has been the attitude of Great Britain,
our once mother country. She has stood by us through thick and thin,
hurling defiance in the face of the world in her championship of us, and
rejoicing in our victories almost as if they were her own. This has done
more to bring the two great English-speaking nations together than
anything else could possibly have done, and will probably have far
reaching consequences in the future.

The Marquis of Lansdowne, the British Secretary of State of War, in a
recent speech, thus expressed himself:

"There could be no more inspiring ideal than an understanding between
two nations sprung from the same race and having so many common
interests, nations which, together, are predominant in the world's
commerce and industry.

"Is there anything preposterous in the hope that these two nations
should be found--I will not say in a hard and fast alliance of offense
and defense, but closely connected in their diplomacy, absolutely frank
and unreserved in their international councils, and ready wherever the
affairs of the world are threatened with disturbance to throw their
influence into the same scale?

"Depend upon it, these are no mere idle dreams or hazy aspirations. The
change which has come over the sentiment of each country toward the
other during the last year or two is almost immeasurable. One can
scarcely believe they are the same United States with whom, only two
years ago, we were on the verge of a serious quarrel.

"The change is not an ephemeral understanding between diplomatists, but
a genuine desire of the two peoples to be friends, and therefore it
cannot be laughed out of existence by the sort of comments we have
lately heard."

There is a poem which we cannot forbear to quote here, it is so fine in
itself and so expressive of the existing situation. The author is
Richard Mansfield, the eminent actor:

THE EAGLE'S SONG.

BY RICHARD MANSFIELD.

The Lioness whelped, and the sturdy cub
Was seized by an eagle and carried up
And homed for a while in an eagle's nest,
And slept for a while on an eagle's breast,
And the eagle taught it the eagle's song:
"To be staunch and valiant and free and strong!"

The Lion whelp sprang from the eerie nest,
From the lofty crag where the queen birds rest;
He fought the King on the spreading plain,
And drove him back o'er the foaming main.

He held the land as a thrifty chi