what unruly command of had the great merit of sucoess, Pathans in wonderful order, for in about a week his company though his methods would

would were drilling with a smartnees perhaps be considered drastic and precision they had been in the present day. Only on strangers to since the days one occasion did I go near his when, in the first squad of company, which was at the recruits, they had received time broken up into squads their final polish from the for preliminary drills, and I Adjutant before being passed saw enough to convince me into the ranks. At the same that only two courses were time, in spite of their success, open to me-viz., putting him I do not recommend his methods under arrest, or complete non- for imitation, but merely chroninterferenoe. As I stood there iole them as one of the old talking to the old man on some gentleman's little peouliarities. point of drill, he saw that one If, however, his ways on of the men was paying no parade were summary, his disattention to his instruotor. cipline in the lines was no less He rushed up to him, and, drastio. Always before orderly. after pouring forth a flood of room he used to hold a small what I took to be abuse (for Darbar of his own, and inquire I knew no Pushta), seized the into any little peocadilloes man by the nose and shook which had been committed by him as a terrier shakes a rat. his men. He would hear everyA little while later something thing that was to be said on else went wrong, and, spring- either side, and if he did not ing on the man who was at consider the oase a serious one, fault, he gave him a box on would deal with it himself, as the ear which would have often as not slipping off his pretty well knocked him down shoe and beating the oulprit had not an equally severe ouff across the mouth or over the on the other side of the head head with it. If he thought put him straight again. The the case was a serious one he remainder of the men were would reserve it for the C.O., struggling hard to keep seri- and nothing annoyed him more oas faces, for apparently the than the man's being let off, or old gentleman had, in addition receiving a light award. One to a heavy hand, a pretty wit, day he brought three or four and not even the victims re- men before me in this manner, sented his summary discipline, to the best of my reoolleotion though, had I laid a finger on for some not very serious acts any one of them, I might likely of insubordination. Now there have got a knife or a bayonet was always a diffioulty at that into me.

After the above time in dealing with reservists, incidents, I thought it best for, as the men were ap for so to find oocapation at other short a period, one was loth to parts of the parade - ground. put them in cells because of Whatever may have been one's the loss of time, whilst long opinion of his methods, they periods of confinement to the VOL, CCVII.NO. MCCLV.

2 Y

lines seemed a soaroely suitable punishment, and that he was punishment, more especially to- quite capable of dealing with wards the end of the training, minor or trivial offences him. as a man would be going back self. The whole thing was to his home before his punish- done very firmly, but at the ment was oompleted. On this same time so respectfully and partioular occasion, there being politely that it was quite imbarely ten days of the training possible to resent the old man's left to run, I gave the men the remarks, though he made me rough edge of my tongue for feel rather as if I were a school. five minutes or so, and, after boy prefeot again, and being warning them if they were reproved by my house-master brought up again I would for some want of taot or error try them by summary court- of judgment. martial, let them go. Sher Ali I was quite sorry to say Khan remained behind, when good-bye to the old man at everyone else had departed, the end of the training, and and then, with the utmost the more so as his regiment respeot, proceeded to tell me was shortly afterwards moved off, explaining to me that, no to another station, so that I doubt, I was accustomed to never came across him again. dealing with Sikhs, but that I heard, however, that he took the Pathan required sterner his well-earned pension a year discipline. He then gave me or two later, and hope sincerely to understand, still in the most he may still be in enjoyment respectful way, that when he of it. A better native officer brought any one before me, it I have never had under my was because the man deserved command.

E. F. K.

AN ARMED MINORITY.

nary Irish,

BRITISH statesmen always authority is enforced by open talk of the people of Ireland murder. as if their psychology were the An example has recently same as their own,

ooourred of the Irish idea of The difference in mentality the liberty of the Press. and temperament has never In a deliberately planned been really understood by attempt to murder the Viceroy, many of those who venture one of the attacking party was to take on themselves the shot by the escort. The burden of legislation for the popular organ of the Republifutare.

oan party described this man The word freedom is always as "the would-be assassin." on the Irish tongue. It may A few nights after the office of be safely said that no white this newspaper, situate in the race had over less idea of what heart of the capital, was taken freedom means than the ordi. possession of by an armed band.

Damage was then done to the Freedom elsewhere means machinery to the extent of liberty to go your own way, between twenty and thirty to condaot your own affairs thousand pounds. A writing as you desire, in so far as your was handed to the Editor doing so will not oonflict with pointing out to him the the general weal. Freedom error of which he had been in Ireland means liberty to guilty, and in

respeot of trample on your neighbour's which retribution had been rights and privileges.

exaoted. A man who attempts to use All Irishmen, both those of his property as he pleases, the North and those of the and not as directed by the South, are believed, not withraling looal camarilla, must out good reason, to possess be compelled to conform. If physical courage in a high he will not give up his lands degree. During the late war, when ordered to do so, his when deeds of heroism were oattle will be driven again and done perhaps surpassing any. again, and his family so terror- thing recorded, the very ised that at last he will be highest standard was obliged to surrender.

times reached, notably in the These methods were om- advance of the Ulster Division ployed while there was a pre- at Thiepval on 1st July 1916. tence of law and order ; at The Southern Irish Regiments present, when the executive on several oooasions showed and the polioe oan bardly do themselves by no means inmore than proteot their own ferior. lives, the will of the local But there is a difference.

