POINTS FROM LETTERS THE SPIRIT OF UNITY.
My sense of fitness is violated when I see the Powers com- placently putting their signatures to a Pact which is hollowness incarnate. The spirit is to remain the same ; words are to be lifted on to a pedestal. France is required to make no concessions ; America is not to budge in the Debt attitude ; Czechoslovakia and Rumania are to continue on their relent- less courses ; Italy is not expected to mitigate her accentuated nationalism—nothing that makes for division is to be changed. Peace, which is another word for Unity, is simply to ensue from a mere setting to paper of a profession. Concession alone can form the basis of Peace, not profession. Let it not be contended that even in existing conditions a Pact is better than no Pact. I hold it is not, emphatically. And for this reason': it will stand in the way of a natural development of the Peace aspiration. America will pay dearly for this precipitate Peace experiment, and next to Atherica, Britain.—GABRIEL WELLS, 14 Pall Mall, S.W.
STONYHURST SCHOOL.
May I be permitted to point out to your reviewer what appears to me to be an error in his review entitled " The English Educational System " on page 801 of your issue of May 26th ? He writes, " Much has been done to clear the chaos of a hundred years. Then there were two universities and seven public schools (Eton, Harrow, Winchester, Westminster, Charterhouse, Shrewsbury, and Rugby)." He has omitted from his list the name of the first, and still the largest, Catholic public school in England—I mean Stonyhurst, which opened its doors in 1794.—R. P. S. WALKER, Alor Station, Kedah, Malay States.
A CARLYLE ANECDOTE.
There is an often repeated story concerning Carlyle to the effect that when in the presence of Queen Victoria he remarked, "I am getting an old man, I shall just sit down." I recently asked the great man's nephew whether there was
any truth in this. The following is what really happened. When presented the Sage requested permission to sit down, a request willingly granted. The only error on the visitor's part was that he plumped down one of the legs of his chair on the Royal skirt, so that Her Majesty presently found herself a prisoner I—H. M. FORBES, 111 Great Russell Street, W.C.
A TAME RED SQUIRREL.
A red squirrel comes every morning when I am at breakfast for his nuts which he takes from my hand, and sits eating them on the window-sill, and pokes his nose in each time he wants another. His capacity for nuts is enormous for such a small creature. After his meal, he drinks from the pigeons' bath, and drives the birds away if they are there. Is it usual for the red squirrel to become so tame ?—S. S.
CAGED BIRDS IN THE HEAT WAVE.
May I appeal to any of your readers who may have caged birds not to hang their cages out on walls where they are exposed to the sun's rays, or at least to give adequate shade over the tops of the cages ? Birds suffer intensely from exposure to the blazing sun, and in their natural state get under cover during the heat of the day. During the heat wave many cages could be seen hanging on walls which must have been grillingly hot, and I should also like to appeal to bird-lovers to send to me for free literature to give or send to houses where such cases are seen—it is not deliberate cruelty, but ignorance and thoughtlessness that causes much prevent- able suffering.--(Miss) MARGARET BRADISH, Hon. Treasurer, The R.S.P.C.A. Caged Bird Poster Fund, 95 Park Road, Chiswick, London, W.4.
Previous page
