht'iig, th:, ootec. of his short leave .vrrt to twr up and pti: fresh heart into the ("1]; jt). point weighted Tvith s;- £ -l<can.-<». It i* J notorious that there is .no pe:'simi?.ra at the j front. There. amid the booming of the guns, the rattle of the rifles, and in iude'- neribable difficulties ••>nd tnalp of a confbetj most savagely ••iit-t.-invri, t h ,oldiers are rheery, oonfideiit and -ure ot the ultimate; victory aid prepared to pay the rrict,, uf it. j We, who softer and risk h- Mil'' m pared. i1- -di-vhl nront, ■ re., Af-ding of lni>>.5, rhe taAct&jr ot mrves. «a(i j »He steeling »? hearts on thi- vaT'- 'U:' >vsi- (')lfJoaLmt ? Tire niLTious -no?'er her soii aw-ty with the achnonition, ,?*Mind to keep in the hack row," yielded to a natural feeling, hut woefully misconceived the part she should phiy in this weald's 1 trag"edy. e, srubord'nation of self to i h" nati'nal interests—t't u the necessary j kcyv.ole t') the hi-r e,? l^e i parent, wife, tv,: ,v..v::o rewlutel v- n_i i 11-; i);(' to weaken, > uvieve. nacri^ce i_ s the example >y r.he warriors—than whom t hero have l- ro«<~ doughtier- or finer in the whole of (HI" Island's emergence •fom ohr-rurii-v to t t", proudest eini.neiice— cstahh'shing noen- the traditiona-l repute of j he British raco on tea lld llld. Ann there is much to hearten and eaicour- iw in the fulfilment cf the 11111ty to h« i --ong and confident. In the West, -'where' ibe defis-ive battle -will have to be fought apd the ertnvning victory achieved, the i'r:;xo- l ror.ch-'ilei: :?n ;<¡mi,H, held the enemy fast. !•• :( u ;'1:'1 by yj^ldin-g heavy i .\1 m ;:5 ih.cs the str-itegical points | lied wru. The yih.ys'ica.l superiority of the Allies—tlic-vj have nearlv everywhere got to the crests aud lo. down on th-> eoorn y —oorre- tnionds with the moral superiority establish- ed dver the Gernia-tis. Ihe latter have .been (.Iecliniiig in muility, whilst on the suir. of the British aad the French this has? *brfeu risdng-. That is. so far as the- British ? ure cOKicerned, since the incomparable small j '6f?t army \? v>\ ae^ically wiped out. It iB ?. EO dispanigement of Allies or enemies to ? E!?'rt that' t'-? 90.000 i;rit?h which con- f, on/ted the overwhelming masses of the Oer- nuns at TvTons and fought back their way to ¥ont»ineMeau, near Paris, during ten aays and nights of martyrdom, nubrohm iu spirit r or formation, was matchless, For they were I #Xperi pn cod men trained to the last ounce and splendid.lv led. The- Germans have borne 4el"timony to tbeir ooolne-ss under fire, their I tenacity, and the deadlines of their pc-r- fect-ly controlled volleys in which en-ry bul. let was meant to kill. Sneil an exqui;itely tempered weapon; could not be reprcdu-eed in a day, u. week, 2: year But by the hundred1 thousand we have sent across the sea material in the rough equal to the best—the very flower of our young- majiliood—'inspired by the indo- pi.t-ahle spirit of the ''ace and. rendered the more formidable by a high standard of in- tehigeuice and a lofty conception of patriotic duty- These soldiers, the pick of our land, because eager and willing, benefitted by de- of the athletic training afforded hy our Jlahrma.l game&IJl th(ir mBl'c,h tlnere is a Slir D ille,36 of gait an d a vigour not to be found in other ajmies—only need the final polish winch o^jtual warfare alone can fur- ajjsh to develop into combatants relatively as much to be feared as the Roundheads of ? Cromwell, in their time the most Gnicient fl 'Ph Europe. g.ters u: liTOpC tall.. v;it.l the boys back f'ûm 1 France a-ad Fliiilen, without becoming I ti- fected by their optimism. The (j&rman eoldier M visibly deteriorating the (xerman are apprecifihlv fewex a large? pio- j •> portion fail to explod e and the minority that j do disc^0R-e loading with .bits of bicycle frame2-, anfI other curious elements, indicat- i en-icnts, I ti Lc4,t- ing German shortage in the meta.ls eesentra-I iushell makmg. Not a soldier from the Western front dcjlibt4i the capacity of the Allies to break through, provided the supply of high pxplOSlve shellB be aelequate, ivbenevei, tlic moment arrives. The French are figlitirig liko and when the word "go" is given there will be an irresisti- ble advance. Only blunders in directing the main attacks this autiu.'in have prevented ir- reparable damage to the German lines. This is the predominant feeling in the British fighting line. Russia, which fights like a Willa w jth one arm tied behind, because the supply of arma- ments in an ice-locked Empire in winter seta a limit to the soldiers that can be placed in the battle-line, jg, notwithstanding this and the heavy losses suffered, pushing back the invader from the region of Baga. and successfully resisting the etforts to ( dialodgc her from Galieia. Her promiso of I effective iiiterposition in the Balkans has not yet been ledeemed, despite recurrent reports suggesting definite, action on this front. XXI (1, would be well advised for reasons not suitable for discussion to i?oder&to our expectations regarding Russian aid in the Near Eact. More encouraging is the thrum of our AUy through Persia, which, if persevered, with, must immeasllreably simplify our task of reaching Bagdad before the Germans- The latter, now that a course haa been cleao-ed between Berlin and Constantinople, are in a position to menace either Egypt or Mesopotamia, or both. The key to the cryptic allusion to Japan.