July at.
The sages summoned from all arts of the Earth—except confer at South Kensington leaving the Geological Mus to the more legitimate tenancy of the fossils. The project failed. Graceful speeches farewell, streaked faintly with suggestions of an early opportunity to say ax revoir, in vein of the old Victorian musichhall ditty, have not concealed that essential fact. Whether the historian of the future will attach the slightest importance to this fiasco cannot possibly be judged. The attempt to lay the foundation for an international support of the world's economic fabric may be compared with that conference of over 4,000 avert the
cataclysm, the nations endea-recurrence a wide-world youred in conclave to build a common tower of refuge. At Babel there was one universal tongue and, therefore, Tanguage difficulty. but success was not. achieved. Out of a desire to get the obsequies over Jas quickly as possible, London dispensed with interpreters in [the final phase of its Conference. Babel ended in conditions which, for the first time, made the inter" prefer a necessary factor in human intercourse. Babel is supposed to have broken up in failure because of a lack of understanding. London's failure may be attributed to a too acute perception of the meaning of words. Both Conferences had this in common: they" were wrecked on the conflict of plans for the construction fo the refuge desire Records of the Babel fiasco many nations. That which Dossessed by most familiar to English-speal ing people and is succinctly graphic, turns immediately from the tale of disaster to a prosaic Jessay in genealogical resee [Similarly the delegates now di persing have to sive place in the Jcurrent chronicles to the routine of family: life—breaking up for the holidays, departures search of recreation and, with it all, the usual births, marriages Jand deaths.
The London Conference could not take the world on its should-Individual nations ps of nations, like the British Empire, have saluted the colleagues of their recent adventure and have decided to take measures for their own preservation. In reality, this must be a limited enterprise. Full responsibility for future events can be assumed only by one entity. He is the modern Atlas. who keeps the heaven and the earth asunder by the strength boulders and the muscles calves. To look at he He belies all noti of physical power, He ha nothing of the demigod about him, Demagogues leave him cold. Conferences bewilder him. Yet this galaxy of all economic talent has perforce to leave him that which it failed to do in the inspiring surroundings of the Geological Museum. Even his name is obscure: some call him the "Little Man," others the "Man-in-the Street," others simply and reverently the "Taxpayer." Whatever the Conference may do, that modest minded individual is not likely to alter his routine. Even the thought that the burden of the world is thus officially admitted to rest once more upon is shoulders sends him into no spasm of hysteria. He goes on the principle of taking things as they come. In for example, is comprised in the arrangements to be made for celebrating the annual holiday which is fixed for Monday next. Given fine weather—or even without it—the Little Man will be acquiring a temporary tan_at the seaside, on the tops of motor-buses, in the country lanes, on the comin the parks, on the lazy, ike streams. He bri the economic issues of moment on one side. They cai remain on his desk for attention when his holiday is completed He is not disin He haps, mildly irritated at the way in which his pastors and masters pin their faith apparently to the mysteries of Babel, He has his compensations in the knowledge that, whatever reached, action will devolve upon him. The knowledge is not without its irenic" pangs. Although he would not claim the gift of leadership or skill in statecraft and, in fact, demands that those qualities should be exercised by the men whom he calls statesmen when they do well and politicians when they he fai realises that the penalty of disagreement in high council: has to be paid by him, He is ell: named "Atlas", the endurer.
While, therefore, the process of international consultation must of necessity be developed and must be encouraged to recover from such set-backs as that now experienced in London, the world's stability and sanity must depend in the last resort on the rank and file of humanity. So long as man' can concentrate on the little destiny eireumscribed by the adventures of birth, "lage and death, there is no real fear for fate of civilisation. An ingrained: sense -of the requirements of: self-preservation helps greatly to steady the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.