to send contributions in aid of
this great and necessary work to the Hon. Treasurer of the Fund (Sir BRIEN
COKAYNE, late Governor of the Bank of England), addressed to THE LEAGUE OF
NATIONS UNION, 22, Buckingham Gate, S.W.

* * * * *

[Illustration: THE HOPE OF THE WORLD.

PEACE. "THIS IS MY TEMPLE AND YOU ARE ITS PRIESTESS. GUARD WELL THE SACRED
FLAME."

(The objects and needs of the League of Nations Union are set out on the
opposite page.)]

* * * * *

ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT.

_Monday, March 29th._--During a brief sitting the Lords got through a good
deal of business. The Silver Coinage Bill awakened Lord CHAPLIN'S
reminiscences of his bimetallic days, when he was accused by Sir WILLIAM
HARCOURT of trying to stir up mutiny in India. Undeterred by this warning,
however, the Peers gave a Second Reading to the measure and also to the
Coal Mines Emergency Bill, which is less up-to-date than it sounds, and
deals not with the present emergency but with the last emergency but one.
They also passed the Importation of Plumage Bill, at the instance of Lord
ABERDEEN, who pleaded that beautiful birds, "the result of myriads of years
of evolution," should not be exterminated to make a British matron's
picture-hat.

[Illustration: _Mr. MACPHERSON._ "WITH ALL THESE CHERUBS GOING FOR MY KITE
FULL BLAST IT LOOKS AS IF I MIGHT KEEP THE THING FLYING."

LORD ROBERT CECIL. CAPTAIN REDMOND.

MESSRS. CLYNES AND ASQUITH.]

A few noble lords tore themselves away from these entrancing topics to
attend the opening of the debate in the Commons on the Government of
Ireland Bill. They were ill-rewarded for their pains, for never has a Home
Rule debate produced fewer interesting moments. The CHIEF SECRETARY was so
studiously restrained in explaining the merits of the Bill that the
"yawning chasm" which, according to its opponents, the measure is going to
create between Southern and Northern Ireland was to be observed in advance
on the countenances of many of his listeners. Years ago Mr. BALFOUR told
the Irish Nationalists that Great Britain was not to be bored into
acceptance of Home Rule; but I am beginning to doubt now whether he was
right. If the Government get the Bill through it will be due more to John
Bull's weariness of the eternal Irish Question than to any enthusiastic
belief in the merits of this particular scheme. Hardly anyone off the
Treasury Bench had a good