im at the annihilation of the soul.

Literature is a nice thing in its way. It both passes and gives us many
weary hours. It has its place. But I submit that at present it is mere
dancing on a tight rope. Whether the war could have been avoided or not
is without interest today. In fact, there is no controversy possible
after Maximilian Harden's pronouncement. In it he throws away the
scabbard and says boldly that Germany from the first was set on war.
Hence it becomes a work of supererogation to find excuses for her, and
hence, my old friend, Bernard Shaw, penned his long indictment of his
hereditary enemy, England, all in vain.

We are a dull-witted race. Although the Continent has dubbed us
"Perfidious Albion," it is hard for us to take in general ideas, and no
man clearly sees the possibilities of the development of the original
sin that lies dormant in him. Thus it becomes hard for us to understand
the reason why, if Germany tore up a treaty three months ago we are
certain to tear up another in three years' time.

All crystal gazing appeals but little to the average man on this side of
the St. George's channel. It may be that we shall tear up many treaties,
but the broad fact remains that hitherto we have torn up none.

The particular treaty that Germany tore up was signed by five powers in
1839, ratified again in 1870 by a special clause respected by King
Frederick William in his war against the French, was often referred to
in Parliament by Gladstone and by other Ministers, and was considered
binding on its signatories. Germany tore it up for her own ends, thus
showing that she was a stupid though learned people, for she at once at
the same time prejudiced her case to the whole world and made a military
mistake.

No human motives are without alloy, but at the same time honesty in our
case has proved the better policy. Germany, no doubt, would have granted
us almost anything for our assent to her march through Belgium. We
refused her offers, no doubt from mixed motives, for every Englishman is
not an orphan archangel, stupid, or dull or muddle-headed, or what not.
The balance of the world is with us, not, perhaps, because they love us
greatly, but because they see that we, perhaps by accident, have been
forced into the right course and that all smaller nationalities such as
Montenegro, Ireland, Poland, and the rest would disappear on our defeat.

CUNNINGHAME GRAHAM.

*Editorial Comment on Shaw*

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