From ‘A Proud Moment for Unionists’, The Spectator, 19 December 1914:
The plight of Belgium was none the less only one of the causes which made it imperative for Britain to take up arms. It is always agreeable when stating a case for oneself to emphasize one’s most chivalrous motives. It is for this reason alone, so far as we can discover, that when an Englishman is asked to-day what reasons drove his country into war, he will say : ” We were bound to protect Belgium.” So we were; and if there had been no other reason we must have joined the issue with Germany. But, as it happened, there were other very cogent reasons —so cogent that, in our opinion, we should not have hesitated for one instant about going to war even if the violation of Belgian territory had never been dreamed of by Germany.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in