Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-27
wrecked by a sheil and the ofacef in II

killed.
He makes his headquarters in b
ruined cottage. The Germans have
not shelled this zone for months. Now
they lob q few heavy ones over. One
bursts outside the window OF his room,
and huge jagged piece of cast steel
whizzes in and smashes the back of his
chair. But he is not in the chair. Just
before the bombardment began he went
outside, and now he returns and sur
veyS, With q sensation he is now ac-
customed to-a sensation that ne has
been n1iraculously preserved by some
power beyond his imagination-the
missile that would have broken and
ripped him Ike an egg struck by an ak.
The same luck, the same agility, have
carried him without serious harm
through his long political career, Back
from the South African war, he plunged
into Tory politics. The Tories, cashing
in on their, war, used him as the draw
card at their meetings The party
chieftains competed for his services as
speaker In the various constituencies,
He himself was, triurnphartly elected
for the cotton city OF Bolton.
Then he set to work to make him
self independent so he could devote
his time and energy to politics. He
had $4,000, proceeds Of his war books
and war correspondence. and In five
months he Increased that to $50 900 by
lecture tour in England and America.
He sent this money to the family friend,
Sir Ernest Cassel, the German born
firancier with instruction to feed my
family is not rich. Churchill has al.
ways earned his own living)
welcomed BY Liberals.
But It was not long before he fell
out with his party and went over to
the Liberals, then beginning their long
run OF power which lasted from 1906
up TO the World War. The Liberals
OF their enemies, and rewarded him
with rapid promotion. Under Lloyd
George he became a coalitionist and
then he found a home In the Tory
camp again when Baldwin crushed the
coalition, and was made Baldwin's
chancellor of the exchequef.
But he Is suspect. He is held to be
an unsound party man (his father was
before him, repudiating his leader and
trying to form fourth. party.
Today his future is a fascinating rid
die. After the war he tried to per-
suade the people that they were men
aced by the Red Peril, but the people
failed to become aroused. Now he has
hitched his wagon to the indian comet,
with what eventual results We shall see.
There have been times when his sin
Of his is not one of them. He has been
accused Of playing for Rothermere sup
port, and certainly he never disdains
newspaper favor. But he is an i'm
perialist, and while he can see the need
for an honorable settlement of the long.
drawn-out Irish feud,. and detachedly
adnnires men like Michael Collins
whom his supporters in this present
Indian business were calling a murderer
and a gunman), he is moved to wrath
at the spectacle of the great Indian
handed over to the native politicians
and lawyers of the Home Rule party
by pro-consuls whom he regards as
pusillanimous and home politicians
whom he regards as either sentimental
and weakened or merely Socialists
bent upon breaking up the empire.
IT the Indians got together as ma
ton and challenged Britain In the field,
and dealt her some doughty blows, he
would be among the first to advocate
peace settlement on home rule lines.
He adrnires military prowess and Is Will
ing to admit 1t to equality. But the
seething movements Of Tnobs, the pas
Sive resistance of the non-co-uperstive
campaigns, the spasmodic outbreaks of
terrorisrn-these, in his view, are syrnp-
toms Of Oriental inferiority, to be
crushed by the white overload.
Although he has supported progress
sive movements, he remains, all through.
the aristocrat in sympathy with social
reforms and new ages only so long as
they offer him opportunities. for the ex-
preston of his own personality, only so
long as he can surf-ride their waves to
power. privilege and high office. Moth
ing austere or disinterested about him.
He likes the good things of life and
takes them with both hands.
AS men go now, he Is really in the
prime Of life. More and more he looks
to me like Scipio thrown into an age
which denies him a Hannibal. Or per-
haps he was born too early. His son
has told American audiences and the
Sunday newspapers what he would do
If he were dictator Of England. The
father, If he were 20 today might not
have stopped short at words.