Semi-weekly herald., 1915-06-10
Avoiding Outbreaks.

Avoiding Outbreaks.
The house of commons has been
busy compromising and debating in
the interests of more ammunition and
more hours of labor, while the cabinet
has been still more busy trying to
keep everything adjusted in order to
aoyid any sort of an outbreak. Some
of the industries have given in and
are resolutely at work helping the
government in every way possible
Then the drink question, which Rus.
sia settled very speedily and which
France dealt with radically, cutting
out her meanest liquors, has come in
to bother the British. Clcrgymen be-
gan to offer half heated promises
that they would quit drinking until
after the war provided the working
man would reduce the amount of his
liquor consumption. 1t was startling
to the world to learn that the British
oie,gymen were users of liquors anil
that scme of the bishops were stock
holders in distilleries and breweries
but this is not denied, and in Great
Britain it creates no excitement or
comment. 1t has been conceded that
the clergy are entitled to their liquors
tie same as other people, but the cler-
Ty did not hold a convention and re-
solve with enthusiasm to set an ex-
ample of total abstinence, and the
matter was dropped after there had
been some discussion in the daily
newspapers in London, the result be-
ing that the clergyman is in the same
position as he was before. This is
charged to the fact that the brewers
and distillers being rich and power
ful could not be snubbed.
The Liquor Question.
The king, Lord Kitchener and 9th
ers made half hearted promises in
regard to abolishing liquors until aft
e1 the war, but there was an absence
Of enthusiasm and the new plan was
not adopted with three cheers and
the tiger Hence the example of these
great men did not have much force
with the working man, who seemed
to think that it was sort of joke.
The chancellor of the exchequer,
Lloyd George, seems to have been the
only one who faced the music in re-
gard to the liquor question and told
of the damage that its continuance
was doing in the shops where the mu-
n:tions of war were being made. Eng
land does not regard Lloyd George
as great man, but he has been do
ing his level best for the country and
hi influence has been strong.
Still Attend Races.
Then we have another sacrifice
that of racing, certain classes of the
British refuse to give it up on account
Of the war, and so we have in the
London newspapers, in the columns
adjoining those giving the lists 5i
the killed on the battlefields, account.
Of race meetings. 1t was proposed al
first not to have any drinks sold al
the race tracks, but that was dropped
and the drinking goes on.
The argument in favor of continu
ing racing was that it encouraged the
breeding of light horses for the cav.
airy but this sounds very weak tc
anybody and everybody except to the
Englishmen, or at least to some Of
them. There has been strong agi.
tation against he holding of race
meetings but the Jockey club decided
not to postpone or cancel them.
Great Britain's Weakness.
To sum il all up, il can be stated
that Great Britain has demonstrated
her weaknesses and her strength, and
has given renewed evidence that the
Englishman would not change his hab-
its even to save his country. This
may be putting il rather strong, but
not stronger than some Englishmen
have put it themselves. Just what
makes England feel so secure it would
be difficult to tell, unless il is the
English channel and the fact that
England is an island.
The press of London has made n
noble fight to give the people of Great
Britain an understanding of the war,
and it would be difficult to fix val
ue upon the patriotic service of the
British newspapers. The British press
has generally charged the government
with being weak, but Premier As
quith is good man, and, | think, a
strong man. His sons and nephews
have gone to the front and he has
met every demand that has been made
upon him.
Where England is Mistaken.
Lord Kitchener stands high in the
esteem of the British people. He is
ably represented in the field by Field