SIR PHILIP GIBBS IN U.S.A.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17419, 1 April 1922, Page 15

SIR PHILIP GIBBS IN U.S.A.

TIMELY TOPICS DISCUSSED. (from our own conin:si'ONL>!:NT.» SAX FRANCI&CO, March 3. Sir Philip tiibbs, who was enthusiastically received in .San Fiaueiseo during tJie couise of a lecturing tour, told tho Cnliforniaus that the llritish Etnpiro had changed considerably since the war. 110 said the old British aristocracy is breaking up, and so was tho old idea, of Unt'sh empire, in tho son so of a world dominion ruled autocratically from Donning Stteel. In place of the old social caste lines a great- loveiling process is making rapid progress among all classes in England, he added. In place of the Kiupiie governed from tho "Tight- Little Isle" there is a growing concert or federation of all tho "colonics"'- and dominions composing the British possessions. Those woro some of the profound changes wrought, in Great Britain in tho wake of the war, as presented by tho noted journalist- and author, in an addtess oil "The Social devolution in Kr.gland." He also spoke optimistically of tho influence of these changes and other international trends for world peace.

"In England before the war, life was still pretty much on the plan of the old feudal system," said Sir Philip. ' The aristocrats and country gentry were really living without much change the life of their ancestors —safe, secure, secluded: observing and treasuring all the ancient social conditions. In manv ways the war has changed all that. The old estates are breaking up. As a result of the economic pressure, the old rich, those who lived on inherited wealth, have been pretty hard hit. The old families are breaking up, too, and the great estates aro being taxed almost out of existence. Ana few new rich are taking tho places of tho old families. It is no longer easy to acquire a great fortune in England. | National Character Altered. "But an even greater revolution than this has taken place in the thoughts and character of the people. Before, we were n little island surrounded and protected by our navy. Our people for the most part lived their lives without ever getting away from the little villages and cabbage-patches of their ancestors. The war has forced us to feel that we are n. part of the continent of Europe, that we can no longer live apart, securely and for ourselves alone. In the world war tho whole I nation went into tho battlefield and tha men who came back will never be the same. The war also altered our whole national character by breaking up the casto system. I know hundreds of men of the ojd English aristocracy who entered the ranks as Tommies and who remained as Tommies from first to last. Thev fought side by side with the Cockneys and the city men from tne industrial centres of Liverpool and Manchester, and thev learned more from the men of tho slums and tho faotories than they could 3iav© been taught in tho schools and -universities. Out of this knowledge of each other between the classes is coming the death of all the old snobbishness. The social changes of the war were tantamount to a revolution, but it was a revolution without bloodshed and anarchy. There waa a time when the question of civil war, of bloody social revolution, lay in the balance. That was at Easter last year during the coal strike. But the outcome of that strike gave proof that British labour intended to hold to the old traditions of stability and would achieve its aims by evolution, not revotion. In the English cities before the war there were millions of our industrial population that lived on the poverty line. At least 2 per cent, wore below the poverty line, living lives of utter misery and destitution without hope of ever struggling up. Achieved Freedom. "Thoso of the city population that remained behind in the war discovered they could demand any price at all for their labour. That brought them comforts and luxuries and taught them a lesson that will never bo forgotten. They will nover bo content with the conditions of life as they obtained before the war. Many of the working people believed they had achieved the freedom that had been sought for centuries. But the men who went to war were also changed. In the long hours in the trenches men thought of things thoy had never thought of before; of the meaning of life and the meaning of civilisation. They camo back expecting homes fit for heroes to live in, good jobs, and good wages. But they found that the jobs wero filled by women; and there were not enough homes, and' that wages, when thoy could get them, were poor. These men became bitter and dejected. Conditions were particularly hard on tho young officers. When they went after jobs they found tho old men who had urged them to 'fight to the Inst man' telling them they would rather employ men who had not been 'loafing behind the trenches.' When the Tommies went to tho trades unions looking for work tho labour lenders asked them: 'Where are your apprenticeship cards. 3 ' They said: 'Wo cannot run tha risk of diluting the ranks of organised labour by taking in a lot of vnskillcd men.' They found themselves threatened with being thrust back into the life of the slums. It is that which, for a time, did make them talk of actual revolution, and gave rise to fears for tho stability of old England. There were outbursts of Bolshevist', and those who wanted to overthrow all Governments thought their time had come. That was why there was so much apprehension when the coal strike came la.st year. He suit of Coal Strike. "The Government decide;! at once there was a possibility of civil war and called out the whole army reserve, and all the 'white guard.' But the miners stayed home and painted their houses or worked in the gardens, and there was no revolution. Tho only acts of violence were committed by ono regiment of lescrvcs which looted a small town.

"The peaceful outcome of the strike was reassuring, for il ever England goe3 down in anarchy all Europe will follow. The coal strike (-rented a new situation in England. There is no doubt now that if there is a general election Labour will come out as one of the principal political factors in _th<; country. But- even the Conservatives are now convinced that a Labour Government in England would not lead to violent .'evolution.''' The participation of the British colonics in the war, rtir "Philip paid, had forced the acceptance of an unwritten constitution 111 the government ol_ Imperial affairs, and that iu the future any decisions affect- [ irjg the Empire would be reached not by the Cabinet alone, but by a council of representatives of a,!' the Dominions. As to world peace, fyir Philip said he believed the Washington Anns Conference had paved the way lor an entente between the United states and GreatBritain that would not oniy militate effectively against war between the whito nations, but would make them strong enough to withstand the "rising tide of colour" or any attempt by the coloured races of Asia to gain the leadership of the world. Maintenance of white supremacy, however, he said, was dependent upon tho restoration of the economic and industrial health of Europe, and that in turn depended upon a reconstructed Germany. Differences lietween Franco and England as to Germany, ho said, were making difficult more :apid progress toward disarmament. The key to the problem of world peace was in Russia. That might sound sensational, he apologised, but it was an opinion formed during his recent visit to that country.

Russia: Peace Key. "Yon cannot wipe 150,000,000 off the faco ol tlie earth without, having a great wound in the economic system of tho world, ' he said. Ho then pointed out that Russia was a great produomg country before the war, as it was 11 groat market for the world's goods, and asido from that, had ft mil. lion men under arms in the war. Added t-o these were four million nioro which could bo pressed into service at# any timo._ Just as long, he wiid, as Russia maintained such a fighting force there was danger to tho rest of the world. Franco would continue to arm agaiiist the threat of a German and Russian allnnce. TTnlesa Franc® could retreat from its present position, Germany would find herself pressed nearw and nearer to the precipice of bankruptcy Rrid ruin. Its present policv of under-cutting and under-selling other nations coula have only one result. ''Germany will continue up to tho point where, it- is unable to get. any more raw product.; then it will collapse," said Sir Philip. Tho last three years, ho said, had been wasted veara of history Ivwmso t the United States had chosen to remain outside tho council chamber. That was ono of his many references to tho League of Nations. iNinietliiart must- bo done, lie thought., t<i direct tlio human family ono step forward on tho way to peace"and understanding. Only recently tliero had boon an awakening on the part of the world lenders, and ho thought common sense wa.s reasserting itself in the world.