—the only remruuit left of M. Clemnce.au' s adide in his paper by the French military censors—may prø- sently be ,made public should the Germanic powers persevere with their plan, of striking j at EgypL and the Suez Canal, the most vulnerable parts of the British Empire. In Africa, an army, under the command of Sir Smith-Dorrien, is about to undertake the clearing ?nt of the Huns from the only part of th? Bark Continent ldt to them..At.! Salonil?? an Allied force is being a?sembl?d, most, upsetting to the German plans far attacking Egypt, or capturing Bagdad. For it, was never contemplated that a hostile army would be within 120 miles of the rail- way that is the main artery between the Central Powers, Turkey, and tho lands be- yond. This army is .steadily "digging itself in" at a point where both flanks rest on the sea, from which warships can operate as mobile forts. As the Bulgarians are warned off" from participation lest they come into conflict with the Greeks, the Anglo-French are strong c,itrl,gh-a,rid their strength in- creases daily through the arrival of reinforce- ments-to defy attack. And msanwhilo j Greece, which under the guidance ()ni?W?h"I" ) ,) German King has proved untrustworthy and false, is deiuonstiating its disapproval of the direction given to the national policy. The advice given by M. Venezelos to the Greek electors not to vote in the mockery of the recent general election has been so generally followed that the aggregate of votes caet is not a third of that registered earlier ■in the year when, the Vetiexejoists obtained a. decisive majority. King Constantine has substantial reason to make noto of the re- /turns. lie has now a pliable Pai.-lianietat-- but without popular sanction. These affairs distract attention from I the. greater fact of all. British command of the sea is throttling the Central Bowers and inking sure the winning of the war. If the Germanic Powers won in every fight on hind they would fail as Napoleon did, because- the last' word must be eaid by the navy. Even if Russia, Italy, and France were wohsted in the strugglc.-wlncn is not likely—Germany and Austria won d be debarred from oversea trade, and would hp isolated in consequence. For until t he British fleet has been worsted in battle it eliminates the 1tM. a.itd for their existence e 'ic.eriieid'y iheir enemies* must 'make i er:: >; with the dominant naval power bsfcre -e-Ni--<Tve a fhite ;"ip::f' ^The America i < paper a, wiric:» ataptuusisf; this pha ctl « war, have the true perspec- tive < the situation. For until the Germans moke terms with Great Britain—come weal or woe ou 1a,nd--no German ship sails or steams1 on the ocean. I

—— —— ¡ Mr. Stanley Wiaishburn, the American {"HTi:spondent:"ith tL' Jt;Ï:¡,n fOI'Ges, can correspondent ? it-h the- Itu.s.-?in.ti fcr&es, cc.? curfi with another coTrespondent of the Tinw th.t the lack of any attempt to make the Russian Army and public ? a.c- quainted with the etfNts æld tJw sacr^ ifices (?f Fmtdand pl'oduced a dangerous frame of mind in Ilusi-ia. th,ere could have bean wa rm-hearted enthusiasm. there is now. these gentlemen say, a frigid indifferr- ence. We are all aware that the German ws.i. of publicity, through the feeding and of t-lit) neutral press, with all ti), diligence and thoroughness which is our s cardinal asnot, has produced rcsulUs detrimental to us, even with the assistance | of facts like the Lusitania crime, the in- famies in France and Belgium, which ihoxild have spoken for themselves. M. R-aemak«rs, I the great I>tst<;h c-artoonist, has, it is true, done inestimable service to the Allied cause from his own volition..Tie* is the one great artist that t.he war has produced. But save for biril, the German press agents have had the run oi their teeith. The British press, which if certainly not inferior in talent to aav German bureaucracy could have COIl- ducied a campaign of education in neutral countries of inestimable value, had its ser- vices only been requisitioned by the British Government. But, permHte<i to tell its own puhhc little of value as to what was transpiring, it could do nothing abroad. SQ the twentieth century German, who made war an affair of advertisement and I as well as of machinery, beat, the Allies, and is still beating them, not-j ably in Bulgaria, in Turkey and in Greece.! Yet popular feeling in Bulgaria. and TnrkBY was originally with the Allies. Sir M-ai vj Sykes was isked by a a old Turkish sergeant, taken prisoner in Mesopotamia, whose'tears ran down his cheeks, "When have the Tmk and the English ever fought If-fore. We all know how chivalrous and humane the Turk has proved himself to be in Gallipoli- Elsewhere, and against other people, it, is I another story. In Bulgaria, again, no ap- peal was ever made to the traditions of re- verenee and gratitude that centre 'around (?g??tone and the (?rax Liberator. In Sweden a. campaign of publicity was ca.Hcd ^T iber- is there a suspicion of Russia far from unnatural; but the German pr? again. «nd Gei-n>an agents, have had the whip hand, though we believe that the Swedes an unlikely ever to drift beyond an attitude of "benevolent impartiality, with the benevolence turned towards the Ger- mans. If the Allied pres.