(To THE EDITOE OP THE "SPECTATOR. ") .
Six,—Let us be very gentle with the commissioned or non-conv missioned white " Babu " (see Spectator of October 14th). He is often a sore trial to us, but we tolerate him because a. vein of unconscious humour sometimes appears in his rescripts and gives joy to those who receive them. By his orders the birth of Private Thomas Atkins's infant son is officially recorded as a " casualty,"
and if about the same time it should unfortunately happen that Private Thomas Atkins himself is reported killed in the trenches, that loss to the nation would also be recorded as a " casualty " in the same document. To the white " Babu " not only death but even life is a " casualty." Like all the other forces of Nature, except love, he moves only in the line of least resistance, which is his own official groove indefinitely prolonged. He browses on Returns, Vouchers are a tonic to his system, and he fossicks pain- fully for the Uninitialled Erasure. He was the bell-wether of the Please Habit to which so many military offices have fallen victims. If inquiries are made of him concerning the status of this man or that, he will reply: " In answer to your wire records here show that Private John Smith is in a state of desertion please." Or thus : " Private George Jones was discharged medically unfit for further service having Defective Teeth and Chronic Dyspepsia [He is not a bad hand at endorsing envelopes. We saw only the other day an envelope on which was written in one corner " Died of wounds " and in the other " Present location uncertain "I Happily the gallant Captain to whom the letter was addressed is alive and well and enjoying the white " Babu's " wit. But it is a shame to laugh at him, for he is, we are sure, a good-hearted fellow, even if a mental " casualty."—En. Spectator.]
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