According to a telegram from Japan, an active—spy scare is abroad in that country. This is the second occasion on which maps and military secrets are said to have been in peril, and we believe that in both cases the explanations forthcoming must have satisfied the authorities that the foreign country alleged to be implicated was entirely innocent, not only in act but in thought. We must remember, of course, that Japanese feelings are deeply stirred at the moment over the issue in California; and with our own case of a few years back in mind, we need sce nothing unusual in the present scare. Our most noteworthy incident—round about the ime of Agadir—was the "'scare-which, it was reported, was ing out the land, Tt turned out to be an airship of sorts, dropping leaflets to advertise somebody' pills: and it was prompt pointed out that anybody in the world could buy ordnance maps of the country without. the least trouble, and save themselves the bother of using aircraft. We happened to be a_ trifle nervous at the time and for the moment were apt to sce ghosts. In the Japanese case to-day it seems fairly well esished that a warrant-officer was trying to buy wealth at his coun-expense, but it is another question whether he coild possibly have had anything worth selling. When a spy scarce is on, it is always advisable to remember that side of the question, The war showed that espionage. as it was actually carried on, hardly square ed with popular iniagination or the ideas of penny-dreadful writers.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.