i66 



The Review of Reviews. 



" It will be through trade and everything. This 

 war has begun it." 



" You mean morally," he said. 



" No," I said, '" I don't". I mean politically, mili- 

 tarily ; I mean every way. You are on the Continent 

 much more than I am. You know the Continent well. 

 Is it not true that no Englishman can put his face 

 anywhere in any circle of Europeans without their 

 having to change the subject out of politeness, so as 

 not to speak about it, because they feel that we have 

 so utterly discredited ourselves in this war ? " 



" Well," he said, " there is a great deal of truth in 

 that, I must admit." 



•' Well," I said, " you mark my words. There is 

 going to be a great smash-up, and the old Krugerism 

 of the country, that is the fossilised Conservatism 

 which refuses to recognise facts and to face the thing, 

 is going to have a very bad time indeed. You get out 

 from under." 



LORD BRASSEV AND THE BRITISH NAVY. 



So saying I left him, and wandered back into the 

 stairhead, where 1 found Lord Brassey, and shook 

 hands with him, and said, " Really, Lord Brassey, 

 1 must say I was astonished the other day in )our 

 article to find your assumption of ignorance that you 

 did not know anything about the beginning of the 

 rebuilding of the British Navy." 



" Oh, I know perfectly well that you did it, and I 

 have always given you the greatest credit whenever 

 I have spoken about it ! " 



■' I was not speaking about you," I said. " You 

 have always been most generous to me, but you spoke 

 about the reason why Lord Northbrook changed, as if 

 vou did not know an)thing about it, whereas you know 

 perfectly well that the information which you gave 

 me enabled me to do everything." 



'■' PLENTY OF DEAD MEN HERE." 



Then we came upon Porter. I said, " Come and 

 introduce me to some of your Americans. By-the-bye^ 

 is that Mr. Hondy ? " 



■' No," he said, " he has been dead some years." 



" Well," I said, " that is no reason why he should 

 not be here. There are plenty of dead men here." 



I passed Sir Richard Temple, but did not speak to 

 him. Then, passing into the ne.xt room, I found .Mr. 

 Russell talking to Spender. I introduced Porter to 

 both of them. Mr. Porter reminded Mr. Spender that 

 he had written an article for him before the Cuban war 

 broke out, in which he had pointed out that the war 

 was certain to break out in spite of everything that 

 everybody said. Spender remembered and thanked iiini 



for it. He said, " The only way to make peace is to 

 fight the war through quick, the way we did in Cuba, 

 and the way you are not doing in South Africa. " By- 

 the-b)'e," he said to Spender, " what line did you take 

 about the war ? " 



MR. SPENDER AND THE SOUTH AFRICAN WAR. 



" The line which Mr. Spender takes about the war," 

 I said, " is that of a disused bottle-holder for those who 

 disapprove of the war and for those who wish the war 

 to be fought through quick. They ought to do one of 

 two things. If they want the war over, they ought to 

 fight it and not dawdle on as they do." 



" Well," said Porter, " I don't see anybody in this 

 country, as far as I can see, who is against the war." 



" Yes," said Spender, " I think that is correct. I do 

 not think there is any party appreciable who is against 

 the war." 



" No," I said, " there is nobody at all. The people 

 who are against the war may be counted upon the 

 fingers of one hand ; but I tell you what," I said to 

 Porter, " these people who are against the war 

 d onlrance, and who are resolutely opposed to it, are 

 being hammered by the Fates until they form the 

 spear-head of the party which will be driven to the 

 heart of the whole of the present majority." 



" Yes," said Spender, " I think that you are quite 

 right in that." 



Then I said to Porter, " For Heaven's sake come and 

 get some tea somewhere, for I am famishing ! " 



" Well," he said, " there ought to be something 

 somewhere. Let's go and see." 



On the way I met Mr. Neaf of the Associated Press, 

 shook hands with him, and he asked me where T was. 

 I said I might be in Timbucloo-for anything he seemed 

 to care. I was in London, but he never came to see 

 me, or looked me up at all. Then we went down and 

 shook hands with Choate. 



" Do you know Mr. Stead .^ " said Mr. Porter to 

 Choate. 



" Yes, I know him," he said, " many years ago " — 

 which was a good deal to say, considering that it was 

 only two years since I met him. 



Going downstairs Pierpont Morgan was talking to 



Mr. , who used to be Finance Minister of 



India, and who is now on the Pierpont Morgan hrpi. 



J. I'lERl'ONT MORGAN. 



" By-thc-bye," he said, " let me introduce xou to 

 Mr. Morgan " ; so he introduced me to Morgan, and I 

 shook hands with him. Morgan said, " I know yoa 

 verv well, Mr. Stead, but >ou will aol get hold of me 

 tor an inter\ iew." 



