material from the ,google ,print        
project47              8,i ,,believe0   
,,and ,,other ,,essays      ,,by        
,,guy ,,thorne      ,author of 8,when it
 ,was ,dark10 8,first it was ,ordained10
     8,made in ,his ,image10 etc41 etc4 
,,london      ,f4 ,v4 ,,white  ,,co41   
,limited     #ad1 ,,bedford ,,street1   
,,strand1 ,w4,c4      #aijg             
,,richard ,,clay  ,,sons1 ,,limited1    
,,bread ,,street ,,hill1 ,e4,c41 ,,and  
,,bungay1 ,,suffolk4     ,,contents     
,i4 8,i ,,believe0      ,,ii4 ,,the     
,,fires ,,of ,,moloch     ,,iii4 ,,the  
,,historicides ,,of ,,oxford      ,,iv4 
,,the ,,brown ,,and ,,yellow ,,peril    
,v4 ,,the ,,menaces ,,of ,,modern       
,,sport      ,,vi4 ,,vagrom ,,men       
,,vii4 ,,an ,,author',s ,,post-,,bag    
,,dedication  ,to ,f4 ,v4 ,,white1      
,,esquire4   ,,my ,,dear ,,white1  ,the 
publication of this book is a business  
arrangement between you and me4 ,its    
dedication however has nothing to do    
with the relations of author and        

publisher in those capacities1 but is   
merely an expression of friendship and  
esteem4 ,this then is to remind you of  
pleasant hours we have spent together on
 the other side of the channel1 in your 
house at ,london1 and my house in ,kent4
  ,yours ever sincerely1  ,,guy         
,,thorne4     8,i ,,believe0     ,i  8,i
 ,,believe0  8,multitudes1 multitudes in
 the valley of decision40   ,when ,i was
 a boy ,i made an occasional invasion of
 my father's study1 and in the absence  
of more congenial matter tried to       
extract some amusement from the shelves 
devoted to ,christian apologetics4 ,at  
any rate the pictures of the portly     
divines1 which sometimes prefaced their 
polemics1 interested me1 and ,i was     
sometimes allured to read a few pages of
 their scripture4 ,i remember that ,i   
enjoyed the sub-acid flavour of ,bishop 
,butler's advertisement1 prefixed to the
 ,first ,edition of his ,analogy1 at an 
early age1 and ,i have thought lately   
that in certain circles one hundred and 

seventy years have not greatly modified 
the mental attitude4  ,hear what the    
,rector of ,stanhope who1 as ,horace    
,walpole said1 was shortly to be        
8,wafted to the see of ,durham in a     
cloud of metaphysics10 says about his   
literary contemporaries--  8,it is come1
 ,i know not how1 to be taken for       
granted1 by many persons that           
,christianity is not so much as a       
subject for inquiry1 but that it is now 
at length discovered to be fictitious1  
and accordingly they treat it as if1 in 
the present age1 this were an agreed    
point among all people of discernment1  
and nothing remained but to set it up as
 a principal subject of mirth and       
ridicule1 as it were1 by way of         
reprisals for its having so long        
interrupted the pleasures of the world40
  ,perhaps the difference between the   
times of ,george the ,second and ,edward
 the ,seventh may be best discerned in  
the status and calibre of the popular   
penmen who in either age have found1 or 

furnished amusement in a tilt against   
the ,catholic ,faith4  ,the man in the  
street1 as we know him1 did not exist in
 the eighteenth century4 ,he is the     
predominant person to-day1 and he       
requires the services of able authors to
 assure him of immunity1 when he is     
inclined to frolic away from chastity or
 integrity1 much as did the county      
members who pocketed the bribes of ,sir 
,robert ,walpole and prated of          
patriotism4  ,fortunately for society   
the man in the street is a very decent  
fellow1 and generally finds out before  
long that ,wisdom's ways are ways of    
pleasantness4 ,a man may enjoy posing as
 an agnostic when he wants an excuse    
for--as the negro said--8doing what he  
dam please10 but when he takes to       
himself a wife1 and children are born to
 him1 a certain anxiety as to the       
continuity and perpetuation of these    
relationships begins to show itself4 ,a 
man who has lost a little child1 or     
waited in agonizing suspense to hear the

 physician's verdict1 when sickness     
overshadows his home1 discovers that he 
needs something beyond negations1       
something that will bring life and      
immortality to light again within his   
soul4  ,moreover1 the man in the street 
finds it necessary to come to some      
decision on other problems of existence4
 ,he is a citizen and must needs        
exercise his enfranchisement and give   
his vote at an election now and again4  
,he must help to decide whether the     
,state shall ignore religion and        
establish a system of ethical education1
 of which the ultimate sanction is      
social convenience1 or maintain the     
thesis that ,creed and ,character are   
mutually inter-dependent4  ,as he pays  
his poor rate wrathfully1 or with       
resignation1 its annual increase reminds
 him of the necessity of curing or      
eliminating the unfit4 ,when he reads of
 ,belgian and ,prussian colonial        
enterprise1 or ponders on the perplexing
 problem of the ,black ,belt which the  

,southern ,states must solve1 he is     
compelled to consider whether it is true
 that 8,god has made of one blood all   
nations of men for to dwell on all the  
face of the earth10 or whether this     
shall be accounted as another of the    
delusions of ,saul of ,tarsus whom      
,governor ,festus found to be mad4      
,indeed1 our friend1 the man in the     
street1 when he becomes a family man1   
without any pretensions to be a man of  
family1 very often finds himself face to
 face with other problems4 ,shall he    
simply sing with the ,psalmist 8,like as
 the arrows in the hand of the giant1   
even so are the young children4 ,happy  
is the man that hath his quiver full of 
them10 or shall he be guided by the     
gloss of a modern interpreter who       
maintains that the oriental quiver was  
designed to hold but two or three arrows
 at most8  ,even when the plain man     
confines his interests to his business  
and seeks relaxations in 8sport0 alone1 
endeavouring to evade the puzzles of    

politics and avoid all theologized      
inquiry1 he cannot escape from ethical  
consideration4 ,professionalism in      
athletics and questions of betting and  
bribery contend with his conviction that
 there is something which ennobles man  
in running and striving for mastery1 and
 it is futile to curse the bookmaker    
when his clients are so many1 his       
occupation so lucrative4  ,the average  
man gets little guidance from pulpit or 
press4 ,it is dull work reading sermons1
 even if sermons came in his way4 ,from 
time to time some eloquent bishop or    
canon is reported in the ,monday morning
 papers1 but journalists know that the  
publication of a summary with1 in the   
case of a few of the preachers1 some    
epigrams or denunciations1 is all that  
can be permitted or expected4 ,these may
 arouse the attention to the existence  
of evils1 but give no guiding principle 
for their cure4  ,the habit of          
attendance at some place of worship is  
easily abandoned in the days of bachelor

 freedom1 and rarely regained in maturer
 years4 ,men for the most part find the 
preacher unconvincing4 ,the usual       
audience does not desire discussion of  
difficulties4 ,when the honest instinct 
of devotional worship is gratified by   
common praise and prayer1 the people who
 regularly go to church1 elderly1 and   
orthodox in their own way1 resent a     
demand upon their intellectual exertion1
 and the ,northern farmer of ,tennyson  
hardly misrepresents them1 8,i thought  
he said what he ought to ha' said and ,i
 comed away40 ,the great ,nonconformist 
societies may1 in some congregations1   
give a larger latitude to the preacher1 
but his freedom is rather in the        
direction of divinity than of ethics4   
,mr4 ,rockefeller is a prominent pillar 
of ,protestantism in the ,states1 and   
,mr4 ,jabez ,balfour1 in another        
congregation at ,croydon1 apparently    
knew no qualms of conscience before his 
actual conviction1 which was public1 of 
sin4  ,there is an old proverb which    

tells us that 8,a man is either a fool  
or a philosopher at forty0--and1 though 
proverbs are often only venerable       
prejudices in disguise1 it is true that 
a man1 who has attained his eighth      
lustrum and is of average ability1      
generally has come to certain definite  
conclusions as to the rudimentary laws  
of health4 ,he knows enough about his   
body to avoid fatal errors in diet1 and 
has learned the necessity of exercise   
and fresh air4 ,but when he is called   
upon1 as a member of the body politic1  
to decide questions of ethics on which  
the sanitation of society must depend1  
he feels himself at a loss4 ,to many    
people it will seem a hard saying that a
 man must be either a fool or a         
philosopher at forty1 but long ere he   
has reached that age he will have       
encountered problems of philosophy which
 it is impossible to shirk if he is to  
do his duty as a free man4  ,st4 ,paul1 
it is true1 when writing to a ,christian
 ,community in ,asia ,minor1 bids them  

8beware lest any man spoil you through  
philosophy40 ,and the unfortunate habit 
of ,bible ,christians1 of tearing a text
 from a treatise and making it into a   
precept1 has thrown a sort of discredit 
upon philosophic thinking1 while the    
mass of mankind will always prefer rules
 to principles of conduct4 ,but in vain 
do we clamour against intellectual      
complications which are the inevitable  
endowment of these days4 ,life is       
necessarily intricate1 subtle and       
anxious1 and ,democracy has made of each
 man a ruler and governor in his degree4
 ,is it possible to point to a single   
principle which shall be a motive and a 
standard of duty1 which shall establish 
a synthetic method after the ruthless   
analysis of the later ,victorian days8  
,how searching that analysis has been6  
,fifty years ago the man in the street  
might rarely read the ,bible1 but he had
 a tolerably assured conviction that the
 ,bible was infallible1 however         
resolutely he might refuse its          

interpretation by an infallible church4 
,then       8444the ,essays and ,reviews
 debate ,begins to tell on the          
public mind1 and ,colenso's views have  
weight40  ,plain people were taught to  
look on the ,old ,testament as a library
 of ,hebrew literature containing not   
only poetry and history1 but romance4   
,when ,colenso's book first appeared1   
,matthew ,arnold deprecated its         
publication since it brought criticisms 
familiar to men of culture before the   
notice of the public1 without           
considering how the beliefs of 8the     
vulgar0 might be upset4  ,the           
supercilious apostle of 8sweetness and  
light10 himself contributed largely in  
later years to the general confusion in 
men's minds1 and the ,new ,testament    
criticism has been introduced to the    
general public by ,mr4 ,arnold's        
accomplished niece4  ,our friend1 the   
man in the street1 was all unprepared6  
,what had he ever been taught of        
theology1 the ,divine word to man8 ,in  

his school-days1 if his father was an   
income tax payer he probably had a      
weekly lesson in 8,divinity10 when he   
construed a few verses of the ,gospels  
in the ,greek ,testament1 and showed up 
to his master1 now and then1 a map of   
the journeying of the ,apostle ,paul in 
,asia ,minor and ,eastern ,europe4 ,if  
his father expected him to be confirmed1
 in due course1 some lessons in the     
catechism were added for his benefit1   
but prudent pedagogues took care not to 
endanger the popularity of a school1    
whether public or private1 by any       
definite teaching which might be accused
 of being dogmatic4 ,the head-master was
 probably a person of unsuspected       
orthodoxy1 with a possible deanery or   
bishopric in view for his days of       
superannuation4 ,his sermons in chapel  
used to set a fine standard of conduct  
before the boys1 and were gracefully    
free from all mention of controversial  
questions4 ,in due course they were     
published with the title ,sermons at    

,yarrow1 and enterprising parents       
turning over their pages would find     
little to criticize and much to admire4 
,the ,cross1 if presented at all in     
these publications1 was so bespangled   
with rhetorical jewellery that 8,jews   
might kiss and ,infidels adore40 ,and   
the children of ,israel as public-school
 boys were never painfully conscious of 
any great difference between themselves 
and their baptized companions4 ,but     
unfortunately only a few of the boys    
came under the civilizing instruction of
 the ,chief4 ,bright young athletes from
 ,oxford and ,cambridge1 lured into the 
ranks of pedagogy by their love of      
football and cricket1 were the          
assistant-masters4 ,a regular salary    
with holiday for a fourth of the year1  
the prospect of early marriage1 and a   
remunerative boarding-house1 attracted  
them to a pleasant position1 and they   
had no wish to rebel against the        
time-table which made them teachers of  
8,divinity0 for at least one hour in the

 week4 ,all educated people should be   
tolerably familiar with a book so       
largely used in quotation as the ,bible1
 and the succession of the ,kings of    
,israel and ,judah could be used in     
strengthening the memory1 whilst the    
stories of 8,jehu and those other       
,johnnies you know0 were by no means    
devoid of picturesque incident4 ,greek  
,testament could also be made useful in 
the acquisition of a vocabulary1 or in a
 lesson showing the difference between  
classical and vernacular ,greek4 8,of   
course we must leave the application of 
these studies to conduct to ,home       
influence10 the headmasters would       
blandly observe1 and between parent and 
pedagogue the teaching of the ,christian
 ,faith fell neglected to the ground4   
,what chance had the boys so brought up1
 of forming any conception of the       
essential truths of ,religion8 ,a       
superficial acquaintance with the       
stories of ,hebrew history1 a           
perfunctory attendance at chapel1 some  

well-meant exhortations on the subject  
of temperance and chastity1 as the      
catechism was revived in their memories 
before they were brought to be confirmed
 by the ,bishop1 and some ability 8to   
translate and give the context0 of a few
 phrases from the ,greek texts of the   
,gospels1 these were their intellectual 
religious equipment for a life of fierce
 temptation from within and without4    
,and when they encountered the storm and
 stress of modern social life they found
 that the critics had taken from them   
the old reverence of nursery days for   
8,god's ,book10 their school training   
had taught them only a rough code of    
honour1 and their chief restraint from  
any ignoble impulse was a feeling that  
to do certain deeds was not 8good form40
  ,a little lower down the social ladder
 the man in the street has fared no     
better in his boyhood4 ,in the public   
elementary schools he has had a         
half-hour's lesson in ,scripture and    
catechism five days of the week1 and    

annually the ,diocesan1 or the ,school  
,board1 ,inspector came round to        
ascertain whether the ,syllabus of      
religious teaching had been duly        
followed4 ,but only when devout parish  
priests had a talent for teaching and a 
love for boys and girls was any attempt 
made to give children a religion1 and   
even in this case not very much could be
 done for those who left school for ever
 when they were twelve years old4  ,a   
generation ago ,lord ,sherbrooke1 on the
 extension of the franchise1 told his   
contemporaries that it was time to begin
 8to educate our masters0--but we have  
not gone very far in our instruction of 
,christian ,sociology1 though as yet we 
have not adopted the ,utilitarian basis 
of morals accepted by the ,french       
,republic1 and endeavoured to establish 
principles of duty towards man without  
any reference whatever to a duty towards
 ,god4  ,can any one be surprised if the
 plain man be perplexed when he is      
called upon to decide questions of      

economy and morality without any guiding
 principle8 ,as a matter of fact he     
makes no such effort4 8,multitudes1     
multitudes in the valley of decision1   
for the day of the ,lord is near in the 
valley of decisions10 but the sun and   
the moon are darkened1 and the stars    
withdraw their shining4 ,the puzzled    
popular vote is but as the swing of the 
pendulum1 first to this side1 then to   
the other4 8,these fellows have been no 
good1 let us give the others a show40   
,yet assuredly there is a principle     
which is guidance and strength if only  
men could discern it4 ,there are        
,teachers who can tell men of its       
beneficent power1 but they are as yet   
few in number1 and their voices are not 
sufficiently strong4 ,when once these   
can get a hearing1 men welcome their    
evangel and find in it a guide of life4 
,i am persuaded that just as ,bishop    
,butler1 when he perused the preface of 
his ,analogy1 had no prescience of the  
young fellow of ,lincoln1 who was in a  

few years to give the ,christian faith a
 fresh hold in the hearts of the common 
people1 who gladly heard him1 so in our 
time many of our ,bishops seem unable to
 perceive the dawn of another 8day of   
the ,lord40  ,indeed1 it is our         
misfortune in ,england that ,bishops are
 almost necessarily bad leaders4 ,we are
 told when an election to the ,papacy is
 imminent that this or that ,cardinal is
 in the list of 8,papabili0--a possible 
,pope--so in like manner we may almost  
select amongst the undergraduates of    
,oxford and ,cambridge our future       
diocesans4 ,these are men clever1       
shrewd1 and hard-working1 of estimable  
private character1 and not without some 
modest patrimony4 ,early entered in the 
race for preferment1 ambitious1 and yet1
 mirabile dictu1 devout1 they are       
endowed first of all with the true      
qualification for episcopacy1 a capacity
 for compromise and a pliant political  
mind4 ,sic itur ad astra the excellent  
curate or tutor1 the courteous and      

accomplished chaplain to the ,bishop1   
the eloquent canon and ecclesiastical   
courtier is consecrated and enthroned4  
,henceforward for the rest of his days  
he must hurry from his study table1     
crowded with correspondence1 to his     
confirmations1 his diocesan society     
meetings1 and his weary1 humiliating    
attendance at the ,house of ,lords4     
,what wonder if ,bishops discourage new 
ventures of faith1 who have no time for 
thinking1 no time for reading1 and      
perhaps1 sometimes1 too little          
opportunity for prayer6  ,and so we find
 them not unwilling to accommodate the  
,catholic ,faith to the popular         
prejudice of the moment1 acquiescing in 
an undogmatic1 undenominational1 more or
 less ,christian creed4 ,popularity     
becomes the very breath of their        
nostrils1 and they proceed to hide in an
 appendix to the ,prayer-book1 the hymn 
,quicunque vult4  ,yet the discerning   
can see that now is no time for keeping 
in the background the great truths of   

religion4 ,already men are being        
prepared in many ways to receive them4  
,the ,christian ,faith in ,england is no
 longer hampered by certain arbitrary   
axioms of the ,puritan ,divines4 ,in the
 sixteenth century men were almost      
compelled by the exigencies of the      
situation to discover some ,infallible  
authority which they could set up over  
against the ,infallibility of the       
,church of ,rome1 and they endeavoured  
to treat ,holy ,scripture as though the 
great library of ,jewish and ,christian 
writers contained a complete code of    
consistent legislation4 ,a text was a   
convincing argument for the ,divine     
right of ,kings1 or for binding them in 
chains1 for the burning of witches or   
the destruction of a shrine1 and        
although in the two following centuries 
the ,protestant ministers taught men to 
modify this conception1 and to realize  
the difference between the ,old         
,testament and the ,new1 the popular    
idea of ,revelation allowed small scope 

for theological inquiry4 ,the           
biographies of our literary men of the  
,victorian period have shown us how they
 were tempted to separate themselves    
from all public communion with the      
,church1 by their misgiving that the    
,church was committed to an impossible  
position4 ,carlyle groaned for what he  
called an 8exit from ,houndsditch10 some
 deliverance from the ,rabbinic         
interpretation and use of the ,bible4   
,things are very different to-day1 as   
,henry ,sidgwick says in a letter to    
,alfred ,lord ,tennyson published by his
 son in a recent memoir4 8,the years    
pass1 the struggle with what ,carlyle   
used to call #8,hebrew old clothes' is  
over1 ,freedom is won40 ,and in the     
result a scientific criticism of the    
,old and ,new ,testament is found to be 
compatible with1 and often a compulsion 
to an acceptance of the ,christian      
creed1 not the creed of ,calvin1 or the 
,westminster ,confession1 but the       
reasoned statement of ,nica4 ,the       

student of physical science no longer   
believes that if he goes to church he   
must be taken to accept the cosmogony of
 ,genesis1 and on his side he no longer 
stumbles at the difficulty of miraculous
 events4 ,he knows too much about the   
influence of mind over matter to say    
that it is impossible that ,jesus       
,christ and ,his ,apostles should have  
healed the paralytic and made the blind 
to see and the deaf to hear4 ,he is no  
longer 8cocksure0 of his capability of  
drawing a line of division between the  
organic and the inorganic4 ,he can      
conceive of the existence of spirits    
which can control and modify the        
ordinary laws of life4 ,he finds it     
probable that evolution is not exhausted
 when ,man has come into being1 and can 
look forward to a spiritual existence   
without suspecting himself of           
superstition4 ,sacraments1 the union of 
the spiritual with the material1 seem to
 him to be in accordance with the laws  
of the ,universe1 and he would never    

now-a-days stigmatize them as 8,magic40 
,however he may explain the methods by  
which cures were wrought upon the       
afflicted1 the scientific man of to-day 
would not accuse ,st4 ,luke of falsehood
 because he tells us that1 8,god wrought
 special miracles by the hands of ,paul1
 so that from his body were brought unto
 the sick handkerchiefs or aprons1 and  
the diseases departed from them and the 
evil spirits went out of them40 ,indeed 
the man of science knows himself to be  
on the track of discoveries which will  
show us secrets of personality and      
spiritual possession which will banish  
for ever the absurd incredulity of the  
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries4    
,who now-a-days would assert that       
8miracles do not happen10 when men like 
,sir ,oliver ,lodge are laboriously     
discovering some few of these laws of   
the ,universe which give us these       
portents and signs8 ,who dares to sneer 
at ,parthenogenesis or repeat the       
slander of ,celsus about the ,mother of 

,god8 ,men only who have grown rusty in 
reposing on their past reputations and  
cannot see that materialism as a        
philosophy is dead4 ,day by day fresh   
evidence of the power of the spirit over
 matter bursts upon us4 ,a plea for     
8philosophic doubt0 of ,professor       
,huxley's infallibility is no longer    
necessary4 ,the very distinction between
 matter and spirit grows more and more  
difficult as science develops analytical
 power4 ,the minds of men are being     
prepared again to receive that ,supreme 
revelation which told of the wedding of 
the earth and heaven1 the taking of the 
,manhood into ,god4  ,in truth1 this is 
the one principle which can give men    
guidance in the tangled intricacy of    
modern life4 ,it is necessary to        
salvation1 now1 not hereafter only1 to  
believe rightly the ,incarnation of our 
,lord ,jesus ,christ4  ,for1 first of   
all1 men need to be saved from the      
apathy of despair4 ,they need some hope 
that there is an answer to the riddle of

 the ,universe4 ,let them once begin to 
feel that it may be true that the very  
,god cares for ,his creatures and has   
made ,his love for them manifest by     
taking to ,himself the body1 mind and   
spirit of man1 and joining for ever     
human nature to the ,godhead1 then      
through the darkness comes a human voice
 saying--      8,o heart ,i made1 a     
heart beats here6     ,face1 my hands   
fashioned1 see it in ,myself4     ,thou 
hast no power nor mayst conceive of     
mine1     ,but love ,i gave thee1 with  
,myself to love1     ,and thou must love
 ,me who have died for thee40  ,a man   
regains his self-respect when once he   
has escaped from the paralyzing sense   
that his is only      8a life of        
nothings nothing worth     ,from that   
first nothing ere our birth     ,to that
 last nothing under earth40  ,and there 
is only one starting-point for those who
 journey on this quest of an answer to  
the enigma of life4 ,they must          
resolutely abandon the long travelled 8a

 priori road40 ,they must understand    
that the science of to-day is not tied  
to any materialistic axioms1 that       
metaphysic cannot be ignored by the     
physician1 and that no competent        
scientist to-day would say of the       
,resurrection of ,jesus on which        
ultimately depends ,his claims to our   
adoration1 8,that could not happen40 ,we
 know enough now of the laws of the     
,universe to know that we do not know   
them all4  ,so some of us perceive that 
what is needed to-day is to arrest the  
attention of the man in the street1 to  
get him to perceive that ,christianity  
has much more to say for itself than he 
suspected1 and that ,christian          
,philosophy will place in his hand a    
clue which will guide him in the        
labyrinth of life4      8,i say the     
acknowledgment of ,god in ,christ       
,accepted by thy reason1 solves for thee
     ,all questions in the earth and out
 of it40  ,we must set men free from    
phrases and get them to think4 ,it suits

 the game of the party politician to    
pretend that ethics are easily          
self-evident1 and that there is a simple
 fundamental religion on which all men  
are agreed2 but there is a question     
which must be insistently urged1 and    
upon the answer to which all things     
depend1 8,what think ye of ,christ80    
,probably nothing has done more to      
alienate the man in the street from     
religious observance than the           
hypocritical pretence that all men are  
agreed about 8simple ,bible teaching40  
,he knows well enough that what really  
matters is whether a man believes or not
 that ,god became man4 ,if ever the     
,labour ,party should definitely declare
 for elementary education without       
religious teaching it will be because   
the men whose children attend the       
elementary schools know that they cannot
 read the ,new ,testament without       
asking1 8,is it true80  8,did ,jesus    
,christ really die and rise again the   
third day according to the ,scriptures80

 8,did ,jesus ,christ go up into heaven 
in the sight of the apostles till a     
cloud received ,him80 8,did ,mary's ,son
 come to her as other babies come80     
8,was ,joseph ,jesus ,christ's real     
father80 ,our members of ,parliament who
 have no leisure to know their own      
children1 who keep them in the nursery  
till it is time for them to go to the   
,preparatory ,school1 who leave their   
training to the governess and the       
head-master1 may talk about 8the cruelty
 of the religious differences which     
hinder the establishment of an efficient
 system of education for the children of
 the ,state40 ,but the men and the      
mothers who live with their children and
 talk to them about their lessons1 know 
that a child will insist upon an answer 
to its questions4 ,a father of a family 
in the artisan and labouring classes1 if
 he be at all intelligent1 loses all    
respect for ministers of the ,gospel who
 pretend that there is no difficulty    
about the simple ,gospel story1 and     

losing his self-respect for the men who 
have appointed themselves his teachers1 
he is tempted to throw all theology     
aside4 ,and if he ventures on this      
despairing expedient he finds himself in
 mental confusion again over ethics     
instead of theology1 and there arises a 
prospect of anarchy and disorder4       
,capital is timid1 so enterprise is     
checked4 ,poverty increases and riot    
follows1 and it all ends1 not now-a-days
 in the ,napoleonic 8whiff of           
grape-shot10 but in the rattle of the   
maxim in the streets and the desolation 
of a thousand homes4  ,the experience of
 all civilization is that you cannot    
separate morality from religion4 ,when  
the ,romans lost their faith in the old 
gods and became 8undenominational10     
civic virtue decayed4 ,when the genius  
of the ,empire was set up for a         
universal ,deity and men were bidden as 
good citizens to burn their few grains  
of incense before the statue of the     
reigning ,emperor--the representative of

 an ordered and moral state--we know    
what happened4 ,you cannot make an      
abstraction alive and deify ,government4
 ,laws1 which have the sanction only of 
expediency1 do but furnish mankind with 
exercise in evasion4 ,indefinite belief 
in the existence of 8something not      
ourselves which makes for righteousness0
 has no motive force1 and though men may
 rub on in some fashion or other by     
following ancient custom1 and the law of
 use and wont1 this can only be done in 
quiet times4 ,and ours are not quiet    
times2 indeed1 the air is thick with    
principles which are forcing themselves 
into expression4 ,the principles of     
,nationality or ,cosmopolitanism1 the   
comity of nations and the limits of     
destruction1 international trades       
unionism1 and the laws of marriage are  
recurring items upon the programme of   
every social science congress4 ,all     
these dark questions are forced upon the
 attentions of men1 and never was there 
greater need of some synthetic          

philosophy which may help us in their   
exploration4 ,are we going to put       
,christianity aside and rule out        
theology from our calculations8  ,i may 
quote the testimony of the late ,sir    
,leslie ,stephen here4 ,every one knows 
that he held no brief to defend         
orthodoxy--       8,to proclaim         
unsectarian ,christianity is1 in        
circuitous      language1 to proclaim   
that ,christianity is dead4 ,the love of
      ,christ1 as representing the ideal
 perfection of human nature1      may   
indeed be still a powerful motive1 and  
powerful whatever      the view which we
 take of ,christ's character4 ,the      
advocates of      the doctrine in its   
more intellectual form represent this   
passion as the true essence of          
,christianity4 ,they assert with        
obvious sincerity of conviction that it 
is the leverage by      which alone the 
world can be moved4 ,but1 as they would 
themselves admit1 this conception would 
be preposterous if1      with ,strauss1 

we regarded ,christ as a mere human     
being4 ,our      regard for ,him might  
differ in degree1 but would not differ  
in      kind1 from our regard for       
,socrates or for ,pascal4 ,it would be  
impossible to consider it as an         
overmastering and all-powerful          
influence4 ,the old dilemma would be    
inevitable2 he that loves      not his  
brother whom he hath seen1 how can he   
love ,christ whom      he hath not seen8
 ,a mind untouched by the agonies and   
wrongs      which invest ,london        
hospitals and lanes with horror1 could  
not      be moved by the sufferings of a
 single individual1 however      holy1  
who died eighteen centuries ago4        
8,no2 the essence of the belief is the  
belief in the ,divinity of      ,christ4
 ,but accept that belief2 think for a   
moment of all that      implies1 and you
 must admit that your ,christianity     
becomes      dogmatic in the highest    
degree4 ,our conceptions of the world   
and its meaning are more radically      

changed than our conceptions      of the
 material universe1 when the sun instead
 of the earth      becomes its centre4  
,every view of history1 every theory of 
our      duty1 must be radically        
transformed by contact with that        
,stupendous ,mystery4 ,whether you      
accept or reject the special      tenets
 of the ,athanasian ,creed is an        
infinitesimal trifle4 ,you      are     
bound to assume that every religion     
which does not take      this dogma into
 account is without true vital force4   
,infidels1      heathens1 and           
,unitarians reject the single influence 
which      alone can mould our lives in 
conformity with the everlasting         
laws of the universe4 ,of course1 there 
are tricks of sleight of      hand by   
which the conclusion is evaded4 ,it     
would be too long      and too trifling 
to attempt to expose them4 ,unsectarian 
,christianity consists in shirking the  
difficulty without      meeting it1 and 
trying hard to believe that the passion 

can      survive without its essential  
basis4 ,it proclaims the love of        
,christ as our motive1 whilst it        
declines to make up its mind            
whether ,christ was ,god or man2 or     
endeavours to escape a      categorical 
answer under a cloud of unsubstantial   
rhetoric4 ,but      the difference      
between man and ,god is infinite1 and no
 effusion      of superlatives will     
disguise the plain fact from honest     
minds4 ,to be a ,christian in any real  
sense you must start from      a dogma  
of the most tremendous kind1 and an     
undogmatic ,creed is      as senseless  
as a statue without shape or a picture  
without      colour4 ,unsectarian means 
un-,christian48--,from ,freethinking    
and ,plainspeaking 7pp4 #abb-d71 by     
,leslie ,stephen4 7,longmans1           
,london47  ,the considerations which    
seemed to compel the clearheaded author 
of this extract to his own well-known   
intellectual position no longer apply4  
,in ,england1 at any rate1 the ,church  

is not bound down to any mechanical     
theory of the inspiration of the ,bible1
 and accepts all the discoveries of     
,modern ,physical ,science without      
misgiving4 ,such books as the late      
,archbishop of ,canterbury 7,dr4        
,temple7 gave us in his ,bampton        
,lectures have long ago shown the       
futility of attempting to map out the   
exact terms of a reconciliation between 
the claims of science and religion1 but 
they have shown that religion and       
science are not destructive and         
contradictory of each other4  8,the same
 principles are found in each4 ,the     
principle of evolution1 for instance1 is
 as evident in the gradual development  
of religion as in the age-long process  
by which the natural world was created2 
the order and beauty and regular        
succession manifest in ,nature can be   
traced also in the spiritual universe4  
,the revelation which was formerly held 
to be violation of law is seen to be a  
revelation of higher law4 ,the great    

postulate of science1 the uniformity of 
,nature1 is not infringed40  ,we know   
now that there are laws of the ,universe
 which1 if we knew more about them1     
would tell us how it was that a ,virgin 
could conceive and bear a ,son4 ,it is  
not to us an inconceivable superstition 
that 8,the ,son of ,man0 should have in 
,his own person powers of which the     
rudimentary signs can be traced in all  
humanity1 manifesting themselves from   
time to time4 ,the day is long past when
 the resurrection of ,jesus ,christ can 
be set aside as a 8cunningly devised    
fable40 ,no scientific man1 who has not 
deliberately shut himself in an         
hermetically sealed materialism would   
say to-day that 8,miracles0 do not      
happen4 ,it is a question of evidence4  
,and educated men know that there is a  
science of metaphysics1 that there is a 
science of psychology1 that literary    
criticism is scientific1 that the age of
 a document can be decided1 that        
cumulative evidence cannot be ignored1  

and that simply to put aside the claims 
of ,christianity without examination is 
absurd4  ,but1 as ,sir ,leslie ,stephen 
shows1 it is the ,christianity of the   
,catholic creed that matters1 and it is 
this ,christianity of which the man in  
the street has need4 ,it gives him a    
solution of those social and ethical    
problems which he must solve1 which he  
can only neglect at the peril of natural
 degradation4 ,for example1 the position
 of women depends upon our belief or    
disbelief that ,christ was born of the  
,virgin ,mary4 ,to say that monogamy is 
the natural evolution of humanity1 that 
chastity in the young unmarried man is a
 product of civilization1 that a high   
conception of a man's duty to posterity 
will keep him from harlotry1 is simply  
to show ignorance of history1 of human  
nature1 and of the world as it is4 ,a   
man who talks now-a-days about the      
respect of marriage being a ,teutonic   
contribution to the evolution of        
civilized society1 is behind the times4 

,we know that respect for women1 and    
marriage held in honour1 are the        
creations of the ,holy ,catholic        
,church1 which insists on the           
,incarnation of the ,lord ,jesus        
,christ4  ,but the man in the street    
does not know these things4 ,the        
discoveries in science1 whether physical
 or psychical1 do not reach him4        
,technical treatises are too strong meat
 for his intellectual digestion4 ,the   
pulpit does not appeal to him4 ,at every
 baptism in the ,church of ,england the 
priest solemnly instructs the           
god-parents of the child1 8,ye shall    
call upon him to hear sermons10 but for 
the most part the admonition is in vain4
 ,as a matter of fact1 he picks up his  
religious notions from the newspaper    
press4 ,and the newspaper press is not  
now controlled by men who have a        
distinct and definite belief in         
,christianity4 ,it depends upon         
,finance1 and financiers have other     
interests4 ,the assertion of the        

,psalter1 8,notus in ,juda0 has been    
changed now-a-days into an              
interrogation1 and we ask1 8,in ,jewry  
is ,god known80 ,let any man who has an 
intimate acquaintance with the newspaper
 world run over in his mind the names of
 the great newspaper proprietors1 the   
editors of our journalistic press1 the  
writers of leading articles1 the rising 
young journalists2 and when he has      
excepted a few ,irishmen1 who may happen
 to remain faithful to the ,roman       
,catholic ,church1 to which they owe    
their education1 how many men will he   
find who honestly believe the ,nicene   
,creed1 and are habitually present on   
the first day of the week at the        
,breaking of the ,bread8  ,the tone of  
the daily paper is tolerant4 ,there is  
no rude hostility displayed towards     
definite ,christian doctrines1 but the  
toleration is politely contemptuous4    
8,all wise men are of the same religion1
 and what that religion is wise men do  
not say40  ,it is true that in political

 matters the press has less power than  
it used to have4 ,a magnate of finance  
cannot now seriously affect public      
opinion1 though he may buy newspaper    
after newspaper1 and sweep out the      
editorial staff to supply their places  
with men of his own choice4 ,one wealthy
 wirepuller has other plutocrats to     
reckon with in questions of party       
politics1 and a newspaper man who is    
dismissed by the proprietor of the      
,tariff ,reformer may find another      
editorial chair placed at his disposal  
by the owner of ,the ,standard of ,free 
,trade4  ,the man in the street looks   
out for a newspaper which may strengthen
 his own party proclivities4 ,he expects
 to find political questions discussed1 
but so far as religion is concerned he  
accepts without knowing it the current  
convention of the pressman1 and imbibes 
a semi-sceptical atmosphere without     
misgiving or suspicion4  ,and yet1 as   
,sir ,leslie ,stephen saw1 every theory 
of duty depends upon ,belief or         

,disbelief in the ,divinity of ,christ4 
,we may talk of duty to ,society1 duty  
to the ,race1 duty to ,posterity1 duty  
to ,civilization2 but the plain man will
 recall the question of ,sir ,boyle     
,roche3 8,i do not understand1 ,mr4     
,speaker1 all this talk about our duty  
to ,posterity6 ,what has ,posterity ever
 done for us80  ,you cannot control     
conduct by asserting that a man owes a  
debt to an abstraction which you vivify 
by printing it with a capital letter1   
and there remains always the question of
 the dying ,lucretius--      8,thy duty8
 ,what is duty8 ,fare thee well40  ,the 
problem1 then1 which we have to solve   
is--how to arrest the attention of the  
average man to those ,christian         
principles1 of which the acceptance or  
definite refusal will determine the     
course of civilization during the next  
twenty years4  ,the mere assertion of   
authority will not suffice1 and men are 
not impressed in favour of ,catholic    
doctrine simply by dignified ceremony   

and ,ritual4 ,we have only to look      
across the ,english ,channel to be      
assured of this4 ,frenchmen have not    
been encouraged to study the evidences  
of ,christianity4 ,bishops and priests  
have only advertised sceptical books by 
forbidding their perusal to the         
faithful2 and as the devout have been   
instructed to live by faith1 but not how
 to give a reason for the faith which is
 in them1 in the result ,m4 ,viviani's  
atheistic rhetoric has been placarded at
 the cost of the ,state in every commune
 throughout ,france4  ,we may consider1 
then1 if there be any method by which   
the man who does not read theological or
 scientific or philosophical books1 the 
man who has left off going to church1 or
 gets no help from the average sermon1  
the man who has no reverence for mere   
authority1 may be induced to consider   
the ,christian ,revelation as offering  
him a key to those riddles of life which
 his civic responsibilities are         
perpetually propounding4  ,remember that

 his present condition may be roughly   
described as consisting of religious    
haziness and moral laziness4 ,the moral 
laziness is being subjected to a series 
of rough shocks4 ,he must make up his   
mind about some questions of morality4  
,the relation of the sexes1 the duties  
of property1 the treatment of the       
subject savage1 the survival of the     
unfit1 the ethics of commerce1 the      
control of the sale of alcohol1 the     
education of children1 these things he  
has to decide and he will ultimately    
decide4 ,but he is at present perplexed1
 and his religious haziness is the      
reason of his perplexity4 ,he perhaps   
has not reached the conclusion of his   
contemporary in ,france1 but he is on   
the way to it4 ,those heavenly lights   
which ,m4 ,viviani declares that his    
,government has extinguished still shine
 faintly for men in ,england1 though the
 mists obscure them4  ,can we get men to
 look upwards for light1 and instead of 
cursing the ancient creed in a confused 

commination1 to take ,arthur ,clough's  
advice--      8,ah6 yet consider it     
again40  ,i believe that there is a     
method1 and as ,i mention it ,i am      
prepared for derision from all the      
8chorus of irresponsible reviewers1 the 
irresponsible indolent reviewers40  ,i  
believe that ,fiction will find those   
that can be reached by no other means4  
,fiction sometimes sets a man seeking   
for ,fact4  ,very diffidently and very  
reverently ,i may remind my             
contemporaries that one1 who has1 at any
 rate1 profoundly influenced the course 
of history1 whatever view we may take of
 ,his person1 did not disdain this      
method1 8,he taught them by parables40  
8,let me tell you a story40 ,is there   
any age of mankind which does not       
respond to the invitation and give      
audience8 ,a story stilled the tumult of
 the nursery in our earliest days1 when 
heavy storms shook the windows and the  
tedium of a long1 wet afternoon had     
turned play into fretfulness4 ,a story  

beguiled us into interest when our      
,history lesson had seemed an arid      
futility in ,fourth ,form days1 and our 
magisterial enemies began to show       
themselves human after all when they    
bade us read ,the ,last of the ,barons  
as we were painfully plodding in the    
,plantagenet period1 and found the ,war 
of the ,roses a very thorny waste4  ,it 
is strange to turn over the pages of    
eminent evangelical sermons of the early
 ,victorian days and to notice how      
8,novel reading0 is denounced4 ,probably
 the worthy divines who fulminated      
against fiction were thinking of their  
own boyhood1 and the mischief which came
 to them from ,fielding and ,richardson 
and ,smollett surreptitiously perused4  
,sir ,anthony ,absolute's detestation of
 the circulating library survived in    
some provincial circles even when ,sir  
,walter ,scott had come to his own4 ,the
 last forty years have altered things   
considerably1 and though some men may   
pretend to despise novels1 now-a-days   

they must take them into account4 ,wise 
and learned persons began to prescribe  
them1 not only as a vehicle for the     
exhibition of wholesome but unattractive
 information1 but as having a remedial  
value of their own4 8,the intellectual  
anodyne of the nineteenth century10 ,i  
remember that somebody called           
them--perhaps it was ,sir ,arthur       
,helps4 ,it came about that those who   
had a secret and timid predilection for 
the story-book1 but blushed a little if 
at ,mudie's counter they ventured to ask
 for a novel1 found that their ordinary 
reading of ,biography and ,memoirs      
revealed some unsuspected sympathies of 
the illustrious and wise4 ,who would    
have thought that ,darwin devoured      
novels and ,dean ,church did not disdain
 them1 and that ,mr4 ,gladstone sat up  
all night to finish ,john ,inglesant8   
,the respectable pater-familias has long
 ceased to proscribe novel reading1 and 
the most austere biographer no longer   
hides as a revelation of weakness his   

hero's literary divertisements4         
,finally1 in this year of ,grace #aijf  
we are boldly told that ,archbishop     
,temple could stand an examination in   
,miss ,yonge's novels1 and on one       
occasion was heard keenly discussing    
with ,lord ,rosebery the careers of the 
,may family in the ,daisy ,chain as     
though they were living acquaintances4  
,from being recognized as a recreation  
the novel has developed into a power1   
and ,charles ,dickens was a pioneer in  
its progress4 ,it is the custom amongst 
certain 8superior persons0 to sneer at  
the novel with a purpose1 and to suggest
 that authors attained remunerative     
results by taking some subject which was
 already ripe for discussion and weaving
 round it a web of fiction4             
,undoubtedly there is danger to-day of  
such artifice1 but ,i maintain that the 
great reforms of the past century owed  
much to writers whose purpose was       
perfectly innocent4 ,cardinal ,newman   
has told us of the literary influence of

 ,sir ,walter ,scott1 who turned men's  
minds in the direction of the ,middle   
,ages4  8,the general need10 he said1   
8of something deeper and more attractive
 than what had offered itself elsewhere1
 may be said to have led to his         
popularity2 and by means of his         
popularity he reacted on his readers1   
stimulating their mental thirst1 feeding
 their hopes1 setting before them       
visions1 which when once seen are not   
easily forgotten1 and silently          
indoctrinating them with nobler ideas1  
which might afterwards be appealed to as
 first principles40  ,if ,cardinal      
,newman could thus maintain the value of
 ,fiction in the great ecclesiastical   
movement which has regenerated the      
,church of ,england1 ,i may claim       
without apology that the reform in ,poor
 ,law ,administration gained the        
attention of the public when ,dickens   
made 8,bumbledom0 ridiculous1 and that  
the ,court of ,chancery was swept       
cleaner by the breezes which were       

blowing from ,bleak ,house4 ,let any man
 run over in his mind the undoubted     
improvements in social matters during   
the last fifty years1 and it will be    
seen how ,fiction has assisted in their 
promotion4 ,did ,charles ,reade's ,hard 
,cash do nothing to arouse the attention
 of the public to the condition of the  
insane8 ,did ,sir ,walter ,besant's     
novels turn no light on the sins of the 
sweater1 or ,charles ,kingsley's ,alton 
,locke show no reason for legalizing the
 ,trade ,union and the reform of the    
,law of ,conspiracy8 ,mrs4 ,harriet     
,beecher ,stowe may to-day be forgotten1
 but the southern states of ,north      
,america would not dispute the influence
 of ,fiction upon the public mind4  ,the
 fact is that men1 who generally read   
nothing else but newspapers1 will read a
 good novel1 and if the book brings     
before them principles which they have  
hitherto neglected1 they will very often
 consider those principles again4 ,it is
 necessary1 however1 that the novel     

shall appeal to them as being a fair    
record of the present or the past4 ,they
 may as they read it be unable to       
pronounce on the thesis which is at the 
back of the book1 but they will be led  
to consider and discuss it if the story1
 as a story1 holds them4 ,and it is here
 that the story which has a genuine     
religious motive often fails4 ,most of  
the great artists in fiction1 when they 
have taken in hand a subject which is of
 religious interest1 have written in a  
spirit of detachment4 ,george ,eliot's  
,romola is an example1 and the result is
 that men are more interested in ,tito  
,melema than in ,savonarola4 ,novels in 
which religion is necessarily much in   
evidence have been written either by    
literary artists who have studiously    
endeavoured to lay aside their own      
personal convictions1 or if the books   
have been written with a distinctly     
religious purpose the hero and heroine  
have been unconvincing1 the people in   
the story have not been alive4  ,when   

,cardinal ,newman had abandoned         
prematurely his hope of maintaining the 
,catholic character of the ,church of   
,england1 he did not disdain to employ  
his pen in the production of a novel    
with a religious purpose2 but we are    
amazed to find that the exquisite grace 
of style which is one of the charms of  
the ,apologia could not render ,charles 
,riding interesting1 or the novel ,loss 
and ,gain1 of which he is the hero1     
readable4  ,it is perhaps dangerous to  
give another example from contemporary  
fiction1 but those who justly admire    
,mrs4 ,humphry ,ward's subtle           
discernment of character and great and  
increasing mastery of form and style1   
will not be inclined to dispute the     
opinion that when1 in ,robert ,elsmere1 
she undertook the defence of the modern 
,unitarian position1 her hero was hardly
 a 8,man's man40  ,the reason is not far
 to seek4 ,the average man knows too    
much of the darker side of life2 and the
 necessary effort made by the author of 

religious novels to depict that of which
 they1 fortunately for their own souls1 
have had no experience1 is not          
successful4 ,charles ,kingsley's        
undergraduate days were perhaps not     
without knowledge of the shadows1 but he
 is happier in the ,schools of          
,alexandria1 or in the spacious days of 
,great ,elizabeth1 than in a tale of    
modern life such as ,two ,years ,ago4   
,his ,broad ,church ,catholic teaching  
does not always find its way to the man 
in the street1 and ,henry ,kingsley1    
whose life was so different from that of
 his illustrious clerical brother1 has  
more of human interest in his stories4  
,the novel with a purpose1 and          
especially with a religious purpose1    
fails only1 when it does fail1 because  
the author's knowledge of the average   
man in his sins and his temptations to  
sin1 is altogether incommensurate with  
his familiarity with the great religious
 and social problems of which his story 
would suggest a solution4  ,it is often 

supposed that the men do not care to    
find the subject of religion introduced 
in fiction1 that they resent religion in
 a novel1 as children resent the        
administration of a medicinal powder in 
a spoonful of jam2 but the expert       
witness of publishers demolishes this   
opinion4 ,after all1 the religious claim
 is insistent1 and life is untruly      
depicted when men and women are         
described in a story as uninfluenced by 
it4 ,there is something unreal in a book
 which has no ,sundays in it4 ,critical 
opinion as expressed in the notices of  
books in the daily papers1 and in more  
weighty reviews1 is very misleading1    
simply because the reviewers are        
generally very young men or women who   
know more or less of literature but very
 little of life4 ,the wrath of the young
 man fresh from the ,university at the  
success of those books which do not     
ignore the spiritual needs of men and   
women amuses the experienced author4    
8,faugh60 cries ,mr4 ,jones of ,balliol2

