Abergavenny Chronicle

NOTES ON NEWS. NOTES O NEWS. I It has been announced that a Cabinet Com- mittee is considering the question of food I HIGH FOOD Piucns. supplies and the rise m prices. It is to be hoped that the Committee will not take too long to consider the question, and that, when it has considered it, it will not content itself with merely presenting a report. It is action that is needed, and prompt action. The General Federation of Trade Unions re- commends" the immediate purchase, at fair prices, of all internal grain stocks, together with State control and utilisation of such shipping as is necessary to ensure direct and unexploited food supplies from abroad and the transference of both internal and over- seas supplies to municipal or other public depots for sale at prices covering only cost t of carriage, transport, and distribution." Those who favour this drastic method of dealing with. the situation argue that if the (lovernment can buy up sugar for the benefit of the consumer, it can also buy up wheat, which is a much more important article of food. There would be no grumbling at the increase in the price of foodstuffs if people were convinced that it was an inevitable result of the war. We should simply accept the situation, and—tighten our belts. But there is a pretty strong conviction that the increase is much greater than there is any warrant for. There is a growing feeling that a few people are making fortunes out of the. situation, and that is what arouses anger and resentment. It is certainly time that the Government took the matter in hand. All classes of workers have been hard hit by the rise- in prices, but it must bear with THE FARM LABOURER. special weight upon the agri- cultural labourer. He is poorly paid at the best of times, and a 25 per cent. increase in the cost of living must be a very serious matter indeed in his household. During the last year or two the ca.se of the agricultural labourer has occupied public attention a good deal. Rival political parties were going to do great things for him. There was to be a. minimum wage standard. and every labourer was to receive a living wage. Well, his wage now must be consider- ably further below the subsistence line than it was in those days, but there does not seem I any general movement to pay him better. The argument used to be that farming profits were so small that the farmer could not afford the increase. Just now, however, farming profits are pretty considerable, and it does Feem only common fairness that the labourer should have his share of them. It was an excellent thing that M. Mil- lerand, the French War Minister, should visit I FRENCH MINISTER'S VISIT, this country and see for ) himself something of the I efforts we are making in the I common cause. Owing to the censorship our news- papers have rot been! able to give anything like an adequate account of those effcTL-s, though no attempt seems to have been made by the censors to prevent some journals from (loing their best to give our Allies the impres- sion that we were not doing anything like what we ought to ba doing. If the censors had objected to the publication of some articles which suggested that we were a nation of shirkers, they would have done the cause of the Allies good service. However, that is by the way, and the authorities have doaie wisely to let the people of France, through the War Minister, see something of clar military preparations. What he saw hero iiiadc- a deep impression upon M. Mil- lerand. He has been "simply astounded," and has gone back to France fully oonvinced that Great Britain is doing her share, and, indeed, that she is doing far more than couM have len expected of her. There are. of course, excellent reasons for not publishing details cf what we are doing in the way of military preparations. Such information would, he of the utmost value to the enemy. But it was highly desirable thai our Allies should know the truth, and M. Millerand's visit has already had excellent results in the tributes to Britain which have appeared in -¡ the French Press. Mr. Rudvard Kipling has been pleading eloquently for bands for the new armies. He BANDS FOR THE BOYS. has seen a good deal of the new armies, has watched the recruits being made into soldier, seen them at drill, in camp, and on the march, and he says they want music. Everybody knows how music helps marching. There is all the difference in the world between the marching of a regiment with and without a hand at the head of it. The recruits have done their best to meet the want; they have made their own music, and have enlivened their march by whistling and singing. But what they want is bands. A band. says Mr. Kipling, revives memories: it quickens asso- ciations; it opens and unites the hearts of men more surely than any other appeal. In that respect it assists recruiting perhaps moro than any other agency. The tunes that it employs and the words that go with them may seem very far removed from heroism or devotion but the magic and the compelling power are there to make men's souls realise certam truths which their minds might doubt." Mr. Kipling confesses that ho is not a musician, 1>11 he certainly knows more about music than many people who are. There was a case in the Courts the other day in which a firm of moneylenders, who MONET- LENDERS' CIRCULARS. had been fined for sending their circulars to a minor, sued the firm of addressing agents who had addressed the letter for breach cf contract and negligence. Mr. Justice Rowlatt characterised, the action as the most impu- dent ho had ever heard of. He added that if ever there was a curse—leading so often to ruin—which everybody wished suppressed, it was these moneylenders' circulars." It is really extraordinary that this particular nui- sance should he so hard to kill. From time to time, in one or other House of Parlia- ment, there are discussions, and restrictive legislation is proposed. Yet nothing seems to come of it, and. moneylenders go on send- ing out their circulars to all and sundry. Most people, no doubt, throw the circulars at once into the wastepaper-basket, but it is pretty certain that a good many inexpe- ( rienced people are tempted by the offer of loans" repnya ble by easy instalments," or "in one sum at the end of a fixed period, entirely suitable to their convenience." The public ought to be protected against the annoyance and the danger.

