seasons of the year,
Life is little without leather
In a sphere.

In the scrimmage, at the stumps,
'Neath the goal, behind the sticks,
Life's a ball, which Summer thumps,
Winter kicks.

From NAUSICAA--classic girl!
Unto RENSHAW, GUNN, and GRACE,
Balls mankind _must_ kick or hurl,
"Slog" or "place."

Our "terrestrial ball" is round,
(Is it an idea chimerical?)
Man, by hidden instincts bound,
Loves the spherical.

In rotund, elastic bounders,
Plainly the great joy of men is,
Witness cricket, billiards, rounders,
And lawn-tennis.

Now the championship is fixed,
Now the averages are settled,
Spite of critics rather mixed,
Slightly nettled.

Now the heroes of the Goal
Brace themselves for kick and scrummage,
Verily, upon the whole,
'Tis a "rum" age!

Wane the joys of Love, Art, Faction,
Parties rise and Parties fall,
The world's sure centre of attraction
Is a Ball!

* * * * *

WARE SNAKE!

Says Professor Alfred Marshall, of Cambridge, the great English
Economist, in his luminous Address at the British Association
meeting:--

"Every year economic problems become more difficult, every
year it is more manifest that we need to have more knowledge
and to get it soon, in order to escape, on the one hand, from
the cruelty and waste of irresponsible competition and the
licentious use of wealth, and, on the other, from the tyranny
and the spiritual death of an iron-bound Socialism."

Here be judicial truths, skilfully _Marshalled_ into clear order,
which may profitably be noted by the angry sciolistic skirmishers on
one side and the other in the great Social War now raging.

The sniffing _Laissez-faire_ man, the high and dry Economist, shrieks
at the enthusiastic humanitarian Socialist, whom he would fain send
to Anticyra,--or further; the headlong humanitarian Socialist howls at
the high and dry Economist, whom he would like to despatch finally to
Saturn, or "haply to some lower level," as BOB LOWE's epitaph had it.
The result is cantankerous charivari!

Marshall does more and better. He emphasises "the cruelty and waste of
irresponsible competition," he admits "the licentious use of wealth,"
but he also recognises "the tyranny and the spiritual death of an
iron-bound Socialism," that violent and