THE country is now normal.

We have that on the authority of the Minister for Defence. Yet deputies and others who attempt to enter our Legislative Chamber are challenged "every time they entered the grounds of the Dail buildings by a military man with a massive revolver". The words quoted were used by Deputy T Johnson, the Leader of the Labour Party, in making his protest against the continuance of the system. With that protest we are in hearty agreement. There is now no necessity for this revolver display and consequently there is no reason for its continuance any longer. As Mr Johnson pointed out other parliaments have not this display of force about the portals of their buildings, at Westminster and Washington unarmed policemen are found quite adequate. It is not in keeping with the supremacy of the civil power that the representatives of that power should have to submit to the close scrutiny of the army when they attend to their business. We do as the French do, said President Cosgrave in effect.

But that is no answer. Possibly Paris has reason to continue its guard at the Palais Bourbon, or perhaps it is only a bad custom continued. At any rate there is no reason now in Dublin. . . The demand for a Territorial rather than a standing Army put forward at the annual meeting of Cumann-naGaedhal has our sympathy. It has many things other than cheapness to recommend it.

The main reason for which it commends itself to us is that it would encourage physical training throughout the country. We are not holding the place we once held in national physique and every effort must be made to stop the deterioration which has become plainly visible. If we had training in our schools combined with a territorial military training for short periods each year the national physique would benefit tremendously. Then we could train for our Tailltean and Olympic contests with some hope of world supremacy.

THE last cork has been pulled in the 'battle of the bottle' between British and Irish delegations to the Council of Europe Assembly in Strasbourg. A few days ago British Conservative MP Robert Boothby came to Strasbourg to find a case of Scotch whisky . . . stored there since last September . . .

which had been intended to provide ammunition to back up his argument that Scotch is the best whisky in the world. In last September's Assembly, when Ireland's Minister for Justice, Mr Boland, challenged Mr Boothby on whether Scotch or Irish is the premier spirit, the Irish delegation accepted the suggestion from other delegations that samples be taken to Strasbourg. Two Irish firms responded with the prompt dispatch of cases of whiskey, and delegates from 14 other member States, having sampled the product, gave the merit judgement to the Irish product. Mr Boothby also took steps to have a case of Scotch sent to him, but it did not arrive until the day after he left Strasbourg. So it waited in a Strasbourg store until he came back and accepted delivery. Mr Boothby completed distribution of the whisky among the other delegates and later said: "The 'battle of the bottle' between the Irish and ourselves is over.

Delegates who sampled the Scotch liked it and I am sure they also liked the Irish whiskey last September."

Asked if he had offered a bottle to Mr Boland, Mr Boothby said: "No, Mr Boland does not drink."