EDITORS IN DOWNING STREET.

Evening Star, Issue 14117, 21 July 1909, Page 9

EDITORS IN DOWNING STREET.

IMPRESSIONS OF THE IMPERIAL PRESS CONFERENCE. INTERESTING PERSONALITIES. [Fkom Our Special Correspondent.] LONDON, Jane 11. I do not propose either to summarise or to recapitulate the speeches made at the Imperial Press Conference this week. They have already been given in outline by cable, and to print them in full would require., not columns, but pages. Let me rather describe tho Conference from the point of view of an onlooker, and give my impressions of the men who figure prominently, and of the speeches made and the results achieved. The outstanding feature of the Conference, it seems to me, was the importance attached to it by the re«]>onsible heads of political n.nd newspaper life in this country. Lord Rosebery, at the inaugural banquet, described the Conference as one of "enormous importance," and this view appears to have lieen shared by most of the lead ere of political thought and action. The attitude of the British Government was entirely sympathetic. In addition to placing a room at, the Foreign Office at the disposal of the delegates, the Government wero represented at the Conference each day by a member of the Cabinet, who presided over the. discussions and laid his views l>efore the delegates on various aspects of Imperial policy. Equally cordial were the sympathies of' the official Opposition. To my mind—and I believe the majority of tho visiting delegates would agree—the most interest-ing feature of tho proceedings at tho Foreign Office was tho opportunity afforded of "seeing and hearing tho leading statesmen and politicians of tho Mother Country. To those of us from overseas it was at once a privilcgo and an education to listen to men of the calibre of Mr Balfour, Sir Edward Grev, Lord Cromer, Lord Roberts. Mr Haldane, and Lord Morlcy expounding their views on subjects of Imperial concern. Their speeches 'cut distinction to the proceedings, and raised them to a high level of intellectual effort. The editors will return to their oversea homes with a clearer rision of tho men at the head of affahs in the Mother Country, and, I doubt not, with a wider -understand in a of their aims and points of view. Whether or not the promoters c.f tho Conference took it sufficiently seriously when thev allotted only ten hours for discussion, the fact remains that Cabinet Ministers, ex-Ministers, London editor*, and Oversea delegates have all taken it very seriously, and" have followed its fittings with the closest attention. A NOTE OF ANXIETY. Another feature of the Conference that has impressed itself upon me is the unanimity—the extraordinary unanimity—shown by Ministers and ex-Ministers 'alike in sounding a nolo of warning to the delegates regarding the Euro|*an situation. Lord Rrsebery was the first to strike that note when he referred at the- opening banquet to the. bush in Europe at the present time—"a hush in which yon might almost hear a leaf fall to the ground." '-Combined,'' he said, " with a total absence of all quest bus of conflict, there never was in the history of the world so threatening and overpowering a preparation for war" That is a fiign which I confess I regard as no?t omino-.is." 'llien, amidst great cheers, His Lordship added: "We can and we will build Dreadnoughts so long as we have a. shilling to spend on them and a man to put in them." Following Lord Rosehery cnne the Foreign Secretary. Sir Edward Grey, who told the Conference that there was indeed a hush in Europe. but a hush of a somewhat sultry character. The Foreign Secretary impressed the delegates greatly bv adding: - [ endorse every word which Lord Resehcrv said." Mr Balfour, on. the following dli.v, in his address to the delegates, was' equally impressive. "Everybody, [ think, will be prepaicd." le said, "to recognise that- the language of the Foreign Secretary, unusual in the mouths of Foreign Secretaries, docs not go beyond the necessities of the actuation. No one can speak of Imperial defence without a. note of anxietv. not panic." After the Leader of the Opposition came Mr Haidar.e, Minister of War. who told r.'ie Conference: "I agree with every word that Mr B.'four has said." Ami finally i.ord Robeits expressed his agreement with Mr Balfour and Mr HalJane.

