On Thursday night Lord Milner was entertained at dinner at
the Hotel Cecil by a large and distinguished company. Lord Milner, whatever may be his faults as an adminis- trator, is eminently distinguished for reticence, good taste, modesty, and a desirt to sink his own personality in what he believes to be the good of the Empire, and these characteristics were amply displayed in his impressive speech,—a speech in which sincerity and deep feeling were the dominant notes. We cannot but regret that the tone and temper exhibited by Lord Milner, and also in the admirable speech of Lord Curzon, were not equally con- spicuous in that of the chairman, Mr. Chamberlain. Save, however, for an occasional blemish in this respect, the speech was not unworthy of the subject and the occasion. We have always maintained that Lord Milner did his duty in South Africa before the war and during the war, and hold that the nation and the Empire owe him a deep debt of gratitude. To say this, however, is not to place Lord Milner upon a pinnacle as a man who can do no wrong, or to make it lese-majest4 to criticise him or his work. It will be an evil day for the Empire if the great servants of the State are to be regarded as a sort of Dalai Lamas,—sacrosanct persons above free debate. We are glad to be able to add that Lord Milner himself has never claimed any such immunity, and that his speech emphasised, like that of Lord Curzon, the non-party character of Empire.
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