C The depot buildings of the 15th Army e,rp8 at Strassburg have been almost en- i destroyed by fire, and important docu- n ??° ?cn loat. The fire is reported tn due to mcendiariem. wiolf Sloan, a member of the Chis- wick Battalion of the National Reserve, has    "??Pted son, a son-in-law, and A ?Mroo?thheer r all serving in the Army. The lght men-one of whom has been missing in France since November 11-have all gone from the same house in Holly-road, Chis. wick. Before the Departmental Committee in- quiring into the present state of the pig- breeding industry in Ireland, it was stated in Dublin that the total number of pigs marketed in Ireland last year was about two and a half millions. Several barbers were summoned at Brier- ley Hit], Staffs, for employing boys under iourteen as latherers. The defence urged vras that owing to the war there was such a dearth of young assistants. The cases were withdrawn on the payment of costs. While playing at digging trenches with another bov, Robert A. Davies, a schoolboy, of Tanyvrai (Denbigh), fell under his com- panion'fi falling pick, which pierced his kraia .and killed him

ALLIES' "REAL AND LASTING SUCCESS." A real and lasting success has been achieved by the Allies in the battle for the Great Dune (north-west of Lombaertzyde), says a "Daily Chronicle" special correspondent, who states that the German losses here are a thousand killed and wounded and a battalion taken pri- soners, while several of the German big guns have been put out of action. "After eight days of severe fighting along the whole line in Flanders from Arras to the sea the most substantial advantage that has been effected is this success on the Great Dune, for though everywhere else the Allies have in- flicted heavy losses upon the enemy they have not as a net result done any more than maintain and strengthen their positions 01 retake trenches that had been temporarily lost, while to the west of Lombaertzyde we have actually won some hundreds of yards of ground. "I should like to describe in a few words the trenches and the sort of dwelling occupied by the Allied troops fighting at Nieuport and to the west of that town. "The fact that they have to deal with sand instead of earth has compelled them to build their trenches not so deep as those in the other parts of the line. On the other hand, these trenches present a parapet that is far more visible and higher, being made of baskets and sacks filled with sand. "They remind one rather of the barricades to be seen in the prints illustrating the Crimean War. "The soldiers are rather better off with regard to damp than their comrades further south, but they are rather cramped for elbow room owing to the inferior cover. "Earth dwellings have been dug out beyond Nieuport, which town, by the way, is abso- lutely uninhabitable, in the sand of the dunes between Nieuport and Oost Dunkerke. Great excavations have been made, strengthened by wooden planks which form the walls and the roof. "These billets are preferred by the troops to those of their comrades who live half- buried in damp earth and mud. They have the advantage of being more healthy. "The Belgian troops are also housed in this way, and the short distance that separates their sandy homes from the firing line allows them to maintain a shift of 24's in the trenches and a similar period of rest."

ANTWERP FORTS. ..—— o GERMAN BIG GUNS COMMAND THE SCHELDT. The fortress of Antwerp, where the Germans have been working daily for three months, is again provided with all possible fortification works demanded by modern war technique. Aocording- to a "Mail" message from Rotter- dam, hundreds of workmen who, for a wage of fourpenec an hour, have been working for months eight hours a day on the southern forts have banished a.ll traces of the bombardment; the yards-deep earthen ramparts are again made rectangular, the steel cupolas that were shot to pieces have been removed, the armoured concrete walls that were ripped open have been replaced by new armour work. In the forts of Waclhem and Wavre St. Catherine, in the forts of Liezel and Breen- donck, which command to the south-west the position of Rupel and the Scheldt, heavy guns have for some time past been placed. But particularly the forts situated north cf Antwerp have been formidably fortified. It is remarkable that along this side the defence appeared to the German Staff insufficient. It is a fact that soon after the occupation of Antwerp a beginning was at once made in digging deep trenches between the forts of Capellen and Stabroeck, provided with large underground rooms of a few yards square, with places dug out and prepared for the setting up of guns. Since the previous week the Northern Scheldt forts must also have been pro- vided with heavy guns, for gun practice is regularly held from those forts. The command of the Scheldt is regarded as of the greatest importance by the German Staff, and yet they do not appear to be con- tent with the result obtained. Hence the fortress practice whereby all the Scheldt forts ¡I are sometimes in full action for days.