The effect of this unanimous testimony to the gravity of the situation, coming from so nar.y eminent and responsible men. was distinctly impressive. Indeed, (no of the Canadian delegates was moved to exclaim : •• Don't scare lis, unkss von thing we. ought to be sea-red." IMPKRIAL SOLIDARITY.

The third outstanding impression which the sittings of the Conference conveyed was that -f solidarity on the question of maintaining the Empire intact. As Mr Balfour said jc:-tcrdr.y, not n. jnn'inu' note was struck. Imperial solidarity was the keynote of all the sp-eeelKS. whether the s-peakers h.iiiid from the United Ki"_'dom Canada, India. Australia., South Africa! or New Zealand. This sentiment was fociifisod on tiie subject of Imperial defence, and although "there vieie various views as to tho best means of oraanisin/T defence throughout the Kmpire, the whole discussion was pervaded by (he consciousness of a unity of interests. Common danger must 1m? met by measuies concerted in common. On that vital point the Conference w::s absolutely mammons. As one of the Canadians put it: "In all that .'.fleets national defence the self-govern in g colonics will C.and with the Motherland" ready to help. The note struck deep and pofound, and it will surely have its echo in the great colonirs across" the waters." It wis worth while holding tho Conference if only to bring out this splendid unanimity of Fu.-ling. this inspiriting expression of loyalty and devotion to a'comli'on ideal, which has been the keynote of all the gatherings of tho Empire's editors. CABLES AND EMPIRE. The first day of tho Conference was somewhat disappointing. The subject for discussion was the important one of cable rates, but the discussion itself cannot be said to have reached a high level of excellence. It was both desultory and fragmentary. Truisms were uttered with monotonous reiteration. Set speeches which had no reference to the motion under discussion were interpolated at intervals during the debate, with the result that the thread of the debate got lost in a maze of words, and had to be chased and recaptured before any progress could be made. It was very quickly found, moreover, that tho reception room of the Foreign Office, however dignified and interesting as a place of meeting, was very ill-adapted for speech-making. The acoustic properties were so bad that the audience had the greatest difficulty in hearing the speakers. The continual strain on the attention was, in consequence, very trying, while in some parts of the room the "speakers were simply inaudible.

Lord Crewe, the Colonial Secreiaiv, presided over tho debate, and opened the proceedings in a carefully-worded, sympathetic speech. His lordship, a fine "figure of a man, tall, handsome, and aristocratic, is a polished, but scarcely exhilarating] speaker. His address was given with such deliberation as to suggest a deep anxietv on his part to avoid anything that anvone would feel in any way inclined to "disagree with, or even query. In smooth and neatly-rounded phrases he gave the delegates an official welcome, to the Government buildings. 110 spoke of the. need—tho indisputable need—for a closer and more frequent communication between all parte of the Empire. Ho pointed out that codes, which might do very well for cabling business messages, were unsuitable for the transmission of news. Verbal accuracy was particularly necessary in reporting the Bpeeches of Ministers, because speeches of Ministers always contained, and sometimes entirely consisted of, qualifications. Lord Crewe expressed the utmost sympathy with tho aims of the Conference in the matter of cheapening and extending telegraphic communication. He also explained the involved expenditure—a difficulty for whic' the Treasury was alone

