From the Archives (March 3, 1921): Lord Reading and Ideal of Justice

London, February 27: A large gathering of Indian students this evening cordially welcomed Lord Reading at the Indian Students Hostel of the Y.M.C.A. Principal Garvie lectured on “Political Idealism” after which, in response to the students’ calls, Lord Reading spoke. He declared, that the political idealists who had most influenced him were Gladstone, Morley, and Campbell-Bannerman. Political idealism found a modern expression in a re-interpretation of the French watchword, namely, “Liberty, Justice and Love”. There would be no justice without love. As Lord Chief Justice, justice appealed to him. Love meant power to put oneself in other sinners’ position. Lord Reading declared that to him, in political idealism, justice stood supreme (Cheers). He placed justice even above so sacred a word as liberty because he could not conceive real justice without real liberty (Cheers). In his preparations for his new life, on which he was about to start, he had it deeply impressed on his mind that human nature, sympathy, and understanding were the same throughout the world.