10
THE HONGKONG.
TELEGRAPH FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER
EMPTY CRADLES
~ONSCRIPTION or Voluntary Service in some future war may appear a question of major Infinitely more importance. important, however, is the pro- hiem of the total population which will be available under either system if the birth rate in these islands continues to de- cline,
Mean Danger to
The unilation of the family-al + ne time a subject of furious con-.
1920 accomplished troversy-la now fact. Among our well-to-do classes, especially, those mothers of wham my friend the late W. L. George wrote: "They bore their husbands twelve calldren and no smallee," have dis- appeared.
Statisticians, Indeed,, are so gloomy about our dwindling population that they predict the end of the British Empire within the next few genern- flons from this sole cause.
¿
The White Race
Declares
GILBERT
FRANKAU
thinker maintain that the
'comes assessed separately. A pretty
encouragement to breed!
If we desire-and we must desire to stay the decline in our popula- tion it
vital that we should en- How are courage people to breed. we to do this? Not by the applica- tion
of one remedy to many causes. Marriage allowances, quadruple them
will not sufflee.
The prime needs of every poten- tin mother are peace and security. Unless and until these two boons with all that they imply-are res- present tored to all the nations in Europe, For we are, remember, primarily burden of death duties, income tax, the ultimate end of European, and
Empire, or, if you prefer the rates (how much of them squan- the
taxation en- possibly of American, civilisation is
sure. term, a Comumonwealth of Free Na- dered!) and indirect tions. Take away to give only one courage us to fill our nurseries?
We, the white race, will go down instance-India, and you remove But parents get relief-you say before the black, the brown, and the some of the bread from every work from income tax. All right. 1llow yellow, ing nian's breakfast-table in these much-5s. 6d. in the £ un £00 for Mother Nature knows not pity, cach child, and a limited allowance You can beat her, sometimes, by ren- for a wife. Meanwhile if a fairly son and intelligence.
+102.
thes
Separate us in Great Britain from
rest of the Commonwealth, and well-to-do couple "live in sin" they But you will never beat her by it is extremely doubtful whether we can save more by having their in- beating drums.
thum 10,000,000 could keep more jnen, women, and children in medlo-
cre comfort--our present population exceeding 45,000,000,
This is
the
mere bread-and-butter; side of the problem. It excludes thei entire question of war.
And all major ward-Jet further remind you-have
NIC
been!
i
THE LONGEST ARM
It
THERE is only one arm longer and did so the train drew out of the sta-
stronger than that of the Law on. fought, primarily, for land-hunger or
Was that telepathy? Or did foot-lunger, Increasing populations the arm of coincidence. We have
all had experience of the comicion- merely happen that a woman closely invariably set upon decreasing popu-
test type, ndinerleat coincidence. resembling his wife was in the sta temptation of Estions. The
tion at the time?
acres is too strong to resist,
For example, a recent correspon- day European sentiment
In lighter vein, there were the wo redence in the Press elicited that lady gentlemen, unknown to one another, volts at Japanese aggression in whose initials were "E. B." had late- but China, But ibe historian: of the ly been presented with a bus ticket ut of identical appearance down to the details of their costume. vary future, sunveying the present strutmarked EB 3500471. She pointed kle without sentiment, will perceive out that her age was 35, her house ding. Coincidentally, they met in an inted were invited to a fashionable wed- ! 10 have the root cause of
number arid that the licence plate archway. Our raised his right arm, wen inevitable, Japan's swarm of her husband, a taxi driver, bore the other his left. They
Ruped millions, boxed in narrow. islands; the Agures 471. In the ordinary simultaneous amazement, and ended inust spread or perish.
Man's Defiance
in
way, however, numbers can be too the comedy by simultaneously stick- casily twisted to make their com- ing a finger in one another's eye. binations really amazing.
"Pardon me," they ejaculated in a NATURE allors sentiment Many so-called instances of tele- single voice, “I thought you were a more tixin the apathy may just as well be attributed mirror!! Too good to be true? even
"Be fruitful and to the less romantic law of chance. Perhaps.
NA
hors 2 vacuum,
multiply" is her one and only com- A recently married wife, while her what The Mirror Showeri
nand. But civilisation-being in its husband was away on business, had very essence man's struggle against the savagery of Nature-urges him to defy Ual command,
an authenticated tale.
unusually vivid dream, in The the
But the best instance of a "concu. course of which the train in which tenation of circumstance" I know- he was to travel home on the mor-
magic is Shut I give up all the niceties of row was totally wrecked. When she one would call it black life," cries the modern European woke the terrifying effect of the A houscholder in an English town, to reproduce my dream remained so strong that she having written an urgent epistle to woman, "merely
could think of nothing else, particu- an own species?"
