15 FEBRUARY 1913, Page 2

We congratulate Mr. Maxse upon his action and on fighting

the battle of the whole press with such spirit and ability. In our opinion he took the only course that an honourable man could have taken in refusing, no matter what the consequences to himself, to give up the names of people who had given him information on the understand- ing—for such was unquestionably the case—that he should in no circumstances betray their confidence. We venture to say that every English editor who was not lost to all sense of honour, or who cared for the good name of his profession, would have acted as Mr. Maxse acted in the circumstances in which he found himself. The attempt to coerce him into a breach of honour was in a high degree discreditable to those who made it.