BRITISH NAVY'S IRON GRIP I BREAD SUPPLY REDUCED IN GERMANY I The new food and bread regulations came into force throughout Germany on Monday. Until further notice (says the Copenhagen correspondent of the "Daily Mail ") the total quantity of bread and flour to be pur- chased per head per week is strictly limited to 2 kilogrammes (41b. 7oz.). The public is invited to try to do with less, and is warned not to besiege the bakeries, as the regula- tion supply will be forthcoming. The total output of the bakeries is to be restricted to threequarters of the normal output. Restaurants will be allowed to pur- chase only three-fourths of the average daily fimount, of bread consumed during the first fortnight of this year. A wheaten roll must not exceed 75 grammes (2oz. 10 drams), but a rye loaf may weigh from 1 to 2 kilogrammes (21b. 3Joz. to 41b. 7oz.). Cakes must not contain more than 10 per cent, of wheat or rye flour. The Pet,zlt.v for an infringement of these regula- tions is six months' imprisonment or a fine The Bavarian brewers have decided that a ri.e in the price of beer is inevitable, but point out for the consolation of the public that the anticipated reduction in consump- tion will lead to a highlv desirable reduc- tion in the consumption of barley. The public is dissatisfied and considers the in- crease in price unnecessary. "The "Mail's" Rotterdam correspondent says: "Dutch business men here shake their heads over Germany's food restrictions and point out that the German people allow themselves to be beguiled by their own Press as well as by the coloured despatches which they publish and do not understand the terrible grip of the British Navy's iron hand I on their larders. "It is also noted as a striking coincidence that just as these restrictions are put in force 2,500 dgIan prisoners of war have been scnt home from Germany. Scarcity of I food is said to dictate this policy." o-

BREAKING THE NEWS. In a letter to his parents at Burton-on. Trent, Corporal Mathin, of the Undaunted, describing the North Sea battle, says: "When we took the Blucher prisoners aboard I had an interview with one of her officers. He said the complement of the Blucher was 1,145 officers and men. He stated that he was in the Scarborough raid, and that when the British fleet encountered them they were going to Newcastle. "He was surprised when I told him a bout the Emden and the Falkland Islands battle. He said they had not been told anything of that."

PETROL ON A GAS STOVE. A verdict of "Accidental death" was re- turned on Monday at the inquest on the death of Edith Margaret Glenny, aged seventeen, of Farnborough, who died at the Aldershot Hospital from burns caused on December 9 by the ignition of a pint bottle of petrol. The flames enveloped the girl, and were put out by her mother. The bottle had been placed on a gas stove shelf, and had been brought by the young man, a sailor, to whom the girl was engaged, to clean her soldier- brother's tunic.

Mrs. Katharine Macquoid, the nonagena- rian novelist, has entered upon her ninetv- eecond year. Lord Justice Bankes has been made a Privy Councillor. The French Ambassador, M. Paul Cam- boil, accompanied by M. Augagneur, French Minister- of Marine, was received by the ] King at Buckingham Palace.

