As the engineer of two successive extensions of the life of Parliament Mr. ASQUITH offered whole-souled support to the proposal to give a third renewal to its lease.  Apart from anything else, how could a General Election be satisfactorily conducted when there was a shortage of paper and posters were prohibited?  “What’s the matter with slates?” whispered a Member from Wales.  If every Candidate paraded his constituency sandwiched between a couple of slates showing the details of his political programme, it would certainly add to the gaiety of the nation, besides providing an easy method of expunging such items as in the course of the contest might prove unpopular.

A good many silly things have been said in the last month or two about HINDENBURG and his imaginary “line,” but the silliest of all perhaps was the remark of The Nation that the German retreat on the Somme “has found our soldiers wanting.”  This article naturally gave great comfort to the enemy, who possibly overestimates the importance of Mr. MASSINGHAM and the significance of the title of his paper.  It also found its way to the British trenches, and caused so great an increase in the habit traditionally ascribed to the British Army when in Flanders that Sir DOUGLAS HAIG is understood to have suggested that an embargo should be placed upon the further export of such literature.

What most strikes the imagination is that amid the most stirring events of the greatest war in history British Legislators should devote three of their precious hours to so trumpery an affair.  Was this what the old jurist had in mind when he called the House of Commons “The Great Inquest of the Nation”?

Wednesday, April 18th.—­On the motion introduced in both Houses to express the welcome of Parliament to our new Ally, Mr. BONAR LAW, paraphrasing CANNING, declared that the New World had stepped in to redress the balance of the Old; Mr. ASQUITH, with a fellow-feeling no doubt, lauded the patience which had enabled President WILSON to carry with him a united nation; and Lord CURZON quoted BRET HARTE.

A fresh injustice to Ireland was revealed at Question-time.  England and Scotland are to enjoy an educational campaign, in which hundreds of speakers all over the country will dilate upon the necessity of reducing the consumption and preventing the waste of foodstuffs.  But like most other patriotic schemes it is not to apply to John Bull’s other island, though I gather that it is at least as much wanted there as here.

On the third reading of the Parliament Bill the debate was confined to Irish Members.  Mr. FIELD, who is in the live-stock trade, led one particularly fine bull into the Parliamentary arena.  After complaining that Members had no longer any power in the House, he went on to say, “We are simply ciphers behind the leading figures on the Front Bench.”  Surely that, arithmetically speaking, is the position in which ciphers are most powerful.