The Council Sits

Fat French statesmen vanquish their weight by their vivacity. When Foreign Minister Briand of France lights his inevitable cigaret, chats with it bobbing between his lips and winks now and then a twinkling eye, then his fat is forgotten and the lines of care upon his face seem laughter's wrinkles. Last week he welcomed at Paris his good and amiably-intentioned friend, Sir Austen Chamberlain, Britain's Foreign Secretary, whose back is like a ramrod and whose monocle is more than glacial. Cordial greetings passed between them. Soon they sat down to discuss the territorial aspirations of Italy, the problems of Rhineland evacuation and many another point which has cropped up since they last met (TIME, Oct. 11). The so august and so friendly statesmen were engaged, last week, in settling the details of their joint policy during the mid-December session of the Council of the League of Nations at Geneva. There Germany will be represented and Spain will continue to hold aloof--having recently closed even her diplomatic and consular office at the League Secretariat. As M. Briand and Sir Austen went figuratively arm in arm to Geneva, last week, and as the Council assembled, it was reported to have been momentously determined that the Allied Military Commission of Control (over Germany) will soon be replaced by a supervisory League Commission, a great step in soothing German amour propre.