ream.
But Looking Backward--or e'en forward--'s found
Poor substitute for wisdom's look all round.

Labour, you would be free to fix your wages;
Capital, you'd be free to pick your men:
Love of free Union the one's tongue engages,
Love of free "Knobsticks" fires the other's pen;
But love of Freedom for her own fair self,--
How much of it moves Poverty or Pelf?

Eight hours in the dark coal-seam, good friend Labour,
Humanity admits more than enough.
But _fix it so_, whilst neighbour wars' with neighbour,
And mine with mine about it? Task too tough,
Too desperate dilemma, for a Statesman,
Why you can't settle it with your own mates, man!

Capital, _does_ your passion for Toil's Freedom
Mean much more than desire to smash Toil's Union?
He sells his birthright for the mess of Edom,
The "Blackleg" ESAU selling Work's communion
Into the bonds of Wealth, well knit and strong,
His comrades say. Are they entirely wrong?

Thus Individual Freedom suffers scath
On all sides. Can you plead Necessity's fiat?
For _me_ you boast your love, proclaim your faith,
But, battered by the missiles you let fly at
Each other, I with ROLAND, cry in shame,
What tyrannous things are done in Freedom's name!

* * * * *

[Illustration: TAKING A "BREATHER."

GRAND OLD MINER. "DON'T KNOW HOW I SHOULD GET THROUGH WITH MY WORK, IF
I WERE TIED DOWN TO EIGHT HOURS A DAY!"]

* * * * *

FALBULOUS!

DR. FALB, of Vienna, knows when earthquakes and eruptions are going to
occur. Mr. MORLEY said, the other day, in the House of Commons, that
the best way of treating a prophet was not to believe him; but this
is rather difficult when the prophet happens to be right, as Dr. FALB
generally is. For example, he predicted the last terrible earthquake
at Zante, which only came one day before it was due. Dr. FALB has
been interviewed about how he does it,--or perhaps it would be
more appropriate to say, that he has been subjected to some mild
"Heckling"--and he appears to hold that it is the action of the Moon
on the tides which is responsible. In support of his theory it has
been noticed that it is quite a custom of the people at Zante, after
their houses have fallen in on their heads, to observe--"That was
a tidy shock!" These predictions should help them to tide over the
periods of danger.

* * *