 8another batch of sin and sentiment60  
8,the ,christian creed and the conjugal 
copula6 ,religion and ,patchouli60 ,yet 
the critic forgets that those who would 
reach the minds and hearts of men must  
deal with the problems of creed and     
character which men have to solve1 each 
one for himself4  ,our censors1         
dilettante1 delicate-handed1 with their 
canons of criticism might do worse than 
reckon up the number of ,english novels 
which have lived on into the twentieth  
century4 ,they will be surprised to find
 that they are nearly all novels with a 
purpose and a religious purpose for     
their 8motif40 ,charles ,reade when he  
wrote ,never too late to mend1 not only 
helped forward the humane and           
intelligent treatment of criminals1 he  
showed how the ,divine ,image was       
stamped indelibly on human nature1 and  
where it seemed to be obliterated could 
be restored4 ,but ,charles ,reade drew  
real men and women4 ,his characters are 
not puppets of the play-house but are   

alive4 ,and ,thackeray--,clarum et      
venerabile nomen--making hypocrites his 
quarry1 and raining his quiver full of  
satiric shafts upon the hateful crew1   
never scoffed for a moment at reverent  
things1 but with bowed head and hushed  
footsteps passed by the sanctuary4      
,therefore1 these men are still living  
forces4 ,men will read other novels of  
the past as women look at old-fashion   
plates1 and amuse themselves with the   
differences and contrasts of succeeding 
generations1 but the novels which men   
buy in their hundreds of thousands1 the 
novels which are reprinted again and    
again1 the novels for which the         
publishers wait as their copyright is   
expiring1 like heirs expecting a rich   
man's death1 that each may endeavour to 
be first in the field with an edition   
which pays no royalty to the author2    
these novels are those which truly      
represented life as it seemed in other  
days1 life seeking ever to be reassured 
that ,one has come who offers to those  

who walk in darkness the light of life4 
,it is exasperating to some minds to    
discover that the man of the world is   
not altogether worldly1 and that he     
finds in books which recognize religion 
as a considerable part of man's life1   
something which gives to them reality   
and truth4 ,immature minds and          
inexperienced penmen are not impressed  
by the things which really matter1 and  
in the interval between the ,university 
and man's settlement in life much       
nonsense is written and spoken4  ,i     
speak from personal experience2 and when
 ,i look back upon the reviews ,i wrote 
ten years ago1 it is with invariable    
consternation1 and sometimes a real     
sense of shame4  ,nevertheless1 there is
 some criticism of the religious novel  
which must be taken seriously4 ,i have  
maintained that men generally in        
,england are in a state of theological  
confusion1 but that they are interested 
in religion if they can be induced to   
consider it4 ,there is1 as the great    

,african ,presbyter wrote seventeen     
hundred years ago1 a natural response in
 the hearts of men to the chief articles
 of the ,christian ,faith4 ,there is a  
,testimonium anim naturaliter christian4
 ,but there are some who can only be    
described by a quotation3 8,they are the
 enemies of the cross of ,christ40 ,they
 are determined that the ,catholic creed
 shall have no place in the counsels and
 considerations of social legislation4  
,of ,jesus ,christ they have said1 8,we 
will not have this man to reign over    
us20 and if there be any chance that a  
man's books may catch the eye of the    
public and rouse people to think whether
 opportunism is really statesmanship1   
and empiricism in politics really       
prudent1 if1 in a word1 the principles  
of ,christianity are offered as a       
solution of social problems1 then the   
author is attacked on every side4 ,it is
 suggested that his intention is        
insincere1 that his knowledge is        
inadequate4 ,the things which have been 

part of his painful discipline and      
development are described as his        
accepted environment4 ,if a ,bishop     
happens to find an illustration for a   
sermon in his pages1 or a prominent     
,nonconformist divine recognizes that   
the laity like to read them1 and says   
so2 if any of those true hearts who love
 the ,lord ,jesus ,christ in sincerity  
have been ready to see that men who have
 been rescued de profundis1 men who have
 had experience of ,greek3 ta bathea tou
 satana are not thereby disqualified for
 duty in the field of ,faith2 if1 in a  
word1 books which claim for             
,christianity the first place in the    
thought of the time are successful1 a   
very malignant hostility is aroused4    
,it is most probable that this hatred of
 ,christianity will grow and increase4  
,the world has never before been as it  
is to-day4 ,the system of party politics
 has placed power in the hands of the   
democracy4 ,the 8working man0 has at    
last discovered what he can do4 ,he must

 make his choice between the secular and
 the religious principle4 ,hitherto the 
,christian pastors of the people have   
appealed to his emotions1 and not       
without success4 ,the emotions will     
always be the chief guides in conduct   
for many2 but the leaders of the working
 men are hard-headed1 well read in      
social science and politics2 and1 owing 
to the insufficient training of the     
clergy in these subjects1 the           
politicians of the proletariat have     
conceived a sort of contempt for the    
parson and the minister and the priest4 
,the small body of ,unitarians1 wealthy 
from their constant intermarriage with  
the great ,jewish families1 and opposed 
to an aristocracy which has only in the 
last forty years been willing to receive
 them1 has been quick to see that the   
working man must be alienated from the  
,catholic creed1 and his vote secured at
 any cost4 ,on the railway bookstalls we
 may note the activity of the ,unitarian
 propaganda committee4 ,fifty years ago 

it was not necessary to consider the    
opinions of the man in the street3 the  
,unitarian minister and his congregation
 were comfortable in the assurance of   
their own intellectual culture and their
 kindly interest for the poorer classes4
 ,in politics they were ,liberals1 for  
an ,established ,church interfered with 
their sense of superiority1 and the     
landed proprietors and the hereditary   
aristocracy socially ignored them4 ,but 
they had no notion of calling into      
existence an electorate which should    
endanger the supremacy of the           
capitalist1 and1 like ,frankenstein1    
they are afraid of their own creations1 
now that the working man has become the 
dispenser of ,parliamentary power4 ,it  
is vital to their interests that he     
should be diverted from further attacks 
upon capital1 and encouraged to believe 
that it is the priest who is his true   
foe4 8,le clricalisme voil l'ennemi0 is 
a convenient cry4 ,a vague ,deism is not
 dangerous to wealthy manufacturers2 but

 if the clergy are going to take up     
,christian ,socialism it is time to be  
up and doing4 ,so every weapon against  
the creed of ,christendom is being taken
 down and examined1 and many an old     
fallacy is refurbished and employed once
 more4 ,celsus is disinterred from the  
tomb in which ,origen had buried him1   
and his filthy slander of the ,blessed  
,virgin is printed as though it were a  
new discovery of historical research4   
,collins is called into court again as  
though ,bentley had never exposed his   
ignorance1 and ,hume's a priori method  
is revived as though it had never been  
discredited2 whilst ,strauss and ,renan 
are quoted as authorities1 as if        
,westcott and ,lightfoot had never been 
known4 ,shunt the working classes on a  
new line of rails4 ,set them shrieking  
against sacramentalists1 and swearing at
 sacerdotalists1 and we may quietly     
arrange our commercial combinations and 
protect our manufacturing interests6  ,i
 want to see the seats under the dome of

 ,st4 ,paul's filled not by only the    
middle-aged middle classes1 who for the 
most part are ,christian in creed1 but  
by the young artisans and craftsmen1 and
 the strong politicians who fill the    
,free ,trade ,hall in ,manchester1 and  
crowd the great ,assembly ,rooms of     
,birmingham and ,liverpool when an      
election is drawing near4 ,the timid    
members of the ,episcopate who may be   
reminded that 8,he that observeth the   
wind shall not sow2 and he that         
regardeth the clouds shall not reap10   
are not our only ,bishops4 ,occasionally
 a ,prime ,minister offers for election 
and consecration a man who can reach the
 minds and consciences of men4 ,is it   
too great an ambition for a storyteller 
to try to arouse in people's minds a    
suspicion that after all something may  
be said for the ,catholic ,faith1 and so
 to bring them to listen to those who   
know and can teach it8 ,each man must do
 his work with such tools as have come  
in his way4 ,the ,mission preacher will 

use his magnetic power1 the artist whose
 skill it is to build or to paint1 will 
make his appeal to the love of order and
 beauty1 the musicians will meet the    
heart through the ear4 ,may not the     
writer of fiction use his psychological 
training and his knowledge of many sides
 of human life to create a story which  
shall set men thinking about the old    
doctrines which he believes to have lost
 none of their regenerating power8      
,there is danger lest men with good     
intentions should go blindly to work to 
redress and diminish social grievances4 
,individualism with its hateful cry1    
8,each man for himself and the devil    
take the hindmost10 is now at a         
discount1 but it may be replaced by a   
despotism of ,state regulation which    
will destroy the family and the home4   
,there is1 ,i believe1 only one creed   
which can make the capitalist unselfish 
and the sons of labour satisfied1 which 
will tell men that wealth means         
responsibility and that there is dignity

 in toil1 which will teach the rich man 
to order himself lowly and reverently to
 those who are his betters and to hurt  
nobody by word or deed1 which will teach
 the labourer that his chief need is not
 other men's wealth1 but the 8carrire   
ouverte aux talents0 and the            
determination to do his duty in that    
state of life1 whatever it may be1 unto 
which ,god shall call him4  ,it is the  
,holy ,catholic ,faith which makes      
equality of opportunity for all men its 
earthly ambition1 and offers refreshment
 and hope to those who are not strong   
enough to strive with the rest4 ,the old
 men saw visions and we have found that 
they were prophecies1 a young man may   
dream dreams4 ,my dream is that the men 
who are doing the work of the world     
to-day may be taught that ,christ is    
their best teacher and the ,incarnate   
,god their refuge and strength4  ,there 
is a tale of an acrobat and juggler who 
knew well that his tricks were the      
outcome of years of concentrated effort 

and constant exercise1 and being moved  
by the ,grace of ,god1 he desired to    
offer the best thing he had to give to  
the ,lord of ,life4 ,his best was his   
skill4 ,he lived by it4 ,shown in the   
streets and the play places1 it won for 
him his daily bread4 ,his work was to   
give men amusement in their hours of    
recreation by an exhibition of his feats
 of strength and nimbleness4 ,could     
this1 his one talent1 be consecrated and
 devoted to ,god8 ,so he considered1 and
 humbly sought the sanctuary1 and there 
before the ,presence he performed his   
fantastic tricks which had cost him     
years of endeavour4 ,the story is a     
parable which men have not been slow to 
read1 and it has become the theme of the
 musician and artist4  ,shall ,i offend 
my fellow-writers if ,i repeat it here  
in this connection8     ,,the ,,fires   
,,of ,,moloch     ,,ii  ,,the ,,fires   
,,of ,,moloch  8,there is a lion in the 
way2 a lion is in the streets40   ,every
 three months with unfailing regularity 

small paragraphs appear in the daily    
papers headed 8,,record ,,low           
,,birth-,,rate40 ,some figures follow1  
and then occurs the sentence--unhappily 
a stereotyped one in our day--8,this is 
the lowest rate recorded in any quarter 
since civil registration began40  ,now  
and again a blue-book upon the subject  
of the birth-rate is dissected by a     
journalist and the result appears in his
 newspaper as a series of startling     
figures4 ,the story of ,england's       
decadence is set out in the plainest    
language for every one to read4  ,at    
rarer intervals still1 some prominent   
clergyman or sociologist writes or      
lectures in order to call attention to  
what is going on1 and thus to bring home
 the spiritual and economic dangers of  
our racial suicide4  ,a few people read 
or listen and are convinced4 ,a good    
many other people are too utterly       
ignorant of either the ,philosophy of   
,christianity or the ,science of        
,sociology to understand in the least   

what the point of view of the protesters
 is4 ,according to their temperament1   
they smile quietly and dismiss the      
subject1 or bellow their disgust at such
 a subject being mentioned at all4      
8,he who far off beholds another        
dancing1           ,and all the time    
,hears not the music that he dances to1 
,thinks him a madman40  ,a party which  
has the fools at its back is always in  
the majority1 and discussion is stifled1
 alarm is lulled by the anodyne of      
indifference and the great number of    
honest folk who call themselves both    
,patriots and ,christians have no time  
to spare from fighting and squabbling   
for money--in order that the dishonest  
men may not get it all4  ,half-a-dozen  
problems of extreme national importance 
confront every thinking ,english man and
 woman in #aijg4 ,the air is thick with 
their stir and movement1 and so great is
 the noise and reverberation of them    
that true 8royalty0 of 8inward          
happiness0 seems a thing impossible and 

past by in these troubled times4 ,be    
that as it may1 it is quite certain that
 one of the most real and pressing of   
these problems is that summed up in the 
stock phrase 8,record ,low ,birth-rate40
  ,we hear a great deal about the doings
 of a class of people who are referred  
to as 8,the ,smart ,set10 and it is     
actually said that its influence is     
having a serious effect upon the        
national character4 ,i do not believe it
 for a moment4 ,it seems a folly to     
suppose that a handful of champagne     
corks floating on a cess-pool has any   
far-reaching influence upon the ,english
 home4 ,i mention that small section of 
society constituted by the idle and     
luxurious rich1 because1 whatever their 
vices are1 they are being used as       
whipping-boy for enormous numbers of    
people whose lives are equally guilty   
with theirs in at least one regard--in  
the matter of which ,i am writing now4  
,i propose in this essay to discuss the 
question of the decline in the          

birth-rate from the ,christian and      
,catholic standpoint4 ,there is only one
 perfect philosophy1 and all other      
half-true philosophies in the light of  
which we might consider such a momentous
 matter as this1 lead only to the       
conclusion that expediency is the       
highest good4 ,without the incentive of 
the ,christian ,faith and without the   
light of the ,incarnation one may sit in
 a corner and think till 8all's blue in 
cloud cuckoo land40 ,christianity can   
alone be reconciled with ,economics1    
theory and practice celebrating always  
the marriage of the ,king's son1 the    
wedding of ,heaven and ,earth1 the      
spiritual and the material4 ,plato knew 
that it was impossible to raise the     
,greek state to the level of his        
philosophic principles1 and ,aristotle  
frankly abandons the attempt to connect 
ethics and politics with the highest    
conclusions of his creed4 ,we are in the
 same position to-day if we ignore the  
supreme truth which is our possession   

and which was not vouchsafed to the     
great ,greek thinkers4         99       
99       99       99       99  ,there is
 one cause and one cause only of the    
decline in the birth-rate and the       
beginning of the country's spiritual and
 material suicide4  ,the way of ,nature 
is for every species to increase nearly 
to its possible maximum of numbers4     
,this is a proved law1 and nothing but  
the limitation of families by artificial
 means1 or infanticide1 can check its   
operation4  ,the truth is exactly as    
,dr4 ,barry put it nearly two years ago1
 8,it stands confessed that the great1  
proud1 ,english race1 famous as a people
 for manly virtues1 once the very       
,stoics of ,christian ,europe decline   
more and more to be fathers and mothers1
 will not be worried with children1     
and--cannot be spoken of in decent      
language40  ,it is a truth of history   
that when a nation begins to refuse the 
responsibility of providing for         
posterity it begins to decline4  ,the   

doctrines of ,malthus in his great      
,essay on the ,principles of            
,population1 are no longer believed in  
by the ,christian philosopher4 ,malthus 
was perfectly sound upon the ethical    
problem1 and the 8,neo-,malthusians10 of
 whom ,i shall presently speak1 have no 
right whatever to use his name upon     
their banners4 ,malthus1 so the modern  
socialistic thinker1 such as ,mr4 ,h4   
,g4 ,wells avers1 8demonstrated for all 
time that a ,state whose population     
continues to increase in obedience to   
unchecked instinct can progress only    
from bad to worse4 ,from the point of   
view of human comfort and happiness the 
increase of population that occurs at   
each advance in human security is the   
greatest evil of life40  ,malthus1      
however1 never once suggested or        
advocated the limitation of population  
by mechanical means4 ,he believed that  
it was a patriotic duty of men and women
 to abstain from producing more children
 than the ,state could bear1 and it is  

as well to remove at once a popular     
misconception which stains the name of a
 good man and a powerful though mistaken
 thinker4  ,otter says of him in a      
memoir1 8,his life was more than any    
other we have ever witnessed1 a         
perpetual flow of enlightened           
benevolence1 contentment and peace2 it  
was the best and purest philosophy1     
brightened by ,christian views and      
softened by ,christian charity40  ,it is
 economically and from the sociological 
point of view that the modern student   
condemns the theories of ,malthus and   
those who follow him4  ,socialist       
thinkers disregard the entity of        
nations1 and treat of the world and its 
population as a whole4 ,the ,christian  
,patriot loves his own country1 believes
 in its destiny no less than he reveres 
its past1 and knows that if our ,english
 nation is going to live1 it must go on 
reproducing itself4  ,the 8no room to   
live0 theory is preposterous upon the   
face of it4 ,in #ahgi1 ,lord ,derby     

asked a somewhat obvious question4      
8,surely10 he said1 8it is better to    
have thirty-five millions of human      
beings leading useful and intelligent   
lives1 rather than forty millions       
struggling painfully for a bare         
subsistence40  ,this has been made into 
a watchword by those who advocate the   
limitation of population4  ,it can be   
answered by a simple statement of       
fact--in our colonies there are places  
for a hundred million wives4  ,while ,i 
have not lost sight of the main object  
of this paper--to summarize the weight  
of ,catholic ,christian feeling upon the
 mechanical limitation of population1   
and to tell how this is being           
accomplished--,i find that there is yet 
some ground to be cleared before coming 
to the main issue4  ,i have said that   
there is only one material cause of our 
decadence1 but there are many reasons4  
,more than a year ago in one or two     
newspapers1 particularly the ,daily     
,chronicle1 various sociologists gave   

the results of their thought upon the   
matter4 ,i print a few extracts here4   
,the outspoken ,dr4 ,barry wrote3--     
4444440#8,as for religion1 ,christian or
 any other1 when its      dogmas are no 
longer believed1 its ethics pass away1' 
and he      draws a picture of the      
rotten state of society in our ,western 
world1 which he attributes directly to  
the growth of      agnosticism4 ,the    
fact that the birth-rate in ,england has
 been      declining for twenty-five    
years1 and was lowest in #aijd1 seems   
to ,dr4 ,barry to be due to several     
causes--#8poverty and luxury1           
pleasure-seeking and disbelief in the   
,bible1' and he adds1 #8,the      spirit
 of anarchic individualism that cries1  
8,no ,god1 no      ,master60 is needed  
to tell us why ,englishmen and their    
wives1      once dedicated to a         
blameless and lasting union1 have fallen
      into the pit which ,malthus or his
 followers digged for them4'            
,england alone is not at fault4         

#8,wherever unbelief has taken          
hold1 or doubt saps the ancient creeds1 
there ,malthus reigns      instead of   
,christ4'0  ,a 8well-known public man0  
wrote3--       4444448,it is within my  
knowledge that certain flats in ,mayfair
      and elsewhere for the married     
servant and artisan class are let       
on the express or implied condition that
 not only no children      shall be     
brought into the tenements1 but that    
none shall be      born there4 ,the     
direct consequence of this embargo on   
natural      increase is terribly       
disastrous4 ,many footmen and coachmen  
in      ,mayfair could tell a tragical  
story of the results of      compulsory 
sterility4       8,a ,japanese friend   
was telling me the other day that after 
an      absence from ,england of a dozen
 years he is startled at the            
visible deterioration of the race and   
the great increase of      penniless    
,british weaklings1 who add strength to 
no nation4      #8,you ,english are     

losing both patriotism and religion1 and
      consequently you are not only     
decadent but doomed1 unless you         
mend your ways in the treatment of women
 and children4'0  ,i take the following 
from a leading article in the ,church   
,times3--       4444448,after making all
 allowances for minor contributory      
causes1 the fact remains and may be     
proved by a little inquiry1      that   
married people have come to regard a    
large family as a      curse instead of 
a ,divine blessing4 ,the birth-rates in 
,london      are instructive4           
,residential districts1 with fewest     
poor1 show      the lowest rates4       
,hampstead #aff and ,fulham #cbc may be 
taken      as typical districts at each 
end of the scale4 ,stepney with its     
,jewish population has a rate of #cg4   
,if the ,aliens ,bill is to be          
effective it will need a clause         
compelling ,jews to limit their         
families1 just as their ,christian 767  
neighbours do4 ,the misery      of it   

all is that we find the practice of     
child murder1 for      such it is in    
plain ,english1 defended by men of      
education2      lawyers1 medical men1   
and even priests make no secret of their
      approval of it1 if no more4 ,and  
as working men become aware of      what
 their #8betters' are saying and        
doing--and they are not      slow to    
follow a similar course--the evil       
spreads4 ,our proper      leaders1 the  
,bishops1 ought long ago to have dealt  
with this      subject resolutely and   
firmly4 ,but apparently a grain of      
incense is a more terrible thing to them
 than the murder of an      existing if 
unborn personality4 ,we can only judge  
by their      public utterances1 but we 
have yet to learn that as a body        
their lordships have spent a thousandth 
part of the time over      this supreme 
question of national morality that they 
have      devoted to the suppression of 
things disapproved of by ,lady          
,wimborne and her league4 ,the spectacle

 of disproportionate      interest and  
action is melancholy1 and indicative of 
incapacity      to observe the real     
dangers to be faced40  ,again--         
8,the personal causes of this mischief  
are fear of pain 7i4 e4      failure to 
see in pain the discipline of ,god which
 elevates      human nature71 hatred of 
duty1 shirking of responsibility1 love  
of pleasure1 the substitution of        
hedonism for the religion of      ,jesus
 ,christ the ,lord1 and ignorance of the
 ,holy ,spirit as ,lord      of all     
life4 ,how far religious teachers are   
accountable for      this we leave to   
their own consciences to say4 ,the same 
causes      are at work in the high     
mortality of infants4 ,the honour of    
doing her best for her child is cast    
aside by many a mother      because it  
involves a certain amount of            
self-restraint and some      seclusion  
from the gaieties of the hour2 and      
recourse is had to      all sorts of    
patent nostrums and infants' #8food'    

7often the      cause of rickets7 until 
the hospitals are over full of young    
children1 whose sufferings are the      
result 7,god grant that they      may be
 the atonement also7 of their mothers'  
negligences and      ignorances4 ,where 
there is not deliberate and wilful      
avoidance      of maternal duty1 there  
is neglect through awful ignorance40    
,in the ,daily ,mail ,mr4 ,h4 ,g4 ,wells
 writes3--       44444448,on the other  
hand think of the discouragements4      
,while      the mother toils in a       
restricted anxious home amid her        
children1 she sees through her          
imperfectly cleaned window 7one         
can't do everything7 the childless wives
 having a glorious      time1 going     
a-bicycling with their husbands1 dressed
 gaudily      with all his superfluous  
income1 talking about their #8,rights4' 
,as her children grow up to an age when 
they might help drudge      with her or 
drudge for her1 the ,state1 without a   
word of thanks      to her1 takes them  

away to teach them and make good        
citizens of      them4 ,if the husband  
presently becomes bored by his          
restricted      prolific household and  
its incessant demands1 and absconds1 or 
if he is simply unlucky and gets out of 
work1 the ,state deals      with her in 
a spirit of austere ingratitude4 ,she is
 subjected      to #8charity' and every 
conceivable indignity2 she undergoes    
profounder humiliations than fall to the
 lot of the most      dissolute women4  
,if a husband #8goes wrong' and a woman 
has kept      childless1 she can get    
employment1 she can shift for herself   
and be well quit of him1 but a family   
disaster for a mother is                
catastrophe4       8,i submit the       
situation is preposterous4 ,i do not    
believe that      with increasing       
intelligence and refinement women will  
go on      marrying and bearing children
 under such conditions4 ,i gather       
that the statistics of marriage-rates   
and birth-rates bear me      out in     

this40  ,and in the ,daily ,chronicle   
the ,rev4 ,cartmel-,robinson3--         
4444448,this phenomenon of the falling  
birth-rate is of course      not        
confined to ,england2 it is to be met   
with1 you might say      generally1 in  
all ,christian countries4 ,it would be  
far more      marked but for the        
tremendous decline in the death-rate1   
especially among infants4 ,we ourselves 
should be vitally      bankrupt but for 
this factor1 and in ,france1 as you     
know1 the      population is slowly     
dropping4 ,that is an old story1 but it 
is      startling to learn1 as          
,president ,roosevelt tells us1 that the
      native-born ,american population  
is actually declining4       8,one of   
the main causes1 no doubt1 is the       
determined pursuit of      pleasure by  
all classes4 ,the man will not take the 
burden of      providing for a family1  
or1 at any rate1 a large family1 upon   
himself1 because that would mean a      
curtailment of his luxuries1            

perhaps even his necessities1 while the 
woman refuses to spend      all the     
prime of her life in child-bearing and  
child-rearing4      ,she also wants to  
enjoy herself1 and the pure1 simple joys
 of      maternity1 which we used to    
think ought to be sufficient for a      
woman1 have in many cases become        
irksome4       8,for my part ,i do not  
think that you will ever rouse ,england 
to      this question of home and       
children by an appeal to patriotism4    
,the ,englishman has become too         
cosmopolitan for that1 and ,i am        
afraid the feeling is growing4          
8,the reason for the decline in ,america
 is said to be that women      are      
becoming neurotic1 and will not face the
 dangers and      responsibilities of   
motherhood4 ,no doubt that is true to a 
certain extent here also1 and it is     
quite certain that among                
intellectual and highly-educated women1 
such as are trained at      our         
universities in increasing numbers1 the 

maternal instinct1      the capacity for
 love1 if you like to put it in that    
way1 is      apt to be destroyed4       
8,then1 among the middle classes        
thousands of young women1 who      not  
many years ago would have looked to     
marriage as their      natural career1  
are earning their own livings1 and are  
less      eager to rush into matrimony40
  ,i have taken these extracts from the 
words of a few people crying in the     
wilderness4 ,all of the dicta are at    
least eighteen months old4 ,i am writing
 now1 in ,november #aijf1 and three days
 ago the apparently inevitable paragraph
 again made its appearance3--           
8,,record ,,low ,,birth-,,rate4         
8,the births registered in ,england and 
,wales during the three      months     
ended ,september #cj--bcd1fbd1 or #bfi  
per #a1jjj of the      population--was  
the lowest rate recorded in any third   
quarter      since civil registration   
was established4       8,the average in 
the same quarters of the past ten years 

was      #bhh40  ,these opinions as to  
the reasons for the terrible decadence  
of ,england are doubtless all true4     
,they are all contributory causes1 and  
,i do not think we can put a single one 
of them aside4 ,nothing could be more   
dismal or more hopeless reading4 ,as one
 goes on1 one experiences a sense as of 
a chill1 deepening shadow4  ,few people 
who read will be able to adopt the      
average man's attitude towards          
unpleasant and disturbing matters--to   
sidle by with a deprecatory shrug of the
 shoulders4  ,where then do we stand8   
,so far ,i have endeavoured to show 7a7 
the entire indifference of the ordinary 
man and woman to the fall in the        
birth-rate2 7b7 the only light1 in      
which1 as ,i understand it1 one can see 
the problem as a whole--in the light of 
the ,incarnation2 7c7 the fact that the 
,christian ,sociologist to-day is       
inclined to condemn the theory that the 
limitation of population is necessary at
 all1 even by legitimate methods of     

abstinence and control2 7d7 the varied  
reasons which1 in the opinion of those  
who have studied the question deeply1   
contribute to the one central and       
shocking fact--  ,that incredible       
numbers of ,english men and women many  
of them professing themselves           
,christians1 are constantly using       
methods to prevent the birth of         
children4  ,every parish clergyman in   
,england is perfectly aware of what is  
going on4 ,every ,nonconformist         
minister1 and indeed every one whose    
work brings him in touch with large     
masses of people in the capacities of   
leader1 adviser1 or friend1 knows it    
also4 ,just as the figures of the       
,registrar ,general form a gauge by     
which to measure the generality of the  
malignant influence1 so the personal    
experience of any man of the world will 
supply particular evidence of the state 
of things within his immediate purview  
and surroundings4  ,always remembering  
that the evil is progressive1 is hourly 

increasing1 the observer of social      
phenomena at once asks himself if there 
is not some definite and organized      
control and direction of it4 ,the desire
 to obtain the gratifications of passion
 while evading its responsibilities is1 
perhaps1 the strongest feeling implanted
 in the fallen nature of mankind4 ,this 
is sufficient to create a demand for    
knowledge of how to obtain the desired  
end1 and the demand has in its turn     
created the supply4  ,there is a        
definite literature upon the subject1   
there is a large body of highly-trained 
and cultured men and women ready and    
anxious to disseminate the necessary    
information to produce these results4   
,i propose to deal briefly1 in the first
 instance1 with the literature which    
urges and explains practices which the  
laws of ,god1 the laws of ,nature1 and  
the teachings of the ,church utterly and
 emphatically condemn4  ,the people who 
call themselves 8,malthusians0 7and to  
avoid an injustice to the memory of     

,malthus ,i shall here style them       
,neo-,malthusians7 have an organ of     
their own in the shape of a periodical  
which is the official voice of a league 
into which they have formed themselves4 
,the periodical has1 ,i believe1 an     
extensive circulation1 and it is        
published at the lowest possible price4 
,moreover1 in each number of it which ,i
 have seen the following notice         
appears3--       8,the ,secretary of the
 ,malthusian ,league will be glad to    
send      copies of back numbers of this
 journal to friends willing to          
distribute them for propagandist        
purposes40  ,we see that an ordered     
press campaign is in progress4 ,this    
periodical is most ably written and     
edited4 ,signed articles appear in it by
 men and women of standing and position4
 ,i find it impossible to doubt for a   
moment that these economists and        
scientists are not absolutely sincere1  
and actuated by a high and laudable     
desire to benefit the world in which    

they live4  ,it is unnecessary to give  
the title of the periodical1 but        
immediately beneath it the following    
sentence is printed in large letters--  
8,a ,,crusade ,,against ,,poverty40     
,here is the raison d'tre of the journal
 plainly stated1 and so far it is no    
more than indicating the precise aim of 
,malthus--to find an economic remedy for
 the sufferings of poverty4  ,i proceed 
to give some examples of the teaching   
inculcated in the journal1 and in the   
first place quote from a review of      
,l',instinct d',amour1 by ,dr4 ,joanny  
,roux1 a very distinguished ,french     
physician3--       8,must all who refuse
 to procreate refrain from love8 ,how   
easy      it is to clothe one's self in 
the robes of social purity when         
replying to this question6 ,the social  
purists tell the world      that        
chastity is obligatory if procreation be
 not intended4 ,it      is impossible to
 carry out this view4 ,the philosopher  
contents      himself with studying     

sterile love and its consequences4 ,he  
rejoices to think that thousands of     
infants are left out of the      world  
who would have been doomed to suffer4   
,the inconveniences      resulting from 
some selfish people who refrain from    
parentage      are as nothing in the    
balance when weighed against the horrors
      of indigence4       8,should we   
not1 by acting thus1 lead to a          
progressive      diminution of the      
population8 ,certainly2 but that would  
be a      good thing4 ,as if1 forsooth1 
human progress depended on              
quantity1 and not on quality6 ,take     
,china as an example of      quantity   
without quality4 ,some writers seem to  
wish that the      earth should be      
filled up with miserable and suffering  
people4      ,malthus1 that gentle      
clergyman1 in #agih1 was the first to   
protest against such a view4            
,over-reproduction1 he showed1 was      
the cause of poverty4 ,he1 however1     
thought the only remedy for      this   

was chastity1 and was quite opposed to  
sterile love4       8,to accept sterile 
love1 some say1 is to run counter to    
,nature      and natural morality4      
#8,no1' says ,dr4 ,roux1 #8it is the    
preserving of these laws4 ,in all cases 
where we construct      houses or warm  
ourselves1 we get one law of ,nature to 
defend us      against the other which  
injures us4 ,we must not forget that our
      instincts are fixed customs of    
very ancient date2 and there can      be
 no doubt that man has the right to     
intervene in questions of      that     
sexual instinct if morality 7i4 e4      
happiness7 requires      it of him4'0   
,when one reads these passages a flood  
of light as to the real influence and   
direction of such teachings comes to us 
at once4 ,the writer1 no doubt sincerely
 enough1 assumes as an axiom of his     
whole position1 that there is no law but
 8,nature10 no morality but what he     
calls 8,natural ,morality40 ,we are1 in 
fact1 under no obligations to anything  

but the promptings of animal instinct   
which are part of our human nature4  ,we
 see immediately the inherent negation  
of ,christianity implied in this        
attitude1 and apart from the definite   
teaching of the ,faith upon the         
question1 which ,i shall enter into     
later1 it is most important that we     
should realize that the holders and     
preachers of ,neo-,malthusianism must   
always be opposed to ,christianity4     
,even those people who do not profess   
their hatred for1 or disbelief in our   
,lord in so many words1 logically imply 
them4 ,christians who may not have      
troubled themselves about this menace to
 the ,state and its morals must be told 
in no uncertain voice that the movement 
is purely heathen in its position and   
built upon a basis of heathenism4 ,let  
us call things by their right names1 and
 realize that the ,neo-,malthusian      
worshipping ,nature and the ,chinese    
,coolie worshipping his ,joss are only  
two manifestations of exactly the same  

thing4  ,nor are the people who are     
attempting to turn marriage into a      
polite and recognized form of           
prostitution always so reticent as to   
their attitude towards the ,christian   
,faith4 ,in an article which professes  
to sum up the work of the ,malthusian   
,league ,i read3--       4444448,the    
medical profession in ,england is still 
too much under      the sway of the     
,church and conventional opinion to be  
able to      discuss the population     
difficulty1 except to censure those who 
are wise enough to follow science       
instead of theological      traditions  
derived from the juventus mundi4 ,dr4   
,taylor1 of      ,birmingham1 who is    
said to be an ardent ,churchman1 in a   
presidential address to the             
,gyncological ,society1 attacked the    
views of the ,neo-,malthusians40  ,and  
again3--       44444448,we have to      
chronicle the prosecution of a new organ
 of the      ,league1 ,salud y ,fuerza1 
published in ,barcelona1 on account of  

an admirable article by ,seor ,leon     
,devaldez4 ,spain is the most           
retrograde of all our ,european nations2
 but the prosecution1 we      believe1  
will end in the defeat of the clerical  
party1 as has      been the case in     
,england and in ,france4 ,science is    
destroying      our traditional         
superstitions40  ,i feel sure that a    
great many people have not the slightest
 idea that not only is this detestable  
propaganda utterly incompatible with the
 profession of ,christianity1 but must  
logically be opposed to it4  ,here is a 
case in point4 ,the official organ of   
the ,malthusian ,league quotes a letter 
from 8a warmhearted clergyman10 whose   
name is not given1 in which he says3--  
8,the theory of ,neo-,malthusianism     
finds a way out of the      difficulty4 
,it is the use of preventive checks     
which1 while      they make possible to 
all married persons the gratification of
      their natural desires1 will       
prevent the possibility of the          

ordinary results of such gratification  
following4 #8,this      clergyman1' adds
 the editor1 #8is one of the few who are
 fit to      follow in the footsteps of 
,malthus1 ,whately1 and ,chalmers4'0    
,it is a not uninteresting speculation1 
which we may permit ourselves for a     
moment1 as to the probable identity and 
character of this 8clergyman40 ,one     
hopes1 of course1 that he was not a     
clergyman1 and that the editor of the   
journal1 naturally unfamiliar with      
ecclesiastical affairs1 gives the title 
to some minister of one of the          
,unitarian sects4 ,but if the writer of 
the letter is really an ordained priest1
 then he must surely be either--  7#a7  
,an honest fool who means to do right1  
and does it as far as he knows how4     
7#b7 ,a dishonest fool who means to do  
wrong1 and does it4  7#c7 ,a fool who   
does whichever of the two he finds most 
convenient in this or that regard4  ,we 
need not1 therefore1 take the anonymous 
writer very seriously1 but ,i quote him 

because the incident throws a side-light
 upon the psychology of the half        
,christian4 ,it would be as unwise as it
 is unnecessary to quote freely from any
 of the ,neo-,malthusian publications4  
,my business in this essay is to make it
 quite clear to readers that there is a 
powerful and able organization which is 
constantly producing literature teaching
 the limitation of families4 ,there are 
now six or seven 8,malthusian ,leagues0 
in existence1 in ,england1 ,holland1    
,germany1 ,france1 ,belgium1 and ,spain1
 and a ,woman's ,international ,branch  
uniting the women of these countries1   
while the printed matter issued by these
 organizations is enormous4  ,in the    
,english journal to which ,i have been  
referring there are many advertisements 
of books and pamphlets in which the     
wording is undoubtedly designed to      
attract others than the earnest seeker  
after truth4 ,i read1 to give one       
example1 that for eightpence post free  
,i can obtain 8,the ,strike of a ,sex2  

or1 ,woman on ,strike against the ,male 
,sex for her #8,magna ,charta4' ,one of 
the most advanced books ever published2 
intended to revolutionize public opinion
 on the relation of the sexes4 ,should  
be read by every person40  ,and lower   
down in the same column ,i am informed  
that the publishers of this sort of     
thing not only sell books advocating    
,neo-,malthusian practices1 but are also
 willing to provide the means for       
committing them4  ,so much for the      
unsavoury products of the               
,neo-,malthusian press1 products which  
would make the gentle old clergyman of  
,haileybury turn away in loathing and   
disgust could he but see them4 ,large as
 the output of this pseudo-economic     
obscenity is1 it does not reach a       
twentieth part of the people who are    
responsible for the decline of the      
birth-rate4 ,they have derived their    
knowledge from another channel1 from the
 instructions of the medical man or his 
lesser colleague the chemist4  ,the     

poorer classes who1 a few years ago were
 ignorant of this propaganda1 are now   
being instructed in it by the men from  
whom they buy their medicines4 ,doctors1
 in the majority of cases1 are perfectly
 willing to explain to married people   
how they may avoid having children by   
means other than those of self-control4 
,as a rule the medical man seems to have
 no conscience at all in this regard4   
,his point of view is too often merely  
materialistic and concerned with nothing
 but physical function1 and he has      
become in many cases1 the active agent  
of the malignant forces which are       
sapping our national honour and         
prosperity4 ,in discussing the question1
 more than one person has expressed his 
amazement at the readiness of doctors to
 explain and advocate the limitation of 
families4 ,the doctors of ,england form 
one of the finest classes in the        
community4 ,i will venture to say that  
very few men and women arrive at middle 
life without experiencing a lively      

feeling of gratitude1 friendship1 or    
even affection for some medical man4    
,the devotion to his high calling1 of   
even the average ,english doctor1 is a  
fact in the lives of nearly all of us4  
,it is the more surprising1 and alarming
 also1 when we realize1 as inquirers are
 forced to realize1 how wrong and       
mistaken the general attitude of the    
physician is towards this aspect of the 
sexual relations of men and women4 ,it  
is said that infidelity is rife among   
those who are educated to cure our      
bodily ailments1 that the agnostic habit
 of mind is frequent in this profession4
 ,i am not competent to judge of this1  
or to pronounce an opinion upon such a  
statement1 though my own experience is  
directly opposed to it4 ,but it is      
certain that until the last fifteen     
years the scientific temperament was    
disinclined to believe in anything it   
could not weigh1 measure1 analyze1      
touch1 or see4 ,huxley1 for example1 was
 a striking instance of this position4  

,but science has been revolutionized    
within the experience of one generation1
 and the 8cock-sureness0 has            
disappeared4 ,we are all realizing that 
8unseen0 simply means that which does   
not appeal to our sense of sight1 or    
perhaps that which does not appeal to   
any of our senses4 ,one of the most     
famous and honoured scientific men of   
to-day1 ,sir ,oliver ,lodge1 says in    
regard to miracles1 8,i think we should 
hesitate very much before saying that   
they are impossible1 because we do not  
know what may be the power of a great   
personality over natural forces40  ,as  
the years go on1 we may have great hopes
 that the regarding of psychology as    
just as much a necessary part of a      
doctor's education as biology1 or       
therapeutics will produce a better      
feeling among medical men in regard to  
the great question of which the         
statistics of the birth-rate form the   
gauge4 ,doctors will probably understand
 that harm done to the body and harm    

done to the soul react upon one another 
with remorseless certainty1 and that    
there can be no real separation of      
spirit and matter4 ,and directly this is
 understood we shall never find medical 
men recommending and assisting what ,dr4
 ,roux calls 8sterile love0 though some 
of us could find a very different name  
for it4  ,the layman unhesitatingly     
accepts the advice of his physician1 and
 here 8private judgment0 hardly exists4 
,if a priest tells a certain type of    
,englishman that ,evening ,communions   
spoil and maim our holiest sacrament1   
and are bad for the soul1 he will resent
 it1 and say that he will choose for    
himself in the matter4 ,yet if a doctor 
tells the same person that it is        
dangerous to eat mushrooms that have    
been gathered for more than two days1 or
 that the irritation at his wrists is a 
symptom of uric acid in the blood1 there
 will be no question of disbelief4 ,the 
influence of doctors is incalculable1   
they rule us by our fear of death and   

our instinct of self-preservation1 and  
rarely do we find that they abuse the   
trust reposed in them1 or use their     
great power for ill always excepting the
 instance under discussion4 ,when1      
therefore1 the medical profession can be
 brought to see the preventive check    
system as it really is1 when doctors    
understand that interference with       
natural laws induces a deterioration of 
character and temperament which         
eventually acts upon the body for its   
harm1 and tends to race-degeneracy1 then
 much will be gained4 ,and when they    
progress still further in the coming    
reconciliation of science with the      
,christian ,revelation1 and own that the
 laws of ,god1 set out and promulgated  
by ,his ,holy ,church1 are no less      
binding than the laws made known by the 
revelation of science1 then the battle  
will be half won4 ,the final victory or 
defeat will be with the priests and     
ministers of every church and sect1 the 
men who are the physicians of our souls4

  ,the last few pages have been occupied
 with a statement of the                
,neo-,malthusian propaganda4 ,i have    
been careful rather to understate than  
exaggerate the case4 ,much that ,i might
 have included1 corroborative testimony 
from people who know1 individual        
instances1 letters1 and so forth1 has   
been rejected for the purposes of this  
essay4 ,were ,i writing another book    
upon the subject ,i should have used    
this material4 ,in a collection of      
papers devoted to various subjects1 and 
which will have a more general appeal   
than a work devoted entirely to vital   
statistics1 it is impossible4 ,but any  
one who has followed me thus far may be 
sure that ,i have been strictly         
temperate in statement4  ,we have seen  
what the ,neo-,malthusians1 avowed and  
secret1 are doing4 ,what is the ,church 
doing to stem the evil8 and what is the 
teaching of the ,church upon the        
subject8  ,the teaching of the ,church  
is perfectly clear2 my contention is    

that it is so rarely taught as to be    
practically unknown to large masses of  
,christians4  ,no one ever goes to his  
parish priest and asks if adultery is   
wrong4 ,yet innumerable clergymen have  
told me that they are constantly asked  
by parishioners if there is 8any harm0  
in the use of methods to limit families4
  ,such people are not1 of course1 of a 
very spiritual life1 or very acute      
intelligence1 or they would easily find 
the answer to such a question for       
themselves4 ,but very few of us are     
either spiritually minded or of uncommon
 intelligence1 and legislation must be  
for the average man4 ,voltaire said1 8on
 dit que ,dieu est toujours pour les    
gros bataillons10 and what was spoken as
 a sneer contains the germ of a great   
truth4 ,let me say once more1 and ,i am 
certain of what ,i say1 that the 8gros  
bataillons0 are quite ignorant of their 
moral obligations in marriage in so far 
as they relate to the question under    
discussion4  ,why8  ,the truth is1 in   

the first instance1 very difficult to   
convey from the pulpit and to a mixed   
audience1 though1 to take three great   
names at random1 the ,president of the  
,united ,states1 and our own ,bishops of
 ,ripon and ,london have spoken out4 ,in
 accusing the clergy and nonconformist  
ministers of shirking their duty we must
 remember the enormous difficulty of    
their task4 ,i have no responsibility   
but that of my own conviction1 and no   
one is compelled to buy this book who   
does not wish to do so4 ,it is therefore
 quite easy for me to sit in my study   
and write as ,i am doing4 ,but the      
preacher1 great as his opportunity and  
influence are1 must by the nature of the
 case1 be in a very different position4 
,he is an official and recognized leader
 of his flock in spiritual affairs1 a   
hundred considerations weigh with him2  
he is constrained on all sides by       
prejudice and convention which might do 
incalculable harm in other directions if
 the one was outraged and the other     

ignored4 ,the position of the priest is 
admirably summed up in a pamphlet which 
,father ,black has sent me4 ,in it he   
explains that it is impossible for a    
preacher when addressing a general      
congregation to speak in other than     
general terms1 or to say all that he may
 feel it is1 in some cases1 very        
desirable or even necessary to convey4  
,he cannot but be aware that with sins  
of impurity especially1 the very persons
 who commit them are generally of too   
delicate ears to endure to hear them    
called by their right names4 ,this      
sentimental purity is not incompatible  
with corruption of life4 ,he wishes to  
warn the innocent without enlightening  
their innocence1 to lift the veil       
sufficiently to show their sin to the   
guilty1 and yet to teach them by        
delicacy and not bring a railing        
accusation which would probably only    
harden instead of converting4  ,it is   
gravely necessary to realize how        
difficult the priest's task is1 but at  

the same time it is extraordinary how   
little organized condemnation of the    
evil exists4 ,no one can accurately     
measure or gauge the influence exercised
 by clergy in private conversations and 
admonitions1 and this is doubtless      
considerable4 ,but it is sporadic and   
not systematic1 there is too much       
timidity and hesitation1 and while the  
enemy is well organized and equipped we 
are without a plan of campaign and have 
no regular army in the field4  ,the     
,prayer-book1 in the ,marriage ,service1
 tells us explicitly1 8,first it was    
ordained for the procreation of         
children1 to be brought up in the fear  
and nurture of the ,lord1 and to the    
praise of ,his ,holy ,name40 ,here we   
have the voice of the ,church speaking  
plainly enough1 and both it and the     
authority of ,scripture are unanimous in
 clear expression or unmistakable       
implication4 ,the ,christian attitude   
has been admirably summed up in ,father 
,black's pamphlet1 to which ,i          

acknowledged my indebtedness in the     
preface of my book ,first it was        
,ordained1 and from which strong1 lucid1
 and outspoken statement ,i quote a few 
sentences3--       8,of this systematic 
wickedness1 unfaithfulness is the       
natural      consequence in many cases4 
,logically there is nothing but a       
sense of commercial honesty to keep a   
woman who has lost the      reverence of
 marriage to one man4 ,the obligation   
has no hold on      her higher nature1  
and when passion or convenience press   
the      balance there is no sufficient 
reason why she should be very           
scrupulous4       8,if women treat      
themselves1 and are treated by their    
husbands      as mere animals1 all idea 
of chivalry is at an end2 and this1     
no doubt1 is in a measure the ground for
 a license of speech      and action in 
even our public amusements1 contrary not
 only to      the ethos of              
,christianity1 but to the principles of 
a      civilization worthy of the name4 

