"Muddling" Checked

His Majesty & Her Majesty patriotically impersonated, last week, the roles of a stupid workman and workwoman trying to operate complex factory machinery on the good old British plan for "muddling through." Scene: the "Safety in Industry" room at the new Home Office Industrial Museum, London.

Action: the King-Emperor approached a huge power press and thrust into it, with well simulated carelessness, not only an object to be pressed but also his right hand. As the huge plunger crashed down, perturbed eyewitnesses could barely follow the lightning movement of a rubber guard which brusquely pushed the royal hand & forearm to a safe distance.

Inaction: as the Queen-Empress was operating an ironing machine, the mechanism suddenly went dead. One more half turn of the heated rollers would have drawn between them and crushed Her Majesty's fingers.