The Annual Register 1914: A Review of Public Events at Home and Abroad for the Year 1914Anonymous
History
The Annual Register 1914: A Review of Public Events at Home and Abroad for the Year 1914
Anonymous
History, Modern; History, Modern -- Periodicals; World War, 1914-1918
The resumption of this debate had been preceded by tributes from the
leaders on both sides to the memory of the most conspicuous figure in
the Unionist party for the twenty years preceding 1906. Mr. Joseph
Chamberlain, disabled in that year by paralysis, had since then made
but few and brief public appearances, and on July 2 he had passed away
painlessly at his home at Highbury, near Birmingham. He was buried on
July 6 at the Key Hill Cemetery at Birmingham, after an impressive
funeral service at the Church of the Messiah (Unitarian), conducted,
at his own desire, by the Rev. Prof. Jacks of Manchester College,
Oxford. The church was filled with representatives of the City Council
and of local institutions and political associations; vast crowds
lined the streets, and messages of sympathy were sent from the King,
the King of Spain, the President of the French Chamber, the Dominions,
and all parts of the world. Meanwhile a memorial service, held at
St. Margaret's, Westminster, was attended by representatives of the
King, foreign Powers, and the Dominions, and by many members of the
Cabinet and the two Houses. In the House of Lords, three hours later,
the Marquess of Crewe spoke of Mr. Chamberlain's greatness alike
as a Colonial Secretary, as a debater, and as "the greatest civic
figure ever engaged in British politics," as well as of his "serene
family life "; the Marquess of Lansdowne bore witness to his merits
as a colleague and a leader, and Viscount Milner testified that Mr.
Chamberlain was "an incomparable chief." The House of Commons marked
the occasion by adjourning for the day, after the Prime Minister and
the actual and former leaders of the Opposition had paid their tributes
to the memory of a great Parliamentarian and promoter of the Empire.
The Prime Minister, analysing Mr. Chamberlain's Parliamentary career
and character, said that neutrality was impossible to a man of his
temperament and convictions. He was the pioneer of a new generation,
and a new type of personality in the House, introducing and perfecting
a new style of speaking, and giving the impression of complete and
serene command of his material and himself. The Prime Minister further
touched on Mr. Chamberlain's genuine sympathy for the victims of the
strain of social and industrial life, on the imaginative quality
that touched his ideals in the larger issues of national policy, on
his unsurpassed confidence and courage, and on his generosity as an
antagonist. It was fitting that within those walls, where the echoes
of his voice seemed still to linger, they should suspend for a few
hours the clash of controversy and join in acknowledging their common
debt to his life and example. Mr. Bonar Law expressed the gratitude of
the Opposition for Mr. Asquith's tribute. Mr. Chamberlain, he said,
was his hero when he entered Parliament, and had continued so, and he
described him as a great fighter and a great friend. Two principles
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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