"Shull I slave my soul out," cries arly at the hour when she knew her covered that he had lost his friend's acquaintance in Scotland, dis- the modern European tan, "just to husband would be catching the feed and clothe, and educate an en-doomed" express. ormous family?"
can,
and hud no means of re-
Later, sitting st
alone at an open window, she heard At that moment the postmin So what? (as the modern Ameri-
a newsboy shouting "Extra! Extra!" banded in a letter marked "Damaged limits his family in the street outside. Who also
comment by sea-water." with the shall say). What remedy would
that it must have been one of those civilisation find for its own disease?
recently salvaged from a mall- The totalitarian States-less sen-
which had crashed in the Fimental and more war-ininded than
Ocenn. The householder, the democracies remedy.
Many Causes
Double Premonition
The
The train had been wrecked. But so for names of the dead and injured were even if we accept the most op- not yet available. She fainted, but looking curiously at the stained en- timistic forecasts with very moder-recovered consciousness to find her velope, noticed that there was faint in reverse on the back of the ate success..
He had returned by a later train, and
and salt-water was somewhat surprised to discover pressed against it, her at home, for, Just as he had been had done the rest. appears, therefore, that, about to enter one of the earrlag in a mirror. It was the address of Interested, he held the writing up however loudly a lender which now lay in splinters may beat his patriotic drum, he can the track, he saw someone, who he his friend In Scotland! The series of colncidences which woman that her could have sworn was his wife, bee- million-to-one ucither persuade antin duty is to provide national koning from behind the barrier. He led up to this result are almost in- cannon fodder nor mon into surgen- ran towards her, lost her, and began credible. dering most of his creature comforts to hunt through the throng As he
husband anxiously bending over her; anvelope. Another letter had been
in favour of his procrentive facul-
Ties.
Writing for a nation of men and women whose inain ideal-the only ideal for which they could ever be persuaded to take up arms against 30 aggressor is individual liberty under just law, I cannot bring my-1 self to pen any such balderdash as, | "It is your duty to the State to have large families."
of
Let us bring all such parrot cries own to brass tacks,
The basic causes of the limitation
GRAVE HUMOUR
A. P. S.
In chef we find!"Peas the ordinary course of events the of last place in which one would hushes."
expect to find humour is a church-
lonal.
yours
to his
A former grocer is credited with!~!
yard. Yet many an old cemetery The world is not worth a fg, and I contains sparkling instances of wit have good raisins for saying so.
A brewer's stone informs us:- humour. Anyone in search of and are the modern British family
confine the Here lies
poor Burton, he wni, both risk of queer epitaphs must manifold. First of all-at
search to old moss-covered tomb- hale and stout. shocking the ultra-prudes-we have
stones; there, many examples of wit Death Inld him on his bitter bier,
be found. In recent
Now in another world he hops knowledge. Our Victorian progeni-may lors did not possess that knowledge, epitaphus have become more conven- about, We do, and-wrongly or rightly-it is
and confine themselves to It is easy to gues the profession of widely dissemin- becoming more
commemoration of the departed. the inte John Brown:- aled every day.
In the older churchyards all uver the country abound inscriptions of Stranger, approach
humour
gravity, unconscious risk of Jane Smith, killed by a kick from John Brown is filling his last cavity.
Well done thou good and
In a few coses some wag has com- super-paja cow,
gravity of cir- triots we have the constant harping faithful servant.
Typically Irish is one from Bel- pletely attered the on the
cumspect lines inscribed by sorrow. so many public men
ing relatives. A widow erected n chances of another Armageddon in fast, which reads:
headstone with:-My sorrow Js greater than I can bear. On her re- murrlage some wit added "alone,"
by
the
Frightened Wives SECONDLY at
▷ shoelding the
not-so-distant
This future.
a young wife say to
makes bconaciously if not con-i
herself
should I bear a child.
such as:
Here lies the body of Patrick O'Brien. Died in Philadelphia, March 1753.
this spot with
sciously, "Why shou In pain only to hazard is being Hnd he lived, he would have been From Ireland, however, we have the
murdered in agony used the word
And since I
burled here.
