20 
LAND & WATER 
February 22, 1917 
many of those who will benefit by it are extremely well 
educated, and will eagerly avail themselves of this 
opportunity to keep themselves abreast of the best 
" opinion and knowledge of the day. 
Of course there is another point of view, one that will 
especially appeal to the ordinary man and woman who 
are in the habit of making almost daily use of their Clubs. 
When they go there after a busy day, they want to be 
mentally refreshed and amused, and there is no more 
favourite way of doing this than browsing, so to speak, 
on current literature. They pick up lirsl this paper then 
thvit, until they find something that makes a special 
aj peal to them, either because it treats of a favourite 
hc'bbv or amusement, or deals with some subject of which 
they have made a special study. And it is just the same 
with the members of the U.J.C. 
Experience has pro\'ed that everything which has 
been done at this Club to improve and brighten the life 
of sailors and soldiers has not only met with a ready 
response, but has exercised an admirable influence. It 
is a grievous mistake to imagine, as was so often the case 
before the war, that the average man on leave from our 
naval or military forces, came to London simply to run wild 
for a bit. Too often he was compelled to run wild because 
there was no place for him to go to, where he could find 
the pleasant environment which he preferred, had he onlv 
a home of his own 
in town. To give 
an instance ; noth- 
ing is more appre- 
ciated at the 
Union Jack Club 
than the meals. 
The food is excel- 
lent, great care is 
exercised that all 
provisions shall be 
of the best quahty. 
But what really 
pleases the most, 
is the manner in 
which the meals 
are served — clean 
tablecloths, good 
service, flowers on 
the . tables. These 
are the delicate 
simplicities which 
give refinement to 
the simplest 
meal, and by none 
are they better 
a]ipreciated than 
by those - men 
whose first • prin- 
ciples of daily hfe 
include smartness 
and cleanliness. " Cleanliness is next to godliness," is an 
old saying, but if we take the two words in their broadest 
meaning we shall find that cleanliness often precedes 
godliness, the higher quahty emerging from the lower. > 
Ever since the Union Jack Club was started, the idea 
has been that in order to make it a success men must be 
treated as men, strong men, not as babes or weaklings. 
And the result has justified the means. It is good to 
mix with the members and find how thoroughly satisfied 
they are with their Club house ; of course, they would 
juefer it to be larger, but that is now only a matter of 
time. There are many comforts and conveniences. The 
library (a photograph of which appears on this page) 
contains two thousand standard works, but as we have 
said the supplv of current literature is not nearly as good 
as it should be for a large Club of this character. It means 
that many members at certain hours of the dav find 
time heavy on their hands, and those who imder different 
circumstances would be perfectly content to while away 
the hours in the reading room, wander into the streets 
in a state of boredom and welcome almost any ^"m- 
panionship that amuses them for the moment. Anything 
that can be done to make the Union Jack Club more 
complete in every way is heartily welcomed in the ser- 
vices ; both Admiral Jellicoe and Field-Marshal Haii; 
have testified to the inestimable benefits which it has 
conferred on many thousand soldiers and sailors, and in 
all ranks its advantages are recognised 
The Library 
^^'ithin the Club there is a barber's shop wlxrc are 
sold tobacco, matches, cleaning materials, shirts, socks^ 
caps, etc., picture postcards. Baths hot and cold cost 
2d., including attendance, towels and soap ; shower-baths 
are free. Members are given blacking, etc., to clean their 
own boots or they can give the Club boot-black a penny 
to do it for them. There is a large and comfortable 
smoking-room, but no standing bar ; members order 
what they want and are attended by waitresses. All 
kinds of drinks are served. A member can have his 
glass of beer or brandy and soda if he prefers. In the 
billiard-room are six full-sized tables. Writing materials 
are free. The dining-room is open from 7 a.m. to 10.45 
p.m., where prices are most reasonable. The sight in 
the corridors which have to do service as cloak rooms 
now that the Club is so busy, is an extraordinary one. 
Here kitbags are left, also rifles and " souvenirs " of 
the most mixjcl description. At this time of year one 
often comes across a woolly trench-coat, and it does 
not need much imagination to recall the perilous ex- 
periences through which the owners of all this strahge 
paraphernalia have passed. The rest and repose of the 
Club to these war-worn heroes is most grateful, whether 
they are from Picardy or from patrolling the North Sea. 
Mention was made at the beginning of the article of 
the number of dialects one hears spoken at the Union 
J ac k Club. It 
would' well repay 
a philologist to 
make a study of 
the subject. A 
most interesting 
paper might be 
prejxired upon the 
c li a n g e s and 
fluctuations of the 
British tongue as 
heard at the Club. 
But speech is only 
the vehicle of 
thought, and the 
varied idioms of 
thought and the 
dixerse views of 
hfe, the outcome 
of personal ex- 
perience which 
characterise the 
members of the 
U.J.C. must be 
even more remark- 
able. It is as though 
the curse of Babel 
had been removed 
from one large sec- 
tion of the human 
race, for men born 
under almost every latitude foregather here, and new 
friendships are being formed over its tables which must 
exercise a powerful influence in the future. 
XDinion Jach Club 
All Contnhutions to the Union Jack Club 
Literary Fund should be jorwarded to : 
The Editor, 
"LAND & WATER." 
Old Serjeant's Inn, 
5, Chancery Lane, 
London, W.C. 
Envelopes should be marked " U.J.C. 
Fiiftd." Cheques should be drawn in favour 
of The Comptrcdler, IJnion Jack Clvh,and 
crossed " Coiifts Bank " 
