1 SEPTEMBER 1939, Page 16

It is this difference of conception which, to my mind,

is fundamental to the present conflict. It is true that we are fighting to maintain our own position as a Great Power, our own possessions, and eventually our own independence. It is true also that we are fighting to defend those principles of tolerance, truthfulness and individual liberty which the human race has evolved through two thousand years of tragic effort. It is true that we are fighting to prevent Europe from falling under the domination of a system which destroys the highest capacities of the human mind and soul. But it is also true, and fundamentally true, that we are fighting to re-establish among nations the rule of law and the sanctity of contract. Until order and honesty are again imposed upon the peoples of Europe we shall never attain that tranquillity of mind and conscience under which alone the good life can be lived. * * * *