Its mechanical aims were to establish lodges throughout the country.

Every town and rural district should have its lodge, in connection wherewith should be not only addresses on political and social subjects, but also football and cricket clubs, entertainments for both sexes such as dances, whist-drives, excursions of archaeological and educational interest, and lantern (and, later, cinematographic) lectures on the wide aspects of Imperial Britain.

Its appeal was to the young, the recruit in the battle of life, who in a year or two would qualify for a vote and, except for blind passion and prejudice, not know what the deuce to do with it.

The octogenarian Earl of Watford was President; Colonel Winwood was one of a long list of Vice-Presidents; Miss Winwood was on the Council; a General Hankin, a fussy, incompetent person past his prime, was Honorary Secretary.
Paul worked with his employers for a year on the League thinking little of its effectiveness.

One day, when they spoke despairingly of progress, he said, not in so many words, but in effect: "Don't you see what's wrong?
This thing is run for young people, and you've got old fossils like Lord Watford and General Hankin running it.