Mr Stanley Reed, the youthful-looking editor of the 'Times of India,' moved a resolution in favor of cheaper cable rates and appointing a committee to report to the Conference on June 25 as to the best means of attaining fuller intercommunication. The Hon. Harry Lawson, of the ' Daily Telegraph,' London, moved to include four representatives of the British Press on the Committee, and Mr Reed incorporated this amendment in his motion. After a long, rambling discussion, in the courso of which speeches were made by the British Postmaster-General and Mr Austen Chamberlain, the motion was adopted and the committee constituted. Two New Zealand delegates, Mr Fenwick and Mr Cohen, were appointed members of the committee. A Canadian resolution designed to pledge the Conference to support State-owned cables between Britain, Canada, and Australia was withdrawn, and a motion was adopted unanimously which nominated the Conference delegates as a standing committee to study the question of an Imperial news service, and to take measures to secure a reduction of the rates of transmission. A striking feature of the session was an outburst of applauso, loud and sustained, at a mention by Mr Austen Chamberlain of his father's mime. SIR EDWARD GREY'S DECLARATION. Much more interesting was the second day's session of the Conference. Wo had the pleasure of listoning to such distinguished and able speakers as Sir Edward Grey the Foreign Secretary; MrM'Kenna, tho lirst Lord of the Admiralty; the Earl of Cromer, the great pro-Consul of ';gypt; and Mr Alfred Lvttelton, exLolonial Secretary. And in addition there wero one or two admirable speeches by colonial editors. Mr F. W. Ward, of the Sydney 'Telegraph,' being especially

ilic feature of the session was the speech by Sir Edward Grey. Tho Foreign Secretary raised the Conference at once to a high piano. There was a dignity and a unity of purpose about tho second session which had been lacking in the first, and it wasthe Foreign Secretary who set the tono of the proceedings. That air of calm power which is enaractcristie of Sir Edward Grey lent to his utterances aweight and authority that impressed everybody. In listening to his calm, grave words one felt that the occasion wa3 of real importance—that She words he uttered would wing their course over the whole world, and would focus the eyes of the world upon that meeting of editors in Downing Street. Sir Edward Grey is a ready and finished speaker. His voice is quiet and pleasant, his delivery easy and clear. He conveys the impression of solidity, but he is never ponderous. Gleams of "dry humor lightened his discourse. He began, for instance, with a little pleasantry which took the t'onierenee by surprise. After saying that his special business in his office was to deal with general subjects, and generally to be rather vague in doing so, he went on to announce I hat, as he represented the Foreign Office, he would like to take the opportunity of giving them a short address upon foreign policy. At this the delegates applauded loudly, and settled down to an exposition of foreign politics by ono behind the scenes. Sir Edward Grey proceeded : '• [ would say this : that tho toreign policy of this country is to keep what we have got, to consolidate and develop it, to quarrel as little as possible with other people in doing so, and to uphold in the councils of the world and by diplomacy those ideals by which we set so much store." "And now, gentlemen," he added, with a charming smile. " my address on foreign policy is finished." The short address had consisted of just one. sentence! The delegates laughed heartily at the discreet Secretary's brief exordium, and applauded its sentiment with equal heartiness. —A Significant Endorsement.— The most important part of the FoToign Secretary's speech dealt with the question of armaments. Hi.s former chief, Lord Rosebery, had referred in a serious way to thus question at the inaugural banquet". " 1 endorse ever yword he said," declared Sir Edward, amidst cheers. This declaration, coming from such a quarter, was felt by everyone present to possess the greatest significance and importance. The mest serious note of tho whole Conference had been sounded in those six memorable words.

"We arc." continued Sir Edward, "in comparatively calm weather, not in stormy weather in foreign politics. The exces'eivo expenditure on armaments, however, makes the. air sultry. The, seriousness of that expenditure cannot, be overlooked, and you should know to-dav how conscious we are at Home that there is far too much at stake to let our naval expenditure fall behind, whatever the burden. You have shown how peat the sources of the Empire are.'' "A union of allies" wm another happy phrase of the Foreign Secretary's. They were travelling more and more towards the ideal of a union of .allies eo faT as the Empire, was concerned. ]f thev could have been present at the last Imperial Conference of Prime Ministers they would have realised how much tho relation between the self-governing Dominions and the Government at Homo approximated to that of allies already. The freedom of speech which took place was greater even than that which was permissible between allien.—(Laughter.) Sir Edward gave a word of advice in conclusion. "Labor in every part of the. K-nipire," he said, "to make Government honout and Empire honorable.." Tt was a worthy work, which should public men and the Press together, in which they could hold fast to great essentials without division of party. PROBLEMS OF THE FUTURE. Earlier in the morning Mr M'Kcnna had touched, more lightly, on this faaie theme of armaments. He contented himself with a- statement of tho paramount importance to ourselves of free, traffic between the estates of the Empiro, and he neatly summed up our true situation in the phrase : " Over the waters our borders touch." The. Conference cheered him when, ho said : " Wo cannot admit in our recognition of the naval problem that we have any less responsibility in one part of the Empire than wo have in another : wo have to provide for the- whole." The Mothor Country, he added, would bo willing to advise upon, but would not dictate, the methods which her daughters should adopt in matters of defence, but ho believed that every Dominion would ultimately come to the same conclusion—that the main problem of defence was the same for all. Equally tactful was his. Tefcrence 'to the delicate question of financial assistance.

