The character of the early enlistments for the front in London is
illustrated by the following story. An officer entered a restaurant
where a group of English soldiers in khaki uniforms were enjoying their
cigarettes and pipes. The officer threw some shillings on the table
and called, "Waiter, give these men some beer."

And a khaki uniform snapped forth a sovereign on the same table, and
cried, "Waiter, give this officer some champagne."

Bank statements are queer contraptions nowadays. While the United
States, with less gold in the country and less reserve in the banks
than formerly, is showing the most enormous surplus--and a legitimate
and better-protected surplus by reason of the new bank act--and the
Bank of England is counting $100,000,000 of gold in Canada as a London
bank reserve, and Russia has counted, as gold in her reserve, money on
deposit which has been loaned out on time; while Belgium is doing a
banking business from an English base, and Germany is inviting gold
from the jewelry of her inhabitants and boasting her gold strength, the
Bank of France refuses to publish any statement, makes no boast, but
holds more gold than ever before in her history.

Only a few weeks before the war was her metal base put above
$800,000,000. Then she suspended official statements until one was
made to the government December 10, and this showed $880,000,000 metal
base, or 4,500,000,000 francs. Upon this her note issue, which was
formerly 5,800,000,000 has been expanded to nearly 10,000,000,000. She
is authorized to issue up to 12,000,000,000 francs in paper.

From this metallic base she increased her bills receivable by