om using whatever powers lay to his hand.
As motive forces in social life are almost invariably to be obtained
from individuals, Lloyd George without shame and without hesitation has
proceeded to use individualities wherever he found them suitable for
his purpose. Meanwhile the worshiper of consistency can find in him no
idol.

The crowning inconsistency of Lloyd George's career I have not yet
described. So far as he owed success in life to any man except himself
he owed it to Mr. Asquith, the Prime Minister. Lloyd George has all
the sensitiveness and affection of the Celtic nature, and must
certainly have had within him a well of gratitude to this man who had
been so great a friend to him. Yet it came about that he eventually
decided it was his duty to pull this man from the throne and take his
place there.

XII

HOW HE BECAME PRIME MINISTER

In some lights it seems rather a shabby thing that Lloyd George should
have ousted Mr. Asquith and taken his place as Prime Minister. Mr.
Asquith, with great intellectual attainments and with the highest
attributes of an English gentleman, had been at the head of the British
Government for eight years, and during this period big achievements had
been inscribed on Britain's story. He had been a strong and constant
friend of Lloyd George who, under his leadership, had risen from the
position of a minor Minister to giant eminence. Then at a crucial
moment Lloyd George overthrew him. Stated baldly like that, the thing
doesn't read very well. I believe there are some leaders in England
who will never forgive Lloyd George. It remains to be said that they
are taking a narrow and immediate view of a drama so immense that its
proper perspective will only be available many years hence. They are
trying to test men's souls under strain in a small mechanical balance.
Forces were at work such as are only met with once or twice in
centuries. You cannot bring a puny, every-day judgment to bear on
issues which may mean misery or happiness to millions of people, and
life or death to a great proportion of them. In such circumstances the
raw strength of big men comes out, and the spectacle is not always
pleasant to the gentle-minded.

I am not one of those who believe that Lloyd George sordidly schemed to
become Prime Minister, though I am sure that in some side reflections
from time to time he realized quite certainly that one day he would be
Prime Minister of his country.