yourselves. You have more in
common with the Youth of other lands than Youth and Age can ever
have with each other; even the hostile countries sent out many a
son very like ours, from the same sort of homes, the same sort of
universities, who had as little to do as our youth had with the
origin of the great adventure. Can we doubt that many of these
on both sides who have gone over and were once opponents are now
friends? You ought to have a League of Youth of all countries
as your beginning, ready to say to all Governments, 'We will fight
each other but only when we are sure of the necessity.' Are you
equal to your job, you young men? If not, I call upon the
red-gowned women to lead the way. I sound to myself as if I were
advocating a rebellion, though I am really asking for a larger
friendship. Perhaps I may be arrested on leaving the hall. In such
a cause I should think that I had at last proved myself worthy to be
your Rector.

You will have to work harder than ever, but possibly not so much
at the same things; more at modern languages certainly if you are
to discuss that League of Youth with the students of other nations
when they come over to St. Andrews for the Conference. I am far from
taking a side against the classics. I should as soon argue against
your having tops to your heads; that way lie the best tops.
Science, too, has at last come to its own in St. Andrews. It is
the surest means of teaching you how to know what you mean when
you say. So you will have to work harder. Isaak Walton quotes the
saying that doubtless the Almighty could have created a finer fruit
than the strawberry, but that doubtless also He never did. Doubtless
also He could have provided us with better fun than hard work, but
I don't know what it is. To be born poor is probably the next best
thing. The greatest glory that has ever come to me was to be
swallowed up in London, not knowing a soul, with no means of
subsistence, and the fun of working till the stars went out.
To have known any one would have spoilt it. I did not even quite
know the language. I rang for my boots, and they thought I said
a glass of water, so I drank the water and worked on. There was
no food in the cupboard, so I did not need to waste time in eating.
The pangs and agonies when no proof came. How courteously tolerant
was I of the postman without a proof for us; how M'Connachie,
on the other hand, wanted to punch his head. The magic days w