While our sympathies are very strongly with the young King
of,. Spain and with the Spanish people generally in their' most difficult task, we cannot disguise from ourselves that it is a great misfortune that the Spaniards should attempt in Morocco a task so much beyond their strength. Strange as it may seem in view of their history, the Spaniards are not suited to oversea Empire. The loss of their American and Philippine possessions, instead of proving a disaster to Spain, was the beginning of a period of prosperity. During the last ten years—that is, since the loss of her Empire—the internal and economic improvement in Spain has been very great. This fact seems to be instinct- ively realised by the Spaniards, who detest the notion of further oversea, adventures. We wish that there was any man strong enough in Spain at the present moment to insist that the wise thing for Spain to do would be to abandon Melilla, and even Ceuta, and to concentrate the whole of the national energies within the peninsula. We suppose that it is impossible to expect the King of Spain to take such a line himself, for, after all, he is a Constitutional Monarch, and bound by the decisions of his Cortes and his Cabinet. Yet, were it possible, we do not doubt that he would thereby gain the confidence and gratitude of his subjects.
