14 NOVEMBER 1914, Page 3

The speeches at the Lord Mayor's banquet at the Guildhall

on Monday were worthy of the spirit in which the nation is waging war. We wish we had space to summarize them, but must be content with much less. Mr. Balfour proposed the novel toast of "Our Allies." Mr. Churchill, who replied for the Navy, said that the Admirals had expressed to him in conversation their desire to offer more direct aid to the Army in the field, and yet had remembered that Cornwallis was nearly three years off Brest and Nelson more than two years off Toulon. " We are only just beginning," was their con- clusion. " Our turn will come." The doom of Germany was certain. Lord Kitchener said that he had no complaint to make so far of the response to his appeal for men, but he added : " I shall want more men—and still more." That, indeed, was the burden of his message to the country. Mr. Asquith said that we should not sheathe the sword until Belgium had recovered all, and more than all, she had sacrificed, till France was secure, till all the small nation- alities were safe, and till the military dominion of Prussia was finally destroyed. The Belgian Minister had a tremendous reception—excellent proof of the heartfelt sympathy which everywhere goes out to the little nation that has suffered more deeply than any country since the days of Louis XIV., and to its heroic King.