MR. FORD'S FOLLIES.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 156, 17 March 1916, Page 4 (Supplement)

MR. FORD'S FOLLIES.

MEMBERS' QUARRELS RELATED. SPEECHES RIDICULED. CLERGYMAN SPENDS £2. WASHINGTON, February 12. Writing to the Philadelphia " P»l» »c Ledger" from Copenhagen and I lie Ha<nie Mr. William Bullitt, its correspondent with Mr. Henry lord s peace party, says that Mr. Gaston Plamtiif, whom Mr. l'ord left a 8 hit) personal representative in Sweden, admitted in Stockholm that his sole aim was to give the corpse of the expedition a decant burial.

MEETINGS FORBIDDEN. Public meetings at Copenhagen were forbidden by the Government officials, and influential men refused to >c drawn into private conferences. Iho members af the expedition fell to o\ creating and the pursuit of culture. Madam Schwimmer had pounced on Copenhagen three days beforehand, and had spread the conviction that the expedition was thoroughly pro-Ger-man. As the Copenhagenite, go ng to bed, does not know whether he will awaken to find himself a German, tins conviction did not tend to increase the popularity of the expedition. The newspapers were ironical, ana Madam Schwimmer was bitmgly sarcastic until Mr. Maurice Egan, the American Ambassador, solved the problem by suggesting that the expeditmn should move on to Ihe Hague. Madam Schwimmer chartered ft steamer an fixed the fares at £IO,OOO. Ihe delegates quivered, but did not worry when another chunk was bitten out of .Mr. Ford's pocket book, and it wa fi discovered that £BOOO was included tor insurance. . . . Jud' r e Benjamin Lindsey, the international authority on juvenile delinquency*, Mrs. .Joseph I'els, and Mr. 31cClure hung back, but tho Ambassador again unofficially came to the rescue, and Madame Sehwimmor's entourage announced that her marvellous influence over the Governments of Europe had been triumphantly demonstrated.

THINKERS DROP OUT. Before reaching The Hague the expedition had dropped eight thinking men and women. Those enjoying the favour of Madame Scliwimmcr were ouartered with Mr. Gaston Plaint if, at the Hotel Wittenbrug, in the country. After a brisk skirmish with the holders of the money bag.; the delegates managed to secure free taxi-cab tickets and the whirring of wheels in front of the hotel was continuous. -\lr. Ford paid all the tips, also for laundry, socks and corsets but drew the Ino at ball dresses. The Rev. Theophilus Montgomery's case was not unusual.

"MIGHTY EXPENSIVE TRIP." "This ha* been a mighty expensive trip for us guests,' lie declared. It has cost me up to date £1 As. Ihats a lot when I came under a promise that expenses would be paid. .Twelve shillings ought to see me home." The tirst crucial meeting wa<; held in the Zoological Gardens. Mr. I.ouis Lochner led with the same speech on the brotherhood ol man that he had made at every meeting s'nee the expedition collided with Norway and Sweden, yielding to a Norwegian who spoke on "Cracking the Nut of Miltarism." Mrs. Sewell. who brought up the rear, spoke on women suffrage, her real American ancestry, and the wants of the dear women knitting socks in Ind anopolis. Reaching the subject of peace, she explained that the cause of the agonies that lay on the human heart and conscience, was that the world had r.ot been internationalised. Her work, she said, was with the human heart. .Jl.lt how the internationalising process was to be accomplished was not divulged, nor was there need, for the. audience, unmindful of her gentie sweetne-s. had sought safety in flight.

AUDIENCES BECOME MERRY. At the great meetings at Amsterdam the audience was less polite, and did not Hep. Mr. Barry, bursting with affection to all mankind, was the first victim, soaring to the skies in carrying a message of love from the people of San Francisco to the people of Holland. A bored Dutch voice cut in "Come to the point. You ought to have known better. There isn't any point to the yarn." Mr. Barry got his breath. " Better," he cried, but before he could go further a Dutchwoman rose, and, demanding the return of the paltry admission he, asked what was meant by advertising the meeting ill Dutch. "Not one of you has the sense to speak Dutch," she complained. The left side of the ball app!;n.<i-1 Mr. Barry, and the right s de wvfh-d. When lie "had sobbed through hi s c - ing strains the- whole hall was vers merry.

Mr. .lolin Hohlenburg, of Copenhagen the next speaker, outdid him. casually remarking, "The French have a corps of soldiers win search the trenches with long knives and rip open wounded Germans." A high I'rench voice shrieked, and a hundred Dutchmen echoed in English, " It s a 1 e. ' Mr. Hohlenburg averted a flight by a swift apology.

SEEKING WELL-PAID POSTS.

The final dismemberment of the party was due to a strategical campaigning when it canie to naming the permanent committee. A buttle was waged in the corr.tiors of the Hotel AYittebrug lor two days. \\ hen the ]>ol's were opened the dclgates were whipped from sick hods and hath tuhs ill support of their nominees. No longer were the debates gentle ch>ldreii, hut sleepless men and women, utterly wi ary of .seeing one another. On one side accusations oi fraud were made, and there wore counter accusations of coercion.

During the vital business of seair:nj{ flu- L'I'OIHI a year job.-. the minor liiii-.ni--0 s dl' stopping tlii' war was forgotten. Madam Selnviminer took Ik r part in tlic liurllr until other members relented, the iniputal ion that they lacked braille to run a p aee expedition. On January loth seventy embarked at Rotterdam. In place of the <rowds that had cheered the uplil'tois when setting out to rave the world twenty per oils v,ere on tlie p or. The remnant's were li lt io construct an 11111 llieial licit ral c-ir ei'i nee.