5 °

ESSAYS IN PERSUASION

PART

and definiteness of the press and the living,indefinite belief of the individual man. Ifancy that even in 1919 the average English-man never really believed in the indemnity;he took it always with a grain of salt, with ameasure of intellectual doubt. But it seemedto him that for the time being there could belittle practical harm in going on the idemnitytack, and also that, in relation to his feelings atthat time, a belief in the possibility of boundlesspayments by Germany was in better sentiment,even if less true, than the contrary. Thus therecent modification in British outside opinionis only partly intellectual, and is due rather tochanged conditions; for it is seen that per-severance with the indemnity does now involvepractical harm, whilst the claims of sentimentare no longer so decisive. He is therefore pre-pared to attend to arguments, of which he hadalways been aware out of the corner of his eye.

Foreign observers are apt to heed too littlethese unspoken sensibilities, which the voiceof the press is bound to express ultimately.Inside opinion gradually affects them bypercolating to wider and wider circles; andthey are susceptible in time to argument,common sense, or self-interest. It is thebusiness of the modern politician to be ac-curately aware of all three degrees; he musthave enough intellect to understand the insideopinion, enough sympathy to detect the inneroutside opinion, and enough brass to expressthe outer outside opinion.