Nearer home we find:-
farlane,
"pain" let me repeat what I wrote Erected to the memory of John Mac some years ago In this very paper: That childbirth, generally speaking, need not entail any pain if our doc- tars would be less callous to human suffering
Because
03
this point, also, is pertinent to the affair in hand.
Thirdly and this' I
I trust, will shoekt none of my readers we have, ot of the decline in our pepu- Tools of the lation, a mass of economic cause
Financial security-considered cer- Vičiočiais. Housing Lain by the conditions (who lived in a flat then it he could afford even a cottage?) The shortage of domestic Inbour. Taxation. All these have their in- nuence on our problem.
But that the greatest of all birth- controllers is taxation history itself
Drowned in the Water of Leith. By a few affectionate friends. Examples, of deliberate fun are many. In some cases the deceased's profession is mentioned either direct- ly or indirectly. On the gravestone
Britons In Midnight Scene
In Tientsin
classic:-
Stranger, weep for "at the age of
seven
Little Wille went to Heaven.
To this was added by some humor- ist:
Cheer up, stranger, who can tell Willie may have gone to hell. J. R.
Jin fetching, luggage direct from the
train.
16, 1938.
THOROUGHBREDS DONT CRY
Adapted from the METRO GOLDWYN-MAYER Pictora HALSEY RAINES
Bir Peter Calverton and Ma young grandson Roger, coming to America on Borrowed funds for one last try at the Interna ional prize horse racing cup engage Timmie Donovan, headstrong but loyal youngster, to rab' thoir mount," Falgning desperate illness, Tim miała scheming father summons the boy to him and says the only way he can provide money and save his life to throw the Kidgo more Handicap, a trial race. Torn between Ale natural hon- -oaty and his feeling that he may ba responsible for his father's death if he fails him, Timmie
apreca
Copyright 1107-Koew'a Ias.
Chaptor Soven
Cricket was pounding some na onymous stout gentleman on the back as Roger roturned sombrely to the Calverton box
"Hey, look, everybody!" she cried. They're right at the post!"
This is the first time ever bet A horas on the nose," aafd Mother Italph.
steward. “We haven't any positive proof, but wa'wo watched enough races ia hayo n good Iden when.. things aren't on the up-and-up. We're giving you a warning—”
The telephons on the stand rang. The second stoward picked up the receiver.
"What's that?" he asked. Peter Calverton↑ A heart attack, you say? Well, keep us thforned-
Timmie, all pugnnelty, a morient bafors, suddenly forget about the charge that had been thrown at him. Bir Potor Calverton, man who trusted him... who End been implicitly relying on him to guldo The Pookah home to victory 2%, now, the shock of knowing, or auspecting something,
the
What's that about Bir Poter?” he naked abarply.
They're taking him to the Gen. eral Hospital. He suddenly collapsed at the finish of the race."
Ilia mind a confused and naik. accusatory bundle of thought, Tim- mit stumbled away, Ho rushed to the jockey room, chânged from rid- ing babit to strent clothes, then started for the telephone booth out. alda in the hall. But what good wan it to 'phone? No, ha must hurry to the hospital and find out posí tively how Sir Peter was doing.
The face of the operator at the reception desk in the hospital wan
A sudden roar from the crowd, coming simultaneously with the starler's shot, drowned out the expressionless and non-comtalttal. noise of the pistol. Roger leaned Dealing out newa, good, bad, or forward and strained his eyes to indifferent, was the order of the catch avery bit of action. The day, and something that had to be Rookah had got away to bad handled with na itin emotion as
possible.
2
#turt
"What's the matter with that "Did you want something?" she Timmia Donovan7" exclaimed asked, when Timmie stood there Mother Raipi. "Asleep at the post, confronting her for a minute, un-
able to frame his query. he lal"
Sir Peter, tanda tensely clutch- ing the rail, pressed his lips to gether, but said nothing.
"Could you tell me,” he gulped slowly, "if His Honor la okay?"
"His Honor?" echoed te oper-
"Bir_Poter-you know—muttered
Around the first great are spadator blankly. the flying racers. Turning into the backstretch, The Pookah had failed | Timmle,
Around the first great arc sped the flying racers.
to improve his position, Oream "Bir Poler Calverton?" The other Biloe, Featherton and Hop Bkit seemed to henitalo, the roving, flax- the latter a long shot-were dividible pupils of her eyes contracting ing bopose between them. On they just the barent fraction of a de wont for another hundred yards, gree. "Are you a relative to Bir The Pookah, still lost.
