the ascent. I will give you my reason. Russia herself has been taught by this collapse the muchneeded lesson that an army without discipline is a mere rabble where the brave are sacrificed to protect cowards. The French Revolution quickly taught that lesson, otherwise the Prussians and the Austrians would have quenched French liberty in the blood of its sons.

"Both Eyes on Victory."

While the Army is fighting so valiantly let the nation behind it be patient, be strong, and, above all, united. The strain is great on nations and on individuals, and when men get over-strained tempers get ragged, and small grievances are exaggerated, and small misunderstandings and mistakes swell into mountains. Long wars, like long voyages and long journeys, are very trying to the temper, and wise men keep watch on it and make allowances for it. There are some who are more concerned about ending the war than about winning it, and plans which lead to victory, if they prolong the conflict, have their disapproval, and the people who are responsible for such plans have their condemnation. Let us keep our eye steadily on the winning of the war. May I say let us keep both eyes? Some have a cast in their eye, and while one eye is fixed truly on victory, the other is wandering around to other issues or staring stonily at some pet or partisan project of

their own. Beware of becoming cross-eyed! Keep both eyes on victory. Look neither to the right nor to the left. That is the way we shall win. If anyone promotes national distrust or disunion at this hour he is helping the enemy and hurting his native land. And it makes no difference whether he is for or against the war. As a matter of fact, the hurt is deeper if he is for the war, because whatever the pure pacifist says is discounted and, as far as the war is concerned, discredited.

Let there be one thought in every head. If you sow distrust, discontent, disunion, in the nation we shall reap defeat. If, on the other hand, we sow the seeds of patience, confidence, and unity, we shall garner in victory and its fruits. The last ridges of a climb are always the most trying to the nerves and to the heart, but the real test of great endurance and courage is the last few hundreds or scores of feet in a climb upwards. The climber who turns back when he is almost there never becomes a great mountaineer, and the nation that turns back and falters before it reaches its purpose never becomes a great people. You have all had experience in climbing, no doubt— perhaps in Wales. Any mountaineer can start; any sort of mountaineer can go part of the way; and very often the poorer the mountaineer, the greater is his ardour when he does start; but fatigue and danger wear out all but the stoutest hearts, and even the most stout-hearted sometimes fail when they come to the last slippery precipice. But if they do turn back and after

wards look up and see how near they had got to the top, how they curse the faint-heartedness which bade them give up when they were so near the goal!

No one has any idea, no one in Britain, France, Italy, or Russia, nor in Germany, nor in Austria, how near the top we may be. A mere crag may hide it from our view. And there are accidents. Russia may have staggered for a moment, but she is still on the rope; in due time she will be up again climbing, strong-limbed and firm of purpose, and together we shall reach the summit of our hopes.

THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION.

EXTRACTS FROM A SPEECH DELIVERED IN THE TOWN HALL OF BIRKENHEAD ON BEING PRESENTED WITH THE FREEDOM

OF THAT CITY, SEPTEMBER 7TH, 1917.

THERE is no use disguising the fact that the news from Russia is disappointing. I have always believed in telling the truth and the whole truth to my countrymen, because I know full well that that is the way to get the best out of them. I have always thought that the Revolution, when it came, would have the effect of postponing victory. Revolutions may be good things or they may be bad things according to circumstances, but they do upset a country when they come. There is considerable disorganisation; it inevitably follows. I did expect an earlier recovery, but what I want to say is that we must exercise patience. The Russian leaders, who are able and very patriotic men, very loyal to the cause of the Alliance, know quite well what is at stake. If Russia were defeated and humiliated under the leadership of a Revolutionary Government large territories in Russia would be overrun, and many of them would be torn for ever from the side of Russia. The Germans are already referring to Riga-which they only captured a few hours ago-as the German town of Riga. The Russian leaders, I am

convinced, know that all this Revolution is at stake, and that the credit of democratic government in Russia and elsewhere is at stake. No people will readily forgive a system of government which cannot defend their native land against an invader. It is no mean part of the glory of the French Revolution that its sons, ill-clad, half starved, ragged, and tattered, still hurled back the armies of the invader, and kept France free. Those victories constitute the title-deeds of the French Revolution. Had the French Revolutionary leaders permitted anarchy to paralyse national defence their names would be held to-day in contempt in France, and the cause represented by the Revolution would have suffered, for Frenchmen are, above all, patriotic.

Liberty Must Be Defended.

But we must bear in mind that the Russians are repairing the machine which has broken down. They are repairing that machine under fire. They are attempting to repair the mismanagement of centuries under the most trying circumstances, and we must be patient. I feel confident that in the end they will succeed. They know too well that if the Kaiser's army gets to Petrograd it will not go there to establish a reign of liberty. The French revolutionary leaders knew this when, at the end of the eighteenth century, the Emperor of Austria and the King of Prussia-the same autocratic partnership-invaded France. And they