At the Church House on Wednesday afternoon the National Service
League held its annual meeting under the chairman- ship of Lord Milner. Lord Milner in his address, though he stood firm to the principles of national service and universal military training, refused to say or do anything which would embarrass the present Government, or to seize the opportunity of the war to carry forward the special programme of the League. All he asked for was the recognition of the principle that all men must be compelled to serve the State in its great need. Mr. Harold Cox, who was the other chief speaker at the meeting, delivered an admirable address in favour of compulsion and the immediate establishment of a national register. What made biz words specially interesting was the fact that before the war he was a vigorous opponent of any form of compulsion. In the changed circumstances Mr. Cox has changed his mind, and is not ashamed to say so. The result of this frank acknowledgment is that his country- men will realize that he is not only a courageous man but a sensible man. When will the ordinary politician understand that the acknowledgment of an honest change of mind does not shake confidence in a public man, but inspires it?
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