The Southern Irish, except he is easily led to believe that the gentry and more educated in voting for the violent party olasses, are deplorably desti. he is voting against England, tute of moral courage. Why the obief and permanent object this is so we need not stop to of his hatred. inquire, but that it is so is One oooasionally hears it & demonstrated fact. A man proposed that the decent who has won the Victoria orderly folk in the Southern Cross trembles at the whisper and Western counties should of a boyoott, and grovels before organise themselves and form those whom he hates and de. Vigilance Committees for the spises. People who have seen protection of their houses and their own relations murdered families. These efforts would in their presence often refuse require qualities they have not to give evidence, and will got and never will acquire. A actually try to win the favours dozen young adventurers can of those they know to be guilty keep & whole countryside in of the orime. In Ulster moral abjeot terror. oourage is more abundant, and The chief object of the preone could no more imagine a vailing oult is to hold the boycott put into operation South and West in continual there than in Sootland or unrest and panio, England. Mainly in conse- Where there is any symptom quence of this failing in the of a relapse into peace and rest of Ireland we behold the order, directions are given from extraordinary spectacle of an headquarters for raids on priarmed minority coeroing the vate houses and concentrated majority by terror.

attaoks by large and specially This may be disputed by armed bodies on police barthose who point out the racks. The intellectual Repubresults of the contested elec- lioans sit at ease in Dublin, tions.

and supply stimulating liter. There has been, no doubt, ature and funds in abundremarkable abstention, but the ance. vast majority of the votes re- To expeot the quiet folk to oorded were in favour of the organise themselves for proparty of violence. When a tection is very muoh like exman approaches the ballot-box, peoting a rabbit - warren to it is said, surely he is free from organise itself against stoats the oontrol of the local olique. and weasels. Is he? Most certainly not. The only protection in rural He believes that the secret distriots is the indomitable society has some means of dis- Royal Irish Constabulary ascovering how he has voted, and sisted by the military. he will vote not as he wishes, The numbers of the force but to please the formidable are wholly insufficient for the ruling power. Moreover, in present orisis. The Constabuthe exoitement of an election iary complement was 15,000

men in times less dangerous British and American world

- now it does not exceed have decided that an experi10,000 men.

ment must be made. What is The Police are obliged to called self-determination is to concentrate for self-protection be applied to Ireland, and six in the larger barracks, and the counties in Ulster are to enordinary barracks are being joy self-determination of their abandoned. This has a most own. depressing effeot on the people. There is machinery provided They feel like the peaceful for an ultimate union, if the provincials when they saw the two Parliaments in the dim legions of Honorius in retreat future so determine. before the advance of the Unless Ulster is to be ooeroed, barbarians.

whioh is out of the question, It is shooking to contemplate no

other Bill in its main the oriminal folly of those who features is possible. ory,“Take away the Army and

There is every all will be well.” If the Army believing that the “Ulster were withdrawn the thin dark Parliament” will be a brilliant line of the Constabulary would success. be immediately broken and In Sir Edward Carson she submerged. The Dublin Met. has a leader whose instinot in ropolitan Police, an equally the most diffioult and dangervaliant foroo, are confronted ous times has never gone in the capital by a partly wrong. No

doubt in the armed and disciplined body of perilous crisis of 1913 he ten times their number, and decided

desperate without military aid they course of aotion - armed rewould be powerless even to sistance to the authority of proteot themselves.

Parliament. It must not be What, then, is to be done? Is forgotten that in the opinion this to go on for ever?

of many great lawyers the Well - there is & Home Government, in conspiring to Rule Bill.

It has passed destroy the House of Lords, its 88oond reading with one of the estates of the realm, an enormous majority, and ap- was guilty of “treason in pears certain to beoome law. point of law-it was thereIt is received with sullen fore lawful to resist a measure acquiescence on the part of that was made operative by Ulster. It is received by the treason. In the case of the extreme Nationalists with yells ordinary Ulster man these of derision as an insult to the constitutional and legal connation. It is the result of long siderations had little weight. and anxious thought, and is The situation presented itself drafted with a precision and to his mind in this way. skill unprecedented in the oase “We are deserted by the of Irish Bills. It is moulded British democracy.' on the only possible lines. The "Our lives and our liberties

on