spirit and patriotism, in whom a crisis such as this in his country's
history arouses the noblest feelings. I am sorry that an engagement
makes it necessary for me to return soon to the Foreign Office, and
therefore it will be a great disappointment to me not to hear the whole
of the lecture. I take the opportunity to make my apology now, and also
to make one or two remarks on the origin and issues of the war. While we
are engaged in considering the particular methods by which the war may
be prosecuted to a successful conclusion do not let us lose sight even
for a moment of the character and origin of this war and of the main
issues for which we are fighting. Hundreds of millions of money have
been spent, hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost, and millions
have been maimed and wounded in Europe during the last few months. And
all this might have been avoided by the simple method of a conference or
a joint discussion between the powers concerned which might have been
held in London, at The Hague, or wherever and in whatever form Germany
would have consented to have it. It would have been far easier to have
settled by conference the dispute between Austria-Hungary and Serbia,
which Germany made the occasion for this war, than it was to get
successfully through the Balkan crisis of two years ago. Germany knew
from her experience of the conference in London which settled the Balkan
crisis that she could count upon our good will for peace in any
conference of the powers. We had sought no diplomatic triumph in the
Balkan Conference; we did not give ourselves to any intrigue; we pursued
impartially and honorably the end of peace, and we were ready last July
to do the same again.

In recent years we have given Germany every assurance that no aggression
upon her would receive any support from us. We withheld from her one
thing--we would not give an unconditional promise to stand aside,
however aggressive Germany herself might be to her neighbors. Last July,
before the outbreak of the war, France was ready to accept a conference;
Italy was ready to accept a conference; Russia was ready to accept a
conference; and we know now that after the British proposal for a
conference was made, the Emperor of Russia himself proposed to the
German Emperor that the dispute should be referred to The Hague. Germany
refused every suggestion made to her for settling the dispute in this
way. On her rests now, and must rest for all time, the