HOW WE LOST

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 139, 7 March 1919, Page 2

HOW WE LOST

(By "Tempo,"'in the "Daily. Mnil,'.') ' "We shall arise when the sun is set and chirrup,. 'Behold, it is 'day.' "—The Old M,en. • . , .. - - : ' 1 caught tho delicate... acid eub-tinkle. in Eve's voice as I entered which, warned me that she .was. in ono of. her quaint moods. Evidently ( tho vicar' thought so too, for he: was watching-Her as a fat rabbit might watch a lean and hungry rattlesnake. ' . . • "Jf only we had not-lost-the war," shewas saying. The vicar .stared. ■ "But, my dear .young-lady, we. won the war.. I assure you—we—ah—" Eve smiled indulgently. ; "Wβ won the battles," she said, "but we've lost the war. We lest it during the period'of tho armistice!" ' " " ' ''"..' -The'vicar made-<in odd;'rather feeblo movement of.hi'i hands!' ■ '• ';■ "You see,".continued Eve asd'stole'Ho.' uivinconspicuous seat, '"we constituted ourselves"'Mary Ann to the Allies—scnl-lery-maid, you know. Before we lost .the war we Mary Ann'd quite-a good deal—but. eince! . . . We watched the rest "or" the' Allies literally leap back to their factories—to their production;, we watched them reorganise, , we helped them; we ran round them like the willing clown in the harlequinade. ■ ' ' , "We put our own,millions of producers' into cap and apron over the- khaki and fold..them .fo. carry, on until mtr jxiliticians had. completed erecting that Para-' dise—Hint land of Faery—in which every man shall have a fiiio fat 'job' for the trouble of filling iti; a few/form's and roting to give the good, .kind, politicians not merely a .blank. cheque, but al'o ,i blank printing factory for the. production- of blank .cheques. .'■ . '~ ' , . '-. "Germany and Hi? rest-of the countries found that they must work for. bread as they had never wnrked befcr*. Out.pf that will arise races of workers—grim, hard, real workers. We, on thn contrary, were provided with bread' and 'many other the benevolent fairies called taxpayers—and we only needed.., to work for our limrrira,' and, of course, to vole for our .soothsayers. So yun see, vicar, we were non-starters in 'the race for trade supremacy.

"There were certain optimists who applied for nt least a hundred thousand pivotal men. The Miindaiins gave them a few fcore—a few score, due to tho paternal kindness of the Ministry of National Service They were so kind. ■ They could not bear to 'jeopardise>' the future of a man, for instance, worth a thousand a yenr as a produce!'.

"They swung their- large and massy heads from'side to side and said, 'Nay! It will'lead to confusion aiid discontent if wo release you.;; Morpover, 'it might even'render "us jobless.' How lamentable a-thing would thp.t be! "I'Dc- you, .therefore, continue to polish your officer's buttons, to scrub floors, and to pwform fatigues—pnd all will be well. Some day in the fullness of time we , shall discover &■ civilian to carry out' these offices at 30?. per week, but the time ia not yet—not yet. Cio, my son, and be soldierly andi play official army sports in your spare time, and all will.be well/ said tho Mandarins.'

"So," concluded Eve gently, "We bred idle., careless, State-fed millions—and the other nations,, notably Germany, fought the factory figiht .and forged nhcad while 'we—forged backward."

She smiled, reaching for the vicar's cup; "But it docs not matter, vicar—don't look so distrefued. A nation gets what it deserves." . ■

Ladies who-aro overtaxed hy the exertions of tho irecent spell of fine weather will find a course of Face Massage , at Mrs. KollestonV very effective in toning .up and vitalising the skin-and the face muscles. Small wrinkles and ba?giness under the'eyes quickly disappear under 'the fingers of a skilled Masseuse. Complete Courso of' five treatments, One Guinea. Mrs. HoUceton, Qualified London, Paris, and America, 256 Lambton Quay—Advt. 1 '•'..' ' '

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A startler in boys' panaina hats—seo our fine quality line sbowini? in window and cloaring at 'Dβ. 6d. Gco. Fowlds, Ltd. -Advt. , To bid a tonching farewell to relatives and friends, present one of our dainty "lion Voyage' Posies inndo from the choicest blooms—sentiment ■ and benuty combined. Miss Murray. ViceHcnl'Florist, Willis Street, Wellington. -Advl. . " ,