The motion before the House was "That Nazi aggression has
left no room for neutrality today." The University of Oxford has always been justly proud of its irrelevance, and the Union has for generations cultivated the excellent habit of diverging from the point. As the debate proceeded, the sub- ject under discussion was edged further and further into the background and we enjoyed an excellent tirade upon the wrongs of India and a long and most original description of a bull-fight in Spain. The case for the neutrals was, in the absence of the Rumanian Minister, put by Mr. Arnold Vas Dias, the London correspondent of the Amsterdam Telegraaf, who spoke with dignity and wit. Although the motion was carried against him by a small majority, the moral victory was his. He reminded us that the neutrals have their sense of honour as much as any belligerent. He reminded us that there is such a thing as being proud to be a small Power. He reminded us, with great delicacy of phrase, that once the police start looting they become more formidable even than the burglars. He was most effective.
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