has done hers, there is bound to be a
great change soon. Adult franchise of male and female ought certainly
to bring Labour into power. But the spirit of England will overcome
the greed and vulgarity of the age.

England still preserves a fine reputation on the Continent. That is
because of the code of a gentleman. The man who keeps his word, lives
cleanly, and is generally reserved in conversation, is admired in every
capital. The political efforts made to ease the peace treaty and help
the Germans, have done England's reputation no harm. The English fill
the imagination as men of honour.

It is difficult, however, to relate England to Europe. In terms of
England's honour we are nearer than we were, and _Perfide Albion_ is
not nearly so perfidious. But as a business people we are out of
touch. We have more bad types of business men than formerly. There
are a lot of commercial rogues, who, at least, call themselves English,
though their mothers may have played false. On the other hand, the
stalwart, honest type does not get on so well as he did. The war has
confused his mind a little. Many still want to punish the Germans.
And in punishing the ex-enemy they punish themselves.

One would think that the supposed "nation of shopkeepers" would be
appealed to on grounds of commercial sagacity. A nation that has made
the experiment of a business government might be expected to live by a
business code. It is well known in business that good-will is the
foundation of prosperous trade, and that hostile relationships do not
pay.

How often has one read this type of appeal in England. The sentences
are taught in English commercial correspondence classes:

"I want to make a proposition to you, a strictly commercial
proposition. How can we help one another to do more business? How can
we be mutually serviceable to one another? Think it over. I do you a
good turn now because I know you are certain to be in a position by and
by to do me a good turn."

It has been open for England to say this to Germany, France, Serbia,
Czecho-Slovakia, the United States, and to many other countries, but
for some reason or other we have held off. We have substituted another
and not very worthy phrase, "Let them stew in their own juice,"
forgetting that if we let them stew there we shall stew, too, in ours.
And it is not likely to be a very good stew.

"The Times" has given its powerful influence to promote the idea of an