Papurau Newydd Cymru
Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru
19 erthygl ar y dudalen hon
  11 ?m. ?:.u ..? BATTLE.…
  11 ?m. ?:.u ..? BATTLE. I ENEMY STILL TRYING TO GET TO AMIENS. ALLIED LINE FIRM. Notwithstanding their enormous loesses, the Germans are still making persistent efforts to cut their way through between the British and French armies to Amiens. The progress of the great battle is shown in the following reports from Sir Douglas Haig:— Sunday, 11.0 a.m. South of the Somme, our line in the Luce Valley was restored yesterday after a vigor- ously executed counter-attack. Two strong attacks made by the enemy in the course of the day against our Front from Marcelcave to the omme were re- pulsed, in each case with heavy loss to his troops. In his attacks delivered yesterday imme- diately north of the Somme the enemy's in- fantrv advanced to the assault in four waves, and were repulsed at all points by OUT outpost line. The enemy's casualties on this portion of the battle front alone are estimated in thousands. Early yesterday afternoon a successful local operation was carried out by us in the neighbourhood of Serre. Our line in this locality was advanced a short distance, and 230 prisoners and forty machine-guns were captured by us. Our line has also been carried forward slightly in other parts of the battle front and prisoners taken. Hostile artillery was active yesterday evening in the neighbourhood of Ducquoy. A NEW ATTACK. Sunday, 7.50 p.m. North of the River Somme tie enemy has not renewed his attacks to-day. Some heavy hostile shelling has, however, taken place on different parts of this Front. A few prisoners and machine-guns have been secured by us in local fighting. South of the River Somme a hostile attack developed in considerable force about mid- day -south of the main Peronne-Amiens road. Fighting is continuing in and between the valleys of the Rivers Luce and Avre, where the possession of tactisal features, woods, and villages is at present being con- tested. VILLAGES RETAKEN. On Sunday night the War Office issued the following survey:— North of the Somme.—The day has been quiet. Immediately south of the Scarpe our line has been advanced to the east cf Feuchv. It is confirmed that the enemy's losses in his fruitless attack-- yesterday were heavy. j South of the Somme.— Y eterday. by suc- cessful counter-attacks, we regained posses- sion of the village of Demuin. In a brilliant operation yesterday carried out by Cana- dians, cavalry, and British infantry, in con- junction with the French, we recaptured Moreuil and the wood to the north of it. During this afternoon a heavy (ieriiiai- attack devoloi>ed in the angle between the Rivers Luce and Aver6 and fighting con- tinues. South of Moreuil the Germans are at- tacking in the direction of Maillv-Rameva!. This morning the French had made pro- gress from. the south of Montdidier to Las- signv, retaking severa l villages which were lost yesterday. TWO ATTACKS REPULSED. Monday. 9.55 a.m. Yesterday evening the enemy twice at- tacked our positions on the western out- skirts of Albert, and on each occasion was ■completely repuls-el. South of the Somme the enemy is persist- ing in his attempts to advance along the vaTleys of the rivers Luce and Avre, but has made little progress. Attacks and counter- attacks followed each other in this sector throughout yesterday afternoon and evening with varying succe.-s, and fighting is ex- pected to continue. In the local oDeraticn in the neighbour- hood of Serre reported in yesterday morn- ing's communiouu the total number of machine-guns tOAcn was 109. SUCCESSFUL COUNTER-ATTACKS. Monday, 8.18 p.m. The dav lias parsed comparatively quietly on the battle front. Local attacks undertaken by small bodies of the enemy this morning in the neighbour- hood of Albert were repulsed with the loss of the greater part of their number. We secured a few prisoners. South of the Somme local fighting- has taken place ;ii itio neighbourhood of Moreuil and llangard. We have gained ground in this area by successful counter-attacks. CAVALRY IX ACTION. The War Offiee issued the fcllowiii- sur- vey of the situation on Monday evening: "North of the I:om-n(,T here has been no chanLT in the situation. South of the Somme.There has been hard fighting i:i the neighbourhood of Moreuil. Betwteo Moreuil and Hangard British cavalry, "in a brilliant counter-at- tack. retook a wood which had been lost pre- viously. French Front. -An enemy attack was beaten off Douth of Moreuil, otherwise the day has been comparatively ;.qui{'t
AMERICA HELPING.
