me matters to attend
to. I have no doubt that you at least, Jack, will have a perfectly
lovely time."

"I am sure I shall too," cried Jane enthusiastically. "I just want to
hear about this."

"Will you please pass me that green book?" said Jack, after Mrs.
Waring-Gaunt had left the room. "No, the next one. Yes. The first thing
that it is almost impossible for us Britishers to get into our minds is
this, that Germany, not simply the Kaiser and the governing classes, but
the whole body of the German people, take themselves and their empire
and their destiny with most amazing seriousness. Listen to this, for
instance. This will give you, I say, the psychological condition out of
which war may easily and naturally arise." He turned the leaves of the
book and read:

"'To live and expand at the expense of other less meritorious peoples
finds its justification in the conviction that we are of all people the
most noble and the most pure, destined before others to work for the
highest development of humanity.'

"One of their poets--I haven't got him here--speaks of the 'German life
curing all the evils of humanity by mere contact with it.' You see that
row of books? These are only a few. Most of them are German. They are
all by different authors and on different subjects, but they are quite
unanimous in setting forth the German ideal, the governing principle
of German World politics. They are filled with the most unbelievable
glorification of Germany and the German people, and the most
extraordinary prophecies as to her wonderful destiny as a World Power.
Unhappily the German has no sense of humour. A Britisher talking in
this way about his country would feel himself to be a fool. Not so the
German. With a perfectly serious face he will attribute to himself and
to his nation all the virtues in the calendar. For instance, listen to
this:

"'Domination belongs to Germany because it is a superior nation, a noble
race, and it is fitting that it should control its neighbours just as
it is the right and duty of every individual endowed with superior
intellect and force to control inferior individuals about him.'

"Here's another choice bit:

"'We are the superior race in the fields of science and of art. We are
the best colonists, the best sailors, the best merchants.'

"That's one thing. Then here's another. For many years after his
accession I believe the Kaiser was genuinely anxious to preserve the
peace of Europe and tr