13 JULY 1912, Page 3

On Monday Mr. Chamberlain celebrated his seventy-sixth birthday. He was

in London and received congratulations from every part of the world. It was decided to raise a fund, limited to shilling subscriptions, in honour of the occasion and to ask Mr. Chamberlain to name the cause to which the money should be devoted. It is now six years since Mr. Chamber- lain was forced by illness to retire from active politics, yet the wide regard for his personality and the deep concern for his welfare are proofs of the affection which Englishmen have for a statesman who has his vision and tries to convey its grandeur to others in earnest and unambiguous language.