* -in England at any rate has given Russia the fullest credit for her achievements under great difficul- ties, there has been an absence of recipro- city. The Russians are, to begin with, mostly an illiterate peasantry, who seldom travel beyond their own parish, who have to obtain Government permission to do so, who 1dom see a newspaper and hardly recognise one when they see it. Of geography they have the faintest notion and they call foreigners indiscriminately by the same name as they apply to the Germans. Russia is nvoreover isolated from contact with the forces in every (iuai-ter, 15ave for the I Baltic submarines; perhaps, in the spring, we may see actual military co-operation in Persia. It is not an easy matter to reacil such a people. It 65 very difficult when our own people have but vague ideas to to what is happening Oess than a day s journey from their own homes. But no attempt j at aN was mllide to enlighten the Russians; aud the latter, subject to tremendous losses, wiiith province after province, city after city, passing into the enemy's hands, ex- periencing harrowing disappointments, with huge sacrinces made in vain, knew nothing oJ the predicament of the Western Allies. Mr- Waghbum himself hardly seems aware of what the Western Allies had to do iu Mai. HJat was, for the British, a month of bloody fighting, at Ypres and around TAl Bassee, in which a relatively iramense loss was incurred for 110 result at ail in the case of most of the fighting. British and French, thE, British more conspicuously, were fatally weighed down by lack of sufficient heavy artiJiery and ammunition. There was nobody to tell the .Russians that if they were bein? b&djy battered from the faHure of their supplies, the Allies in the West were in just as evil a case. In France, as well as in R-ussin. the secrecy enforced as regards our military efforts hael prejudicial consequences for the time being. 1 For the Russians one must make allow- ances, but such French critics as there were at the time should have had the justice to recognise that ? hnge army is not impro- rL'ed in a rni?itary -,ve-11 were common ?r?'.??t.ige years before the war broke out. Friend and foe knew that our Army was up: n the most modest standard, t.hat Uiere was no national re- sponse to the appeal to strengthen it be- times and prepare for Armageddon, and that the Government, of those days was induced only with difficulty to maintain our naval supremacy itself. The Russian people, nob well informed at the best of times (to put it mildly) could hardly be cxoc-cted to re- cognise this; the idea may well have been prevalent that we could conjure up armies I by the methods of Aladdin. Something nt least might have been told them of the gigantic and unexceptional effort to create a new army of the larg?sb type. Five tboiis?d Ru-s?ian soldier" and peasants, brought to this country and ?hown every t1"Úning camp, Rnd arsenal. old or newly improvised in ihis country, sent home then td spread their impressions broadcast, would have been ?f incalculable value. Russian correspondents at the Dardanelles, recording fully every phase of that mighty battle to break down Russia's southern prison vai l, these could have done wonrlers in Russia. Secrecy in war is in some things vital; but in others it is most dangerous. Let other people know nothing of what we are doing and we must not, blame them if thev conclude —ha)pig J1,0 tangible evidence to the con- trary—that Wo are doing nothing.

\e have emerged from Christ-mastide with expectancy as the koynoto of the posi- tion on every front. There has been no impfiaod trues during the holiday, corre- sponding to that w h :!(-h a year ago in the West caused the TIgpensio;) of firing and I the atraii ge spectacle oi rival troops frater- nising beivfieen the trenches. There have been h.appetting.s since., on land and sea, em bittering the relations of the belligerents oat the fighting line. So much so that in recent months the conflicts have attained a degree of fieTC&ne^ anel viiidicti ven.ess. pro- babiy without It parallel in the warfare of civilised nation,* for centuries. The Hun atrocities hi Belgium and iiVarace, the pirati- ct l and mur&e(poua attacks on the Lusitania 'I othei unarmed craft, as well aa dB 71 hi Great- ?' .<'   ? ?' ?' H?. <. B-ritoili and Stance, have placed the mans outside the p"fe of honou-ni-hk cinMuie- In Wiast sides have been parathvciy q??acent, et-:b awaiting an ? en??ny spriH? 'vh?sh prR?rutg it a own. The' "Hies hdieve thnt the Ger- mQll, uHder ?ho ?peTatjvc T!<"cassity of seeking a dt?c?vc J''esu]? at the maNi llODt, ?'?11 a&s?mp th;? offensive. Thi. 2' n),(, wo,ttld I'a 1-it, a counter-attack uudr higMy favour- able conditions. The prevaiiirtng opinion is that whether delivered West or East the stroke of the German High Staff, acting under the pressure of economic, ass well as strategic considerations, will not wait for the spring, when the steadily accumulating resources of the Entente Powers will have attained lii.ariacing pjroportions. At Salonika, the Russian, and the Western ironts, greater force* by that time are Likely to be massed than any yet ooiia-onted by the Germanic I Empires and their Allies. The entrenchcd I CB mp of the Anglo-French established around the great Macedonian port is already so strong that a competent judge like General C'astelnau, the Chief of the French Head- quarters Staff and second only to Joffre in authority, contcmp]at,ea with the most serene confidence the result of the impend- ing attack hy the e»mbination of Austro- German and Bulgar-Turkish forces. In Persia, Russian