men at the front depend upon the amount of war material we are
able to equip them with, success depends upon it, the lives of men
depend upon it. Everybody ought to do his best. There is no room for
slackers. ["Hear, hear!"] I don't want to get rid of the slackers, I
only want to get rid of their slackness--[laughter and cheers]--and we
really must.

In this war every country is demanding as a matter of right--not as a
matter of appeal--as a matter of right from every one of the citizens,
that he should do his best--[cheers]--and that is one of the problems
with which we have to deal in this country. It ought to be established
as a duty, as one of the essential duties of citizenship, that every
man should put his whole strength into helping the country through.
[Cheers.] And I don't believe any section of the community would
object to it, if it were made a legal right and duty expected of every
one. [Cheers.]

I don't know that I have anything further that I want specially to say
to you, because I want to get to business as quickly as possible. Sir
Frederick Donaldson of Woolwich Arsenal and Sir Percy Girouard are
here to answer any question you may put to them on the business of the
meeting. They can inform you on the technical side in a way that I
can't pretend to. I can only ask you to help us. I know that appeal to
you won't be in vain.

We are engaged in the greatest struggle this country has ever been
precipitated into. It is no fault of ours. ["Hear, hear!"] We sought
peace, we asked for peace, we avoided all the paths that led to war,
but we should have forever been dishonored if we had shirked the
conflict when it came. [Cheers.]

Harried into it, we are there to champion the deepest, the highest,
the greatest interest ever committed to the charge of any nation. Let
us equip ourselves in such a way that Great Britain through the war
will be still great, and when the war is over it will be a Greater
Britain than ever. [Cheers.]

[Illustration]

Balkan Neutrality--As Seen By the Balkans

Inspired Press Opinions from the Capitals of Greece, Bulgaria, and
Rumania

THE GREEK VIEW.

_From the Embros, an independent daily of Athens, of May 23, 1915._

In what degree the Triple Entente would have respected the rights of
Greece had we entered the war before Italy's intervention is
demonstrated by the conduct of the Allies toward Serbia. The whole of
the Adriatic is now an Italian sea, by virtue of