Crown can be a friend of any Member of this House, let alone a Minister."

If anyone were to take exception to the accuracy of some of the PRIME
MINISTER'S historical allusions in his post-Spa oration he would doubtless
reply, "I don't read history; I make it." He was tart with the Turks,
gratulatory to the Greeks, peevish with the Poles and gentle to the
Germans. The German CHANCELLOR and Herr VON SIMONS were described as "two
perfectly honest upright men, doing their best to cope with a gigantic
task." Their country was making a real effort to meet the indemnity; it was
not entirely responsible for the delay in trying the war-criminals, and
even in the matter of disarmament was not altogether blameworthy. The
Bolshevists also were handled more tenderly than usual. Their reply was
"incoherent" rather than "impertinent"--it might have been drawn up by a
WEDGWOOD-KENWORTHY-CECIL-BOTTOMLEY-THOMAS syndicate. Still they must not be
allowed to wipe out Poland, foolish and reckless as the Poles had been.

A well-informed speech was made by Mr. T. SHAW, evidently destined to be
the Foreign Minister of the first Labour Cabinet. Having travelled in
Russia he has acquired a distaste for the Soviet system, both political and
industrial, and is confident that no amount of Bolshevist propaganda will
induce the British proletarian to embrace a creed under which he would be
compelled to work.

_Thursday, July. 22nd._--The Peers held an academic discussion on the
League of Nations. Lords PARMOOR, BRYCE and HALDANE, who declared
themselves its friends, were about as cheerful as JOB'S Comforters; Lord
SYDENHAM was frankly sceptical of the success of a body that had, and could
have, no effective force behind it; and Lord CURZON was chiefly concerned
to dispel the prevalent delusion that the League is a branch of the British
Foreign Office.