8,women who interfere with the natural  
end of marriage--the      bearing of    
children--are wives in name1 in reality 
prostitutes4      ,men who require or   
encourage such acts are corrupters1 not 
husbands4 ,when ,i said in my sermon    
that trifling with ,god's      laws of  
marriage was a horrible sin1 ,i was     
thinking chiefly of      the woman's    
side of the matter4       8,true        
manliness is1 however1 no less to be    
desired than true      womanliness4 ,in 
the words of ,lord ,tennyson--          
8#8,self-reverence1 self-knowledge1     
self-control1' the man should      find 
in himself and display to his wife4     
,philosophy and      religion are in    
accord here4 ,st4 ,john writes to young 
men1      #8because ye are strong and   
have overcome the wicked one4'          
,professor ,huxley1 #8that man has had a
 liberal education who has      been so 
trained that his body is the ready      
servant of his will2      whose passions
 are trained to come to heel by a       

vigorous will      the servant of a     
tender conscience1 who has learned to   
love all      beauty and to hate all    
vileness1 to respect others as himself4'
      ,to me that judgment seems a manly
 one which pronounces the               
corruption of a wife by a husband a     
viler thing than the      gratification 
of lust in the common stews4 ,this      
latter less      deeply degrading to    
society or injurious to the nation at   
large4       8,but you and ,i1 my dear  
sir1 are ,christians2 and our concern is
      with ,christian marriage4 ,here1  
as in everything else1 the truth      of
 ,christ will deliver men from mistakes4
 ,christian marriage in      common with
 all other ,christian things has in it  
the law of      self-denial and         
self-conquest4 ,such is the ,apostolic  
view of      it2 thus it is to be #8in  
the ,lord1' and only #8in the ,lord' is 
it permitted to the ,christian4         
8,holy ,scripture is of course          
everywhere clear as to the end of       

marriage1 and ,god's condemnation       
express against the perversion      of  
it1 #8the ,lord slew him4' ,st4 ,paul   
wills #8that women marry      and bear  
children4'0  ,is not this plain         
speaking8 and could it be bettered as an
 expression of a militant ,christian's  
hatred and horror of what is debasing   
and foul8--,i think not4 ,we are not all
 given the power of feeling the intense 
loathing for a very generally committed 
sin which is manifested here4 ,a life in
 the world and of the world induces a   
tolerance which is very often laziness  
and cowardice4 ,we are not to hate the  
sinner1 of course1 but only the sin1 but
 which of us cares to inveigh against   
the vice of a friend8 ,savonarola was   
not a popular parson1 though ,santa     
,maria del ,fiore was always crowded    
when he was in the pulpit4 ,we ought to 
be thankful for such bludgeon-sturdy    
words as these which show us the        
carrion-passions which war against the  
soul in their true light4  ,i know1 you 

know1 most men know1 how extraordinarily
 easy it is to become familiar with our 
vices so that in a short time they      
become no vices at all1 but just little 
pleasant failings which we share with   
some of the best fellows in the world4  
,and all becomes dim and misty in the   
shadowy thoroughfares of thought1 while 
it is only now and then--perhaps never  
at all--that some bugle-breeze blows    
over us and sounds rveille to the       
sleeping soul4  ,if we are sensualists1 
though we don't realize it1 we always   
live as though we were immortal2        
immortal in the sense that we shall     
never die and once more be born4 ,yet it
 is a strange truth in life that the man
 or woman who is converted to a clean   
life from sins of the body1 has often   
more power than any one else to warn and
 exhort against sensuality4 ,it is the  
man from whose eye the mote and beam has
 been removed who can speak most        
convincingly of the horrors of the dark4
 8,experto crede60 he calls out to      

mankind1 and out of the uncleanness is  
brought forth meat4 ,let us see what    
,aurelius ,augustinus--that old ,father 
of the ,church we call ,saint           
,augustine--has to say of this danger   
and sin which we are considering4 ,we   
all know what the ,saint's early life   
was like1 what was the life of a young  
man at a ,pagan ,university in the      
fourth century4 ,from his eighteenth    
year until he was thirty-two the ,saint 
whom we revere lived in open vice at    
,carthage4 ,on ,easter ,eve1 ,april     
#chg1 he was baptized1 and tradition    
tells us that then the massive harmony  
of the ,te ,deum was composed4 ,no      
theologian has influenced the mind of   
,christendom more greatly than this man1
 not only by his writings1 but by the   
spectacle we find in them of the fervour
 and devotion of his inner life4        
,remember that he knew all the bitter   
knowledge of lust1 and hear how he      
writes of those who would prevent       
conception3--       8,quia etsi non     

causa propagand prolis concumbitur1 non 
tamen      hujus libidinis causa        
propagationi prolis obsistitur sive voto
      malo1 sive opere malo4 ,nam quid  
hoc faciunt quamvis vocentur            
conjuges1 non sunt1 nec ullam nuptiarum 
retinent veritatem1 sed      honestum   
nomen veland turpitudini obtendunt40    
,and of those who use drugs to prevent  
the birth of children1 he further       
says3--       8,aliquando eo usque      
pervenit hc libidinosa crudelitas1 vel  
libido crudelis1 ut etiam sterilitatis  
venena procuret4       8,prorsus si ambo
 tales sunt1 conjuges non sunt1 et si ab
 initio      tales fuerunt1 non sibi per
 connubium1 sed per stuprum potius      
convenerunt4 ,si autem non ambo sunt    
tales audeo dicere aut      illa est    
quodam mode meretrix mariti1 aut ille   
adulter uxoris40  ,what is to be done8  
,what is the duty of ,christians1 and   
how shall they combat this evil8 ,unless
 it is to spread and spread till every  
part of our natural life is infected1   

something must be done4 ,the            
,neo-,malthusians are not only teaching 
married people how to avoid the         
responsibilities of marriage1 but they  
are teaching unmarried people to do so  
as well4 ,this is a fact which must not 
be lost sight of1 as more than one      
clergyman has pointed out4 ,if fear of  
consequences is removed chastity becomes
 more than ever threatened4 ,if there is
 the wish and inclination to sin1 and   
that wish is only not gratified because 
inconvenient results may lead to        
discovery1 it is true that the moral    
value of people in such a case is small4
 ,but a general recognition of the fact 
that it is easy to sin will have        
incalculable influence for harm on those
 who are as yet on the border-line      
between the claims of self-gratification
 and control4 ,public sentiment becomes 
lax and unstrung4 ,simultaneously with  
the decline of the birth-rate the       
newspapers show every day that the old  
ideal1 the sacred ,english ideal of the 

family is departing4 ,our greatest      
living novelist says openly1 8,certainly
 one day the conditions of marriage will
 be changed4 ,marriage will be allowed  
for a certain period1 say ten years40   
,in many parts of ,america1 where the   
,president is ceaselessly urging his    
countrymen to denounce and give up      
,neo-,malthusian practices1 the home has
 already disappeared4 ,from a large     
collection of information and statistics
 ,i take only one example1 quoted in a  
leading ,english newspaper4 ,there is no
 need for a single word of comment1 save
 that ,i do not vouch for the truth of  
the newspaper report which1 in its very 
appearance1 proves my point4            
8,mrs4 ,le ,page1 a ,new ,york lady who 
has just married her eighth             
husband1 crystallizes her experience in 
life4       8,five of her seven former  
husbands are still alive1 and they      
have just sent messages of encouragement
 to the new incumbent4      ,the other  
two have died4       8,mrs4 ,le ,page's 

maiden name was ,mary ,johnson1 and she 
was the      daughter of a ,connecticut 
farmer4 ,she was only fourteen1 but     
well grown for her age1 when she        
contracted a runaway marriage      with 
a seventeen-year-old ,danbury clerk     
named ,william ,wakeman4      ,in       
accordance with the ,american practice  
of hyphenating family      names1 she   
became ,mrs4 ,william ,johnson-,wakeman4
 ,it was a happy      marriage for three
 days1 and then her family interfered1  
and      the marriage was annulled4     
8,two years later1 while in a ,new ,york
 elevated train1 she made      the      
acquaintance of ,mr4 ,harry ,saunders1 a
 rich contractor's son      and a       
commercial traveller4 ,after two days'  
courtship she      became ,mrs4 ,henry  
,johnson-,wakeman-,saunders1 and lived  
in      perfect happiness1 accompanying 
her husband on his travels for          
three years1 until he died4             
8,shortly afterwards the lady married a 
railroad man1 and was      happy as     

,mrs4 ,joseph                           
,johnson-,wakeman-,saunders-,powers1    
until he      was killed in an accident4
 ,she next married a ,jersey grocer1    
but the bonds being severed in the      
,divorce ,court1 she married a          
hotel-keeper1 becoming ,mrs4 ,john      
,johnson-,wakeman-,saunders-,powers-,lin
dley4       8,being once more           
disappointed1 she was again freed by    
the ,divorce ,court1 and continued her  
search for the ideal      husband1 whom 
she thought she had found when she      
became      ,mrs4 ,thomas               
,johnson-,wakeman-,saunders-,powers-,lin
dley-,godfrey4      ,but ,john ,godfrey 
compared unfavourably with his          
predecessors1 and      the ,divorce     
,court restored her freedom4 ,on the    
following day she      became ,mrs4     
,wilbury-,johnson-,wakeman-,saunders-,po
wers-,godfrey-,gay-      7she says that 
the name too well described his         
character1 as she      shortly proved to
 the satisfaction of the ,divorce       

,court7 ,crowther4      ,this husband   
soon revealed his true character1 and   
she had no      difficulty in regaining 
her maiden liberty4       8,mrs4        
,benjamin 7many hyphens7 ,le ,page      
believes that her      husband1 who is  
,english born1 and has made considerable
 money      in this country1 is the     
long-sought ideal1 but if he does not   
prove so--she is only thirty-nine1 and  
there is still plenty of      time to   
continue the search4 ,she says that she 
had long wished      to marry an        
,englishman1 having been favourably     
impressed by      what she had heard of 
their high qualities as husbands4 ,she  
intends giving the experiment a thorough
 trial4 ,so far1 it has      proved     
satisfactory1 but she says that it is   
impossible to form      a correct       
judgment of any man until she has been  
married for      two or three weeks4    
8,marriage1 she says1 is such a lottery1
 but it is the blessed      state which 
it is ordained every woman shall occupy4

 ,her life's      mission is to find a  
pre-ordained mate1 and she would not be 
deterred as many women1 by a first      
failure1 but should try and      try    
again until successful4       8#8,my    
experience1' she says1 #8is that women  
make a mistake in      waiting for a man
 to do all the wooing4 ,when ,i was     
young and      inexperienced ,i fell    
into that error1 and consequently ,i had
      several disappointments4 ,but when
 ,i was thirty ,i realized that      a  
woman's duty--well1 right--was to do the
 wooing4'0  ,again ,i ask what is to be 
done to influence public opinion1 to    
rouse ,christians in the same way that  
the ,national ,conscience has been      
roused upon the ,drink question8  ,an   
enormous amount of good can be done by  
the personal efforts and example of     
those in a position to influence        
others--pastors1 doctors1 ,christian    
layworkers4 ,yet is it an impossible    
hope that some day a league or          
confraternity to fight the battle may be

 started8 ,are there no people of       
sufficient weight and importance in the 
world's eye to come forward and do this1
 no folk whose place will secure them a 
hearing1 whose convictions will interest
 and convert others8  ,eighteen months  
ago ,i published1 in my book ,first it  
was ,ordained1 the sketch of an         
organized society on definite lines4 ,in
 the course of the tale the founder of  
this league writes to an official in the
 ,census ,office who is alarmed at the  
decline of the birth-rate1 and outlines 
the lines on which the society is to be 
started4  ,with some necessary elisions 
this is the letter3--       8,you will  
see1 therefore1 that though there has   
been1 and      doubtless will continue  
to be1 a great deal of windy talk on    
these matters1 there is no organized    
body of men and women1 no      league1  
no union1 either religious or political 
or both1 which      is devoted to       
dealing with the question1 to rousing   
the      national conscience and        

fighting the ,neo-,malthusians tooth and
      nail4       8,wifehood--which     
generally means motherhood--is the      
predominant      profession of women all
 over the world4 ,the future of the     
world1 and of course of any state in it1
 rests upon the quality      and the    
quantity of its children4 ,a prominent  
sociologist has      just written1 #8,if
 the conditions under which the         
profession of      motherhood is        
exercised are silly and rotten1 our     
fleets1 our      armies1 do no more than
 guard a thing that dies4 ,in ,great    
,britain1 now1 ,i think they are more or
 less silly and rotten4'      ,let us   
admit that this writer is correct4 ,he  
does no more than      voice conclusions
 at which even the most superficial     
student of      the census returns must 
have arrived4       8,what is to be     
done1 then8 ,how are we who are         
,christians and      love our ,lord1    
citizens who love our country1 to fight 
the      present conditions8            

8,that is what a band of people1        
including those ,i have      mentioned1 
are discussing4 ,they have arrived at a 
definite      conclusion4       8,a     
great league is to be formed of ,english
 men and women4 ,great      names will  
be at the head of it1 it is to be       
national4 ,i have      already pointed  
out to you that even the revelations of 
the      census have not stirred the    
ordinary person4 ,his patriotism has    
not been roused1 and1 you may be        
certain--as ,i am certain--that      no 
question of national expediency on this 
point will stir      the ordinary       
person1 who is either indifferent or    
actually      engaged in helping        
,england's decadence by the restriction 
of      his own family4 ,a league       
started on the grounds of expediency    
and the common good alone would be an   
egregious failure4                      
8,utilitarianism never fired a great    
moral movement yet4 ,it      never will2
 because1 before a man becomes a        

national      utilitarian1 he must get  
over personal utilitarianism4 ,and in   
this case of the restriction of family1 
the degradation of      marriage1       
personal utilitarianism is directly     
opposed to      national welfare1 and   
the personal wins4       8,we must come 
back to the one ,power and ,force over  
the hearts      and minds of men and    
women4 ,we must come back to religion4  
8,here is the ,church's great           
opportunity4 ,there has never1          
perhaps1 in the whole history of the    
,church in ,england been      such a    
chance given to her4 ,our crusade must  
be a crusade made      in the light of  
the ,incarnation1 under the auspices of 
,god the      ,holy ,ghost--the ,lord   
and ,giver of ,life4       8,do you     
begin to see what ,i mean1 what we hope 
for8 ,the part of      the ,holy        
,spirit's work1 which we recite in the  
,creed1 has been      largely forgotten4
 ,lord and ,giver of ,life6 ,we are     
about to      revive the recognition and

 memory of the fact4 ,we are going to   
use this cardinal point of ,christian   
belief as our watchword      and        
battle-cry4       8,the gradual decline 
of literal belief in the ,incarnation1  
the      growth of a ,protestantism     
which is on its way towards             
,unitarianism1 the spread of ,unitarian 
doctrines under other      names1 among 
the varied sects of dissent1 have meant 
that an      appalling disregard of life
 as the gift of ,god1 its ,author1 has  
come among us4 ,it is because you and ,i
 believe that ,jesus was      ,god as   
well as man that we insist upon the     
sacredness of human      life4          
8,to-day1 the loss of thousands of lives
 in a battle is printed      as a piece 
of casual news4 ,there is no particular 
sense of      horror in the minds of any
 one4 ,murders are committed every day  
in momentary bursts of passion over     
trifles4 ,suicides increase1      not   
only when some long-continued misery may
 seem to give a      shadow of excuse1  

but when there has been some trivial    
disappointment4 ,and so1 leaving out a  
hundred other instances1      one comes 
down to the truth of which every priest1
 every      doctor1 and every nurse is  
aware1 the frustration of ,god's        
intention of childbirth--the reason for 
the terrible      disclosures which you 
and your colleagues have given to the   
world in your census returns4           
8,our league will be1 therefore1 a great
 ,church ,league4 ,we      shall invite 
every ,english man and woman to join it1
 who      believes that ,christ was     
,god4 ,this is the only way in which we 
can make such a society do its work and 
accomplish its end4      ,directly we   
begin to allow the political altruist   
who has no      definite belief in      
,christianity to join us1 so surely our 
influence and opportunity will begin to 
decline4 ,compromise is      no use     
whatever4 ,we shall be bitterly         
assailed1 and for a time      we shall  
not seem to make much headway4 ,i say   

seem1 and for      this reason3 people  
who belong to us will not advertise     
their      membership4 ,the press1 which
 is not interested1 as a whole1 in      
religious affairs1 will not understand  
our aims1 nor will it      be--so ,i    
imagine--in sympathy with them4 ,and any
 movement that      has for its object1 
as this will have1 the improvement of   
sexual morality1 will be fought by the  
methods of ridicule and      contempt4  
,but this will be but surface1 and in   
time the      influence of our work will
 not only be felt1 but seen4 ,the       
wizards of figures will be at work once 
more40  ,is this a dream and            
impracticable8 ,it is for the great     
middle classes of ,england to answer    
during the coming years4 ,the middle    
classes really rule4 ,they do not       
command public opinion1 but they do what
 is more than that--they persuade it4   
,they represent more than the remaining 
classes the austerity and also the      
,christianity of the ,united ,kingdom   

and the ,dominions beyond the seas4     
,the question rests with them1 and there
 are many who still hope and believe    
they will be faithful to their trust who
 are convinced--8,,dabit ,,deus ,,his   
,,quoque ,,finem40     ,,the            
,,historicides ,,of ,,oxford     ,,iii  
,,the ,,historicides ,,of ,,oxford      
8,et quidquid ,graecia mendax1          
,audet in historia40                    
,,juvenal4   ,sir ,robert ,walpole1 who 
sometimes spoke with an eloquent crash  
that echoes in our ears to-day1 once    
said1 8,do not read history to me1 for  
that1 ,i know1 must be false40 ,walpole 
may have read the ,scienza ,nuova of    
,vico probably in the ,french           
translation1 and could hardly have      
failed to know something of ,bossuet and
 ,montesquieu4 ,the result of his       
deliberations on the labours of         
contemporary historians is expressed    
thus1 in a short1 sudden bark of        
contempt4  ,sir ,robert made history1   
and did not dare to attempt the far more

 arduous task of writing it4 ,when he   
gave it1 his judgment had not so much   
value as it has to-day4 ,some of us read
 the limpid prose of ,bossuet still1 nor
 is the ,grandeur et ,dcadence des      
,romains forgotten4 ,yet if at this     
moment a statesman were to repeat the   
opinion in reference to most of the     
history taught and written in ,oxford1  
he would only be speaking the literal   
truth4 ,the youth of a nation are       
,trustees for posterity1 and it is to   
them in the first place1 and to those   
who are responsible for their education 
in the second1 that this paper is       
addressed4  ,i am aware that ,i am going
 to say some astonishing things1 nor am 
,i1 under the sense of a strong         
conviction1 confounding antipathy with  
duty4 ,my words may fail to penetrate   
into the gloom of that temple where the 
fanatic priests of the inarticulate1    
inaccurate1 and dull still sacrifice    
victims to the idols ,freeman and       
,stubbs4 ,but ,i have a reasonable      

expectation of a wider audience1 and it 
lies in the hands of that audience1 the 
undergraduate members of the ,university
 and their parents1 to say if the       
present state of things shall continue4 
,the ,hebdomadal ,council1 ,congregation
 and ,convocation represent an          
insignificant minority4 ,it is to the   
,pupil not the ,tutor1 to the ,parent   
not the ,fellow1 to the ,majority not to
 the ,minority that ,i propose to speak4
  ,it is axiomatic that no sum which the
 well-to-do undergraduate is prepared to
 pay could be too high for a perfect    
education and a learned environment4 ,it
 is the fact that neither the one nor   
the other is provided1 which deserves   
the attention1 and should excite the    
alarm1 of those who expect the former1  
the latter1 or a combination of them    
both4  ,the poor man1 to whom a good    
degree means a knife with which he will 
open the world's oyster1 suffers more   
greatly than the wealthier man4 ,but    
both suffer1 and both have a right to   

expect that in paying money for a       
genuine article they shall certainly    
obtain it4  ,the object of this essay1  
therefore1 is to awaken the majority    
upon the whole matter1 more especially  
that portion of the majority that       
designs to read history4 ,the power lies
 in your hands4 ,it is only by your     
acquiescence that the scandal continues1
 and it is the money of you and your    
parents which runs the machine4 ,once   
supplies are stopped1 the present state 
of things will also stop with automatic 
suddenness4 ,the art of history--for it 
is an art and not a science--will then  
revive in its full splendour1 as the    
frescoes glow out upon the walls of an  
ancient church when the disfiguring     
whitewash is removed4 ,the art of       
history will take its proper place and  
exercise its right function in the      
,university1 and the ,historicides will 
remove their activities to a sphere in  
which they will be more appreciated4 ,i 
believe that a ,university exists in    

,hayti4444  ,i purpose a comprehensive  
summary of this question1 and have      
spared no trouble to make the indictment
 as fair and accurate as ,i can4 ,for a 
considerable period ,i have been        
steadily gathering data and forming     
opinions4 ,documents of importance and  
value have been furnished to me1 and if 
something actual and conclusive does not
 result1 then the fault is that of the  
writer1 who has failed to deal          
adequately with the material which he   
has himself collected and with which he 
has been lavishly and generously        
supplied4  8,doest thou well to be      
angry80 was the question asked of the   
,hebrew prophet1 who thereupon 8went out
 of the city1 and sat on the east side  
of the city1 and there made him a booth1
 and sat under it in the shadow1 till he
 might see what would become of the     
city40 ,and finally came the answer of  
,jonah1 8,i do well to be angry1 even   
unto death40 ,my friends and ,i have    
built our modest place of espial1 and we

 have our idea of what would become of  
the city were it left in the hands of   
certain rulers4 ,that we do well to be  
angry ,i hope to show4  ,in the first   
place1 it is really necessary to define 
history1 and the duties of the          
historian4 ,until we have done this we  
have no standpoint4 ,the axiom must     
always precede the syllogism just as the
 epithet concludes it4 ,no one can build
 a basis in a vacuum4 ,innumerable minds
 have been at pains to define history4  
,from the remote time when ,lucian      
published his treatise ,how ,history    
ought to be ,written until the          
depressing moment when ,bishop ,stubbs  
first attempted to write it1 there has  
been an enormous divergence of thought  
on this point4 ,kant believed that      
,dynasty and ,nation1 ,emperor and      
,clown were alike incidents and puppets 
illustrating the theory that an         
irresistible1 all-pervading ,force works
 through history towards one end--the   
development of a perfect constitution4  

,if ,kant had written history and       
applied his method instead of indicating
 it1 he would have had us believe that  
history is a science to be studied under
 the limiting influence of a rigid      
formula4  ,ranke thought1 and thought   
rightly1 that the analysis of original  
documents alone made possible the       
synthesis of the past1 while the trained
 historian in his endeavour to get at   
the truth should be chary of accepting  
contemporary authors1 unless            
eye-witnesses of the events they        
chronicled4 ,yet ,ranke definitely      
placed himself with those who were      
beginning to believe that history was a 
science and nothing more4  ,guizot1 who 
edited ,gibbon1 freshly defined the     
labours of the historian4 ,guizot's view
 was that faithful research1 with its   
results duly applied1 ought to enable   
the historian to supply such a picture  
of the past that it should be both to   
his readers and himself a veritable     
present4 ,i know of no more illuminating

 conception4 ,but how can an historian  
supply the picture unless he has a      
competent knowledge of psychology8 ,to  
write about human beings in the past    
without a knowledge of psychology is    
exactly like writing a history of       
locomotives without understanding       
anything whatever about the nature and  
properties of steam4  ,it is only quite 
lately that the scientists have allowed 
psychology to be a science1 with1 for   
example1 as fixed a place and purpose as
 biology4 ,if any one asked me for a    
list of authors from whom he would learn
 something of psychology ,i should      
probably commend to him ,maher 7#aijj71 
,spencer 7#ahij71 ,stout 7#ahii71 ,james
 7#ahib71 ,m',cosh 7#ahhf71 and so on4  
,you see the dates1 do you not8 ,you    
realize what every one who lives in the 
realm of thought1 as also many who work 
in the sphere of action1 must realize8  
,briefly it is this4 ,the old historians
 were concerned only with the simple    
results of investigation2 the best      

modern historian adds to his equipment a
 knowledge of the processes of thought4 
,the older sciences are joining hands   
with the new science of psychology4 ,it 
is discerned that the individual        
temperament must clothe the bones of    
fact with the colour and movement that  
psychological knowledge alone can give4 
,it is discerned1 but only by the       
important people as yet--only by the    
people who matter and count4 ,the       
,oxford historians whom ,i am attacking 
have not realized it and will never     
realize it1 which is the precise reason 
why we must reform them or give them the
 alternative of staffing the upper grade
 board schools4  ,james ,anthony ,froude
 did realize this certainty1 and his    
works are not recommended to be read by 
candidates for history honours4 ,the    
malignant personal hatred of ,freeman1  
the stupidity of lesser men1 long       
endeavoured to crush and limit the      
influence of the greatest historian1    
because the completest artist1 who wrote

 history in our era4 ,the endeavour to  
suppress him continues1 but it is no    
longer anything but an endeavour4 ,the  
times are changing very rapidly1 and the
 triumphant war-whoops of some years ago
 have sunk to-day into the moribund     
whimpers of the discredited and deposed4
  ,everybody in ,oxford is waking up to 
the fact that if history is to have     
unity of organism and purpose it must   
have artistic proportion and be informed
 by art4 ,the leaven has been working   
for a long time1 unobserved by the      
people it is destined to destroy at the 
moment of completed fermentation4 ,it is
 always thus with revolutions4 ,the     
period of gestation is lengthy and its  
processes are obscure4 ,but the         
completed moment arrives1 the goddess   
bursts in full armour from her sire1 or 
,gargantua is born 8crying not as other 
babes used to do1 miez1 miez1 miez1     
miez1 but with a high1 sturdy1 and big  
voice60  ,the occasion that has set in  
motion forces which in no short time    

will destroy the little eminence of the 
,oxford ,historicides1 was the          
publication of ,mr4 ,herbert ,paul's    
,life of ,james ,anthony ,froude4       
,everything had led up to that2 ,i was  
cognizant of all the restlessness and   
disgust which were seething below the   
surface1 and when at last the volume    
fell into ,oxford with the noise and    
reverberation of a thunder-bolt1 ,i was 
daily informed of the hideous           
consternation of those who realized that
 their day was over1 that the judge was 
set and the doom begun1 that no one     
could stay it4  ,i wish that ,i could   
write frankly and openly of the         
disturbance and alarm the book          
occasioned4 ,if ,i were publishing this 
essay in the first instance in ,america 
,i should certainly do so4 ,however1 as 
it will appear in ,england and          
afterwards in the ,land of ,freedom of  
,speech1 this joy is not permitted to   
me4 ,as ,mr4 ,h4 ,g4 ,wells would say1  
8,figure that the bomb fell upon the    

green of ,all ,souls' while the clock in
 the gateway of ,christ ,church was in  
the act of striking twelve40  ,the rush 
and hurry1 the frightened consultations1
 the squeaks of those who realized that 
,nemesis was at hand at last and was    
beating at the door1 were1 ,i can assure
 the public that will read this paper1  
comparable to nothing so much as the    
occasion when the feet of the ferret are
 heard drumming down the hollow burrows 
of the warren1 while the rabbits know   
the day of irresponsible frolic is over 
and that they must die in the dark or in
 the open1 but must die4  ,the          
,historicides of ,oxford have always    
feared an extended public and distrusted
 a name that has been made without their
 connivance1 and which is beyond their  
reach4 ,i find it difficult to suppose  
that those who do not realize the       
incredible narrowness and stupidity of a
 certain type of history don1 will      
believe the anecdote ,i am about to     
tell4 ,nevertheless1 it is true4 ,a     

pedant1 whose name ,i will not give1 was
 recently heard to refer to ,mr4 ,thomas
 ,hardy in these words1 8,hardy8 ,hardy8
 ,oh1 do you mean the little novelist   
man80  ,let me put it before you quite  
plainly and in antithesis4 ,hardly      
anything could better illustrate the    
appalling mental position of the        
camarilla that has got to go4 ,here is a
 priggish person1 whom no one has ever  
heard of outside ,oxford1 piping out his
 contempt for a man who is generally    
recognized as one of the most           
distinguished novelists and one of the  
chief artists alive in our time4  ,it is
 possible that many people will not     
immediately appreciate the reason for   
all the terror excited by ,mr4 ,paul's  
biography4 ,the outside man cannot quite
 know how ,froude is1 and always was1   
hated and feared by a certain section of
 the ,oxford historians4 ,they were     
always trying to hit him below the belt 
because he hit them above the intellect4
 ,there was a definite conspiracy among 

the malignant1 from ,freeman downwards1 
to lie about ,froude in every           
conceivable way1 and to complete their  
malicious impudence by calling ,froude  
himself a liar4 ,froude was a master of 
,english prose2 the highest praise that 
can be given to the jargon which his    
detractors wrote1 and write1 is that it 
is not exactly ,esperanto4 ,froude      
understood the colour of words1 the     
movements of a paragraph1 the harmonic  
rhythm of an emotion expressed in prose4
 ,his words were the incarnation of his 
original thought1 theirs but accentuated
 their borrowings4 ,while the genius of 
this great man was coming into its own1 
while it burned brightly and yet more   
bright1 while all thoughtful ,england   
was beginning to be moved and stirred by
 a new force1 and the possessor of it   
was living with intellects as great and 
gracious as his own1 the ,oxford        
historians slept in their padded rooms1 
and because they snored loudly imagined 
they were thinking4 ,too indolent to    

search for the truth1 they contented    
themselves with dodging difficulties1   
and persuading each other that their    
ostentatious obscurity was fame4  ,there
 came a time at last when ,james        
,anthony ,froude could no longer be     
ignored4 ,his achievement was beginning 
to be a national possession1 and he     
shared the councils of the rulers4 ,the 
echoes of his fame reached the ears of  
the troglodytes1 and1 led by ,freeman1  
they swarmed to the attack1 yelping a   
pan to mediocrity and brandishing       
weapons from a more than doubtful       
armoury4  ,froude1 as ,mr4 ,paul has    
pointed out1 8toiled for months and     
years over parchments and manuscripts   
often almost illegible1 carefully noting
 the calligraphy1 and among the authors 
of a joint composition assigning his    
proper share to each4 ,freeman wrote his
 ,history of the ,norman ,conquest1 upon
 which he was at this time engaged1     
entirely from books1 without consulting 
a manuscript or original document of any

 kind40  ,freeman1--the head of the     
daguerreotypical historians1--attacked a
 man whom he very well knew was his     
superior1 pretending publicly to a      
greater knowledge of the special subject
 under discussion1 and cynically denying
 any special knowledge in private4 ,in  
public ,freeman represented his hostile 
attitude as the natural outcome of his  
zeal for truth2 in private it was known 
that he was actuated by personal hatred1
 and the discoveries made by ,mr4 ,j4   
,b4 ,rye on the margins of ,freeman's   
books in ,owens ,college library have   
discredited him for all time4 ,again ,i 
quote from ,mr4 ,paul's ,life of        
,froude3--       8,freeman's biographer1
 ,dean ,stephens1 preserves absolute and
      unbroken silence on the duel      
between ,freeman and ,froude4 ,i        
think the ,dean's conduct was judicious4
 ,but there is no reason      why a     
biographer of ,froude should follow his 
example4 ,on the      contrary1 it is   
absolutely essential that he should not2

 for      ,freeman's assiduous efforts1 
first in ,the ,saturday1 and            
afterwards in ,the ,contemporary        
,review1 did ultimately produce      an 
impression1 never yet fully dispelled1  
that ,froude was an      habitual       
garbler of facts and constitutionally   
reckless of the      truth4 ,but1 before
 ,i come to details1 let me say one word
 more      about ,freeman's             
qualifications for the task which he so 
lightly      and eagerly undertook4     
,freeman1 with all his self-assertion1  
was not incapable of candour4 ,he was   
staunch in friendship1 and      spoke   
openly to his friends4 ,to one of them1 
the excellent ,dean      ,hook1 famous  
for his ,lives of the ,archbishops of   
,canterbury1      he wrote1 on the #bgth
 of ,april1 #aheg1 #8,you have found me 
out      about the sixteenth century4 ,i
 fancy that from endlessly              
belabouring ,froude1 ,i get credit for  
knowing more of those      times than ,i
 do4 ,but one can belabour ,froude on a 

very small      amount of knowledge1 and
 you are quite right when you say that  
,i 8have never thrown the whole force of
 my mind on that portion      of        
history40' ,these words pour a flood of 
light on the temper      and knowledge  
with which ,freeman must have entered on
 what he      really seemed to consider 
a crusade4 ,his object was to belabour  
,froude4 ,his own acquaintance with the 
subject was1 as he says1      #8very    
small1' but sufficient for enabling him 
to dispose      satisfactorily of an    
historian who had spent years of patient
      toil in thorough and exhaustive   
research4 ,on another occasion1         
also writing to ,hook1 whom he could not
 deceive1 he said1 #8,i      find ,i    
have a reputation with some people for  
knowing the      sixteenth century1 of  
which ,i am profoundly ignorant4' ,it   
does      not appear to have struck him 
that he had done his best in ,the       
,saturday ,review to make people think  
that1 as ,froude's critic1      he      

deserved the reputation which he thus   
frankly and in private      disclaims4  
8,another curious piece of evidence has 
come to light4 ,after      ,freeman's   
death his library was transferred to    
,owens ,college1      ,manchester1 and  
there1 among his other books1 is his    
copy of      ,froude's ,history4 ,he    
once said himself1 in reference to his  
criticism of ,froude1 #8,in truth there 
is no kind of temper in      the case1  
but only a strong sense of amusement in 
bowling down      one thing after       
another4' ,let us see4 ,here are some   
extracts      from his marginal notes4  
#8,a lie1 teste ,stubbs1' as if ,stubbs 
were an authority1 in the proper sense  
of the term1 any more      than ,froude4
 ,authorities are contemporary          
witnesses1 or      original documents4  
,another entry is #8,beast1' and yet    
another      is #8,bah6' #8,may ,i live 
to embowel ,james ,anthony ,froude1' is 
the      pious aspiration with which he 
has adorned another page4 #8,can        

,froude understand honesty8' asks this  
anxious inquirer2 and      again1       
#8,supposing ,master ,froude were set to
 break stones1 feed      pigs1 or do    
anything else but write paradoxes1 would
 he not      curse his day8' ,along with
 such graceful compliments as #8,you've 
found that out since you wrote a book   
against your own father1'      #8,give  
him as slave to ,thirlwall1' there may  
be seen the      culminating assertion1 
#8,froude is certainly the vilest brute 
that ever wrote a book4' ,yet there was 
#8no kind of temper in      the case1'  
and #8only a strong sense of amusement4'
 ,i suppose it      must have amused    
,freeman to call another historian a    
vile      brute4 ,but it is fortunate   
that there was no temper in the         
case4 ,for if there had1 it would have  
been a very bad temper      indeed40    
,until ,mr4 ,herbert ,paul's ,life of   
,froude appeared a year ago1 the        
,historicides had been continually      
repeating the lie that ,froude garbled  

documents1 was untrustworthy1 and wrote 
not history but fiction4 ,history1 of   
course1 often imitates fiction1 for good
 fiction always deals with realities4   
,but these slanderers did not pause for 
a definition4 ,they continued to abuse  
,froude1 to prevent their pupils from   
reading him1 and to refuse him a place  
in the recognized curriculum of         
historical study at the ,university4    
,from time to time a doubter or inquirer
 arose and was promptly suppressed4 ,nor
 was it likely that a man1 whatever his 
private opinion of those in authority   
might be1 was going to jeopardize his   
chance of a good degree by publishing   
it4 ,there were awkward moments1 of     
course1 for the slanderers4 ,a lie is   
like a forged promissory note4 ,when it 
becomes due another must be forged in   
order to take up the first4 ,but the    
,historicides had the whip-hand4 ,they  
controlled the examinations1 and they   
could do what they pleased4  ,i once    
wrote a little story which ,i will      

outline here1 because ,i think it       
illustrates the method of these people  
whenever any ugly fact was discovered   
and some one required an explanation4   
,there was once a simple-minded old     
gentleman of a philosophic temper and an
 inquiring mind4 ,blessed with an ample 
fortune and untroubled by any business  
instincts1 he devoted his life to the   
search for truth4 ,on the whole his life
 was a happy one1 because he possessed  
the faculty of going on4 ,his failures  
were not made tragic with courage1 but  
were minimized by persistence1 and so   
were not very different from successes4 
,yet1 as the years went on1 he began to 
feel that in his time he would never    
achieve his end4 ,seeing him somewhat   
downcast1 and becoming indifferent to   
his chop and ,chambertin1 his butler1 a 
faithful person1 came to him one day1   
and1 after venturing a privileged       
remonstrance1 stated that he had        
something to disclose4 8,i have lately  
heard1 sir10 said the butler1 8that     

truth is really hidden at the bottom of 
a well4 ,it may of course1 sir1 be mere 
idle talk1 but ,i think1 as far as ,i   
remember1 we have not looked there yet8 
,there was the church1 sir--we found    
nothing there--and then ,i held the     
lantern for you in the chapel1 too4     
,there was none behind the art          
wall-paper1 nor did ,liberty have any in
 stock4 ,and it wasn't in history1 sir1 
because ,i turned over every leaf of    
them ,oxford books myself1 and shook    
them well1 too4 ,you did think you'd    
found it in science1 sir1 ,i remember1  
there was something that you thought was
 truth in the bottom of the test-tube1  
but then you told me it wasn't1 though  
,i forget what you said it was after    
all40  8,merely a note of a recorded    
fact1 ,thomas10 said the old gentleman  
sorrowfully4 8,but do you really think  
there is anything in this idea of       
yours80  8,i cannot be positive1 sir10  
the butler replied2 8but ,i see it      
stated definite at the end of a leading 

article in the ,artesian ,engineer40    
8,have we a well on the premises1       
,thomas80 the old gentleman asked1      
putting on his spectacles and rubbing   
his hands briskly together4  8,i asked  
the gardener this morning1 sir10 ,thomas
 answered1 8and he informs me that there
 is an old disused well by the          
cucumber-frame which could be opened    
easily enough by a couple of men working
 for a week40  8,engage some men at     
once10 said the old gentleman1 now      
thoroughly interested and pleased1 and  
that day he enjoyed his chop with all   
his accustomed pleasure4 ,the faithful  
butler1 who had all his life lived      
worthily and well without truth1 was    
overjoyed at the success of his         
suggestion4 ,anticipating1 however1     
another disappointment1 he gave private 
instructions1 received con amore by the 
workmen1 that they were not to hurry    
over their task of opening the well1 and
 for a month the old gentleman's        
appetite whetted by hope1 was all that  

his faithful retainer could desire4  ,at
 length the work was done1 the well was 
fully opened1 and the page-boy 7an      
adventurous youth7 descended in the     
bucket4 ,there was a tense silence in   
the garden as the boy disappeared1 until
 his hollow-sounding voice hailed them  
from below vibrating with excitement4   
8,i've got un1 sir10 ascended in a      
triumphant pipe2 8he be here1 sir1 sure 
'nuff60  ,in a moment more the young    
fellow came to the surface1 holding a   
large and speckled toad in his hand4 ,on
 the back of the reptile an arrangement 
of orange-coloured spots spelt out the  
word ,,truth4  ,the old gentleman saw   
it1 fell into uncontrollable rage1      
snatched the wondering reptile from the 
page-boy's hand and stamped out its life
 upon the ground4  8,to the house all of
 you10 he cried2 8and never let me hear 
the name of truth again60 ,with that he 
forswore all his former theories1 and in
 bitter irony started a society paper4  
,however1 the gardener1 a wise1 silent1 

and pawky person1 came along later1 and1
 picking a diamond from the crushed     
dbris of the toad took it home and hid  
it away for the rest of his life1       
fearing discovery4 ,when the gardener   
died1 his relatives discovered the      
jewel1 and knowing nothing of its value 
threw it away4  ,the old gentleman made 
an enormous fortune out of the society  
paper4  ,forgive the digression4 ,this1 
or something like it1 was what the      
,historicides of ,oxford did before the 
publication of ,mr4 ,paul's book4       
,whenever any one showed them the truth 
they snatched it from him1 and ordered  
him back into ,stubbs's ,charters4  ,i  
have already said something of the      
terror the ,life of ,froude excited4 ,in
 a swift moment pretensions were        
exposed1 lies were shown to be lies1 and
 people began to read ,froude4 ,mr4     
,paul made it quite plain that the      
accusations of dishonesty against       
,froude were utter fabrications4 ,mr4   
,paul1 himself a learned historian1 an  

artist and a man of letters1 has gone   
into the charges seriatim1 and          
triumphantly disproved them4 ,no one can
 ever make them again4 ,they are lies1  
they have been proved once and for ever 
to be lies4 ,i cannot quote here the    
mass of refutation which has brought    
about the complete vindication of the   
accused historian4 ,this is a summary   
and nothing more4 ,it stands for all to 
read in ,mr4 ,paul's book1 a volume     
which should be in the hands of every   
man who is reading1 and means to read   
history at ,oxford4  ,this memorable    
book is a protest against the           
charlatanry of the pseudo-scientific    
school of history4 ,the acts and        
intentions of people in the past cannot 
be known better than the intentions and 
acts of people in the present4 ,no one  
man can possibly sift all1 or anything  
like all the evidence for any period4   
,much of the important evidence is      
missing4 ,no one can be examined or     
cross-examined1 and for an historian to 

write as if he were a judge delivering a
 decision is a piece of impertinence4   
,the abler man1 assuming his honesty1   
will make the abler historian1 and the  
mere bookworm is not the best judge of  
what probably happened4 ,it is the dull 
and incompetent who formerly invented   
the fable that brilliant writers are    
superficial4 ,this is the lie behind    
which the 8dry as dusts0 have lurked for
 years2 it was their last line of       
defence1 and ,mr4 ,paul has destroyed   
it4  ,the historian must be able to     
write distinguished ,english1 and he    
must understand the enormous            
possibilities of his medium4 ,he must   
add a sense of artistry to his          
scholarship4 ,he must be a man of       
experience in human event1 a man who has
 done and suffered2 must have been in   
crowds and seen 8how madly men can care 
about nothings10 and he must disabuse   
his mind of formula and theory before he
 begins to write4 ,sir ,arthur ,helps   
said this years ago3--  8,to make       

themselves historians1 they should also 
have considered the combinations among  
men and the laws that govern such       
things2 for there are laws4 ,moreover   
our historians1 like most men who do    
great things1 must combine in themselves
 qualities which are held to belong to  
opposite natures2 must at the same time 
be patient in research and vigorous in  
imagination1 energetic and calm1        
cautious and enterprising40  ,history1  
in short1 is the complement of poetry1  
and with this definition as a basis let 
us proceed to examine some of the       
,oxford historians of to-day4 ,but first
 let me recapitulate the points at which
 we have so far arrived4  ,i have       
endeavoured to make plain1 that--  7a7  
,the ,oxford historians of the moment   
enjoy an unjust monopoly1 and exercise a
 disastrous power of veto4  7b7 ,that   
the power to stop all this1 to force    
these people to their duty or to send   
them about their business lies with the 
majority4  7c7 ,that the majority is    

composed of those who pay for the       
education of their sons1 and of those   
who proceed to the ,university for an   
education4  7d7 ,that the historian must
 be not only a scholar1 but an artist   
and man of letters also4  7e7 ,that the 
fear of ,froude provoked the attack on  
him in the past1 and has maintained it  
until a year ago4  7f7 ,that ,mr4       
,paul's ,life of ,froude has silenced   
the misstatements of mediocrity and     
incompetence for ever4  ,the whole      
business of ,froude has provided one    
with a lens in which to focus the       
question upon the page1 and no one was  
ever provided with a better text than ,i
 have been4 ,excuse me1 however1 if ,i  
make a brief personal explanation4      
,while engaged upon this piece of work  
an ,oxford man1 an old-fashioned ,high  
,churchman of the ,freeman type1 has    
been staying with me4 ,it is forty years
 since he was in residence1 and he did  
not see with me at all in this matter   
when we discussed it4  8,i cannot       

understand10 he said1 8how you are going
 to champion ,froude and ,mr4 ,paul     
against ,freeman1 who was perfectly     
sound on ,church matters1 as ,i believe 
you to be4 ,all you have ever published 
has been in support of ,catholic ,truth1
 and yet you are earnestly advocating a 
historian who was the incarnation of    
,protestantism40  ,it was1 in the first 
place1 difficult to make my interlocutor
 see that ,i was writing of the art of  
the historian1 and not the trend of his 
opinions4 ,in the second place1 ,i do   
not agree with him as to the essential  
,protestantism of ,froude4 ,froude's    
religious attitude has been summed up   
once and for all by one of the most     
brilliant writers of our time1 an       
historian1 artist1 and scholar1 whom    
,oxford dons rejected1 but for whom     
,oxford calls aloud1 and for whom ,st4  
,stephen's has naturally a greater      
attraction--much as one deplores it4    
,mr4 ,belloc writes3--       8,see how  
definite1 how downright1 and how clean  

are the      sentences in which ,froude 
asserts that ,christianity is ,catholic 
or nothing3--       8#8444 ,this was the
 body of death which philosophy detected
 but      could not explain1 and from   
which ,catholicism now came      forward
 with its magnificent promise of        
deliverance4       8#8,the carnal       
doctrine of the sacraments1 which they  
are      compelled to acknowledge to    
have been taught as fully in the        
early ,church as it is now taught by the
 ,roman ,catholics1 has      long been  
the stumbling-block to ,protestants4 ,it
 was the very      essence of           
,christianity itself4 ,unless the body  
could be      purified1 the soul could  
not be saved2 or1 rather1 as from the   
beginning1 soul and flesh were one man  
and inseparable1 without      his flesh1
 man was lost1 or would cease to be4    
,but the natural      organization of   
the flesh was infected1 and unless      
organization      could begin again from
 a new original1 no pure material       

substance could exist at all4 ,he1      
therefore1 by whom ,god had      first  
made the world1 entered into the womb of
 the ,virgin in      the form 7so to    
speak7 of a new organic cell1 and around
 it1      through the virtue of ,his    
creative energy1 a material body grew   
again of the substance of ,his mother1  
pure of taint and clean      as the     
first body of the first man when it     
passed out under      ,his hand in the  
beginning of all things4'               
8,throughout his essay on the           
,philosophy of ,christianity1 where     
he was maintaining a thesis odious to   
the majority of his      readers1 he    
rings as hard as ever4 ,the philosophy  
of      ,christianity is frankly        
declared to be ,catholicism and         
,catholicism alone2 the truth of        
,christianity is denied4 ,it is         
called a thing #8worn and old' even in  
,luther's time1 and he      definitely  
prophesies a period when #8our          
posterity' shall learn      to #8despise

 the miserable fabric which ,luther     
stitched together      out of its       
tatters4'0  ,i can add nothing to ,mr4  
,belloc's criticism or his quotations4  
,let us now take a survey of the history
 which the powers that be in ,oxford    
have substituted for the work of        
,froude4 ,let us shake the upas-trees   
which shadow the quadrangle of the      
,schools and wonder how these           
astonishing vegetables have managed to  
produce such fruit as that of which ,i  
have to set samples before you4  ,the   
,examination ,statutes in the section   
containing the regulations for the      
,honour ,school of ,modern ,history     
recommend1 among other books1 that      
candidates who take the period          
#aeei-agae should study ,gustavus       
,adolphus1 by ,mr4 ,c4 ,r4 ,l4          
,fletcher1 ,m4,a41 late ,fellow of ,all 
,souls' ,college1 ,oxford4 ,the         
gentlemen who compile the ,examination  
,statutes would 8recommend0 almost      
anything1 but ,i imagine that ,i am     

about to astonish the general reader4   
,i will begin with ,mr4 ,fletcher's     
preface4 ,he himself says in the very   
first line that his book 8demands little
 preface40 ,it would have been perhaps  
better for him had he been guided by his
 own pious opinion and resisted the     
temptation to print his confessions in  
nine closely-printed pages4 ,i say      
8confessions0 advisedly1 for rarely in  
the course of a wide experience of books
 have ,i set eyes upon a more candid and
 almost disarming statement than the one
 before me here4  ,in his preface ,mr4  
,fletcher asserts that his book--  7#a7 
8,makes no pretensions to be based upon 
original research10 and he follows up   
this curious admission with 444  7#b7   
8,and ,i cannot claim to have read even 
all the modern authorities on the       
subject40  ,and 7#c7 8,my knowledge of  
the ,swedish language is by no means    
independent of the assistance of a      
dictionary1 nor can ,i hope to have     
escaped that tendency to partiality for 

which the natural fascination of such a 
subject is the only excuse40  ,mr4      
,fletcher then proceeds to tell us that 
he was  7#d7 8,obliged to include       
accounts of many things of which ,i had 
made no special study4 ,the military    
history of the ,thirty ,years' ,war is  
in itself a case in point4 ,no          
satisfactory monograph on the subject   
exists1 and ,i have often been obliged  
to confess myself at fault in grasping  
the exact meaning of military terms1 and
 the exact effect of manoeuvres1 in an  
art of which even in its modern shape ,i
 know nothing4  7#e7 8,but the times    
have so far changed10 he continues1     
8that ,i am able to plead that ,i am    
probably not much more ignorant of the  
art of war than the majority of my      
readers are likely to be4  7#f7 8,in    
those archives0 7the archives of        
,stockholm71 8if anywhere1 it is        
probable that the true ,gustavus        
,adolphus is to be found40 ,but  7#g7   
,he1 ,mr4 ,fletcher1 8is a man who has  

no pretension to be a student of        
archives40  ,here1 then1 we have an     
historian who admits that even the      
little he has to offer is borrowed from 
the books of other people4 ,he has not  
taken the trouble to search and inquire 
for himself1 and1 content with profiting
 by the labours of others more          
conscientious1 he has of course been    
unable to verify the accuracy of such   
labours4 ,nor has he even taken the     
trouble to borrow from the latest       
sources1 for he informs us1 8and ,i     
cannot claim to have read even all the  
modern authorities on the subject40     
,mr4 ,fletcher does not thoroughly know 
the language of the country of which he 
writes2 he has included accounts of many
 things 8of which ,i had made no special
 study0 in this precious book2 and      
finally1 the historian of the ,victor of
 ,breitenfeld and ,ltzen knows          
absolutely nothing of military history1 
the art of war1 or the meaning of       
military terms1 in spite of which1 at   

page #aai1 he declares 7a7 that         
,gustavus was 8certainly a greater      
master of tactics than ,wallenstein10   
but 8not a greater cavalry captain than 
,pappenheim20 and 7b7 8that ,pappenheim 
had not the coup d'oeil which enables a 
man to grasp a whole battle at once40   
,how a man can dare to print such a     
cataract of admissions ,i do not        
understand4 ,at any rate1 tested by the 
lowest standard1 treated with the utmost
 leniency1 his book stands              
self-confessed as worthless4 ,however   
modest the author's estimate of his work
 and the humility of ,heep was as       
nothing to the assumption of this       
preface1 the book cannot under any      
conceivable circumstances be of the     
least use to the student4 ,it outrages  
every canon by which the most amateur of
 historians should guide himself to     
write4  ,,yet ,,this ,,book ,,is        
,,recommended ,,in ,,the ,,examination  
,,statutes ,,to ,,be ,,read ,,by ,,men  
,,wishing ,,to ,,take ,,honours ,,in    