AMERICA HELPING. TROOPS TO BE BRIGADED WITH BRITISH AND FRENCH. The following official statement was issued by the Press Bureau on Monday night:- As a result of communications which have passed between the Prime Minister and President Wilson, of deliberations between Mr. Secretary Baker, who visited London a few days ago, and the Prime Minister, Mr. Balfour, and Lord Deroy, and of consulta- tions in France in which General Pershing and General Bliss, th& Permanent Military Representative of America with the Supreme War Council, participated, important deci- sions have been come to by which the large forces of trained men in the American Army ca.n be brought to the assistance of the Allies in the present struggle. The Government of our great Western Allv is not only sending large numbers of American battalions to Europe during the coming critical months, but has agreed to such of its regiments as cannot be used in divisions of their own being brigaded with French and British units so long as the necessity lasts. By tais means troops which are not yet sufficiently trained to fight a-, divisions and army corps will form part of the seasoned divisions until such time as they have com- pleted their training and General Pershing wishes to withdraw them in order to build up the American Army. Arrangements for the transportation of these additional forces are now being com- pleted-i Throughout these discussions President Wilson has show n the greatest anxiety to do everything possible to assist the Allies, and has left nothing undone winch could contir- bute thereto. Tfhis decision, however, of Vi b l Jmpor- tance as it will be to the maintenance of the Allied strength in the next few mouths, WIll in no way diminish the need tor those further measures for the raiding of fresh I troops at home to which reference has already been made.. It is announced at once because the PriTTie Minister feels that the singleness of pur- pose with which the United States have made this immediate—and. indeed, indis- pensable—contribution towards the triumph d be clear l y recol-- of the Allied cause should be clearly recog- nised by the British people.
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Meeting a boy, the bishop stopped and asked him: "Can you tell me the way to the nearc-at station? The boy pointed out the way. "How far is it?" the bishop asked. "About a mile, the boy replied, staring hard at the bishop's • knee-breeches and gaiters. As his lordship turned away the boy sodded: "What's up? Somebody pinched your bike?"
MESOPOTAMIA ADVANCE.I
MESOPOTAMIA ADVANCE. I —— 0- 5,000 TURKS CAPTURED: BIG MOVE FORWARD. War Office. On March 26 a highly successful operation was carried out by our troops operating on the Euphrates, north-west of Hit, which resulted in the capture or destruction of virtually the entire Turkish force in that area. Early in the morning our columns ad- vanced to the attack of the Turkish posi- tions about Khan Baghdadieh (twenty-two miles north-west of Hit), our cavalry making a wide movement around the Turkish right to establish itself astride the road to Aleppo in rear of the enemy. By nightfall the enemy's main positions north of Khan Baghdadieh had been carried by assault. The main body of the enemy, which attempted to break to t-ae north-west, was intercepted by our cavalry and repulsed with heavy losses. So far as reported about 3,000 prisoners have been taken, including a divisional com- mander, tw9 regimental commanders, about 200 other Turkish officers, one ^ierm-an officer, and a few German non-commissioned officers. In addition, ten guns, 2,000 rifles, many machine grins, 600 animals, and a quantity of other booty have been taken. The pursuit of the remaining fugitives has already been carried to beyond Haditha (forty-five miles north-west of Hit). Our casualties were very slight. BEYOND ANA. I War Office. Our troops have pursued with untiring energy the remnants of the Turkish force which was defeated at Khan Baghdadieh, and bv middav on 28 had advanced I)evon(i Ana [on the Euphrates], eighty- three miles north-west of Hit. Full particulars of our captures have not been received yet, but they prove to be of great importance, and much valuable infor- mation has been obtained. Large depots at "Haditha and Ana have fallen into our hands, containing quantities of crun and small arm ammunition, mine- throwers, hand grenades, petrol, ordnance equipment of all description, and also many small river boats. The number of prisoners has increased to 5,000. STILL ADVANCING. I War Office. On the Euphrates our pursing troofas have advanced seventy-three miles beyond Ana, and a few more Germans have been cap- tured. In addition to the guns previously re- ported, two four-inch guns mounted on river boa.ts have fallen into our hands.