r DRESS OF THE DAY. I I A SMART LITTLE HAT. I Though there is comparatively little that is fresh in the way of millinery in the shops just now, there are a few smart new models to be fouud here and there by the persever- ing seeker. The majority of these are of the demi-saison order; that is to say, they com bine the practical usefulness of the winter hat with the daintiness of the early spring model. Hats of this type are exceed- ingly useful at this time of the year, for they are quite suitable for immediate use, and yet will do duty right through the spring, and may even be worn during the summer on the damp or chilly days which are so frequent with us. Here in our sketch is one of the newest and smartest of these hats. It is a becoming little model, which somewhat remotely suggests the lines of a forage cap, the indispensable military sug- gestion, of course. The hat is made of very I A SMART HAT. I I [Refer to X 567.] 1 supple and rather dull black eatih, a nice change from the ubiquitous black velvet model, of which we are all getting a little tired. The brim is quite soft, and is very much wider at the back than at the front. It is turned up flat against the crown ail round the head. The crown is soft, is just a little lower than the brim, and is gathered round the base. Pleated wings of crisp black tulle trim the right side of the hat. They are placed near the top of the brim, the larger wing standing cut towards the back and the smaller towards the front. A gar- land of small roses, made of white gauze with dull gold centres, is brought from be- neath the brim on the left side of the hat, taken over the crown, and carried beneath the brim on the right side near the back of the hat. This garland crosses the centre of the tulle wings, and hides the place where they are sewn on to the hat. I THE KEW SLEEVES. I At the present moment there is a perfect rage for the long, transparent sleeve; half the new models which are shown just now, whether in Paris or in London, being made with these sleeves. In the case of afternoon gowns, or of very simple evening frocks— for these long sleeves are worn with the most decollctee of gowns-the sleeves are usually made of a firmly woven chiffon, and are lined with net, tulle, or the same chiffon. In some cases these sleeves match in colour the gown, of which they form a part, in which event they are lined with white or a pale shade of colour if the toilette be dark in tone. Far more frequently, how- ever, they are white, cream, or ecru in tone, when they are lined with the same shade. In more elaborate evening gowns these transparent s leeves are frcflucll tly made of paillette chiffon or of beautifully beaded tulle. In any case, the fashionable trans- parent sle-eve is very long, coming well down upon the hand, and is quite close fitting, a row of minute hooks and eyes fastening them on the outside seam. I A SMART SCHOOL-FROCK. I In this cketch we show an everyday frock that is most comfortable and practical, while at the same time it embodies all the distinctive marks of this year's fashions. I would suggest that the frock be carried out in a fine. firm serge—blue, brown, green, or grey, according to the "colours" of the school which mademoiselle attends. The PRACTICAL AND USEFUL PROCK. I [Refer to X 5GS.] dress is open just a trifle at the neck, and from the opening a neat little collar of double white organdy turns back. Th^ skirt has a front opening, the upper part of which is buttoned to match the bodice. This pattern is in five sizes—14-18 years. It will take four yards of 40-in. material for the seventeen-year size. DAINTY NEW COLLARS. I One of the prettiest and most unexpected items in the new fashions for early sprint* wear is the collar of chiffon trimmed with a tiny edging of fur, preferably skunk. These cellars are made in various shapes, the majority of which are more or less of the Medicis type, and are made of fine but firmly woven chiffon, which in some cases matches the toilette in colour and in others is white, cream, or ecru in tone. One of the prettiest of these collars, a model originated by a well-known Paris house, is carried out in deep cream chiffon, and is edged by a tiny band of very dark skunk. The collar begins on each side of the neck, leaving the front of the throat bare. It is very high, and stands out on each side of the face in two deep points, but fits fairly clqsely to the neck at the back. Below the neck the collar is continued in a sort of tiny cape of the same chiffon, which falls upon the shoulders, and is also edged with skunk. A band of velvet ribbon, of precisely the same shade of brown as the fur, is taken round the base of the collar, brought across the bare throat in front, and there fastened beneath a tiny bow, which is pulled through a small oval buckle of sparkling paste. A collar of this type may be worn with a low. cut evening dress, as well as tfith a smart indoor gown. Paper patterns can be supplied, price 6;d. When ordering, please quote number, en. close remittance, and address to Miss Lisle, 8, La Belle Sauvage, London, E.C.

A shipyard workman named Bryan Herd- man was walking off a ship in the dry dock at bouthbank, near Middlesbrough, when he fell between the ship and the drv dock, a distance of about 40ft. He sustained tor- 1 rible inj^ uries which proved fatal, his skull, jaw, and leg being fractured.