,,history ,,while ,,the ,,works ,,of    
,,james ,,anthony ,,froude ,,are        
,,rigidly ,,excluded4  ,i would fain    
linger a little longer with ,mr4        
,fletcher1 possibly one of the richest  
unconscious humourists who have ever    
written history4 ,he deserves to be     
known to a wider circle than the mere   
academic4 ,in these drab1 hurried days1 
anything that makes for innocent gaiety 
is to be welcomed4 ,i think it was      
,ruskin who said that ,edwin ,lear's    
,book of ,nonsense was one of the most  
valuable books ever written4 ,it is a   
pity that ,mr4 ,ruskin did not live to  
read ,mr4 ,fletcher's other work1 ,an   
,introductory ,history of ,england4     
,gustavus ,adolphus was published in    
#aijj1 and ,mr4 ,fletcher was then      
described as 8,late ,fellow of ,all     
,souls' ,college40 ,the later and more  
mature work was published in #aijd1 and 
we then see ,mr4 ,fletcher as a ,fellow 
of ,magdalen4  ,in ,an ,introductory    
,history of ,england we have1 of course1

 the usual preface1 from which ,i wish  
,i had space to quote largely4 ,i have  
not1 but in turning the leaves1 the eye 
at once falls on another apologia3--    
8,i have no pretensions to be a scholar 
in the original document sense20 and1   
8,i fear it will be very easy for those 
who are such scholars to find many      
mistakes in detail1 as well as to       
question my conclusions40  ,further1 he 
speaks of the ,honour ,school of ,modern
 ,history in language which ,i1 for one1
 heartily endorse4 8,i do not consider10
 he says 7p4 vi471 8that the immense    
growth of the ,history ,school at       
,oxford 444 is at all a healthy sign for
 ,english education40  ,i do not intend 
to do more than give one specimen of    
,mr4 ,fletcher's style in this book1    
though ,i have read the whole of it with
 pleasure and amusement4 ,the paragraph 
,i am about to quote should live in the 
annals of the ,oxford ,historicides for 
ever4 ,i imagine that in writing it1    
,mr4 ,fletcher had been slyly reading   

,oceana in secret1 and longed to emulate
 the vividness of that august prose4    
,the volume of ,froude was obviously out
 of the way when the purple passage was 
produced1 but if it loses in style owing
 to this circumstance1 it gains in      
interest as the unconnected revelation  
of a truly extraordinary mind4  8,as the
 ice-sheet advanced1 the wild animals   
gradually moved southwards2 the         
primitive ,briton1 unhindered by        
,english ,channel or ,mediterranean     
,sea1 walked after the mammoth and the  
hippopotamus1 shooting at them with     
wooden arrows tipped with flints4 ,and  
the grizzly bear and the sabre-toothed  
tiger walked after the primitive        
,briton40  ,we must bid farewell to ,mr4
 ,fletcher1 the historian preferred to  
,froude by certain people6 ,i do not    
wish to give pain to any one in the     
world1 much less to one who has given me
 so much pleasure4 ,but even at the cost
 of that1 ,i would ask gentlemen who are
 reading history at ,oxford1 and        

gentlemen who are sending their sons to 
read history at ,oxford1 to pause and   
reflect before they entrust grave       
interests and momentous personal issues 
to the mercies of such writers as ,mr4  
,fletcher1 to the direction of the      
historian manqu4  ,let us leave the mala
 gaudia mentis provided by ,mr4         
,fletcher1 and proceed to more          
considerable men4  ,in his case we have 
a person1 though ill-equipped by nature 
or temperament1 engaged in an honest    
endeavour to write with vigour and      
picturesqueness4 ,grotesque as it may   
seem to us1 the 8,primitive ,briton     
walking after the hippopotamus1 and the 
sabre-toothed tiger walking after the   
primitive ,briton0 shows a genuine      
attempt at style4 ,it is from the rude  
carvings of savage races that the ,venus
 of ,milo has been evolved1 and from the
 mural decoration of the cave-dwellers  
has the perfected art of ,velasquez or  
,murillo come4  ,there are1 however1    
other writers in ,oxford to-day who     

merely chronicle facts4 ,this is not    
writing history1 of course1 but a       
careful chronicle of accurate fact is   
certainly valuable to the student1 and  
may serve as a ladder by which he may   
mount into the realms of true history4  
,some one must do the spade work1 dull  
and uninteresting as it may be1 and all 
we ask of the gardener's labourer is    
that his toil should be accomplished    
thoroughly and well4  ,one of the books 
that is put into the hands of history   
students at ,oxford as a useful work of 
reference is ,european ,history         
#dgj-ahga1 by ,mr4 ,arthur ,hassall1 a  
student and tutor of ,christ ,church1   
,oxford4 ,let me here explain for the   
general public that 8a ,student0 of     
,christ ,church is in the same position 
as the 8,fellow0 of another college4    
,the book at first sight does certainly 
seem to supply a need4 ,it is a         
chronicle1 in parallel columns1 of the  
events which occurred in every country  
between the dates named4 ,a man who is  

preparing an essay for his tutor might  
well be at a momentary loss for a date4 
8,what was the exact year in which      
so-and-so succeeded1 or the battle of   
such-and-such a place occurred80 he     
might ask himself1 and turn to ,mr4     
,hassall's book for answers4  ,let us   
take a particular instance4 ,when was   
,napoleon ,,iii4 proclaimed ,emperor8   
,according to ,mr4 ,hassall he was      
proclaimed twice2 in #aheb and again in 
#ahec4 ,under #aheb ,i read3 8,the      
,french nation1 by a large majority1    
sanction the restoration of the ,empire 
7,november71 and ,napoleon is proclaimed
 ,emperor 7,december #b740 ,lower down1 
on the same page1 under #ahec1 ,i am    
told that 8,napoleon consults the people
 on the subject of the restoration of   
the ,empire1 and secures a large        
majority in its favour 7,november       
#ba74444 ,napoleon is declared ,emperor 
of the ,french as ,napoleon ,,iii4      
7,december #b740  ,the right date is    
#aheb4 ,these strange contradictions    

occur in the second as well as the first
 edition of ,mr4 ,hassall's book1 for   
which minute accuracy is the only raison
 d'tre4  ,another 8handbook10 this time 
purporting to be an outline of the      
,political ,history of ,england1 and    
much in use by the long-suffering       
student of to-day is published by the   
,right ,honourable ,arthur ,h4 ,dyke    
,acland1 ,m4,p41 and ,cyril ,ransome1   
,m4,a41 ,merton ,college1 ,oxford4 ,this
 book also makes no pretensions to style
 and any one who buys it has a right to 
require that its statements should be   
minutely accurate4 ,nevertheless1 in it 
,i find the following conflicting       
statements4 8#agib1 ,april #bc4 ,,warren
 ,,hastings ,,is ,,acquitted10 and      
8#agie1 ,acquittal of ,warren           
,hastings40 ,which is right8 ,a later   
edition of the handbook tells me that   
#agie is4 ,yet it is odd1 to say the    
least of it1 that in the seventh edition
 the wrong date was impressed on the    
student by the words1 8,warren ,hastings

 is acquitted0 being printed in larger  
type than they were under #agie4  ,i am 
not going to multiply instances of this 
sort of thing4 ,when it is necessary to 
produce a completer indictment of the   
pseudo-scientific historians ,i am able 
to assure them that it will be done4 ,a 
great awakening has come to the         
,university1 and a hundred keen1 hostile
 eyes are focussed upon its chief       
anachronism4 ,there are many men in     
,oxford to-day who can say in their     
hearts3 8,so will ,i break down the wall
 that ye have daubed with untempered    
mortar and bring it down to the ground40
  ,i will pass at once to ,professor    
,oman1 ,commander-in-,chief of          
retrograde ,dondom4  ,much of what      
,oxford has to bestow of honour and     
distinction ,professor ,oman has        
received4 ,some of the rewards of the   
greatest ,university have been his4 ,he 
may be called the leader of the         
pseudo-scientific school now publishing1
 and in the past has enjoyed such       

eminence as this confers1 among a       
corporation whose members are not so    
famous for the books they have written  
as for the books they ought not to have 
written4  ,professor ,oman1 in his      
,inaugural ,lecture on the ,study of    
,history 7#aijf7 said3 8,i am indignant 
at all the cheap satire levelled against
 the college tutorial system1 the       
curriculum of the schools1 the          
examinations and their results1 which   
forms the staple of the irresponsible   
criticisms of the daily1 weekly1 or     
monthly press1 of the pamphlets of a man
 with a grievance1 and of the harangues 
delivered when educationalists 7horrid  
word7 assemble in conclave40  ,i can    
well understand it4 ,three months before
 this lecture was given1 ,i remember    
reading an article in the ,army ,service
 ,corps ,quarterly1 certainly neither   
irresponsible nor cheap1 though composed
 by two writers whose grievance was the 
inaccuracy of the ,chichele ,professor4 
99       99       99       99       99  

8,napoleon was so profoundly ignorant of
 the character of the 7#8,spanish'7     
nation that he imagined10 wrote the     
,professor in his ,history of the       
,peninsular ,war1 8that a few           
high-sounding proclamations and promises
 of liberal reforms would induce them to
 accept from his hands any new sovereign
 whom he chose to nominate40  ,at the   
date when ,napoleon is supposed by the  
,professor to have been behaving like a 
,professor1 not of war but of history1  
he was writing to ,murat 7,may #af1     
#ahjh73 8,je vous recommande de prendre 
toutes les mesures ncessaires pour      
donner du mouvement dans l'arsenal4 ,ce 
sont l les meilleures proclamations pour
 se concilier l'affection des peuples40 
,three days before 7,may #ac71 he had   
warned ,murat not to 8flatter the       
,spaniards too much4444 ,i have10 he    
wrote1 8more experience of the          
,spaniards than you4 ,when you told me  
that ,madrid was very tranquil1 ,i said 
to every one that you would soon have an

 insurrection40  ,the article referred  
to utterly contradicts this statement of
 ,professor ,oman's4 ,hundreds of       
original documents were examined1 and   
the point was proved with entire        
brilliance and clarity4 ,the pamphlet is
 quite unanswerable1 and has never been 
answered4 ,the quotation from the       
,professor's lecture illustrates the    
temper and attitude of the typical      
unprogressive4 ,why all criticism of the
 ,professor and his friends should be   
cheap and irresponsible ,i do not know4 
,when ,mr4 ,herbert ,paul writes of     
,stubbs's ,constitutional ,history of   
,england--the ,bible of the             
pseudo-historians--that it 8may be a    
useful book for students4 ,unless or    
until it is rewritten1 it can have no   
existence for the general reader10 and  
8a novice whose mind is a blank may read
 whole chapters of ,gardiner without    
discovering that any events of much     
significance happened in the seventeenth
 century0 is ,mr4 ,paul irresponsible   

and cheap8 ,mr4 ,paul obtained the      
highest honour possible in his degree   
examination2 he was a member of         
,parliament for ,south ,edinburgh1 one  
of the most cultured constituencies in  
the kingdom2 he is a member of the      
present ,parliament4 ,as historians1    
indeed1 the relative positions of ,mr4  
,paul and ,mr4 ,oman1 are those of      
banker and pawnbroker respectively4     
,this publicly expressed irritation of  
the ,chichele ,professor is symptomatic4
  ,when ,froude gave his inaugural      
lecture ,mr4 ,oman was present1 and was1
 he tells us--  4448carried away at the 
moment by his eloquent plea in favour of
 the view that history must be written  
as literature1 that it is the           
historian's duty to present his work in 
a shape that will be clearly            
comprehensible to as many readers as    
possible1 that dull1 pedantic1          
over-technical diction is an absolute   
crime1 since by it possible converts to 
the cause of history may be turned back 

and estranged40  ,mr4 ,oman was not     
carried away very far4 ,the works of the
 man who was genius and moralist1 man of
 letters and historian1 are still       
excluded from the 8curriculum10 while   
the works of the ,professor who was     
temporarily carried away are still      
included in it4  ,it is1 indeed1        
perfectly true1 as ,mr4 ,oman very      
candidly admits1 that 8even five years  
spent as a ,deputy-,professor have not  
eradicated the old tutorial virus from  
his system40 ,he suffers1 and ,i suppose
 must always suffer1 from the inability 
to write his history so that it is a    
pleasure to read it4 ,the literary      
instinct is wanting1 the artistic       
temperament is absent1 and like all     
those writers of whom he is the most    
able and the chief1 the ,chichele       
,professor can repeat but can neither   
create nor recreate4  ,on the very page 
where ,i read 8educationalists0 7horrid 
word71 ,i also read these melodious and 
polished sentences 8equipped with a     

severely specialistic curriculum40      
,quip6 lis6 tic6 ric6 how horribly these
 words jar and offend1 what a barbarous 
jargon is this6  ,again1 8they hope to  
find this one rather less rebarbative   
than ,law or ,mathematics40 ,from what  
sewer of language did the writer drag   
8rebarbative0 to grace his prose8  ,it  
is the same with everything this        
gentleman writes1 or to be exact1 in    
everything ,i have read of his4  ,he    
speaks of ,csar's 8chequered and        
oragious political career40  ,he tells  
us of himself1 8,i was one of those     
exceptionals40 ,you have only to open   
any single page of any single book      
,professor ,oman has written to realize 
that he either knows nothing of or cares
 nothing at all for the art of writing  
prose4 ,i admit that it is easy enough  
to find1 and print1 faults in the       
writings of any one1 even1 here and     
there1 in the work of a ,master4 ,i was 
re-reading ,oceana the other day1 and   
noticed that ,froude has written1 8there

 was no undergrowth1 no rocks or stones1
 only fresh green grass40 444 ,but an   
error such as this is exactly like a    
musical discord1 inadmissible in the    
exercise of a student of harmony1 but as
 nothing in the composition of a        
,master4  ,i do not wish to say whether1
 in my opinion1 ,professor ,oman's views
 of history are generally sound or if   
they are not4 ,he would not be where he 
is1 ,i suppose1 were he not credible and
 generally accurate4 ,but what ,i do    
know1 and what ,i have a right to say1  
is that his prose is turgid1 clumsy and 
without flexibility4 ,he can only tell  
us that something has happened1 he      
cannot make that happening live and     
pulse within the brain4 ,he is without  
the first quality of the true historian1
 the knowledge and mastery of the medium
 in which he expresses his thoughts1 and
 lacking all kinetic power he does not  
even know of what wood to make a crutch4
  ,mr4 ,oman and all his school are the 
legitimate descendants of their ,master1

 ,stubbs--the ,great ,cham of the       
,historicides4 ,it is a mournful fact   
that the incredibly vicious style of    
,william ,stubbs has had a most malign  
influence over that of lesser men4  ,the
 samples of it that ,i give here will   
amaze those people who have not read the
 learned ,bishop1 and who have been in  
the habit of regarding him as a literary
 man as well as a historian4  8,the     
steam plough10 ,stubbs writes at p4     
#fcf1 vol4 iii4 of ,the ,constitutional 
,history of ,england1 8and the sewing   
machine are less picturesque1 and call  
for a less educated eye than that of the
 plough-man and the seamstress1 but they
 produce more work with less waste of   
energy2 they give more leisure and      
greater comfort2 they call out1 in the  
production and improvement of their     
mechanism1 a higher and more widespread 
culture4 ,and all these things are      
growing instead of decaying40 ,with what
 is the historian comparing the steam   
plough and sewing machine8 ,and does a  

sewing machine 8call out0 a higher      
culture8 and do the things that are     
8growing instead of decaying0 include a 
steam plough8  ,we are also told on page
 #fcd1 that religion 444 8has sunk on   
the one hand into a dogma fenced about  
with walls which its defenders cannot   
pass either inward or outward1 on the   
other hand into a mere war-cry4444      
,between the two lies a narrow          
borderland40 ,religion1 therefore1      
8sinks into a war-cry40 ,between the    
war-cry and the dogma is a narrow       
borderland4 ,the dogma is 8fenced about 
with walls40  ,the recurring word is a  
constant phenomenon4 ,in paragraph #dih1
 for instance1 we find the sequence     
8evil10 8debased10 8noble10 8beautiful10
 8good10 8noble10 8beautiful10 8evil10  
8debased10 8evil10 8good10 8good10      
8great10 8great10 8greatness10          
8greatness10 8noble10 8greatness10      
8great10 8greatness10 8greatness10      
8greatness10 8evil10 8good10 8evil10    
8good10 8evil10 8evil10 8good10 8good10 

8evil10 8good10 8good40  ,it is true    
that the devoted and determined         
fellowship of ,oxford men who are       
destroying the last position of the     
,historicides have long known that      
,bishop ,stubbs was nothing more than a 
writer of slovenly text-books4 ,but the 
general public has not known1 and1      
occupied with wider interests1 has been 
forced to take the statements of the    
pedants on trust4  ,yet1 if ,oxford is  
to continue to be the chief ,university 
of the world1 it will only be by        
permission of the public4 ,this is a    
truth which the pedants will only       
realize when it is too late4 ,if every  
father who has a son whom he hopes will 
proceed to the ,university reads what ,i
 have set down here--reads it1 and      
trusting nothing to the assertions of   
one man's pen1 makes further and more   
exhaustive inquiries--we shall very soon
 see the frantic capitulation of the    
,old ,guard4 ,i believe the dons and    
pedants of whom ,i have been writing to 

be honest men enough4 ,they are sincere 
in their attitude1 no doubt4 ,it is     
comfortable to think that everything is 
for the best in the best of all possible
 ,universities1 but the obstinacy of a  
dozen mules in a mountain pass impedes  
the progress of an army1 and because his
 stupidity is not the hybrid's fault is 
no argument against his removal4  ,a    
certain number of ,oxford dons are      
convinced that the ,oxford system is    
without flaw4  ,the ,historicides are   
the worst offenders1 though some of     
their brethren who control the study of 
,pagan ,theology and ,philosophy are not
 far behind them4 ,both classes alike   
are convinced of their infallibility4   
,yet let the educated public realize    
that--  ,no one who wishes to become a  
,b4,a4 and ,m4,a4 of ,oxford is forced  
to study  7a7 ,english ,composition or  
,literature2  7b7 ,the ,history of the  
,british ,empire2  7c7 ,the geography of
 the globe we inhabit2  7d7 ,the        
scientific discoveries and inventions   

which have profoundly altered the       
conditions of modern life2  7e7 ,any of 
the ,fine ,arts2  7f7 ,any of the ,laws 
of ,england2  7g7 ,the rules which guide
 the ,law ,courts in estimating the     
value of human testimony2  7h7 ,the ,art
 of ,government and ,economics2  7i7    
,the ,art of ,war2  7j7 ,french1 ,german
 or any ,modern ,language4         99   
99       99       99       99  ,in my   
discredited trade of a novelist--that is
 to say1 the trade of people who create 
out of their own brains new things--we  
have a technique of phrase4 ,unimportant
 to the pedant1 as are the methods by   
which we are sometimes able to secure a 
great1 and even grateful public1 we     
still have our little catchwords and    
there is a certain freemasonry of craft4
  ,one finishes up1 it is generally     
understood1 with 8a canter down the     
straight40 ,bursting away from the      
restrictions of the ,essay1 glad to have
 finished with an academic convention   
which says one must write this way and  

so1 let me attempt to crystallize just  
what this paper means1 from my own1 and 
doubtless limited1 point of view4 ,it   
means this4  ,upon the sturdy oak1      
generations old1 in which the           
,university may be typified in allegory1
 a dusty parasite of ivy has been       
clinging4 ,this parasite1 which has     
clogged the newer shoots from the old   
tree1 is a parasite of the classical and
 especially of the history don and      
pedant4 ,law1 ,science and ,mathematics 
have entered ,oxford as a bright light  
comes into the dark4 ,here1 all is well4
 ,and in regard to the older arts1 ,i   
think1 and many other people who are in 
the centre of the ferment of change     
think with me1 all is about to be       
reconstituted in a freer air4 ,it       
remains as a wonder that past and       
present undergraduates1 the guests of   
the hotel1 remain so individually and   
cumulatively distinct from the          
obstructionist section of its managers  
and landlords4  ,in the darkest days it 

is astonishing to see how many men      
reading history have been able to       
educate themselves brilliantly in spite 
of all opposition4 ,and if ,oxford can  
send out into the world such men as she 
is giving to the community now1 in spite
 of the influences which have checked   
and hampered them1 what may she not do  
in the days which are at hand1 when the 
parasite shall be cut down from the old 
tree and growth shall be unhampered by  
the incompetent8  ,those days1 ,i am    
convinced1 are at hand1 and1 curiously  
enough1 it is the influence of ,james   
,anthony ,froude which is precipitating 
the revolution4 ,what the great         
historian could not do in his life1 the 
immortality of his writings is          
accomplishing4 ,under ,froude's banner a
 devoted and influential band is        
enlisted4 ,the work of change is        
proceeding with wonderful vigour and    
rapidity4  ,let us gird up our loins to 
push and elbow out the discredited and  
effete1 and if necessary pay hirelings1 

and employ executioners to end the      
unfortunate history of the immediate    
past1 to destroy the ,obstructionists1  
the ,historicides1 and those whom only  
annihilation will convince of error4    
,in conclusion ,i submit that ,i have   
neither been conjecturing what ,i cannot
 find1 nor insinuating what ,i dare not 
assert2 and if a sincere conviction and 
a prolonged scrutiny give one title to a
 part in the growing condemnation of the
 ,historicides ,i shall be proud to     
think that ,i have taken a very humble  
place in the coming renaissance4        
,,the ,,brown ,,and ,,yellow ,,peril    
,,iv  ,,the ,,brown ,,and ,,yellow      
,,peril  ,a ,,few ,,facts   ,this essay1
 which is a logical conclusion of the   
last1 requires neither rhetoric nor     
adornment1 were ,i able to decorate it  
with them4 ,it is a statement of plain  
fact1 and ,i make no apology for writing
 it as simply as possible4  ,the paper  
is to be regarded in the light of an    
appendix to the article on the ,oxford  

,historicides rather than a separate    
excursus in line with the others in the 
volume4  ,the facts are accurate1 and if
 ,i could turn them into an             
easily-understood diagram and post it up
 on every hoarding in the kingdom1 ,i   
believe that ,i should be doing a public
 service4  ,in #ahhe--the year when we  
failed to rescue ,gordon--,mr4 ,w4 ,s4  
,gilbert produced his 8,mikado40  ,which
 nation or government were1 in #ahhe1   
the more fitting themes for satire--the 
,english or the ,japanese8 ,the scandals
 of the ,crimean and ,boer ,wars2 the   
uniform successes by sea and land of the
 ,japanese in their struggles with      
,china and ,russia1 supply us with no   
uncertain answer4 ,the ,itos1 ,togos1   
,oyamas and ,kurokis1 whom our          
librettist represented to us as ,ko-,ko1
 and so on1 have taught us--and even the
 disciples of ,moltke--that the supreme 
artists of war are at ,tokyo and ,osaka1
 not in ,london1 ,washington1 ,berlin1  
,moscow or ,vienna4 ,the thirty millions

 of ,japanese who1 in the sixties of the
 last century1 were at the mercy of the 
white powers1 are to-day                
engaged--politely enough--in ushering   
out of ,china the trades of ,europe and 
,north ,america4  ,during the last half 
century a yellow race1 a non-,christian 
people1 has caught up the white races   
and1 so far as the ultima ratio regum   
populorumque is concerned--in the bloody
 tournament of war--has even surpassed  
them4 ,like every one else1 ,i have been
 alarmed at the sudden transformation   
scene4 ,the ,mikado who stage-managed   
the ,chino-,japanese and                
,russo-,japanese ,wars1 is very unlike  
that ,mikado who danced for us on the   
boards of the ,savoy ,theatre4      8,my
 object all sublime     ,i shall achieve
 in time3     ,to make the punishment   
fit the crime     ,the punishment fit   
the crime40444  sang ,mr4 ,gilbert's    
,mikado4  ,the punishments which        
,mutsuhito1 the real ,mikado1 has fitted
 to the ,czar's crimes of seizing ,port 

,arthur and ,manchuria have been--  7#a7
 ,the sinking or capture of every       
,russian man-of-war east of ,suez4  7#b7
 ,the siege and capture of ,port        
,arthur4  7#c7 ,the defeats of ,the     
,yalu1 ,nan-shan1 ,telissu1 ,laio-,yang1
 ,the ,sha-ho and ,mukden4  7#d7 ,the   
expulsion of the ,russians from         
,manchuria and ,korea4  7#e7 ,the       
cession of half of the island of        
,sakhalin and indirectly  7#f7 ,civil   
,war and bankruptcy in ,russia4  ,one   
little point of comparison between      
ourselves and the ,japanese will make my
 meaning clear4  ,we all remember the   
shameful tale 7told1 not by ,mr4        
,burdett-,coutts alone1 but by eminent  
doctors1 including ,sir ,frederick      
,treves1 whose words were published in  
,blue-books7 of the utter               
disorganization and incompetence of the 
medical and surgical departments        
attached to the ,british army in ,south 
,africa4  ,sir ,frederick ,treves has   
inspected the ,japanese hospitals for   

the wounded1 and pronounced them to be  
perfect4  ,the ,japanese1 your wiseacre 
retorts1 are a race of clever imitators4
 ,we invent2 they borrow4 ,they can copy
 but they cannot produce masterpieces in
 the arts and sciences4 ,it is good     
rhetoric but bad reasoning4 ,the        
,japanese have borrowed from us neither 
their art1 nor their ethics4 ,never     
conquered in the past1 they have        
developed a civilization peculiarly     
their own4 ,the first ,mikado was       
reigning six centuries before ,julius   
,csar landed his legions at a point not 
five miles from the spot where ,i am    
writing4 ,the ,japanese are an ancient  
race with points of view diametrically  
opposed to our own2 and like the ,jews  
they have lived long and learned wisdom4
       8,if ,i say anything about       
,shakespeare10 writes ,baron ,suyematsu1
      8,i fear ,i should at once be     
considered to be overstepping           
propriety2 but ,i must say that even    
,shakespeare's plays1 some      of which

 ,i have read or seen performed1 have   
never given me      such impressions as 
do the plays of ,japan4 ,whenever we go 
to      the ,western stages we          
appreciate the decorations1 we admire   
the      splendid movements and good    
figures of the actors and               
actresses1 and1 so far as we can        
understand it1 the striking             
elegance and powerful delivery of their 
dialogue1 and we enjoy      ourselves as
 much as could be hoped2 but on coming  
home we find      nothing left on our   
minds which might serve as an incentive 
in      our future career4 ,no          
inspiration1 no emulation6 ,such1 then1 
seems to be the difference between our  
dramatic works and those      of        
,western nations40  ,observe that the   
argument of 8art for art's sake10 is    
treated by the talented ,japanese       
diplomatist with the very sanest scorn4 
8,in ,japan10 says the ,baron1 8the idea
 of the #8encouragement of      what is 
good1 and the chastisement of what is   

bad1' has always      been kept in view 
in writing works of fiction1 or in      
preparing      dramatic books and plays4
 ,i know very well that there is some   
opposition to this idea4 ,they say that 
the writing of fiction      should be   
viewed as an art4 ,hence1 so long as the
 real nature      and character are     
depicted1 there is an end of the        
function of      these works4 ,i do not 
pretend in any way to challenge this    
argument1 but ,i simply state that it   
was not so regarded in      ,japan4     
,consequently1 with us1 some kind of    
reward or      chastisement is generally
 meted out to the fictitious            
characters introduced in the scene1 and 
these representations1      either in   
books or on the stage1 are carried out  
to such a      pitch as to leave some   
sort of profound impression on the minds
      of the readers or of the audience4
 ,whatever the other remaining          
parts may be1 these features always     
remain uppermost in the      minds of   

the reader or of the theatre-goer4 ,the 
prominent point      thus produced is   
generally a transcendent loyalty1 such  
as a      loyal servant would feel for  
his master2 the great fortitude      and
 perseverance which one exhibits in the 
cause of justice and      righteousness2
 severe suffering for the sake of a dear
 friend2      the devotion of parents   
and their self-sacrifice1 great         
suffering1 or even self-sacrifice of a  
wife for her husband1 or      of a      
mother for her son1 to enable the       
fulfilment of duty to      the lord and 
master4 ,i can myself remember many     
times shedding      tears when reading  
works of fiction1 or when listening to  
the      singing of dramatic songs1 or  
while witnessing dramatic               
performances4 ,this peculiarity seems to
 be wanting on the      ,western stage4 
,i remember once in ,london1 years ago1 
my eyes      becoming moist when ,i saw 
a character on the stage1 who was       
being taken away as a prisoner1 shaking 

hands with the man who      had been his
 dear friend1 but who ought to have been
 suspected      as the cause of his     
being taken prisoner1 and told him1 as  
he      went1 that he would never       
suspect or ever forsake him1 giving     
the audience a strong impression of     
chivalric moral strength4      ,but that
 was only a solitary experience40  ,as  
these lines come before my eyes1 as ,i  
remember the siege of ,port ,arthur1 ,i 
wonder at the subtle irony lurking      
beneath ,baron ,suyematsu's             
remark--8,japan is now in alliance with 
,great ,britain2 she may not perhaps be 
worthy of that alliance1 but one may be 
assured she is doing1 and will always   
do1 her best to deserve it40 ,the       
italics are mine4  ,the heroism         
displayed by the ,japanese in the late  
war was almost unparalleled4 ,i believe 
only one spy in ,japan was discovered4  
,he was kicked to death4 ,no            
pro-,russian party existed in ,japan4   
,the ,japanese are accused of being     

dishonest traders4 ,but ,japanese       
contractors disdained to rob their      
fellow-countrymen who were risking life 
and limb before ,port ,arthur4 ,read and
 re-read ,the ,garter ,mission to       
,japan4 ,lord ,redesdale could detect no
 signs of arrogance on the faces of the 
men who drove back ,kuropatkin's        
regiments into ,siberia or sank the     
,baltic fleet4  ,some superficial       
thinkers say that the ,japanese are     
merely medival knights fighting with    
quick-firing guns instead of lances4    
,this is the veriest nonsense4 ,they are
 practising what was vainly preached by 
troubadours and romancers to the ,brian 
de ,bois ,guilberts of the ,middle      
,ages4444  ,when engaged in the         
composition of my novel ,the ,serf1 ,i  
studied in detail the lives of the      
paladins to whom were chanted the       
,chanson de ,roland1 and the stories of 
,the ,round ,table4 ,my conclusions can 
be studied in that novel which is now in
 a sixpenny edition4 ,i found very few  

8,ivanhoes0 and plenty of               
8,front-de-,boeufs0 at the ,court of    
,richard 8,yea-and-,nay10 who1 loyal and
 filial soul that he was1 joined with   
the ,king of ,france in making war on   
,henry ,,ii41 his own father4  ,there is
 great force in ,professor ,inazo       
,nitobe's implied criticism of ,european
 chivalry4       8,did a monarch behave 
badly1 ,bushido did not lay before the  
suffering people the panacea of a good  
government by regicide4      ,in all the
 forty-five centuries during which      
,japan has passed      through many     
vicissitudes of national existence1 no  
blot of the      death of a ,charles    
,i41 or a ,louis ,,xvi4 ever stained the
 pages      of her history40  ,whether  
that be true ,i do not pretend to say4  
,but what ,i do know is that the throne 
of ,england1 from the conquest of the   
country by the first ,william in #ajff1 
to the accession of the third ,william  
in #afhh1 has been held on a very       
precarious tenure4  ,the ,conqueror     

himself warred with his son ,robert4    
,the latter1 and his brothers1 gave     
examples of a fraternum odium worthy of 
the pen of ,tacitus2 ,stephen was       
virtually deposed2 ,henry ,,ii4 was     
attacked by his own children2 a party of
 the barons supported ,john against     
,richard ,i41 and ,french invaders      
against ,john2 ,henry ,,iii4's reign was
 a long record of civil war2 ,edward    
,,ii41 ,richard ,,ii41 ,henry ,,vi4 and 
,edward ,v4 were deposed and murdered2  
,richard ,,iii4 was dethroned and slain 
in battle2 ,charles ,i4 was executed by 
his own subjects2 ,james ,,ii4 betrayed 
by the founder of the ,churchill family4
 ,of a truth the virtue of loyalty has  
not been the predominant feature of the 
,anglo-,saxon races4 ,our greatest      
novelist1 ,thackeray1 mocks at it4 ,ever
 since the ,renaissance most of the     
political philosophers of the ,west have
 preached the doctrine 8,render not unto
 ,csar the things that are ,csar's40    
8,the love that we bear to our          

,emperor10 continues ,professor         
,inazo ,nitobe1 8naturally brings with  
it a love for the country      over     
which he reigns4 ,hence our sentiment of
 patriotism--,i will      not call it a 
duty1 for1 as ,dr4 ,samuel ,johnson     
rightly      suggests1 patriotism is a  
sentiment and is more than a duty--,i   
say our patriotism is fed by two streams
 of sentiment1 namely1      that of     
personal love to the monarch1 and of our
 common love      for the soil which    
gave us birth and provides us with      
hearth      and home4 ,nay1 there is    
another source from which our           
patriotism is fed3 it is that the land  
guards in its bosom the      bones of   
our fathers2 and here ,i may dwell      
awhile upon our      ,filial ,piety4    
8,parental love man possesses in common 
with the beasts1 but      filial love is
 little found among animals after they  
are      weaned4 ,was it the last of the
 virtues to develop in the order      of
 ethical evolution8 ,whatever its       

origin1 ,mr4 ,herbert ,spencer          
evidently thinks it is a waning trait in
 an evolving humanity2      and ,i am   
aware that everywhere there are signs of
 its giving      way to individualism   
and egotism2 especially does this seem  
to      be the case in ,christendom4    
8,christianity1 by which ,i do not mean 
what ,jesus of ,nazareth      taught1   
but a mongrel moral system1 a concoction
 of a little of      obsolete ,judaism1 
of ,egyptian asceticism1 of ,greek      
sublimity1      of ,roman arrogance1 of 
,teutonic superstition1 and1 in fact1 of
      anything and everything that tends
 to make sublunary existence      easy  
by sanctioning the wholesale slaughter  
of weaker races1 or      now and then   
the lopping of crowned                  
heads1--,christianity1 ,i      say1     
teaches that the nucleus of a           
well-ordered society lay in             
conjugal relations between the first    
parents1 and further that      therefore
 a man must leave father and mother and 

cleave to his      wife4 ,a teaching    
this1 in itself not easy of             
comprehension1 as      ,paul himself    
admits1 and very dubious in application1
 meaning1      as it so often does1 that
 a silly youth1 when he is infatuated   
with a giddy girl1 may spurn his        
parents6       8,christ certainly never 
meant it1 nor did the decalogue         
command1 #8,thou shalt love thy wife    
more than thou shouldst      honour thy 
father and mother4'0  ,the dark1        
unfathomable eyes of our inscrutable    
,oriental friends are surveying us4 ,is 
it likely that they fail to perceive    
such patent facts as the dwindling of   
the birth-rate1 the ever increasing     
thirst for material pleasures which is  
the characteristic of our urban         
population1 the growth of ,socialism1   
which is its complement1 the ignorance  
of the rulers1 and the obsolete         
education of the ruled8  ,we boast of   
our genius for colonization4 ,boasts are
 not facts4  ,for a century ,australia  

and ,new ,zealand have been ,english    
colonies4 ,the population of ,australia 
is smaller than the population of       
,london3 that of ,new ,zealand is less  
than a million4 ,japan is nearer to     
,australia and ,new ,zealand than they  
to ,england4 ,the ,japanese are a nation
 in arms2 the ,english rely for their   
defence on professional armies4 ,whilst 
there is a ,german fleet at ,kiel and a 
,french fleet at ,cherbourg1 the bulk of
 our ships must remain in the vicinity  
of the ,channel and the ,german ,ocean4 
,we are the allies of the ,japanese1 and
 the ,japanese are threatening the      
,americans1 who are rebuilding ,san     
,francisco with funds paid to them by   
the insurance offices of ,england4  ,now
 ,i am no alarmist1 but the ,japanese   
have invented for themselves a high     
explosive1 the shimose powder4 ,i am no 
alarmist1 but the ,japanese have just   
launched the ,satsuma1 possibly the most
 powerful of all men-of-war4 ,i am no   
alarmist1 but the ,japanese are turning 

school-masters and drill sergeants to   
four hundred millions of ,chinamen1 and 
the ,chinese have been pronounced by    
,general ,gordon and ,lord ,wolseley to 
be excellent soldiers4 ,sir ,robert     
,hart1 the ,englishman most likely to   
prove an accurate prophet1 has warned us
 against the renaissance of ,china4 ,the
 guns of ,togo's fleet have served      
,europe with notice to quit the further 
,east1 and what the ,japanese have      
taught themselves1 they may teach the   
,chinamen undisturbed4  ,the            
pre-eminence of ,japan in the ,far ,east
 to-day is due to her admirable system  
of education4  ,from ,japan by the      
,japanese1 a work edited by ,mr4 ,alfred
 ,stead1 and published by ,mr4          
,heinemann1 ,i propose to select certain
 information which may startle even     
retrograde educationalists4 ,japan by   
the ,japanese is a collection of studies
 on ,japan written by no globe-trotters1
 but by ,japanese thinkers and statesmen
 of the highest eminence4 ,in the list  

of contributors ,i notice the ,marquis  
,ito1 ,field ,marshals ,yamagata and    
,oyama1 ,count ,okuma and ,baron        
,suyematsu4 ,the essays on education are
 from the pens of ,count ,okuma1 ,baron 
,suyematsu1 and other specialists4 ,my  
humble opinion is that the authorities  
who direct the teaching of ,modern      
,history at ,oxford would do well to    
substitute ,japan by the ,japanese for  
,aristotle's ,politics1 ,hobbes'        
,leviathan1 and ,maine's ,ancient ,law1 
which are the only text-books in        
,political ,science prescribed by the   
,university ,examination ,statutes4 ,i  
may be peculiar1 but ,i prefer the views
 of ,ito1 ,oyama and ,okuma to those of 
,aristotle1 ,hobbes and ,maine4  ,as my 
last essay dealt with the education     
supplied at ,oxford ,university1 it will
 be well to begin by considering the    
,universities of ,tokyo and ,kyoto4 ,six
 colleges comprise the former and five  
the latter4 ,but1 unlike the colleges at
 ,oxford and ,cambridge these colleges  

are schools for the highly specialized  
study of some art or science4 ,at ,tokyo
 the colleges are those of ,law1        
,medicine1 ,engineering1 ,literature1   
,science1 and ,agriculture2 at ,kyoto of
 ,law1 ,medicine1 ,literature1 ,science1
 and ,engineering4 ,at both             
,universities there is also a           
,university ,hall established for the   
purpose of facilitating original        
investigation in ,arts and ,science4    
,one thing is very noticeable in        
comparing the ,university of ,tokyo with
 the ,university of ,oxford4 ,amongst   
the least popular of the ,honour        
,schools at the institution on the banks
 of the ,isis is the ,law ,school4 ,at  
,tokyo the ,college of ,law1 in which   
the student has the option of           
specializing on ,law or ,politics1 is by
 far the favourite4 ,after ,law comes   
the ,college of ,engineering1 and the   
,college of ,literature is a bad third4 
,it is to the ,college of ,literature   
7the equivalent of which at ,oxford are 

the ,honour ,schools of ,languages1 dead
 or living1 and the ,school of ,modern  
,history7 that ,i would call the        
reader's special attention4 ,the ,modern
 ,history ,school is the most popular of
 the ,honour ,schools at ,oxford2 but at
 ,tokyo between #ahij and #aijj there   
were only #ajf students who devoted     
their time to ,general ,history1 and #hg
 to ,japanese ,history4 ,on the other   
hand1 no less than #fea were engaged in 
preparing themselves in ,law1 and #cij  
in ,politics4  ,in ,september #aija1    
#efg undergraduates were attending a    
,law course1 #dji lectures on ,politics2
 but only #bh were listening to teachers
 of ,japanese ,history1 while #dh were  
enrolled in the classes for ,general    
,history4  ,the advocates of ,greek     
insist that the ,greek language is the  
finest of all instruments for training  
the human mind4 ,the ,japanese do not   
agree with our retrogrades4 ,greek1     
apparently1 is not taught at any ,school
 or ,university1 though ,latin is       

amongst the subjects which a ,japanese  
medical student is expected to have     
mastered4  ,another great distinction   
between the ,japanese and the ,english  
system is1 that only picked men are     
permitted to avail themselves of a      
,university education4 ,further1 before 
proceeding to the ,university the       
undergraduate must have passed through a
 school specially preparing him for one 
of the ,university ,colleges4  8,this   
type of school10 observes ,professor    
,sawayanagi1 8is exclusively peculiar to
 the educational system of ,japan1 as   
there is no equivalent either in ,europe
 or ,america40  ,in the section of a    
higher school which instructs candidates
 for the ,law and ,literature ,colleges 
of the ,university1 the subjects taught 
are ,morals1 ,japanese and ,chinese     
languages1 ,foreign languages1 ,history 
of ,logic and ,psychology1 the elements 
of ,law1 the elements of ,political     
,economy and ,gymnastics4 ,the foreign  
languages are ,english1 ,german1 and    