AIRMEN -AT WORK.-I
AIRMEN AT WORK. I -0 ENGAGED DAY AND NIGHT IN THE GREAT BATTLE. The splendid part played by our airmen In the great battle is shown in the following reports from Sir Douglas Haig-- Saturday, 8.40 p.m. During the morning of the 29th inst. low clouds and rain greatly interfered with fly- ing, but in spite of the weather valuable work was again accomplished by our aero- planes. Our machines were concentrated upon the battle front south of the Somme. where observers had previously reported large columns of the enemy advancing from the east. Many bombs were dropped, and thousand s of rounds of ammunition were tired upon these columns. A good deal of fighting took place, the enemy's low-flying1 machines being particu- larly active in this area. Nine hostile aeroplanes were brought down and two others were driven down out of control. Two of our machines are missing. During the night over twelve tons of bombs were dropped on Bapaume and on roads in the vicinity, and also on roads and villages east of Arras. Direct hits were ob- tained on dumps and transport and on the railway line. One of our machines has not yet been located. GOOD WORK IN BAD WEATHER. I Sunday, 8.48 p.m. After midday on the 30th inst. the weather completely broke, but in spite of driving rain our pilots continued to take part i ntli, battle south of the Somme, and dropped bombs and used their machine-guns until a late hour on the targets offered by the enemy. Useful reports as to the loca- tion of hostile troops were brought in, and in the northern area of the battle a certain amount- of work in conjunction with our artillery was carried out. • There was heavy fighting in the air be tween our low-flying machines and those of the enemy. Twel ve hostile aeroplanes were brought down and three others driven down out of control. One hostile balloon was de- stroyed by our machines, and another two German aeroplanes were shot down by our anti-aircraft guns. Five of our machines are missing. TROOPS AND TRANSPORT BOMBED. I Monday, 9.29 p.m. On March 31 our observation balloons and aeroplanes were active, good visibility enabling the former to carry out useful work in conjunction with the artillery. The activity of our aeroplanes was chiefly centred south of the Somme. A close watch was kept on the enemy's movements in this area, and a larg-e column of hostile troop6 or transport seen was bombed and engaged with machine-gun fire. Very little fighting took place' in the air. Two hostile machines were brought down and one other was driven down out of con- trol. Four of our machines are missing. Four of our machines, previously reported missing, have since returned to their units. Kight-flying was not possible till after midnight, owing to low clouds. From mid- night until dawn our bombing machines were constantly at work. Twenty-four tons of bombs were dropped on the railway stations at Donai. Cambrai, Bapaume, Rosierps, and Thourout, and on the docks at Bruges. Troops and transport in the neighbour- hood of Bapaume and Chaulnes were also attacked with bombs and machine-gun fire. All our machines returned.
U-BOAT WARFARE. I
U-BOAT WARFARE. I BIG INCREASE IX do SHIPPING LOSSES. I The Admiralty return shows a big increase in the number of merchant vessels sunk by the enemy in the week ending March 23. One of the larger and four of the smaller vessels were sunk in prvious weeks, but are only now reported. Merchant ships arrived, 2,471 sailed 2,488. British ships sunk by mine or submarine — 1,600 tons and over Hi. Under 1,600 tons 12 Figures for the preceding three weeks, British ships sunk: Mar.lfi. Mar.9. Mar.2. 1,G00 tons and over 11 15 12 Under 1,000 tons. 6 3 6
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I Flight-Sergeant- Paske, a cousin of Vis- count French, has been killed in a flying accident at Houuslow. A verdict of "Wilful murder" against John vVhitehouse, aged seventeen, was re- turned at the inquest at Birmingham on Minnie Astburv, agOOi twenty-four, munition worker. It was stated that be attacked her with a razor because she broke -off their acquaintanceship owing to his having taken beer. The mystery of a certain much-discussed "praying palm tree" in India has been solved by the discovery that the tree fell with the rise, and rose with the fall, of the ( temperature, and that all trees move in re- sponse to changes in their environment. The circulation of silver coinage through- cut Italy will be stopped on April 30. There is an enormous exodus of silver from Italy, and it is believed that the meta! goes to the Central Powers.
IN LIGHTER VEIN I
IN LIGHTER VEIN I BY THOMAS JAY. I ILLUSTRATED BY J. H. LUNN. I All I ask of spring is that it shall knock before it enters, as it were, but I cannot help thinking that spring and the things in its trail spell. anathema 'cl, to most of us. It may well happen that the old masters were right, that on the first day of spring the poet leaps out of bed with. a paean of joy on his lips and a few days' growth of beard on his face, takes his last year's poems out of the trousers-press, and really gets going. He will write of butterflies at a period of the year when the poor little butterfly would be suffering with double pneumonia. Indeed, I object to the way the poet plays about with creation, and I have not the slightest doubt that many times he has dragged last year's buttercups and butterflies into his poems. If it Ï8 only in the spring that the poet's and the young man's fancy lightly turns to fooling round, what has he been doing all the year? Most of us in our young days have felt the call of the muse. Felt we had a Stirring message to the world encased in a poem, and, like Pindar, we have set to it to write our poem. Then it is that cold faot lands us one on the point of the jaw which brings us to earth, and our poems arc so often rejected that in a moment of despera- tion we rush off to get married, finding some slight consolation in getting the banns pub- lished at least. There is no doubt that spring has sprung, though there may still be a thin layer of truth in the statement that one swallow does not make a suipmer, even though a taxicab can make any number of springs in a busy street. The light breeze waves the flowering wheat. From the ground comes the scent of m e a dowsweet, the swallow flies WARNED OFF. low, the ba.t is in flight, and cur- rants are a shil- ling a pound. But the rift in the chasm which lets in the wet and breaks the back of the drowning camel is the fact that owing to lack of materials the hot-cross bun has been warned off the course owing to the lack of currants with which this weapon ot the dyspeptic has for many generations been .thickly studded. It is a pity that this British institution should have fallen away —in my estimation the hot-cross bun is truly British, because it never does its best work until it is down. The greatest drawback of the season is that before spring has had a chance to catch its