troops have broken the baelc of the pro-German movement, laboriously or,ganjsed before and after the outbreak of the war, and are, by the indirect influence of their success, easing the strain on and facilitating the future task of the British Expediti°nary Army, which, when j sufficiently reinforced, is to resume its checked march on Bagdad. To a coalition iii i;Iis,Yuted command of the sea there are so many pos- sible points at which the splendid force of fighting men released from Gallipoli can! operate that we wust wait to see w here they reappear, a ft-er betn lost to sight after the amazingly Buccessful withdrawal from, the Turkish peninsula- One of the most pre- cious assets of sea-power is its capacity to strike suddenly, where .unexpected. The crowded transports, with their escorts of worships, disappear "into the wide reaches of the 1,f;)R a-nel arc cJOable of coming into sight j'.gain, a formidable armada, on any coast-, I near, or far, selected by the high command. Not e?en the abators can apcertau) m ad- i6e, the direction of the swc&p. Kaiser I William, a pinch-heck world-oonqueror com- pared with Nanoleon, is by this time be-I ginning to realise ^hat the latt-er clea perceived to be the secret of his own un- doing—the elusiveness and striking force of sea-power. If the "very worst befalled the Entente Powers en land no German ship could sail the seas, and German external trade would continue to be paralysed until the Potsdam war-lords had made terras with PotF; d qni -,var- l or d Great Britain, whose matchless- fleets domin- ate the seven seas. N ■. 1 ——11 1 « j

The ono prophecy that can be made with reasonable assurance as t-o the course of events in the corning year is that a great secondary field of war will be opened up in the Near East, and Western Asia, centring around Salonika, the Suez Canal, and Mesopotamia and Persia. Echoes of the guns that first spoke ;n Eastern Belgium will soon be resounding almost in Afghani- stan; already Persia is the battleground of small Russian forces and a- mob of irreiru- ?rs, b.?nditti nnd tnhealueu ooJ1edûd bv German ?nt.ne'Mrs. Th ojt?tandm? ¡:;ig.¡ ni?ance of th? new campaign v'm be its diTersion of Allied t,roOD from the main enemy in the main theatre of war-the Ger- mans in France and Flanders. For French alBritiilh will be fighting in the Balkans, in Lgypt and Mesopotamia, against armies nine-tenths Turks and Bulgarians, with a, German element represented possibly hy a snia? contingent of German troopF, f.'?' moral effect, and by German officn and n.on-commissioned officers in charge of the direction and s'Jpri-.v of the Turkish armies. A mjllion Turk* >>< n be placed in the field, according to the estimates of the British War Office, and. n.x>ut half-a-million Bul- garians, possibl r ore. The Germans viil I see to if. that tJ ill weight of this million and a ha.lf will L; Pelt by the Allies, as far as they can oca- -re it. i Kapalcon. rank-1 a desert as the greatest of natural military obstacks, and after a. desert a mount a: range. Th-3 railway has abolished the. ri > t. The defence of th-e* Suez Cawal a-,i attack from tho east has certain fixe and obvious tea-fures but the campaign id Mesopotamia will differ mateoially, for main Turkish line of communication -1 I be the incomplete rail- way line that runs from Oonstanstinopk to- wards Bagdad, ■ ;wi the main British line of communication tlv* riv«r Tigris, navigable by river steame' ;> under varying conditions of difficulty as as Bagdad. The desert rsa'm-e of the country on the banks of the rh'ar ties ain army scivaaciiig or retii'ing aloiv; the river to its immediate vicasnity, and where large forces are I concerned, the lighting will be m the nature of a frontal ru- througihout..as both armies will haw, TV keep in touch with the water. In many respects our Nile cam- paigns will be 1 1 gated. The Turks probably already- liave a a -ge superiority dn numbers and our gaxrisc r «,& K ut-el-Amara is exposed to the danger that detachments of the enemy may contrive t>> st-eal around Its rear and endeavour to brick the passage of river transport, reinforcements and supplies up the Tigris. N.t-u rally, the position it hoick is one of the gi strength, bub it is on the face of it i v ''?d, and its Hue (If com-  munication vuln taMc.

In the Kiiv-itfaBtli Camtuiythere is a scathing indiotn ent by Mr. Chaa. Johnson, & distingu'shed American writer, of the United States' policy, as shaped by preû-I, dent V/.Hson, -• ho, as the master a a.! CK.bmei th.? 1>: d not &nd does not J&pre- r¡;ent the doniin uit jxi-rtv in Congress, and am respect of .clgi is subject to nobody's conii. o,r, or counsel, in reality enjoys more autocratic -x>ver than even the O/ar. T'nis typical cc .o professor, det^chad from the actualities of a great world conflict, has by acciden* been called upon to play a great part. E, har. failed cone^idcuously, being c-ompvu, h "d of a blend of pacifist and an 8)!. finic theorist contemplat- ing tho \vM- i a." P?sode i^ n (j<r.e?k. or i!ig ICae ? all, L-.pF?scde -.tii. )?r Rjlllcin hist-33-.?. A.T)p:tcei-itly he little to regard thit .fearful tragedy, involving i-o rt?gar(i tliif 'ci,a. g e d y, huniq.,i juice ), t,)in.po-t-? Dn. azid is a,,Ie, countless mil. 's in the same. sp?? rjt a.s tb-e mil-: i. in i-lic s-qm4?,, tbe 14--gendary foi: Ttoy o-r one (yf tile 1 from, fina?* ? c-'?'