Or, again, look at your colossal murderer, like the Kaiser "Thanks to Providence," when he prosecuted the invasion of a neighbouring country the other day, in defiance of his kingly word--as published in a public proclamation, bearing his signature. He sacrificed thousands of lives in furtherance of his own ambition; but, he is a "conqueror," bless you! A hero, to whom men bow the knee and cry, "Ave, Caesar!"--Your puny villain, on the other hand, who only cuts one unfortunate throat, is hung! "Circumstances alter cases," runs the saying:--it should more properly be, the light in which we view them--_that_ makes all the difference, my dear sir, or madam! Let the Government clerks strike, I say. "Frappez et frappez fort," as the Little Corporal used to express it; that is, if they are unable to get their grievances adjusted without some such extreme measure--of which there does not seem to be much likelihood at present, considering the reformatory tendencies of Jacks in office. A strike, however, would soon bring the latter to reason, and show whether these subordinates were worth keeping on, or not! You don't believe it? Ah! just wait and see! Fancy, the consternation at Carlton House Terrace, the dismay in Downing Street, some fine morning, when no clerks were forthcoming! Imagine the tons of correspondence awaiting answers, the acres of accounts to be audited, the minutes that would _not_ be made, the "submissions" that could _not_ go forward, the files that should have been docketed, and initialled, and stowed away uselessly till doomsday; and, that must, instead, remain untouched, uncared for! The Secretary of State might want valuable statistics, to answer some obstinate inquiring member in the House that very day, but, nobody could prepare them--to his default; and so, the inquiring member might make a cabinet question of it, and defeat the Government! The general commanding at the autumn manoeuvres might, perhaps, be in urgent need of footwarmers for the regiments under his charge; but, he couldn't get them, as no permanent clerk would be at the War Office to countersign his order! The channel fleet might all need refitting; but, none of them would be able to go into dock, as the Admiralty gentlemen--who only knew when their bottoms were last scraped--were not at their posts! In fact, every department--the Colonies, the Foreign Office, and each one else, would be topsy turvey; because, only the high sinecurists, who never did anything but sign their names to documents prepared by "those useless Government clerks," would be present to conduct the business of the country; and, _they_ would not have the remotest idea how to set to work, you know! The "Control Department" might, certainly be called on for help in the emergency; and then, we would probably have some more "queer things of the service" for a short time. But, it couldn't last. The whole official machinery would come to a dead stop.