Neighbors

"We ought to be neighbors," said a resonant Scotch voice;--the voice of Ramsay Macdonald. While the Lord Mayor of London and many another beamed, Mr. Macdonald added: "and handle our affairs in a neighborly spirit." Having thus spoken, he put down the polished instrument into which he had been speaking. He had inaugurated the first commercial telephone service between London and Berlin. He had spoken well. Subsequent conversations were carried on at a three-minute rate equivalent to $4 during the day and $2.50 at night. Inquisitive persons asked: "To whom did Mr, Macdonald speak?" They were abashed to learn that he spoke to an underling of the Berlin Tageblatt, which forthwith blazoned his words.