Two men of good position were tried last week before the State Court
of Berlin for refusing to address a policeman as "Mr." That will
surprise no one who knows his Prussia. It is the sequel which takes
our breath away. The two men were acquitted!

***

Volume 10 of the Census of 1911 shows that in the preceding ten years
clergymen of the Established Church declined from 25,235 to 24,859.
"The decrease is accounted for by the lack of young men taking
orders." The wonder is that such orders were not at once snapped up by
alert Germans.

***

Miss LAURA WENTWORTH, of Nebraska, known as "The Big Hat Girl," has,
we are told, sailed from New York in the _Imperator_ with a hat which
measures 58 inches in diameter. These giant liners are justifying
themselves.

***

We are glad that the POSTMASTER-GENERAL has promised a Bill against
foreign sweeps. Only the other day we received a circular headed
"Schimneys Scheaply Schwept."

* * * * *

[Illustration: ONE ADVANTAGE ABOUT THESE ABSOLUTELY REMOTE COUNTRY
COTTAGES IS THAT YOU CAN WEAR OUT SOME OF THE COSTUMES IN WHICH YOU
WENT TO THE FANCY BALLS THIS SEASON.]

* * * * *

While we are ready to grant that it is not always easy to find the apt
quotation, we cannot help thinking that _The Daily Telegraph_ would
have caused less offence if it had published the following paragraph
without any tag at all:--

The Mayor and Mayoress of Kensington, Alderman and Mrs. W. H.
Davison, held a reception at the Kensington Town trail last
evening, their guests numbering between 400 and 500.

Oh, how peaceful is their sleep,
They who "Keating's" always keep.

***

"Cheerful Company at all the Cafes. Soup to Cheese 1/-," announces an
advertisement in _The Manchester Guardian_. We have heard of lively
cheese before, but the chatty soup must be something of a novelty.

***

"Strawberries are going out," reports _The Evening News_. We are in a
position to confirm this statement. We met one out the other evening.

***

According to _La France Militaire_ the French Navy is about to try the
experiment of enlisting black sailors. We should say that they will
be found to make the most admirable stokers, not showing the dirt like
the white men.

***

Describing a recent visit of a party of Congressmen and State
officials to one of the teetota