Sept. 20.
If the League of Nations made Jo mistake in declining to declare [China re-eligible for re-election to Jo non-permanent seat on the [Council, it appears to have made a Jgreater one in the manner of its Jadmission of Russia to. membership. It has already been emphasized in these columns that there was about the proceedings a lack of dignity which could do thing but harm to the League in the eyes of the world at large and the exhibition of indecent haste to which the world has been treated, thas been rendered a more deplor-Jable spectacle by the course of events on Tuesday. Exactly three-quarters of the Assembly was in favour of the admission of Russia. Three countries voted against it, Jand seven abstained; those abstentions are noteworthy, for it would have been perfectly easy to have voted in favour, if the countries Jconcerned had so decided, though, Jot course, the number has to be reduced to five owing to the Jabsence of Germany and Japan, Following upon admission, Russia iwas invited to accept a permanent seat upon the League Council, and indeed granted a hospitality' that. Jean only be equalled by that cxtended to the man in poor raiment Jat the wedding feast. A swift transition indeed from an unwant-
Jed outsider to one of.the senior members. And that upon Russia's own terms. It has to be admitted, Jand it is readily done, that the Russia of to-day is very different from that of the days of Lenin and Trotsky, that it is easier to admit Jot the possible ce-operation with the*League, now, than would have been the case a few years ago. JAnd it is permissible to believe that there is about the government lof the Soviets a degree of per-Jmanency which makes it advisable welcome Russia into membership. From those points of view there is every justification for believing that a Russia in the League is better than a Russia outside.
What is to be regretted, how-lever, is the precipitate manner in which the admission has been effected, and the way in which the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.