"Please Stop This Man"

Under an illogical arrangement which clicks perfectly in practice, Egypt has the status of an "independent kingdom" controlled by the British Government. As Britons return home from bearing the white man's burden in Egypt they are apt to join the Nile Club and last week in London this civil-servantish clique mustered its tailcoats and stiff shirts, its last year's evening gowns and small family pearls to be addressed by His Excellency the Ethiopian Minister, Dr. Azaj Wargneh C. Martin and his 9-year-old son, John Martin.

When he was himself a small, Ethiopian orphan, the future diplomat attached himself to a marauding band of British troops who in 1868 burst into his country under General Napier on what Queen Victoria called a "punitive expedition." The little waif had an appealing way with him. A Scottish officer took him along to India, gave him the name "Martin," had him educated as a physician in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Dr. Martin retired on a pension after 29 years of duty in the Indian Medical Corps. About this time Ethiopia's great Emperor Menelik heard of Dr. Martin, summoned the distinguished Ethiopian to court, discovered with astonishment that he could speak not a word of any Ethiopian language, made him Minister of Education.

Last week Diplomat Martin, having as a child seen British troops invade Ethiopia, ruffled the Nile Club by observing with asperity: "If worst comes to worst, Ethiopia would much prefer being under the just and considerate administration of Britain than that of Italy." This caused the British Foreign Office to call him in next day and intimate that an envoy to the Court of St. James's would do well not to refer publicly to His Majesty's Government as the lesser of two evils. But meanwhile 9-year-old John Martin had completely won over the Nile Club.

"I am told," piped the envoy's son, jumping up on a table, "that a naughty Italian wants to kill my people, take our country, and make us his slaves. Dear ladies & gentlemen, please stop this man from being so cruel! But, if you won't stop him, please give us guns, and we will fight him. I am sure God will help us to keep our country!"

All choked up at this childish plea, Nile Club members coughed, blew their noses, regretted that His Majesty's Government still felt constrained last week to continue denying Ethiopia even the assistance of permitting her to buy British arms.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.