239 



Talks on Topics of the Day. 



I.— WITH NORMAN ANGELL. 



Ralph Norman Ancell Lane is the name that 

 was given to him by his godparents in baptism. 

 Hut Norman Angell is the part of his name liy 

 which he has made himself known to the pubhc. 

 Nobody knows Ralph Lane save the newspaper world 

 of Paris and his colleagues in Carmelite House, where 

 he long ago made a reputation for himself as one of 

 the ablest newspaper managers who ever took office 

 in Lord Xorthcliffe's service. It is somewhat odd that 

 Norman Angell should come out of the Daily Mall 

 oftice, but good things 

 do sometimes come out 

 of Nazareth, as a famous 

 leading case is on record 

 to prove. The name and 

 the fame of Norman An- 

 gell are now world-wide. 

 When I was at Constanti- 

 nople the Russian .\m- 

 bas.sador told mo that he 

 had just finished .Norman 

 .Vngell's book, and had 

 passed it on to the Ger- 

 man .Ambassador, the re- 

 doubtable Baron Marschall 

 \'on Bieberstein, who was 

 then eagerly studying its 

 contents. Of late, Nor- 

 man Angell has been 

 iddrcssing audiences of 

 ..II sorts in CIreat Britain, 

 .ind finding everywhere 

 .ludiences eager, recep- 

 tive, and sympathetic. 

 One day he lectured at 

 the National Liberal 

 Club ; another day he 

 discoursed at Cambridge 

 Cnivcrsily. One Sunday 

 he spoke at a Noncon- 

 formist Chun h ; the ne.xt 

 he appeared at .South 

 I'lace Institute, liut he 

 was most at home when 

 .iddressing the Institute 



■'f Hankers, l-'or bankers need no convincing as to the 

 • Atent to whi( li civilisation is built on credit, and that 

 liie very existenc e of modern society facilitates inter- 

 national peace. 



In ap()earani e Norman Angell resembles the Apostle 

 Paul, whose personal presence is said to have been in 

 marked contrast to the weighty and powerful produc- 

 'ions of his pen. He is .short of stature, delicate in con- 

 iitution, physically far from robust (though he 

 'i.is lived a rough life on the frontier and travelled in 



Photograph l'y\ 



Mr. Norman Angell, 



Aullior of "The Gre.it Illusion 



wild countries), without an ounce of animal magnetism 

 to spare for any public meeting. Vet he holds his 

 audiences. He is going to Germany to preach his 

 gospel there, and everyone must wish him God-speed. 

 For it is a gospel indeed of good tidings of great joy. 

 It is an old gospel in a sense. For it is but a reitera- 

 tion of the old saying that we are " all members one of 

 another." But whereas the old sa\ing is often limited 

 to the city or the commonwealth, Norman Angell 

 demonstrates that it is equally true when applied 



to the whole civilised 

 world. 



I first met Norman 

 Angell in Paris, when I 

 was on my way to Con- 

 stantinople, but I inter- 

 \-ievved him last month 

 in London at the Salis- 

 bury Hotel. He was, as 

 usual, quiet in manner, 

 lucid in speech, and per- 

 fectly certain of his posi- 

 tion. 



" People constantly mis- 

 represent me," he said 

 cheerfully. " They assert 

 that I have declared war 

 to be henceforth impos- 

 sible. In presence of the 

 record* of contemporary 

 iiistory it is inconcei\able 

 that I could make such 

 an assertion. What I 

 have asserted, and not 

 only asserted but de- 

 monstrated, is that war 

 is a game which is no 

 longer worth the candle, 

 which in the nature of 

 things must miss its aim, 

 futile because, when you 

 have achieved your vic- 

 tory the present organisa- 

 tion of the worKl will 

 prevent your turning it 

 to account. In former times you could make war 

 pay. The Norsemen who harried our coasts found it 

 a profitable operation. That day is past. No one 

 can make war nay nowadays. It is an illusion that 

 conquest means profit, or that you can increase your 

 wealth by annexing territory. When that fact is 

 recognised war will die out, as religious persecution 

 ha.s died out." 



" We all agree," I .said ; " but 1 think you slightly 

 overstate your case in one direction, and understiite it 



( Ellioll ,inJ l-ry. 