Lord Cromer was warmly cheered, and his speech was listened to'with dose attention. Perhaps the most notable thinoin it- was 'his frank recantation of his early faith in the entire freedom of the Press, at any rate in Oriental countries. He felt rsome disadvantage, ho said, in making these remarks, because he appeared before tho Conference to a certain extent as Advceatus Diaboli. Tha-t was to say, in addressing an audience which represented the principles of freedom of discussion ho had deemed it is duty to say that, as the result of his experience in certain parts of the British Empire, circumstances had to be taken into account in the application of the principle. Mr F. W. Ward, of tho ' Sydney Daily Tolograph,' followed with a ringing speech, in which he openly confessed that far-distant Australia had" of lato years been dragged within the whirlpools of European dissensions. For over a century the trade routes from Australia to Europe had been as safe as any street in London because of England's "supremacy at 'sea. " Never a ship," said Mr Ward, "has carried a -gun from tho shores of Australia-—only a flag." The Conference cheered the effective point thus neatly ■made. Mr Ward went on to 6peik of the "terrible temptation" which tho great, empty continent of Australia offered lo other nations. British naval supremacy, he declared with fiery emphasis, was life or death to Australia-.

Mr H. A. Gwynne, of the London ' Standard,' then spoke. He emphasised the need to take long views-, and not to regard the present naval scare as anything but a transient phase of a problem that could eventually only bo solved by the equipment aaA qrgiWMeatioa ©i ftv»

fleets into one navy. After a few v;ords ] from Mr Martland Park, of the 'Cape Times,' Mr Alfred Ly.ttelton addrsceed tho Conference. He scarcely veiled his reference to'" another Power," which wa6 our equal in wealth, in mechanical ekall, and in national aspirations, and, also, our superior in population. |le laid stress upon the many advantages of a contribution from the Colonial Governments to tho Navy in kind Tather than money. An annual grant was always, "he eaid, liable to unpatriotic criticism, and it was rather in the realised dream of an overseas navy growing up among our sister populations, provided by thorn, manned oy them, and commanded' by them, that the eafety of our future was to be guaranteed. MR BALFOUR ON THE SITUATION. Imperial Defence continued to occupy the attention of tho Conference on the third day, and the discussion again reached a high level of excellence. The overseas delegates had the opportunity of making the acquaintance of Mr Balfour, the Leader of the British Opposition, Mr Haldane, the War Minister, and Lord Roberts. All had a most attentive hearing. Mr Balfour's speech was very thoughtful, very able—as was but to bo expected from one of his great reputation—but the hesitating manner of his delivery imposed rather a strain upon his audience. He seemed at times to find a difficulty in selecting the words to express his ideas, and again and again his hearers would have to wait while ho sought for the right words to round off a sentenco and make its meaning clear. However, he was followed with the closest- attention throughout his discourse, and the delegates cheered loudly his endorsement of Sir Edward Grey's estimate of the foreign situation. Here are some of the points in Mr Balfour's address on Imperial Defence : Local defence, though it be necessary, is really subordinate to Imperial defence. It is subordinate from the point of view of localities themselves, not merely from the point of view of the Empire. If the Imperial system of defence breaks down, trie Empire becomes a series of self-contained and separate communities nut bound by any tie, and deprived of what is our very best lifeblood —free interchange. If armies are useless without fleets, fleets are important for every purpose except bare defence, and even for that purpose they arc inadequate, except there be some land forces. Mere security at sea will not give you absolute security. The fate of the Empire is not to depend upon coastal defence. The fate of the Empire is going to depend upon fleet power, ami the superiority must bo shown in home waters, where the Armageddon, if we arc to have an Armageddon, will take place. There is no question of panic, but we all have to look around us at the gathering forces. One thing which Mr Balfour said well, and which wanted saying, was this: Do not suppose that T, at- all events, am going to say in this or any other audience that we in this island are less prepared to face tho dangers and responsibilities of Empire than were our lorefathers before us. It has ever been the peculiarity of our race, for some reason which I am quite unable to explain, to be announcing to the world at large that we are not the men we were, that national spirit has decayed or is decaying, that even the physique of the race bears n poor comparison with that of its progenitors. I am no pessimist on that subject, and I am utterly sceptical about the value of such criticisms. I am certain that when the moment arI rives tho. national spirit will be equal to anything that we may be called upon to face. But we must give that national spirit its chance.