?id?'a.?o.iiA ?? the Ai»eiric%ii c?.?a'! \\ould rojoic? t? -,ee tha Stars and Strip's once more a-raa-yed on the j .side of freedo: 1 and honour and in defence I of truth a)nd ?t. The policy of a;bgten- M<m ,a,nd č!IPl'" 0J:ltly hlin %PtanK,e not only M bi'CEM.?t of int.ernat.;onal lw but of oiii,; M? I)r4mK-?A?? ol L?LNV b,.rt of aft rout is offer,, i which cannot be i?n?'ed, wm be felt Jv.after as a diegraee." ?tr. Johmson admit. the force and justice of the im-1 "Many of. us M." he says, 1 "that tlie a«..fi,.«de mainia-ir.ed. -md the. policy follov. dH by the Government of the United (States, though plausible, have been uiiworthy; t'hsi-t the Ignited State- in condemned, for lOH& psriods to to aof nKwal and spiritual y in the councils of the natipnis. It is not too much, to say that, iu tiationa. it i. d i to tita-t, iii. the hifi-her view, in the quiet light of eternal things, we hiaw., as a State, been. weighed in t-h<: balance and found wanting, and out fut-ur-' part in the Metarv of mati- kind will si > 'r therebywill suffer the humiliating liminution of tliase who through cc ?rdM-.p ha.ve mad? the ?r?..t teaaysd.' Bttt he M Yet, on tHie other band, it cannot be b.1bted that all that is best and ulty,.t virile in the 1 r, itcd States is, and has been from t- very beginning of tho wa-r, heartily on f -:i side of the Entente Fowerg, heartilv on 'iv3 side of England and France and Russia, j-,ri. later, of Italy. And this cordial sym/ thy and approval has run through all azise-, a.ll nationa>iixi^ es, in th<; United State, The greatest and most com- plete Imrprh has been the practical unani- mity witi, ()Il thG.,P. of German descent, bom in th.i.. coitntry-atid many of i-hosc born. in Gvnianv also—-have come out openly, dete-'Tuitnedly, enthusiastically, even pafisionetelv—on tire b ide d the Allies. I am convinced that, if a poil were taken, if heed were jV-id. not to loud tongues, but to level heads, the great majority of them would bo fottud on the si de of the Allies, i heartily and of deliberate conviction. And he goes on to esy"rh a real A mcrim); opin- ion is, and has been from the first, over- whelmingly is favour of the Allies. Why, then, are V- not at war with Germany? Why, as a '-fate, have we to accept the stinging criti-ism of Sir Oliver Lodge, and of a.ll te betLí: Engla.nd that Sir Oliver Lodge rep-esents^ One cause cf onr national un- v^lingnesf, t- fight lies in the character of the President, and tho enormous power which is g'ven to the President by the American Constitution. His cuucnruoius are i"X)sitive and com- plete, a?d m'? have weight with the Ameri- can peop? -President \\U6? h&s led the Ame?? n?'k.n into the path of di?noui. He has, o'Y? < to the bent of his own mind and to the enormous opporti nity for per- sonal action allowed him by the American Coiiii&titutvor. ranged the land of VVashjigton and of Lin1.y;n on the side of Pilate. 1 am cemvinoed tb-at. as a State. America's-action has bemi m ,0, and sliameful, notwitli.tand- inn the supposed 'concessions, hypocriti^lly I vielded by le German, fioverament through Count Bems^rff ■ But to pa^s from the rA-artomu-bjlh'V of the President to tnat of the American If it be true, as 1 believe it is that no issue has ever lound 115 more united ?.v hYe we been content to @it -th haj!d/?M? while braver men die for ???v" T'?t ? ? que?t-ion worth tr?ng to | Answer Cn cause, I t?ink, is thi?: ev,?r ?e the ? -?<?n Civil WM-, an even h?alfr- ??TV?? ?? especiaJly since ?o war ?h ?pain ?s country h? been heapn.? up na?ri.i re?r? in adeg.-ee.unpr?? den2 ted in ?? b^toiy of the wond. ?e l?vc?h? J ?a < ? ? seneral of the America army on0e teisel., iA,, t-- ? damned p?-! ?? ?-?\\?? ?,,lt suffer n^n. F'^ of he soul. n! fromia^ty degeneration of the soul. i the, c addct of pri ncipalities aim powers, jLt wi^U its on all future history, I to  ? Hlu,l lw 'e t? 1ROO tdle b(; th?t nJ'Sv Vt!« Belp.m ami little SoW», I'v^'j i f m(>ri heroic wvie than ours, but  t.),e(??-khas cf the Him.J?ya.n vn!-? t?!.?? "? Sene?l, the ?h..ori.<, th? Si?ri?' T ??<? sh? their blood for man-  A nteDcpn nntio;i, r',A v-h;;■ we. 'he great American nation, thRW'i' "??? of V'a&hin?.T nnd 1.?-? oo?n. 't?''i ;'t home among the f{l'i;nY:rõ,"

In Lla-nelJy there is a Mannheim-street and a Berlin House. «r-.4I. Astonishing- the jpiiies. one ccrne across at the docks on Ch -istma-s Eve. Why are some local works hie husbands? —Because they aie controlled." Only three licensed houses now rema-in open in Swansea until eleven o'clock. I Somebody wanted to know where 311 the weather ca.me from em Christmas Eve. I A Swansea- man got through 45 turkeys and geese. He was the presiding genius of a Xmas Club. I A loving Swansea husband, had a toss up whether tie should buy his wife a box of ¡ cigars or a coal scuttle. Who was the joker who got on to the telephone n on Christmas Eve and ask e j for v (- an d for Docks 1, 2, 5*, 4, 5. 6, 7, 8? I -<B- At a recent examination at one of the local schools one of the scholars said the Yor- waerts was a. type of German airship. Whilst some of the Tommies came home to Swansea for Christinas, the leave of a few we could name expired on Christmas Ev5. Hard liries -<! < -<b- -<0 When it became known there w e'e ':?? pheasants to bo got locally on Christmas Eve the demand seemed to increase vigorously. '<p-<t>- < The late ex-Sergt. I-iercy served 36 years | in tlie Swansea Police Force, and was under three chief coiista-bles?, namely. Captains j Alinson, Coilquhoiin an d Thom'i.s. It is record-ad that there is ovci- on this; side a. United States Frenchman wiio has! joined an Irish-Canadian regiment. Four i good reasons, he reckons, for hating the Huns. .