Empire Day is being kept up hero much more generally than it ever has been before, though in the country the celebration in the schools has boon jintorforod with to n considerable extent by the coincidence of the late Queen's birthday with Whiteuntic In London, however, the Whitsun holiday is short li mentary schools, which and as we have now a moderate" County Council, not obsessed with the fear of militarism, Lord Bfoath has obtained sympathy and help from them. Throughout England the} ving lessons in patriotism th a display of national flags, and above all " half holiday in some fourteen thousand schools, against nine thousand last your; and next your we are promised a groat patriotic demonstration of children in Hyde Park. With all this we are atill a long way behind tha Colonies in our celebration of the day, though we are making up leo-way fast.
The Spurning of the Birrell Bill.
Before the Irish Nationalist Coovention met in Dublin on Tuesday there were many indications of how the ourrent was running; and no one seems to have boon surprised at the passing of the resolution condemning Mr. Bir-roll's Irish Council Bill, The emphatic and absolutely unanimous character of the condemnation was, however, bardly expected, and the organs of the Liberal Party do not pretend to deny that it is a serious blow for the Government. Sir Frederick Banbury neatly over his Majesty's Minis-the House last night by blandly inquiring when it was proposed to take the Second Reading of the Bill; and the Prime Minister postponed answering the question till Monday. Much more interest is felt, however, in what Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman will say than in what he will do, for it is taken for granted thet he will withdraw the measure, To proceed with it in the face of the unanimous opposition of Irish Nationalists and Irish Unionista would be too absurd.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.