n, than on any ordinary week-day.
Police-court cases on the following Monday were 28-1/2 per cent. below
the average, and included, in the metropolitan area, only five cases of
drunkenness or disorderly conduct. All reports indicate the prevalence
throughout the metropolitan area of private indoor celebrations of the
Peace. All London churches and chapels held Thanksgiving Services on
Sunday, 12 March, and the attendances were abnormally large."

Withal, I am certain that the people of London had never before during
my life experienced a deeper sense of gladness, a more general
consciousness of rejoicing. Not for nothing has "British Christianity"
earned its Parisian name of "New Century Puritanism." As the President
of the French Republic said in his recent speech at Lyons: "It is the
'New Century Puritanism' which leads the new century's civilization, and
maintains the world's peace."

XVIII

THE PEACE

Fair is our lot--O goodly is our heritage!
(Humble ye, my people, and be fearful in your mirth!)
For the Lord our God Most High
He hath made the deep as dry,
He hath smote for us a pathway to the ends of all the earth.

RUDYARD KIPLING.

At a very early stage of the war with Germany, before the end of the
first month, in fact, it became evident that, our own soil having once
been freed, this was to be a maritime and not a land war. A little later
on it was made quite clear that there would be no need to draw further
upon our huge reserve force of _Citizen_ defenders. It was then that
John Crondall concentrated his efforts upon giving permanent national
effect to our work of the previous year.

Fortunately, the Government recognized that it would be an act of
criminal wastefulness and extravagance to allow so splendid a defensive
organization as ours to lapse because its immediate purpose had been
served. Accordingly, special legislation, which was to have been
postponed for another session, was now hurried forward; and long before
the German Revolution and the conclusion of the Peace, England was
secure in the possession of that permanent organization of home defence
which, humanly speaking, has made these shores positively impregnable,
by converting Great Britain, the metropolis and centre of the Empire,
into a nation in arms. There is no need for me to enlarge now upon the
other benefits, the mental, moral, and