<s< -+4" Tli-e principal attiraclivjn at Mountain Ash Day vas the suc- oess-ful pixiduc-tion of a new choral work: The Galley Slave," by the late Prof. I David Jenkins. i Wirffi-puhing is -utiing down the wirei envangfoment., iu nont of the. j (One of the howlers at an examination at a I local school.)—-A Welsh jx>v should know more about wire-pulling than that I | gentleman belonging to a race not I usually accustomed to let money pass them, stood a;& the entrance to a Swansea cinema on C!h>ristmas evening looking diesronso- lately at the money were turning j away. > In 1815 the High Sheriff d Carmarthen sent to the governor of the county gaol a sum of five guineas, a. side of beef, a cartload of potatoes, and a. quantity < f oniony to be equally distributed among the debtors and other prisoner^. The German3 are reported as having cap- tured hundred s of thousands of pigs whoen they entered Serbia, to replenish their stores. We knew the Germans were capable of most crimes, now they have added another— cannibalism !—{"Mark Once. ") It is intended, if funds permit, to extend j tlie Swansea docksmen's fund to buy cigarettes, as weJl as fruit and vegetables, ) for the local Red Cross Hospitals. Two doeksmen ere at present largely responsible for supplying our wounded Tommies with | smokes. L?N-o we-.it,ier N-ei-v i xS?)-??t-<-<> Christmas Eve weather was very taniaii- sing. Old Sol came cut after breakfast as if to say "Now you're in for a fine day, do yo" shopping and enjo y yourself. Then, when all Swansea and his wife were out. of doors carno the rain in rather too bountiful showers. Pickled oysters (says a. Cardiff cointempo- rnary) used to be a great delicacy at the j Mumbles. But it is sixty years since they were sold for two shiiliiiigs for one hun/irid and twenty.—Tinned oysters are on sale at one or two shops in Swansea; they are the American variety really a sort of cross be- tween a miussel and oyster. The following is a sample <n the many letters received by Father Christmas at the Carlton C f\ SWRmea: -))êar Daddy Christmas,—-Just a Ene asking -on if you please send a gun and a lion. Me?srs. "R.E.J. we understand, are doing their best, but there arc difficulties in the way. Tlie judgment of Swansea aodimces in T l ic,, ;u d < d -I n i*ll being frankly disappointed in "The Spanish Main," which drama Mr. Oscar Asche and Miss Lily Drayton produced recently at the Grand Theatre, is endorsed by London critics, one of whom suggests transforming it into a burlesque.—(" Dramaticus.") 4>+ The ignominious end oi Ford's iolly" should teach "peaue" cranks at home that! they seriously misjudge public feeling. To put it bluntly "they are asking for it," and will assuredly "get it" if they persist iui -obt-rudiiig their noxious fcumsetise on a loyal and patriotic pTiblic.(" PatrioL.") What one Swansea docksman describes as adding insult to injury was the incident that so crowded was one of the Exchange iiits with docks and railway employes vigorous touting ior Christmas boxes j that he had to use the stairs to reach his office, there to find them awaiting hj ar- rival. With the result that they departed empty ?way, <md the War Prisoners' Fund erript-v av,- iiici t-he War Pr-?,,4oner.??' F17,iid A nen- s-tory of Sir John J Ujcoe told in the "Chris.tism World." A small boy. the of an officer on the Admiral's flag?hip, was taken up to Scotland to see his father. He was allowed on the ship itself, and while the little fellow was on tbe deck Sir John Jellicoe came u]i and t-iiked to him, He asked the boy his name, a.nd then said. "])0 von know what my name is?" The little boy did not. know. and the Admiral explained that his name was dellicoe. "Oh," was small boy's answer. "J have a rabbit named Jellieoc at hom- And the Admiral y,-c.nt off chuckling. .Swansea is one of the areas affect.ed by i the lights for perambulators order, i «»<>♦ The Kaiser is said to be suffering fiom Zillgervebentzuendurg. We hope it is as bad it sounds. Temporary postmen at Swansea receive 25s. a waek (including 3s. war bonus) and toe YOllng women sorters average £ 1 Is. a week. The- import* of pitwcod In Swansea ibis year a.re within 200 tons of those last year. For the pasu eleven mouths the figures totalled 88.770 '-j. •. -1 ATe>)-y '• i:-t* :.i^ L -i/h U AJ'?y C?-???' 'I? Thursday, "and I hone you will all come back with more brains." "Same to :01: sir," said the boys with one accord. J "<lxs»-3><sxsxj>- A hard case has been brought to our notice —that of Pte. Peter Gorman, of the 1st Welsh, whose home is at Dvfatty-street, and who has had. ei_ght bars for South Africa, and has fought in fifteen battles from Moiis to the t Aisne. He has lost the use of an arm, and all a grateful country allows him is the munificent sum of 6s. od. per week. He La-S had to apply for medical relief. That among a certain class the war-pinch is being keenly felt at Neath, writes, D.H. is exemplified by the following j I incident, which took pla-ie recently at a local shop :—Young Lady (tendering six- pence): "My usual face powder, please." (Proprietor: Pardon, madame, but it's nincpence now. The price has gone up Young L&dy (much ds-stressed): Oh! This tenibie war." The following Christmas ,grt1ng has been reœived from one of the .SkpHy boys in Gal- jlipoli: — 'My th?u?..is are wth yon, though, thanks to the Turk, My home !hu- ChrLs>tmae I m forced t'J  ?hirk. When th? d?ad tn' k on piaL?' and pndd?? j you'ro eating, Th:nk HI;V of ns and tHe L'. e Turk we I'C beating.' -<:>< -!