still for us across the British Channel, is
this war to involve the longthreatened
revenge of France for her defeats in
1870, the invasion of Belgium and
Luxemburg, and, perhaps, Holland, and,
finally, a world-war of the British
against the German Empire and its
allies?
The least blunder of our diplomacy
and statecraft, the least persistence in
any miscalculation of forces which may
have taken place may involve our peoples
in a struggle by sea, land, and air out of
which, even if we come victorious, we
shall be incredibly maimed and im-
poverished. Moreover, our very victory
as the partisans of Teuton or of Slav,
or the ally of France (and consequently
of Russia) may upset the balance of
power in Europe or Asia to our great
disadvantage.
How Britain is Situated.
As things stand we have no interests
at stäke in this clash of ambitions
between the Powers of Central and of
Eastern Europe. We are friends with
both—with, I should say, all—parties.
The prosperity of Russia stimulates
British commerce; the prosperity of Ger-
many and of Austria-Hungary, similarly,
is good for British and for British Im¬
perial trade. Our commercial dealings
with Servia are on the up-grade. We
should like to see all participants in the
great renaissance of Eastern Europe
happy and contented and satisfied as to
their ambitions. But if they are not, and
are about to resort to the arbitrament of
arms to ad just their Claims, well, it
should be no concern of ours provided it
did not lead to two developments-the
aggrandisement of Russia in Europe or
the defeat of France by Germany, with
a consequent German irruption into Bel¬
gium and Holland.
