Thursday, October 21st.—It was, no doubt, by way of brightening an unutterably gloomy week that Mr. L’Estrange Malone, who has not hitherto been known as a humourist, invited the Government to intercede at Washington for the release of the notorious James Larkin, now languishing in an American gaol. Inasmuch as Larkin had been convicted for having advocated the overthrow of the United States by violence, Mr. Harmsworth did not think H.M. Government were called upon to intervene. Mr. Malone understood from this that the Government had no sympathy with British subjects in foreign lands, and so he got another laugh.
Commander Bellairs thought it would be a good idea if the League of Nations, pending the discharge of its more important functions, were to offer rewards for world-benefiting discoveries such as a prophylactic against potato-blight. Sir John Rees saw his chance and took it. "Does the League," he inquired, "declare to win on Phosphates, Peace or Potatoes?"—thus supplying proof positive that he owes his precise pronunciation to past practice with "prunes and prisms."
It was rather impudent of Mr. Adamson, who has just been instrumental in throwing out of work some hundreds of thousands of his fellow-citizens, to initiate a debate on unemployment. Most of the speakers endeavoured to throw the blame on "the other fellow"—the Government on the trade unions, the trade unionists on the employers, and the employers on the Government. A welcome exception was Mr. Hopkinson, who boldly blamed the short-sighted selfishness of some of his own class. Employés would not work their hardest to "make the boss a millionaire." As a fitting finale to an inconclusive debate the Prime Minister announced that in order to force a settlement of the coal-strike the railwaymen—Mr. Thomas, apparently, dissenting—had threatened to join the unemployed.
Harassed Secretary. "I say, you needn’t make bunkers, you know."
Our Erudite Contemporaries.
"Willard was game and well trained, and in stature he was Goliath to the Daniel of Dempsey."—Evening Paper.