Peter Calverton 7"
Shouldn't be be making his mova now, Grandfather?" asked Roger, a worried look on his face.
"He should have made it, Roger," answered Sir Peter heavily.
...On.swept the horses. Timmte
"No, I'm just a friend," answered Timmic. He looked at her, and all at once the truth dawned on hins, the reason why she had asked if ho was relatod,
"He ain't--you don't mean be--"
was apparently using the butt of Timmie couldn't finish, but now'ha' ils whip to simulate The Pookah could read the unmistakable moe to renewed efforts. From tho stands sage in the attendant's eyes.
With a muttered phrase of apoi. no one could possibly have told that
it was all a clever camouflage. Delogy for bla intrusion, his features apito Timmio's care to boid his reflecting the sharp stab of pain steed back, the Calverton entry did that swept through him, the "boy surge ahead, past one, then another wandered down the hospital steps. of the contenders. But at the flalah ila was unaware of the direction Hop Hkit (the borea backed by the ha was taking, he only know that Donovan clique) was about ho must keep walking. Jength ahead of the field Feather
For a moment an impulso siruck
in was second, Cream Alice third, him to return to the hospital, ses and The Pookah, snorting as though Sir Peter as he lay there, cold and he realized he could have won if grim, and speak out the words thai ho'd been handled properly, tralled were burning in his mind, tortur in fourth place.
Ing him. But it was too late now.
Just as the racers passed their Peter wasn't there to hear. judges' stand, Bir Péter auddenly Roger would be too overente with swayed backwards in his goat, sorrow to know or care. Anyway. Vainly he tried to rise; his head it wouldn't be fair to confront him dropped forward.
with the additional shock of the
TACC.
"It wasn't Timmie's fault," Roger truth about the race. wha saying reassuringly. "Next If he only badn't listened to his imo ko'll know just what to do." father's wild pleading. Certainly he He turned and gasped as he saw could have obtained the money he Sir Peter'a strainosi, deathly pale needed some other way. And who was the doctor, what kind of man "Grandfather" he cried. "What was be, to sanction this way of is 11" He leaped to the aisle. getting the needed funds together?
Quick! A doctor!"
A sudden wave of suspicion en- One of the ushers ran forward gulfed Timmie. Suppose... just He called to an oficial, who hur suppose there was something riedly summoned the track physi-behind it beside what had appeared
on the urines? cian.
The horse his Mather Ralph, terribly upact, father had wanted to win, op tried to help the British sportsman.skit, had actuntly captured the race. There was nothing she could do, Could it be possible that be had nor could she drive the frightened been duped by a pair of clever look, by anything she said, from tricksters?
Roger's face. In a moment the doo It was bad enough to think of tor had arrived; He looked at Sie the tragedy as one that had re Peter, falt his pulso, and whispered sulted from an ill-advised plot to something to an umber, who ran to save his father's life. But if his fathar really hadn't been in danger telephone for an ambulance.
Lait vary, sorious?" bogged-if his honor as a jockey and Bir Roger anxiously. The doctor patted Peter's life had been sacrificed to him on the shoulder, and replied further the plans of a group of with some evasive phrase,
gangsters. ... Timmis couldn't bear Timmio, meantime, had boen sum-to think along these lines any fur moned to the referee's stand the ther. But he was resolved that, moment he alighted from The coma what might, he would learn Pookah
the absolute truth.
14
to
The presiding sieward and the On and on the boy trudged. It. two placing judges were talking to-began to rain, a fine subtly peno- gether in low voices as he arrived. trating drizzle. He paid no heed
Ha suddenly realized that he Something was in the air, that it.
was very near Mother Italph's much was övident.
"Donovan, we don't like the ride house. That was the last place he you gave The Pookah, said the wanted to go, and he turned in the drst steward, coming bluntly to the opposite direction, point.
Sir Peter's final worda et encour *What was the matter with it1" jagement, as he handed him the good-luck emblem before the race, rejoined Timmin.,
"You deliberately held that horas | rang in his ear. Ita was the ons back until it was too late to make person in the world-be and Iteger A move." was the anaWOT.
who had placed complete faith in "Who did?" cried Timmio. him. Ste had been like his own handled him just like I was told father ought to have been. Like he to. You saw me go to the whip had always hoped his father might conung into the stretch, didn't you? be. And he had betrayed him.
