Evening star., 1924-11-12
DECLARES BR|TONS
LOOK TOWARD U. S.
Geddes Says Dominions Find
Understanding Here Lack
ing in London.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
LONDON, November I'm a lec-
ture describing the United States as
one of the great empires of the
world, Sir Auckland Geddes, former
British Ambassador to America. yes
terday told an audience of 5000 at
Westminster Hall how profoundly
American thought was influencing
the United Kingdom, and to ap even
greater extent the British dominions.
The British dominions that look out
on the Pacific, he said, feel that in
Washington there is an instructive
outstanding of their difficulties
which when they come to London
they have to explain laboriously in
Downing Street"
The speaker seemed to surprise
some in the audience with the remark
that when the dominions look to the
mother country and find no satisfac-
tory understanding they are apt to
look to Washington, and Washington.
with inviting eyes, will look back at
them"
Sees Leadership Yielded.
The far-fung British Empire, Sir
Auckland said, has yielded the lead
ership of the world, in many respects,
to the compact empire of the United
arms conference as an example.
The former ambassadors address
was the first of series of Page
memorial lectures given in memory
of the former American Ambassador
to Great Britain and was delivered
with many dignitaries surrounding
the speaker. The Earl of Balfour,
as chairman of the meeting, intro
duced Sir Auckland, and Premier
flYA
thanks of the audience, which Ameri-
can Ambassador Kellogg seconded.
Premier Baldwin declared the
proper solution of the question of
Anglo American relations meant the
peace of the world.
Taught by America.
The greatest lesson we, as a coun-
try, ever learned we learned from
America $50 years ago" said he she
taught us how to manage our colo
nies happily. AS does not always
happen, we got a second chance to
learn while the world was young
enough to permit of colonial expan-
sion. l always think we English
people, in thinking of America, ought
to remember what it was that drew
people of our stock overseas to
America. First, it was to obtain
complete freedom of conscience; sec
Oliu, 10 make Il new start, and third.
to be quit of Europe"
Concluding the premier said that in
the future the sea must be highway
and not separator.
Speaking of the dominions and their.
relation to England, Sir Auckland, in
his lecture, said:
The dominions speak of us as the
motherland and of our Parliament as
the mother of parliaments | think
a n e let = hn
er. which is affectionate in intention,
makes that tribute of something OF
old age, if not senility, in regard to
our institutions.
Look to Washington.
They look upon the government
or Washington as of their own gem
Grafton, and any one who knows OF
what the people of our sister do
minions are thinking knows that
some of them, particularly those who
look out on the Pacific. feel that in
Washington there is an instructive
understanding of difficulties which
When they come to London they have
laboriouSly to explain in Downing
street.
In Canada American newspapers,
magazines and goods are all there;
an invisible border divides the terri
tories under the British flag and the
and re-pass that border and play the
same games with one another without
knowing anything of the difference
IN nationalitieS
1t often happens that when our
dominions look to us here there is
no sympathetic answer, no under
standing, and they look to Washing
ton. And Washington is not devoid of
eyes and will look back at them"
Influence IL Exercised.
The speaker declared that Ameri-
Ca, because of her compactness, and
unity, exercises an influence on the
British Empire in a way in which no
influence radiating from a British
source affected America. This was be-
cause, he explained, the British en-
pire was diversified, rather than COM
pact.
Walter Page, before the war" he
said, was able to see that this great
empire, owing to it's conscious
diversity, was likely to yield more
and more to a compact empire. IT is
no use to pretend that America does
not at this time profundly influence
US and the empire. We know we have
yielded the position of leadership TO
America in connection with the work
designed for the higher service of
humanity.
believe that throughout the
United States there is a desire to CO.
operate with all parts of the British
Empire, with an occasional exception,
which L think is rather vague, of CO.
operating with England"
Premier Baldwin, taking the same
tack as Sir Auckland, declared that
important as was Columbus discov-
cry In its time, there has been no
more important discovery TODAY than
the discovery of England by Amerf-
cans and the discovery of America
by Englishmen
The premier paid tribute to Lord
Balfour and Sir Auckland by refer
ring to them as distinguished ex-
plorers," well fitted to interpret
America to Britons. He declared that
IF people could only be persuaded
to refrain from public speaking until
they were qualified as interpreters,
things would be much better on both
sides of the Atlantic