The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-01-08
CALLED UNITED STATES
IAN ENGLISH COLONY
Rather Amazing Answer to Recruiting
Officers Question to Candidate for
British Army

London, Jan. S.--To ascertain how
much boys educated in the elementary
schools OF England remember after leav-
ing school, several officers in charge Of
recruiting depots have put series OF
fifteen questions to the newest recruits.
The replies in many cases were amazing,
particularly as the recruits generally
come from the larger cities, having the
best elementary schools,
At one depot thirty-fve recruits were
examined. Fourteen, fifteen, fourteen
and eleven respectively could not give a
reply to the questions as to the identity
of Alfred the Great, Nelson, wellington
and Shakespeare, and many OF the others
had only vague IDEAS as to who these
heroes of their country were.
TO the question, What is the United
StatesY" sixteen replied correctly, four
knew something, fifteen we're entirely
ignorant, and one man, who had been
eight years at school, answered, "An
English colony"
Strangely enough, even fewer knew
anything of France. When it came to
England, however, every recruit an
swered correctly, although only fifteen
could say what the empire was.
All the necessary legislation has bean
enacted in connection with the proposed
construction of the trans Australian
| railway and work on the project, which
| is to be carried out by the federal gov
eminent itself will commence very
shortly, and its completion is looked for
within three years. The line starts
| from Kalgoorlie, $50 miles from Perth,
one of the eastern limits of the Western
Australian system, whence it connects
with other railways through South
Australia, Victoria, New South Wales
and Queensland. The new line is 1000
miles in length and its cost is estimated
at nearly twenty million dollars. While
the railway will be of great commercial
value, the necessities OF defense have
chiefly influenced Australia in making
the expenditure. The country, faced
with the danger OF possible Asiatic
invasion. one reason for the desire that
Britain and America should control the
Pacific, has been putting her defensive
resources in order ever since eonfedera-
ton. Modified CONSUMPTION has been !
adopted as the military system of the
country, and liberal contributions OF
ships and men have been made to in I
crease the British naval forces in the |
South Pacific. Lord Kitchener, too, went |
out to advise the government ON the |
measures TO be taken TO defend the coun- /
try, and one of his first recommendations
was the construction of this railway to |
bring western Australia nearer to the l
other states of the confederation, at I
present the western province being en-
tirely dependent upon assistance from
sea.
The police have Just succeeded in get. 4
ting rid, for five years at least, of a man
who carried on the triple occupations Of
manager for large west-end firm, an
arehist and coiner. He was caught white
engaged in the latter occupation and
sentenced to five years with hard labot.
Alexander Estegny was his name and his
description can be found in the rogues
galleries throughout the world. He has
held numerous positions of responsible
ity and Just before his arrest was en-
gagged as manager at salary OF hfty
dollars a week. In the evenings the po
lice found Estegny engaged in large
workshop at Hampstead, fitted up with a
complete coner's outfit. He had also
been watched as an anarchist and he was
known to be member OF an important
anarchists club in London. For that,
however, the English police do not dis
turb men. They may talk all the an
archism they like and for this privilege
they refrain from putting their practices
into theory in England, immunity thus
being obtained for Royalties in this
country.
At an auction here the Clydesdale
stallion Baron of Buchlyvie was sold for
SAT 800, the largest price ever received i
for q draft horse, and, for horse in his
18th year, the sum has few presidents
even among thoroughbreds. The best
price ever received from
Clydesdale was $4,000, paid some TWEEN
ty years ago for the two year-old colt
Prince of Albion. Ir
Although most of England's heroes are /
represented in the capital of the empire
by memorials of various sorts, the ia
nous explorer, Captain James Cook, who
lost his life in the Hawaiian Islands, IS 7
not numbered among them, but this /
oversight will soon be corrected by a 1
society which plans TO erect life size /
statue on the Mall to the great creum-
navigator. q
The plan originated with Sir James 4
1arruthers, a former prime minister Of a
New South Wales On recent visit TO !,
London he was surprised that there was |,
no statue here to the man who was re- /,
sponsibIe in a large measure for the adj +
lition of the antipodean territories to h
he British empire. He directed public +.
attention to the oversight and the agita- 4
ion resulted in the appointment of z
committee with Postmaster General !,
Samuel at its head to provide a suitable !,
King George " at that time !,
prince of Wales, accepted the presidency j,
If the society for the erection of the n
statue and although his elevation to the n
hrone has caused him to withdraw from :