For the Best time in years tðars Can I help it if the horns didn't have nothin'? If he won't run it streamed down Timmie's cheeks. ain't my fault, in 127"
"Listen, Donovan," said the first
(To be continued)
At about midnight, the group of British soldiers drove to the station, according to information available la Japanese sources, and without show- ing luggage checks the Chinese clerks, reached
and the platform took their goods down from the train Japanese military officer who hap-station guard reached the sceno, which arrived there from Chinwang-poned, to stand nearby, attempted lo Two British officers, one a major and the other a 'captain, were rum- From the very moment" that Beltement prevailed in the com-|,100,
Intervid. French law decreed that a peasant's pound of Tientain Station in the A- Japanese clerk then came to • The situation became rather serious moned to the station master's room lana must be equally divided among mall hours of this morning when explain the situation, when one of when the British and Japanese and the affair was temporarily settled his children the population of rural | soverál British soldiers including the British opera suddenly struck 1offeera; jhreatened, to"ktage a chini. when the two Britishers signed their France began to sincer Con-any sane officers challenged the station.clerks him, it was reported. Then we The commander of the & Japanese apologies-Domet,
proves.
Tientsin, Sept. 15.
CANADIAN
STEAMSHIPS - HOTELS -
PACIFIC
- RAILWAYS – EXPRESS
BERTHING PLANS FOR 1939 ARE OPEN
MAKE BOOKINGS EARLY to secure accommodation destrad
*
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via Shanghal, Kobe & Yokohama ENT'RESS OF JAPAN via Honolulu EMPRESS OF ASIA
EMPRESS OF CANADA via Honolulu EMPRESS OF RUSSIA
Air-conditioned equipment Frequent
оп
C.P.R.
......Noon, Fri, Sept. 16. 0,00 am Fri., Sept. 30, ......Noon, Fri, Oct. 14. Noon, Thurs, Oct. 27.
Trans-Continental Trains. Canadian - Pacillo Atlantio, sallings - to - European -- Port-
EMPRESS OF ABIA
Union
Building
TO MANILA
..8.00 p.m.. Thurs. Sept. 22.
Canadian Pacific
Telephono
20752
BARBER-WILHELMSEN LINE
Monthly Service to
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via LOS ANGELES & PANAMA CANAL PORTS
also taking cargo on through Bills of Lading for West Indice ports, Rio de Janeiro, Santos, Rio Grande do Sol Buenos Aires, South America.
NEXT SAILING:—
M.V. "TAI YIN"
18th September.
DODWELL & CO., LTD.
Agents.
Hongkong Bank Bldg.
Telephone 28021.
OUR BRITISH CROSSWORDS
ACROSS
1 A game companion (8),
Difficult bit of music? (0). 9 Chief points of the
10 N.B.
(8).
compuss
of old, classleally new in the New World (6). 11 Not one of the fleet (8). 12 A wine (6).
14 Not the best position for see- ing the spectacle, please realise (10).
18 Police "tecs" can make it (10). 22, Ils presence may be a sweep- Ing condemnation of the
domesile (8).
23 Were I to go his place of ser
vice would remain (8).
24 A relative of the guinea-pig
(6)
25 A militant brush (8).
20 Snare (0).
| 27 Quite a parliamentary observa-
tion (two words--4, .4).
DOWN.
1 Reference with relish to a mis-
chievous chilär (6).
2 Study A.R.P. and be less this of
the last part (8).
3 Against Bradman anyone. Is
4
glad to have this 'over (8)".
association with striking
An
•possibilities (two words~3, 6)..
0 This kind of situation may be too serious to make one laugh (B).
7 Epithet for some of our modern
ways, 'perhaps (8).
B One of the minor ups and
~ downs" at the seaside (two
words-4, 4).
13 It grows in the sea or on land
(10).
15 Protection that sounds like the
usual assistance (8),
10 This apartment is a social cen-
tre (two words-4, 4).
17 This stuff is cortainly the most
suitable in o
a call for help (8).
Present to a
19 Hardly a a suitable blind mun: (0)
20 This may enablo Tommy to es-
cape
from his private begin- ning (0).
21 He once pulled strings to other
people's, discomfiture, (6)..
YESTERDAY'S SOLUTION ТЕСНОOLMARTE В PUIUNIESSO
UPRIGHT STAINE BTBCB L LING PARIS AME IAR 8 N
O OMMENT GENER
RUBY
THEREUN
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