,french1 of which two have to be        
selected4  8,surely10 remark the        
gentlemen who prepared the article on   
,university ,education in ,japan1 8a    
professional man who aims at a high     
position could never be satisfied with  
one language4 ,certainly it would be    
impossible for any one to keep up with  
the rapid progress of the world which   
takes place in all the higher branches  
of education with only one ,european    
language at his command40  ,it is       
pathetic to think how blind are the     
rulers of secondary education in this   
country to a truth so self-evident4     
,before proceeding to a special school  
preparing candidates for the            
,university1 a ,japanese boy must have  
been at a ,secondary ,school1 which is  
an institution similar to one of our    
great ,public ,schools4 ,here1 again1   
the ,japanese lay far more stress on    
essentials4  ,at how many of our great  
,public ,schools1 if any1 are the       
elements of ,law 7which may be defined  

as the rules of the club to which every 
,british citizen belongs7 a subject of  
instruction8 ,the elements of ,law are a
 regular feature in the ,secondary      
,schools of ,japan4 ,sooner or later    
every ,englishman or ,japanese is       
brought in contact with the law of his  
land4 ,for what conceivable reason is   
,law excluded from our ,public ,school  
course of education8  ,once more1 in a  
,japanese ,secondary ,school1 boys are  
taught the elements of ,political       
,economy4 ,what proportion of ,etonians1
 ,harrovians1 and ,wykehamists have     
opened a book on ,political ,economy    
before they have left school8 ,yet ought
 not every member of the community who  
intends to exercise his right of voting 
at a ,general ,election to be cognizant 
of the main arguments1 for instance1    
that may be adduced on behalf of ,free  
,trade or ,protection8  ,the appended   
table will help any ,public ,school boy 
or his parents to estimate the vast     
difference between the ,japanese and the

 ,english conceptions of a liberal      
education4            ,,in ,,japan4     
,,in ,,england4      ,secondary ,school 
7from #ab years       ,public ,school   
7from #ab years and       to #ag years  
of age74                  later to #ai  
years of age74      ,subjects taught--  
,subjects taught--       7#a7 ,morals4  
7#a7 ,religious instruction4       7#b7 
,japanese language4                7#b7 
,english language4       7#c7 7a7       
,english1 ,french or          7#c7      
,french1 ,latin1 ,greek4                
,german4           7b7 ,chinese         
,classics4        7#d7 ,history4        
7#d7 ,english ,history4                 
,roman      0                           
,greek      0       7#e7 ,geography4    
7#e7 ,geography 7a little74       7#f7  
,mathematics4                      7#f7 
,arithmetic4                            
,euclid4                                
,algebra4       7#g7 ,drawing4          
7#g7 ,drawing4       7#h7 ,gymnastics1  
,drilling4             7#h7 ,gymnastics4

                                        
,athletic ,sports4       7#i7 ,singing4 
7#aj7 ,natural ,history1 ,physics1      
,chemistry4       7#aa7 ,elements of    
,law4       7#ab7 ,elements of          
,political              ,economy4  ,the 
aim of the ,japanese statesmen has been 
to produce a fine character residing in 
a strong body1 and a memory stored with 
knowledge having a direct bearing on the
 problems of modern life4 ,it seems to  
me that a nation led by men trained     
according to the method ,i have         
indicated must ceteris paribus be more  
intelligently governed than one like our
 own1 where the conduct of affairs is   
entrusted to persons like ,mr4          
,arnold-,forster and ,mr4 ,brodrick1    
who1 after leaving a great ,public      
,school1 attended ,oxford ,university   
and obtained their degrees through its  
,modern ,history ,school4  ,i pass from 
,secondary to ,primary education4       
,guardians of children of school age 7i4
 e4 over six years of age7 are under the

 obligation of sending them to school to
 complete at least the ordinary ,primary
 ,school course4 ,the subjects taught to
 the ,board ,school boys and girls of   
,japan are3--,morals1 the ,japanese     
language1 arithmetic1 and gymnastics1   
and1 according to local circumstances1  
one or more subjects such as drawing1   
singing1 or manual work1 and for females
 sewing4 ,the higher ,primary ,schools  
complete the education of the average   
,japanese of the lower orders4 ,at the  
higher ,primary ,schools1 the scholar   
continues to study ,morals1 the         
,japanese language and arithmetic1 and  
learns1 in addition1 ,japanese history1 
geography1 the elements of science1 and1
 as optional subjects1 agriculture1     
commerce1 manual work and the ,english  
language4 ,drawing1 singing and manual  
work1 and for females1 sewing1 are      
compulsory4 ,there are also special     
commercial schools4  ,the scope of this 
essay does not permit me to contrast in 
detail the ,japanese with the ,english  

primary education4 ,both were           
established about the same time4 ,i am  
not so rash as to pose as an authority  
on the education of a country which ,i  
have never visited4 ,but one point has  
greatly impressed me4 ,tommy ,atkins has
 been educated at the ,board ,school4   
,it is complained of ,tommy ,atkins that
 he neglects hygienic precautions       
against diseases like enteric4 ,the rank
 and file of the ,japanese army were    
remarkable for their scrupulous         
obedience to the rules of hygiene4 ,my  
deduction is that the ,japanese school  
and the ,japanese curriculum are1 in one
 essential at least1 superior to the    
,english4 ,i may be wrong1 but ,i do not
 think it is probable4  ,what are the   
conclusions to be drawn from the        
information which ,i have extracted from
 ,japan by the ,japanese8  8,england10  
signalled ,nelson1 8expects every man to
 do his duty40 ,those words should ring 
in the ears of each of us4 ,the dons and
 school-masters of the country should   

remember that they are ,britons first   
and ,oxonians and ,cantabs afterwards4  
,the warnings which we have received    
from ,tokyo and ,berlin are so          
impressive that the ,anglo-,saxon races 
will be insane if they do not take them 
to heart4 ,the masters of the fate of   
the ,british ,empire are1 at a general  
election1 the citizens possessed of the 
franchise1 and between the general      
elections the ,king1 the members of the 
two ,houses of ,parliament and the      
,civil and ,military servants of the    
nation4  ,we must educate our masters1  
the electorate and the officials who    
obey1 or pretend to obey1 its mandates4 
,to-day the educational system of ,great
 ,britain is1 as a whole1 an            
anachronism4 ,if the next generation of 
,anglo-,saxons is educated like the     
last1 the brown and yellow peril will   
become acute4 ,to a psychologist1 the   
,japanese and the ,chinese with their   
cool1 iron nerves1 seem more fitted for 
a world of dynamos and flying machines  

than the neuropathic ,englishman or     
,american4 ,should1 then1 the latter be 
worse educated than the former1 the     
,british ,empire and the ,united ,states
 may expect to follow the fate of the   
,spanish and ,roman ,empires4     ,,the 
,,menaces ,,of ,,modern ,,sport     ,v  
,,the ,,menaces ,,of ,,modern ,,sport   
8,imponit finem sapiens et rebus        
honestis40       ,,juvenal4   ,i very   
well remember the morning when the post 
brought me an advance copy of the first 
number of ,mr4 ,c4 ,b4 ,fry's ,magazine4
  ,one saw at once1 as the public has   
since seen1 that the periodical struck a
 new note in regard to matters of sport4
 ,it was to be both practical and       
idealistic1 sport in the realm of action
 was to stand side by side with sport in
 the sphere of thought4 ,mr4 ,begbie    
sounded the keynote1 in his beautiful   
inaugural poem--when the clean1 strong  
body sings a hymn of praise and         
thankfulness for its splendour of       
strength and health2 because the joy of 

physical achievement is so intense1     
because the currents of the blood run   
fast and free4  ,it is a curious fact in
 life that a fine and noble thing in    
itself nearly always harbours or begets 
an ugly parasite4 ,no plant grows       
unhampered by the insect world1 a filthy
 mildew--so the curator of a famous     
picture gallery told me the other day1  
will appear mysteriously upon the finest
 canvas4  ,in particular1 certain phases
 of sport to-day present the observer   
with a curious spectacle4 ,there is a   
monstrous liaison1 a horrid entanglement
 between sport and drink6  ,it is as    
well to put it quite bluntly at the     
beginning4 ,if an unpleasant fact is not
 stated in the frankest way1 it loses   
its appeal to the hearer4 ,the man in   
the street1 gets up and strangles a     
half-statement with the flippancy of a  
catch-penny juggler at a country fair4  
,one is not heard4  ,i say that a grave 
danger menaces modern sport and that the
 danger is just this4444  ,the more     

popular games of ,england are being     
disturbed and discredited in a marked   
manner by the amount of drinking--plain1
 vulgar excess in alcohol--which        
surrounds them and follows in their     
train4 ,a great number of sportsmen know
 this perfectly well and genuinely      
deplore it1 but ,i am not aware that the
 subject has been properly ventilated as
 yet1 save perhaps by 8temperance0      
cranks and prejudiced or ignorant       
people1 who hide a polemic puritanism   
under the banner of a misused word4     
,some time ago ,i had occasion to spend 
a night in a large manufacturing        
district in the ,north of ,england4 ,i  
put up at a local hotel4  ,it is a large
 place standing in the four cross roads 
where electric trams stopped--a definite
 centre of the town4 ,the landlord is   
the secretary of a most prosperous local
 cricket club1 he is intimately         
concerned with the local                
football--,association--and is a        
prominent swimmer4  ,at all times of the

 year the district is intensely         
interested in sport1 and the hotel is a 
headquarters of it4 ,the walls of bars  
and smoking-rooms are covered with      
photographs of this or that local team1 
the whole talk is redolent of sport--and
 your ,northerner or ,midlander is      
generally the keenest sportsman of all4 
,it was quite obvious that this hotel   
was extremely and noticeably prosperous1
 everything proclaimed it4 ,i was       
introduced by the landlord1 a thoroughly
 good fellow1 to various local football 
players and swimmers4 ,the talk of the  
smoke-room was entirely occupied with   
sport1 there was a real knowledge of1   
and love for games4 ,one heard shrewd   
and penetrating criticism1 one saw fine 
healthy-looking men who were certainly  
no mere machines for the decomposing of 
their lunch and dinner6 ,in fact1 the   
evening was thoroughly congenial4  ,next
 morning after breakfast1 ,i smoked my  
pipe in the bar parlour4 ,at one side of
 the place was a counter which formed a 

barrier between it and the ordinary     
tap-room4 ,three young and powerful men 
came in--it was about #i4cj in the      
morning4 ,they asked the barmaid for a  
drink ,i had never heard of--8three warm
 sodas1 please40 ,the girl opened three 
bottles of soda1 poured some hot water  
into each glass and gave it to the      
customers4  ,when they had gone1 ,i     
asked her what was the meaning of this4 
8,oh10 she said1 8there was a football  
supper last night ,these lads were all  
drunk4 ,they often come for a warm soda 
in the morning1 it sobers them40  ,the  
remark was a prelude to some interesting
 information4 ,the girl was a native of 
the ,north4 ,she had been in the bars of
 several ,lancashire public-houses2 what
 she told me was simply a dreary record 
of personal experience4 ,in effect1 it  
was this3 ,after a big football match   
the hotels were always crowded1 packed  
so closely that it was difficult for a  
late-comer to enter4 ,on such occasions 
the staff of pot-boys and men to keep   

order was recruited from the stables4   
,drunkenness1 distinct drunkenness1 was 
very common4 ,the members of the two    
teams were often the core of a welter of
 riot4 ,the players themselves were     
treated by their admirers until they    
frequently became intoxicated4 ,quarrels
 and rows of all sorts were of almost   
momentary occurrence4 8,i hate all big  
sporting days10 she said4 8,you've no   
idea what we girls have to put up with4 
,they all seem to go mad4 ,but there1   
the takings are enormous so ,i suppose  
sport's good for trade60  ,i tell this  
little story not because ,i was unaware 
of the facts before1 but because a      
8picture0 is always valuable in making a
 point1 and because a coincidence has   
provided me with this picture at the    
moment when ,i am writing on this       
subject4  ,every one knows the state of 
things in this regard thoroughly well4  
,it isn't sporadic--it's systematic4    
,and day by day in many districts1 you  
may witness the paradox of a man who is 

above his fellows in the fine           
cultivation and training of his body1   
using his gifts in the finest way--and  
drugging himself with poison directly   
afterwards4 ,and not only does the      
athlete himself do this1 but his        
influence has a far-reaching effect upon
 others4 ,the hero corrupts innumerable 
valets1 and what should be an uplifting 
thing for the spectators1 becomes1 in   
the nick of time and in the punctual    
place1 an opportunity for unbridled     
indulgence4  ,nearly every footballer   
knows that what ,i say is true1 and     
still the thing grows4 ,it is not too   
much to say that1 at the moment1 drink  
stands before the progress of popular   
sport like an armed assassin in a narrow
 path4 ,i shall give other instances in 
a moment1 but at this point it is proper
 to explain that one is no fanatic4     
,sport calls aloud for temperance       
to-day1 but sport is not concerned with 
teetotalism4 ,every active sportsman    
must cultivate each sense to its highest

 power1 that is a condition of success  
in sport4 ,but there is a sixth sense1  
not sufficiently recognized by writers  
attacking an evil no less than by       
sportsmen who concur in it4  ,it is the 
sense of proportion4  ,nothing is more  
necessary than 8proportion0 in the      
consideration of such a question as     
this1 a subject of supreme importance in
 modern sporting life2 yet to-day the   
sense of proportion has been lost by    
sportsmen and adherents of sport alike4 
,long ago ,plato pointed out that we    
shall never have perfect men until we   
have perfect circumstances1 and it is   
the people who condemn a good thing     
because of its occasional misuse who    
destroy their own case4 ,alcohol is a   
good thing1 sport is a good thing1      
together they are harmless even2 but    
moderation has been overstepped and we  
are in the middle of a definite and     
serious crisis4  ,a ,blue-book of       
statistics of crime has just been       
issued4 ,from it ,i find that           

drunkenness is greatest in the great    
football centres of the ,north and of   
,wales4 ,the thirstiest parts of the    
country are those in which football is  
the most eagerly played and watched1 in 
which innumerable local sporting papers 
are published1 where the man in the     
street is a football expert4 ,this is at
 least significant1 though so patent and
 obvious is the evil that it almost     
seems a waste of time to pile proof on  
proof4 ,nevertheless1 before ,i turn to 
drink in connection with other varieties
 of sport1 it will be as well to give   
all my evidence4  ,a well-known         
,north-country baronet1 a famous        
sportsman in his day1 an ex-member of   
one of ,his ,majesty's ministries and at
 this moment an enthusiastic volunteer1 
told me1 a short time ago1 that in his  
district the abuse of drink was ruining 
local sport4 8,decent people no longer  
care to attend football matches10 he    
said2 8the element of drink and         
ruffianism is becoming too much in      

evidence4 ,a new class of spectators has
 been created1 men who care little or   
nothing for the sport itself1 but who   
use a match as a mere opportunity and an
 excuse for drinking40  ,a shipowner1 a 
member of the present ,parliament1 who  
has large interests in ,yorkshire and   
the further ,north1 entirely endorses   
these remarks4 8,if you go into the     
cheaper parts of the field at any big   
match in our parts1 you'll see that     
every other man has a bottle of spirits 
in his jacket pocket which he drinks at 
half-time4 ,and afterwards--well1 the   
brewers that have tied houses anywhere  
near a football ground know that they   
have a gold mine4 ,a brewery will pay   
almost any sum to secure a free house in
 such a position40  ,finally1 a         
well-known ,northern clergyman1 a       
relative of my own and a fine sportsman 
in his time1 albeit an old man now1     
writes to me as follows3 8,i am glad you
 are writing on this question4 ,the     
wives of the colliers and mill-hands in 

my district all tell me the same story4 
,they say that the ,saturday afternoon  
matches are a curse to the home4 ,it is 
not the few pence that the husbands     
spend for admission to the field which  
matter1 but it is the drinking that     
follows1 often protracted till late at  
night4 ,for my own part1 as a small     
protest1 ,i absolutely refuse to        
subscribe to local football clubs in any
 way4 ,they are becoming centres and    
occasions of vulgar vice4 ,such money as
 ,i have to spare for sporting objects  
,i give entirely to cricket40  ,it is a 
far cry from football to golf4 ,at first
 glance any one would say that of all   
games golf is the most free from any    
taint of attendant excess in drink4     
,this is not so4 ,the evil is less      
widespread1 just as the game claims     
fewer adherents2 the class of men who   
can afford golf is not a class with many
 temptations to drunkenness2 women play 
the game and their presence is a        
safeguard4 ,but the evil exists         

nevertheless1 and this is the measure of
 it4  ,in the famous clubs1 where all   
the great players go1 drinking to excess
 is an unknown thing1 of course4 ,but   
during the last few years1 especially in
 the ,south and ,west of ,england1 many 
small clubs have been started which are 
almost entirely supported by the        
residents of the country towns near     
which they are situated4 ,and ,i have   
not the least hesitation in             
saying--however much my statements may  
be combated--that many of these clubs   
are becoming little better than shebeens
 for discreet and comfortable           
over-indulgence in drink4  ,no one will 
attempt to deny that the usual football 
match is regarded by thousands of people
 as a mere alcoholiday4 ,i am certain   
that many people will attempt to deny   
what ,i am going to say about mushroom  
golf clubs4 ,when one frankly points out
 this or that abuse existing among the  
middle and upper middle classes1 these  
classes always become shrill in their   

defence4 ,there is a sense that while it
 is a duty to expose the faults of the  
poorer people1 amusing to attack the    
follies of the 8smart set10 to write of 
the failings of the intermediate class  
is to let the cat out of the bag4 ,one  
may give the cat's tail a pinch to let  
people know she is there1 but that is   
all4  ,but ,i am writing for only one   
class1 the fellowship of true sportsmen4
  ,in many of the smaller golf clubs    
drinking has almost destroyed the game  
itself4 ,a comfortable club-house is    
erected1 far more money is spent on it  
than upon the links themselves1 and men 
spend day after day playing bridge      
and--drinking6  ,golf becomes what      
,napoleon called a 8fable convenu10 and 
while there is generally a knot of real 
and enthusiastic players1 there is      
always a large residuum of idle members 
who turn a splendid game into an excuse 
of indulgence in drink4 ,these are the  
people who imagine that they would lose 
caste if they entered any of the hotels 

of the small town in which they live1   
and so the local golf club becomes the  
substitute4  ,i have a picture in my    
mental vision of a man1 once an athlete 
of great renown1 for many years after   
that a good sportsman4 ,now he is       
supposed to devote himself entirely to  
golf--for he is no longer a young man4  
,this erstwhile athlete spends all his  
days in a certain golf club4 ,he is the 
oracle of the place4 ,he plays very     
little1 but rests upon past laurels4    
,and all day long he drinks1 drinks1    
drinks4 ,he has gathered a society of   
kindred spirits round him1 and1 from the
 sportsman's point of view1 the club1   
never eminent in any way1 has ceased to 
exist4 ,it is atrophied by              
alcohol--though its finances are in a   
flourishing condition owing to the fact 
that there is no licence to provide for1
 and the profits on drinks amount to    
about thirty-three per cent4  ,i am not 
trying to draw a general conclusion out 
of a particular instance4 ,any one who  

really cares for sport and has a deep   
sense of its high mission and place in  
life will bear me out4 ,many of the     
smaller and less-known golf clubs are   
nothing more or less than discreet      
drinking-places1 secure from observation
 and shielded from adverse comment under
 the too comprehensive gis of 8,sport40 
,in my time ,i have had something to do 
with pugilism1 and here is another sport
 which1 especially among its            
professional exponents1 is being ruined 
and degraded by drink4 ,one of the most 
pathetic experiences ,i have ever had   
was to watch the utter hopeless downfall
 of a famous boxer some years ago4 ,his 
name was a household word1 he was an    
,american negro and one of the simplest1
 kindest1 most thoughtless children of  
nature who ever breathed4 ,i never knew 
a more sunny1 genial creature4 ,i saw   
him1 during one year1 succumb to the    
temptations of drink thrust at him on   
all sides by admiring 8sports40 ,i was  
with him a week or two before he died   

from drink4  ,i remember1 as a young    
man1 going to an ice carnival at        
,hengler's ,circus with one of the      
cleverest middle-weight boxers of modern
 times4 ,he had invited many of his     
friends of the ring1 and there was a big
 supper afterwards4 ,of course none of  
the men were in training1 and they were 
surrounded by the usual crew of wealthy 
wasters who counted it an honour and    
privilege to ply them with liquor4  ,i  
am not going to make a picture of that  
occasion for you1 but one final scene   
still remains very vividly in my memory4
 ,a month before ,i had seen my         
middle-weight friend in the ring4 ,his  
proportions were perfect1 the muscles   
rippled easily and smoothly1 he had the 
clear eyes of youth that ,homer 7supreme
 chronicler of fights7 sings of4 ,to    
look at him made one glad to be young   
and strong1 to know that one was a man1 
with cool blood and a quiet heart4  ,on 
the night of the supper ,i saw him lie  
like a log4 ,all the soul had gone out  

of his face1 the pig and the wolf       
struggled for mastery in that debauched 
mask1 and a tipsy young stockbroker was 
pouring a bottle of claret over the     
boxer's crumpled shirt front6  ,in the  
early part of last ,february1 ,i spent  
part of an afternoon in an up-stairs    
room at the ,national ,sporting ,club4  
,an ,oxford friend1 one of the most     
promising amateur feather-weights of the
 day1 was having a practice spar with a 
professional4 ,after the bout1 we went  
down-stairs to the bar--always the      
bar6--and ,i talked to the boxer4 ,he   
told me the same story1 the story ,i    
already knew3 ,drink1 drink1 drink4 ,it 
permeates pugilism1 it makes it a sport 
which is looked upon with suspicion by  
many people--simply because of its      
associations1 simply because of the     
blight of alcohol which surrounds it and
 seems inseparable from it4  ,england is
 a nation of sportsmen still4 ,we take  
sport as seriously1 we pursue it as     
keenly as ever did the ,greeks          

themselves4 ,but we are allowing this   
danger and reproach of drink to be      
mingled with some of our national       
pastimes4 ,there is no doubt whatever   
about it1 and1 as ,i see it1 the reason 
is this4  ,we are forgetting to idealize
 sport1 to realize what it means no less
 than what it is4  ,i feel sure that if 
we can once get back to that attitude1  
the drink trouble will cease            
automatically4 ,no man can be a thorough
 sportsman without a latent sense of the
 inherent fineness and dignity of sport4
 ,we want an organized campaign to wake 
up that latent sense6  ,historical      
analogies may be out of fashion in some 
departments of life with which ,i am not
 here concerned4 ,in sporting matters   
they are1 and ought to be1 very valuable
 in helping to keep the ideal of sport  
at a high level4  ,for example1 among   
the finest sportsmen of all time1 the   
ancient ,greeks1 who were the finest    
athletes8 ,history tells us they were   
the ,hellenes4 ,they were mostly        

townsmen living in a country of dense   
cultivation and beholden to the         
gymnasium and the palstra for their     
recreation1 the noblest outcome of which
 was the ,olympian meeting4  ,the       
greatest historian of ,greek life and   
thought points out that the ,hellenes   
8were always abstemious10 and they were 
the leading athletes of the world4  ,the
 ,macedonian ideal was quite different4 
,the ,macedonians despised bodily       
training in the way of abstinence1 and  
drank to excess4 ,they were hunters and 
open-air people1 they reproduced the    
life of the savage or natural man with  
artificial improvements1 but when they  
came into the palstra they were nowhere 
at all4 ,a century ago in ,england many 
a rollicking county squire would spend a
 day in the saddle and a night under the
 table1 but he could not have run a mile
 in five minutes to save his life4      
,alexander the ,great himself despised  
the abstemiousness of the ,greek        
athletes1 and though he thought in      

continents1 he drank in oceans1 and died
 in a drinking bout4 ,he was a mighty   
hunter and fighter1 but he was not a    
true sportsman1 because he despised the 
control and self-denial which a man must
 practise if he would earn that dignity 
and title4  ,these last paragraphs may  
savour a little of the don1 and possibly
 suggest an emanation from the shrunk   
skull of the pedant4 ,i hope not1 but   
believe me1 they are proper to my       
purpose4 ,after the brief summary ,i    
have given of the actual position1 it is
 helpful to survey the whole question   
from a wider point of view than that of 
the immediate present4  ,let us consider
 the sporting history of a time much    
nearer our own1 the ,elizabethan age4   
,every one was a sportsman then1 because
 every one was practised in the use of  
the national arms and was a potential   
soldier--as the hidalgoes of the ,armada
 found in #aehh4 ,but nevertheless1     
nobody was a teetotaller4 8,temperance  
drinks0 were not invented1 because most 

people knew how to be sportsmen and     
temperate as well4  ,shakespeare took   
ale for breakfast4 ,drake1 ,raleigh and 
,sir ,humphrey ,gilbert put to sea with 
barrels of beer for the sailors--8for   
ale went to sea in those days10 yet     
every peasant of the country-side was   
still expert with crossbow and ,english 
yew4 ,in that high age drink had not    
become a fungus at the root of a goodly 
tree4  ,a great many sportsmen to-day   
drink far more than the ordinary person 
who knows nothing of them but their     
achievements in this or that game would 
suppose4  ,the quantity of alcohol      
consumed by some sportsmen who are      
eminent in their respective sports would
 often both astonish and alarm the      
layman4 ,there is a very simple         
pathological reason which explains the  
fact4 ,oxygen is needed for the         
destruction of alcohol1 as for the      
destruction of most poisons4 ,hence it  
follows that the athlete can get rid of 
his quota of alcohol without immediate  

deteriorating results4 ,last year ,i was
 at ,oxford during eights' week1 the    
time of strict training4 ,the stroke of 
a college boat1 by no means an          
abstemious man at ordinary times1 had   
been compelled to forego his usual      
potations4 ,but there came what is known
 as a 8port night10 an evening when the 
crew were allowed to drink a certain    
quantity of port4 ,the stroke exceeded  
this quantity1 went back to his rooms1  
became thoroughly intoxicated and had to
 be helped to bed4 ,next day his boat   
made a bump4 ,a strong man--an          
athlete--can and very often does drink  
far more than an ordinary man without   
any apparent loss of power at the time4 
,because there is no apparent           
deterioration the subject imagines that 
none is taking place1 and the ordinary  
non-athletic person will find it        
difficult to realize that when ,i say   
that many fine sportsmen drink too much1
 ,i am speaking literal truth4  ,how    
often do we not observe that a sportsman

 has a brilliant and public career for a
 time and then suddenly disappears from 
the first rank--8drops out10 and is no  
more heard of8 ,his sporting life is    
brilliant but it is short4  ,yet there  
is no natural reason why the athlete's  
athletic life should be a short one4    
,muscles and tissues do not easily wear 
out from continuous and careful action4 
,any doctor will admit as much4 ,indeed1
 an alert and healthy brain with correct
 muscular co-ordination and with due    
action of the reflexes is built up1     
stimulated1 and sustained by hard and   
interesting physical exercise4          
,nevertheless1 in too many cases the    
athlete unconsciously shortens his      
sporting career by the too free use of  
alcohol4 ,he of all people can least    
afford to overstep the bounds of strict 
moderation1 yet the comradeship of      
sport1 its jolly social side brings with
 it great temptations1 and temptations  
which are daily increasing4  ,we can get
 a very clear idea of the toxic         

influence of the least alcoholic excess 
upon the sportsman by observing the     
psychology of the really confirmed      
inebriate4  ,in a chronic inebriate1    
loss of spontaneity is the most marked  
characteristic4 ,such an one has to     
think of his walking--a thing he never  
had to do in his temperate days4 ,he    
feels safer walking with a stick1 he    
develops an agoraphobia1 or dread of    
open spaces4 ,there is a distinct       
falling off in the accuracy of the      
purposive movements4  ,no one knows more
 about the effects of alcohol upon the  
brain than ,sir ,victor ,horsley2       
auspice ,horsley1 ,i have recently made 
some study of this question myself4 ,now
 the athlete1 the true sportsman1       
depends as much upon the condition of   
his brain for success as upon the       
condition of his body4  ,that is the    
finest thing about sport1 and in many   
quarters it is the least understood     
thing about it4  ,now if we pursue the  
analogy of the confirmed inebriate we   

are able to detect exactly the same     
symptoms1 though in an infinitely less  
degree1 in the player of games who      
consciously or unconsciously drinks more
 than is good for him4  ,at a critical  
moment in a game 7let us say7 the       
cerebellum or little brain fails for a  
single instant to transmit its message  
via the nerve telegraphs of the body to 
the motor muscles4 ,the catch is missed1
 the pass is made half-a-second too     
late2 the little extra dose of alcohol  
has disorganized the accurate execution 
of muscular action--and perhaps a match 
is lost1 a sportsman's career definitely
 injured4  ,even in small               
quantities--provided always these       
quantities are in excess of the         
reasonable individual need--alcohol has 
a definite and harmful effect upon the  
actual performance of a voluntary       
movement4  ,in an essay of this length  
one is compelled to take a broad        
summarizing view of such a question as  
it deals with4 ,there has been no space 

to enter into dozens of aspects of the  
bad effect that drink is having upon the
 sport of the day4 ,but ,i have said    
enough to show how great the evil is1   
and ,i am absolutely convinced that     
hundreds of sportsmen will agree with me
 that the poison is active1 the danger  
imminent4  ,it is an article of my creed
 that sport in its best sense means not 
only the salvation of the individual but
 the consolidation of the country4 ,all 
sedentary and spoony sins1 effeminacy1  
softness1 and every sort of degeneration
 cannot form a part of the sportsman's  
temperament4 ,neither you nor ,i have   
ever known a good sportsman who is      
mentally 8wrong40 ,when eggs are oysters
 and tea is ,chablis we may meet with   
such a phenomenon1 and not till then4   
,what a preposterous and malignant thing
 it is1 therefore1 that a cloud is      
forming over one of the noblest of      
modern forces6 ,every genuine sportsman 
must get hot and angry in the presence  
of such a filthy and disturbing parasite

 as this is4 ,leagues1 societies1       
confraternities1 are all very well in   
their way4 ,to accomplish1 to carry out 
a material purpose1 they are the best   
possible machinery4 ,but ,i am not so   
sure that they are always as valuable   
when the point is a moral1 or rather an 
ethical one4 ,be this as it may1 and it 
is a difficult question to settle1 ,i am
 sure1 at least1 that a hundred thousand
 pamphlets1 offices--and a glib         
secretary--in ,victoria ,street1 even a 
piece of coloured ribbon as a visible   
badge of enthusiasm1 are not nearly as  
powerful as a quiet and individual      
discountenance of what is base and      
dangerous4 ,a cynical daylight always   
follows too theatrical enthusiasm4      
,sportsmen are not theatrical1 and their
 influence can be exerted without       
pledges of war and a little book of     
rules4 ,the reprobate purlieus of sport 
can be cleansed by any one who is awake 
to the lurking1 growing evil on the one 
hand1 and the high mission1 the         

8commission0 is a better word1 he holds 
as a 8sportsman0 upon the other4  ,but  
certainly something must be done4 ,it is
 too much that we should allow whisky1  
which is two-thirds amyl-alcohol2 beer1 
which is full of pectins and colouring  
matter2 brandy1 which is ,german potato 
spirit--all the allied filths--to sap   
and weaken a national heritage1 and the 
chief preservative of manhood which     
remains in this neurotic age4  ,i put a 
line from ,juvenal at the head of this  
article4 ,florio translates it--        
8,a wise man will use moderation1       
,even in things of commendation40       
8,sapiens0 should have been translated  
8sportsman10 for it is a synonym in this
 case4  ,i do not know whether one      
should say that drink or betting is the 
greatest menace to modern sport4 ,the   
latter1 at any rate1 permeates it in an 
alarming degree4  ,mealy generalities   
are of no use1 and it is a mere derision
 to pretend that nearly every branch of 
sport is not imperilled and besmirched  

by betting4  ,dumb protest is always    
going on1 but sportsmen themselves hear 
very little of it4 ,papers devoted to   
sporting matters do not speak out1 and  
the campaign against betting made by the
 layman only reaches the sportsman's    
ears with a muffled sound--like a drum  
beaten under a blanket4  ,moreover1 if  
the general public desires anything it  
always declares solemnly that it is     
true1 the only truth4 ,if it does not1  
it bawls out that it does not exist and 
has never existed4 ,the ,christian      
,scientists1 for instance1 are beginning
 to say this of ,death itself1 and the  
non-sporting majority1 who want to make 
money without earning it1 most certainly
 desire the continuance of betting4  ,i 
am quite confident1 therefore1 that the 
second half of this essay will be       
assailed quite as widely as the first   
part was1 when it appeared in a         
magazine4 ,in the first part the facts  
are very carefully authenticated1 as    
they are in this one4 ,yet the obvious  

retort was hunted out with all the      
enthusiasm of a short-sighted           
bloodhound1 and in some quarters one was
 spoken of as a sensation-monger1 who   
probably made a good thing out of his   
wares6  ,that1 of course1 is very easy  
to say1 but it is not argument4 ,it is  
nevertheless welcome1 because the vigour
 of the attack always shows the strength
 of the position4  ,in connection with  
the ,betting ,question1 the mind at once
 turns to horse-racing4 ,there is much  
to be said in this regard1 and ,i intend
 to treat of this branch of sport later 
on in my statement4 ,but ,i propose to  
begin with other instances of the evil4 
,evil it undoubtedly is4 ,the massive   
harmony which the body and mind sound in
 correlation under the influences of    
true sport1 is made discordant by it4   
,like the youth of a nation1 sportsmen  
are1 in a sense1 the trustees of        
posterity1 and we must unite not only to
 recognize the fact but to crush the    
evil4  ,no sportsman ever takes a       

puritanical view of betting4 ,it is the 
sort of person who thinks vaccination   
immoral1 and whose conversation is like 
a glass of still lemonade1 who thinks   
that a wager is a sin4 ,this is a fault4
 ,i believe that ,i am voicing the point
 of view of the sportsman--which is     
simply the conviction of the sensible   
man--when ,i say that there is          
absolutely no harm in an ordinary wager4
 ,you put what you can afford to lose   
upon the result of a horse-race or a    
football match4 ,if you win you are     
rather pleased and you have hurt no one4
 ,if you lose you are not hurt in any   
way1 and you have done no more than make
 a mistake in prescience4  ,it is       
necessary to define the difference      
between a bet which is harmless1 and    
systematic betting which is eventually  
an attempt to obtain the emoluments of  
industry without the effort of toil1 an 
attempt which--and here is the very     
essence of the matter--leads to an      
abominable dishonesty and the most      

scandalous abuse4  ,and now1 by         
graduated steps1 let us proceed to a    
definite presentment of the evil as it  
exists on the day when you read what ,i 
am saying4 ,you will please observe that
 one begins upon the small organ and in 
the minor chord4 ,the swell and the     
crescendo will start later on1 until we 
have full pedal music and thunder of the
 big pipes6  ,it has always been the    
boast of ,oxford and ,cambridge men that
 the ,boat-race was in its very nature  
an event which was utterly removed from 
the gambling evil4 ,one had a wager on  
one crew or the other1 perhaps--most    
people did not--but the great rowing    
match was at least pure of offence in   
this regard4 ,no public harm was ever   
done4 ,i do not for a moment say that   
the ,boat-race is provocative of general
 gambling1 or is injured by it1 as so   
many other sports are injured4 ,but the 
fact that ,i am going to relate is      
symptomatic4 ,it shows how the gambling 
spirit is growing and radiating until1  

in one instance at any rate1 the        
,boat-race itself became the incentive  
to dishonesty4  ,upon a dull day on the 
,stock ,exchange1 a group of the younger
 members began to make wagers about this
 event4 ,the race was known to be a near
 thing4 ,the next day the wagers were   
continued until quite a little 8market0 
was established4 ,the prices fluctuated 
according as the reports of the training
 of the crews came to hand4 ,the whole  
thing was but half serious1 though in a 
day or two large sums of money became   
involved4  ,one member of this coterie1 
a man who was known to be a sportsman1  
and one whose word had influence1       
deliberately circulated a false report  
as to the time in which ,oxford had     
rowed a course1 queered the market1 and 
made a considerable sum4  ,in regarding 
the gambling question the attention of  
the ordinary man is generally focussed  
upon the race-course and upon the       
bookmaker1 as he squirms his careful way
 through life4 ,people either forget or 

don't realize that most of the minor    
sports are being utterly spoilt and     
ruined by betting4  ,cycle-racing is    
still a sport which is keenly pursued1  
though perhaps it has declined somewhat 
in popularity of late years4 ,in many of
 the suburban districts round ,london   
there are fine cycle tracks1 built with 
all the last improvements which the     
track-architects of ,america have       
discovered4 ,in the ,midlands and ,north
 of ,england there are magnificent      
tracks in nearly all the principal      
towns4  ,cycle-racing is popular1 draws 
enormous crowds1 and draws the small    
bookmaker also4 ,it is a known fact that
 at any big cycle-race meetings bets are
 made with all the briskness and        
regularity possible4  ,large sums do not
 change hands4 ,half-crowns1 sovereigns 
and half-sovereigns represent the actual
 ready-money transactions1 though in    
sporting public-houses1 for days before 
a big local event1 much greater amounts 
are wagered4  ,it is no use for any one 

to pretend that this is not so--,i have 
innumerable facts4 ,one instance1 which 
may be interesting to set down here1 was
 related to me by a friend who is a     
builder of scientific miniature rifle   
ranges4 ,at one time he resided in      
,manchester1 and frequently visited the 
great pleasure-gardens known as ,belle  
,vue in that city4 ,my informant used   
himself to make a book on the cycle     
track in this popular place of          
amusement4  8,i used to make quite a lot
 of money10 he told me4 8,it was great  
fun40  8,but how did you do it80 ,i     
asked him4 8,describe0 444  8,oh1 it was
 quite easy4 ,you waited till the one or
 two policemen who were strolling about 
were not near2 they were never too      
anxious to bother one in any case4 ,then
 ,i used to jump up on the railing and  
say #8,i'll take money6' ,i used to get 
a lot of punters round in a minute by   
shouting the odds40  ,how many readers  
will call out1 8,much ado about         
nothing40 8,what harm10 they will ask1  

8can the small wagers of a crowd at a   
,manchester cycle-race possibly do to   
,sport80  ,i reply that these wagers do 
the very gravest harm1 not perhaps to   
the wagerers1 but to real ,sport itself4
 ,the fact of so many hundreds of people
 having a financial interest in the     
success of this or that rider at once   
puts the rider--a sportsman--in a       
position of danger and temptation4 ,the 
low class of person who has his being in
 the side-scenes1 the tortuous coulisses
 of ,sport1 is always at hand to make a 
disgraceful bargain with the athlete4   
,men who are accustomed to regard life  
as no more than a game of cunning come  
with gold in their soiled hands4 ,and if
 the sportsman succumbs1 then not only  
is a bar sinister charged on his        
personal escutcheon1 but the whole tone 
of ,sport is lowered4 ,every single     
instance of this kind fosters a base and
 ignoble view of ,sport1 and it does    
matter very much indeed that ,tom loses 
half-a-crown1 ,dick makes five          

shillings1 and ,harry comes out 8even on
 the afternoon40  ,if fools must gamble1
 why are they not allowed to do it apart
 from such a fine and splendid thing as 
,sport8 ,i would far rather see a nasty 
little ,casino established in every     
town1 where fools might lose what they  
can't afford in the hope of winning what
 they won't work for1 than see them     
tempting athletes and spoiling the game4
  ,of two evils choose the least--a     
make-shift maxim1 but sound in its way6 
,very few dwellers in the ,south and    
,west of ,england are aware of the      
extraordinary interest taken in the     
,midlands and the ,north in             
pigeon-flying4 ,this is a good and      
fascinating pastime4 ,it certainly      
interests me1 and there is something    
very stimulating to the imagination in  
it4 ,the careful breeding of            
strong-pinioned birds1 the training of  
them1 the vast distances they cover     
under changing skies and down the long  
invisible slants of the wind--it has an 

appeal1 has it not8 ,certainly it       
requires real knowledge and care4  ,i   
don't suppose that there is any minor   
sport so utterly spoilt and degraded by 
gambling as this sport is4  ,they tell a
 good story in the ,north which         
epitomizes the whole thing4 ,it is a    
reprobate yarn1 but it is funny4444 ,an 
old pitman lay a-dying4 ,he had been a  
worthy fellow1 a very well-known breeder
 and flyer of pigeons1 and his only     
fault had been that he wagered what1 to 
him1 were reckless sums upon the results
 of pigeon-flying matches4  ,he lay     
dying1 and the ,vicar of the parish sat 
by his bedside and tried to ease the    
fear of passing from one life to another
 by telling the man of what might well  
await him in the next world4  4448,did  
thee say as ,i should be a gradely      
angel1 parson80 the old fellow said4    
8,you've lived a straight life1 ,john40 
8,angels 'as wings1 don't they80  8,the 
poets and painters have always imagined 
so1 ,john40  8,well1 ,i'm goin' first1  

and ,i'm reet sorry to say good-bye to  
thee1 ,vicar4 ,but ,i make no doubt     
thee'll be up there soon theeself4 ,now 
,i'll tell thee what ,i'll do when thee 
arrives4 ,i'll fly thee for a quid60    
,that makes one laugh--it makes me laugh
 at least--but it is merely one of those
 pleasant jests which divert the mind   
from the contemplation of an evil4      
,clergymen in the ,midlands and the     
,north have told me the saddest stories 
of humble homes ruined1 broken and      
bankrupt1 because of the gambling on    
pigeon-races4 ,the moral fibre of many a
 collier and millhand is often destroyed
 by betting on this sport4 ,women and   
children suffer in consequence1 rates   
are raised in the local commonwealth1   
and once more 8sport0--that             
misunderstood word--is soiled and       
besmirched in the public mind4 ,and     
those of us who are capable of taking a 
broad and comprehensive view of affairs 
must allow that the sport-hating        
,puritan has at least got some reason   

for his distorted point of view4  ,he   
can say1 and with perfect justice1 that 
betting has killed professional         
sculling4  ,he can point out1 and no one
 can deny it1 that even the quiet1 but  
highly-skilled game of bowls is         
permeated with the gambling spirit1 that
 owing to the large sums put up as      
prizes and wagered upon results1 the    
temptation to players in a public       
contest is enormous4  8,what is this    
sport you vaunt so loudly80 the ,puritan
 said4 8,surely it is a thing which is  
essentially bad and wrong1 because of   
the evils it excites4 ,when the         
,american press accuses ,english oarsmen
 of #8doping' an ,american eight's crew 
owing to heavy betting on the part of   
the other crew1 when ,american athletes 
refuse to dress in the same room as a   
competing team of ,english athletes--is 
it not obvious that sport cannot be the 
worthy and fine thing you say it is80   
,i have voiced the shrill cry of        
prejudice and exaggeration4 ,but truth  

must always be the basis upon which     
exaggeration is built4 ,no one1 to my   
theory1 can successfully exaggerate a   
lie4 ,the result is redundant1 and so1  
unconvincing1 while the attempt itself  
is like trying to add four pounds of    
butter to four o'clock4  ,in the space  
of an article such as this1 ,i must not 
unduly prolong the dismal story of how  
the minor sports are being injured by   
gambling4  ,yet the whippet-racing of   
,lancashire1 ,yorkshire1 and            
,northumberland has degenerated1 and the
 sport must be given a bad name--though 
it is the owners and not the dogs who   
ought to be hung6  ,pigeon-shooting--if 
that is indeed a sport1 which ,i        
personally beg leave to doubt--has      
become no trial of skill and readiness1 
but an occasion upon which1 when the    
betting is in favour of a right-hand    
shot1 a needle is sometimes put into the
 left eye of the bird so that it may    
swerve to the right upon its release    
from the trap and increase the          

difficulty of the aim4  ,i am informed  
that birds are frequently blinded in    
this abominable way at local ,english   
meetings1 and also in ,germany--in the  
interests of gambling4 ,in this matter1 
however1 it is only right to say that   
the ,hon4 ,e4 ,s4 ,butler--one of the   
crack pigeon-shots of the day--tells me 
that the conditions at ,monte ,carlo are
 absolutely fair1 though the betting is 
most heavy4  ,there is hardly any       
8gambling0 in ,english golf4 ,private   
matches sometimes provoke a heavy wager 
between the players1 but that is not    
gambling4 ,in ,scotland1 however1 where 
most towns have links which are open to 
everybody for a fee of threepence1 there
 is an immense amount of gambling among 
the poorer classes4 ,now it is certainly
 far better that the ,scotch mechanic   
should spend his ,saturday afternoon    
playing at a fine game than in watching 
other people play it1 as his ,english   
brother does at a football match4 ,but  
it is an enormous pity that such        

facilities as the poorer folk enjoy for 
sport should be abused and spoilt4 ,a   
well-known ,scotch clergyman1 a         
favourite preacher of the late ,queen's1
 tells me that the gambling at golf     
makes a constant watchfulness necessary 
on the part of players4 8,many of them  
will cheat if they can10 he said2 8and  
you'll know how easy it is to cheat at  
golf8 ,it's just the money aspect of the
 question4 ,it's small wonder that a man
 will move his ball an inch from under a
 bunker1 if it's necessary and the other
 fellow isn't looking1 when perhaps a   
third of his week's wages depends upon  
the lie40  ,again ,i would punctuate my 
instance with the moral it affords4     
,here also sport suffers4 ,if ,i did not
 believe in the inherent nobility of    
sport1 if ,i was not absolutely         
convinced of its supremely important    
place in the life of both soul and body1
 ,i should not be writing this4 ,but as 
one goes on with this dismal            
catalogue--no very pleasant task1 one   

gets into a fever of indignation4 8,duo 
quum patiuntur idem1 non est idem10 of  
course4 ,no two men experience identical
 effects from identical causes4 ,but    
true sportsmen will at least share      
something of my feeling4 ,and it's no   
use to set out alone to kick the world's
 shins4 ,the world has several million  
shins to your one4 ,we must combine--we 
who love sport and realize what it      
means4  ,the ,hermes of ,praxiteles is a
 perfect type of all that is physically 
fit and fine--and so spiritually        
also--in man4  ,take that statue and    
regard it for a moment as a concrete    
manifestation of all that is meant by   
the word 8sport40  ,and then1 suppose   
that the ,hermes of ,praxiteles were    
your own possession1 that you had it in 
your own house4 ,would you allow a crew 
of people who cared nothing for great   
art to cover it with mud8  444444,now to
 gambling as it affects the major       
sports4  ,cricket is fortunately        
untouched1 save very occasionally in    