second breath along comes custom and really gets going. So that the busy City man arrives home late one evening with the apologetic look of a man who has come into violent contact with a sticky fly- paper to find that the hall is crowded with most of the household furniture, his dinner reposes in the lawn-mower at the back of the cellar, and then it is that he strokes his furrowed brow, steps back a few paces, and exclaims, his voice hoarse with beeswax- Spring cleaning!" The piano next door grinds out sundry information about "there being no place like home," and he confesses right away that he does not know the old place any more. It is when the Housewife's Annual Orgy is on that the husband realises that life is hardly worth living, and decides right away that it is not necessary to live any longer. This is not the right attitude. The proper thina to do is to be helpful, and in this capacity a little i n f o r- mation may lie useful at this stage in the household catas- trophe. To re- move the dust of the season most people go in for a vacuum. This is a most useful instrument, and a post card to t be, nearest vacuum m o n- gers will result IN THE SPRING. I in the firm de- positing one of these fire-engine things in the garden, when all that is necessary is to go round with the nozzle thing and wrench the dust from the furniture at the woint of the vacuum, as it were. To remove grease from wall-pal)er. a very good plan is to heat the g-arden-toller in the kitchen fire to a white heat, and roll over the grease spots. Once will be more than sufficient. Should the bath-pipo burst, do not attempt to stop the leak by bending the body into a crochet pattern uuder the bath and trying to paste a piece of stamp- edging over the burst pipe. And do not send for a plumber. Remove to another house. To keep moth from furs, tM custom of using barbed-wire is dying out. If it is impossible to remove the moth, and? a letter to Mr. Bottomley proves equally futile, there is nothing left but to send for a policeman. However, spring is here, and by hook qr by crook, or both implements if necessary, we must make the best of it. We are all more or less afflicted with the spirit of pretence and snobbery. Middle- class snobbery is the worst snobbery of all. You hear of women without a shilling in the world attending "ttt, homes" and other such functions as if they were duchesses. As a matter of fact, in these times we should all dry up on these things, for there-is no room for it. I admit that the war has knocked nine-tenths of the snobbery out of most of us. If there is one thing my worst enemy can do against me-and w.e all have enemies these days-it will be to hoodwink me by some foul plot into attending an "at home." T can assure you that it is impossible for most men to be at home at an "at home." A man needs to be a Blondin, with a mix- ture of the contortionist. I have tried that trick of trying to balance a cup of tea in one hand and a slab of seed cake in the other, at the same time pretending to take an intelligent interest in things, and I am prepared to admit that I cannot do it. Everybody else can do it, but not me. I hate this idea of .twisting the body into seven different designs of crochet patterns. seven difterent des i c, rn, I hate winding my body up. And now comes another man writing to the papers suggesting that we should tax the bacnelor. But, after all, the bachelor is not the brute he is painted. As he sits at his solitai-y meal in the evening he is gentle- manly enough not to envy his married friend with a wife and three children. By all means tax the bachelor if you must. tax him a thousand a year if you like—and there will be the cheery-faced men who will shake their fists under your nose and say it will be worth it.
POWERFUL PERFUME. I
POWERFUL PERFUME. I The Arabs around Aden love powerful per- fumes, and are highly skilled in their pre- paration. Their favourite is called "oodi." It is made from a wood called "ood," and is so powerful that when burned in incense- pots the smoke will impregnate the gar- ments of those present to such an extent that the perfume will remain upon them for days, even after they have been laundered.
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It was after a junior league match in I which the home side lost by eight goals to nil. The goalkeeper was naturally blamed for the disaster, and, overhearing that thing were being said about him, went straight to the captain and inquired: "Did you tell Bill that I was the worst goalkeeper in the village?" "No, I didn't. J. thought he knew," was the reply.
KING AT THE FRONT. I
KING AT THE FRONT. I HIS MAJESTY'S LETTER TO SIR DOUGLAS HAIG. The King has spent three days on the Western Front. Leaving London on Thurs- day morning, he came back on Saturday night. His Majesty has sent the following letter to Sir Douglas Haig:— My short visit to the battle front gave me an exceptional opportunity of seeing you and some of your generals engaged in the fierce battle still raging, and I thus ob- tained personal testimony to the indomit- able courage and unflinching tenacity with which my splendid troops have withstood the supreme effort of the greater part of the enemy's fighting power. "I was also fortunate enough to see some units recently withdrawn from the front line, and listened with wonder as officers and men narrated the thrilling incidents of a week's stubborn fighting. I was present at the entraining of fresh troops eager to reinforce their comrades. Iln a large casualty clearing station I realised what can be accomplished by good organisation in promptly dealing with every variety of casualty of greater or less severity, and passing on by trains to the base hospitals those fit to travel. The patient cheeriulness of the wounded was only equalled by the care and gentleness of those ministering to their wants. "NO BRAVER ARMY." I With these experiences, short but vivid, I feel that the whole Empire will join me in expressing the gratitude due to you and your army for the skilful, unswerving manner in which this formidable attack has been and continues to be dealt with. Though for the moment our troops have been obliged by sheer weight of numbers to give some ground, the impression left on my mind is that no army could be in better heart, braver, or more confident than that which you have the honour to command. Anyone privileged to share these experi- ences would feel with me proud of the British race and of the unconquerable spirit, which will, please God, bring us ter?u?il our present trials. We at home must ensure that the man power is adequately maintained, and that our workers—men and women-will con- tinue nobly to meet the demands for all the necessities of war. Thus may you be re- lieved from any anxiety as to the means by which, with the support of our faithful and brave Allies, your heroic Army shall justify that inspiring determination which I found permeated all ranks."
