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THE GERMAN BAND

The German Band, as we know it in this country, has never been noted for
harmonious music. Blatancy, stridency, false notes, and persistency
after the coppers, have been its chief characteristics.

And the same things prevail when it is at home.

Never since the world began has there been such a campaign of barefaced
humbug and lying as that organized by William, Hindenburg, Hollweg and
Co. for the deceiving and fleecing of the much-tried countries
temporarily under their sway.

But the money had to be got in by hook or by crook, and by hook and by
crook and in every nefarious way they have milked their unfortunate
peoples dry.

But there is another side to all this. In time, the veil of lies and
false intelligence of victories in the North Sea, and at Verdun, and,
indeed, wherever Germany has fought and failed, will be rent by the
spear of Truth.

Then will come the _debacle_. And then, unless every scrap of grit and
backbone has been Prussianized out of the Teuton, the revulsion of
feeling will sweep the oppressors out of existence; and Germany,
released from the strangle-hold, may rise once more to take the place
among the civilized nations of the world which, by her foul doings of
the last two years, she has deliberately forfeited.

JOHN OXENHAM.

[Illustration: WAR LOAN MUSIC

"Was blazen die Trompeten Moneten heraus?"]

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ARCADES AMBO

Looking at this cartoon one can understand why Raemaekers is not
_persona grata_ in the Happy Fatherland. With half a dozen touches he
has changed Satan from the magnificent Prince of Evil whom Gustave Dore
portrayed into a--Hun. Henceforth we shall envisage Satan as a Hun,
talking the obscene tongue--now almost the universal language in
Hades--and hailed by right-thinking Huns as the All Highest War Lord.
Willy senior must be jealous.

With the learned Professor, the cartoonist not only produces a composite
portrait of all the _Herren Professoren_, but also drives home the point
of his amazing pencil into what is perhaps the most instructive lesson
of this monstrous war--the perversion to evil uses of powers originally
designed, nourished, and expanded to benefit mankind. When the _Furor
Teutonicus_ has finally expended itself, we do not envy the feelings of
the illustrious chemists who perfected poison gas and li