,league cricket4 ,it is pleasant to     
think of our national game as           
unsmirched4  ,but football1 which we may
 well call our other national game1 is  
most deeply and gravely involved4  ,of  
the two games1 rugby is cleanest in this
 regard4 ,in the ,northern ,union       
,district there is more gambling than   
elsewhere1 but1 take it all in all1     
rugby does not greatly suffer4  ,but    
what can one say of ,association        
football8  444444,there are many quite  
well-known instances of goal-keepers    
being bribed4 ,they are1 indeed1 so well
 known that people who are interested in
 the game1 and know anything of its     
polity and ways need hardly be reminded 
of them4  ,the buying and selling of    
players--for it is just that--and their 
transference from club to club1 is      
responsible for much of the evil1 as ,i 
see it4 ,but in ,association especially1
 not only does sport suffer from the    
occasional dishonesty of the players1   
but the game itself provides a constant 

incentive to the spectators to forget   
the beauty of its raison d'tre and to   
regard it merely as an opportunity for  
speculation4  ,is running untainted8    
,not a bit of it6  ,professional running
 is in an even worse condition than when
 ,wilkie ,collins wrote his remarkable  
novel about it--though professional     
running no longer holds its old position
 or keeps its old importance4 ,but the  
,sheffield handicaps1 and the ,scotch   
professional contests at ,edinburgh1    
still exist as prominent features in the
 sporting life of our time4 ,and as     
prominent scandals also4  ,amateur      
running is far more widely entangled    
with betting than most people are aware4
  ,some time ago1 on the ,county ,ground
 at ,bristol1 there were six men in a   
heat for a #abj yards race4 ,five of    
these were friends and the sixth was    
almost a stranger1 but one whose record1
 by comparison1 would certainly have    
secured him the race in the opinion of  
experts4  ,this last gentleman was taken

 aside before the race and offered ten  
pounds 8,to let ,bill win40  ,please    
remember that ,i am neither inventing   
nor exaggerating1 that ,i have chapter  
and verse1 that ,i have gone into the   
whole question most carefully1 that ,i  
relate fact4  ,from the ancient times   
when gladiators fought with the brutal  
spiked cestus1 until the present day1   
boxing has always been a fine sport4    
,among the ,romans it was certainly     
brutally misused1 and in our own time of
 the ,prince ,regent it was not free    
from the charge of brutality4 ,to-day1  
in the humane progress of ideas1 the    
ring cannot be assailed in this regard4 
,we have refined this splendid sport    
until it stands purged of all           
imputations of savagery4  ,of savagery1 
yes2 of the far meaner vice of gambling1
 no6 ,who can say for certainty that any
 fight1 in ,bristol1 ,liverpool1        
,cumberland1 at the ,n4,s4,c41          
8,wonderland10 or even at the ,belsize1 
is absolutely a square fight8 ,who knows

 whether the blind old heathen goddess  
of chance has not been harnessed by the 
money-mongers and is waiting with       
malevolent intention at the ropes8  ,no 
one can say with certainty1 outside the 
,army1 ,public ,schools1 and the        
',varsity contests4  ,the rascality of  
the ring would fill a number of a       
magazine4 ,boxing is no longer a        
national sport1 which goes on everywhere
 and1 as a matter of course1 under the  
full sunlight4 ,it has sunk into a local
 amusement or a located disgrace4 ,and  
it has sunk simply and solely because of
 gambling4  ,wrestling1 that worthy and 
ancient ,english sport1 has almost      
ceased to exist4 ,i have had a cottage  
in ,cornwall for some years and it is my
 privilege to know many of the champions
 of the past in this chief old home of  
the game4  ,i know what it was once1 how
 splendid and stimulating to the life of
 the community4 ,and what is wrestling  
to-day8 ,it is a sporadic contest1      
between great players indeed1 but one   

which is utterly spoilt and discredited1
 when looked upon from the true         
sportsman's point of view4 ,in the most 
cynical and open way many of the        
sporting newspapers discuss the         
probability of this or that bout being a
 8square0 one or not4 ,with the         
indifference with which one would       
discuss the chances of an egg proving to
 be fresh or stale1 some journalists    
determine the pros and cons of honour   
and dishonour4  ,i have a friend who is 
a theatrical agent and entrepreneur4    
,among his various activities1 he is the
 manager for the champion wrestler of   
the world4 8,you never know10 he said to
 me at dinner1 8you never really know   
the truth about the bona fides of many  
wrestling bouts until the contest is    
over4 ,of course men like #8----' and   
#8----' are absolutely square4 ,they are
 the haute noblesse of the game4        
,they've got to be4 ,but you may take it
 from me that dozens and dozens of      
contests are faked in the interests of  

the betting ring40  ,after extreme youth
 is over1 life mercifully dulls the     
hunger for perfection in all of us4     
,there never was a time in the history  
of horse-racing when people did not bet4
 ,nor does one expect the impossible4   
,but while racing was never more popular
 and more strongly organized than it is 
to-day1 it was never so provocative of  
evil1 so manqu from the true sportsman's
 point of view4 ,the men of carrion     
passions1 and the army of muddy knaves  
who live by the exploitation and        
bespatterment of the noblest of sports1 
are legion4  ,the smaller fry who make  
existence possible for the knaves--the  
ordinary men who bet regularly on       
races--are millions4 ,there is no need  
to insist upon the fact1 it is as dismal
 and obvious as a lump of clay4 ,the    
whole atmosphere of the turf is like the
 degradation of the air in a close      
bedroom with the windows shut4  ,it is  
not my province or intention here to go 
very deeply into illustrative detail in 

the matter of the turf4 ,it is better to
 be luminous than voluminous4 ,but there
 are one or two points which may be new 
and instructive for the non-gambling    
sportsman4  ,here is a recent quotation 
from a well-known ,english 8sporting0   
paper--one of those1 by the way1 which  
conveys 8humour0 direct from the pit to 
the front page4  ,it is about some      
,english jockeys in ,america--          
8,our jockeys are having a hard time1 in
 a way1 inasmuch as they      are being 
kept under the closest surveillance by  
,pinkerton      detectives4 ,they are   
practically caged off from the public1  
are      escorted to the scales and     
paddock1 are not allowed to speak to    
any one except an employer1 and then    
only when mounting1 and      their      
valets must wear a distinctive uniform1 
with numbers on      their sleeves4     
,this is reform with a vengeance1 and by
 no means      agreeable to some of our 
young swells1 who are also shadowed     
after the races40  8,by sports like     

these are all their cares beguiled60    
,was ,goldsmith a prophet8  ,it is not  
always easy to remember that the        
professed aim of the ,jockey ,club is   
8the furtherance of the breeding and    
preservation of the ,english            
thoroughbred horse40  ,yet to-day the   
officers of foreign armies buy          
,australian walers4 ,they won't purchase
 ,english stallions4 ,i belong to the   
8,cercle ,prive civil et militaire0 of  
,bruges1 a great military centre4 ,every
 day the ,general commanding the        
district and his staff are in the ,club4
 ,they tell me that ,english horses are 
no longer looked upon as they were upon 
the ,continent4  ,does not this 8give   
one furiously to think10 as my friend   
the ,general said here the other        
morning8 ,doping in the interests of the
 gambling market seems to be beginning  
to tell6  ,the gambling industry is     
organized with consummate skill and     
great business capacity4  ,gambling by  
post is almost incredibly upon the      

increase4 ,in ,middleburg and ,flushing 
there are twelve huge betting firms4    
,one person employs ninety people in his
 office1 and has his own printing       
establishment1 which is always glutted  
with work4  ,often #ajjj is received by 
one firm in a single day--nearly all in 
small bets1 and all from ,england4 ,the 
post-offices of ,dutch towns of the size
 of ,middleburg or ,flushing normally   
keep in stock stamps which will supply  
the needs of a population of #bj1jjj    
persons4 ,now1 these two towns are      
compelled to keep enough to supply a    
population of #bjj1jjj--;all for the    
8furtherance of the breeding and        
preservation10 etc41 etc4  ,here is     
another significant fact which may      
possibly elucidate the recent and       
somewhat cryptic utterance1 8,the battle
 of ,waterloo was won on the playing    
fields of ,eton just as certainly as the
 battle of ,spion ,kop was lost upon the
 playing fields of ,sandhurst40  ,the   
fact is this 444  ,in the issue of ,the 

,war ,office ,times1 ,may #be1 #aije1   
occurs a flagrant puff of a bookmaker1  
who without the humour of a less eminent
 confrre who described himself as a     
8brass finisher0 in the census returns1 
calls himself a 8high-class             
turf-accountant40  8,we strongly advise 
any of our readers who require a        
high-class ,turf-accountant to send for 
,mr4 ----'s book of rules1 bound in     
leather1 which will be sent post free to
 applicants4 ,we have convinced         
ourselves that this is a thoroughly     
genuine business1 and1 as such1 we have 
no hesitation in recommending it to our 
readers40  ,i have the book 8bound in   
leather10 and a good many others also1  
which ,i acquired for the purposes of   
this article4  ,and precious and        
elaborate productions they are6 ,the    
ingenuity of red morocco and gilding1 of
 alluring propositions and the          
suggestion of a bludgeon-sturdy honesty 
deserve the highest praise4 ,i was      
especially delighted with the           

telegraphic code of one hero1 which used
 the names of fish to symbolize the     
amount of 8investments40 8,salmon10 for 
example1 means 8put me ten pounds on40  
,all the denizens of ocean are used save
 one4444  ,with commendable modesty1 or 
possibly a fellow feeling1 this worthy  
has omitted 8shark40  ,one has said     
enough to outline--,i hope vividly and  
strongly--how ,sport is being spoilt by 
gambling4  ,sport1 thank goodness1 is   
not yet retrograde owing to this curse4 
,but it may be4 ,let us all remember    
that progress is merely the power of    
seeing new beauties4 ,the more ,sport   
progresses unhindered by gambling1 the  
sooner will it take its high place in   
life and fulfil its noble destiny4  ,and
 every sportsman can do something to    
help that progress4  ,the fiery ,erasmus
 writes this of ,sir ,thomas ,more1 who 
was a thorough sportsman1 to his ,german
 friend1 ,ulrich von ,hutten3--         
8,gambling of all kinds1 balls1 dice and
 such like he detests4 ,none of that    

sort are to be found about him4 ,in     
short1 he is the best type of           
sportsman40  8,nobilitas sola est atque 
unica virtus40         99       99      
99       99       99  ,,note4--,since   
this essay was written1 three short     
articles appeared in the sporting       
columns of the ,daily ,mail which are a 
striking corroboration of my            
contentions4 ,all the articles appeared 
within a few days of each other1 and ,i 
print parts of them as an appendix4     
,,football ,,and ,,alcohol       ,,how  
,,players ,,may ,,lengthen ,,their      
,,careers       ,by ,william ,mc,gregor4
       ,i dealt a few days ago with the 
question of what constituted a          
sensible diet for footballers1 and      
hinted that the so-called      special  
training which teams undergo on the eve 
of a great      encounter was often     
prejudicial rather than beneficial4     
,now1 a well-known medical man1 who     
fills the position of      official     
doctor to one of our leading football   

clubs1 met me on      the evening of the
 day that the article appeared and said 
7excuse the apparent egotism1 but it is 
necessary for the      purpose of the   
article71 8,that was a really good      
article of      yours in the ,london    
,daily ,mail4 ,you put the matter       
precisely      as ,i should put it1 as a
 medical man4 ,you might follow it up   
with an article pointing out that there 
are two abuses which      footballers   
suffer from1 viz4 errors in regard to   
eating1 and      errors in regard to    
drinking4 ,if you can put in a strong   
plea      for either the abolition of   
alcohol1 or the sparing use of          
alcohol by footballers1 you will be     
doing the game a good      service1 and 
you will be doing the players a good    
service40       ,i then remembered a    
little incident which occurred at the   
,aston      ,villa ground early in the  
season4 ,the occasion was a match       
played during that tropical weather1    
weather which was utterly      unfit for

 football4 ,violent exercise such as    
football imposed a      very severe     
strain upon the men that day4       ,as 
soon as the interval was over1 a medical
 man came up to me1      and in quite   
excited accents said1 8,i say1 ,mr4     
,mc,gregor1 do you      know that they  
have been giving the visiting team      
spirits      during the interval8 ,i    
have never heard of such a foolish      
proceeding4 ,why1 alcohol is the worst  
possible thing for      footballers to  
have at any time1 but more especially on
 a day      like this4 ,you could not   
have anything more heating than         
spirits40       ,speaking from a general
 rather than a professional or technical
      experience1 ,i agreed with him4 ,i
 asked him1 as a medical man1      what 
he would have given the men under such  
peculiar      circumstances4 ,his answer
 was1 8,at any rate1 ,i should not have 
given them alcohol4 ,i do not know that 
,i should have given them      anything4
 ,the best thing would have been for    

them to have      rinsed their mouths   
out with cold water40        ,,champagne
 ,,or ,,lemons8       ,in a match which 
took place in the ,midlands last season1
 the      home team gave a particularly 
poor display in the second half1        
and one of the directors said to me1    
8,they have been behaving      foolishly
 to our men4 ,the trainer gave them     
champagne during      the interval1 and 
,i do not think that is a good drink for
 them      to have4 ,the momentary      
feeling of exhilaration following a     
glass of champagne soon wears off40     
,if the form manifested by the team     
which had the champagne that      day   
may be taken as a criterion as to the   
merits of champagne      as a stimulant 
for football purposes1 then all ,i can  
say is1      that ,i never want to see a
 team receive such a stimulant again4   
,it may not have been the champagne that
 caused their poor form2      but at any
 rate their play was poor4       ,i     
recall another interesting instance in  

which champagne played      a part4 ,i  
am going back a long time now1 but the  
circumstances      were exceptional4    
,away in the remote eighties1 ,moseley  
7as they often were then7      were in  
possession of the ,midland ,counties    
,rugby ,challenge ,cup1      and one of 
their supporters was interested in      
,aston ,villa4 ,i do      not know      
whether it was ,kenneth ,wilson or not1 
for ,kenneth      ,wilson1 ,i may say1  
was a ,pollokshields man1 who was in    
business      in ,birmingham4 ,he was a 
splendid athlete1 and played for ,aston 
,villa1 and also for ,moseley under     
,rugby rules simultaneously4 ,i         
expect he had something to do with the  
incident4       ,at any rate1 the ,cup  
made its appearance at ,perry ,barr on  
the      day that ,aston ,villa were    
playing an ,english ,cup tie with       
,darwen4 ,now the ,aston ,villa team of 
that period1 captained by      the great
 ,archie ,hunter1 was as bonny a set in 
a social sense      as ,i have ever     

known4 ,they were grand footballers1 and
 played      the game for all they were 
worth when they were on the field4      
,but it was a loose and lax age as      
compared with the present      football 
era1 and during the interval some one   
filled the ,cup      with champagne1 and
 the ,villa players drank to the        
prosperity      of the ,moseley         
,club--and very bad football they played
 after      the interval1 too4       ,i 
do not suppose for a moment that any one
 player had much      champagne1 but    
from what ,i could see of their         
demeanour1 ,i came      to the          
conclusion that champagne was a bad     
thing to play      football on4 ,at any 
rate1 the ,villa had the greatest       
difficulty      in avoiding defeat at   
the hands of ,darwen4 ,if ,i remember   
aright1 the great ,hugh ,mc,intyre1 who 
died in ,london last year1      and was 
better known as a ,blackburn ,rover1    
kept goal      brilliantly for ,darwen  
that day4        ,,the ,,greatest       

,,enemy       ,you hear of well-known   
footballers kicking over the traces1    
passing from club to club1 and marring  
what might have been      great         
reputations4 ,if you will look into the 
history of these      men you will find 
that in nineteen cases out of twenty    
their      bad relations with their     
employers are due to the fact that      
they are accustomed to imbibe too much  
alcohol4 ,alcohol is1      indeed1 the  
footballer's greatest enemy2 at any     
rate1 to put it      simply and         
straightforwardly1 no man ever played   
football the      better for taking     
alcohol1 and many men have played it    
infinitely worse by reason of their     
indulgence therein4       ,every        
football manager likes to get together a
 team of      tee-totalers4 ,if you take
 the records of the greatest players1   
or perhaps ,i might say the great       
players who have had      phenomenally  
long and honourable careers1 you will   
find that in      nearly every case they

 were either life-long abstainers or    
rigidly moderate men4 ,i could give many
 instances if space      permitted4     
,,football ,,bookmakers       ,,what    
,,really ,,attracts ,,league ,,crowds8  
8,the public are getting rather weary10 
writes a correspondent1      8of the    
professional football promoters'        
periodical rigmarole      under the     
heading of #8,betting at ,football      
,matches4'       8,why not make it      
#8,betting on ,football#88 ,here he     
would have      #8copy' for every day in
 the week1 as long as professional      
football lasts4       8,i cannot speak  
for the south1 but1 as for the north1 it
 is a      fact that football betting is
 rife in ,newcastle1 ,sunderland1       
,middlesbrough--thanks to the           
professional football promoter4 ,it     
is not done at the matches1 but         
beforehand1 on the combination          
football betting coupon system1 but it  
is betting all the same4                
8,thousands and thousands of football   

coupons are distributed      weekly by  
bookmakers among the working men at the 
big      factories1 ship-yards1 etc4    
8,this betting is the sole reason why   
many of these working men      and      
others1 who know practically nothing of 
football1 take an      interest in the  
,league and attend matches in connection
 with      the same4       8,the betting
 is not on a particular match1 but on a 
combination      of matches4            
8,football loafing and betting will     
always go hand in hand4      ,there are 
none so blind as those who will not see4
 ,what is      more1 in this case it    
would not pay to see4 ,certainly1 the   
professional football promoter has a    
great deal to answer for40              
,,dishonesty ,,in ,,sport       ,,strong
 ,,efforts ,,to ,,be ,,made ,,to ,,stop 
,,impersonation       ,the recent case  
of a young ,hereford sprinter who1 by   
impersonating another runner1 secured a 
prize of the value of      #d1 and who  
was ordered by the ,bench to pay three  

guineas      towards the cost of the    
prosecution and refund the prize or its 
equivalent value1 shows that the        
justices are doing all they      can to 
assist the ,amateur ,athletic           
,association in preserving      amateur 
athletics for the pure sportsman4       
,it is to be regretted that such        
instances are by no means rare1      and
 the ,amateur ,athletic ,association has
 several cases in hand      at the      
present time4 ,the ,association is1     
however1 determined to      put a stop  
to the practice4       ,the trick of    
impersonating amateurs and thereby      
winning prizes      at athletic sports  
is1 in fact1 as old as the hills1 and   
years      ago used to be carried on    
unblushingly and free from detection4   
,one of the earliest cases on record was
 that of a man at      ,ashford4 ,his   
head was as innocent of hair as a       
billiard ball1      and to play the part
 properly it was necessary for him to   
wear      a wig4 ,he was winning his    

race easily enough1 when his hirsute    
adornment was blown off by the wind1 and
 the attempted fraud      ended in      
failure4       ,quite recently there    
were two brothers in the army1 one an   
amateur and the other a professional4   
,the latter impersonated      the former
 with sufficient success as to secure   
the prize2 but      although the fraud  
was afterwards discovered1 it was felt  
that      the evidence was not strong   
enough to secure a conviction4       ,in
 a similar case in the ,northampton     
district a couple of years      ago1 the
 judge took a serious view of the case1 
and the      offender received exemplary
 punishment4       ,strong action is    
undoubtedly needed to stamp out the     
practice1      and the ,amateur         
,athletic ,association will leave no    
stone      unturned in its endeavours to
 purify it4     ,,vagrom ,,men     ,,vi 
,,vagrom ,,men  ,,an ,,address          
,,delivered ,,to ,,the ,,working        
,,men',s ,,club1 ,,st4 ,,margarets'     

8,in the sweat of thy face shall thou   
eat bread1 till thou return unto the    
ground40--,,genesis iii4 #ai4   ,in the 
,november of last year--#aije--;,i was  
invited to consider the problem which is
 known as 8,the ,unemployed ,question10 
and to write something about it in a    
,london daily paper4 ,in #aije the      
subject was attracting the attention of 
every one1 and it was thought that by   
means of my own method--the method of   
,fiction--,i might possibly interest    
people4  ,i welcomed the opportunity1   
and wrote a story expressing my views1  
which was published among the news      
columns of the ,daily ,mail4  ,before   
the tale began to appear ,i had several 
conferences with ,lord ,northcliffe1    
then ,sir ,alfred ,harmsworth1 the      
editor of the newspaper4 ,certain facts 
were told me2 a mass of expert opinion  
and evidence was placed at my disposal1 
and ,i was enjoined to study my new     
material and write exactly as ,i felt   
about the question4 ,no restrictions    

were placed upon my point of view4 ,i   
suppose that very rarely indeed has it  
happened to an ordinary novelist that   
the ruling powers of a journal which has
 one of the largest circulations in the 
world have said1 8,here are our columns2
 come and say what you think in them40  
,it is1 no doubt1 good journalism to    
print a single article written by a man 
whose conviction on the subject of the  
article is diametrically opposed to that
 of the newspaper in which it is        
published4 ,a standard of value is      
created by an exhibition of contrasts4  
,it is good journalism also to print the
 views of experts such as ,mr4 ,booth or
 ,mr4 ,mc,kenzie4 ,both these things are
 constantly done4 ,but to give a        
novelist columns of enormously valuable 
space for some weeks--8news space10 not 
the space generally reserved for        
fiction--in order that he may express   
his own ideas1 is very unusual4 ,at the 
time when this was offered to me ,i     
thought it a very great compliment4 ,i  

can hardly believe that ,i was mistaken1
 and ,i think so still4  ,i wrote the   
story1 and called it1 ,made in ,his     
,image4 ,when it had run through the    
newspaper it was published in book form4
 ,fourteen months have gone by1 and     
during them ,i have endeavoured to keep 
myself informed as to the position of   
affairs4 ,with the additional knowledge 
that the past year and its inquiries    
have given me1 ,i find myself still of  
precisely the same opinion as ,i was    
before4 ,if anything1 my conviction is  
stronger than before4 ,what my opinions 
are1 such conclusions as ,i have come   
to1 ,i have been invited to tell you    
to-night4  ,i will get to the point at  
once without further preamble1 save only
 to say how much ,i value the privilege 
of addressing you4  ,for a long time    
past every class of the community has   
been exercised by the problem of the    
unemployed4 ,the question has steadily  
become more acute year by year1 and at  
the present moment its solution is the  

most pressing and necessary of all that 
confront thinking men and women4  ,i    
propose to touch briefly upon the       
existing state of things1 to explain    
what ,i conclude to be the cause of it1 
and to set before you my belief as to   
the only remedy4  ,in ,london1          
,manchester1 ,birmingham1 and all the   
great cities of ,england1 the streets   
are full of men with bright eyes1 and   
faces cut and whittled to an edge by    
hunger4 ,men and women with kindly      
hearts and sympathetic natures cannot go
 abroad in winter unless they taste the 
bitterness of sights and sounds that    
tear the heart and lacerate the soul4   
,dismal and terrible processions move   
throughout the streets of our capitals  
like spectres from the underworld4 ,i   
have myself1 in the course of my        
investigations1 been packed tight among 
a crowd of tattered1 coughing humans in 
,london4 ,i have walked with them1      
brethren of yours and mine1 men who     
offended and distressed every sense1 men

 who groaned and sighed because they had
 not eaten1 men who exhaled an odour    
like the caged animals in a menagerie1  
men who fed1 when they fed at all1 upon 
garbage1 men who could not wash4  ,i    
have seen faces all round me like the   
faces that the great ,italian poet      
,dante describes as flitting through the
 gloom of hell4 ,on one side is a face  
grown witless from hunger1 sorrow1 and  
foul environment4 ,it is a horrible     
face1 a face like a glass of dirty      
water4 ,another face is simply a grey   
drawn wedge of cunning2 a third man has 
a face that might have been that of a   
saint1 but the horror of his life has   
put its heel upon the countenance1 and  
has ground the possibility to pulp4 ,i  
have stood among living bodies which    
have no heat in them1 a company of      
ghosts that cough and curse in bloodless
 voices4 ,and among these gaunt1 dismal1
 and hopeless men the one who can snarl 
and cry his sorrows loudly is the one   
who is envied by all the rest4 ,he must 

have had a meal that day4  ,i expect    
many of you have seen something of what 
,i describe1 and those who have had this
 sad experience will bear witness that  
,i am exaggerating nothing4 ,this is not
 ,fiction2 it is melancholy ,truth4 ,in 
the opening chapter of the story ,i     
wrote on the ,unemployed question1 ,i   
described a meeting of the ,unemployed  
in ,trafalgar ,square4 ,in the course of
 the chapter ,i told how some charitable
 people drove up with a cart full of    
buns and bread and butter4 ,immediately 
there was a riot4 ,the poor starving    
people fought with each other for the   
food like wolves4 ,the scene was        
horrible4 ,this first chapter appeared  
on ,november #ah1 in the ,daily ,mail4  
,two days afterwards ,i met a friend in 
my ,london ,club who had read it4 8,my  
dear fellow10 he said1 8you've let your 
imagination run away with you4 ,a story 
is all very well1 but it should closely 
follow the lines of fact4 ,don't you    
tell me that ,english workmen are in    

such a pass that they will fight for a  
morsel of food in the heart of ,london4 
,you're coming it a bit too tall1 my    
dear chap40  ,he was a ruddy1 prosperous
 friend4 ,as he came into the ,club     
smoking-room he gave a heavy fur coat1  
which probably cost him fifty guineas1  
to one of the waiters4 ,he called for a 
whisky and soda1 and sank into an       
arm-chair of red leather with a         
comfortable sigh of pleasure4 ,he       
stretched out his legs towards a blazing
 fire of logs1 and said again1 8,you    
novelist johnnies are always coming it a
 bit too thick1 don't you know60  ,my   
worthy friend was one of those who have 
eyes but see not2 because they won't    
see1 and don't wish to see4  ,now listen
 to the sequel--  ,three days after this
 a procession of ,unemployed marched    
along the ,embankment in ,london4 ,some 
charitable people did actually bring    
down a cart of food4 ,there was a riot  
and a fight for the food exactly as ,i  
had foreseen in my imaginary tale4 ,it  

was reported in the newspaper4 ,five    
days after ,i had imagined that1 under  
existing conditions1 something might    
happen1 that thing actually did         
happen--men came fighting for a scrap of
 bread in the heart of the ,metropolis4 
,this is what we see in the great       
streets of ,london and other towns--the 
streets full of shops which are crammed 
with costly and beautiful things1       
thronged with prosperous people4 ,what  
we see when we follow the procession of 
the ,unemployed back to the awful dens  
in which they live is impossible to do  
more than hint at4 ,to tell the absolute
 unvarnished truth in a public assembly1
 to publish a faithful description in a 
public print is an utter impossibility4 
,these dreadful facts are those which   
despairing clergymen and ministers1     
doctors1 nurses1 would-be helpers1 tell 
to each other in whispers4  ,i knew a   
lady whose husband had turned out       
worthless1 and who finally deserted her4
 ,her one source of income was a row of 

small houses in the ,east ,end of       
,london1 houses that were let out in    
rooms to the very poor4 ,my friend was  
too poor to employ an agent to collect  
her rents and draw a commission for his 
work4 ,every week she did so herself1   
and one week she invited me to accompany
 her4 ,i did so1 and it was the most    
horrible day ,i ever spent4 ,no working 
man in a district such as this can form 
any idea of the filth and misery in     
which the lost1 degraded tenants of     
these houses lived4 ,i shall not attempt
 to describe it1 for it would be a poor 
return for your kindness in coming here 
to-night to rob you of your night's     
rest6  ,i will merely quote some lines  
written by ,mr4 ,f4 ,a4 ,mc,kenzie1 one 
of the foremost sociologists of the day4
 ,they deal with the lives of the       
,unemployed in the ,east ,end of        
,london1 and they are guarded1 reticent 
words4  ,i read--       8,to say that   
scores of thousands of them are facing  
the coming      winter with fear and    

dread is but mildly to imply their      
situation4 ,they are the derelicts of   
,london1 whom the changes      in modern
 conditions have left hopelessly behind4
 ,without      crafts1 without          
knowledge1 many of them with hope dead1 
they      face a future that good trade 
can do little to relieve1 and bad       
trade must greatly darken40  8,the      
prodigal son0 of to-day plays out the   
last act of his tragedy1 not before a   
fatted calf1 but in a ,poplar back room4
 ,the shiftless and incapables1         
attracted by low rent1 by the chance of 
casual work1 and by the abundance of    
relief1 drift here4 ,to them are added  
the scores of thousands of locally born 
people who are trained in such a way    
that they cannot be anything else than  
casuals4  ,the very streets proclaim the
 lives of these people4 ,apart from the 
main thoroughfares and from certain more
 prosperous avenues1 you are swallowed  
up in an endless succession of long     
roads of cheaply built houses4 ,the     

walls are crumbling1 and the bricks seem
 as though they would fall at a blow2   
many houses have broken1 paper-stuffed  
windows2 there are whole streets where  
the doors and windows have not seen     
paint for a generation4 ,the children1  
babies with ophthalmic eyes1 girls dirty
 beyond belief play in the gutters4 ,the
 women gossip at the doors4 ,the men1   
strong1 yet none wanting their strength1
 lounge at street corners4  ,in home    
after home you will find that the sole  
regular wage earned is by a young son1  
who obtains ten shillings a week as     
errand boy in the ,city4 ,on this1 with 
occasional additions from the others1   
the whole family exists4 ,the mother may
 obtain a few shillings a week at       
#8charing1' although such work is scarce
 in ,poplar4  ,twenty years ago the     
poverty of the ,east ,end was lessened  
by the home work which the women could  
obtain4 ,it is one of the most serious1 
although often overlooked1 factors of   
to-day that such home work cannot be had

 save by a few4 ,the aliens in          
,whitechapel and in ,stepney absorb     
almost all of it4 ,the foreigners are   
more capable1 more thrifty1 and more    
sober1 and1 save where brute strength is
 required1 our own derelicts stand no   
chance before them4 ,the homes inside   
are often enough indescribable4 ,here   
and there you find the one room kept    
clean1 but generally dirt is the        
outstanding feature4 ,the beds are black
 masses of filth4 ,the walls of the     
rooms prevent real cleanliness4 ,i went 
into one two-roomed tenement inhabited  
by a man1 wife and three children4 ,the 
kitchen was overrun with rats1 which had
 free entrance and exit through numerous
 holes in the wall4 ,in the bedroom a   
large part of the lath and plaster wall 
underneath the window was torn away1    
leaving great gaps open to the yard4    
#8,why doesn't your landlord do some    
repairs here8' my companion asked4 #8,he
 won't1 sir2 he says it is healthy for  
us to have holes in the walls1' the     

woman replied4 ,many of these ,poplar   
rooms urgently require the active       
intervention of the local sanitary      
officers4  ,in such fetid dens1 badly   
built1 ill kept1 and furnished with the 
strangest of oddments1 most of the      
,poplar poor live4  ,if it were         
necessary and part of my scheme this    
evening1 ,i could take up the whole of  
our time in telling the truth about the 
existing horrors4 ,but ,i do not think  
that any one will deny them4 ,they      
exist1 and no one can disprove the fact4
 ,let us rather consider why they exist1
 and what their existence means to the  
working man4  ,stated in a few brief    
words1 this is my theory and my         
unalterable belief4   ,,if ,,there      
,,were ,,no ,,unemployables ,,there     
,,would ,,be ,,no ,,unemployed4  ,to    
amplify my statement ,i will say--and in
 a moment ,i will endeavour to          
prove--that if the idle1 vicious1       
hopeless and sullen scoundrels who act  
as a drag upon the wheel of the         

,commonwealth1 who have been allowed too
 long to clog social progress1 were     
removed1 the whole problem would be     
solved4  ,i beg you to listen carefully 
to me while ,i tell you how the         
,unemployables have created the problem 
of the ,unemployed1 how they are        
throttling charitable enterprise1 how   
they are making economic methods of     
relief impossible1 how they are         
destroying the present and the future of
 the honest working man4 ,who are the   
people ,i have called 8,the             
,unemployables08 ,what is their idea of 
work and what is the real ideal of work8
 ,i will answer these questions4 ,i will
 show you who and what the              
,unemployables are4 ,i will contrast    
their attitude towards honest toil with 
the attitude of honest men towards toil1
 and when ,i have done this ,i will try 
to explain how these people are injuring
 you and me1 what a terrible burden they
 are upon our backs4  ,the month before 
my story dealing with the ,unemployed   

appeared in the ,daily ,mail1 a series  
of articles on the same subject was     
published4 ,in some of them the         
,unemployables were painted with perfect
 fidelity and vividness4 ,i take some   
paragraphs here and there to make a     
connected picture4  8,half-past eleven  
on ,friday morning in a back street in  
the most poverty-stricken and most      
largely relieved district in ,canning   
,town4 ,a group of women wait around the
 gates of a chapel1 from which doles are
 being issued4 ,dirty1 ragged and       
untidy1 they certainly are1 but         
hunger-stricken--,no6 ,their children   
playing in the roadway near by are      
ill-clad1 filthy1 and in many cases     
bare-footed1 and do show signs of       
under-feeding1 but not the mothers4     
,these are the wives of the habitual    
,unemployed seeking relief4  ,the       
curious stranger notices that some of   
the women go from the relief station to 
the public-houses4 ,let us look inside a
 few of these establishments4 ,in a side

 bar of the first place we enter1 we    
find eleven women1 exactly of the same  
type as those soliciting charity        
without4 ,one of them carries a         
recently-born baby in her arms1 and     
another has a little girl two years old 
clinging to her apron4 ,each woman has a
 glass in front of her4 ,some of them   
have been here since half-past nine in  
the morning1 and will stay for hours    
yet4 ,in the next drinking shop is a    
party of nine1 in the next but two1     
while in the last of all we find seven4 
,now one rises to go out1 for her hour  
has come to beg for aid from school or  
parson or ,unemployed fund4  ,an hour   
later we can see the husbands of these  
women amusing themselves at the street  
corner higher up4 ,five bookmakers'     
touts are busy among them at one cross  
roads alone4  ,at this time1 when we are
 threatened with a new ,unemployed      
agitation1 it is as well that the causes
 of much of the distress in some of the 
,unemployed areas should be understood4 

,for several years the public has tried 
to deal with the sufferings of the very 
poor by sentimental means4 ,each winter 
has brought increase of relief1 and each
 increase of relief has helped to render
 more permanent the problem it has set  
about to cure4  ,we have now in one     
district alone1 a large number of       
people1 totalling many thousands1       
incapable of regular work and unwilling 
to attempt it4 ,they have been taught to
 lean on charity to aid them1 and they  
have proved themselves apt pupils4      
,their homes will1 as a rule1 for sheer 
uncleanliness1 bear comparison with the 
dwelling of an ,australian aborigine4   
,their children are systematically made 
untidy1 and are given a neglected air in
 order more successfully to extort      
outside aid4 ,parental love is so dead  
that1 in very many cases1 the mothers   
will sell the boots given to their      
children in order to buy gin4  ,this is 
no vague1 general charge4 ,three years  
ago the readers of the ,daily ,mail     

entrusted the writer with a sum of money
 to spend on meals and shoes for needy  
children in this district4 ,teachers    
from many schools assured me that such  
effort would be wasted4 #8,buy the shoes
 and give them to the children to-day1' 
they said2 #8and to-morrow the shoes    
will be in the pawnshops1 and the       
mothers will have drunk the proceeds4'  
,it was necessary for us to construct a 
careful system of guard checks to save  
the children from their own mothers4    
,last year four separate general funds  
were distributing doles and aid among   
these people in one district4 ,a fund   
for the children1 the best of all1 kept 
them from starvation4 ,two outside      
agencies collected many thousands of    
pounds and scattered them about4 ,the   
,west ,ham ,corporation spent over      
#bf1jjj on relief works4 ,what has been 
the result8 ,the first outcome was to   
draw to this district many of the       
loafers from other parts1 who saw the   
chance to obtain something for nothing4 

,the more money that came1 the more the 
number of ,unemployed grew4  ,there is1 
without question1 an amount of perfectly
 genuine distress1 distress that should 
be relieved4 ,but it is not1 as a rule1 
found in the #8,unemployed' processions4
 ,the men who are making the most noise 
could not work properly if they would1  
and would not if they could4  ,this is a
 hard saying4 ,some facts may help to   
prove it4 ,many employers of labour     
around the docks agree in testifying    
that their difficulty is to induce      
casual men to remain long at their work4
 ,a man will take on a job for a couple 
of hours1 and then ask for his #as4     
#b;d4 7#g;d4 an hour7 and go4 #8,look   
here1 guv'nor1 ,i've had enough of      
this1' he exclaims1 with perfect        
truthfulness4 ,he has secured enough to 
see him through the day--why should he  
trouble after more8  ,the labourer of   
the casual loafing type who works for   
two days a week thinks that he has done 
all his duty4 ,his work is worth        

comparatively little when it is done4   
,the municipal relief work at ,west ,ham
 last winter spent #ad1jjj on material  
and #ab1jjj on labour4 ,on the most     
liberal estimate1 the labour value      
obtained was worth not more than #dejj1 
and the tasks would have been done by   
any contractor for that amount4 ,many   
whose names were down on the ,unemployed
 ,register refused work when offered to 
them4  ,last winter the workhouse       
authorities began to distribute relief  
on a more liberal scale4 ,a number of   
distressed cases were taken in without  
labour4 ,the number increased until it  
reached #dgc4 ,then the guardians       
resolved to re-establish the labour     
test1 and to make the applicants do some
 work for the aid they had4 ,the numbers
 at once fell to #aai4  ,the people have
 been taught to look upon the outside   
public as a milch cow1 and the guardians
 and municipal authorities as officials 
from whom everything possible is to be  
extorted4 ,the members of an            

#8unofficial' relief committee invited  
me last week to one of their meetings4  
,a bloated woman came asking them for   
aid4 ,they gave her a small dole1 with  
repeated injunctions that she was to lie
 to the relieving officer if he asked   
her if she had had anything4 #8,take    
care that your fire is out and your     
cupboard is bare when the relieving     
officer comes1' one member added4       
,here1 then1 is the problem to be       
solved4 ,a great army of habitual       
loafers and incapables live off the woes
 of the genuine ,unemployed4 ,the       
latter1 too1 often suffer in silence4   
,the spongers1 hardened by long         
experience1 adepts in every trick to    
impress a generous public1 ply their    
calling more boldly each year4  ,such   
are the men who will not work--the      
#8work-shy' men1 the #8bone-idle' men1  
the #8wasters1' the scoundrels who turn 
the holy virtue of charity into a       
foolishness1 and who recruit the ranks  
of those who keep society in a state of 

siege4  ,these people form the majority 
of the ,unemployables4 ,please remember 
that ,i am not talking of the           
,unemployed1 but of the ,unemployables4 
,the men who won't work form the        
majority1 but the hopeless herd of      
,unemployables is also swelled by those 
who can't work4 ,they can't work because
 their life has never taught them how to
 work4 ,from infancy they have been     
trained to depend upon charity1 from    
childhood they have been denied an      
education which will enable them to earn
 a living4  ,their very birth has been  
charitably conducted4 ,the parish doctor
 has given free aid1 the blankets have  
come from a local fund1 and probably    
there has been a ,salvation lass        
scrubbing the room for the mother4 ,from
 infancy they are accustomed to look to 
charity for their very comfort4 ,a boots
 fund supplies them with shoes1 free    
meals are their main sustenance1 and if 
they are very fortunate a holiday fund  
gives them a week in the country4 ,their

 first lessons are in begging1 and they 
are taught to lie and to cringe to the  
givers of doles4  ,when such children   
leave their slum schools1 what awaits   
them8 ,there is little or no possibility
 of the slum boy learning a trade1 while
 the girl finds it impossible1 even if  
she desires1 to learn housewifery by    
going to service4 ,the factory awaits   
the girl1 and odd jobs1 as potboy1      
errand boy1 runner for bookmakers1 or   
the like1 await the lad4 ,at seventeen  
or so the youth becomes a man1 and      
applies for casual labour at the docks  
or elsewhere4 ,about the same time he   
mates with a girl who has been working  
at the factory4  ,by this time he has   
forgotten nearly all he learned at      
school4 ,what can reasonably be expected
 of him8  ,it is impossible to condemn  
this second class of ,unemployable4 ,if 
you and ,i had been brought up in the   
same way1 we should live as they do and 
behave as they do1 in all probability4  
,if a child has seen his father and     

mother1 his grandfather and grandmother1
 his uncles1 aunts and all the friends  
of the family habitually go to bed in   
their boots1 he will sleep in his boots 
too4 ,if he lives in a village where    
every one goes to bed in boots1 and has 
never been out of that village nor      
witnessed the customs of any other      
village1 who is to tell him that        
sleeping in boots is an unpleasant trick
 which spoils the sheets8 ,a stranger   
who came upon a child of this village   
and told him that he was a dirty little 
boy who ought to be punished1 would be  
an idiot who understood nothing of the  
power of environment1 the truth of      
education or the facts of life4  ,but   
the first1 and largest1 class of        
,unemployables who have worked1 can     
work1 know how to work1 but won't work1 
is in a very different case1 and is     
formed of very different people4  ,these
 are the men who are lost4  ,for my own 
part1 ,i believe that idleness is the   
greatest of all sins1 the chief of all  

crimes4 ,it is not those offences       
against the law of ,god and the         
ordinance of man that we punish which   
are always the worst4 ,i may be wrong1  
but ,i give it as my opinion that sloth 
is the prime sin of all those lusts and 
iniquities that war against the soul and
 destroy manhood4 ,i believe that the   
thief who works1 the drunkard who works1
 the liar who works1 the adulterer who  
works1 may often be a better man than   
the boneless1 bloodless idler who is    
neither thief1 drunkard1 liar1 or       
adulterer4  ,work--all work--has in it a
 fine spiritual element1 just as the    
smallest and meanest thing in the world 
has a divine side1 inasmuch as ,god made
 it and saw that it was good4 ,all      
temporary forms1 it has been said1      
include essences that are eternal4      
,whatever be the meanness and loneliness
 of a man's occupation1 he may discharge
 it on principles common to himself and 
the ,archangel ,gabriel4 ,the man who   
spends his whole life in cleaning       

codfish in ,leadenhall ,market is a     
better and finer man in the eye of ,god1
 a worthier and more valuable man to the
 ,commonwealth1 than the poor man who   
loafs away his life in a four-ale bar1  
or the rich one who lounges through his 
existence in a palace4  ,however far ,i 
may go in my belief that idleness is the
 greatest vice of all1 hardly any one   
here would attempt to combat the general
 view that it is a vice and a very bad  
one4  ,but leaving the purely moral     
standpoint for a moment1 let me point   
out to you the value of work as an aid  
to material success and happiness4  ,for
 a moment we will put aside the fact    
that toil is a virtue and laziness a    
sin4 ,let me briefly repeat what has    
been said a thousand times by far abler 
and more important lips than mine--     
,work pays4  ,in the spring of this year
 ,i was staying in the ,south of ,france
 with a friend who is a great employer  
of labour4 ,he employs nearly #af1jjj   
men4 ,he told me that1 quite unknown to 

every one1 he has established a system  
of reports upon the work and ability of 
each separate man4 ,his agents inform   
him that ,jack ,smith1 whom he has never
 met and will never meet in this world1 
is a hard worker4 ,the next promotion   
goes to ,jack ,smith4  ,genius1 the     
highest and rarest attribute of the     
human being1 has been said to be 8an    
infinite capacity for taking pains40 ,a 
capacity for work which is not infinite 
but finite1 yet which is still strong   
and vigorous1 ought always and in all   
circumstances to secure a livelihood and
 ensure respect4 ,this is the very least
 that it should do4 ,it may do much     
more4 ,it may command success4  ,what   
was it but work that enabled ,heyne of  
,gottingen1 the son of a poor weaver1 to
 become one of the greatest classical   
scholars2 that enabled ,akenside1 the   
son of a butcher1 to write ,the         
,pleasures of the ,imagination2         
,arkwright1 the barber1 to become ,sir  
,richard ,arkwright1 inventor of the    

spinning-jenny2 ,beattie1 the           
school-master1 to become ,professor of  
,moral ,philosophy2 ,prideaux to become 
the ,bishop of ,winchester from being   
the assistant in the kitchen at ,exeter 
,college2 ,edmund ,saunders1 the errand 
lad1 to become ,sir ,edmund ,saunders1  
,chief ,justice of the ,king's ,bench2  
,jonson1 the common bricklayer1 to      
become ,ben ,jonson the famous8 ,adrian 
,,vi4 rose to his great fame as a       
scholar from being a poor lad in the    
streets1 who1 for want of other         
convenience1 had to read by the lamps in
 the church porches2 ,parkes1 the       
grocer's1 and ,davy1 the apothecary's   
apprentice1 became the two greatest     
chemical investigators of their age4    
,what enabled ,dr4 ,isaac ,milner1 ,dean
 of ,carlisle and ,professor of         
,mathematics at ,cambridge1 to rise from
 the humble position of a weaver2 and   
,white1 who was also a weaver1 to become
 ,professor of ,arabic at ,oxford2      
,hunter1 the cabinet-maker1 to attain   

the first rank among anatomists8        
,incredible labour enabled ,demosthenes 
to become the greatest orator of        
antiquity4 ,the ,economy of ,human ,life
 and ,the ,annual ,register were the    
production of ,dodsley1 who by labour   
raised himself from the position of a   
weaver and a footman4 ,labour enabled   
,falconer1 the barber's son1 to write   
his celebrated poem of ,the ,shipwreck4 
,the editor of ,the ,quarterly ,review1 
,gifford1 somehow acquired the needed   
capability from being a cabin-boy and   
shoemaker's apprentice4 ,haydn1 the son 
of a poor cartwright1 became the eminent
 composer2 ,johnson1 through sickness   
and poverty1 rose to be the immortal    
linguist2 ,jeremy ,taylor1 a barber's   
son1 ended as theologian and bishop2    
,barry1 from a working mason1 became the
 renowned painter4 ,dr4 ,livingstone    
attained his celebrity from being a     
8piecer0 in a factory4 ,indeed1 if we   
read the lives of distinguished men in  
any department1 we find them celebrated 

for the amount of labour they could     
perform4 ,there is no exception to this 
rule even in the military profession4   
,julius ,csar1 ,cromwell1 ,washington1  
,napoleon1 and ,wellington1 were all    
renowned as hard workers4 ,we read how  
many days they could support the        
fatigues of a march2 how many hours they
 spent in the field1 in the cabinet1 in 
the court2 how many secretaries they    
kept employed2 in short1 how hard they  
worked4 ,superficial thinkers are ready 
to cry out1 8,miracles60 ,yes6 but they 
are miracles of industry and of labour4 
,great success came to these great      
workers ,i have enumerated1 people who  
started life as working men4 ,if they   
had lived to-day they would have        
achieved the same1 though the task would
 have been a more difficult one4 ,men of
 this stamp cannot be crushed4 ,but more
 ordinary men who have the capacity for 
hard work and are willing to do it1 what
 shall we say of many of them in the    
year #aijf8 ,what shall we say of the   

thousands who want work and can't get   
it1 of the ,unemployed8  ,we must say   
just this--the ,unemployed are the      
victims of the ,unemployable1 and all   
working men suffer to support the idle  
and worthless classes of the community4 
,every one suffers1 every one has to pay
 for the maintenance of the             
,unemployable4 ,but the working man pays
 most and suffers most4 ,let me put it  
to the working men here to-night4  ,out 
of every pound ,i earn ,i have to pay a 
shilling to the ,government in          
income-tax4 ,i call this hard1 because  
every penny of my income is made by hard
 mental work4 ,the parson and the       
doctor1 the farmer1 the lawyer1 the     
author1 are taxed exactly the same as   
the man who has not earned his income1  
but who has been left land or other     
property by his father4 ,i work ten     
hours a day nearly every day of my life1
 and ,i only make nineteen shillings out
 of every pound ,i earn1 while the man  
who has an income without working for it

 pays not a penny more4 ,you are        
probably wondering what this has to do  
with your side of the question4 ,you do 
not pay income-tax1 you may say1 it is  
only the people who make more than three
 pounds odd a week who have to pay this 
tax4  ,you are quite wrong if you think 
this4 ,in proportion to your earnings1  
you pay1 even here in this country1 more
 than ,i do1 more than the doctor1 more 
than the farmer--more than almost any   
one1 except the parson1 who is always   
the most heavily taxed man in proportion
 to his means and his duties in the     
community4 ,it is true that you don't   
get yellow papers 8,on ,his ,majesty's  
,service0 by the post demanding this or 
that sum4 ,you don't get polite         
gentlemen calling for money1 and backed 
up by the whole force of the ,british   
,constitution4 ,you pay in other ways4  
,take the case of a farm labourer4 ,the 
farmer rents his land from the original 
owner1 and he makes as much as he can   
out of it4 ,the farmer has to pay the   

