Notes and Comments. 213 



THE BULLETIN. 



The idea of a daily Bulletin, after the manner of the pro- 

 grammes issued by the British Association, was a good one ; 

 but sometimes the apparent necessity for filling the four or 

 tiight pages seemed to result in irrelevant matter being intro- 

 duced. From these we learn that the newl^^ formed Gilbert 

 White Fellowship is ' vigorous ' ; that ' Regional Surveys will 

 undoubtedly loom very prominently in the public eye when 

 the war is over,' ' What is a Controller ? One who tries to 

 Control, and sometimes succeeds. We want a Controller of 

 Weather. But it would not be an enviable post, and the 

 Editor would not be a candidate for it.' [Perhaps he can't 

 control]. ' The Lord Mayor regaled himself on eight pounds 

 of the flesh [of a stranded whale] and pronounced it to taste 

 like tender beef steak. We wonder how many coupons he 

 surrendered for it.' ' What peace has failed to do the war has 

 perforce necessitated. Shall we ever return to pre-war con- 

 ditions ? In manj^ respects we trust not.' 



WOMAN : PAST AND PRESENT ; 



The following extract from this Bulletin makes us assume 

 that the editor, who is admittedly only an ' Asst. Commander,' 

 is a married man : — ' That much in the future depends on 

 how woman uses the power which has lately become hers, 

 will be admitted by all, but will she retain her ' womanishness ' 

 whilst taking part in so many walks of life from which she 

 had hitherto been excluded ? In achieving her independence, 

 is there not too much imitation of the man she is supplanting ? 

 Is she using her power to transplant into social life her own way 

 of doing things, and so to introduce novel methods to reform 

 the chaos made by man ? Slavish imitations must cease. In 

 the new times ahead we must cast off our swaddling clothes 

 and our misfits. The woman in power must not become the 

 tyrant which man in power has proved himself to be. Much 

 depends on whether woman in power becomes a slavish imita- 

 tion of man, or remains a psychic centre of power transferred 

 to a new and promising centre of activity. In spite of all the 

 efforts of reformers and the dreams of poets, might is still too 

 ■often right. The animal side of humanity too frequently still 

 prevails over the ps^'chic side. When one would do good, too 

 often evil is still present. Mankind's lowly origin still betrays 

 itself as frequently as ever. Will human nature never change ? 

 Why not ? What an opportunity there is for womankind in 

 the future ! Animal passions can never be wholly suppressed, 

 otherwise a nation will commit suicide. But there is room for 

 more of the psychic element, and we can drop much of the 

 animal element without loss.' 



J918Julyl. 



