A SPECTATOR 'S NOTEBOOK

ONE bombing question which has its delicate side, but certainly needs rather earnest consideration in quarters where such things are decided, arises out of day-attacks on enemy-occupied territory. Feeling in France, there ig strong reason to believe, is changing substantially regarding this. Raids like those on the Renault works were enthusiastically applauded throughout France because of the effect they had on the German war-effort, and even the friends and relatives of the employees at the actual works recognised that it was the right war-strategy. But in daylight raids the bombers have to fly so high that accurate aim is impossible, in spite of what is claimed for the American bomb-sights, and in one or two recent cases the slaughter of French civilians has been deplorably heavy. This, as I say, is causing growing uneasiness among the French people, and their feelings ought clearly not to be ignored. How far bombing tactics ought to be modified is another question. Military advantage is no doubt the first, if not the only, consideration. But the maximum military advantage would obviously be achieved if daylight-bombing were directed increasingly to targets in Germany itself rather than in German-occupied France or Belgium, or Holland. That, it may be assumed, is the natural trend of things. The more it can be accelerated the better.

The death of Rachmaninov a few days before his seventieth birthday—he was born on April znd, r873—removes one of the most famous of contemporary musical personalities. In the opinion of musicians he was a far greater pianist than composer, being an out- standing virtuoso in the Liszt, Rubinstein class, but probably, as a rule, surpassing the latter in technical flawlessness, for Rubinstein, unrivalled as he was in some ways, used to strike many wrong notes. In this respect our standard has gone up, although musically it may have declined. Many modern virtuosos (as I prefer to call them) arc not in the highest class as musicians, but Rachmaninov was, although in his later years his confessed boredom with playing communicated itself to the more discriminating among his audience. As a composer he was a comparative failure. His music is a turgid mixture of nineteenth-century Teutonic and Russian elements with- out a note of real originality. His ideas were banal and melo- dramatic in the emotional idiom of Tchaikovsky, but without Tchaikovsky's genuine lyrical inspiration.

* * * * Someone sends me newspaper referenCes to two cases in which persons convicted of what are broadly known as "black market" offences bear obviously Jewish names. If they were isolated cases they could, and clearly ought to, be ignored. But they are not. Day after day people who are unmistakably. Jewish are being con- victed for this type of offence—defying rationing regulations, often on a wholesale scale, for the benefit of their own pockets. I make all allowance for the fact that by this time Jewish names in that connexion catch the eye, and make an impression as English names do not. Even so there can be no doubt that a section, and a sub- stantial section, of the Jewish community in Britain has a black record in this respect. It is not to anyone's advantage to keep complete silence on this subject. It may be said that to comment on it is to stir -up anti-Jewish feeling. I take the opposite view. To keep silent about it is to encourage the growth of anti-Jewish feeling to a degree that might easily become dangerous. The Jewish community as a whole, strong and respected as it is, should realise

what impression these reports of court cases are making, and ho essential it is that Jews themselves in their own interests shou throw all the weight their religious and social organisations c. command into an effort to obliterate this blot on the Jewish name.

A well-known Englishman was recently giving an address • Dublin. In the course of the discussion after it an Eire Cabin. Minister observed that their distinguished guest obviously under stood Eire's neutrality, and possibly even secretly approved it. The distinguished guest, who might have been considerabl embarrassed by the ascription of such sentiments to him, handle the situation with marked adroitness. He could not, he said, quit accept that reading of his mind. He had seen a good deal neutrality in this war, having visited Norway, Denmark and Hollan before they were invaded. Great Britain had unfortunately not be in a position to defend those countries' neutrality. He felt ve gratified that it had been able to defend Eire's. The point was ni missed—or resented.

The Government not having, se far as is known, ,taken steps • .enquire into means of preventing the mass-unemployment whic if it exceeded a certain figure, might seriously affect the scale contributions and benefits suggested in the Beveridge Report, S. William is, I believe, initiating such an enquiry on his own account znd setting up an office, with a well-qualified staff, for the purpos It is being financed at present from private sources.

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The Daily Express, I observe, was surprisingly discomfits. by Lord Cranborne's emphatic assurance, in the House of Lords o Tuesday, that the Foreign Office is not composed of " a lot a languid, la-de-dah young men "—so The Times and Telegraph which it decided to render " languid, lackaday, young men," a the second adjective (though in fact no such adjective exists) so gratified it that it devised a heading "NO LACKADAY DIPLOMATS NEED APPLY" Evidently the Express follows the rule of not letting its page 4 kno what its page 3 doeth—for page 3 contained a report of a music- show with the heading

Lackaday, Lackaday. * * * *

A brief, and I trust delicate, reference to bellies in this column has disclosed an almost morbid interest in the subject on the p. of readers. From many communications I select one quotation (1 fancy from a letter in The Times) regarding a sergeant-major' rebuke to a private who complained of a pain in the abdomen: " What do you mean—abdomen? Officers have abdomens, sergeants have stomachs, privates have bellies." With that I take a final leave of this organ, whether under, over or just plain.

* * * * TURN-UPS BAN STAYS. Evening Paper.

Presumably their last expiring act—based on the principle that what is sauce for the gander is sauce for the goose.

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