Page:Great Speeches of the War.djvu/240

 My Lord Provost, do not let it be forgotten that it is from a Power whose intellectual leaders are imbued with the ideas which I have described, and whose generals in the field sanction, and even direct, these practices—it is from that Power that the claim proceeds to impose its culture, its spirit, which means its domination, upon the rest of Europe. [Cheers.] That claim, I say to you and to my fellow-countrymen and to every citizen and subject of the British Empire, whose ears or eyes my words can reach—that is a claim everything that is great in our past and everything that promises hope or progress in our future summons us to resist to the end. [Loud and continued cheers.]

The task, my Lord Provost—do not let us deceive ourselves—the task will not be a light one. Its full accomplishment, and nothing short of full accomplishment—[prolonged cheers]—is worthy of our traditions, or will satisfy our resolve. It will certainly take months, it may even take years. I have come here to-night, not to ask you to count the cost, for no price can be too high to pay when honour and freedom are at stake—[cheers]—but to put before you the magnitude of the issue and the supreme necessity that lies upon us as a nation, nay, as a brotherhood and family of nations, to rise to its height, and acquit ourselves of our duty. The war has now lasted more than six weeks. Our supremacy at sea—[cheers]—has not been seriously questioned. [Cheers.]

Full supplies of food and of raw materials are making their way to our shores from every quarter of the globe. [Cheers.] Our industries, with one or two exceptions, maintain their activity. Unemployment is so far not seriously in excess of the average. The monetary situation improves, and every effort that the zeal and skill of the Chancellor of the Exchequer—[cheers]—with the co-operation and expert advice that the bankers, and the business men of the country can devise, every effort is being made to achieve what is most essential—the complete reestablishment of the foreign exchanges. Meanwhile, the merchant shipping of the enemy has been hunted from the seas—[cheers]—and our seamen are still patiently—or impatiently—[laughter and cheers]—awaiting a chance of conclusions with the opposing fleet. Great and incalculable is the debt which we have owed during these weeks, and which in increasing measure we shall continue to owe, to our Navy. [Cheers.] The Navy needs no help. As the months roll on—thanks to a far-sighted policy in the past—its proportionate