MR HALDANK AND THE ARMY. Mr Haldane afterwards addressed the Conference. The British War Minister in appearance is massive and profound. 110 looks preternaturally wise. Nobody ever Wis so wise as Mr Haldane looks. He cleverly deprived Mr Balfour's remarks of any party significance—in regard to the naval situation—by saying that he agreed with every word of Mr Balfour's speech. He proceeded to expound the case for a General Imperial Staff to organise the military forces of the Empire. "It is impossible." said Mr Haldane. "to suggest to the Overseas Dominions that in organising their forces they should put them under the control of any staff which was not their own staff, but it is not impossible to say to them : ' Organise your own forces with such regard to your Own necessities as you find essential, but keep in view right through that those forces may some day have to be used for the great common purpose of defence.'"' That could only be done through the agency of a General .Staff, wbicli mus! be of an Imperial character. That staff must be, of course, subordinate to the power and direction of each Government, but if it was there, at the elbow of each Government and its Commanders-in-Chief, it might become a potent agent. The colonies could send representatives over to the Mother Country to study military organisation, and she could send her own "staff officers over to the dominions to tell tlvm what had been worked out, arid to come back with an infinitely better understanding of the situation in Canada, Australia, and the Cape than could be possible without that organisation.

An interesting remark of Mr Haldane's was that the next twenty years are tho important jears to the Empire. During theso twenty years wo must visit upon the essentials in connection with a, clear and definite conception of Imperial defence. Like Mr Balfour, he struck an optimistic note. "I believe the rate of probers in this Empire," he said, "is as great as, if not greater than, the rate of progress' of any other race under tho sun "—an°e-xpres-sion of opinion which was loudly cheered. COLONIAL SPEAKERS.

