MR. BALFOUR AS OPTIMIST.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1652, 20 January 1913, Page 4

MR. BALFOUR AS OPTIMIST.

f- ,' --"v-'j . ; v ■ ,- ■ 1 , - SPEECH TO LONDON SCOTSMEN 1 THE LARGER PATRIOTISM. J FAITH IN THE BRITISH PEOPLE. t' V . Mr.'A; J. Balfour presided on'N[ovemV . 30 at the 248 th St. Andrew's Day r/: ~> Festival ■of tho Royal Scottish Corporation.at tlio Holborn Restaurant. !■ ■ Tho value of the services of this great I l :',. . and ancient Corporation . was acknow- '. ledged, he said, by all who had .watched ; its Iwork, and by all who . knew what it !. had dono for Scotsmen .whom misfortune, pj, ■ ■ deserved or 'Undeserved,' might : havo, left ;■ > trtrstnded in r 'this "great metropolis. '"But •.•'■-•it had-a claim upon.their.affections go-, t; iing'ifar;beyond tho limits of its beneficent.- : work in this.year or that of its existence. f,:i r : ' ; It dated' practically from tho timo; when' : ■. '■ tho' ■ Crown of Scotland and the -(peoan of England ,wero..first placcd jlpou ; the , same head, it dated from the time -.vl.ai | tho union:-Tv«s .'begun and, ;legally brought S' U ;:t ,t6. its full-'perfection littlo more ;ha« tv.o centuries ".;ago—a .union / which : hod ,been j'yjl' growirig'-'in strength' and . bearing, day by r / . day bolter. fruits since-thoso <.iriy d-i>s fi ! in which it was begun. i : ■'■" It was hard for them to put themsilves in tho .position.of-A-Scotsman .comUiff.-fn S, - . - the traiqof James ; the. Sixth .- of-Scot-, t , land andvPirst of.England seeking his t--.■-;■ ; fortAtfo 'in the soutKini p.irt .of -this;laml," F He, no' doubt, .•epoKe.- 1 tho.- eamD'-rspeeoli; 110 doubtjfjthe lifeature of ScotlaniCcQUld pi V ■ 'V: never jbe considered /apart';fromithe..liter-, i : . aturo of England—go Ijack as far. as tney !: ~ would. But ye.t 1 : | ,;tli0 .•v tiv'o .''-countries, f through:imhappy : fate,'had not only been . 'separated.f but. had.'.beeh for .- . centuries •sbeforevXand' the ;■ f. ■greatest': *patriotio : f,''memo?ies-<)f every J: , Scotsman-went back'.to, the times , when ;i: , ho was fighting, his English brother,', v c v •: ■ Whatever England 'did,; Scotsmen, 'from (,"- . the necessities of .her then'political, situs;ation, did the" opposite—(laughter,, ami f . ' r hedr, 'hear)—and could not do otherwiser ■ And theso mofnoriesy which were-to- us J : wero :to,.\tho.'i Scotsmen who: t : . camo' South when that 1 great Corporation .was first beginning livifcg' memories—they I -: wero memories of whieti.they themselves | might, halo had experience, of '.Which,■t'l'' i r •■•-.- -fathers,. ; -thoir 1 grandfathers and. thoir E'. -./:; sfefteiai, p. '.- .: tions,'rrould havo suppliedjhem' ith lerid-' - less: tales.of feuds, rivalries, blo6dy comt/ :. bats, Jhostilo - diplomacyl eVdles's.; : wari/' ; p. K No-wondor that the Scotsman felt, himV. self . a.stritnger id tho sodthem knd,' and •;' •"; that Jedipg natoritllj' wopt : on for.many; I; :.;, years'after the union'of tho 'Crowns, and : F; for nM^ai' 1 few-y'eara.after: the' union :of' S tho countriec'. - \' .-.'

