IN THE HALL OF THE CLOCK
HISTORIC PLENARY SESSION OF PEACE CONGRESS PAGEANT OF THE WORLD ALLIANCE (From Mr. R. Riley, Official Journalist with the New Zealaud Delegation.) Paris, February 19, 1919. The New" Zealand delegates reached Paris in time to attend the -.econd plenary session of the Preliminary l'eaco Conference, which was held on January 25. in the stately Hall of the Clock in the French Foreign Office. Quai d'Orsav. Jlr. Massoy represented New Zealand, and took his place among the rerwsentatives of tho Dominions, and Sir Joseph Ward attended as a member of Great Britain's delegation. The session was opened under the presidency of M. Clemenceau, President of the Conference, (lie "Graud_ Young Man" of, Europe, as Mr. Llovd George hud atfeotionately doeoribed him, tho "Father of Victory," as his French admirers call liira, and, as he is best known in the French political arena, where nicknaiaej are inevitable, the "Tiger."
A Wonderful Pageant. Tho assembly was a wonderful pageant of the. world alliance, which had saved hnmanitv from the cursc of Prussian domination. There were assembled toEethed from the far places of the earth no fewer than sixty-five representatives of twentv-one free nations. Those whoso rare privilege it was to be a part of it. or even to see it all, will never forget the scene as long ns memory lasts. Even the most phlegmatic temperament musi have leapad td lofty imagination in realising, however feebly, that within tho e iinnass of a single chamber—too oriiuto in gilt and crimson to be a Hall of Peace—were gathered together all tho elements of the Tower of Babel, but with the means of reducing a confusion of toiiKiies to a common understanding. All sorts i'f statesmen and diplomats Bilked in all sorts of. languages and accents,vet in tho end everyone understood, fn itself a wonderful nchievement! One was conscious of a rare impression in watching tho procession of delegates, leisurely' and briskly, silently and volubly, as temperament dictated, form into a sort of world Parliament, representing more than a score of nations. The final formation, one noticed, was a. horseshoo of international representationwas it an augury of good luck? There was a noteworthy simplicity in the attire of the delegates.. Many were, of course, in tho formal garb of diplomacy and statesmanship, with a v fino sheen on their silk hats and the lapels of their frock' coats, but quite as many more were'in plain tweeds, while a few brought into the haunts •of Western civilisation something of the colour and gorgeous raiment of the sunny East— the shrine and fountain of dreams and philosophy. The most arresting, and by far the most picturesque, porsonages in the beautiful chamber with the grey light of a fading winter day struggling past heavy hangings of crimson anil deep cream-coloured tapestries, were Ma-jor-General H. H. Maharajah Sir Ganga Singh Bahadur of Bikanir, of tho great warrior clan of Rathore Rajputs, a stately descendant of the ancient Kings of Kanauj, a soldier with a fine record of service ranging from tho relief of the Legations at Peking to brilliant leadership more recently in France, Egypt, and Palestine: and the Emir Feisul, "the hero of the Arab epic," son of the King of the Eedjaz. His turban was a wonderful thing of a silk that woiild have made a thief of a noble woman, while his sword, worn in front with its jewelled hilt guarding tho lieart, was surely, one likes to think, ono of the famous blades of old Damascus.
Marshal Foch. In a less prominent place near the bend of the horse-shoe table, and representing achievement as well as the warrior spirit of fair France, sat the greatest of ten thousand—Marshal' Foch. He sat silent, but keenly observant-with a steady vision'of a soldier who has scanned many a crimson horizon, but without fear of the coming day, for the signs of victory and defeat. A grim warrior with a face that would nover betray his mind, and with a mind, obviously, that had never betrayed his face, for its'.lines and markings are the outward and visible sigus of strength of will, and a noble character.
The Assemblage. It may be of interest to place on record the nations which were represented at this historic plenary session of tho Peaco Conference. As a matter of fact the representation was practically complete, and was as follows:— United States of America—The President (Dr. Wilson), Hons. Robert Lansing, Henry White, Colonel House, and General Taster H. Bliss. Here it may be mentioned that at the Peace Conference, aud also in all the deliberations of the Council of the Allied and Associated Powers, America has precedence. Great Britain—Rt. Hons. D. Lloyd George, A. J. Balfour, G. N. Barnes, C.. J. Doherty (Minister of Justice, Canada), and Sir Joseph Ward (Minister of Finance, New Zealand).
' Canada—Rt. Hons. Sir Robert Borden (Prime Minister) and. Sir George .Eulas Foster.
Australia—Rt. Hons. W. H. Hughes and Sir Joseph Cook. South Africa.—General the Rt. Hon. Louis Botha and Lieuteuant-General J. C. Smuts.
New Zealand.—Rt. Hon. W. P. Massey (Prime Minister).
India.—-lit. Hon. E. S. Montagu (Secretary of State for India) and MajorGeneral JI.H. the Maharaja of Bikanir.
France.—M. Clomencean, M. Pichon, M. L. L. Kletz, M. Andre Tardieu, and M. Jules Cambon, who was the strong Ambassador of France at Berlin up to the outbreak of war, and who showed a keen and deep knowledge of the Prussian policy of world conquest, and Marshal Foch, representing the Supreme Allied War Council., M. Leon Bourgeois, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, was in the French delegation as Technical Delegate for the League of Nations. Italy,—M. V. E.. Orlando (President of the Council of Ministers). Bason S. Sonnino, Marquis Salvago Eaggi, and Deputies A. balandra and S.' Barzali, ana Senator Seialoja, Technical Delegate for t'he League of Nations. Japan.—baton Makino, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Viscount Chimin, Mr. K. Matsui, and Mr. If. I.juin, Japanese Ambassador Extraordinary and the Emperor's Plenipotentiary at Home. Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Cubs, Ecuador. Grcece the Hedjaz, Peru, Poland Portugal, Rumania, Serbia, Siam, the Czccho-Slovak ItCpnblic, and Uruguay. In addition there wero' present many diplomats and generals of worhl-wido reputation. Last, out not altogether negligible, as far as the power of the pen, which is supposed to be mightier than the sword, is concerned, was a brigade of li'rench and Allied and neutral journalists—iust about three hundred'of them, eontont with standing room only, each writer using for a desk tha friendly back of the colleague in front. At the head of the table sat M. Clemenceau. a Napoleon of chairmen, with President Wilson oU' his right, and Mr. I.lovd George, greater in political power than ever, -and with his mane oven more like a lion's than ever before, 011 his left. To the right and left of the President's lablo there were four rows of delegates. There you have a picture of the world's most remarkable assembly—a sort of living kinematograph display, one might say, of contemporary history. Several iraps in the lines of delegates recalled I he unfortunate fact that Russia was not U'prcsentcd.
"Tho war has driven fieo Churchmen back upon their first principles. It has shown, or should have shown, the folly of mere superficial ..djustments. Only a penitent and humblo society is ready for the new world; uil.y such a society can bo the instrument of a new prophetic impulse; only the humble arc bold enough for a day like this."---The Rev E. Shillotto in the "Sunday Times."
To advertise for British trade, films are to be exhibited in 85' of the principal cities of the world, illustrating leading British industries and manufactures, and to those exhibitions representatives of the principal firms in the cities visited will t>e invited.
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Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 172, 15 April 1919, Page 7
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1,292IN THE HALL OF THE CLOCK Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 172, 15 April 1919, Page 7
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