34 E. WALTER MAUNDER ; ON THE PRINCIPLES OF WORLD-EMPIRE. 



The discussion was then continued by Dr. W. Woods Smyth and 

 the Rev. J. J. B. Coles, and the President summed it up by 

 remarking that they had had presented to them a very able 

 epitome of the world's history. With regard to the attempts 

 which had been made by would-be world conquerors to impose their 

 authority by force of arms on the whole known world, he said : — 



" The eighth commandment is, to my mind, of universal obliga- 

 tion. I protest against blasphemous cant. I wish to denounce any 

 man who thinks himself appointed by God to take possession of 

 somebody else's property. It seems to me to be a very bad principle 

 indeed, and I cannot allow the discussion to pass without raising my 

 voice in opposition to the notion that because a very big crime is 

 committed it is to be treated as though it were a little crime. Any 

 emperor who wants to take somebody else's land is a dirty thief, 

 and I do not approve of the sort of delicacy which would prevent 

 our expressing ourselves plainly as to actions of that sort. They 

 are actions of which any man should be ashamed. What is the 

 notion of world-conquest? There is something which you don't 

 possess yourself and which you are going to make your own. By 

 such means you are to carry your grandeur and your glory to the 

 uttermost parts of the earth, and whether the offender be Napoleon 

 or Sennacherib, he ought to be hanged. The principle of world 

 conquest means that by violence and force you are to take that 

 which belongs to another, and in doing so you are to inflict suffering 

 upon your fellow-men. I trust that one of these days we shall 

 arrive at a general concession amongst mankind that all people who 

 are established in the country of their own shall remain in posses- 

 sion of it, not to be disturbed unless such interference shall be fully 

 justified. It might sometimes, perhaps, be justified for one nation 

 to interfere with another, but to dispossess a nation of its country 

 or its liberty should never be allowed, as a principle of Empire. The 

 one principle we have to establish is, ' Thou shalt not steal.' " 



After the Lecturer had replied briefly to the vote of thanks, 

 Mr. E. J. Sewell proposed, and the Venerable Archdeacon Beres- 

 FORD Potter seconded, a vote of thanks to their President, the 

 Earl of Halsbury, for his presence with them that afternoon in the 

 chair, and the vote was passed by acclamation. The Meeting 

 adjourned at 6.20 p.m. 



