20 JANUARY 1900, Page 3

Mr. Dooley's comments on the conduct of the war and

the tactics of the opposing forces are quite as much to the point as those of our Continental critics, and a great deal more entertaining. " Th' British marches up with their bands playin' and their flags flyin'," remarks the Chicago philosopher,

f'r 'tis a tradition iv the British arT-ray that war is bein' shot at. That's wrong. War is shootin' at th' other fellow." On the other hand, the only tradition of the Boers is that "it's better to be a live Boer than:a dead hero. An' so they hammer away, an' th' inimy keeps comin', an' th' varyous editions iv th' London pa-apers printed in this counthry keep standin' a line iv type beginnin" I regret to state.' All this, Hinnissy, comes from dhreamin' dhreams. If th' British had said, This not bein' England an' th' inimy we have again us not bein' our frinds, we will f'rget th' gloryous thraditions iv th' English an' Soudan ar-rmies, an' instead iv rush& on thim, sneak along yon kindly fence an' hit thim on th' back iv th' neck,' they'd be less I r-regret-to-states ' and more 'I'm plazed-to-reports.' Ye'll find, Hinnissy, that 'tis on'y ar-rmies fights in th' open. Nations fight behind threes an' rocks." All this is fair enough, but Mr. Dooley might have spared the insinuation that exaggerated importance is attached to the insignificant mishaps of titled officers. If this, which we strenuously deny, is a war waged in the interests of the "classes," they have at least shown them- selves ready enough to pay for it with their blood.