230 



The Review of Reviews. 



the Kaiser Mr. Haldane went to Berlin last month for 

 what the Americans would describe as a bit of lieart- 

 to-heart talk witii the rulers of the German Empire as 

 to the possibility of an Anglo-German understanding. 

 When Lord Haldane got to Berlin he found the atmo- 

 sphere genial, and the discussions which he held with 

 the Kaiser, the Chancellor, and the P'orcign Minister 

 gave him good hope that some advance might be made 

 towards the removal of the misunderstandings which 

 have endangered the peace of Europe of late years. 

 The question of armaments was not touched upon. 

 Armaments are like fur coats — the colder the weather 

 the thicker the coat. What Lord Haldane sought to 

 do was to change the somewhat glacial temperature 

 that has prevailed in Berlin and in London. If he suc- 

 ceeded in his mission armaments would diminish auto- 

 matically, as a man casts his overcoat when the summer 

 comes. One swallow docs not make a summer, and 

 Lord Haldane's mission could not establish between 

 England and Germany the same cordiality that 

 prevails between France and England. But considering 

 it is onh' twelve years since we were arming in hot 



haste for instant war with France over Fashoda, it is 



not absolutely impossible that between England and 



(iermany there may arise kindlier feelings than those 



which have prevailed of late. 



It was rather unfortunate just 



■• Luxury " Speech at the very moment when Lord 



°^ Haldane was endeavouring to 



Mr. Churchill. " 



smooth thmgs at Berlm that Mr. 



Winston Churchill should have used an unfortunate 



expression at Glasgow which irritated Germans 



considerabl)'. After saying, and saying well, many 



excellent things as to the vital importance to us of a 



navy, he unfortunately launched the phrase that a 



fleet for Germany was a luxury, whereas for England 



it was a necessity. The Teutons, who believe that their 



fleet is their sole safeguard against the piratical attacks 



of John liull on their commerce and on their coasts, 



were up in arms at once. Fortunately, the Kaiser 



appears to have realised the absurdity of making such 



fuss about a maladroit phrase, and the matter dropped. 



What Mr. Winston Churchill meant to say, and what, 



if he had .said it, would have given no offence to 



/■//W.'.t rvj//i i'y\ 



[Lafayrlli-, Dublin. 



Lord and Lady Pentland and their Children. 



\joxA Pontlnnd has just resigned his post in the Gi>v(>iniiiciil .t^ .Sccri'l:iry for Scolhind, ami lias been appointed to the 

 ('■overnorship of Madras. Lidy IVniland is a daugliler of ilie Counlcss of Aberdeen, whom she strikingly resembles. 



