“His Excellency the Governor may make any conditions he pleases.  In fact it is a case of ’Hoc volo sic jubes; sit pro ratione valunters.’  I do not think the word can be read in that wide sense.”—­New Zealand Times.

Nor do we.

* * * * *

ANOTHER IMPENDING APOLOGY.

    “INDIAN DEFENCE FORCE ORDERS.  CALCUTTA SOTTISH.”—­The Empire
    (Calcutta).

* * * * *

    “Defendant was fined 20s. for the abusive language which, said
    the Chairman, was the worst the Magistrates had ever
    seen.”—­Provincial Paper.

Or even tasted.

* * * * *

“Antiques are the ‘best sellers’ at all bazaars, and one meets hunters of them all over the country.  I hear of Mrs. ——­ engaged on the chase at Bath for her charity scheme.  The Duchess of ——­ was there, too, taking the waters.”—­Daily Mirror.

Some of our collectors will stop at nothing.

* * * * *

ART TO THE RESCUE.

No means to get people to invest in War Bonds can be seriously objected to; but I must confess that when, on a railway station hoarding, I caught sight of a poster representing WHISTLER’S famous portrait of his mother, with the words, “Old Age is Coming,” printed across it, beneath an appeal to the public to be prudent about the future by buying Government stock now, I experienced a jolt.  Because this picture has always been one of the sacred things, and to see it again was a necessary part of any visit to Paris.  As to the shock which the sight would have caused the painter, were he alive to-day, the pen prefers to say little.  Even with three patriotic motives to control him—­for he was American by birth, French by sympathy, and English by residence—­WHISTLER must have delivered his mind.  That he would consider this anything but a gentle art of breaking enemies, is certain; nor can I see him holding his peace about it.

[Illustration:  “These good dogs would prefer WAR BONDS to a bone.”]

Personally, however, I got over my own sense of the outrage very quickly.  For the new War Bonds must succeed, and the end justifies the means, however desperate—­that is how I looked at it, and therefore, instead of maintaining an attitude of preciosity, I began to wonder how I could assist the authorities (who had dared to bend the Butterfly to their purpose) to further useful acts of vandalism.  Nothing should, I determined, stand in my way.  Where they were merely “hairy,” I would be absolutely bald-headed.  Hence, if there is anything in the suggestions that follow which may set the teeth of the reverent on edge, it must be attributed to honest zeal.  All that I want is for the Kennedy-Jones of the movement to lift Art from her pedestal for a few days only—­in the interests of the Allies and to the lasting detriment of Germany—­and then replace her.  But there is no need to trouble about the replacing.  That will be automatic.