AUSTRALIANS IN ACTION. ————
AUSTRALIANS IN ACTION. —— —— COLONIALS TAKE HEAVY TOLL OF ENEMY. Mr. F. M. Cutlack, assistant official cor- respondent with the Australian Imperial Force in France, has sent the following dis- patch, dated Sunday, to the High Com- missioner for Australia — The honour fell to Australian troops, amongst others, to assist in blocking the German advance. Tuesday was the last day of trial for'the weary British divisions who retreated from the St. Quentin line, steadily fighting, and for five days contesting every ■possible spur. On Wednesday the Germans found themselves up against fresh troops, including the Australian brigades, who were itching to return a blow to the foe for re- invading the Somme battlefield. The arrival of the Australians and other reinforcing troops was received with great joy bv the villagers. The hearts of our men, spoiling for fight, were uplifted at hearing cries of "Vive les Australiens. Australian battalions, who were in mag- nificent fighting form, arrived from the north. Some marched continuously from nine o'clock one night until four the next afternoon, with only one meal, and straight into action. By the next morning they had beaten off the German adv&nce guards, dug a series of excellent defensive positions, and then slept in their trenches while the artil- lery came into action in the open. behind crests, and carried on the battle. Wednesday was spent in improving the positions and getting up artillery. An ar- til?"iry battle took pace on Thursday, and our guns easily outfired those of the enemy. Minor infantry patrol encounters occurred on Wednesday and Thursday, and the enemy Stoon found that he was unable to advance on the north of the Somme past the gullies. This ground was the old training theatre of the Australian battalions when resting dur- ing the Somme campaign', and was familiar to both staffs and men. Australian brigades took the keenest delight in repeating manoeuvres against the Germans, to whom they owe a heavy blow. On Wednesday morning the enemy heavily attacked the Austraian battalions on a 900- yard front in twelve waves. They were mowed down by machine-guns and rifle fire, and lost at least 600 killed. Our casualties were trifling. There is every indication that the Ger- mans have shot their first bolt north of the Somme. and are preparing uneasily to re- ceive the counter-blow in the next phase of this tremendous battle.
PIGEONS AS NEWS CARRIERS.…
PIGEONS AS NEWS CARRIERS. I A contemporary has stated that in addi- tion to death-dealing guns, the Tanks carry pigeons for sending out messages in case of need. This is yet another use to which pigeons have been put in this war. The in- genuity of the French in this respect, how- ever, is hard to beat. In one of our ally's war museums is an apparatus which shows how the French have attempted to get news I 'from their invaded territories. It consists of a balloon, which carries forty carrier pigeons. In floating over the land now occupied by the enemy it drops from time to time a little parachute, to which is at- tached a basket containing a carrier pigeon, an aluminium message holder, several sheets of thin paper, pencil, and detailed instruc- tions for use. The finder of the basket, after writing a message, has only to slip it into the holder in the bird's leg and set it freei. The homing instinct then allows the pigeon to find its way back to the French lines.
I SURGERY BY TELEGRAPH.I
I SURGERY BY TELEGRAPH. I An operation performed under the direc- tiions of a surgeon 1,800 miles away saved a man's life in Australia. The patient fell from his horse at Hall's Creek, in Northern Australia, and suffered serious injuries. An operation was urgently necessary, and there was no doctor within 1,000 miles. The con- dition of the patient was described by tele- graph to a doctor in Perth, and he sent back, by the same means, instructions under which the postmaster at Hall's Creek with such surgical instruments as he could I muster, the chief of which was a razor, suc- cessfully carried out the operation.
