rsonally could not. Others had
typewriters or dictated to typists, but that was beyond him. To him
there were few delights more complete than to dip his pen in the
forbidden fluid and begin, "Sir." (Applause.)

The Rev. R. Trampbell said that not during his whole career as a
clergyman of the Church of England could he remember a more monstrous
proposal than this one to reduce the supply of ink. To him ink was more
precious than radium, for it enabled him to express his thoughts and
thus come into intimate relationship with his fellow-beings. It might be
within the knowledge of the meeting that he was in the habit of
contributing every week an article on the War to the Sunday papers. It
was not on tactics, but on some subject of spiritual interest connected
with the War, and he had reason to believe that thousands, he might say
millions, of his fellow-countrymen and fellow-countrywomen found it
helpful. Was that to cease? England had too few inspired teachers for
this article to be lightly disposed of. He felt sure that he had the
great weight of his beloved Church of England at the back of him when he
uttered this protest.

Mr. Chester Gilbertson said that neither the restriction on ink or paper
would worry him. There was nothing he couldn't write _with_, and nothing
he couldn't write _on_. He had written many of his best articles with a
piece of chalk on one of his black coats, and many of his worst on cab
and railway-carriage windows with a diamond ring which he had compelled
a commercial traveller to relinquish. (Cheers.) Rather than not express
an opinion on whatever was forward, he would carve his views on a rock
and himself carry the rock to the printing office. (Loud cheers.) The
Runcimen of this world were created purely in order to be defied.

Mr. Bernard Jaw said that of course for the Government to pretend that
the cargo space now occupied by ink was needed for something else was
rubbish. The Government's real reason was that they were terrified of
the critics and thought to muzzle them in this way. But he for one--and
he knew for a fact that the Government dreaded his genius acutely and
would give much if they could still the blistering accuracy of his
pen--he for one would not be daunted.

At this point a special messenger arrived bearing a letter for the
Chairman, who, after reading it, asked leave to put the meeting in
possession of its terms, as it somewhat altered the situation. It was,
in fact, fro