But one of the most remarkable tributes to a quality with which Englishmen are seldom credited, and one of the frankest confessions of a complete absence of this quality in our German rivals, is contained in the following passage:—­

“A further bad habit, harmful to our economic development, is narrow-mindedness.  This, too, is very prevalent in Germany—­and elsewhere as well.  And this is not surprising.  Even among the generation which is active to-day, the older members grew up at a time when possibilities of development were restricted and environment was narrow.  With commendable foresight many of these older men have freed themselves from this petty spirit, and are second to none in enterprise and energy.  Germany can be as proud of its ’captains of industry’ as America itself.  But many commercial circles in Germany are still unable to free themselves from these shackles.  The relations between buyer and seller are still often disturbed by petty quibbling.  In those industries where cartels and syndicates have not yet been formed, too great a role is played by dubious practices of many kinds, by infringements of payment stipulations, by unjustifiable deductions, etc., while, on the other hand, the cartels are often too ruthless in their action.  In this field we have very much to learn from the English business man.  Long commercial tradition and international business experience have taught him long ago that broad-mindedness is the best business principle.  Look at the English form of contract, the methods of insurance companies, the settlement of business disputes!  You will find no narrow-mindedness there.  Tolerance, another quality which the German lacks, has been of great practical advantage to the Englishman.  Until recently the City has never resented the settlement of foreigners, who were soon able to win positions of importance there.  Can one imagine that in Berlin an Italian or a South American, with very little knowledge of the German language, would be not only entrusted with the management of leading banks and companies, but would be allowed in German clubs to lay down—­in their faulty German—­the law as to the way in which Germany should be developed?  Impossible!  Yet this could be seen again and again in England, and the country gained greatly by it.  If the English have now developed a hatred of the foreigner, it only means that the end of England’s supremacy is all the nearer.”

According to our German critic the great fabric that has been built up on these characteristics and qualities is threatened with ruin by the war; and the heritage which we are supposed to be losing is to fall, by some process which is not made very clear, largely into the hands of Berlin.  In order that we may not be accused of taking the laudatory plums out of this German pudding and leaving out all criticisms and accusations, let us quote in full the passage in which he dances in anticipation on London’s corpse:—­