THE COVENANT OF THE LEAGUE
[To the Editor of THE SpEcrAToR] Sra,—In the most recent of his brilliant contributions to The Spectator, Mr. Harold Nicolson remarks that the Covenant of the League of Nations seems to him to be based "upon a psychological fallacy. It assumes a state of mind which, if it existed, would have rendered . . . the Covenant unnecessary."
The Covenant combines a first attempt at world constitution with a Declaration of Interdependence by the States member, of the League. A different "state of mind" among the nation, might perhaps have removed the need for some of the pro- visions of the Covenant. But surely Mr. Nicolson does not hold that a nation or society of nations might do without any government whatever, merely because an ideally harmonious "state of mind" prevailed among its citizens or members Without a secretariat and other machinery for international co-operation such as the League established at Geneva, how could a society of agreed nations achieve together any of those things—for example, in the field of public health—which all desire but none is able to accomplish separately?—! am, Sir,
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