$-<í> "There is one thing about th. 'IN-ai maTked one of the Royal Engineers home over the holidays. It has saved, many ot us from being right down narrow-minded { duffers all our lives why, I knew nothing twelve months ngu now 1 know a good deal. I Lave a sui-ven iiig, bridge- building. arilway--laying, road-making, trench-making, sanitairou, boat-handling, ) cooking. washing and meneing my own clothos—and I am as fit as a fiddle! j 4- I Honours fall thickly upon Stanton, 01 Merthyr. In his first Parliamentary se.-sio he k. jxutrayed iJ1 Punch, au honour for which most Pariiamentariars have to toil long arld dif;,mtly. Additionally. on catcliing t he Spe;i-ker*s eye thus early, he delivered a maiden speech marked by ^n open avowal of a policy to "hea.t, the enfn, that found him immediate favour and men- If iou in tbd leaders et the {!:1"ea.t Xionaion d '1; 't'. 't, 1 ¡,j', dailies, an exeeptn;i;al e'ustu.cc-joi: iov a YOUD" M P. <fP- The foliow-iug are a Îlw of the eulogies of ithe> violin playing of Isolde Menges, who ( appeai-s at tho Grand Theatre, Swansea. s,acxed concert next Sunday evening •—"The 1 Times" "Her playing of Tchaikovsky's) Violin Concerto showed at oece her rema rk-, able command of tlie bow and her ;\]mu>t (childish de light. in displaying her mastery." "Morning Post' "There is all the true j qu-.lit.N ,of tone and the vivacity of attack) of the highly endowed violinist, and there is all the perceptiveness of the musical nature." | j "Daily Graphic" "T,)ii(,. te-cl-,iilqiip, and the j soul of an artist arc all present h: ihe case d Isold-e \I21lg, 4>3> What has Isaopened to the p-irish coun- lJor8 of Close Mitral? A meeting (the bst, of the year) was called for Tuesday last, and 1 orfiy two councillors and the clerk attended, The agenda was an extensi ve one. mid the business was deferred until a quorum -a-did be persuaded to attend. Item No. 8 01.1 the agenda—" To con- rider the best way to organise and support the National Fond for Welsh Troops, and to provide additional comforts for We?h Regi- ments at home and abroad "—wa? .?u'ely worthy of consideration and should (writes a cos-respondent) have ?,ti,)iild ?,,Vr4t?,q dance CI councmoTa. The following is one of the snapshot yarns of our cheerful boys home, from the front, who, indeed, joke at the terrible business in which they are engaged as though they were playing a funny part in a Xmas pan- tomime. Are ou all right. Bill? shouted a pal's voice from the rear trench every time a wliizz-ban-, or a nose-blower struck the first line trench where Bill was. Bill got angry at last and shouted back. What' the do you want to know for. you blithering ;(Iiot" Because I have drawn you in f.. sweep. If you come ort all right "f-.t Ivvo I;a-elle I., ;,)fWooalbi-,il?s1! I p:? two packets of Woodbine? II Mr. Lewis M. Thomas, solicitor. P01't jl Talbot, the new'y appointed coroner ?or the   D' t  '1 1 1 hi Western District of Glamorgan, although aj voung man, commands J remarkable popn' larify throughout South Wales, as his ap- J poiutmel' bv such an overwhelming major- ity would indicate. Like the late -v,teralli coroner (MI, Cuthbertson), Mr. Lewis I Thomas is a keen sport-man, having played j for and captained the A beravou team. He has also played for the county. He is at present chairman, of the Aberavon Rugby Committee, vice-president of the W. R. C., and a member of the Glamorgan County II Committee. j  The f?on? from wluch tLe?c h.'te? are j ta.ken is not a new scmg, and it is doubtless j familiar to many cf Olr rMdpro. Still, the sentiment rings so true of the nation; feel-j ing these days towards onr young manhood that they are worthy of re tux-duct-ion. Here j they are:— Tommy jad! Tommy lad a man yon soon will lor, And you'll tight for the right. And be as good a man as he. For life's a dreary, weary way-, And its np hill and down, j But- I wish you luck— | 1 wish you manv a crown— Tommy lad: Tommy lad:" Pickings from" Purwh." Village (lei gymau: Can I help von ?H?"—Arti?eryniaa (whose horgM are "H over the shop ") 'ir\cs. sir. you can."—j Clergyman: What shall I do, then ? —1 VI,?Lt ?41lill 1 (10, 9 ?Q? a bit further up the street the horses 1,iH underst&nd the Lt??uage hettu." A Shtister Prnnt-?L—One of t.h? ec?trr'iti- iora to a dincu?.?iuit on "The Price oi MHk" in Tlie Western Daily I'll(, -Price C, East Dairyman." who bepns his letter: ?Su'.—!?t ?.? '?o to th? founta?- h ead. In "The Border Counties Advertiser" the ??r-op?im'e Yeomanry is a.?!))? f(',¡,. r<>- cruits "hfujrhl, "ft, inches and ujrv^rds. This Ban (am btisir-ess i? being 1i1 tI tll, ovcrdoiie. [ V nter officially began, last week. • a»e realising it. Help A man was seen wearing a rtra hut on Sunday. 1 here was plenty of !>oxi]i? on Box?n 'Daya'??wan?a. Some one complained that it was a du Boxing L'.iy uat.il a tile fell on h;s head. j One of the men saved from the wre in u. .fiihtoi Channel was a Swansea-it. & --itk- i VCh i tclock. Soldier? >. the front Fay hat thci J vi T. 0 h a. F 1>IV- r MoVli^i.Tlt li.d.i. [l)l..