The Special Commissioner of the Daily Telegraph gives in Wednesday's
issue an appreciation of the British soldier which is well worth quoting. "I have never," he says, "heard from any one, soldier or civilian, English, Colonial, or foreigner, man, woman, or child, black or white, anything but the most unstinted praise of Tommy Atkins and his company officers. Of his reckless valour, his stubborn endurance, his unfailing and imperturbable cheerfulness, of his entire freedom from grousing,' and of his infinite good nature nobody seems to weary of telling you, and for my part I never tire of hearing. Tommy has surpassed himself in this campaign." He was always whistling or singing, was the opinion of a young Colonial, "and he did not care a damn for anything, whether it was shell, or fever, or a quarter rations, or no rations at all." Everybody says the same, adds the Daily Telegraph's Commissioner ; "and, mind you, for reasons I have given elsewhere, the soldier man, as such, is not popular with the Colonials." We suspect that the attitude of the Colonials towards Tommy and his officers is very like that of Dr. Johnson towards Garrick. He liked to abuse him and his acting himself, but if any one else did so he was furious and defended him through thick and thin.
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