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Look here, Mr. Editor," exclaimed an irate caller, "you referred to me yesterday as a reformed drunkard. Yo -ii must apolo- gise, or I'll sue your paper for libel." "Very well, sir," replied the editor. "I'll retract the statement cheerfully. I'll say you haven't reformed." I A paper engaged a reporter to travel and send by wire all important news. The re- porter was a novice, and sent the following important news to his paper: "A judge is down shooting here." The editor tele- graphed back: "Let yourself to him for a I target. "There is cne thing queer in British poli- 1 tic. S. "What's that? "They bring out I their whips for their own party when they want to beat the other one." In one of the suburbs trade was dull. and thti chief grocer in the district found his earnings becoming smaller day by day. One morning an old customer entered. In ex- -co d the I ,roe-er pectation of something good. the grocer jumped up from his seat and, rubbing his han ds, said, "Well, missus, what can I get you?" "A ha'penny worth o' soap," was the reply. "Oh," said the disgusted grccer, "ye'll be for washing the canary to-day?
! BOOKS AND MAGAZINES.
BOOKS AND MAGAZINES. I THE CONSERVATISM OF EDUCATION. The boy entering a public school has to make has choice between Greek, Latin, and a little French on the one hand, and German, French, and a little- Latin on the other. It is not suggested that other subjects are wholly neglected. A boy learns enough arithmetic to be able to calculate how long a bath will take to fiN under various circumstances; he learns the rudiments of algebra, geometry, and natural science; he also getBa nodding acquaintance with the English Kings and theii wars, and possibly with trade winds and areas of volcanic action. Most of his time, however, is demoted to languages. Since the universities have hitherto only opened their doors to the sesame of G[reek and Latin, the more intelli- gent boys are found on the classical side. A detached observer could not help being struck by the oddity of this. The explanation is to be found in the intense conservatism of educa- tion. Five hundred years ago classical studies assumed the leading place in the world of learning. The thought of that day was eman- cipating itself from the bonds of a too rigid ecclesiasticism by a return to the philosophies and arts, of Greece and Rome. Translations were few, and the educated man, if he wished to understand and keep abreast with the movements of his day, had to learn Latin and Greek so as to be able to read the books written in those languages. These conditions now no longer apply, yet every one who desires to go to Oxford or Cambridge is still compelled to show a pretence of knowledge of these languages, and a classical education still remains the normal eduoation offered in upper- class schools.—From "The Future of Public School Education," by D. B. Somervell. (Milford.) I HEROES OF THE MERCHANT MARINE. Stories of the heroism of tile men of the mercantile marine are told in the "Quiver" by Charles T. Batemafi. The following was related to him by one who is well acquainted with the seafaring man and his dangerous duty. "There arrived here," he said, "at 11.30 a.m. on Sunday, April 1. part of the crew of the steamer Gle-nog-le. Included in the com- pany were twenty-four men, of whom seven- teen were Chinamen-the officers were Britishers. These poor fellows, after their ship was torpedoed, remained in an open boat for five days. The first three days each had a gill of water and a sea biscuit, but during the last two days neither food nor water was obtainable, and you can picture their awful condition on arriving at the Institute. One was carried on an ambulance, and all the others required assistance. "They had been attacked by the enemy 220 miles from the nearest Light, and this boat- load was one of six set adrift from the ship. It was the only company to reach our port. "Many in this boatload suffered from eerious frost-bites, but by skilful treatment on the part of doctors and nurses their limbs were spared. To their credit, the British officers endured the greatest exposure to the weather after leaving the ship. They remained at the tiller the whole five days, placed the Chinamen at the bottom of the boat, and covered them up as far as possible. This heroic sacrifice saved the Chinamen's lives, but the officers, as a consequence, me,t with terrible hardships, and only by the most careful attention did they recover suiffciently to enable them to proceed to their homes. We despaired of saving one of the limbs of the quartermaster—a courageous young fellow- who had kept at the tiller long after he was frost-bitten. After he reached his home several months elapsed before he recovered." I A BUMBLE-BEE'S NEST. The conductor of "Little Folks" Nature Club tells the readers of that magazine some interesting things about bumble-bees, which generally build their nest in a hole in the ground. He was present when one was dug up, and helped to eat the honey. I was surprised and at first disappointed (he says) to find there was not a great store of honey in squares of six-sided waxen cells closely packed together and carefully sealed, such as are taken from a hive. Instead there were a number of little round pots, each about the size of a, shilling, which were filled almost to the brim with honey and had no covering whatever. These pots were not white like the wax of the hive bee, but were brown and leathery looking, but when we squeezed into our mouths the delicious juice they conta,ined they didn't crack or break, but simply col- lapsed like oil-paint tubes, so I think they must have been made of a mixture of paper and wax. Now this difference in the method of storing the honey is due to the different modes of living of the two kinds of bee. At the end of the autumn all the domestic bees that survive huddle together in the hive to keep one another warm, and there, hanging