<r The nrid lower middle classes si being hit <:hi;My by the war. Workc generally never experienced so busy an remunerative a time. 9 -< f Oil Monday morning during the gale Zeppelin was brought down in Uxforc street, Swansea. It. was an advertising sig for a penny bazaar. .Masses of rocks are now being used a iux:sii.. s by the Austrian a." e lnel some time ago that they were in a way t being stony broke." It ;s when tL m<m ?U't a half-doz,e tickets in tbs Christmas A-?xii,g and wb lias drawn an equal number of hlanl, meet a chap who held one chance taking home biace oi pheasants that friendly relation become strained. T'oeie i a burly ;ndi\"idual ho stano alljul 4-ft. Sin. in the employ of a. we), known Swansea firm who generally pr* faces his remarks with "Wnen I was the Royal Marines" c-r "The First Lii -k Once. ") The "sponger" had borrowed a pipe, the ubJcen from his acquaintance, he then 1" j q nested the favour of a match. His frien j lev-A-fd him scathingly up and down, kim •• vithernoly, "The ou'y thing yo to no-.se-ss in the smoking line is th habi> ",( ju!y '-y ?"ae.!? at the Aberavon an luavon at I" Talbot ..yiliiet- Ground on Monday was the kick-off b h, Lowthetr, the general me.-iager of tt Port Talbot Docks O. Mi*. Lowther di played his versatility hy turning a som a-ifcer footing the bail and or jppm [ into a puddle oi slush. The v ounuc-d soldiers at Danycoed i: dulged in a novel bat-lie 0:1 Christina3 Ev, Ward made a declaration of war upo Ward B. and f>>r wo hours the presem ,1 wns finite .jd iu t'ne desperate pMur fight whiuii took pihe. :1 still « ;->e>int • dispute 1* ho v. em, out as eve*, ybod; enjoyt it what does that matterY The rnCd Sai.ors" Heme pioved \?n?'t)? b«vc'?c'?ett'thet'.o )Odf oC ship^eeokel jnsCnei who kwjhidi iu tr .=.?.1 ?.? ? .? 1 ?.. ?'? was t'c?ep??on€d on there ari?vsj, aDd w«iri blankeH clothes and food all got ready ff I J1- men 0t; their arrival at the Homi I j. neje was everything iu abundance j ever; on- Divert-)'! was pi'ov.dt-J the poticull^ wail-ing crowd at the Swansea Vetch Fie* on .Monday by the periodically ehasn» across the "field of hats aaid militaa-y caP can-d off m The M'hiriwinds. The ire d:stii- .-u i' ?!'?i'???y?'?'??'?' d by h- jnoiY. entary 1.x Lease cu I1 L. in r;{,L'; :IJ !?'<-T:d ??n'y. The empkiynient of giro- in different lim i. ail verv well," but it must be romcrabeiv? 1 t-hctt to the majority cf them this work (I iti, an ''extra" add means enhanced ii comcs, whilst thOUi.4nh of men from 4& to 6 years of age, mentally aud physically aler v. I10 in times past have been displaced b younger men (at reduced wages) and, wn have young families to support, arc walkie ahout, with little ur nothing to do.—("Mas Once.") Despite every conceivable uisad\aiiiag'. the Soccer match, at the Vetch Field between Bairj* and the Swans, delighted n, spectators. The weather was /atrocioiv end the train bringing the visiting player to the town was so. kte that the kick y had to ba deferred for an hoar. The gamt however, w-is bright, and merry, and atorf me-nt for the fina-nciail disappointment offered ist the assurance that another mat« would be arranged for the benefit of th War Prisoners' Fund. Ystalyfera has the honour of supplym the youngest member or the Welsh Guard- ? regiment that continues to win distiactia for it-self. The soldier m question was lad oi sixteen when he presented birase*' for enlistment-. "How old are you?" i.r quired the recruiting officer. "Nineteer sir," replied the laa. Do you say run? | teen?" asked the oftice-, in a tone of ir (Ttxhlity, "r dn," came the response j a tone intended to carry conviction- j Greatly imp reused, the recruiting office pAtted the fellow on the back and c- c-laimed, "You're a brave fellow." vl was -oass^d, M-ent out to France, and Vo [ killed th? other day. A of a virile American evening, "LO" An.ge.lefe Record. has been sent 1: bv Houdini, the Handcuff Kins,110 was v Swaiifcea about twelve months ago. It n kites an incideot vbat.wae deemed worthy an eight-coituan osadaag, and which too place at a local music-hail. It appears th? jess Willard, the conqueror of Jack Joht son., was invited to come on to the stage complete a committee similar to the on Houdini invited from the audience at Swa? sea. Wiilard's reply that he would corns c "at the same wages as cii pa.y those fellow with vou" aroused such a storm of resen* iiient "in the hall, and subsequently ;n bit citv, tihat, according to the "Record," Wu bird left luu-riedly the next day, cceompa* ied bY hoots and hisses. Roudini's partjr shot from the stage was: "I a r t; Y a n ] u "queer critter. Air: My Little Cray Home in ths W ssL" I In Jt." little dug-ouv 11l tee Vs'hd-e of s hrapnel we get a least; There is lyddite galore, And shell's by the score, Plow the deuce can a man have orpc )>eacs • We. have bully and biscuits and jam, Aud only kick Cumberland ham But with shells ill the aa. V, hv 110 pl^ce can compare, Witn my little dug-out r. the East Tlieie are spiders who welcome me iu. There are Devil's own kin, Therti -I De Bright glow-worm which shine. Insect, reptile and cr'iv-hug beast. But I always enter with zest, For to rac its a haven of r, When gnus biaae on top 1 ivary safe spot Jti aiv dug-out in the East. "A. B." I -7

"'j('14.xxxn pc, i:4A %1" ,U Dø' f 0 A 3RIAR v g. PiIII!IS WGRKS, I = n fti r¡ núa I 1 211 HIGH ST., 1 K hi H .t l | 112^ j A>_J"aE. i r. POSTERS, HAM?BSLLS, ) H I AND SALE BILLS, I ? s s&twaQEOTaaoomBoaoc**e