The Kaiser, we hear, has had much pleasure in not bestowing the IronCross on Herr Maximilien Harden, the editor of Zukunft, who, in arecent article, suggested that the Germans should give up the pretencethat they did not begin the War.
Mr. Cecil Chisholm, in his biography of our Commander-in-Chief, drawsattention to the fact that both Sir John French and General Joffre aresquare men. This, no doubt, accounts for the difficulty the enemy has ingetting round them.
The author also mentions that the subject of his biography is known as"Lucky French," though few persons understand the full appropriatenessof the epithet. It was Sir John Luck who first gave him a chance ofdistinguishing himself.
"Before Christmas," says a German journal, "Londoners will have becomefamiliar with the spectacle of seeing their public buildings guarded byGerman blue-jackets." This, of course, must refer to the interior of ourprisons.
We hear that as a result of the raid by British airmen on the Zeppelinbase at Friedrichshaven, the place has now been placarded with noticesannouncing that foreign aeroplanes are verboten there.
It is announced that the proposal at Lewisham to change the name ofBerlin Road has been rejected by the residents. This is unfortunate, asthe only effect can be to put fresh heart into the Germans.
The Russians having objected to being called a steam roller, the Londonand North Western Railway have tactfully taken their fast engine"Teutonic" and re-christened her "The Tsar."
The Russians succeeded, a few days ago, in catching the Goebennapping. Apparently the motto of the Turkisch Navy is "Let lying dogssleep."
A writer in The Daily Chronicle suggests that cats, with theirmarvellous homing instincts, might be used for the carriage of messagesin the same way as pigeons. Not quite in the same way, perhaps; thoughcases of flying cats have occurred. We know one, for instance, that flewat a dog only the other day.
"Eye-witness" has remarked that the Germans in France are now equippedwith a gun which is quite silent. As a result of this statement a numberof men who had hitherto held back as being subject to headaches are nowrushing to enlist.
The advertisement of a new rifle gallery in Dublin runs asfollows:—"Learn to shoot at the Dublin Rifle School. The object is toteach every man to shoot irrespective of political views." The old orderchangeth. Formerly, no doubt, the rifles were sighted in one way forUnionists and in another for Nationalists.
The watchmaking industry in Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, has, it isstated, already suffered a loss of £700,000 since the outbreak of thewar. This is attributed entirely to the competition of the Watch on theRhine.
With reference again to the Silent Guns which the Germans claim to haveinvented, it is only fair to point out that, before they were heard of,English artillery-men had silenced many of the noisy ones.
There was some excuse for this misprint, for the offence complained of