WORK OF THE NAVY. I INTERVIEW WITH MR. CHURCHILL The London representative of the "Matin" has had an interview with Mr. Winston Churchill in regard to the work of the British Navy since the war began. In the course of an interesting statement the First Lord of the Admiralty said:— So long as the Germans cling to the shelter of their own defences they will always have the advantage of us in small detailed en- counters. Look at their submarines, which they are never tired of talking about. We have more submarines than they. But how can we throw curs against theirs? Submarines do not fight one another. A single one of theirs which darts from its base and finds targets in front of it—our warships-does more work. of course, than ten British submarines which cannot find a German warship. It is easy— whether as the result of a torpedo from a sub- marine, or contact with a mine, costing only a few pounds-to lose a cruiser worth millions, not to speak of the lives which may be jeopardised. The task to be accomplished, therefore, must be set about prudently, especi- ally when, as in our case, we do not hide in our ports, but expose our ships to danger every- where, since we hold all the seas." GERMAN PORTS BLOCKADED. Referring to the blockade of German ports, Mr. Churchill said:— "Germany continues to receive by secret channels a small part of the supplies that she requires in large quantities. But while you and we are breathing freely, thanks to the tea, which we have cleared of the enemy's vessels, Germany can only breathe like this." The Minister placed his hand over his mouth, and added:— "That is how Germany gets air. Now, you know the effect produced by a gag when you want to act and cannot breathe; it wears you down. Germany realises that. The pressure we have put on Germany will not be relaxed until she sues for peace; for, even if you. France, and our ally Russia, decided to give up the struggle—though that is inconceivable— we English would continue to the end." Mr. Churchill showed his visitor a large (scale map. He pointed to the narrow angle of the sea between Denmark and Holland where the German navy lies hidden in the shelter of Sylt, Heligoland, and Emden. "There," declared the First Lord, is a place which has been fortified from attack both by Nature and by science. In that position the inactivity and the ambushes of Germany are based on two firm supports-a neutral country to the left and another to the right. Now, where we are concerned, neutral Powers are inviolable." "THE SEAS ARE CLEAR." "Let us sum up," said Mr. Churchill, "what 1 our Navy has done since the war began. Do you know at this moment exactly how many German warships are at large on the seas c.f the world? Only two—cruisers of 3,000 or 4,000 tons, the Karlsruhe and the Dresden. Then there are two armed merchantmen, the Kronprinz Wilhclm and the Prinz Eitel Fried- rich. We cannot tell in what out-of-the-way harbours, in what rivers, somewhere in the American Continent, those auxiliary cruisers are hidden but we do know that they find it necessary to conceal themselves. German over- sea trade is destroyed. Those German vessels which have not fallen into our hands have fled to neutral ports and have been disarmed and interned. The seas are clear." Mr. Churchill emphasised the importance of maintaining the freedom of the seas so that reinforcements and foodstuffs could reach the Allies from all parts of the world-Canada, Australia, Africa, etc. "Even supposing," he added, "that the Germans had friends and re- latives in South America, how do you suppose any aid could now reach the enemy from that source? As for the United States, it may be that public opinion there was at first uncertain in its sympathies. It has now been fully in- formed of the state of affairs. We have taken such precautions as were compatible with the lights of belligerents and the respect of neutral Powers.

"MAGNIFICENT TROOPS." GENERAL SMITH-DORRIEN AND THE 2ND ARMY CORPS. The following Army Order was issued on January 1 by General Sir Horace Smith- Doirien on his relinquishing command of the 2nd Army Corps to take up the com- mand of the 1st Army The day has arrived when, with much re- gret, General Sir H. L. Smith-Dorrien, having assumed command of an army, has to relinquish that of the 2nd Corps. He cannot do so without expressing to all ranks his gratitude for the loyal support which they have given him during the eventful months which have elapsed since the com- mencement of the war. During these months the corps has been engaged day after day, night after night, in desperate fighting, continuous to a decree never known before in the history of the world, against a very brave and re- sourceful enemy. General Smith-Dorrien is indeed proud of the grand name which the corps has earned for itself, whether in advance or retirement, attack or defence; if not always decisively victorious, yet invariably holding its own and never defeated. He is in the very deepest sympathy with all units in the heavy losses which they have suffered, and it is a satisfaction to know that the casual- ties. great as they have been, are nothing to what the enemy has experienced, and with- out them this war would never have pro- gressed as it has towards the successful issue which is in view. It is indeed a great honour to have com- manded such magnificent troops, who, under anv sort of trying conditions-nerve-shaking shell fire, overwhelming fatigue, extreme heat and cold, continuous rain, mud. frost, snow-have always maintained an indomit- able fighting spirit, and have not only never complained, but have shown clire; fulness which at such times they can hard.. have felt. The one dominating aim of each indi- vidual man has been to sink all personal feelings to defeat the enemy. It is a satisfaction to Sir Horace to hand over the command to Lieut.-General Sir Charles Fergusson, who has added so much to the credit of the corps by the handling of the 5th Division, which he had to relin- quish on promotion some two months ago It is a further satisfaction to him that, as the corps forms part of his new command, he by no means severs connection with it.

