The Wolf and the Lamb Practical jokers are almost in= variably least able to bear jokes against themselves; which is another ay of saying that they m without a sense of humour.
To any-tone except. a Bolshevik, the communique issued by the Soviet. Charge d'Aftaives through Reuter about the seizure of the Pamiat Lenina will appear as one of the funniest documents ever penned. Its air of virtuous indignation and outraged innocence is delicious. And the notion of a Bolshevik accusing anyone (except of course another Bolshevik) of dealing in deliberate and vicious lies, the pur pose of which it is easy to under= stand" is particularly wich, Most. of the statement, of course, is mere {froth and bluster, and the assertions fas to the alleged innocence of the Pamint Lenina and her passengers are no more worth notice than any other Bolshevik assertions of fact. But when the Charge Affaires describes the arrest of the Soviet regents as "an open and unpre cedented outrage against interna. ional law " it is necessary to ask not to talk nonsense, For several months past China has been. in a state of civil war, in which the Soviet Government has been quite frankly assisting, one side, to which. assistance its Ministers' have as frankly and very frequently boasted that the success of that side is due. In these circumstances there is. breach of international Law in the other side doing what it can to pr%= vent further help from Moscow reaching the Cantonese, Of course: iit is terribly sad to think of Red gents "surrounded by evil-minded. and irresponsible Russian White guards." But somehow one is not. nearly so sorry for them as one would be for Russian White guards. surrounded by virtuous and lanib= like Bolsheviks,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.