Hail! Caesar

Ex-Premier David Lloyd George, accompanied by Dame Lloyd George and Miss Megan Lloyd George, arrived in the U. S. for the first time in his life.

It was difficult to determine whether Mr. George or the U. S. was the more impressed. Said the ex-Premier : " I want to see how you are solving your problems. We have our troubles in Europe--great troubles. You seem to have overcome them here. I'd like to know how."

The people of the U. S. made up for Mr. George's simple eloquence by the volume and intensity of their welcome--thousands of cheering citizens lined the streets of Manhattan to do homage to Britain's War-time Premier, one of the Big Four who directed the " War for Peace" after the 1918 armistices. The press extended a welcome that will never be forgotten by the ex-Premier; J. Butler Wright, Third Assistant Secretary of State, welcomed him to the U. S. in the name of President Coolidge.

On the afternoon of his arrival the Board of Directors of the United Press Associations tendered Mr. George a luncheon. Roy W. Howard, Chairman of the United Press, presiding, introduced the guest of honor, claiming him (in Mr. George's words) " as a very recent recruit to journalism."

Then Newton D. Baker, Secretary of War under the Wilson administration, arose to deliver a very able speech of welcome. Mr. Baker recalled the indefatigable energy with which Premier Lloyd George conducted his post during the War. Said he: " Great minds are needed for great matters, and history will always acknowledge the debt of civilization to the fact that England had Lloyd George and France had Clemenceau and Italy had Orlando and the U. S. had Woodrow Wilson at that time."

His speech was excellent in that it gave a good idea of the magnitude of the great man's mind; it was restrained and sober in that it avoided exaggeration and yet paid admirable tribute to a man whose greatness cannot fairly be contested even by his greatest enemies. Adapting what Shakespeare said of Cleopatra to David Lloyd George, Mr. Baker said:

" Age cannot wither him, nor custom stale His infinite variety." Concluding, the ex-Secretary of War turned to the ex-Premier and said: " You are welcome, sir, to the United States!"

Laying down his cigar Mr. Lloyd George arose. Standing with his pince-nez poised in his left hand and describing himself as a " plain Euro-pean," the ex-Premier said he was a very old journalist--once he was associated with The Trumpet of Freedom, which had a circulation of 500 a week, " except on fair-days, when it reached 1,000." He went on to give thanks for his splendid welcome, stating that " no Britisher talks of Americans as foreigners " and that " the real founder of the British Empire as we know it was George Washington." He then outlined the troubles of Europe and professed himself confident that the dark clouds would roll by.

The day following the ex-Premier and his party left for Montreal.

Questions and Answers:

Q. What can you say of conditions in Europe?

L. G. " Conditions in Europe are not very good--are they ? "

Q. Will you call upon Mr. Woodrow Wilson when you reach Washington?

L. G. " I certainly will. I worked with him in perfect amity and cordiality for five or six months in Europe. I am very anxious to meet him again."

Q. Is there any one feature that you consider of supreme importance in the settlement of the chaotic affairs of Europe?

L. G. " I think acceptance of the proposal made by Mr. Secretary Hughes in his speech at New Haven earlier this year would have helped matters in Europe very greatly."*

Q. Are the Communists gaining over there?

L. G. "Well, the Communists--I don't think they are formidable. They are noisy, but they are not formidable."

Q. Have you picked up any American slang as yet?

L. G. " Oh, I've got a full month to do that. I've been reading some of your novels, though--Babbitts and Main Streets. I think they are brilliant works, but, of course, I don't know if they accurately reflect conditions and people."

Q. How long will Mr. Baldwin's Ministry last?

L. G. " Ha ! ha ! I don't think that I am prepared to answer that! "

Remarks by Lloyd George.

To Mr. Schwab. " So you are the man who built ships for us during the War and did so much to help us win. I have always wanted to meet you and I am very glad to have had the opportunity."

About Golf. " I rather think I shall play some golf. But I shall take jolly good care that the press is not there to see me at it."

About Marshal Foch. " I remember Marshal Foch, that great soldier, that brilliant soldier, that great man, who, in a military sense, was the savior of the situation--I remember his telling me that the German Army that marched across the frontier of Belgium and Luxemburg in August, 1914, was the most powerful military machine the world had ever seen, in equipment, in numbers, in organization, in training, in preparation. That was the machine we were called upon to fight."

Remarks on Lloyd George.

His Accent. " He speaks the English of the West End of London plus a very slight stressing of terminal sibilants, which is the only trace we could discern of the tongue of his youth and 'early manhood, the old Welsh language, in which he even now converses fluently among his own people. He talks like Cyril Maude, except that his ' yes' might be spelled 'yess.' " (N. Y. Tribune.)

"Lloyd George sits bent forward, mumbling drowsily, 'Hear, hear,' as all Britons do. Unlike many Britons, Lloyd George knows that the letter 'r' is part of the word 'hear' and he pronounces that letter. He could run for office here and be understood when he talked." (A. Brisbane.)

His Appearance. "What does he look like? Like a composite picture of Michael Angelo, Moses, and a two-year-old baby. . . .

" He is short, not more than five feet six, and about 60 years old. . . . Unusual are Lloyd George's eyebrows and arms. His stubby little white moustache ought not to be there. He should shave all of that face. His long, wavy white hair, stopping just short of his coat collar, is a duplicate of Henry Ward Beecher's. His eyebrows don't go with his almost cherubic face. . . .

" And his arms. You have seen none so short in proportion to height since Lillian Russell died." (A. Brisbane.)

His Greatness. " This nation has not seen so great a man since Lincoln died." (A. Brisbane.)

* Mr. Hughes suggested, in his New Haven speech, that an international committee be appointed to determine Germany's capacity to pay reparations.