Lord Derby made a very striking speech at Huddersfield on
Thursday, at the opening of a new school for technical educa- tion, on the prospects of revival in trade. He showed that, as compared with 1870, England is getting richer, not poorer; and that an arrest of progress for two or three years, which is common to all the great industrial States, including our own, has happened often enough before, and does not imply any permanent arying-up of the sources of prosperity. As regards the United States, he quite admitted that so great a continent, with such a people and the resources of forty Englands in it, would one day be the leading commercial Power in the world; but at present he did not think they were in possession of our advantages, especially while they stick to the system of Protection. As for the com- petition of European States, he did not think any of them could come near us. If it were only for the militarism and the great conscript armies, and that secret dislike to commercial enterprise which always lies at the root of a military policy, they would be at a great disadvantage, as compared with us; but not the less, he enjoined on our capitalists and artisans greater willingness to compromise their differences with each other, and more efficient work during the hours of work. He concluded his speech by denying that 4‘ the gunpowder and glory business" was compatible with hearty industrial development, and intimating that nations which chose the one career should be content to resign the other. ‘‘ The gunpowder and glory business" is certainly not so flourishing as it was. May it soon go into liquidation !