from the roof, they remain all the winter. But they don't spend their days and nights in one long sleep. They are only half dormant, and there- fore they require food. It is for this purpose that they lay up a large stock of honey and seal each cell as it is filled. On the other hand. all the bumble bees die 1t the end of the ,-eason except a few of the queens. There are usually quite a number of them in one nest, and therefore they are not queens in the same sense as the ruler of the hive is; but it is usual to can them queens to distinguish them from the workers, which are smaller, and because each of them is capable of start- ing a tribe of her own. Those that are to face the winter are hatche.d. towa-rds the end of the season, and when the rest of the family die they separate. Each then seeks -out some cosy hole in the ground, and there she hides in a sound sleep till she feels the warmth of returning sprdnz So she needs no food to help her through the long cold months, and therefore during the slimmer the bumble bees don't have to hoard more honey than may be required in case of a spell of bad weather, and beyond this they collect onlv enough to serve the nest from day to day. This means, of course, that the honev pots are constantly being filled and emptied, so there is no reason for sealing them, and a j covering of any kind would: only be in the way. FAMOUS GERMAN AIRMAN. I An article by Captain Baron von Rich- tofen, Germany's most famous airman since Bocike was killed, appears in "CasseU's 'Magazine." Baron von Richtofen describe? j| his own doings on the Western Front, and his account docs not err on the sifto of modesty. He tells how after one fight lie, had to make a forced landing, and, though he was quite unhurt, an officer who arrived on the scene insisted on taking him to his quarters and making him rest, as "he was j sure he must be terribly done up. I assured him (says Baron von Richtofen) that this was not my first aerial battle, but he did not, apparently, give me much credence. Probably (I did not look very martial. After we had been talking for some time he asked me, of course, the celebrated question: "Have you brought down I a machine? As I said before, he had prob- ably not understood my name. So I answered nonchalantly "Oh, yes. I have done so now and then." He replied: "Indeed! Perhaps you have shot down two?" I answered: "N o, not two, but twenty-four." He smiled, re- peated his question," and gave me to under- stand that when he. was speaking about shoot- ing down an aeroplane he meant not shodiilg at an aeroplane but shooting into an aero- plane in such a manner that it would fall to the ground and remain there. I immediately assured him that I entirely shared his con- | ception of the meaning of the words "shoot- { ing down." Now I had completely lost caste with him.. He was convinced that I was a fearful liar. He left me' sitting where I was and told me that a meal would be served in an hour. If I liked I could join in. I accepted his invita- tion and slept soundly for an hour. Then we went to the officers' club. Arrived at the club, I was glad to find that I was wearing the Order Pour Ie Merite. Unfortunately, I had J no uniform jacket underneath my greasy leather coat, elit only a waistcoat. I apolo- gised for being so badly dressed. Suddenly my good chief discovered on me the Order Ponr I le Meite. He was speechless with surprise, and assured me that he did not know my name. I gave him my name once more. Now it I seemed to dawn upon him that he had heard my name before. He feasted me with oysters and champagne, and I did gloriously until at last my orderly arrived and fetched me with I 'ny ci r.
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A little boy having his music lesson was asked by his teacher, "What are pauses? And the quick response was, "Things that I grow on pussy-cats." A
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I PLANTING POTATOES. There is no doubt that potatoes are often planted too closely, and the mass of crowded i-h- prevents sun and air getting among the foliage, thus making a good propagatOI for "blight" or potato disease. Early pota- toes can be planted closer together as they are generally matured before the disease appears (says "The Smallholder"). I recom- mend 1ft. apart in the rows and 24in. bè- tween the rows for earlies such as Express. May Queen, and Midlothian Early. Fox second earlies like Great Scott, British Queen, and Windsor Castle, 15in. in the row and 24in. between the rows is suitable. Foi the main or late crop, Factor, King Edward VII., "Arran Chief., Locbar, and Lapgworthy. 16in. in the rows and 2ft. 9in. between the rows must be allowed. You will need roughly, according to the size of the tubers. 221b. of early seed, 161b. of second early, and 121b. of main or lato seed to plant one rod od fround. Plant only when the weather is dry, and the soil can be moved about with- out the least degree of stickiness. —— a. —— DONT USE A DIBBER. Never use a dibber for planting, as it hardens the size of the hol es and prevents a free root action. Another evil is, when a pointed dibber is used, the potatoes get hung up in the hole, leaving an air space in the bottom, which is fatal to success. A dibber may be used on light soils, but it must be as broad at the base as at the top. The best way to plant is either with trowel, or by taking out drills with the spade, 4in. deep, the tubers being pressed in the rowa by hand with the rose end pointing up- wards. Then push back the fine soil taken out with the spade, and cover the tubers a good 4m. deep; finally take out all foot- g-!?. by scratching over the bed with the point of fork. —— —— GROWING FODDER. Notwithstanding the importance of pro- ducing oorn the farmer should also remem- ber to provide fodder for his stock for use next winter, and should not crowd abao- lutdy necessary fodder crops out entirely or he will be in an unenviable position when the time