The latest craze -is menthol cigarettes. A glass tube filled with menthol flakes is fitted into an ordinary cigarette mouthpiece and the devotee goes round with this imitation cigarette between his lips. Both mouthpiece. and tube are hollow, and by sucking at the mouthpiece air is drawn into the throat, etc., and the ail! has menthol fumes. In addition te the cigarette, the purchaser indulges in menthol plasters for the temples if the eyes are sore. Of course these plasters and cigarettes are not. made in Japan.
The topic of conversation in city, village, and hamlet is the vawbacks of military administration. Men and animals are ruthlessly commandeered to carry arms and baggage, and some of the men are able to take leg bail at the first resting place, but others go on with the troops for days. Somehow or other it is not! quite clear who is the paymaster, and the farmer lads and others are usable to collect their dues. Travellers in the country districts report that young men run away as quickly as they can when they catch sight of a man in khaki, whether he be scholar or soldier. If they waited to make sure about it before clearing out, they might be taken. In many districts the young and able-bodied hide in the hills during the day and come home to sleep at nights, and the soldiers are not able' to get on their tracks.
Even in this city daylight rob-bely is common, and yet no one is arrested. A certain individual was attracted by an ornament in a lady's hair as she was walking' along the street. He decided that the quickest and simplest way to secure the coveted ornamenti was to take part of the hair as well, and with a slash of a knife he cut off the nob of hair and disappeared with his booty. The people are longing for a change but, alas, these longed-for changes often prove to be "a change for
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.