HOME NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 522, 1 June 1909, Page 2

HOME NEWS.

PRESS AND OTHER OPINIONB.

The International Arbitration Leaguo held their annual dinner ( at the Holborn Restaurant, on March 19, under the presidency ot Lord Loroburn, tho company present including Herr von Kuhlmonn, of the German Embassy. Lord Weardale, proposing the toast of "Anglo-German Friendship,", Baid they had with them that evening a distinguished representative- of the German Embassy, aud to him they gave tho heartiest welcome. They welcomed him as representative of tho great German nation, with whom they wished to livo on terms of the closest and warmest friendship. (Applause;) Referring to what bis lordship •termed ,"tho i unfortunate agita- / tloii which had'been excited by the rivalry in naval armaments," he said he would,perhaps, be permitted to lay down two propositions, which he hoped would meet with universal acceptance. Tho first was that thero was' no one in Great Britain who could possibly deny that it was a national object which it was impossible for any of ua to forget that our insular position obliged us to mam- ' tai'Vm every possible degree the supremacy of Great Britain on the, sea. But, at tho samo time, there was a\ second proposition, and that was this: that wo could not for ono moment forget that the great Empire of Germany, whose rapid growth in industry, trade, commerce, and scienoe also had imposed upon them an obligation not less than our own of maintaining a, Jiavy adequato to tho defence of their ooramerco upon the Boa, and he had never seen in tho German press nor heard of any speech delivered by any responsible German. statesman which denied tho first of these propositions; and surely there was no sano nun in this oountry who would deny the seo ond. All, ho thought, should work to pro. moto Anglo-German friendship, Horr, voa Kuhlmann, Councillor to tho German Embassy, said ho agreed with Lord Weardalo ■when ho said that all should work to promote friendship botween England and l Germany. < When ho saw. tho gontlemon who were , gathered there that evening he felt oonfidenfe that that end would be attained. Real Education. , ' Amongst the many striking and suggestive comments on Chineso civilisation, which Sir Rotert Hart let fall, for the benefit of tie Authors Club, there, is one eloqcent ;. reminder that wo have still much to loam from those nations whom wo are so eager to teaoh.' iiaucation in 'China, he observed, ""has had for object rattier the formation (J character and the performance of duty than the spread or what our Western world considers know--ledge. The result.'is that tho fruits of teaching'"permeate the whole social edifioe" —jan impressive contrast to •'* -cumoulum which in greht measure leaves nothing behind c 'II scholastic ago is over. Tho lore "f,." 1 ® Chinese schoolmaster may • seem ndiculonsly archaic in our. enlightened eyes, but it produces, at any rate, Y 'a 6incnikrly law-abiding people, intelligent, frugal, industrious, and contented." 1 Could any, represent ■ tative of popular education in this country stand up, and with perfect sincerity and conGazette >/ opeat that claim.—"Poll Mai} \ Two Croat Canadians. V,'A® a tho working of the, Con« stitution of '1867, tho history of Canada for the. la&t forty yearß is tHe history "of two W l ' ®' r .aiid Sir Wilfrid Laurier," says'the . "Saturday' Be. view. "Tho Scotchman Maedonald made the Dominion by negotiating the federation of the scattered colonies, by building the Canadian Pacific Railway, and by inaugurating the 'national' policy of protection. The Frenchman Laurier, though of tho other party, has oontinued the Maedonald policy, and has taken, steps to secure for Canada an equal position within the Empire beside .the : Old Country, Under his French '• lead a ' policy of Imperial preferences has been in* augurated, naid the dispatch of f contingents to South Africa was permitted. 'Under his' rule, also, the Great; West his; been' organ->. , ised, and {TWoiid 3 railway' has been com-' menoed for the mora intimate anion of tho distant .provinces." v Interview with the Shah.'" , The Persan Government.is the worst in the I world,, declared Sir Edward Grey in Parliament tho other day.' Tho '!Times"-Tehoran correspondent recently interviewed tie Shah of Persia, and says:—"A fall of snow" during tho night rendered the preoinots of the Bagh-i-Shah extremely dirty a.nd forlorn, and one's sympathy was stirred for the monarch who was compelled to live, in such unpleasant surroundings, and who is supposed to spend his days' in li&toning' to false counsels and the watches of■ tlio ni<sit in fear and trembling.. His Majesty received me alone, and speedily gavo me a new-! impression as to his situation. He began by saying that he waß glad , to kno^' that tho 'Times' had sent a representative from England, where many ornonoous ideas as to his attitude had been dia- . seminated. His Majesty proceeded to explain' .his position, and in a few sentences made it quite clear that ho possesses a sensible and logical view of. the situation- according to his lights.' Ho recounted the principal events . of tho last two years, and pointed out how grosslv many of the Constitutionalists had abused their liberty, both' with regard to himself and by interference in the executive powers of, the Government." '. 1 - . i Japanese Habits. . • "Because a Japanese carpenter pulls his , plane towards him, whon at work, in opposition to the Occidental custom, and similarly reads his daily paper from right to left," it does not necessarily follow that all Western ideas must be inverted in this country," says tho "Japanese Ohroniclo." "Even in Japan , two and two .make four, except perhaps in certain national financial statements of ■a ~ complicated nature, and .we therefore fail to' see on what valid ground a 'oertain Government official' bases nis contention that' Japan would be safe in the event of a tariff war with a foreign country." . The Time to Arm. V Mr. J. Ellis Barker, writing in the "Nine- ~ teonth Century," states: "The naval position of Great Britain is most serious, not only because tho present Government has allowed . Germany to overtake us in tho race of armaments. In modern wars success: depends, perhaps, hot so muoh oil superiority/in num-' hers and materia, on,the bravely of tho... men, arid ion the ability of the general, or admiral in command, as on superior preparedness. It depends -largely on the supreme ' direction and organisation of the armed ioroes •in times of peace. The supreme direction, of the. British fleet is not in the hands of tho , Admiralty, but in those of the Prime Minister and of his Cabinet. Superior,' preparedness,due to superior organisation and direction in peaoe uuder tho ablest experts, was the chief cause of tho splendid victories of Germany and'of Japan. Unfortunately, the \ chief business of our Admiralty seems to be • an unending and exhaustive etruggle with tho ruling-politicians, and with a. supremepolitical > direction of our naval forces, such as' the recent debate in tho Houso of Commons has revealed. Great Britain's defeat in ease of a war with Germany j'b possible, if not' probable."- • Why Men Fall In Business. "The sumihary of business failures in tho ' United States in 1908, compiled by 'Bradstroet's,' 'furnishes a cood deal of food for reflection," says "World's Work." There wero 14,041 failures, as compared with 10 2G5 in 1907. In. this tablo, tlio causes of each 1000 such failures are shown:— '/ , ' Cause, . - Number. ' Lack of capital ... . ... , 342 • Incompetence . ... ... ... 216 Disaster, otc. : . . j" jgg' Fraud ... ... lis . Inexporienoo ; ... ~! 40 Neglect ... .„ ." 22 • Unwise credits . ,i. 20 Failure of others. ~.1 jg Competition Extravagauoo ... . , 19 Speculation : .... ... . , 10, Total '... ... ... 1000 ■