Mr. Shaw-Lefevre, in distributing the prizes last week to the
Reading Volunteers, took occasion to congratulate them on the continued success of the movement, which has now lasted for six- teen years, in spite of all the prophecies that we should relapse into our old lethargy. Mr. Lefevre even intimated that since the growth of Germany into a first-rate Power, and the loss of military pre- dominance and prestige by France, there might have been some excuse for such a relapse, since "he could recollect no case in which this country had been involved in a quarrel with Germany, and he had no reason to believe there would be any for the future." "He did not believe it could be for the interest of Germany to quarrel with the only other great Protestant Power in Europe." Having-thus explained how it is now almost a work of supererogation,—a meritorious work, beyond anything that can be required of us for working out our own national salvation,— to keep up an efficient Velunteer force, he went on to exhort his audience not to faint in their prosecution of it. But even if he succeeded in persuading them to continue their work in spite of the effect of his own argument, we would sug- gest that the argument was not sound. We have been at war with the United States, which is a great Protestant Power, once (in 1812), and very near it a second time ; we have been at war with Russia, which is certainly not a Roman Catholic Power ; we have been at war with Holland, which is a small Protestant Power ; and even in our wars with France, which is, no doubt, a great Catholic Power, religion has comparatively seldom been the cause of war. As for the fact of our never having had any misunderstanding with Germany before, it is not much to the point. Even an infant Hercules does not begin to inspire awe till he is sui juris, and out in the world on his own account ; and this has only just happened to Germany.
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