. As Mr. Lloyd George well said, "A great flood of luxury and
of sloth which had submerged the land is receding and a new Britain is
appearing. We can see for the first time the fundamental things that matter
in life, and that have been obscured from our vision by the tropical growth
of prosperity."[2] There seems a prospect of an era of social growth and
regeneration following the war. In other European countries there may be
equally important developments. It may well be that in the event of German
defeat the democratic movements of that country will gain a great impetus
from the blow given to the Prussian hegemony. In Russia there is an
expectation of a new freedom. At the first meeting of the Duma after the
opening of hostilities the Labour Party declared its opinion that "through
the agony of the battlefield the brotherhood of the Russian people will be
strengthened and a common desire created to free the land from its terrible
internal troubles."

[Footnote 1: _The Nation,_ Sept. 19, 1914.]

[Footnote 2: Speech at the Queen's Hall, London, Sept. 19, 1914.]

It must be admitted, on the other hand, that there is a possibility of a
period of reaction and torpor after the strain of the war; the country will
be seriously impoverished, and there will be a heavy burden of taxation in
spite of some probable relief from the burden of armaments. Still, social
evils and injustices will be more obvious than ever. There will be many new
national and imperial problems clamouring to be faced. The intellectual
ferment which has had its source in the war will remain at work to widen
the mental outlook and deepen the social consciousness. On the whole, it
will probably be true to say that, though circumstances may postpone it,
there will sooner or later arise a great movement pledged to cleanse our
national life of those features which bar the way to human freedom and
happiness.

It also seems undeniable that the deep interest taken by large numbers of
people in the war will rouse them to a sense of the importance of problems
of government and of foreign policy. The working men's committees on
foreign affairs of half a century ago, which have left no trace behind
them, may be revived in a new form, and the differentiation of economic and
social questions from political and foreign problems may be obliterated.
The importance of the gradually widening area of vision among the more
thoughtful section of the people can hardly be exag