Rejjort of the Forty-Fourth Annual General Meeting. 209 



respect to bringing in the wage-earners of the Empire is peculiarly interesting to me, 

 because I believe that every ideal of Imperialism should be devoid of any class-feeling 

 or class-distinction. I believe there are a great many of the wage-earners of Great 

 Britain — and not only in this country, but abroad — who are thorough good patriots and 

 Imperialists at heart. It seems to me the time has come to organise these forces and 

 to bring them in. There is no man in the Empire who more than the wage-earner ought 

 to be an Imperialist, because the status of Western labour — indeed, the continued exis- 

 tence of Western industry upon the earth — depends, in my opinion, upon the integrity 

 and force of this Empire to protect it. It is because of these considerations I should 

 like to suggest that we, in our part of the world, will support heartily in every way we 

 can any attempt to establish centres in the different counties or provinces, with sub- 

 sidiary organisations in the capitals, perhaps, of all the nations within the Empire, and 

 with strong councils and efficient working secretaries to organise the work. I should 

 like to see the work of this Institute go on in that kind of way, spithesising and getting 

 together all the Imperial sentiment and ideals and forces of the Empire. 



The Chairman : What I said to-day was prepared long before I knew that Earl 

 Grey would be present with us. It seems a sort of dispensation of Piovidence that 

 he should have come at this time, and the omen I am sure is a good one. 



Earl Grey, G.C.B., G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O. : I have no hesitation whatever in saying 

 this is by far and away the best annual meeting of the Institute I have ever attended. 

 It has been a real treat to me to come back and find this note of vigour and confidence 

 and resolution to do something which appears to animate this meeting. I congratulate 

 you on having secured so good a working Chairman, whose speech I heard with delight. 

 It sketched out a bold and vigorous programme, and encouraged us all to believe 

 that the Council under his guidance is prepared to make good every hope he encouraged 

 us to entertain. I congratulate the Institute also on the vigorous and youthful 

 presence of Sir Frederick Yoimg. Here he is as young as ever, although he was at 

 the meetings of the Institute more than forty years ago, and I hope he may be here 

 seven years hence when we celebrate the jubilee. I have to thank you for the great 

 compliment you paid me in enteitaining me at the magnificent banquet on my return 

 from Canada. No greater reward could be given to any mortal man than was given 

 to me on that occasion. I congratulate you on the Report, on the extension of the 

 Library, the increase of Fellows, the growth of income, and the resolve to establish 

 provincial branches ; to have lectures on trade matters with the object of diffusing 

 the knowledge of theEmpirein every part of the Kingdom, and to provide opportunities 

 for the increase of inter-imperial trade. All this is good, but I think the time has 

 come when the Institute should focus its attention not on the people of Great Britain, 

 but on the people of Greater Britain. 



It is very pleasant to be re-echoed by British Columbia : Mr. Vrooman quoted a 

 speech made by me some ten years ago. I hold that faith just as ardently to-day — 

 if not more ardently, now that I have had greater experience of the requirements of 

 Greater Britain. How are you to increase the work of the Institute across the seas ? 

 I certainly agree that you will have to alter your name. The Colonial Institute is not 

 a good name, if you wish to increase your membership in our Overseas Dominions. 

 I do not think I have ever once, during the seven years I was in Canada, referred to 

 Canada as a Colony, or to Canadians as Colonials. That day has gone past ; and if 

 you wish the Institute to be a Uving factor — as I hope it may be in the home of every 

 family in our self-governing Dominions — you have got to change your name, and sub- 

 stitute some other term for " Colonial." Whether you call the Institute the United 



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