MR CHAMBERLAIN

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 24 November 1938, Page 3

MR CHAMBERLAIN

A PEN-PORTRAIT interest aroused in Germany iu the personality of Mr Chamberlain prompted Count Carl-Erdmann to make the following pen-portrait:—To the question : What kind of a man is Neville Chamberlain, one always gets the same answer from those in England who ought to -know : ho is a practical man, a realist. Englishmen say that with satisfaction. It is th- quality they value in Neville Chamberlain. Of the three men who have rulei England since the war—excepting Bona»- Law—Lloyd George was too crafty for them, Kamsay MacDonald too conceited, ! and Stanley Baldwin too wise, he had too deep an understanding of human nature to be able to completely disapprove of anything. Chamberlain, however, is u j business man with a clear head, reason- J j able, energetic, and with great experi- j j enee of business and administration. The manner in which Chamberlain has con- j quered the highest and most coveted post | in England is significant of the man and his whole life. Throughout his life there • ha; always been this strange inevitability. He has never pushed himself forward, lie has uever achieved specially brilliant pub- 1 lie actions. lie has never caught the imagination cl the public. But in decisive moments lie generally proved to be the in- i evitable candidate for the solution of a j problem or for a post, because be was bet- i te - prepared and because lie could be i trusted. His brilliant career rests excJus- ; ively on positive work. lie lias never 1 shone, or attempted to appear someone j special, nor lias lie shown special rlie- ' tcrical ability. All in all. he is a moderate speaker who does not fascinate his hearers like a Churchill or a Lloyd George. Conscious of his aim, lie has risen from rung to rung, and has revealed in the bearing of defeats a tenacity and a j firmness which is astonishing.