Especially must we condemn the insulting character of the questions
put in Parliament to Sir Edward Grey, in regard to which he displayed such strong disapproval. We congratulate him upon his courage and good sense in this matter. It would have been very much easier for him to have bowed to the storm. But to have done so would not only have been unjust to the Italians, but would have been hypocritical in a high degree. We can surely express our regret at what has happened without insulting the Italian people and making ill blood with a nation to which we are united by so many binds of sympathy. People have been far fiercer about the Italians than they were about the Armenian massacres or the recent massacre at Adana. Yet at Adana there was no state of war and, indeed, no pro- vocation whatever. The Christians were slaughtered merely because they were Christians. We have, of course, no desire to rake this up against the Turks, but one cannot help point- ing out the extraordinary want of proportion in the attacks upon Italy. It is very important that English influence should be exerted on the side of humanity, and that publics opinion should record a protest against the overdoing of military executions, but public opinion will be far less effectual if it is unfair and exaggerated than if it is calm, just, and reasonable.
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