There wore- some interesting speeches from oversea, delegates at this session. MiGeorge Femvick(Duiicdm) said it had been the treat of bis life to listen to the speeches of the past few days from Lord Roseberv, Sir Edward Grey, Mr M'Kenna, Lord Crewe, and Mr Balfour. A little light was thrown on the strenuous life the delegates are leading by Mr Fenwick. He said ho had not had time to read the speeches which ho had hoard, and to fidly appreciate them they would have to he read and reread. lie had been getting to bed at one o'clock in the morning, and up again by six. Yet he had utterly failed to cope with his correspondence. There was a cheer when he alluded to New Zealand's offer of a Dreadnought. Lord Rosebery's phrase about the vigor of the young Overseas States was vividly recalled as tho Conference listened to a, notable speech from Mr E. S. Cunningham ('Melbourne Argus'). Ho thought the two systems of defence—tho local and tho Imperial—could bo developed side by side. The best way to begin would bo to"induce their people to take an interest in their own home defence. If they could get them to think navy, if only a local navy, it would be tho stepping-stone to thinking an Imperial Navy. Mr Ward had said that the Empire had been over-indulgent to Australia. Over-indulgent was not°the right word, because it smacked of colonialism, and colonialism was dead. He did not like the phrase "alliance of nations." They wanted an affiliation, not an alliance—the relation of father and son, brother and brother. Australia- had not been treated with over-indulgence, but Australia had been mean. But the yorui" men saw that tho time had come when the old man should got a little relief. That was tho socrot of tho Dreadnoucht offer. "If a hoy wants to give his father a pipe, what is the use of saving that he should give him a pair of socks?" was Mr Cunningham's racy reply to tho suggestion that Australia and New Zealand had not gone the right way in giving assistance. A feature of this session w;is an unsuccessful attempt to commit tho Conference to compulsory universal training. A motion to that effect was moved by Ma- Fink (Melbourne), and seconded by'Mr Mark Cohen (Dunedin), and was warmly supported by Lord Roberts, Mr L. S. Ameiy (of 'Tho Times'), and Mr St. Loc Siracliev (of tho 'Spectator'). But it soon became clear that the qnestion was one which would kad in acute difference of opinion,

and after a vigorous protest from. Mr J.' A. Macdo'iald, a fiery Celt from Toronto, who made a slashing oration, the resolution; was withdrawn. •LITERATURE AND JOURNALISM.' Intensely interesting was the closing session of the Conference, over which the •veteran statesman, author, and ex-journal-ist, Lord Morley, presided. ' Literature and Journalism' is a hackneyed, not to say threadbare, themo of discuesion, but in Lord Morley's skilful hands it gained both freshness md distinction. Indeed, for sheer intellectual delight, Lord Morley's speech was perhaps the most brilliant that the Conference produced. His Lordship is getting on in years, and his voice is no longer strong; but the fine intellect remains undimuicd, the wealth of culture and the charm of manner undiminished. In his reflections on the cognate themes of literature and journalism he was never commonplace, and therefore never dull. His ardienco followed every word with the closest attention and .respect. Another very interesting personality who delighted the Conference was Mr Augustine Birrell, the Irish Secretary. Mr Birrell made a reputation as a man of letters long before he became a Cabinet Minister, and ho was eminently qualified to address the Conference on the subject under discussion. He is the sort of man one takes a liking to at first sight. His round, gocd-nat-urcd features suggest tolerance as well as strength, and a pair of kindly eves twinkle from behind his spectacles. Mr Birrell reveals himself as the humorist of the Conference. His many "obiter dicta" on journalism were greatly relished by the audience, who punctuated the speech with laughter and applause. Lord Milncr, who served an' apprenticeship in journalism under Lord Morley in the old days of the ' Pall Mall Gazette,' had one of the finest receptions accorded to any speaker at- the Conference. His •popularity with the men from overseas was unmistakable. Lord Milner had not the same graces of oratory that some other speakers at these meetings havo displayed, but he pees-co-cs the two essentia!,': which Lord Morley stipulates for in a good journalist—simplicity and directness of utterance. 'The list of distinguished 6]>ea.kers at this closing session included also Mr Winston Churchill, who spoke well and had a good hearing. Mr Churchill talks with a slight lisp, which is too slight, however, to mar the distinctness of his delivery. He too imparted some humor into his discourse, and steered clear of tho commonplace in his disquisition on the Press as trustees of the national language. Mr W. L. Courtney, the well-known editor of the •Fortnightly Review,' and Mr T. P. O'Connor, M.P.," both had some bright things to say, and an Indian delegate told bow the English language and literaturo had given to the wings of Eastern men new ideas, .new aspirations, a new spirit. Altogether it was a most stimulating morning and Mr Maedorrald. of Toronto, voiced the feeling of the Conference when he said the editors-would go home better fitted to do their work by what thev had heard that day. DEFINITION OF LITERATURE.

