A SPECTATOR'S NOTEBOOK TT is safe to predict a signal
success for Mr. Eden in the United States next week. There is nothing Americans want to hear about more at the present time than the defence of democracy, and there is no subject on which Mr. Eden himself feels so deeply. His resignation impressed the United States ,considerably ; his personality will impress them at least as much. Out of office though he is,. he will provide one of those indispensable links which we ought to be forging all the time between the English-speaking nations, and there is no danger of his following the bad example of some. English speakers in America who think it well to demonstrate their own broadmindedness by public attacks on their own Governinent. It was rather surprising, by the way, that Mr. Eden took no part in the debate on the distressed areas in the House of Com- Mons on Monday. It is a subject on which he feels keenly ; he has been to see some of the special areas for himself; and he has been rather markedly exhibiting his interest in social questions generally. Probably he stayed away to prepare his speech for the crowded League of Nations Union meeting at the Queen's Hall the next evening. * * * * Mr. Quintin Hogg's contribution to the debate on. the Penal Reform Bill in the Home of Commons on Tuesday was one of the best maiden speeches the House has heard for a long time. But one of the oldest Members of the House made an interesting' comment on it. " He made one mistake," he said. " He spoke without a single note. " The House doesn't quite approve of that. A few notes give the impression that the speaker has paid the House the respect of preparing his speech with proper care." I have no doubt that is true. The House has its fixed conventions, and while it is desirable to speak well there it is possible to speak too well.
* * * * It is curious that the memory of Prince Charlie should have been revived for newspaper-readers on successive days this week, first by the announcement of the acquisition by the National Library of Scotland of some valuable docu- ments dictated by Flora Macdonald, and secondly by the fire at Dunvegan Castle, in Skye, where many relics both of the Prince and Flora Macdonald are preserved. The documents, which tell the story of the escape of the Prince Charlie from Benbecula, in the Outer Hebrides, to Skye with Flora Macdonald's help, serve as reminder that the romantic lady inseparably associated with the Prince's name actually shared his fortunes for no more than some 48 hours. Dunvegan used sometimes to be let far the summer, but the temporary tenants had to allow visitors over the Castle as usual two days a week and have them shown round. One English family on whom the duty was laid coached its butler in the duties of guide, and admirably he did his work, getting the story of the fairy flag and Flora Macdonald's corsets and much else word-perfect. But he • was almost tripped up one day. He had quite mendaciously ascribed a certain kilt among the relics to Prince Charlie, When a "perspicacious visitor asked pertinently why it was not the Stuart tartan. The situation was delicate, but the butler was equal to it: " Ah," he said impressively, " you forget his disguises." * * * * - This note expresses a far greater volume of gratitude than its compass can indicate. . I made a brief appeal last week for clothes or money for the Sudeten German refugees quartered in different parts of Surrey. The Spectator appears on Friday ; on Saturday responses began raining in on' the Rector" of Albury (the Rev. Philip Gray), whO is receiving and administering gifts, and by Sunday his cal was in danger of being evicted from its own garage by the suit-cases and sacks full of clothes and books thai were piling up behind it By Wednesday donations amounting to £120 had come in from Spectator readers. All will be needed, for in three guest- houses in the Albury-Guildford neighbourhood there are some eighty refugees, many of them university prof*Ors, doctors, lawyers and the, like, and another twenty are being installed this week a few miles away at Hohnbury. St. Mary. It is hoped that most or all of them will emigrate to the Dominions, liuf that takes time to arrange, and they are likely to be here for four or five months first; By singular good fortime the refugees have found honies in a Parish whose rector has a marked gift for organisation ; Mr. Gray has got a strong local committee' together, a clothing depot has been opened in an empty house in the village, a librarian appointed to deal with the German books given or lent, and other necessary and efficient arrangements made. Gifts of money 'would still be welcome, but no more clothes, please. * * * * I like one crisp little interchange on Palestine, as recorded by Mr. Lloyd George in his new book on the Peace Treaties. The mandate and the Balfour Declaration were under dis- cussion by a War Cabinet committee. in December, 1918. General Macdonagh, who was appearing before the com- mittee, quoted someone who had said to him that if the Jews did not get what they wanted in Palestine we should have the whole of Jewry turning Bolshevik. " Yes," com- mented Lord Cecil drily, " I can conceive the Rothschilds leading a Bolshevist mob." Here the record ends. * * * * I feel that I owe an apology (though none has been solicited) to Sir John Anderson for saying recently in this column that he was elected as a National Conservative--'-even though it may involve me in an apology to the National .Conservatives for apologising for calling anyone a National Conservative But truth is truth, and the truth in this case is that Sir John stood, and was elected, for the Scottish Universities simply as a National Government candidate. That is nct quite unimportant, for a day may come when it will be an advantage for potential leaders to be free from party labels. jANUS.
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