battle which has not yet been, and which may never be at this juncture
fought. I have seen enough of the ups and downs of real war to know
how foolish forecasts of that character often are. But when an army
has been brought into the field in the best condition, in the largest
possible numbers, in a spirit of the highest enthusiasm, at the most
favourable season, and on the best possible ground--then I think, when
our army has been brought into that situation, we can afford to await
the supreme arbitrament with a cool and serene composure; and this
mood of composure and of calmness may ripen into a kind of joyous and
warlike heartiness, if we can also feel that the cause for which we
are fighting is broadly and grandly a true and righteous cause.
Error, of course, there is always in all human affairs--error of
conception, error of statement, error of manner, error of weakness,
error of partisanship. We do not deny that, but strip both the great
political Parties which to-day present themselves before the people of
Britain, strip them of their error, strip them of that admixture of
error which cloys and clogs all human action, divest them of the
trappings of combat in which they are apparelled, let them be nakedly
and faithfully revealed. If that were done, cannot we feel soberly and
assuredly convinced that, on the main contested issues of the day,
upon the need of social organisation, upon the relations between the
two Houses of Parliament, upon the regulation and control of the
liquor traffic, upon a national settlement with Ireland as we have
made with Africa, upon Free Trade, upon the land--upon all of them
separately, still more upon all of them together, if we ask ourselves
in our most silent and reflective mood alone--cannot we feel a sober
conviction that, on the whole, we hold the larger truth?
_Printed by Hazell, Watson & Viney, Ld., London and Aylesbury._
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