A SPECTATOR'S NOTEBOOK
WITH the death of M. Venizelos another of the great figures of the post-War period disappears from the stage. They are going fast—as must inevitably be the case. Venizelos, of course, goes back far beyond the post-War years. It was in 1897 that he led the successful revolt of Crete against Turkish rule, and that was not his first revolutionary activity. But it was in 1919 that he took rank among international statesmen. His membership of the Commission that framed the League of Nations Covenant gave him his first standing-ground at Paris, and he leaped into the forefront in April of that year when Mr. Lloyd George had the brilliant— perhaps too brilliant—idea of inviting him to sit as one of the Council of Four when the disgruntled Signor Orlando temporarily shook the dust of Paris off his feet. Venizelos was exalted to heaven when at San. Remo in 1920 the Allies encouraged Greece to go in and make an Empire in Asia Minor, and cast down very nearly to hell when at Lausanne two years later he had to save what he could for his country from the victorious Turkish armies. I talked to him more than once at both places. The suave charm of his. manner --heightened by the effect of the black peaked cap above the silver moustache and beard—never varied. If he wanted a motto, in utrumque paratus were the pre- destined words.
* * There are at least two very good reasons why this country cannot even contemplate armed intervention in the Rhineland. One is the strength of the feeling against any kind of war anywhere, the other the unexpected tendency of the average man to rebel against France's exigences and condone Germany's treaty-breaking. The tendency may be . carried much too far—I think it is— and take too little account of hard facts--I think it does - -but there is question about its prevalence. As to pacifism generally, that too, I think, has wider range and deeper roots than is generally realised. An incident at Manchester last Sunday is instructive. A peace demon- stration, addressed by Mr. Lansbury, the . Rev. Henry Carter and other " hundred per cent. " pacifists, was to take place in the Free Trade Hall, which holds about 2,800 people. This building being crowded out, an overflow was held in the Albert Hall, capacity 2,300. Then the fairly capacious Friends' Meeting House had to be hastily requisitioned, and even so, according to the ..11anrhester Guardian, hundreds of . would-he demon, L-trators must have failed to get in anywhere.
• * * * I went on Wednesday to see Gilbert. Spencer's wall paintings at Holy well Manor, commissioned by Balliol College - an enterprise that has been well rewarded. The designs, which represent the legend of the foundation of Ralliol, show great advance both in largeness of plan and richness of invention over the Cotswold Farm, now in the Tate, which, for the general public, made the painter's name. Perhaps the most striking is the last scene—the first Balliol scholars in the library. Figures placed in a building, as every formal painter knows, tend to look like nine - pins in it skittle - alley. Matisse met the problem by reversing the perspective. But that trick looks like a trick, Spencer has related figures and building by a system of horizontals,. con- trasted with the verticals, which appears at .first sight' innocent and even clumsy. But to attempt the alter- ation of any part shows the dependence of every .other in an austere and sound construction. The man is also witty. Look at the white chicken taking a dust- bath in the bottom right hand corner of the second wall. That hen is a triumph. I don't know anyone else who could touch it. * * *_ The Government can no doubt find logical reasons to justify its refusal to permit the removal of Sir Roger Casement's body from.Pentonville, where he liei buried, to Ireland. Casement was tried and condenmed as a traitor and hanged in 1916. But it seems petty. It is worth remembering (though the cases are admittedly not on all fours) the reply of the Duke of Wellington when he was consulted as to whether he saw any objection to the removal of Napoleon's bones froni St. Helena to France : " Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington,' he wrote, (presents his compliments to Ha Majesty's Ministers. If they wish to knevi Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington's opinion as on a matter of public policy he must decline to give one. If, however, they wish only to consult him as a private individual, Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington has no hesitation in saying that he does not care one twopenny damn what becomes of. the • ashes of Napoleon
Buonaparte.'" ,
* .31t Mr. A. P. Herbert, I observe, has proposed to amend a motion put down in the House of Commons by Captain Ramsay. so that the words " should continue to explore every avenue " should read, " should leave no stone unturned." Pleasantly jocose, but, I. hopeMr. Herbert is not going to constitute himself. the chartered jester 'of the House of Commons. One.-,or two of his recent speeches rather suggest the possibility, The House may like being amused, but the. Member who merely amuses usually fails to impress. And there are many questions, notably divorce, on which, it is .desirable that Mr. Herbert should impress rather than amuse. Oxford, moreover, which has treated him so handSomely, has traditions to which her Parliamentary representatives owe some homage.
* * Sir Thomas Inskip's appointment as Co-ordinator 'of National Defence is first and foremost a challenge to Sir Thomas Inskip. No one thought of him for this-post. Everyone was surprised when he got it. In this . COW+ nexion he is an unknown quantity, and his capacity will be amply tested. But having. shown his competence in one field, as the Attorney-General undoubtedly. has, he may well be equal to demonstrating. it in another. After all it was a lawyer, Haldane, who did the greatest piece of work at the War Office since Cardwell (also a lawyer). But it does not follow that because Sir Thomas: Inskip is a lawyer he is a Haldane. And his job is a . good deal stiffer than Haldane's. At all events he will start with everyone's good wishes.
* - * * The Royal Insurance Company has published a very striking and effective photograph of a 'crowd 'of .6,500 people—the number killed in road accidents in Great Britain list year. The idea is interesting and the picture iMpressive—but I should like to have an affidavit from the chairman of the company that he has got- 6,503 people into his photograph: It looks
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