The Progress of the World. 



229 



Lord Haldane in Berlin. 



The I'.rilisli War .Miiii-.ltr, who went on a minion uf peace to 



Ucniiany, is the tiyure on the right ; the other is his brother. 



There are ominous rumours that the railvvaymen will 

 .strike against the conveyance of soldiers to repress 

 di.sorder. If the worst comes to the worst, we may 

 expect to witness scenes upon which the sun has not 

 looked down since the Commune of Paris. A starving 

 nation knows no laws, respects no persons. If there 

 was food cnouph in the country it might seize it, and 

 order might he preserved. But the supply of food 

 depends upon the regular working of the steamshi[) 

 antl railway service, and the continuous operation of 

 public credit. If it really comes t9 starvation, the 

 famished people wnll hail as a saviour of society any 

 strong-handed man who will . not hesitate to shoot, 

 nor should I lie surprised if, at the end of a month 

 or two, every man known to be responsible for the 

 strike on cither side were to be shot down at sight like a 

 mad dog. 



Il is the very terror of the possi- 

 bilities let loose by such an 

 industrial war which makes me 

 believe that reason will assert its 

 sway and that some way may be found out uf the 



deadlock. If so, much good will come out of evil. 



The strike has already made us all furiously to think. 



Men's minds are much more open to consider the 



merits of schemes of profit-sharing and of co-partner; 



ship and of co-operation than they were before. So 



from the brink of Hell we may make our way to 



Heaven. " Oh, Lord," prayed the Methodist revivalist, 



" take this vile sinner by the hair of his head and 



swing him over the pit of Hell till he can smell the 



reek of the sulphur and feel the burning heat of the 



fire, if so be, Lord, that he may turn from his evil 



ways and repent and be converted." We have riot 



been uttering that prayer, but it has nevertheless been 



answered. For this dispute about a minimum wage 



in the coal trade has brought us within measurable 



range of not being able to get a minimum ration of 



l)read necessary to keep us all from dying of starvation. 



If we keep our Navy up to the 



Is an Anglo-German {^.q keels to one standard we can 

 Arrangement , ... 



Possible ? make any arrangement we like 



with Germany. If we let it fall to 



three to two we must be very careful in an)- bargain 



we may make with hc-r. At the express instance of 



A Hopo Rooted 



In 



Despair. 



By PermUsitfH of thf fioprtttors if l'ufKn:\ 



Turned Turtle. 



TiiK War Minister: " .V little it.orc of this and Ilaldane's 

 occupation's gone 1 " 