I MOTHER AND HOME. A little quarrel now and then is not a bad thing in any family. Domestic life is apt to become nonotonous if it is all "billing and cooing." It needs a little spice. The storm comes to cool and freshen the air just as it does in the natural world. But when you do quarrel, make it up quickly. Have it out at once and then forget it. The hap- piest couples have many little tiffs, but they are wise, and never allow a quarrel to last more than an hour or two. By that time it is forgiven and forgotten. Their family jars are easily mended and that is the secret of their happiness. SUCH IDLFIWSS KILLS. The great difference between your body and a machine is that the latter wears out with use and the first with non-use. In fact, nothing wears out the brain and the body so much as letting either remain in idleness. The woman who would keep both going must exercise them. This does not mean that the woman of fifty must keep up the athletic pursuits she followed at twenty, or that the woman of seventy must toil as she did at forty. The inevitable has begun; the muscles and the brain are less sturdy than they were, and can do less; but they still can do much, and must not be allowed to degenerate by non-use Exercise, mental occupation, fresh air, moderate eating, and avoidance of excesses of all kinds, either of activity or of idleness—these are the brakes on the wheel of time which prevent a pre- cipitate rush into old age. ACTIVITY MEANS YOTTTHFTTLNESS. Only when we cease to be active do we become old. Nothings so hastens old age as roes a decreasing activity. After middle age most men imagine that they are slowly losing strength so they diminish their ex- ertions, and consequently cat less. Now the effect of this is to diminish the appetite and thus hinder the repair of the body. The result is that the man becomes less inclined to exertion, and his energie-s begin to rust. Never think you are getting weak, and do not eat less because you-imagine you require less. It is true that as the years advance you will not be able to work as well as you onoe did, and you will require rather less food. But keep active, for nothing keeps old age at a distance like activity. A FEW "NEVERS." Never start cut on a journey to a strange town without previous information about a safe place to stay overnight. Never answer an advertisement in person in a strange town without first thoroughly investigating the employer or agency. Never place your rings or jewellery on one side when washing your hands drop them in your purse if only for ten seconds. Sever take a. servant into your home without references, and always verify the references. Never in any circumstances make chance acquaintances, espeially while travelling. Never leave any money or jewel- lery in a room with a window opening on a porch. Never display money openly in the street or in any other public place. Never get excited over any demonstration in the street a per.-on fainting in the street is a much-used rupe cf pickpockets. Never ask for information while on a< journey except from uniformed officials of the railway or steamship company. TIMELY HIITTS FOR HUBBY. If you are one of those unfortunate persons to whom the winter and spring bring a series of colds and chills you might ponder over the following three tips, and give them at least a trial. When you are going to a place of worship, lecture, concert,. or similar place, carry your overcoat on your arm as you go. The exercise of walking will keep you warm. Arrived, don your coat. The habit of re- moving it and sitting down means that the body rapidly chills, with the result that colds come. Draughts and germs have been blamed, but the foregoing is often the real cause. And, instead of wearing your neck muffler or ,carf in the usual way, with tho ends in front, reverse. There is no V open- ing at the neck then for cold winds to search. The third tip is to have your waist- coat made of the same material at the back as the front, and cut deeper. The back is a most vulnerable spot, and tailors, for some reason, leave it the less protected. The above three good tips should mean no bad colds. THEY NEED CHEERING. There are some people who should never be allowed to visit the sick. They take with them a depressing influence, and undo all the good wrought by the cheerfulness and patience of those whose rare it is to nurse the patient back to health. All sick people are nervous and highly sensitive to the in- fluence of those around them. Therefore, if you cannot visit your sick friends and con- verse cheerfully and tactfully with them, it is far kinder to stay away. Visitors to ihe sick should leave behind them all their sor- rows and forebodings. They should be bright and hopeful, but not talk too much. And they should leave when the patient shows signs of getting weary and fidgety. They should never whisper to the nurse or to any- body el in the room. Whispering racks the nerves of a sick person, and not only that, but to many patients it seems to have an unpleasant significance. WOMANLINESS THE SECRET. The women who have achieved fame and made history have nearly all been essentially feminine. They were women who studied their appearance, who were skilful in the arts of coquetry, and who possessed the tact and diplomacy which are native to the femi- nine mind. It was to such things they owed the secret of their power. Had they been mannish, scorning the wiles and weaknesses of their sex, they might, iiil-ed, have made some impression on the world but it would not have been so lasting, and their dominion would have been a limited one. Their own sex would generally have despised them, and they would have been shunned by men, for men, while they Tespcct strong, rugged natures amongst themselves, are shrewdly suspicious of the more masculine types of women. In short, the greatest women are those who are most Avomanly, and who rely for their influence solely upon those qualities which are peculiar to their sex. IT MAKES FOR HAPPIXESS. In their zeal for the promotion of the con- jugal virtues, moral philosophers are apt to overlook some of the material aids to mar- ried happiness. Good cooking would do more to settle matrimonial problems than volumes of good advice and exhortation. The old lady who said that the way to manage a husband was to "feed the brute" expressed in rather vigorous language a great truth. But it was not a complete expression, for it said nothing about the cooking of the food. Depend upon it a good meal well cooked is an invaluable contribution to fireside happi- ness. No man whose wants in this direction are well catered for is likely to be anything but a contented member of the household. It will appeal to him more than honeyed flatteries or tender endearments, and will do more to keep him at home than the most impassioned pleading.

