A BETTER WORLD

Evening Star, Issue 17542, 23 December 1920, Page 1

A BETTER WORLD

DR CLIFFORD’S FORECAST. Dr John Clifford, the veteran Nonconformist leader, attained his eighty-fourth birthday in October. A correspondent who called at his home in West Ealing found him in excellent health. He had just returned from a few days’ rest at Brighton. There was a cablegram from America announcing his election as hon. president for life of the World’s Brotherhood Federation. ■ Although an inveterate optimist, Dr Clifford confessed that the present situation is calculated to produce despondency in all who care for the world’s welfare, and that the immediate outlook is most forbidding. “It is necessary to remember, however,” he said, “ that the experiences through which we are passing are temporary, and that they are also preparatory to greater advances than any we have seen. ‘‘lf we may judge from the beginning of the last century "and the experiences of the world in the Napoleonic wars, we may anticipate that within six or seven year’s we shall have recovered from the worst effects of the war, and should be making forward strides towards a better and happier future.” . Ho was astonished, he said, at the vole of the miners in favor of a strike ; but he still felt ’ that' some way of escape would be found from such atremendous calamity to the people of Britain and of Europe. It was such a huge thing, and would mean untold misery to the men and their wives and children. As to Ireland, Dr Clifford pins his faith to the Gladstonian policy of trusting the people, claiming that the country can only be made master of its difficulties by the Irish people themselves.