Notes

The Most Noble Order of Crusaders (TIME, Dec. 10) has taken in three scandals. According to the Grand Scribe, Arthur Patterson, the Order has "purified" the Ex-Service Men's Club, has caused persons running undesirable houses in a provincial town to close down and was investigating a gambling scandal. This program of cleaning up Britain seems to be in imitation of Fascist tactics in Italy, minus the castor oil and the big sticks.

The Order of Merit, one of the most exclusive and coveted orders bestowed by the King, has ten vacancies, the tenth being caused by the death of Lord Morley (TIME, Oct. 1). Women have not been admitted to the Order, but there was strong argument in the Capital in favor of asking His Majesty to add one or two women to the membership, which at present includes Field Marshal Lord French, Field Marshal Lord Haig; Admirals of the Fleet Lord Beatty, Sir Edward H. Seymour, Lord Jellicoe; Lords Balfour, Haldane, ex-Premier Lloyd George, Sir James Barrie, Sir Edward Elgar, Sir Archibald Geikie, Thomas Hardy, Sir George Trevelyan, Sir J. J. Thomson.

At Christie's, famed London auctioneers, 15,000 cigars, property of the late Lord Northcliffe, were sold. Many lots of the finest brands were listed in the catalog, thus proving the great journalist to be a connoisseur of a good smoke.