comes round (says "Farm, Field, and Fireside"). Swedes are a good fodder- crop to grow, because they can, if necessary, be used for table purposes, and the same may be said of cabbages. Whatever crop, or crops, may be grown, however, the plan should be to keep the acreage as small aa possible, and the way to do this is to grow as much fodder as possible to the acre by having the land in the very best of condi- tion at the time of sowing, and by carefully making choice of a crop that is of a sort and variety that is known to be capable of yield- ing best results under the particular condi- tions that must be faced. GREEN FORAGE. Shortly the corn rations per day for horses are to be lowered, and horses should not be expected to draw the same heavy loads, go as fast as they have, nor be able to do thtf same number of hours work per dity. as many owners have ected them to do (says "Farm, Field, and Fireside "). The ques- tion of how to make up for the smaller quan- tity of concentrated food is going to be a difficult task, and various manufacturing by- products have in turn been tried, and when found suitable have been so in demand that either the price has risen or they have be- come itnobtainable. Now that the spring is coming green food will soon be available, but there are some objections to it, viz., early green crops often contain a very high percentage of water, and cause, owing to ter iness and small amount of nutritious matter, indigestion, colic, and purgation. Amongst the earliest green foods is rye. which in some parts is extensively grown for horses. It is found, when first giving it to horses which have been accustomed tc dry food, that it is better to chaff it with hay and oat straw or well mix with meadow hay, so that the horse eats two parte of long hay and one of green rye. It is best given j in this form at night when racking a horse up. LUCERNE FOR HORSES. Rye can be generally cut about April and May. After a while it becomes rather hard and less nutritious, and in May, June, and also July, a mixture of vetches and oats are used, but by this time lucerne, clover, and pasture have practically taken their place, as it is easier to turn a horse out at night in the paddock than to cut and cart green food. Green food should never be allowed to remain in a heap and heat, as. if badly heated, it is very liable to produce violent digestive troubles. Another thing which has caused the death of numbers of town horses is lawn mowings, which have been left a few hours or days in a sack or heap. These, if slightly damp. heat, and should, in common with all cut green food, be spread out, and not kept in a heap. Lucerne may be fed to horses at the rate of from four to nine pounds daily. Animals being largely fed on green food cannot do very fast work, and it causes them to sweat easily. All green forage should be freshly cut, and not tough and fibrous. Vetches,' a,. soon as they start to form their seed, should not be given to horses. HOP GROWING. Hops require a deep soil, but are very adaptable as to texture so long as a suit- able variety is selected (says the" Agricul- tural Gazette"). They are propagated from sets," or root-cuttings, which are preserved when the tops are being pruned in the early spring, and planted out in beds for one year until they have developed roots. They are then planted out in their permanent posi- j tion, the width of the rows and the distance apart varying with the system of training f: adopted. A common distance apart is 6ft. 6in. both ways, 12,000 "hills" then con- stituting a "hop acre." All the operations, such as digging, pruning, stringing, train- 1 ing, etc., are paid for at piecework rates. r Once established, a hop-garden will last for < thirty or forty years. The hops start grow- ing in April, and on a warm day in May or June may grow as much as 1ft. in twenty- i four hours. Their natural habit is to grow vertically, hence when trained at an an gle v of forty-five degrees they require a consider- able amount of hand training, done by women, to keep them on the strings, especi- ally during strong winds. Unlike the com- mon convulvus, hops always "follow the sun round"—i.e., they twine from right to left, and never from left to right, and this has to be remembered by the women entrusted -with ;heir training. —— —— POINTS FOR APPLE GROWERS. ;I Any ordinary soil is generally rich enough for apples (say "The Smallholder"). Young trees, at any rate, do not like it too rich, and should never receive heavy dressings of manure, either farmyard or artificial; in fact, they require no assistance whatever for the first year until thev come into bearing. It ia the judicious thinning and pruning of. ithe shoots which best tenus to encourage a l strong, healthy growth. When the fruit is ''1 well set frequent waterings with liquid manure may be given during July and August. Established trees', are greatly as- sisted by this process, as also are those that Si show signs of weakness. At the first ap- proach of hot weather this mulching will do > much to counteract the evil effects of drought. As regards artificial manures, the object should be to propiote the development of ftuit and to check excessive wood growth. Potash and phosphates are useful in this 4 respect. An application of four ounces of 4 basic slag and an ounce of kainit per square yard will have a good effect if applied in autumn, and followed by a spring-dressing of one ounce of sulphate of ammonia and; two ounces of superphosphates. If the u fround is deficient in lime a good spring- dressing may be given asl follows: One ounce nitrate of soda, ounce nitrate of lime, and two ounces superphosphate. Nitrate of soda will be of especial benefit in calcerous soils or those inclining to a heavy, tenacious cha- | racter. These spring dressings must be applied not later than March, otherwise 'i their effect will be lost, particularly in tht case of basic slag.
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