Finance 73 



to you at very unexpected times and in very forcible ways. 

 We remember an old shabby negro at our elbow admiring, 

 the same as ourselves, the very beautiful and decidedly 

 costly interior of a church. "Seems to me," he audibly 

 soliloquized, apparently to the air, certainly to no one in 

 particular, "it takes a 'mazing lot of money to get to 

 glory," and so it will do when the glory referred to is that 

 of winning the Trade War after the Peace of Europe has 

 been declared. Preparations for this commercial cam- 

 paign after the military war is over are already apparent 

 on the part of our adversaries in a widespread and dan- 

 gerous degree for this country unless we can start " right 

 now" to beat our enemy at his own game. As Lord 

 Sumner told us at the /Eolian Hall at the beginning of 

 last November, the maxim that everyone must follow from 

 now onwards must be — " produce all you can, consume 

 as little as possible, waste nothing, work hard." This is 

 what the Germans are doing and will do long after the 

 War is at an end. If we do not do as well and better, 

 even if we win the War we may lose the peace, as we shall 

 not be in a position to recover our economic balance (get 

 our second wind in foot-racing parlance) as quickly as the 

 Central Powers. 



Having carefully studied and digested the foregoing 

 ideas on the urgent need of this country in general 

 (which means, of course, London in particular, since 

 she is the hub of the Empire and of the financial world 

 as a whole) bringing about a radical and drastic change 

 in its attitude towards its sons who have brains and 

 ideas, determination and push, but no money to turn these 

 talents to the advantage of the Mother Country, we hope 

 our readers who have the interest of the Empire at heart 

 will see that a start is made to give such men their 

 chance. At present we claim that such men are not en- 

 couraged by the general community, and are directly 

 discouraged by the l)ig merchants and banking establish- 

 ments (whose Boards are largely controlled by these same 

 autocrats), who are conservative in their habits, and there- 

 fore slow to change and encourage enterprise on the part 

 of others. Such men look askance at these irrepressible 

 fanatics (in tlieir opinion) for pushing on the trade and 

 commerce of the Empire, lest (if financed) they fail and 

 cause these millionaires to lose a few pounds, or what is 

 far v/orse, lest they should succeed, and by mounting up 

 the ladder of financial success become strong enough to 



