Evening star., 1912-11-17
FIRM REGARDING TITLES
Refuses to Bestow Honors Upon
Campaign Contributors.
LORD ROBERTS CRITICISED
Causes Trouble by Predicting In
vasion by Germany-Average
Londoner Dislikes Motorbuses.
Special Cablegram to The Star.

Special CablegTam to The Star.
LONDON. November 16.-F'irmness of
character IS not conspicuous among the
virtues of King George. whose love of
peace. domestic and other kinds, some
times causes him to be led by anybody
who understands how such thing is
done.
However, usual docility OCCASIONALLY
gives way to fits of the utmost stubborn
ness, and in such cases it is useless to
attempt to make him change his mind.
Some of the leading politicians have just
found this out, for the king has sudden
ly refused point blank to bestow any
titles on people whose only claim to
such distinction lies in the fact that they
have contributed generously toward the
political funds of the party in power. The
change in the kings mind is said to date
from day when Queen Alexandra told
him story of how his cousin, the young
King Christian Of Denmark, recently re-
fused TO beStow the Order of Merit upon
a certain Danish official who, because
of his high position. already possessed all
the Danish decorations, without having
ever really accomplished anything ex-
traOrdinary.
Draws Line on Order of Merit.
Il will give away all the ordinary dec
orations to anybody whom my ministers
point out to me without any objection
said the new King of Denmark, .but
draw the line on the Order of Merit
which, as long as / am king, shall not
be given to anybody who has not earn
ed it,"
In the same way King George is now
said to have asserted that titles ought
only to be given away for real service to
the state. and Ii is probable that the next
honors list, which will appear in the
new year. will be conspicuous for the
absence of the names of men who are
only known for their wealth. In the
meantime, certain ambitious individuals
are beginning to wish they had thought
twice before handing over such large
sums, and the agents who are RESPONSE
bic for raising the party funds are look |
ing more than little worried.
Criticism of British Warrior.
No one will deny that Lord Roberts is
an excellent soldier, who has done his |
country most excellent service, but since |
he retired from active service he has
come in for much criticism from persons
admitted TO be level-headed. One idea
only has predominated in his mind-the
conviction that Gsrmany is forever PLAN
ming to attack this country. AS his active
nature does not permit him to sit down
calmly and brood over this impending
disaster. Lord Roberts spends his who.e
time in fruitless endeavors to popu-arize
the idea of general conscription, rushing
from one end of the country to the other
and making infiammatory speeches
against Germany, which create a very
lad feeling abroad. Recently he was re-
proved by the lord mayor OF london be-
cause he had chosen to make a partic-
ularly violent 5in2o speech AGAINST Ger
many at a time when German councillors
were the honored guests of the city of
London.
That the influence of Lord Roberts is
powerful in the war department is evil
dent from the fact, so far not very wide
~ known. that the department is grad
ually reducing the number of the troops
encamped at the old military center of
Aidershot and concentrated in the east
ern command at Colchester In "A very
short time Gen. French. particular
friend and protege of Lord Roberts. viii
be placed in command of this military
district. which will assume much greater
military importance than Aldershot, and
simultaneously the number of naval ves-
sells stationed at Harwich, a few miles
away, will be greatly increased.
Dislike American Hothead."
Propretors OF the large old fashioned
London emporiums in the West End are
anything but kindly disposed toward
'the American hothead,'' as they call
Gordon Selfridge. who has shown the
people Of London what a frst-class
American department store is like and
how great are its advantages over the
London shops. which used to consider
themselves the most perfect in the world.
Had the American merchant prince
brought a staff of American snopgirls
and other employees with him from the
other side he woud d have given his old
rivals a formidable weapon against him.
self. but now they wish he had done SO
from quite another reason. for the SUI
perior working conditions offered in the
American store have robbed first-class
English shops of all their best employees
and are rapidly attracting their custom
ers, too, even the most conservative OF
them.
Since the war broke out in the Bal
kans Gordon Selfridge has introduced a
journalistic enterprise into the house OF
Selfridge In the form of the latest war
cables. Daily can be seen an interested
crowd of on ookers watching and waiting
for the posting up of the latest war
cables.
Annoyed by Motor Vehicles.
If there is anything real Londoners
love IT is sleep. Take a walk through the
streets of the city and you will find them
as crowded with people as is Broadway in
New York. but if you look at their faces
you VIII see that they are asleep and
move about like automatons This is
true even in the financial district. which
l.ondoners are always fond of describing
as a veritable beehive of activity and if
II were not for the watchfulness of the
big Irish policemen who regulate the
traffic and guide the sleepwalkers across
the crossings the number OF accidents
would be even larger than IL is Nothing
therefore. worries the Londoner more
than the increasing street traffic. Thanks
TO the motorbuses, IL is now possible to
get around London at a fair rate of speed
without having TO go down into the foul
air OF the tubes underground, and also to
reach Your home in the suburbs after
having spent an evening at a theater
without having TO go 10 the luxury of
hiring a taxicab, the driver of which in