SCOTCH! HOTCH! POTCH!

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 30, 8 October 1920, Page 10

SCOTCH! HOTCH! POTCH!

(Contributed by "The Groper."

The sorrow and desolation of war is apparent not only in the imllions of maimed and broken men but in all humanity. The lamentation of Egypt over the slaying of her first-born was trivial by comparison. The world's loss viewed from the materialistic side is appalling — -of the other alde, who can speak with certainty ? The poignancy of vvoe is incalculable — who can meatLse it ? W e men may say what we please and do as we like within limits. Woman rnnst bury her sorrow deep, s»iile and swing along life's pathway vivaciously. 8he does so, making men feel smaller than his eounterpart, and compelling him to admiration of virtues which he cannot claim. C'ampbell's lines : — The world was sad, the garden was a wild, And man the herrnit sighed till woman smiled." are in point here. Tiie thinkers of to-day sighs because ne perceives our awful loss, present apd poteatial. He continues to sigh because of the apparent impossibility of satisfying the yearning of a million of noble women for 'children tliey will never bear. Not I aince time, as we know it, began, have j sfcatesmen been faced with issues so great | ia import and far-reaching in effect as those attendant in 1920 A.D. Woman serhles and applies herself to the test at hand with a joyful resignation rather than patience. She knows that which can never be very, very clearly and contents herself with the admiration of the other woman's haby. Few Publicists, Rationaissb or ( hristian, have any solution for the case. The methods of the Spartans , would not in general, meet the need of the present civilisations. Our women of every oreed and nation would in the main refuse aoceptance of anv change from the orthodbx relation. In our opinion woman mherently rebels against anything in the nature of polygamy. We are open to conviction on the point but argue strongly ( for the Ed'en ideal— one man, one woman. The discussion on the Ne Temere Decree, and im idental proposed legislation, makes point very clear, that the thinkers of Roman Catholieism equally with those of the Reformation were impressed with the thought that the weltare of Otiurch and State was inseparable from any deli. beration on the marriage question — that the sex-morals of nations hav.e always haen the largest factons in the rise and fall of those nations. Some daring spirits, Bradlaugh and others, have ventured opi.nio.ns of an unconventional nature, but, even amongst friends, have failed to find apostles of their soiutions. The fellowing paragraphs from the "News" of last week, suggeet that there is yet room for a supreme statesman. Perhaps some of the "Digger.'s" philosophers will take the subject in hand. We think some very readaible c.-opy might he submitted to the edi-t-ir. -The Surplus Women. — It is not difficult to understand the inlorest oi FrAnce, which is faced as the resalt of her heavy war losses with the problam of 2,000,000 surplus women. Even Hiillions will be unable to find a husband sunong their own countrymen. France's unmarried women, Dr Caniot calculates, means a shortage of six million children. THE SUPERFLU OUS FATHER. 1 NDEPENDENT MOTHERHOOD ADYOCATED. FLOOD OF CRITIGISM. LONDON, October 3. Norah March's statement before the Birthrate Commission that many women of private means are prepared to face iadependent motherhood, conscious of their ability to bring up children independent of man's assistance, has been followed by an onslaught of eriticism along orthodox lines. Leading women publicists, notably Lady Asquith, also contribute trenchant articies omphasing that a father is necessary for tbe happy rearing of children, and that unchastity always brings moral and physical decay aud national ruin. ■" In these days of startling occurrences oue is surprised at nothing. Anything may happen. It Is well knovrn that the ubiquitous Scot has already a very fair hold of God's Own Countiy and that he think8 nothing is too good for him. In other words he wants the damn lot. We are not thlngs of Jimmy Klng and his hundred sqtiare miles — more or less — nor do we conjure up "the burly figure of Bill McRobie when he casts a field-marshal's «ya over the field when Wellington and

Southland meet in hard fought scrum.s over football. We are puzzled at the following : — NEW ZEALAND FOR TIIE SCOTS. — Army of Conquest. — Commander-in-Chief : Sir Peter Anderson, Lieut-General. Chief-of-Staff : Sir Andrew Bain, MajorGeneral. Quarter-Master-General : Joe Brey, Kt., Brigadier-General. Divisional Generab : John Taylor and Archie McNeil. Surgeon General : Sir Archibald Preutice, K.C.B. Supernumeraiy to Colin McDonald, 1 eter Thomson. Establishment : McGregor Wilson. We understand the reasons for the appointments at the council of war were as follows:— Sir Peter Anderson was unanimously elected to position of com-mander-in-chief because of his understanding of the Napoleonic maxim "an army marches on its stomach. Sir 1 eter said : "Boys, the best thing in the world for the stomach is -Johnnie Dewar s and got the job. It is remarkable that the strong Aberdonian, Sir Andrew Bain, should have consented to become staff-officer to so imp,erious an officer as Sir PeteT. It is understod that Sir Peter stipulated as a condition of acceptance that he should select his own staff and did so as follows, "Sir Andrew, I may find it necessary to carry on a maritime war ; your experience in handling the c-rew of the dredge 'Murihiku' ranks a3 an act of genius ; and , further, Sir Andrew, when I look at your Venus St. block houses, I perceive you to be a genius in fortress construction. " It transpires that C. J. Brokenshire, C.B., owes his position to his ability to secure cheese and bread for the table of his chief — no tea is needed — and oatmeal for the porridge of the rank and file. It is rather difficult to explain the position of Brigadier-General Joseph Brey, Kt., other than that he always finds a welcome in a shooting party. The Division Commanders, John Taylor and Archie McNeil, hold command owing to the figures they cut in tartan and to their long and faithful war records in the Southland Caledonian 'Society. The Surgeon-General has, as is well known, cut off more legs than any other member of an honourable profession, The only explanation of the remaining names is that they are all members of the Pipe Baaid, and create more nolse than Sir Douglas Haig ever did. Sergeant Fouhy proposed to take no action.