Salmon fishing is now in full swing in Scotland, and several of the anglers are sending their fish direct to hospitals where there are wounded soldiers and sailors. Meetings of the Liverpool University Council and Senate passed resolutions re- cording strong condemnation of the action of Professor lvuno Meyer as "an agent of sedition," and in "imputing treason to loyal Irish prisoners." Dr. Meyer, though a Ger- man, was Professor of Celtic Literature at the university. Newtown (Mont.) townspeople have de- cided to invite and maintain a number of Belgian refugees, and to ask the urban council to head the fund with .£500, which will mean a 6d. or 7d. rate. The Local Government Board is to be asked to autho- rise its auditor not to surcharge the coun- cil. To meet the demand for boots for troops the War Office has bought 951 pairs which the London County Council had delivered under its contracts. The War Office will pay for the boots the price which the Coun- cil has to pay for others.

I THINGS THOUGHTFUL. I SOCIETY'S DANGER. 1 Not wealth but selfish wealth, is the pre- s sent danger of society. Capitalism, as most political economists hold, always has been, and still is, necessary to the full activity of labour. But Christianity lays an imperious obligation upon capitalists. It teaches them that riches, if not sinful, are yet spiritually- dangerous. It declares that they are not justified in acquiring wealth by any means which degrade and demoralise their fellow- citizens.—Bishop Welldon. j I THE VICTORIOUS SPIRIT. The most. inspiring moments in tne lite 01 the world are not those that give us the sense of commanding tremendous natural forces and making them serve our ease and comfort; the greatest moments are those in which we match our souls against the most appalling forces of destruction and rise superior to them. We cannot subdue them to our uses, but we show ourselves in- vulnerable to their assaults. The vital issue at stake for us is not that we should destroy them, not even that we should understand them; but that we should con- front them with unfaltering courage; and. if we fall, that we should die undismayed and unsubdued. The very greatness of life involves tragedy, and that is a email price to )Jay for a victorious soul. I AT SEA. Worn voyagers, who watch for land Across the endless wastes of sea. Who gaze before and on each hand, Why look ye not to what ye Bee? The stars, by which the sailors t/teer, Not always rise before the prow; Though forward nought but clouds appear. Behind they may be breaking now. What though we may not turn again To shores of childhood that we leave, Are those old signs we followed vain? Can guides so oft found true deceive? Oh, sail we to the south or north, Oh, sail we to the east or west, The port from which we first put forth Is our heart's home, is our life's best! —Francis W. Bourdillon. I THINK AND THANK. The verb "thank" is derived from the same root as the verb "think." This is no accident; the two words have very much in common. Thankfulness grows out of thoughtfulness. Thoughtlessness and thank- lessness are twin sisters. Thaiiklessness has the more ugly face. but thoughtlessness be- longs to the same family. Thankfulness is a habit. The thankful man is the man who is in the habit of considering; the thankless man is the man who rushes on, so eager to secure the next thing in sight, that he fails to remember to be grateful for that which already has come to him. lie need to culti- vate thankfulness toward each other. We are too much disposed to take the kind- nesses of our fellow men for granted. We a-ccept without acknowledgment a thousand favours which ,cost somebody something when both they and we would be the richer for a word of thanks. I TESTED. "Tis easy to be cheerful when No clouds are hovering nigh. And easy to be grateful when I No hardship brings a sigh. 