-tu pas que mon soldat pourra alors
manger tous les jours un bon repas bien chaud, et que mon cure pourra en
donner aux autres affames? C'est la tout juste l'affaire d'un cure.
L'auto-cuiseur est comme ca deux cadeaux en un, comme mon soldat et mon
cure sont deux hommes en un!"

* * * * *

"GERMANY IS STARVING.--THE REAL FACTS."--_Cassell's Magazine of
fiction._

Not exclusively fiction, we trust.

* * * * *

From the Appendix to the Report of the Royal Commission on the Public
Service in India:--

"The two last pensions depended entirely on the approval of Government,
so that a man might retire after 85 years' service on Rs. 5000 pension
only..."

And not before he had deserved it.

* * * * *

"Deptford Borough Council will recommend to the authorities that
considering the brief period of darkness in May, June, July, and August
resulting from the daylight saving scheme, it is desirable to dispense
with street lighting during these months except at dangerous street
crossings."--_Daily Express._

Apparently by a slight amendment of the Summertime Act Great Britain might
be transformed into the land of the Midnight Sun.

* * * * *

[Illustration: THE GREATER NEED.

FLORA (_To Ceres._) "ENTER, AND TAKE MY PLACE. THIS IS YOUR YEAR."]

* * * * *

ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT.

_Monday, March 5th._--General cheers greeted Mr. CHAMBERLAIN'S announcement
that the Government of India had undertaken to pay the interest on a
hundred millions of war-debt, but when he proceeded to say that part of the
new revenue required would be obtained by an increase in the cotton duties
there was a notable cooling of enthusiasm among Members from Lancashire.
Mr. RUNCIMAN at once sounded the alarm on behalf of Manchester by asking if
there would be a corresponding excise duty on Indian cottons. "All India is
against it," replied Mr. CHAMBERLAIN, who is finding, as his father did
before him, how difficult it is to get Englishmen to "think imperially"
where their own particular trade is concerned.

There is no doubt that the FOOD CONTROLLER possesses a sense of judicial
humour. Complaints have been made of late that while the ordinary British
citizen was expected to confine himself to four pounds of bread per week
the pampered German prisone