(2) Part of the value of Magna Carta may be traced to extrinsic causes; to the circumstances which gave it birth—to its vivid historical setting. The importance of each one of its provisions is emphasized by the object-lessons which accompanied its inauguration. The whole of Christendom was amazed by the spectacle of the King of a great nation obliged to surrender at discretion to his own subjects, and that, too, after he had scornfully rejected all suggestions of a compromise. The fact that John was compelled to accept the Charter meant a loss of royal prestige, and also great encouragement to future rebels. What once had happened, might happen again; and the humiliation of the King was stamped as a powerful image on the minds of future generations. Such considerations almost justify enthusiasts, who hold that the granting of Magna Carta was the turning-point in English history. Henceforward it was more difficult for the king to invade the rights of others. Where previously the vagueness of the law lent itself to evasion, its clear re-statement and ratification in 1215 pinned down the king to a definite issue. He could no longer plead that he sinned in ignorance; he must either keep the law, or openly defy it—no middle course was possible. When all this has been said, it may still be doubted whether the belief of enthusiasts in the excessive importance of Magna Carta has been fully justified. Many other triumphs, almost equally important, have been won in the cause of liberty, and under circumstances almost equally notable; and many statutes have been passed embodying these. Why then should Magna Carta be invariably extolled as the palladium of English liberties? Is not, when all is said, the extreme merit attributed to it mainly of a sentimental or imaginative nature? Such questions must be answered partly in the affirmative. Much of its value _does_ depend on sentiment. Yet all government is, in a sense, founded upon sentiment—sometimes affection, sometimes fear. Psychological considerations are all-powerful in the practical affairs of life. Intangible and even unreal phenomena have played an important part in the history of every nation. The tie that binds the British colonies at the present day to the Mother Country is largely one of sentiment; yet the troopers from Canada and New Zealand who responded to the call of Britain in her hour of need produced practical results of an obvious nature. The element of sentiment in politics can never be ignored.