Lord Morley referred to the English tongue as "live strongest and the most enduring bond of Imperial union." "I knownot in the history of my time," he declared, "a more stupendous, a more overwhelming fact than the supreme dominion, of the English temguo over millions in the new world of tho West and in tho ancient world of the East. What was the definition of literature? He had looked up the word in the Oxford dictionary, and had been shocked to find himself quoted there a> Baying that literature was the most seductive, the most deceiving, and the most dangerous of all the professions. Loid Morley hastened to assure the Conference that these unpleasant adjectives were onlv trtie of literature when it was attempted by those who had no more aptitude for it than he and his friend Mr Birrell had for water-color painting. Yet if he had really changed his views he had a. distinguished precedent to quote in walliation of his offence. No less a person than Carlyle at one time characterised an able editor as a ruler of the world : at another ]ies>.:':i that journalism was ditchwa-ter. Sometimes. Lord Morley added, he was inclined to think that it was.

Turning to the qualities that wove needed in journalism. Lord Morley places two in the. first rank—simplicity'and directness. He gladly recognised tlie groat improvement that had taken place in the <newspapeiw of this country, and as an illustration of the bad old days, when, as he admitted, he was editing newspapers himself, he told a. delightful little dory of how a. young aspirant to journalistic fame visited him. Jn response to a question as to the direction in which his talents especially lay. his visitor said, with directness and simplicity, "Invective!"' In conclusion, after paying a. warm tribute to the standard of literary criticism in Great Britain, Lord Morley propounded two questions: Is the newspaper tho enemy of the book? and .Docs modern journalism tend to destroy or mar capacity for concentration? lie had been tempted to thnik it did, perhaps, have the latter result when he saw the_ City-seeking man of business travel up with a sporting paper under one arm, a financial organ under the other, and in his hand a general paper of what Lord -Morley might caJl the crispv-written kind. I'ina.lly. he Tcmindcd the Conference that it could no t altogether disclaim responsibility for fostering that " re-barrmrioiu" of which they had recently heard so much " DREADFUL NONSENSE." The most notable thing in Lord Milner's speech was his description of Lhe talk about the re-barbarisation of Europe as "drcadfal nonsen&e." He added a sentence which set the Conference applauding: "One of the most powerful reasons why there is less recourse to war is that ihe'nations nl' Europe are now organising mostly on the system of national armies, and it is national armies that make for peace." Mr Winston Churchill, with t-enia' satire complimented the delegates on tho wonderful self-command, the noble oqnanimi'v tho iron nerve they displayed in deliberating calmly on literature and journalism v*ren they were on the very threshold of appalling cataclysms. A eh- dig this at the speakers of the previous clay. Mr

Churchill apparently does not very t seriously the solemn warnings uttered by' Lord Rbsebery, Sir Edward Grey, and Mr Balfour.' ] Mr Birrell; in a happily elaborated ; fimule, compared the work of a man who speaks for literature and journalism to the hopeless predicament of one'who would i respond for the Pacific and ihe Atlantic < Oceans. So far as he was concerned, time , and not ho would distinguish between i journalism and literature. We ne*i rot worry about it. Time would show, and by t the time Time had shown we would be ■ elsewhere. - Literature might be found in i the columns of a newspaper, and j.mrnahsn I: in the two-volume octavo, price 365.. MrL Birrell touched lightly and characteristic- i

ally upon the unfortunate necessities for partisanship in other estates of the realm, but anxiously implored the Conference to keep journalism free from that taint, feigning in an amusing way to be incapable of understanding what compulsion there could be to make a newspaper take up a party attitude. In conclusion, he asked that the great question of Imperial Federation Ghould be seriously attacked by the oversea newspapers. Mr W. L. Courtney described journalium as an industry, not an art, but added that journalism with a touch of art deserved to be called literature ; while Mr T. P. O'Connor declared that true journalism was true literature. And so the unanswerable qusstion was left unanswered.