'Tis easy seen-the beautiful— When ncught but beauty lies Around a path all free from stones, And nought our strength defies. But strong and brave must be the hear! That always sees the cheer, And always thankful from the start, Finds beauty ever near. I MAN'S DOUBLE LIFE. Man is a child of earth and sky. His life rims down and takes hold of the world on which he walks and lives. His life also runs up and takes hold on the heavens in whose air he litts his head. This gives him a double life. almost a double world. He is ever standing between the blue sky above and the dull earth beneath him. The sky is hi.; in its boundlessness and freedom for visions, for meditations, for musings, for dreams. The earth is his in its limitedness, and with its restraints, for tasks, for actions, for service, and for duties. H L, is to receive from the experiences in the one; he is to give in the nperiøncep with the other. This is life, and its history is that men fail of their highest manhood because they see and live in only one-half of this truth.—Dr. Frank W. Gunsaulus. I TRAVEL. Nothing more speedily cures us of provin- cialism than to see a few of the big things of Nature. Narrow-minded people are generally untravelled people. Travel is a wonderful cure for small-mindedness. I hope when a new England dawns—and I believe we shall have a new England after this war —that it will be possible under a new and true social system for every person by means of travel to see a few of the big things of Nature. At present this is tLe luxury cf the few: it should be the neces- sity of the many.—Rev. F. C. Spurr. I IMPERISHABLE. Build thou a temple high, Its towers mounting to the sky, Its turrets flashing in the sin.; And when 'tis done, There comes at last a fatal day When down it crumbles to deeay., Build thou a goodly name, All weft of a resplendent fame As one who served his fellow man, And through this span Did well the Father's work alway— 'Twill last to the Eternal Day —John Kendrick Bangs. I CONCENTRATION. Concentration—here lies the whole secret of intellectual superiority. This it is which distinguishes man from the beast—the beast who is the scatter-brain of nature, always at the mercy of impressions from without, always living externally to itself, whereas man can gather himself into himself and concentrate himself. This it is also that dis- tinguishes a man who is sensible and alert from the erratic man and the dreamer. Such men abandon their minds to every chance idea, he, never relaxing his hold apon himself, continually brings all his attention to bear on the realities of life rhis concentration it is, once more, that dis- tinguishes the great man from the ordinary man—the latter content with a mediocre ability in which he rests and lets go of him- self, the former tense in the persistent endeavour to surpass himself.—Henri Berg- son. DESTROYED TO BE EEBUILT. Let us take courage about this war. Europe is a quarry out of whi, a great new building is to be built. It must be torn apart in order that the stones may be got it, but the new construction should far sur- pass the eld. It is a war to save the conti- nent, not to destroy it; to make of it a fit abode for the spirit of man to expend in, anvexed by the ambitions of dynasties, by onrebuked larcenies of lands and peoples, by bartering of the souls and bodies of men in diplomatic councils. It is a war to ieliver great nations from false gods and mistaken policies, from militarism and the rule of force, and to put them on the road to the accomplishment of great things jn, the work of civilisation.

One of England's oldest industries, the flint knapping business, still carried on in Brandon, Suffolk, is experiencing a brisik business as a result of the war. Although the war has stopped the export of flint im- plements to West Africa and South America, the flint kna ppers are busy ill their workshops fitting up tinder boxes fcr the use of the soldiers at the front. A verdict of "Accidental death" was re- turned at the Lambeth inquest concern- ing the death of Private Philip Mill- mott, fifty-five, a National Reservist (Queen's AVest Surrey Regiment), who was killed on the London and South-" estcra Railway while on guard duty.