to have counted much on the
Irish uprising, which came to pass at all only because of the
customary English stupid bungling; and the net result has been only
to put the mass of the Irish on their mettle to show that they are
not Sinn Feiners. The final upshot will be to strengthen the
British Army. God surely is good to this bungling British
Government. Wind and wave and the will of High Heaven seem to work
for them. I begin to understand their stupidity and their
arrogance. If your enemies are such fools in psychological tactics
and Heaven is with you, why take the trouble to be alert? And why
be modest? Whatever the reason, these English are now more cocky
and confident than they've been before since the war began. They
are beginning to see results. The only question seems to be to hold
the Allies together, and they seem to be doing that. In fact, the
battle of Verdun has cemented them. They now have visible proof
that the German Army is on the wane. And they have trustworthy
evidence that the blockade is telling severely on the Germans.
Nobody, I think, expects to thrash 'em to a frazzle; but the almost
universal opinion here is that the hold of militarism will be
shaken loose. And the German High Canal Navy--what's to become of
that? Von Tirpitz is down and out, but there are thousands of
Germans, I hear, who complain of their naval inactivity. But God
only knows the future--I don't. I think that I do well if I keep
track of the present....

My kindest regards to Mrs. House,

Yours very heartily,
W.H.P.

_To Edward M. House_

London, 25 May, 1916.

DEAR HOUSE:

No utterance by anybody has so stirred the people of this kingdom
for many months as Sir Edward Grey's impromptu speech last night in
the House of Commons about Peace, when he called the German
Chancellor a first-class liar. I sent you to-day a clipping from
one of the morning papers. Every paper I pick up compliments Sir
Edward. Everyone says, "We must fight to a finish." The more
sensational press intimates that any Englishman who uses the word
"peace" ought to be shot. You have never seen such a rally as that
which has taken place in response to Sir Edward's cry. In the first
place, as you know, he is the most gentle of all the Cabinet, the
last man