Having spent many years in the Civil Service, I have
come to the conclusion that most experienced Civil Servants are indifferent to political or economic theories and that the only thing that they really object to is light or variable winds. The tenacity of any given Minister is therefore of the utmost importance. Under a Minister whose policy is governed by little puffs of expediency and not by the settled wind of principle, the crew become inert and disaffected, the rope slaps against the mainsail, and the department becomes no more than a painted ship upon a painted ocean. Yet how rapidly can the courage of a Minister communicate itself to his Department. Mr. Churchill's vehement vigilance not only thunders along the corridors of Whitehall but sends the dust flying in the most somnolent of our Imperial outposts. Mr. Eden's tremendous popularity with the Foreign Service have given new energy and hope to many a jaded Vice-Consul. And Mr. R. S. Hudson, with his stubborn and unbending vigour, has made many tired limbs tingle and come alive.
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