iv v Difficulties of Scotsman in London. I [r Tlioy'would:find,it"in all.literatnre, and f, ; the <lifficnlties. no doubt ov«n. after..union,. i L■..■■■ • of.-a Scotsmau. coming to.London, enter-| fi, . . ing .Parliament,, taking his placo in the i |i! .igwat—hi;their, present language tho great j; — Iprperiahinterests- of-*the country, his I !-■■ post. was.not nlirart an easy one; for 6; - ~ though' ,hb spoke, the.- samo. language ; -he, ! did no^'s^eak'with' tho.; same .. accent.: (Laughter.) ' ( ::,,-i. _ Thoy"would 'find—many of them knew !■■.<>. ,it, '>very .likely, bat it was an interesting - '. reflection—that some' of the greatest • de- ( ' bafeors in the eighteenth cOntury in .the j'British'Hbiiso of Commons wero f&otsmen, j. • . likO Wodderburn,.;.who had so'deliborately r. nnfl laboriously .modified his ancestral I' I j:• method of speech, as 'to make' himself: a" t, ~i great power, both in the Houso of CoinJnons and ;tho jLaw.vCoiirts; and, David r.'.'SHtiTHo, writ ers—he did ; v- Jio&take hfe philosophythat was not ah t ■ ,;'v . 'after-dinner'siibjoot—tlaiiptcry—that they j. . , had-.produced in.the British Isles, they f, :v wotfdjind,;if. ; thoy.looked'/at. ; 'a 4 completo' : • . edition of his works, a.list of tha Scotis ,cisms which ho'hnd laboured to avoid in- ' order' to writo-the language in.tho' clnssi- / ,-'cal stylo which lie mado his own. , ■ • f: Thosd ,were not. small - difficulties,' they ! were great difficulties, and/if time li'ad f ; rontiroly; abolished .them,'.Tßmcmber':.that p.. v ■■ v "Vtliat time had dbno it gradually, ond' that l[. . no great: fusion, . political ;'or any: f,:;;-!;.: 'could'.bo 'donp by a stroke of tho pen. (Hear,;hear.);V.lf it was to bo'iieriiianent, ''.y /«s Ithpirs ''was.' ..permattent-T-tcheers)—it i.inust po'tho .work of much ;,'preliminary., ;;T v ,i; toil, many, misiiiulefstaiidings; some difuJ : .I ,'cultjes,. : some.frictions.:.When-thOso 'diffi-. j - < i Unities and those .frictions were got over, jv, v ■ tho . welding in -that furnace (iould not bo i: ,' ■. unloosened, and what had been joined l to--I'"'A gcther'.never .agaii ■■ could ;bo .separated. ! (Cheers.) ' '■m / ■ Example in Patriotism, ? , ' Mr, Balfour went on to say that ho did wish'as a Scotsman among Scotsmen ;■ '• • to spend alii his. tjmo in praising"' thetilr : eelves. In tho opinion of most Scotsmen it i was aniunnecossary operation.,(Laughter.) I - "And yet there is ono praiso' Which I ,i; /hope I-, may bo permitted' td pvo to our own country," hosaid,'.."and 1 it is : this: r',that I' think we have, re'ally beyond 'all [ '■* tho. world' eet 'aii example ,of how. to re- ? cancilo'naturally and completely, and {- iWifhont 'effort • two jiiings /Whioh at. first j".. . : siglit do not"seem easily I. I' .'.j';;; -.mean ui.inteiisb ond/'iirdeilt patriotism for-, i','a vet ".only reinforces > and; f/. patriotism for the (Cheers)) f : , ! "Indies, and Gentlemen,—Bolievo me, tbmpossibility is; of more ' Importance 5.... ■ first, sight;-appears,. 'The do - t ./ 'trines;pf nationality,.wnich has played so [. /■ great'and so beileficent a part in Ihe coni. etrufltion and reconstruction of, the tfodr.vern been' a-great'eriglne/fOr c -.. . uniting 6ection3': of / mankind—occasiori- | ! ally hero, atd there it. has had the oppo-: j;'. l site -fihdiill-coaSecltlenco':of dividing man- ! kirtn, , £ "Wo—l do'flot think ;1 iim Over-prais-, I' - ing Ourselves—we Scotsmen. : havo' seen {■ : 1 how to'absolutely leooncils'tho'.'piinoiplo [• , -of nationality} tho feoling, of Nationality, ■ tho consciousness, of a' separate ; history j in many^respects-,during many, formative r . ■. and JmpOrtant centuries,^''ind-yet .to bo t. - . able fo do this withbut feeling that there * v is init^ahy,Jantagoiiism,.whatever,to.that t patrlotism^ribt/'inore'-'ardent indeed, but fv' V largor -iri its ecops,: ffhich' in'cluiles-.Great Britain, : ahd.'jhot-ure'at Britain : only, but 1 the wholo EmpirS, of which .wo are-'tifi- £'■■■■ zeris." -/Cheers,) '- , : Pleaso observe "it'' ; is : - only by' following itbo eXampla that we ;i :• !havo set that'.the.Jfuturo of, that Eirpiro j': ' -.