TERCENTENARY OF THE BIBLE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1090, 31 March 1911, Page 5

TERCENTENARY OF THE BIBLE.

CELEBRATION IN LONDON. FITTING YEAR FOR ANGLO-SAXON ~ PEACE PACT. SPEECH BY MR. ASQUITH. . i ' l By Telegraph—Press Association-Oopyriebt - - (Hec. March 30, 9.25 p.m.) London, March 30. ' The Marquess of Northampton presided at tho Bible Tercentenary celebration in tho Albert Hall yesterday. Mr. Asquith was present and spoke. There surely could not, ho said, be a worthier or more splendid monument for I the tercentenary year than that it should witness tho scaling of a solemn pact between Great Britain and America, ending once for all tho hideous, unthinkable possibilities of fratricidal strife. The American Ambassador, Mr. Whitelow Eeid, read a message from Mr. Taft in which the President remarked that the Bible, besides reigning supremo in England for tnrce centuries, bound together as nothing else could the two great Anglo-Saxon nations, which were one in blood, speech, and common religious life. Laws, literature, and social- life owed whatever excellence they possessed largely to this, their chief classic. Americans therefore joined in the thanksgiving to God for tho English Bible, which united tho Old and New World by so precious ft tie. The Archbishop of Canterbury and tho Rev. F. B. Meyer, the well-known Baptist clergyman, also spoke. Mr. Whitolaw Eeid, in his.speech, said that from men and whole peoples nurtured on the precepts of tho Bible came Mr. Taft's statesmanlike proposal and the King's inspiring Tesponse through Sir Edward Grey. This promised to make war impossible for the settlement of any dispute henceforth between any .English-speaking nation, and discreditable between any other civilised nations. What nobler jewel could adorn the coming Coronation? Mr. Eeid concluded by reading Mr. Taft's message. PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE FORMED. (Eec. March 30, 10.25 p.m.) London, March 30. A committee of members from both sides of the House of Commons has been formed to promote tho proposed arbitration agreement with America. ' TREATY BEING DRAFTED. . (Rec. March 30, 11.40 p.m.) New York, March 30. Mr. Philander Knox,. the American Secretary of State, is drafting an arbitration "treaty with Great Britain. It will probably bo submitted to the Senate during tho April session of Congress. , President Taft, in his speech before the American Society for the Judicial Settlement of International Disputes in January, after alluding to what international arbitration had already done, said: "If now wo can negotiate and put through a positive agreement with som» great nation to abide the adjudication of an international arbitral court in every issue which cannot be settled by negotiation, no matter what it involves, whether honour, territory, or money, we shall havo made a long step forward by demon- , strating that it is possible for-'two nationsat least to establish as between them tho i -tamo system of VUirprb'deYs'.of''lWvrrhat exists between' individuats'urider a govern'-' ment.-" There is, of course, no doubt that by "some great nation" President Taft ■meant Britain, "and that in expressin? himself as ho did he gave the sanction of his Government to similar suggestions already let fall'by Mr. Root and Mr. Carnegie. At present Anglo-American reinlions are ruled by tho Arbitration Treaty of 1908. That treaty, is now thought to be inadequate. Its scope is narrow. It ! is by no means a treaty of unconditional arbitration, such as the abortive OlneyPauncefoto Treaty, to a great extent, would have been, and as are the treaties ', now in force between Argentina and Chili, Norway and Sweden, Belgium and Holland.- Like most other arbitration trea- . ties concluded since tho last Hague Con- ; ference, it merely provides that i-"Differ- , ences of a legal nature or relating to the [ interpretation of treaties ... . shall be re- . forrcd to tho Permanent Court of Ars bitration established at The Hague bv the conference of July, 1899, provided, \ nevertheless, that they do not affect the \ vital interests, the independence, or tho '. honour of tho two contracting States.