Mr. Chamberlain's peroration indeed made a profound impression upon the
House, which knows that • he does not resort easily to the language of emotion. He drew a picture of Europe settling its quarrels by consent instead of being permanently divided into hostile camps with the certainty that the children or the grandchildren of the present generation would take up arms to slaughter one another with much more thoroughness than was possible for us :- " A new chance is given to us. I see in these proposals the possible dawn of a better day. Without our help nothing will be done ; without our help we shall march surely, though slowly, to a new disaster. With our help the war chapter may be brought to a close and _a real triumph of peace may begin. The British Empire, detached from Europe by its Dominions, linked to. Europe by these islands, can do what no other nation on the face of the .earth can do ; and from East and West alike there comes to me the cry, ' After all, it is in the hands of the British Empire ; if they will that there shall be no war, there shall be no war.' "