} can bo. mado'; absolutely. - secure, (Api . / 'plattse.) - "Tho : Canadian,;: tho . : tho, !. : Now .Zcalander, v.tho icitizsnUi'/of > South' Africa—T iiced Tiot .enuiiiorato L \alf '; the. ■' great dominions/arid :dopendehcies-of, this f<»unti7—they'must';hflve,-'and, : they"ought <. to have, and they will have, '"'their-'Own ' . 'feeling of separato'nationalityA CahiU !■ : <lian is .a-:Canadiafl; , r he/ Wanre,'-'and;'hb f ■ onght to want, Canada'ito havo, its;.own ' principle of-development, its own futnro. ■ So,also Australia," pursuing the gfedt;,ex-' l'.~•: periment'of., freedom 'and'self-government i' ■ on,very difforont lines from those .of-Caii--1 ■ ada, vlines which Australia has,'chosen, ; for herself, ' sho. is following, as :&.• freo- ! cOnntry, as:a member of that-great con-'. V geries jof .free countries, 'whiclr mako'Up our Empito.' : Do.not let'us discourago e their fbelitig of local patriotism. Let us 1 only ask; thejn to follow the example of I • Scotland, and to cultivate that feeling of nationality'for themselves, tho Canadian | ; . for the Canadians, the Australian for | : i the Australians, but all for the British f . Empire. :(ChOers.). . \ ; : '!It was bccauso this conception, so new ; - in ; tho history'.'of tho world, .was lint un- ■' dorstood—and/let us in fairness say,'could i • , not be'understood—by our forefathers 150 b - vears. ago .that .'the great unhappy, division f : Ijotvfecii iis 'and our American colonies took place. U' lt-perhaps required that grent"'!<Ssoii ■ t6 teach< Us what we i ' now know., ' Wo. rhavo learnt . tho - following the lead of/Scoti ' 'and : the' British Empire is seeing how r ' ' to irdi'k those two apparohtly antagonistic i . nriiifl'P'™' ° n that-even those i who pr0(,.55 (~55 tiicin both, nevev even seo that thero f Van (vrt.csihly'bo any inconsistency between ! \'r,, (Cheers.) • v Optimistic Belief. ■ ■Jtif.'Sa If (fur refilled that it Was twentyyears -'ago that-, he lilst presided at •'lhat- an'ntVnl..-.function:" "A, good'denl has ■' ' I'.nir.-bned 'to mo since the year 1886, lie •niil "ivitli'fr think I was Hecretary r V •fWollnml-'at that time. I have been : ■ : iv.AfiV- other' things~(laughtcr and. cheers) >'' '".-aiiil'much less agreeablo things since ! '.tint'far-distant date. I cannot hold out !. 4 Vi'O'iwct ■ to: irfyself or to- - anybody- else r -hat iti'itilother twenty-six/years I shall {': ■■■ 'n. Mile to , repeat tho experiment. But, I' ''it'air pvents, looking back and looking !• 'one,'rd. let mo say that I rofuse to tako

a dark or pessimistic view cither of Scotland or of Great Britain, c r of tho Empire. (Hear, hear.) "To Bay that there are not to my mind great causes of anxiety would, of course, bo wholly untrue.- I' think ,there, are causes of anxiety, but, ladies and gentlemen, I am a believer in the destinies of my country. (Hear, hear.) Wo have got over far greater difficulties than those which, so far as my powers of prophecy are of any value, face us in ; tho future. (Hear,, hear.) "I am ono of thoso who believe that in almost every respect,' social and political, if you take a sufficient, length of time—awl ,1 rim not talking Of last year, or ton years ago, or twenty* years ago; I am talking of tho generations—in my" view, ja, every respect, things ore better and not: worse. (Hear, hear.) I believe that in no spirit of over-confidence, in no spirit of contempt for tho past, in no arrogant , view of our superior wisdom, wo will face:day by day tho national and Imperial preblems, put before us. "Tho'mail who ill this place 26 years' hertco addresses this corporation will bo able to say that,- thongh some things might have been better; done' and many things had better have been left undone, nevertheless, the state of tho world,, the state ■of the British Empire,' the state of Great Britain, the state of Scotland, yet better than, it was . a quarter' of u century before he spoke. That is the hope doubtless of every, man present. It is not, only my, Hope.: . It. is my belief." (Applause.)