Foreign News: Voyage Exploratory

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At Sea. Out of the fogs of the old world, toward the far shores of the new, sailed the "peace missionary." Fellow passengers were pleased to see him putting a lifebelt on Ishbel and taking his allotted post at lifeboat drill. In the dining saloon he did not sit at Captain Sir Arthur Henry Rostron's table but had a commonplace table of his own. On deck he read books, posed for the news cameras, chatted with his cabin-neighbor, Sir Joseph Duveen. Ishbel wrote letters for hours at a public desk. At Cherbourg, a French airplane circled overhead in parting salute. . . .

Greetings. Never before has a Prime Minister of England visited the U. S. and never before Friday Oct. 4 will a U. S. Secretary of State have stood in waiting on Manhattan Island for an emissary from His Britannic Majesty. With Statesman Henry Lewis Stimson of the U. S. was to stand British Ambassador Sir Esme Howard and entourage. Off to Washington the party was to put, after the inevitable reception by the notoriously hospitable officials of Tammany Hall.

Meeting. Fourteen years ago Herbert Clark Hoover, reliever of war suffering, was one of the most conspicuous and popular figures in London. James Ramsay MacDonald, outspoken antagonist of war, red-necktied pacifist, was obscure and highly unpopular. While Mr. Hoover was earning praise and decorations all over Europe, Mr. MacDonald was ousted from his Lossiemouth Golf Club for conscientious "slacking," for Socialism.* Though they had mutual friends, they never met. Their first meeting was two years ago during the Scot's "sentimental journey" (to see his old friend, Miss L. S. W. Perkins of Concord, Mass., before she died).

Program. In Washington, D. C., the program as announced last week specified "full military honors," despite the antimilitary nature of the MacDonald "exploration." From the Washington station on, the MacDonald program:

To the British Embassy, surrounded by crack cavalry. Traffic halted in the streets.

After 1½ hrs., a call at the White House, during which will be received an invitation to spend the weekend.

Press reception (7 p. m.) at the British Embassy.

Informal dinner at the British Embassy (8 p. m.).

Official calls (Saturday morning) on Vice President Curtis, Chief Justice Taft and Speaker Longworth at the Capitol.

Call on Secretary of State Stimson at the State Department.

Luncheon at the British Embassy.

Then, until Tuesday, to stay at the White House. Weather permitting, a motor trip to the President's camp in the mountains of Virginia.

To see Congress (Monday a. m.) in session.

To a State dinner for 90 people, including the entire Cabinet at the White House (8 p. m. Monday).

*The city of Leicester, which Ramsay MacDonald represented from 1906 until 1918, when it rejected him for his pacifism, last week voted him freedom-of-the-city.

* Reports were that the Labor Party's program would be sustained, at least during Mr. MacDonald's western visit, by the Liberal (balance-of-power) Party, whose Federation prepared last week to resolve to "do everything possible to facilitate the conduct of public affairs without foregoing the right of free and reasonable criticism."

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