Nutshell Knowledge

X.—Royalty.

If civilisation is breeding madmen of the McMahon brand Mr. Baldwin must take immediate steps to augment the thousands of special constables who assist the regular police in maintaining law and order. The people should be told more often how much they are indebted to the specials for public safety. The occasion has prompted Scotland Yard to issue another farsighted appeal for the patriotic surrender of privately-owned firearms (except, of course, sporting rifles, which are safe in the hands of a loyal class).

Most of us have such a keen personal liking for His Majesty's fine qualities that the opponents of menarchy arouse strong resentment in us. Their psychological understanding is as weak as their politics, for they can't see that we transfer this resentment to all their other political theories.

His Majesty has the interests of all his people at heart. For the sake of the Lancashire cotton spinners he curtailed the mourning season. He tries to break down class barriers, and is not ashamed of being photographed talking to unemployed miners. This is the safest path to the classless society. He is always ready to lend sympathy to the bereaved after the mine disasteers that are so common all over the civilised world (that, of course, excludes Russia). He takes a keen interest in Toc H, the Boy Scouts, and the Air Force.

Things have come to a sorry pass when we can learn from the yellow Japs. We must foster loyalty so that our workers will be come like the Japanese strikers who went back to work because they were told that the Emperor was displeased with them.

Assassination would be a terrible personal blow to the whole Empire, but fortunately it would not prejudice the institution of kingship. Monarchy is a trump card in our hand, for the promise of a republic can sometimes by off a revolution, as for instance in Germany in 1918.

—Spectator.