le obstacle. But seriously if
you have followed my train of thought you will agree with me that
what is wanted is to frame a system of military service and
national organisation which yet conforms to the national
predilection in favour of _laissez-faire_. This would not be so
difficult if there were two or three centuries to do it in; the
difficulty is that we must do it at once. Perhaps it is
impossible; perhaps the influence of our insular environment will
be too strong ever to allow a general military system to grow up
here--I don't know, but I hope not. Anyway, it is Lloyd George to
whom we look to turn the wheels, because he has personality and
that almost uncanny Celtic gift of seeing into the future.

Is it not clear that the Germans have developed to the full a
system of organisation in harmony with their national character?
Geography has rendered necessary to them a certain type of
national policy, and I consider their methods were the only
possible ones for them, though they badly needed a clever
diplomatist to deceive Europe in these latter years. Now
Bismarck, if he had lived until to-day, would probably have
secured for Germany a leading place, not by directly fighting
England--who is, of course, the natural rival of Germany--the old
story of the first and the second boy in the class--but by
embroiling her at some suitable moment with other Powers. Then,
when all would have been weakened by the war, Germany would step
in and take the spoils. Fortunately for us the Prussian is a
thoroughly bad diplomatist; and he has preferred open force to
policy. Last year the Germans really played their cards
astoundingly badly. Did we? Well, in one sense, yes, in that we
failed to have a force ready to give the Germans a swift blow as
soon as they ventured on an invasion of Belgium. On the other
hand, no, because Edward Grey, acting openly, and in accordance
with British traditions, yet succeeded by some extraordinary
means in duping our enemies and making them rush into a war never
expecting that we would participate in it. By accident Grey
blundered into a marvellous stroke of diplomacy. Of course, we
know that all his actions were governed by an honest desire to
preserve peace, but the facts show that he really deceived the
Germans mor