,government a proportion of every       
shilling he makes4 ,it stands to reason1
 therefore1 that he can't afford to pay 
his labourers as much as he would were  
he himself less heavily taxed4 ,and     
there are other ways in which the       
working man pays out of all proportion  
to his earnings4 ,the working man who   
buys a pound of tea1 a glass of beer1 or
 an ounce of tobacco1 pays exactly the  
same duty on these articles as people   
with ten times his income4 ,i may buy a 
pound of tea at two shillings and the   
working man may not be able to pay more 
than a shilling4 ,but that is merely a  
question of quality1 and does not affect
 the argument4 ,the working man with a  
very small income pays the same duty as 
the man with a much larger one4  ,the   
working man also pays other taxes1      
called rates1 in his house-rent4 ,they  
are not collected direct from him1 they 
are collected from the landlord1 who    
puts up the rent accordingly4           
,therefore1 although a superficial view 

would tend to show that the working man 
is without many of those burdens which  
fall upon the shoulders of larger       
earners1 such a view would be utterly   
wrong4  ,i have still so much to say    
that ,i cannot go further into the      
economic aspect of the question4        
,detailed proof1 abundant and           
overflowing1 could be easily supplied4  
,i have no time to do so now1 ,i merely 
repeat the indubitable fact that the    
working man has to pay for the          
workhouses1 the asylums1 and the        
prisons2 poor as he is1 he must support 
the ,unemployables4  ,in the workhouses1
 at any rate in the ,london unions1 he  
must support them in a comparative      
luxury which he himself can by no means 
afford4  ,in one great workhouse1 for   
example1 we find that the finest butter1
 the best ,irish bacon1 the whitest     
bread1 the most expensive cuts of beef  
are for the pauper4 ,outside the        
workhouse the working head of a family  
who is struggling to bring up his       

children in honourable independence has 
none of these luxuries4 ,in place of the
 best butter1 he and his family have the
 cheapest margarine or dripping2 their  
bacon1 if they have any1 is bought in   
inferior scraps2 their bread is of      
common description1 and instead of      
costly cuts of beef1 they too often have
 to content themselves with the cheapest
 form of food in ,london--fried fish4   
,at no time have they too much of even  
this food4 ,yet1 while they are existing
 in such pinching poverty1 fighting     
their way from day to day and from hour 
to hour1 an enormous tax is levied on   
them in the form of rates1 to maintain  
in unnecessary comfort those who are    
living an idle and unprofitable life4   
,the contrast to the worker must seem   
poignant4 ,on the one side of the       
workhouse gate are poverty and incessant
 misery1 with insufficient food to eat4 
,on the other side are warmth and light1
 complete freedom from care1 and        
abundance of food to eat1 with no       

necessity whatever to earn the day's    
food by labour4 ,all the prizes are to  
the unfit2 all the effort and misery are
 to the laborious4 ,if the honourable   
working man loses his employment through
 some change in industrial organization 
or through the growth of foreign        
competition1 he finds it too often      
impossible to struggle back to his feet4
 ,he sees the help which might have     
carried him through his misfortune      
diverted by the blatant outcries of the 
worthless4 ,he must be content to suffer
 and die in proud silence1 while those  
who have never done or wished to do an  
honest day's work absorb the            
contributions of public and private     
charity4  ,mr4 ,mc,kenzie1 to whom ,i am
 indebted for so many illuminating      
facts1 completes the picture in a few   
vivid paragraphs4 ,he takes the huge and
 poverty-stricken ,london district of   
,poplar for his text1 and he tells us-- 
8,had the ,poplar poor law authorities  
contented themselves with      dealing  

adequately with the old and the sick1   
and the maimed      who are among them1 
all their resources would have been     
taxed1      for the district is now     
very1 very poor4 ,they went further4    
,they deliberately attracted to         
themselves the great shifting      army 
of loafers and of idlers from all parts 
of ,london4       8,how has this been   
done8 ,by two means4 ,outdoor relief has
 been      freely granted to all kinds  
of folk1 and the people inside the      
workhouse have been treated in a        
sumptuous manner far above the          
style of their class4       8,the       
guardians decided that the stone-yard is
 derogatory1 and      abolished the     
labour test4 ,they had no sufficient    
labour for      men1 so they allow them 
to remain in practical idleness4 ,there 
are over two hundred and fifty young men
 in the workhouse      to-day1 amply    
fed1 well clothed1 and maintained week  
by week1      and month by month1 in    
idleness4 ,they are lazy1               

good-for-nothing scamps1 many of them1  
as their records clearly      show4     
,naturally they take advantage of the   
glorious prospect of      plenty to eat 
and nothing to do4 ,there is another    
army1 only      less numerous1 of young 
women in the prime of years and of      
health1 equally idle4       8,a few days
 since1 ,i went over the #8workhouse' at
 midday1 and      watched the great     
rooms packed with legal idlers1 all busy
      eating a dinner such as few       
labourers outside have4 #8,do you       
mean seriously to tell me that these men
 have no proper      employment8' ,i    
asked my guide1 as we stood in a great  
room      thronged with not far short of
 three hundred men1 mostly      varying 
in age from eighteen to forty1 all sound
 limbed1 all      physically fit4 #8,we 
use them as far as we can in cleaning   
up1'      my informant replied4         
8,the next extraordinary point at       
,poplar is the feeding of the           
inmates4 ,no one denies that the pauper 

should have a      sufficiency of       
wholesome food1 and most of us would    
willingly      support the generous     
feeding of the old and the infirm4 ,but 
the      ,poplar guardians have gone to 
the extreme here4 ,they work on      the
 policy avowed by some of them that     
#8the poor man ought to      have the   
best sometimes4' ,they are going to give
 him the best      when he is in the    
workhouse1 and they do6 ,the butter     
costs1      bought by the ton1 #as4     
#b-c_/d;d4 a pound4 ,i am informed that 
the contractors are required to supply  
only #8,denny's best      ,irish' bacon4
 ,the meat is of the very finest quality
 to be      bought1 and the bread is of 
a grade and perfection rarely to be     
had in shops or restaurants4 ,i examined
 the dinners being      served in the   
course of an ordinary visit1 and ,i     
declare in      sober truth that the    
quality was at least as high as that    
given      in an average ,west ,end     
club4 ,the mealy potatoes and the fine  

boiled meats certainly equal those      
served in the modest club      where ,i 
lunch40  ,this1 my working-men          
listeners1 is what you and ,i are paying
 for4 ,the obvious result upon any      
district where the rates must be raised 
to an impossible height in order to     
support the idle and worthless1 is that 
such a district ceases to be an area of 
employment4  ,the great manufacturing   
firms decline to continue their         
operations in a place where local       
taxation is so heavy that it prevents   
them from paying a dividend to their    
shareholders4  ,the firms go1 but their 
labourers do not go with them4 ,these1  
after a brief struggle1 swell the ranks 
of the ,unemployed1 that sorrowful army 
for which the ,government has just voted
 #bjj1jjj as a small temporary relief4  
,now ,i do not think that ,i need say   
much more as to the manner in which the 
,unemployables have created the class of
 the ,unemployed1 and as to how the     
working man suffers4 ,i have given a    

brief summary enough--in the endeavour  
to be as thorough as possible--but it is
 already somewhat lengthy4  ,i wish to  
come at once to the principal point of  
this lecture--the remedy for it all6  ,i
 am personally convinced that the remedy
 ,i am about to propound is the only    
satisfactory one1 and the object of my  
presence here to-night is to outline it 
for you4  ,there is a time in the       
history of certain diseases when any    
malignant growth must be removed with   
the knife4 ,cancer1 the tiger of all    
physical ills1 can only be treated in   
this way4 ,the hideous thing which has  
fastened on the human body must be cut  
away from it1 or the body dies4 ,the    
gentle measures of medicine and diet are
 useless4 ,life must be preserved by the
 scalpel and knife of the surgeon4 8,is 
there no other way1 doctor80 the nervous
 patient asks4 8,don't you think that ,i
 might get well if ,i kept on the ,chian
 ,turpentine treatment or the injection 
of ,tryptic ,ferment80  ,the surgeon of 

to-day who knows his business will      
answer 8,no40 ,he will proceed to the   
stern though inevitable operation4  ,and
 that is what we have got to do in      
regard to this social cancer1 this      
economic disease of the ,unemployed     
question4 ,we must stop the whole thing4
 ,you working men have the power to do  
it1 and this is the way in which you    
must do it4  ,in the first place1 you   
must realize your own power over the    
councils of the nation1 in the ordering 
and determining of the laws of ,england4
 ,you who are working men are already   
beginning to do this4 ,to take only one 
instance1 the ,trades ,unions have      
already combined to send a number of    
labour members to ,parliament1 and a    
working man holds a high ministerial    
position with conspicuous honesty and   
ability4 ,i don't in the least agree    
with most of the aims of what is known  
as the ,labour ,party4 ,my reading1     
education1 and experience have taught me
 that ,socialism is the dream of an     

impossibility1 and that the witness of  
history1 the experience of nations1 and 
the laws of ,god are all hostile to it  
alike4 ,there has never yet been a      
continuing ,commonwealth in which all   
men were equal inasmuch as they were    
,state officials4 ,there never will be4 
,but working men have now the power to  
remedy the unjust conditions under which
 they live4 ,the more they realize that 
power the more able will they be to     
bring about the change4  ,one of the    
first things that they must do is to    
relieve themselves and others of the    
burden of the ,unemployables--this is   
the way in which ,i believe it can be   
done4  ,we must follow the plan adopted 
with signal success by ,germany1        
,denmark1 ,belgium1 and other foreign   
countries1 only1 in proportion as our   
own problem is more menacing and acute  
than in other ,states1 we must adapt1   
amplify1 and extend their plan to our   
needs4 ,in these countries every effort 
is made to assist the deserving poor1   

while the undeserving are not merely    
repelled2 they are also punished4       
,relief is given1 after a careful       
visitation of the distressed case and   
thorough personal inquiry1 in the shape 
of a loan1 and repayment of the loan is 
required except in cases where the      
assisted are not able-bodied4 ,the lazy 
and worthless are relegated to labour   
colonies1 or to penal workhouses1 whence
 they can return to ordinary life after 
a term of labour has been served4 ,the  
old are cared for1 when deserving1 in a 
different kind of workhouse1 and receive
 indulgent treatment4 ,in this way      
sturdiness and independence of character
 are assured1 and there is no danger of 
the excessive multiplication of paupers1
 or of enormous expenditure on relief4  
,this is speaking generally4 ,the two   
chief agencies for dealing with the     
,unemployed question are the systems of 
insurance against unemployment and the  
establishment of labour colonies in     
which the ,unemployables are forced to  

work4  ,it is impossible for me to-night
 to do more than sketch the working of  
these two institutions in a single      
country4 ,i will1 therefore1 outline the
 method of insurance adopted in         
,germany1 and give an account of the    
greatest labour colony in               
existence--that of ,merxplas in         
,belgium4  ,a month or two ago ,i was in
 the great ,german city of ,cologne4    
,there ,i found the following system in 
operation3--  8,the #8,city of ,cologne 
,office for ,insurance against          
,unemployment in ,winter' was           
established in #ahif4 ,the object of the
 office is to provide1 with the         
assistance of the ,cologne ,labour      
,registry1 an insurance against         
unemployment during the winter          
7,december to ,march7 for the benefit of
 male workpeople in the ,cologne        
district4 ,in order to insure with the  
office1 a man must be at least eighteen 
years of age1 must have lived for at    
least a year in ,cologne1 and must not  

suffer from permanent incapacity to     
work4 ,he is required to pay a weekly   
premium1 payment of which must commence 
as from ,april #a1 and must continue for
 thirty-four weeks4  8,the amount of the
 premium was originally #c;d4 per week  
for both skilled and unskilled workmen2 
in #aija the rate of premium was fixed  
at #c;d4 for unskilled and #d-a_/d;d4   
for skilled men2 in #aijc the rate was  
raised to #c-a_/b;d4 per week for       
unskilled and #d-c_/d;d4 per week for   
skilled workmen4 ,in no case must a man 
be more than four weeks late in paying  
his weekly premium1 otherwise he loses  
all claim upon the office2 but in       
special cases the operation of this rule
 may be suspended by the committee of   
the insured4  8,in return for these     
payments the insured workman1 if and    
when out of work in the period named    
above1 receives1 for not more than eight
 weeks in all1 a daily amount1 which is 
#bs4 for each of the first twenty days  
7nothing being paid for ,sundays71 and  

then #as4 on each subsequent day4 ,these
 payments begin on the third week-day   
after the date on which the man has     
reported himself as out of work4        
8,while out of work1 a man must report  
himself to the office twice daily1 and  
if work is offered him1 he must take it1
 provided that the nature of the        
employment and the rate of pay be1 so   
far as practicable1 similar to what the 
man had been getting while in work4 ,but
 he cannot be asked to fill a place left
 vacant in consequence of a trade       
dispute4 ,unmarried men1 with no        
dependants living at ,cologne1 are      
required to take work away from that    
city1 if offered to them1 their fares   
being paid for them4  8,no money is paid
 in respect of unemployment caused by   
illness or infirmity1 or by the man's   
own fault1 or by a trade dispute4  8,the
 administration of the affairs of this  
,insurance ,office is in the hands of   
the ,executive ,committee1 the          
,committee of the ,insured1 and the     

,general ,meeting of ,members4  8,the   
,executive ,committee consists of the   
head of the ,cologne ,municipality      
7,oberbrgermeister7 or his delegate1 of 
the ,president for the time being of the
 ,cologne ,labour ,registry1 and of     
twenty-four members1 twelve elected by  
the insured workmen1 and twelve patrons 
or honorary members 7six employers and  
six employees7 chosen by the patrons and
 honorary members4  8,the twelve        
representatives of the insured on the   
,executive ,committee1 together with the
 business manager of the office1 form   
the ,committee of the ,insured1 referred
 to above4  8,the ,executive ,committee 
has the right to decline to make any    
further insurance contracts1 should it  
become doubtful whether the fund is     
adequate to meet further liabilities2   
and on two occasions 7in #aija-b and    
#aijb-c7 it became necessary to suspend 
operations in this manner40  ,what an   
excellent plan this is6 ,the working man
 has1 ,i know1 his sick club1 his       

benefit society1 to which he must       
subscribe4 ,if he is a member of a      
,trades ,union there again is another   
claim upon his purse4 ,but all working  
men are not members of ,trades ,unions4 
,the greater the skill of the trained   
mechanic1 for example1 the more the     
disfavour with which he regards the     
,trades ,unions4 ,it is a splendid thing
 to be a member of a great and powerful 
organization which has for its object to
 ensure that every man shall be paid a  
living wage4 ,but when a ,union forces  
all its members to a dead level of      
equality with that of the least skilled1
 when the good workman is compelled to  
do no more work1 and no better work1    
than the worst workman in the           
confederation1 then the good workman    
very naturally takes his name off the   
books4 ,once more1 many working men1    
especially in the country1 are fairly   
sure of always being able to obtain work
 if they are prepared to do it4 ,but in 
the great1 crowded1 competitive centres 

of ,england1 the uncertainty of regular 
employment1 especially in regard to     
unskilled labour1 the establishment of  
such a system of insurance would be of  
incalculable benefit1 nor do ,i believe 
that the infinitesimal premium would be 
regretted or missed by any sensible and 
hard-working man4  ,you may object that 
probably the funds of the insurance     
companies might possibly come to be     
diverted to the support and assistance  
of the won't works--the ,unemployables4 
,please hear me to the end and you will 
see that this objection cannot be       
upheld4  ,i do not appeal to the        
experience of despotic ,germany but of  
democratic ,belgium when ,i describe the
 largest ,continental ,labour ,colony1  
that of ,merxplas in ,belgium4 ,during  
the present year ,i have spent some     
months in ,belgium1 and have been       
enabled to gather the opinions of all   
sorts of people upon the subject4 ,every
 thinking man ,i have consulted in this 
country is emphatic in his praise of the

 institution4  ,the ,law of ,november   
#bg1 #ahia1 8for the repression of      
vagrancy and begging10 which came into  
operation on ,january1 #d1 #ahib1       
imposed upon the ,belgian ,government   
the duty of organizing correctional     
establishments to be called 7,a7        
,beggars' ,depts1 7,b7 ,houses of       
,refuge1 and 7,c7 ,reformatory ,schools4
 ,the ,labour ,colonies are maintained  
in order to fulfil the requirements of  
the ,law under 7,a7 and 7,b74  ,all     
persons confined in a ,beggars' ,dept or
 in a ,house of ,refuge1 not suffering  
from incapacity1 are to be put to work  
of such nature as may be prescribed1 and
 shall1 unless deprived thereof as a    
measure of discipline1 receive a daily  
wage1 part of which shall be kept in    
hand and credited to the 8leaving fund0 
of the inmate in respect of whose labour
 the same shall be paid4  ,the ,minister
 of ,justice fixes1 with respect to the 
,beggars' ,depts and ,houses of ,refuge1
 the rate of wage which the inmates     

shall receive1 and the deductions to be 
retained out of this wage towards the   
8leaving fund40 ,this fund is handed    
over partly in the shape of cash1 partly
 in that of clothing and tools1 when the
 inmate is discharged4  ,the internal   
regulations of the ,beggars' ,depts and 
,houses of ,refuge are settled by ,royal
 ,decree4 ,any person confined in either
 class of institution may be ordered to 
undergo solitary confinement4  ,the     
classes of persons whom the magistrates 
are directed 7by ,article #ac of the    
,law7 to send to be confined in a       
,beggars' ,dept1 are all persons not    
suffering from incapacity1 who instead  
of providing themselves with the means  
of existence by labour1 abuse the       
charity of the public by habitual       
mendicancy2 those persons who1 through  
laziness1 or drunken or immoral habits1 
pass their lives in vagrancy1 and those 
who live on the earnings of vice        
7souteneurs de filles publiques74       
,merxplas is reached from ,antwerp by a 

steam tramway running through a         
cultivated country with occasional      
stretches of pine plantations4 ,there   
are only a few villages1 all small1 and 
there is no place which can be in any   
way styled a town on the way to         
,merxplas1 or indeed1 within a          
considerable radius round the colony4   
,the surrounding country is sandy heath1
 with pine plantations1 but this is     
transformed at ,merxplas by the manual  
labour of the colonists into excellent  
agricultural land1 with fields and      
gardens neatly cultivated and well-grown
 avenues of oak1 poplar1 and pines4     
,such a transformation has been rendered
 more easy by the nature of the         
sub-soil1 which is clay everywhere      
underlying the top-soil of sand4 ,the   
buildings are large and handsome1 and of
 good design4 ,they seem excellently    
built4 ,the main block consists of a    
large quadrangle1 and is entered by a   
principal gate on the western side4 ,the
 offices of administration are centred  

round this gate1 with dining-halls      
capable of seating #aejj colonists at a 
time1 on the left1 and reception-rooms1 
baths1 fire-engine house1 etc41 on the  
right4 ,the quartier cellulaire as the  
prison for refractory colonists is      
named1 is easily marked by the exercise 
grounds4 ,to this is attached on one    
side a barracks for #aej soldiers and on
 the other a building set apart for the 
immoraux4  ,the east side1 opposite to  
the main gate1 is occupied by the       
hospital in the centre1 and by two wings
 on each side for the infirmes1 who are 
still capable of light work1 and for the
 incurables1 who are unfit for any kind 
of labour4 ,the remaining side on the   
north consists of four long galleries1  
chauffoirs1 which are intended for the  
use of the colonists in inclement       
weather4 ,between these1 placed         
centrally1 are the lavatories and the   
canteen4 ,there also is a library1 from 
which they can obtain books on ,sunday1 
in which at the time of our visit a     

tramp choir was practising with         
considerable skill under a tramp        
organist1 and without any supervision4  
,the dormitories are four large         
buildings on the west front flanking the
 approach to the main gate1 and beyond  
these lies the large new church which   
the colonists have just erected4 ,this  
will hold #aejj men standing1 and is a  
very effective building4 ,adjoining are 
the farm-buildings1 which are nearly all
 on a very lavish scale1 and thoroughly 
modern in construction4 ,to the         
northward are the workshops4 ,all these 
also are admirably built1 and are       
thoroughly suited to their purposes4    
,beyond these lie the brickyards1       
stoneyards1 pottery works1 tannery1     
cement yard1 etc4  ,the inmates are     
divided into six classes--       ,class 
,i4 ,men sentenced for offences against 
morality and for      arson4            
,class ,,ii4 ,men sentenced to ,colony  
life as a sequel to a term of           
imprisonment of less than one year4     

,men whose past history shows them to be
 dangerous to the      community4       
,class ,,iii4 ,habitual vagabonds1      
mendicants1 inebriates1 and men         
generally unable to support themselves4 
,class ,,iv4 ,men under twenty-one years
 of age4       ,class ,v4 7a7 ,the      
infirm and 7b7 the incurable4           
,class ,,vi4 ,first offenders4  ,these  
come under the normal conditions of     
,colony life2 that is to say1 they are  
obliged to do about nine hours work a   
day1 of a character suited to their     
capacity1 in return for which they      
receive board and lodging1 and in       
addition1 a small amount of pay4444     
,this is partly paid in tokens valid    
only at the ,colony stores and canteen1 
and partly it is banked against the time
 when the colonist leaves4 ,the normal  
day is as follows3 the colonists rise at
 #d4cj 7summer71 and after leaving the  
lavatory each man receives his ration of
 bread for the day 7#a-a_/b lbs47 and as
 much coffee 7chicory7 as he likes4     

,what bread is not eaten then is kept   
for dinner and supper4 ,at #f they enter
 the shops1 where they remain until     
#aa4cj1 with a half-hour interval from  
#h to #h4cj a4m41 when they can go      
outside and smoke4 ,at #aa4cj they are  
all marched back to the quadrangle and  
go into the dining-halls in two relays4 
,after this they rest until #a4cj1 when 
they re-enter the shops until #f1 with  
another half-hour interval at #d        
o'clock4 ,on their return supper is     
served1 and immediately afterwards they 
go to bed1 when the roll-call is made1  
requiring every man to stand to his bed1
 and those missing are noted4  ,in the  
winter the short day necessitates the   
farmhands retiring very early to bed4   
,those who work in the shops begin their
 work at #g4cj in the morning1 and work 
on after dusk by artificial light4  ,the
 colonists are given no meat1 but the   
soup of vegetables is very good1 and    
each man has a large quantity4 ,they    
have a sweet drink made of              

liquorice-wood boiled in water1 with    
their meals2 coffee and bread for       
breakfast2 potatoes or other vegetables1
 with a meat sauce for supper2 and      
chicory-water in large cans in their    
dormitories4 ,to supplement the above   
they can make purchases from the canteen
 of beer1 tobaccos1 lard1 herrings1     
etc41 which are sold at exceedingly     
small prices1 representing only the     
actual cost price of the article when   
produced by the ,colony labour itself4  
,the staff is small1 and consists of a  
,director-in-,chief at ,hoogstraeten1   
who exercises a general financial       
supervision over all the ,colonies1 a   
,director at ,wortel and ,merxplas1 and 
at the latter place the following       
officers3 ,deputy-,directors1 #b2       
,doctor1 #a2 ,priests1 #b2 ,teachers1   
#e2 ,clerks1 #ai2 ,manufacturing        
,manager1 #a2 ,warders1 #ha2 ,sisters of
 ,mercy1 #f4  ,all offences against the 
regulations of the ,colony and all cases
 of slack work are summarily dealt with 

by the ,director1 who has full power to 
transfer men from one class to another1 
and from a more to a less remunerative  
form of work4 ,he can also award        
imprisonment or solitary confinement1   
and bread and water diet in the ,colony 
cells for any period up to sixty days at
 a time4 ,this power can also1 in case  
of necessity1 be used repeatedly1 so    
that a bad character can practically be 
permanently locked up4  ,a further help 
to the maintenance of discipline is     
undoubtedly the privilege of earning    
wages and of spending them directly on  
beer and tobacco1 etc4  ,there is one   
feature of ,merxplas which is at first  
rather startling2 that is1 that every   
day there are a certain number who      
escape4 ,this does not seem to give the 
authorities much concern1 because they  
are nearly always brought back again in 
a short time1 either through capture1 or
 because their mode of living brings    
them again to the notice of the police4 
,a beginning was once made of digging a 

moat round the grounds1 but it was      
abandoned because it was thought that   
the possibility of escape helped to     
prevent disaffection4 ,the colonists    
also1 in the eyes of the law1 are       
patients rather than criminals4 ,those  
in ,classes ,i4 and ,,ii4 are1 of       
course1 much more closely guarded4      
,escape1 like all other breaches of     
,colony discipline1 can be punished by  
the ,director with imprisonment in the  
,colony cells4  ,the results of the work
 done at the ,colony is thus summed up  
in the 8,blue ,book0 from which the     
greater part of the detailed particulars
 have been taken4  8,even more important
 than the economy of the system is its  
effect on the colonists4 ,the men at    
,merxplas have retained a large         
proportion of whatever manual and       
technical skill they possessed when they
 first began to slip out of employment  
in the outside world4 ,they have entered
 the ,colony before the rapid           
deterioration1 which is the inevitable  

result of the tramp life1 has had time  
to take effect1 and the opportunity     
afforded them to practise their trades  
has1 in most cases1 prevented their ever
 sinking to the level of the average    
,english tramp4 ,in every shop the keen 
interest the men take in their work is  
most noticeable2 only one foreman and   
one warder are employed in each shop1   
and without coercion the men seemed all 
working with remarkable energy and real 
interest4 ,this is1 in our opinion1     
perhaps the most striking feature of the
 whole establishment4  8,the permanent  
effect on the individual is less1       
perhaps1 than one would at first sight  
expect4 ,about ninety per cent are      
habituals4 ,the reason given by all the 
authorities was always the same4        
,outside1 this class of man of weak     
moral fibre1 and generally of inferior  
physique1 cannot keep from drink4       
,sooner or later he breaks down1 loses  
his place and returns4 ,inside1 away    
from temptation1 they work well1 and as 

long as the sentence does not exceed two
 or three years1 seem content to remain4
 ,the colonies1 it must be remembered1  
do not claim to deal largely with the   
temporarily unemployed1 but with a class
 that is more or less permanently       
inefficient4 ,in this connection1       
however1 it seems that no attempt has   
been made to bring any strong religious 
influence to bear4 ,there are the usual 
masses and other observances of the     
,roman ,church1 but there seems to be   
little personal mission work            
undertaken40  ,i come to my remedy4  ,as
 ,i see it1 what we have to do is       
this--we must establish colonies in     
which the ,unemployables shall spend    
their lives4 ,when once a man has been  
proved to be irreclaimable by ordinary  
methods1 when a properly established    
tribunal1 after searching inquiry1 has  
pronounced him a burden and a drag upon 
the community1 then ,i would put him    
away for life1 if he is irreclaimable1  
and continues to remain so4  ,i would   

make his life just as pleasant as he    
himself chose to make it4 ,if he refused
 to work1 then his lot should be a      
prison cell and bread and water until he
 did4 ,if he made the best of the       
situation in which his own fault had    
placed him1 he should be enabled to earn
 enough to keep him in considerable     
comfort1 and to provide him with        
harmless and judicious pleasures4  ,such
 a man should live in a state of almost 
freedom4 ,the one thing denied him would
 be the privilege of mixing with the    
outside world and of reproducing his    
kind4 ,such gratifications and          
amusements as he had earned should be   
supplied him with no ungrudging hand4   
,the consolations of religion should be 
always at his command and should be     
constantly brought before him4  ,but he 
should not be allowed to beget children 
who would swell the ranks of the        
,unemployable and increase the          
intolerable burden already carried by   
the honest working man4 ,it is just     

about as certain as science and economic
 experience can make it1 that the child 
of an ,unemployable will become an      
,unemployable too4 ,it is possible that 
one child in a thousand may turn out a  
decent citizen4 ,that is about the      
maximum percentage1 and if1 for the sake
 of possibly producing one ordinary     
worker we ought to allow nine hundred   
and ninety-nine hopeless idlers to come 
into existence1 then ,i have nothing    
more to say4  ,i do not think such a    
position can be maintained for a moment4
 ,i venture to think that you will agree
 with me4  ,i admit that such a method  
would be inhuman1 immoral and           
unchristian1 if we were to treat the    
hopeless social failure as a criminal   
pure and simple4 ,let us make his life  
as happy as he chooses to make it2 treat
 him as a criminal if he won't work in  
the colony1 comfort and pet him if he   
will4 ,but we need go no further than   
this4 ,i do not honestly think that our 
duty as ,christians or sociologists     

imposes more consideration upon us than 
just this4 8,if thine arm offend thee   
cut it off40  ,sir ,robert ,anderson1   
for many years ,assistant ,commissioner 
of ,metropolitan ,police1 has long held 
the view that the professional criminal 
is not a necessity of civilization1 and 
that a reform of the method of dealing  
with him would soon bring about his     
complete extinction4 ,sir ,robert1 with 
his extensive ,scotland ,yard experience
 behind him1 declares that the number of
 high-class criminals in ,england does  
not exceed a few dozen1 and that if     
these were got out of the way organized 
crime against property would cease4 ,the
 plan which ,sir ,robert ,anderson has  
conceived is that of providing asylums  
in place of the present prisons1 where a
 man who has proved to have devoted his 
life to crime would be sent for life and
 made to earn his living4  ,we must     
provide asylums for the ,unemployables  
also1 in order to preserve ourselves4   
,it is no use being sentimental4 ,we    

must relegate social parasites to a     
state and condition where they can no   
longer infest the social body and cannot
 increase in numbers4 ,when we have done
 this1 when you working men have done   
this1 in less than a generation the     
question of the ,unemployed will be     
satisfactorily settled4 ,it may well be1
 moreover1 that such a method will      
change the least degraded ,unemployables
 into honest1 hard-working citizens who 
can be once more admitted into the world
 on probation4  ,these are my opinions1 
and though ,i have given you but a      
sketch of them to-night1 ,i submit that 
they are at least reasonable and worth  
consideration4  ,the words of the poet  
,shelley are no less applicable in the  
present than they were in the past4 ,he 
had an unconquerable faith in the       
spiritual destiny of our race1 and his  
lines1 when he wrote his 8song to the   
men of ,england0 were filled with       
flame3--      8,the seed ye sow another 
reaps2     ,the wealth ye find another  

keeps2     ,the robes ye weave another  
wears2     ,the arms ye forge another   
bears4      ,sow seed--but let no tyrant
 reap2     ,find wealth--let no impostor
 heap2     ,weave robes--let not the    
idle wear2     ,forge arms1 in your     
defence to bear40     ,,an ,,author',s  
,,post-,,bag     ,,vii  ,,an ,,author',s
 ,,post-,,bag  8,you have the letters   
,cadmus gave0----   ,as ,i sit down to  
write this paper ,i am experiencing a   
quite novel sensation4 ,most of us like 
to talk about ourselves when any one    
will listen1 and nearly all of us do so 
now and then4 ,but to write about one's 
self in the reasonable expectation that 
a large number of people1 friends1      
enemies and those who are indifferent1  
will read what one has written1 is      
curious4 ,there have been times when an 
interviewer has come from a ,magazine   
and ,i have found myself trying to      
explain my views1 to answer questions   
that were put1 with some degree of      
fluency1 to do myself justice and yet   

not to be egotistical in a somewhat     
difficult situation4 ,knowing quite well
 what ,i wanted to say1 and exactly how 
,i wished to explain myself1 ,i have    
listened to my words with a kind of     
embarrassed wonder at their inadequacy4 
8,what an ass this fellow must be       
thinking me60 has been one's continual  
thought4 ,then1 when the interview      
appears1 sometimes with pictures of     
8,mr4 ,guy ,thorne at his desk10 8the   
dining-room10 8shooting upon the moor10 
one finds that the writer has made a    
nice smooth sequence of the             
conversation1 just as the photographer  
has taken charming pictures of one's    
carefully-arranged furniture4 ,yet one  
was rather prevented from really saying 
what one would have liked to say because
 of the interviewer's presence as the   
medium who was to give the words to the 
public4 ,this is a foolish              
self-consciousness1 no doubt1 but it is 
not easy to overcome4 ,now1 and at this 
moment1 there is no such restriction    

upon free speech4 ,the snow is driving  
over the ,dover cliffs1 no sound        
penetrates to the ancient room in which 
,i write1 and for the first time in my  
life ,i am sitting down to talk of      
myself1 as an author to his readers4    
,the essay has come to be written in    
this way4 ,there were still some pages  
of this book to fill when last week1 ,i 
was asked to open a bazaar in ,dover4   
,the vicar said a good many absurdly    
kind things about my stories when he    
introduced me to the people there1 and  
afterwards ,i had to stand a continuous 
fire of questions for two hours4 ,i     
could not understand1 and ,i do not now 
understand1 why any one should be       
interested in the personal explanations 
of a writer as to how he writes1 what   
happens when he is writing1 and so      
forth4 ,i do not often go to a theatre1 
but when ,i do ,i never buy a programme4
 ,i don't want to know the private name 
of the lady who plays ,ophelia or the   
gentleman who is the ,hamlet of the     

night4 ,i pay my money in order that    
they shall be ,hamlet and ,ophelia to   
me1 that ,i shall watch the agonies of a
 dark and troubled spirit1 shall sigh   
over the tender fancies of an unhappy   
love-sick girl1 and the more ,i am      
forced to realize that the gentleman is 
,mr4 ,jones1 who was fined five pounds  
in the morning for driving his motor-car
 too fast1 the less real he is as the   
,prince4  ,but1 although this is my way 
of thinking1 ,i am well aware it is not 
the general way2 and as ,i have proved  
for myself that there is a demand for   
some sort of personal explanation1 and  
as ,i endeavour to conduct my trade of  
writing upon common-sense principles1   
this essay is getting itself written4   
,addison said that 8,so excessive is the
 egotism of the egotist that he makes   
himself the darling theme of            
contemplation2 he admires and loves     
himself to that degree that he can talk 
of nothing else40 ,this is an obvious   
statement1 and made with little of ,mr4 

,secretary's usual charm of style4 ,but 
it is perfectly true4 ,i beg leave to   
submit1 however1 that what ,i am doing  
here is not so much an act of           
egotism--egoism is the better word--but 
a legitimate statement for those1 if    
there are any1 who care to read it4  ,i 
have strong convictions upon certain    
points1 and ,i endeavour to pack my     
stories with these convictions4 ,that1  
by doing this1 ,i please many readers   
who think as ,i do ,i am presently going
 to show1 by quoting some of their      
letters which have reached me4  ,a novel
 is simply this3 it is a certain portion
 of the lives of certain people imagined
 by the author and seen through his     
temperament4 ,very well then2 let me    
proceed to prove that the modern        
nonsense which would have people believe
 that ,christianity in fiction is       
against the canons of art1 is simply a  
lie4  ,the life of every single human   
being in ,england is punctuated and     
impinged upon by ,christianity4 ,as ,i  

pointed out in my first essay1 the usual
 modern novel never mentions--never even
 mentions6--,sunday4 ,yet on ,sunday1   
the shops1 factories1 theatres and      
public-houses close4 ,the drunkard has  
as much reason to find ,sunday the most 
dismal day in the week as the saint to  
know it the happiest and best4 ,for     
half-an-hour in every town and village  
the bells of church and chapel ring--if 
indeed chapels are 8ritualistic0 enough 
to have bells1 a point upon which ,i am 
not informed6  ,and again1 speaking of  
the constant reminder we all have of    
religion1 every coin we have in our     
pockets bears the inscription ,,rex     
,,fid4 ,,def4--our ,king is officially  
known as the ,defender of the ,christian
 ,faith4 ,every day as ,i write1 the    
newspapers are full of the              
controversy--the religious              
controversy--of the ,education ,bill4   
,each time you and ,i go to a concert we
 finish it with the music of the        
,national ,anthem1 which is a prayer to 

,god that he will bless and preserve the
 ,dynasty4 ,is it necessary to multiply 
instances8 ,i think not4  ,how can any  
one say1 as the literary critics have   
sometimes said of my own books and of   
others much more important1 that        
8religion0 is out of place in a novel8  
,as ,i have pointed out at some length1 
the greatest novels are one and all     
permeated with the sense of religion4   
,take your ,thackeray and read in       
,vanity ,fair of ,george ,osborne going 
out to battle and first saying 8,our    
,father0 with his wife4 ,read the works 
of this great writer and regard how1    
whenever a great emotion1 a poignant    
situation occurs1 so surely the author  
sends up a prayer to ,almighty ,god     
either in his own person or that of his 
characters4 ,in that almost greatest of 
,english novels1 ,charles ,reade's ,the 
,cloister and the ,hearth1 the hero dies
 with the holy name of ,jesus on his    
lips4 ,there is religion in             
,pickwick6--we read of the ,christmas of

 ,dingley ,dell4 ,in ,les ,misrables1   
that huge epic novel1 ,victor ,hugo has 
drawn more than one saint of ,god1 has  
made ,christianity the motive of his    
drama4  ,it is so in life1 be certain   
that it is and always will be4          
,christianity is the central thing1 the 
only important thing1 and the attempt to
 minimize its importance and influence  
is as the chirping of a linnet on the   
roadside as some stately procession     
passes by4       ,they say4 ,what say   
they8 ,let them say6  ,but let no one be
 deluded into believing that the printed
 sneers of those who are afraid to      
recognize our ,lord represent any real  
opinion1 any weight of opinion1 as to   
the public distaste to ,christianity as 
an integral part of the fiction which   
they buy4  ,sir ,arthur ,helps once     
said1 8,the influence of works of       
fiction is unbounded4 ,even the minds of
 well-informed people are more often    
stored with characters from acknowledged
 fiction than from history or biography1

 or the real life around them4 ,we      
dispute about these characters as if    
they were realities4 ,their experience  
is our experience2 we adopt their       
feelings and imitate their acts4        
,shakespeare's ,plays were the only     
history to the ,duke of ,marlborough4   
,thousands of ,greeks acted under the   
influence of what ,achilles or ,ulysses 
did in ,homer40  ,all this is entirely  
true4 ,as a young ,american novelist    
once put it to me1 8,to-day is the day  
of the novel40 ,in no other day and by  
no other vehicle is contemporaneous life
 so adequately expressed1 and the       
critics of the twenty-second century1   
reviewing our times1 striving to        
reconstruct our civilization1 will look 
not to the painters1 not to the         
architects nor dramatists1 but to the   
novelists to find our idiosyncrasy4     
,this is by no means intended as an     
apologia for the sort of tales ,i write4
 ,i know that it is my duty to write    
them1 the duty ,i owe to my own         

convictions1 and however badly ,i write 
them ,i am doing my best4 ,no1 ,i am not
 apologizing for my point of view4 ,i am
 only trying to suggest that even in my 
greatest artistic failures my artistic  
standpoint can't be assailed4 ,any      
critic who says that because ,i write as
 a ,christian and that therefore 7and   
for that reason only7 my books are      
inartistic1 is wrong4  ,i have headed   
this article 8,an ,author's ,post-,bag0 
et cetera4 ,probably you will be        
wondering when ,i am going to justify   
the title4 ,i will begin to do so now4  
,post-time is always a recurring wonder 
to me4 ,the lowest classes of all1 the  
people who don't get letters1 are       
incapable of experiencing more than a   
third of the sensations which the       
highly-organized life of our time has to
 offer us4  ,a novelist1 and ,i have no 
reason to think that ,i am any exception
 to the rule1 receives a very varied    
correspondence4 ,the business side of   
his operations is more extensive than   

the layman would suppose4 ,the writer   
whose output is regular and whose work  
is in demand has an almost daily letter 
to receive from his agent4 ,there is the
 question of a serial for this or that  
paper1 an editor wants a short story1 a 
publisher is writing impatient letters  
to the agent for a book that is overdue1
 8close times0 for various books have to
 be arranged so that they do not clash  
between various publishers--he is       
confronted every day with an infinity of
 detail which even such an experienced  
and assiduous agent as ,i myself am     
fortunate to possess cannot save him4   
,when the business letters have been    
read1 there is his own private          
correspondence1 and then the great mass 
of communications from people whom one  
has never heard of and never seen4 ,it  
is of these letters that ,i would speak1
 and of their varied appeals to one's   
pocket1 one's vanity1 the sense of      
gratitude and the feeling of anger4  ,as
 ,cowper said1 8,none but an author     

knows an author's cares10 and not the   
least of them is the number of letters  
he receives asking for money4 ,there is 
a rooted idea in the general mind that  
fame and fortune come immediately a     
writer publishes his first book4 ,a     
novelist is popularly supposed to be a  
man of affluence in the twentieth       
century1 just as in the eighteenth      
century he was known to be a pauper4    
8,all the vices of the gambler and of   
the beggar were blended with those of   
the author4 ,the prizes in the wretched 
lottery of bookmaking were scarcely less
 ruinous than the blanks4 ,if good      
fortune came1 it came in such a manner  
that it was almost certain to be abused4
 ,after months of starvation and        
despair1 a full third night or a        
well-received dedication filled the     
pocket of the lean1 ragged1 unwashed    
poet with guineas4444 ,a week of taverns
 soon qualified him for another year of 
night cellars40 ,well1 we have          
progressed since then certainly4 ,there 

are beds to sleep in1 food to eat and   
fire upon the hearth for most of us4    
,nevertheless the ordinary novelist is  
nearly always a poor man1 sometimes     
bitter poor4 ,i know what ,i am talking 
about and there is not an author1 agent 
or publisher who would not say the same4
 ,for the first book ,i ever wrote ,i   
received ten pounds1 and this was paid  
in two instalments4 ,until four years   
ago thirty pounds was the largest sum ,i
 had received for a long novel4  ,the   
word 8royalty0 has a fine sound4 ,it is 
a purple word and opens vistas to the   
outsider of luxury and ease4 ,yet in its
 literary application it is the biggest 
humbug and liar of a word that ever     
masqueraded for what it is not4 ,there  
are plenty of 8royalties0 that will not 
pay the third-class return fare between 
,london and ,penzance4 ,a great personal
 friend of mine1 a man of culture and   
real love of human event1 wrote his     
first novel three years ago4 ,he had    
something definite to say1 knew how to  

say it1 and had a first-rate plot4 ,for 
months and months ,i saw him toiling    
lovingly at his novel4 ,when it was     
written he found a publisher willing to 
produce it1 and it duly appeared4 ,in   
almost every case the reviews were      
extremely laudatory4 ,papers of position
 and weight praised it unreservedly1 to 
all appearances the book was a definite 
success--a minor success1 no doubt1 but 
a success4 ,from first to last his      
earnings realized five pounds1 and      
neither he nor ,i have reason to believe
 that his publisher cheated him in the  
matter of sales4 ,here is the written   
testimony of what ,i say1 given by an   
author who died after producing four or 
five really excellent and successful    
novels4  8,take1 then1 an unusually     
lucky instance1 literally a novel whose 
success is extraordinary1 a novel which 
has sold #bejj copies4 ,i repeat that   
this is an extraordinary success4 ,not  
one book out of fifteen will do as well4
 ,but let us consider it4 ,the author   

has worked upon it for--at the very     
least--six months4 ,it is published4    
,twenty-five hundred copies are sold4   
,then the sale stops4 ,and by the word  
stop one means cessation in the         
completest sense of the word4 ,there are
 people--,i know plenty of them--who    
suppose that when a book is spoken of as
 having stopped selling1 a generality is
 intended1 that merely a falling off of 
the initial demand has occurred4 ,error4
 ,when a book--a novel--stops selling1  
it stops with a definiteness of an      
engine when the fire goes out4 ,it stops
 with a suddenness that is appalling1   
and thereafter not a copy1 not one      
single1 solitary copy is sold4 ,and do  
not for an instant suppose that ever    
after the interest may be revived4 ,a   
dead book can no more be resuscitated   
than a dead dog4  8,but to go back4 ,the
 #bejj have been sold4 ,the             
extraordinary1 the marvellous has been  
achieved4 ,what does the author get out 
of it8 ,a royalty of ten per cent4      

