The Stratford Evening Post. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 1913. MILITARY TRAINING.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 10, 8 January 1913, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 1913. MILITARY TRAINING.

Mr. J. 13. ilhiG, M.P., was probably quite right when he told Major-Gen-eral Dudley yesterday that the farmers were generally well satisfied with the present arrangements for carrying out the provisions of the Defence j Act, and that even those settlers! whom ho was introducing were not j really complaining, but being peculiarly situated, suggested some alterations, in the training requirements to suit their particular cases. It would natur-1 ally be quite impossible to formulate j any scheme which would not press more hardly on some than on others, but it is quite evident from the attitude of the Commandant and the officers under him that every case submitted will receive the fullest consideration, the object steadily kept in view being to cause a minimum of inconvenience to the men who are called upon to serve and to those who are deprived of these men’s services while on parade on in camp. The settlers who came before General Godlcy at Stratford yesterday were evidently loyal men desirous of doing their duty to the State, but from what they stated it is obvious they have difficulties to meet which are not quite easily overcome. Rather much was made of the fact that on one occasion an overworked drill instructor failed to appear at a parade fixed to be held at a wayside spot on a particularly wet day, because the chances were just about even that if the instructor uad braved the deluge there would have been no Territorials present, and, further, that the incident is quite unique. The instructors placed in this district are a very fine body of men ; they have a great deal of ground to cover, and their day’s work is a long and trying one. In fact, as General Godley stated yesterday, they are “woefully understaffed,” and to term this one incident a “real grievance” is hardly fair to anyone concerned. Some sacrifice is required on all bands for the country’s sake; at most it is but a small sacrifice, and it should be giyen ungrudgingly. i’llo scheme is now well on its feet, and it is pretty evident that the country intends to stick to compulsory military training for defi nee. General (bailey’s visit should certainly do good, for it will further drive home the fact (hat while those who endeavour to shirk their responsibilities in this matter of military training will be firmly dealt with, the greatest consideration will he givmi to farmers and employers of labour, to save undue hardship falling on them in carrying out the law’s requirements.

CHINA’S AWAKENING

Aii evidence of the awakening of C hina from her long sleep is the calendar reform which started on January

first of this year. Fifty \ears ago progressive Japan saw the wisdom ol adopting the calendar of the Western World, because it was seen that complication must arise in her trade with Europe if the old system of reckoning by moons was adhered to. But conservative China kept to the old groove until to-day. The significant change is due to the activities of the President, Yuan-Shih-Kai, who is doing all he can to sweep away obsolete customs. It is estimated that the new calendar will adjust itself to the Chinese calendar in three years, the thirty-

seven months of the old one exactly corresponding to the thirty-six months of the new. Air. Sim Johnson, the odi tor of the Sydney ‘Chinese Herald, anticipates that the change will mean the breaking down of many superstitious, such as the current ideas about lucky dates. It has been the practice of men who were about to got married.

open a new business, or start on a journey, to consult an astrologer and select a lucky day. The abolition of the queue and of the observance oi lucky and unlucky days, Mr. Sun Johnson regards as two great blessings for China. An instance of the wholesale abandonment of old custom: which is proceeding in the new lie public, was provided recently by th action of the Minister of Education who was invited by some students to ; feast. The function was really held in honour of some successful oxamin i ti'on candidates, hut the student' wrote on their invitation cards, according to a time-honoured convention that it was in honour of their ancestors, and to worship them. The Alinis tor’s reply was: “The Republic in fur thering education only seeks what if essential for the times. It does no" seek after empty glory. Worship ping ancestors, and telling them ol success, is only superstition; and as for theatrical performances in theij honour, nothing could ho more false.’ This rebuke may be taken as an indication of the new spirit growing and gaining force in the China of to-day

THE PRINCE OF WALES.

In an interesting account of the lifof the Prince of Wales at Oxford, tin ‘Field’- states that the Prince is ve 7 good at football, but that he is kkeb to distinguish himself even more as ; long-distance runner. The writer sa; s “Everyone at Oxford is glad to sallow thoroughly the Prince of Wale is enjoying the life of an ordinary nn dergraduate and entering into so man; different forms of sport. He rides re gularly, generally in the company 0 Major Cadogan, and that of other un dergraduates, in Nuneham Park, and no doubt it will not be long before Ik is seen, like his father and his grand father, in the hunting field; but fo the present his time seems so full; occupied that ho may postpone a clos acquaintance with hunting until s somewhat later date. Considering hi. light weight, ho is quite a good foot ball player, and at the Association game has played five times for tin second eleven at Magdalen and three times for the first eleven. But it is, of course, at long-distance running that he is more likely to make his mark than at anything else, and, after his experiences on the Dartmouth Hills, he has had no trouble at all in holding a good place with the beagles whenever he has been out with them. In fact, if he continued to show his present form and were ever able t find time to train, we might not have to look much further for a first-rate English representative in Berlin. H also intends to take up the Royal game of real tennis, and he will have every opportunity of doing so at Ox ford. In fact, his keenness and ex-

cellence in sport and his hearty ap predation of the possibilities of undergraduate life are -most satisfactory in every way.”