Evening star., 1927-08-15
Baldwin i'm His Shirt Sleeves
Viewed as Symbolical of New Day

When Prime Minister Baldwin OF
Great Britain shed his coat while ad.
dressing the Canadian Club at Mon
treal with the Prince of Wales pres.
ent, he started a world d-wide discus
sion. Some American observers are
inclined to view the act as symbolical,
even though tho premier may not
have intended to do anything except
seek comfort on a hot night.
1.-THE United States has usually as
sumed a monopoly in the field Of shirt
sleeve diplomacy" remarks the In
dianapoliS Star. Sometimes that
method may have seemed rather crude
to the Journalism of the Old World, in.
clined to chide the impetuous haste
Of Yankee leaders who rush directly
to the heart of the matter at hand.
That the statesmen of Britain are not
averse at times to emulating the ex.
ample. of their American cousins was
demonstrated at Montreal.
Mr.. Baldwin was endeavoring to
drive home some facts to a group of
hard-headed business men and he Felt
that formality, which might prevent
him from getting next to his hearers,
would be dissipated if he removed the
coat and gave number of shirt
sleeved thumps on the table,"
Asserting that prime Minister
Baldwin was quite in character when
he talked to the business men of Can
ada in his shirt sleeves" the New
York Times continues: His subject
was no academic matter. He was out
in the works with the men of the EN-.
pire. He was doing what he said
Great Britain was out to decorating
an atmosphere. In him John Bull
with his coat off was impersonate
Difficulties? Yes. But there never
has been time with us when Britain
has shouldered her burdens more
manfully.' Though suffering from
the loss OF whole generation of
young men, yet we have determined
to make good The older men have
undertaken to stick to it, till the
young ones of the new generation are
ready to take on"
There was nothing symbolical in.
tended" in the judgment of the Fort
Worth Star-Telegram, "but what the
prime minister of Great Britain was
not afraid to do on a day of irving
heat is nevertheless a symbol of what
Great Britain Is doing in these try.
ing years. Whatever fault NAV
be found with Britain, none can be
found with her courage. Facing eco.
nomic problems greater than those
in nearly every other European
country, Britain has never abandoned
confidence. She works at new tasks
with persistent courage. Britain has
taken off her coat"
While speaking of the occasion as
probably the first time in the his
tory of the exclusive Canadian or
that the principal speaker
addressed the company in his shirt
sleeves" the Watertown Daily Times
believes that this was done exclu-
sively in the interest of comfort, but
at the same time it was an excellent
opportunity for the prime minister to
get down and have a real heart-to-
heart talk with the leading men of
the coat" continues the Watertown
paper, took with it that feeling
of artificial restraint. The
prince represents the throne, the in
visible tie Of sentiment which holds
the empire together. He represents
the line of descent from the day of
William the Conqueror, and even ear
lier. The prime minister represents |
not so much the sentimental side of |
the empire, but the practical side. He |
is not the figurehead, but a man In |
his shirt sleeves. who, with his asso. |
ciates, makes the DECISIONS
\
OF the general qualities of MFR. Bald. |
win the Toronto Star says: Gun
dazzled by his proximity to royalty |
and unelated by his own eminence, he |
goes his way in Canada. meeting high |
and low, great and small, the many |