That you may tell your sons who see the light
High in the heaven, their heritage to take:--
"I saw the powers of darkness put to flight.
I saw the morning break!"

O. S.

* * * * *

FINANCIAL STRATEGY.

In some respects one is no doubt compelled to admire the foresight of
those gentlemen who are writing the History of the War while it is in
progress, but as Mabel (my wife and very able colleague) justly
observes, no History of the War, however copious or however fully
illustrated, can be considered complete without a few salient details of
the campaign by which The Snookeries (our domestic stronghold in
Tooting) was saved from the fate of Belgium.

That omission I propose to remedy. Peace hath her strategy no less than
War.

For some time prior to the Declaration of War it was evident that the
butcher, the baker, and other foes of our domestic happiness were
gathering for an onslaught. The attitude of the butcher was particularly
uncompromising: I do not hesitate to describe it as distinctly Hun-ish.
Diplomacy gave little hope of preserving peace, so that I was not
altogether surprised when the war opened with a heavy bombardment. A
brigade of small accounts advanced in skirmishing order, but were
disposed of without trouble.

Mabel suggested a temporary withdrawal to the sand-dunes of
Mudville-on-Sea, but I pointed out that this meant sacrificing part of
our scanty store of ammunition and had the further disadvantage of
cutting us off from our base of supplies in the City, to say nothing of
losing touch with Uncle Robert, who has so often proved a staunch ally
in a crisis.

We therefore resolved to entrench ourselves behind the Moratorium and
prepared for a stubborn resistance. From this strong position we were
able to sustain without loss a brisk fire of explosive missives which
continued unchecked for some weeks. Speaking quite candidly, and
dropping the language of the Press Bureau for the moment, there has
never been a time when the postman's rat-tat has occasioned me less
emotion.

The defences of the Moratorium did not save us from sundry annoying
raids upon our supplies, the butcher being peculiarly active in this
kind of warfare. I repeat, the butcher is a true Hun and must be sternly
dealt with after the Peace. I was forced to silence him temporarily with
a few shots from my new one-pounders.

I would like to say what a valuable weapon the one-pou