use than ever.  Plans and publishing ambitions pop up in my mind at times which look good and promising.  I see books and series of books.  I see most useful magazine stuff.  Then, before I can think anything out to a clear plan or conclusion, the ever-increasing official duties and responsibilities here knock everything else out of my head, perhaps for a whole month.  It’s a literal fact that many a month I do not have an hour to do with as I please nor to think about what I please, from the time I wake up till I go to bed.  In spite of twenty-four secretaries (the best fellows that ever were and the best staff that any Embassy ever had in the world) more and more work comes to me.  I thank Heaven we no longer have the interests of Germany, Austria, and Turkey to look after; but with our coming into the war, work in general has increased enormously.  I have to spend very much more time with the different departments of the British Government on war plans and such like things.  They have welcomed us in very handsomely; and one form of their welcome is consulting with me about—­navy plans, war plans, loans of billions, ships, censorship, secret service—­everything you ever heard of.  At first it seemed a little comical for the admirals and generals and the Governor of the Bank of England to come and ask for advice.  But when I gave it and it worked out well, I went on and, after all, the thing’s easier than it looks.  With a little practice you can give these fellows several points in the game and play a pretty good hand.  They don’t know half as much as you might suppose they’d know.  All these years of lecturing the State Department and the President got my hand in!  The whole game is far easier than any small business.  You always play with blue chips better than you play with white ones.

This country and these people are not the country and the people they were three years ago.  They are very different.  They are much more democratic, far less cocksure, far less haughty, far humbler.  The man at the head of the army rose from the ranks.  The Prime Minister is a poor Welsh schoolteacher’s son, without early education.  The man who controls all British shipping began life as a shipping “clark,” at ten shillings a week.  Yet the Lords and Ladies, too, have shown that they were made of the real stuff.  This experience is making England over again.  There never was a more interesting thing to watch and to be part of.

There are about twenty American organizations here—­big, little, rag-tag, and bobtail.  When we declared war, every one of ’em proceeded to prepare for some sort of celebration.  There would have been an epidemic of Fourth-of-July oratory all over the town—­before we’d done anything—­Americans spouting over the edges and killing Kruger with their mouths.  I got representatives of ’em all together and proposed that we hold our tongues till we’d won the war—­then we can take London.  And to give one occasion when we might all assemble