[Mr. JACOB EPSTEIN maintains in _The Daily Mail_ that a man to be a creative genius must lead an orderly domesticated life.] I COURTED the Muse as a stripling, Immured in a Bloomsbury flat, And yearned for the kudos of KIPLING For fees that were frequent and fat; But editors, far from discerning The worth of the pearls that I placed At their feet, had a way of returning The same with indelicate haste. But, espousing, a year or two later, The sweetest and neatest of wives, I found, after peeling a tater Or imparting a polish to knives, I could scribble with frenzy and passion, That the breaking of coal would inspire, In a truly remarkable fashion, My soul with celestial fire. Serenity reigns in the household; I've cancelled my grudge against Fate; My lyrical efforts are now sold At a simply phenomenal rate; And, whether I'm laying the lino Or bathing the babes, I regard The job as a cushy one: _I_ know The way to succeed as a bard. * * * * * [Illustration: THE SCALES OF JUSTICE. SIR ROBERT HORNE. "I WANT TO KEEP THE BALANCE. NOW THEN, BOTH TOGETHER." THE MINER. "NO. _YOU_ BEGIN--AND THEN PERHAPS I'LL THINK ABOUT IT."] * * * * * [Illustration: _P. C. GREENWOOD._ "ARRAH! GET OUT WID YEZ AND LET THE LADY PASS."] * * * * * ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT. _Tuesday, October 19th._--A start was made with half a hundred Questions, and, considering that most of them had been in cold storage since before the Recess, it was surprising how fresh they remained. Persia and Mesopotamia--not to mention Ireland--are still unsettled; the Turkish Treaty is not yet ratified; the cost of living continues to rise, and the ratio of unemployment has alarmingly advanced, especially in the case of ex-service men. These last are to be found work in the building trades, with, it is hoped, the assistance of the trade unions, but, if that hope is disappointed, then without it. The country requires half-a-million houses built. "Here are men who could assist," said the PRIME MINISTER, "and we propose that they should be allowed to assist." Over a prospect already sufficiently bleak there broods the shadow of the coal-strike. Sir ROBERT HORNE, in presenting the case for the Government, was admirably clear but, perhaps naturally, a little cold. Only when the new lighting arrangement had flooded the House with artificial sunshine did the Minister warm up a little and hint that a way of peace might yet be found.