,eighty-three pounds six shillings and  
eightpence for six months' hard work4   
,roughly less than #c #is4 #j;d4 a week4
 ,an expert carpenter will easily make  
much more than that1 and the carpenter  
has infinitely the best of it in that he
 can keep the work up year in and year  
out1 where the novelist must wait for a 
new idea1 and the novel writer must then
 jockey and manoeuvre for publication4  
,two novels a year is about as much as  
the writer can turn out and yet keep a  
marketable standard4 ,even admitting    
that both the novels sell #bejj copies  
there is only #aff #acs4 #d;d4 of       
profit4 ,one may well ask the question3 
,is fiction writing a money-making      
profession8  8,the astonishing thing    
about the affair is that a novel may    
make a veritable stir1 almost a         
sensation1 and yet fail to sell very    
largely4  8,there is so-and-so's book4  
,everywhere you go you hear about it4   
,your friends have read it4 ,it is in   
demand at the libraries4 ,you don't pick

 up a paper that does not contain a     
review of the story in question4 ,it is 
in the #8,book of the ,month' column4   
,it is even1 even--the pinnacle of      
achievement--in that shining roster1 the
 list of best sellers of the week4      
8,why1 of course1 the author is growing 
rich6 ,ah1 at last he has arrived6 ,no  
doubt he will build a country house out 
of his royalties4 ,lucky fellow2 one    
envies him4  8,catch him unawares and   
what is he doing8 ,as like as not       
writing unsigned book reviews at thirty 
shillings a week in order to pay his    
lodging bill--and glad of the chance40  
,this is absolutely and literally true4 
,yet novelists are perhaps more pestered
 than any other people by requests for  
help4 ,a writer who1 like myself1 can   
live in fair comfort by means of        
unceasing labour1 but is not even a     
well-to-do man1 to say nothing of a     
8wealthy one10 receives innumerable     
letters to which he is quite unable to  
reply as the applicants would wish1 but 

which are most distressing to read4 ,at 
a time when ,i certainly had not a      
hundred pounds in the world1 ,i received
 the following letter--of course ,i     
suppress the name and address4          
8---- ,vicarage1                        
8----shire4       8,,my ,,dear ,,sir1   
8,thank you a thousand times for ,when  
it was ,dark4 ,i am now      looking    
forward to ,friday1 when your next book 
begins in the      ,daily ,mail4 ,i have
 been reading about you to-day and have 
taken courage to ask your help4 ,you say
 #8,let nothing disturb      thee1' etc4
 ,how can ,i help it in such trouble as 
mine4 ,my      husband has failed in    
health from years of hard work1 and out 
of an income of under #bjj a year we are
 paying a curate      #ajj4 ,at this    
moment we are in extremes4 ,my boy is   
reading      for ,holy ,orders1 and we  
are in need of funds for his expenses4  
,he has been two years a licensed lay   
reader1 and is a thorough      ,catholic
 and has the highest testimonials4 ,will

 you help me in      my need to-day with
 a donation4 ,i can give references1 and
 for      any help ,i shall be so       
thankful4 ,please forgive me for        
troubling you40  ,i have no doubt that  
this appeal is quite genuine1 and a very
 poignant comment it is upon the way in 
which the priests of the ,church of     
,england are paid4 ,this type of letter 
is not a pleasant one to receive when   
one is sitting down to work4 ,the       
imagination with which one is endowed   
and by which one earns one's bread1 is  
not a faculty very easy to discipline or
 to control1 and the power which should 
be devoted to the chapter one is engaged
 upon wanders away and constructs a     
picture of want and sorrow which one is 
quite powerless to alleviate4  ,nor is  
it once or twice that such letters as   
this arrive4 ,here is a far more piteous
 document still1 if it is genuine4 ,i   
think that when you have read it you    
will agree with me that it is genuine   
enough4 ,there is nothing of the        

ordinary begging letter about it2 and if
 the writer could invent such a story1  
he ought not to be so hopelessly unable 
to earn a single halfpenny by his pen4  
,it is to be observed also that in this 
case the writer wants work1 not money4  
8,london1 ,n4       8,,dear ,,sir1      
8,about two years ago ,i arrived in     
,england from ,australia1 with      the 
object of striving to gain a footing in 
literature1 but so      far have been   
unsuccessful4 ,i have written two novels
 and      numerous short stories and    
articles1 but ,i have ever had them     
rejected1 and all ,i can show for my    
work is a pile of      publishers'      
letters4 ,my resources long since gave  
out1 and ,i      worked myself into the 
lowest poverty1 and then ,i was         
prostrated by a long illness4 ,knowing1 
sir1 that you have had      much to do  
with journalistic work1 ,i decided to   
write and ask      you if you knew of   
any one in the city--or elsewhere--to   
whom      you could refer me for some   

employment4 ,i am practically           
destitute1 and knowing no one in ,london
 makes it extremely      difficult for  
me to get anything to do4 ,about six    
months ago ,i      was turned out of my 
lodgings owing to arrears of rent1 and  
then ,i commenced tramping the country  
in the hope of getting      work4 ,i    
managed to get three weeks' hop-picking1
 but nothing      else1 and so for a    
while ,i tramped aimlessly about1 being 
exposed to all kinds of weather1        
sleeping in haystacks1 or      wherever 
else offered1 until at last my health   
again gave way4      ,it was then that  
,i called on a well-known novelist1 and 
he was      very kind and assisted me1  
at the same time expressing a wish      
to see my works4 ,they were sent for1   
and duly forwarded on to      his       
agents1 and ,i have been advised to     
write books for boys1      the agent    
expressing his opinion that ,i would    
succeed in this1      but as ,i am      
situated writing is out of the question4

 ,when ,i met      this novelist my     
health failed utterly1 and ,i was       
compelled to      go into the infirmary 
for a while1 and whilst there he wrote  
telling me to try and get some practice 
in journalistic work      and to study  
for a while until ,i gained a little    
more      experience4       8,i think he
 is out of ,england at present1 but he  
gave me      permission to use his      
letter as a reference if ,i needed it4  
,well1 sir1 ,i returned to ,london about
 a month ago1 and managed      to get a 
few days' work envelope addressing at   
,morgan and      ,scott's1 in           
,paternoster ,row1 but so far ,i have   
been unable to      find anything else  
to do4 ,i am very anxious to get some   
work      immediately1 and if you could 
help me in this ,i should be      indeed
 grateful4 ,i care not of what nature   
the employment may      be1 manual or   
otherwise1 if ,i can only get it at     
once4       8,apologizing for troubling 
you1      8,i am1     8,dear ,sir1      

8,yours faithfully40  ,some time ago a  
drawing appeared in the ,daily ,mail of 
a ,cornish cottage where ,i was then    
living4 ,within a week1 by a curious    
coincidence1 ,i received three          
water-colour drawings of the place1 made
 from the sketch in the newspaper4 ,two 
were excellent1 and accompanied by the  
kindest letters2 they hang on my walls  
now4 ,the third was by no means a work  
of art1 to say the very least of it1 and
 this letter came with it3--            
8,north ,kensington4       8,i am       
sending you a copy of the cottage ,i    
have painted from the      sketch in the
 ,daily ,mail of ,november #af last1 if 
you will      accept it4       8,i must 
explain that ,i am only a very poor hand
 at such work4      ,the fact of the    
matter is that through much illness and 
lost      trade that ,i am left very    
badly off1 and seeing the sketch        
and account of your work1 thought       
perhaps if ,i could paint a      few    
copies and you would introduce the      

matter to your many      friends ,i     
could sell some to them1 which would    
assist me to      earn something1 my    
health being bad and getting on to      
seventy      years of age it is not much
 ,i can do4 ,you will understand that   
,i do not know anything of the          
appearance of the country around        
the cottage4 ,i have not been in that   
part1 so all ,i have put in      is     
imaginary4 ,will you please say what you
 think to it1 and how      much you     
think ,i could sell them for4 ,i have   
not means to buy      canvas so have    
painted on card4 ,your kind assistance  
in this      matter will great oblige   
8,yours truly40  ,i have quoted but     
three letters from a vast pile of       
others4 8,que vivre est difficile  mon  
coeur fatigu60 says the ,french poet1   
and nobody knows it better than the     
,english novelist4 ,but with the best   
will in the world we cannot help        
everybody4 ,charity begins at home1 its 
sun rises there and should set abroad1  

but it is limited by the purse of the   
giver4 ,among all the contents of his   
post-bag such letters are the most      
distressing to the author1 and add      
enormously to a difficult and often very
 thankless task4  ,but such letters as  
these and all worries ejusdem generis   
are1 after all1 only a small portion of 
my post-bag4 ,during the last year or   
two ,i have received hundreds and       
hundreds of letters from all parts of   
the world--letters which have given me  
inexpressible happiness4 ,i think ,i may
 be forgiven for quoting some of them   
here4 ,the real reward of an author's   
labours lies in the sympathy and        
appreciation of his readers1 and in that
 alone4 ,when1 moreover1 a writer works 
with a definite object in view1 the     
purpose of leading others to believe    
what he himself believes1 such letters  
are indeed a strong stay and holdfast   
which console for any amount of         
misrepresentation and bring a veritable 
oil of joy for mourning4  ,a priest     

writes3--       8,,sir       8,i don't  
ask you because ,i know you will pardon 
a stranger for      addressing you1 and 
,i shall not say much4 ,and the little  
,i mean      to say ,i hardly know how  
to express4 ,some few years ago ,i was  
a vicar in----4 ,now ,i am sick in body 
and soul4 ,i had lost all      my faith1
 but ,i have been reading ,made in ,his 
,image1 and      to-day ,i prayed for   
the first time for more than a year1 and
      tears came1 and ,i don't know if  
you heard my voice calling to      you4 
8,i should like to see you4 ,can it be8 
8,yours1     8,,de ,,profundis40  ,a    
gentleman from ,hull tells me3--        
8,,dear ,,sir1       8,you will please  
pardon the intrusion of this letter4 ,i 
am a      ,sunday ,school teacher1 and  
have been a ,christian for three        
years4       8,a month ago1 as a result 
of reading the ,clarion and ,haeckel1   
,i became disturbed in my mind1 and     
wished to resign my class4 ,i           
sought the assistance of my minister4   

,instead of answering my      doubts    
himself he placed a copy of ,when it was
 ,dark in my      hand1 telling me to   
read it prayerfully1 and go to him      
again4      ,the following evening ,i   
completed the reading of a book whose   
influence will live with me4 ,my dear   
sir1 ,i feel ,i cannot thank      you   
half enough1 and ,i shall never cease to
 thank ,god that the      book was      
written4       8,i saw my minister1 not 
with any doubts this time1 but with my  
faith renewed1 and with a fixed         
determination to work harder      for my
 ,divine ,master4       8,i expect you  
will receive many letters expressing    
thanks1 but      ,i cannot refrain from 
adding my humble testimony4             
8,allow me to remain1 sir1       8,yours
 very faithfully40  ,and here is another
 kind letter from ,bridgewater1 again   
from a man3--       8,,dear #8,,mr4     
,,thorne1'       8,will you please      
accept my best thanks for your book1    
,when it      was ,dark4 ,i started to  

read it as one distinctly prejudiced    
against it1 but ,i finished the last    
page saying1 #8,it is      wonderful4'  
,i only wish that those who condemn it  
would read it      for themselves and   
see the forcible manner in which you    
have      depicted what the world would 
be if the ,resurrection was a      myth4
 ,faith cannot but be strengthened by   
reading it1 and the      coming         
,eastertide will be more real to me     
through having read      ,when it was   
,dark4       8,wishing you every success
 and happiness40  ,from ,brantford in   
far-away ,canada this letter reaches    
me3--       8,,dear ,,sir ,,and         
,,friend1       8,after reading your    
splendid edition1 ,when it was ,dark1 ,i
      take this manner in addressing4   
,the book impressed me very      greatly
 from start to finish1 and it always    
will be henceforth      a great         
pleasure1 and ,i am sure a great help1  
to read your      publications4 ,we     
greatly need in this world to-day good  

strong      men who will set forth their
 thoughts in a fearless manner4         
,this is in a very large measure the way
 the book appealed to      me4          
8,it is with a great deal of sincere    
pleasure ,i note in the----             
,magazine 7which publication is in our  
home7 for a coming issue      the       
beginning of one of ,guy ,thorne's      
stories4 ,the writer is a      young man
 of twenty years and a ,methodist1 and  
presume ,i am      taking up too much of
 a good man's time4 ,but ,i might say my
      idea in writing was to convey from
 a ,canadian my thanks for the      good
 which ,i have received1 and many others
 in our city1 from      the reading of  
this one work4       8,wishing you every
 success in your work1       8,yours    
sincerely40  ,from ,brixton3--          
8,,dear ,,sir1       8,among the shoals 
of letters which doubtless you now      
receive      may ,i place this1 so that 
,i may thank you for the invaluable     
work which you are doing in writing your

 novels4       8,the article in to-day's
 ,daily ,mail shows me that you have    
grasped the ideal which ,i have tried to
 attain since my teens      7three      
years74       8,i am one of the lonely  
digits in #8diggins1' who either fall or
      rise1 according to the company    
they keep4 ,i have thus found      that 
religion is to man what the rudder is to
 the crew of a      ship4       8,i have
 regularly attended church since my     
exile1 and delight      to hear the     
beautiful service of the ,english       
,church4 ,are they      not precious    
words and inspiring4 ,the service       
effectually      clears me of that ugly 
black cloak of worldliness which clings 
to me during the working days4          
8,this1 ,i believe1 is the lesson which 
you are engraving so well      on the   
minds of all people4       8,i conclude 
with the wish that your pen will ever   
respond to      the spirit which now    
animates you40  ,again from a far       
country1 this time near ,east ,guzna1   

,w4 ,tarsus1 ,cilicia3--       8,,my    
,,dear ,,sir1       8,for weeks ,i have 
wanted to write and thank you for your  
book1      ,when it was ,dark1 but ,i   
have been laid aside with fever4 ,it    
stirs thousands of us1 and you must feel
 thankful as you look      round to see 
the success which is granted you in     
drawing people      to ponder upon      
subjects of such weight4 ,you will like 
to know      that ,i have spread your   
book right and left in ,cyprus1 having  
obtained three copies1 one of which ,i  
sent to a ,judge4       8,your account  
of the ride to ,nablous is a vivid word 
picture1      and you must1 ,i think1 be
 familiar with the ,east4       8,may ,i
 say that ,i find a dignity and vivacity
 in your book1      dealing as you do   
with so solemn and glorious a subject as
 our      ,lord's ,resurrection1 which  
,i firmly hold1 and have been           
accustomed to put in the forefront of my
 teaching as missionary      both in    
,australia and ,russia4       8,at      

present my work lies in ,cyprus1 where  
,i find good      opportunities of      
helping on friendliness with the ,greek 
,church4       8,i am now on holiday1   
and have just given away my last copy of
      ,when it was ,dark while staying  
in the ,carmelite ,monastery at         
,haiffa1 with those charming ,french    
,pres1 to an ,american canon      who   
was also there4       8,sir1 what ,i    
want to do is to suggest that you should
 have your      book translated into    
,french and ,german4 ,i lent it to a    
,french      engineer a month ago1 and  
,i feel sure it would do good in those  
countries4 ,think this out4 ,you might  
take the advice of some      competent  
friend4       8,i should like to do the 
translating myself1 but ,i should make  
so many mistakes1 ,magna est veritas1 et
 prvalebit4       8,have sent home for  
,a ,lost ,cause1 and am expecting       
another      treat1 with some salt of   
sarcasm4       8,with sincere respect   
and gratitude40  ,my kind               

correspondent's idea has been carried   
out1 ,i am glad to say4 ,the book in    
question has been translated into       
,french and ,german and several other   
languages4 ,and in this regard ,i may   
perhaps mention the surprise ,i have    
felt on learning that the ,french issue 
has already gone into three editions4 ,i
 am in ,france a good deal each year1   
and know something of the temper of the 
reading public there to-day4 ,i had not 
thought that many people would read the 
book4  ,from ,san ,remo1 in ,italy1 this
 letter comes3--       8,,dear ,,sir1   
8,i read last week ,when it was ,dark   
and wish each of my      children to    
have a copy1 as it will show them what  
the      ,christian ,faith means to the 
world4 ,i still hold to the simple      
faith of my childhood taught me by my   
dear parents1 which      carried each   
through a peaceful death-bed4 ,our      
,heavenly      ,father1 the ,king of    
kings and the only ,ruler of princes1   
sacrificed ,his beloved ,son for ,his   

people1 and allowed ,his      cruel     
death1 knowing that in the future the   
thought of ,his      terrible sufferings
 would touch the hearts of most and     
often      keep them from sinning4 ,i   
have never doubted ,his                 
,resurrection1 neither would ,i allow   
any person to suggest that      doubt in
 my presence4 ,and to me the convincing 
proof that ,he      was indeed the ,son 
of ,god is1 that ,he rose again from the
 dead1      ,he ascended to ,heaven and 
sitteth on the right hand of ,his       
,father--,god only could possess this   
power4 ,how very lax we are      apt to 
become and take as our due that great   
sacrifice4       8,i send to ,mr4 ,guy  
,thorne my little testimony and best    
wishes1      as ,i cannot thank him     
personally for reminding me so fully    
how dark it would indeed be for us all  
had we not our beloved      ,saviour    
always ready and willing to intercede   
with ,his ,holy      ,father for us poor
 erring mortals4 ,some one said to me1  

of      course ,guy ,thorne makes a good
 thing out of his book4 ,i      replied1
 certainly1 it is his due to be paid for
 the labour of      his brain1 and in   
this case he fully deserves it1 as he   
might      have written a book leading  
many farther away instead of            
bringing them nearer to the ,cross4     
,also the interesting style      of     
,when it was ,dark will induce many to  
read it4 ,whereas1 if      it were very 
dry1 none of us would wade half         
through40  ,an old clergyman in ,wales  
writes thus3--       8,rectory1 ,brecon4
       8,,dear ,,sir1       8,i am      
seventy2 at seventeen ,i had read more  
novels and other      literature than   
nine out of ten lads of my age4 ,for    
years past      ,i can't read novels4   
,my daughters sometimes induce me to    
start      one1 but after a couple of   
chapters ,i throw it on one side        
feeling strongly inclined to exclaim    
with ,conan ,doyle's      school-boy1   
#8,rot4'       8,after reading the ,life

 of ,father ,dolling1 one of my married 
daughters brought me ,when it was ,dark1
 which ,i promised to      read1 and    
enjoyed it very much4 ,my wife devoured 
it4       8,this won't interest you very
 much1 but the following fact may4      
,a few days after finishing your book   
our rural      post-messenger--an old   
army man--we live quite in the          
country--came to me1 quite              
confidentially1 and said he had a       
book he was quite sure ,i should enjoy2 
he produced it--it was      ,when it was
 ,dark6 ,poor fellow6 he seemed so      
disappointed when      he found ,i had  
read it4 ,a fortnight ago an ,irish lady
 and her      daughter stayed with us4  
,they were good church women4 ,they     
left me a book for perusal4 ,it is ,a   
,lost ,cause4 ,i have read      it and  
enjoyed it4 ,it reminds me of ,father   
,dolling and ,kensit      and ,son4     
8,i hope you will give us many more4 ,we
 want ,catholic truth      placed before
 people in an attractive dress4 ,we want

 to break      down the great wall of   
,protestant ignorance and prejudice4    
,your      books are doing this4        
8,don't heed letters in the ,daily      
,press4 ,i saw a letter in the          
,daily ,mail4 ,these letters are only a 
proof that your books      are telling4 
,go straight forward and may every      
success and      blessing attend your   
efforts4 ,this is the earnest wish of   
8,yours truly40  ,i was intensely       
interested to receive this letter from  
,india3--                               
8---- ,mission1                         
8,madras1                               
8,south ,india4       8,,dear ,,sir1    
8,as you are not unwilling to receive   
letters from strangers1      perhaps    
this from a distant land might not be   
unacceptable to      you4 ,i am a       
missionary and have not read two novels 
during the      last five years 7but    
thousands before then71 but a friend of 
mine having read your ,when it was ,dark
 persuaded me to read      it4       8,i

 was greatly interested in the first few
 pages describing the      scenes of my 
birth and young manhood4 ,i suppose     
,walktown is      meant for ----1 if so1
 ,i was born in that part of ,salford1  
and      although ,i belonged to ,st4   
---- ,church1 ,i attended very          
frequently ,st4 ---- as the senior      
church of the district4       8,i       
enclose an account of my conversion     
which will no doubt      interest you4  
,i have thought many a time that it     
would be an      admirable theme for a  
novel4 ,there are many other incidents  
in      my life that would lend         
interest1 especially my association     
with some of the most notorious         
anarchists of ,england and the          
,continent1 and ,america1 ,i was also a 
journalist on the      ,clarion1 and a  
bosom friend of ,robert ,blatchford for 
fourteen      years1 ,john ,burns1 the  
new ,cabinet ,minister1 slept at my     
house      when he was an unemployed    
mechanic in #ahhe4 ,i was personally    

acquainted with ,mrs4 ,annie ,besant for
 many years1 and now she      is here in
 ,madras1 the head-quarters of the      
,theosophical      ,society4 ,i have    
renewed my acquaintance with her4       
8,i have come to think that much good   
might be done by treating      of sacred
 subjects in the form that you have     
done1 as you can      by this means     
reach the minds and souls of those      
millions whom      the ,church cannot   
reach4       8,the ,university here is  
turning out educated ,hindus who1 having
      parted with their heathenism have 
taken up ,western scepticism      in its
 place1 and our ,christian ,missionaries
 are helpless to      avert it1 the     
youth here are swamped by the cheap     
,rationalist      reprints4 ,could we   
but supply them with novels of ,western 
life      showing up the folly of       
,haeckel1 ,blatchford1 ,spencer and     
,co41      in the manner you have done1 
it would be a powerful                  
counter-attraction4       8,yours in    

,him we love4       8,p4,s4--,the       
,british people also need a novel that  
will show up      #8,blatchfordism1' and
 you now have the ear of the reading    
public40  ,it is curious that in many of
 the letters ,i receive ,mr4 ,robert    
,blatchford's name is mentioned4 ,with  
some minds his writings have great power
 and influence1 probably ,i imagine     
because of their real sincerity of      
purpose4 ,it is the more cheering to    
know that an honest effort to render the
 ,incarnation increasingly credible to  
the man in the street is not without    
reward4 ,it is as difficult for me to   
disbelieve in the fact that ,christ was 
,god as it is difficult for ,mr4        
,blatchford to believe it4 ,where one   
man sees a landscape the other sees only
 a map4 ,but there are1 nevertheless1 a 
great many people who deny the ,catholic
 ,faith because1 while they desire to   
retain the name of ,christians1 they are
 unwilling to accept the obligations of 
,christianity4 ,and while looking about 

for something to believe1 a necessity of
 the human soul1 they either find it in 
,mrs4 ,eddy and other false prophets1 or
 finally join issue with the editor of  
the ,clarion4  ,an author's letter-bag  
is always full of surprises1 and such a 
correspondence as ,i am privileged to   
receive often entails a vast amount of  
extra work4 ,but it is almost impossible
 not to reply to at least two-thirds of 
the letters that reach one1 and though  
reply sometimes leads to a lengthy      
interchange of letters all are helpful  
and encourage one to continue1 while    
some are full of the most illuminating  
suggestions4  ,of this the following    
letter from one of the ,canons of       
,durham ,cathedral is a typical         
example3--       8,,dear ,,sir1         
8,in your coming story ,i hope you will 
lay stress on the fact      that our    
#8higher' education is practically a    
,pagan one4 ,all      ,university       
honours1 fellowships1 scholarships1     
prizes are for      proficients in      

,pagan literature2 interesting 7for some
 people74      ,beautiful in language as
 this literature is1 it lacks the       
spirit and power of the ,christian      
,faith4 ,the common rooms smell      of 
,plato and ,aristotle4 ,there is no     
cross in a ,don's life1 as      such1   
though a few rise above the normal      
standard4       8,this system filters   
through the public schools down to the  
smallest private schools1 in most of    
which the daily bread1 the              
upholding of ,christ as ,saviour1       
teacher1 master1 example and      king  
is left out4       8,at ,eton1 where ,i 
was myself1 religious teaching did not  
exist4      ,we had ,sunday questions of
 which one specimen will suffice1       
given to my nephew the other day4       
8#8,of what judge is a curious incident 
recorded and what was the               
incident8' ,the result of this is       
far-reaching and deplorable4       8,in 
,parliament the members assemble by     
troops to hear about      some personal 

scandal1 but when the happiness of      
,english      girlhood is in question   
there is hardly a #8house4' ,and so with
      other questions that concern the  
personal holiness and      happiness of 
our men and women and children4         
8,forgive me for this taking up of your 
time1 but your pen may      do what ,i  
feel myself unable to do40  ,i have     
received a good many letters from       
clergymen endorsing the views ,i        
expressed in my book called ,first it   
was ,ordained1 views which ,i have      
consolidated in the previous essay1     
8,the ,fires of ,moloch40 ,i give only  
one example owing to reasons of space4  
,in view1 however1 of the strong        
opposition which exists1 and of which ,i
 have had plenty of evidence1 to any    
attempt to tell the truth1 the following
 short letter1 which is typical of many 
others1 was a great pleasure to get3--  
8,the ,clergy ,house1                   
8---- ,e4,c4       8,may ,i say how much
 ,i have enjoyed your last book8 ,first1

 c4      ,it was hard to put it down    
without finishing it straight off4      
8,i hope it will do a power of good to  
stop the fearful and      widespread    
sin4       8,i do not think it at all   
too outspoken4 ,the ,bishop of ,london  
is quite plain on the matter4 ,i believe
 a learned gyncologist      has an      
article supporting the statements made  
in his speech1 in      last month's     
,nineteenth ,century40  ,i began by     
complaining that my post-bag often      
contained distressing letters asking for
 help which ,i was generally unable to  
supply4 ,when ,i read over the          
correspondence which ,i have printed    
here ,i feel that ,i ought to regard my 
letter-box as a coffer of treasure1 that
 my postman is indeed that same ,hermes 
who brought the magic herb to ,odysseus1
 my letters--      8--,wing'd postilions
 that can fly     ,from the ,atlantic to
 the ,arctic sky--     ,the heralds and 
swift harbingers that move     ,from    
,east to ,west on embassies of love40   

,i only made what at the time ,i thought
 was a very small collection to print   
here--just a thin bundle taken from     
hundreds4 ,yet already ,i find that a   
third of the little pile has nearly     
filled my space and ,i fear that my     
readers will weary1 even if they have   
read so far4  8,the man is printing his 
testimonials like a pill-maker60 ,i can 
hear ,meletus snarl4 8,who cares whether
 a few stupid people do like his        
twaddle60 ,lycom answers4 ,yet bear with
 me a little1 brethren2 you need not    
have read this paper1 you know4 ,laugh  
if you will2 laughter is the great agent
 that preserves a sense of proportion   
among us1 and the man who laughs sounds 
the keynote of tolerance4 ,but laugh    
kindly1 remembering the vanity of       
authors and the wish of all of us to    
stand well with the world4  ,my post-bag
 day by day contains a certain missive  
which is not a letter4 ,it is a little  
green1 printed wrapper which most       
authors1 painters1 players1 and         

musicians are in the habit of           
receiving--it is the batch of           
press-cuttings which show how the       
critics regard my books and what the    
paragraphists have to say4 ,the critics 
are always being criticized by authors4 
,mr4 ,jones gravely points out the duty 
of appreciating his work that the       
reviewer owes to literature4 ,nor is it1
 as ,mr4 ,birrell pointed out1 in the   
days when he wrote delightful essays and
 had not been forced to dance to the    
dictates of political dissent1 the      
unsuccessful author who is the loudest  
in complaint4 ,the beginner1 the men and
 women who cannot say as yet that they  
have achieved a definite position1 these
 seem to have digested the poet         
laureate's neat advice--      8,friend1 
be not fretful if the voice of fame1    
,along the narrow way of hurrying men1  
,whereunto echo echo shouts again1      
,be all day long not noisy with your    
name40  ,but others are not so reticent4
 ,for my part ,i cannot understand the  

attitude of the novelist who publishes  
shouts of resentment at criticism which 
is not to his liking--remember1 in view 
of what ,i am going to say later1 that  
,i use the word criticism4 ,the other   
day1 while on a journey to the ,riviera1
 ,i bought a copy of ,miss ,marie       
,corelli's last book of essays1 in      
,paris4 ,i read it through the night    
until ,i fell asleep1 and when the sun  
flooded the olive trees ,i took it up   
once more1 and finished it just as we   
ran into ,marseilles4 ,i suppose that   
this lady is the most popular writer of 
the day4 ,she is a great modern force2  
she reaches an enormous audience1 and   
speaks straight to their hearts4 ,i have
 heard dozens of men and women say that 
they prefer her to any author alive or  
dead4 ,now this is surely to be in a    
very splendid position1 is it not8 ,why1
 then1 should a woman whose talents have
 won for her such place and power1 print
 an angry1 comprehensive1 and ,i am     
afraid sometimes1 spiteful indictment of

 all critics8 ,i can't see her reason4  
,destouches wrote3--      8,la plainte  
est pour le fat1 le bruit est pour le   
sot2     ,l'honnte homme hue s'loigne et
 ne dit mot60  ,miss ,corelli assumes   
that all the reviewers are venal and    
dishonest1 and that because they do not 
praise her books1 books which are so    
influential and popular1 they are bad   
critics4 ,reviewers1 take them all in   
all1 are nothing of the sort4 ,i have   
written hundreds of book reviews4 ,i    
have reviewed for the ,saturday ,review1
 the ,academy1 and the ,bookman1 among  
other journals4 ,therefore you may      
assume that ,i met plenty of other      
critics1 and know their polity and ways4
 ,we were all honest enough in those    
days--that ,i say without any doubt at  
all4 ,i remember ,mr4 ,frank ,harris1   
the then editor of the ,saturday1 giving
 me a certain novel to review1 and      
expressing himself with great point and 
freedom about it4 ,as ,i was leaving his
 room he called me back1 and said1 as   

well as ,i can remember his words1      
8,remember that this is only my point of
 view1 and what ,i want in this case is 
yours4 ,you may like the stuff1 and if  
you do1 of course you will say so40  ,i 
didn't like it1 and said so1 but ,i have
 never forgotten the incident4  ,as ,i  
said in the beginning of this paper1    
directly my stories began to be occupied
 with religion as the force1 qui fait le
 monde  la ronde1 some of the critics   
began to be unkind4 ,but what on earth  
is the use of wasting one's own time1   
and the time of the public1 in fussing  
and complaining8 ,the people who said   
this about my work were quite sincere4  
,their opinion is quite as good as mine1
 however much ,i don't agree with it4   
,quot homines tot sententi4 ,my business
 is to earn a living for myself and for 
those who are dependent on me4 ,thank   
,god ,i can do so4 ,my duty is to hammer
 away at the doctrines in which ,i      
believe1 and endeavour to get others to 
believe in them4 ,therefore ,i must not 

8call or cry aloud40 ,i must go on doing
 what ,i am doing1 and doing it sans    
ranune4  ,remember1 and ,i wish ,miss   
,corelli1 for example1 could see this   
also1 that criticism of novels in our   
day is a purely literary criticism4 ,the
 theory of modern criticism is that ,art
 is a thing by itself and owes no duty  
to ,ethics4 ,the reason for ,art is1    
art4 ,ten years ago ,i think ,i would   
almost have gone to the stake for this  
doctrine4 ,i believed in it devoutly2 ,i
 couldn't be patient1 even1 in the      
presence of any one who argued          
otherwise4 ,i well remember the         
indignant anger with which ,i repudiated
 the suggestion of my father1 a         
clergyman1 that when ,i grew older and  
had suffered1 when ,i came into real    
contact with the great central facts of 
life1 ,i should think very differently4 
,he was perfectly right4 ,art is the    
essential part of fiction1 but it is not
 destroyed because it is employed as the
 handmaid of an ethical standpoint4     

,but this truth is no reason for        
8answering back0 the critics who do not 
appreciate it4 ,nothing is quite        
true--except ,the ,incarnation--a nave  
statement you may call it1 but as a     
corollary of the epigram1 true too6 ,it 
is better1 by far1 to realize that      
modern criticism is most valuable from  
the purely literary point of view1 and  
yet that the purely literary point of   
view is only one side of the model the  
artist must study before he learns how  
to draw4  ,therefore1 when any critic   
tells me of this or that fault in       
technique1 ,i take his expert opinion   
for what it is worth--an expert         
opinion--and try to learn from his      
criticism4 ,i try to learn and do       
better4 ,when the post-bag discloses a  
criticism obviously animated by personal
 prejudice or dictated by the religious 
politics of the paper in which it       
appears1 ,i grin and bear it--though ,i 
don't like it6--and console myself with 
the verse composed by the ,american poet

 whose critics were always unfair1 or at
 least he said so--      8,the cow is in
 the garden1     ,the cat is in the     
lake1     ,the pig is in the hammock1   
,what difference does it make60  ,no    
author1 who has a public at all1 suffers
 from criticism which is fair or even   
from criticism which is unfair4  ,an    
author is not well advised in publicly  
answering or combating either4  ,when   
,disraeli said that the critics were the
 8people who had failed in literature   
and art10 he forgot that bad wine often 
makes excellent vinegar4 ,i am quite    
certain that ,i have never suffered in  
the suffrages of my readers--and so in  
pocket6--from hostile criticism4 ,and ,i
 have had any amount of it--the little  
green wrapper is not always pleasant    
reading4 ,but ,i have never shouted out 
that ,i have been personally hurt or    
wounded by hostile criticism1 and ,i    
certainly never shall4 ,the days are    
past when the ,quarterly could kill     
,keats1 and the days have not arrived   

when the reprobatory finger which is    
sometimes wagged at one can take one's  
bread-and-butter away4  ,but            
sometimes--and now1 please1 ,i unsheathe
 my toy sword1 or at least flourish my  
cane--the postman brings something that 
cannot hurt one seriously1 though it    
stings4 ,this something is not criticism
 at all4 ,it stings1 not because of the 
actual attempt--even the smallest plants
 cannot grow unhampered by insect       
life--but because1 puny as it may be1 it
 is so manifestly unfair4 ,in this      
regard ,i can sympathize with ,miss     
,corelli because1 however the critics   
may write of her books from the literary
 pedestal1 they sometimes write of her1 
from a shelter trench1 in a very        
different way4  ,one morning ,i read a  
little sneer about myself which was     
entirely without justification or       
explanation4 ,it occurred in a ,catholic
 magazine1 which ,i will call ,the      
,thesaurus1 dated ,june #aijf1 and was  
written by the editor1 who may be       

designated as the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,roget4    
,here it is3--       8,perhaps one of   
those authors whom the public           
love--,miss      ,corelli1 ,mr4 ,hall   
,caine1 or ,mr4 #8,guy ,thorne#8--may be
 preparing      a novel with the        
education controversy as its theme4 ,in 
that      case1 one can only hope       
devoutly that the ,bishop of ,london    
will      not think it advisable to     
advertise the book from the pulpit4     
,yet if one could only have heard a     
frank opinion of ,when it      was ,dark
 expressed by the last ,bishop of       
,london--,dr4      ,creighton--that     
would indeed have been a joy40  ,the    
,thesaurus is a pleasant little magazine
 devoted to quite innocuous fiction and 
articles4 ,it has1 in the number ,i     
quote above1 nine pages of              
advertisements1 an article called 8,in  
the ,engadine10 a 8,few hints on church 
embroidery10 a very happily named story 
called 8,in a ,dull ,moment10 etc1 etc4 
,indeed it could not hurt a fly4 ,i say 

this much1 not because ,i have any      
dislike for this nice little periodical1
 but in order to point out that in      
answering its editor's remarks about me1
 ,i am not endeavouring to become known 
to the world1 and to advertise myself by
 the endeavour to link my name to its   
editor's4  ,there is a certain sort of  
hurried and sporadic writing which is   
not criticism1 but is irresponsible     
nonsense set down to fill a page no less
 than to gratify a prejudice4  ,it's all
 give and take in literary polemics4    
,people are always going for one in the 
press1 and very often with perfect      
justice4 ,but when one reads remarks    
like those ,i have quoted1 and remarks  
written by a ,mr4 ,roget1 then1 if it   
amuses one1 there is at least a text for
 a small monition4  ,miss ,marie        
,corelli is very well able to look after
 herself4 ,however much ,mr4 ,roget may 
endeavour to pillory this lady in his   
8,study ,window10 ,i don't suppose she  
cares4 ,she is a great modern force2    

,mr4 ,roget isn't4 ,mr4 ,hall ,caine    
will not1 ,i imagine1 try to stop being 
one of the authors 8whom the public     
love0 because of the editor of ,the     
,thesaurus4 ,nor have ,i1 the humblest  
person in the trilogy1 yet suffered4    
,and1 believe me1 it is not because ,i  
personally care much that ,i am writing 
like this1 nor is ,mr4 ,roget any armed 
assassin in a narrow path4 ,but such an 
one ought to be laughed at a little1    
because he is typical of a class of     
young men who should be taught the      
economy of reserve4  ,mr4 ,roget did not
 explain his reasons for attacking me1  
though ,i1 quite frankly1 give mine for 
attacking him4 ,but as--through the     
lamentable chances of war--my remarks   
will be read by a great many more folk  
than his were read by1 we are quits1 and
 ,i can start fair1 though with all the 
rigour of the game4  ,the ,editor in his
 paragraph not only states that he      
himself does not like one of my         
stories--i4 e41 ,when it was ,dark1 but 

implies that the ,bishop of ,london was 
not justified in liking it1 and saying  
that he liked it in public4  ,it is     
quite within ,mr4 ,roget's right not to 
like the book--thousands of people      
didn't like it4 ,but what are his       
functions for sneering at it with       
confidence and weight8  ,first of all   
his age is thirty-six1 and he is the    
editor of ,the ,thesaurus4  ,we can     
dismiss those qualifications at once4   
,then he is the ,vicar of a             
,worcestershire church1 and a well-known
 writer of light verse4  ,he began his  
journalistic career in #ahij by         
contributing 8turnovers0 to the ,globe1 
has contributed to ,punch and ,the      
,nineteenth ,century1 is a leader writer
 on a ,church paper1 and reviews        
theological books4  ,this is his        
journalistic career1 and he has written 
seven little books in all1 mostly verse4
 ,i take these particulars from ,who's  
,who4  ,all this is very well4 ,it is a 
good thing for all of us to be in ,who's

 ,who1 though1 by the way1 it does the  
latter-day 8celebrity0 more harm to be  
out of it than it does him good to be in
 it6  ,mr4 ,roget's record for a young  
clergyman of thirty-six is honourable   
enough4 ,he has done better for himself 
than most young priests of that age4    
,but this does not constitute him 8,an  
author whom the public love10 etc4  ,i  
am very glad to find my own name in the 
fat red book1 which is so useful1 though
 in my little autobiography ,i never    
thought it necessary to mention the     
first 8turnover40 ,i certainly did      
venture to say that one of my stories   
had sold #cjj1jjj copies2 but that was  
probably vanity1 and ,i regret it4      
,but1 to be serious1 has my critic done 
as much in journalism or the literary   
world as your deponent8 ,i'm not going  
to catalogue my work any more1 but1     
frankly1 he has not4 ,all ,i ask1 with  
proper humility1 is just this--,is this 
gentleman qualified to sneer at me--not 
to criticize me1 which is quite another 

thing--just because the public have     
approved of what ,i have tried to sell  
them and have bought it8  ,in sneering  
at me he sneers at the public1 whose    
taste ,i have been fortunate enough to  
please1 and whose opinion of what ,i    
have to sell has lifted me and those who
 are dear to me from poverty to comfort4
 ,i have worked enormously4 ,i have put 
all ,i have got in me into my work1 and 
,i feel that work honestly done has been
 honestly rewarded4 ,if ,i could write  
better than ,i do1 ,i should be very    
happy4 ,i know perfectly well how       
inadequate my work is1 but ,i know what 
this 8critic0 of mine does not know1 and
 has not inquired into1 how much it     
costs me to do it and how deeply ,i     
believe in what ,i say4  ,and does not  
,mr4 ,roget also seek the suffrages of  
the public8 ,in the same issue of ,the  
,thesaurus to which ,i have referred    
above1 he uses the phrase 8444us who are
 trying to make an income out of        
literature40  ,of course1 he is trying  

to be 8one of those authors10 etc4 ,he  
admits it4 ,he tells us he is trying to 
make an income out of the public4 ,and  
yet1 while he is doing this1 he insults 
the public for preferring 8those other  
authors0--or1 at least1 that's how one  
can hardly help taking it6  ,moreover he
 is a priest as well as a literary man4 
,as a literary man1 ,i attack one who   
has not yet shown himself to have the   
slightest right to sneer at people who  
write--whatever their literary faults   
may seem to him--always on the side of  
good1 with a belief in the saving power 
of the ,christian faith1 and in the same
 hope as that in which he writes4  ,a   
million people read one of ,miss        
,corelli's books1 and they pay her to do
 so4  ,two hundred people listen to one 
of ,mr4 ,roget's sermons1 and he is paid
 to preach them4 ,but do authors go down
 into ,worcestershire and sneer at the  
sermon of the priest because his own    
congregation love to hear him8  ,this is
 the first time in my life that ,i have 

ever answered any one who has written   
unkindly of me4 ,and it will be the     
last4 ,literary criticism is a thing    
done by specialists1 and with every     
right on their side4 ,literary criticism
 is in the main correct4 ,when ,i       
publish a book1 and a literary writer   
points out this or that fault1 ,i am    
myself literary man enough to know that 
he has put his finger on the weak spot  
nine times out of ten4 ,then ,i try     
again4 ,i have said this before4  ,but  
mere unqualified contempt on the part of
 one who has not been able to qualify   
himself to express any contempt of value
 for public judgment deserves remark4   
,and now it is necessary to say a word  
about this gentleman's reprobation of   
the ,bishop of ,london's sermons about  
,when it was ,dark4 ,it is not a nice   
thing to have to say1 but this young    
clergyman is typical of a small tribe   
which make it necessary for me to say   
it4  ,the obvious suggestion is that ,i 
went out of my way to induce the ,bishop

 of ,london to advertise one of my      
books4 ,that is not the case4  ,i have  
never met the ,bishop of ,london in my  
life4 ,i have never even seen him4 ,i   
have had one letter from him about my   
book1 which ,i will not quote here1 but 
which ,i will send ,mr4 ,roget whenever 
he asks for it4 ,it is the only         
communication ,i have ever had from him4
 ,neither directly nor indirectly did ,i
 attempt to get the bishop to advertise 
me4  ,yet his lordship preached about   
the book six or seven times--once in    
,westminster ,abbey4 ,he advised his    
ordination candidates to read it1 and in
 his addresses to these                 
gentlemen--subsequently published in    
book form--the passage remains4  ,the   
late ,bishop of ,truro advised the      
clergy to read it in several diocesan   
meetings4 ,he also wrote a long signed  
article in a great ,london daily paper  
about my books1 in which he said3--     
8,a story written by ,guy ,thorne1 who  
has proved his gift and its             

purpose1 may well touch the sore place  
of our race with a hand      that is    
more human than statistics and more     
sympathetic than      many              
organizations40  ,dr4 ,gott is just dead
 as ,i write this4 ,i have many letters 
from him4 ,in one of them--which again  
,i will not quote1 but which ,i will    
send my critic for his private reading  
when he asks for it--his lordship said  
that the book had helped him greatly4   
,there have been thousands of personal  
letters from readers about this one     
book4 ,dozens of them were from         
clergymen1 from pastors of the          
,nonconformist and also the ,anglican   
,churches4 ,all this also ,i have said  
before1 and the half-dozen letters which
 ,i have quoted have their own value1   
bear their own witness4  ,one of the    
greatest ,nonconformist divines of      
,england preached about the book4       
,there--,i have said enough4 ,it is     
sickening to have to say it4 ,but ,mr4  
,roget leaves one no alternative4 ,he is

 not fair4 ,for some reason or other--,i
 do not know or care what it is1 for he 
is an utter stranger to me--he takes    
this line4 ,in the same issue of his    
magazine he writes of the ,president of 
the ,congregational ,union--8,mr4       
,jowett's presidential address1 as well 
as the speeches which followed it1 were 
not remarkable1 to say the least1 for   
the charity of language used about the  
,church4 ,all the old sectarian         
bitterness was expressed in the usual   
way40  444,i have been writing for many 
hours4 ,the snow was blowing in from the
 ,channel over the ,south ,foreland when
 ,i began4 ,the sky was a great         
pewter-coloured dome from which ,mother 
,hulda's feathers were falling1 when ,i 
took up the pen4  ,as the day waxed     
there came a faint1 yellow1 and almost  
menacing gleam of sunshine1 and as it   
waned the leaden-grey grew black1 and   
night came silently over the landscape  
until at last she opened her great      
funereal black fan4  ,they brought me   

lamps and set them on my table4 ,those  
who love me and look after me came      
noiselessly up the stairs1 silently into
 the room and put logs upon the study   
fire and left me alone once more4  ,it  
is nearly midnight1 and the winter wind 
pipes sadly outside this old ,kentish   
house1 so remote from other habitations1
 so renowned in the annals of the       
,channel cliffs4 ,with all its faults1  
all its egoisms1 take this last essay in
 my first book of essays1 and do not    
think hardly of me4 ,forgive what you   
discern here of petulance1 of arrogance1
 and of conceit4 ,i have done my day's  
labour1 and ,i have tried to be sincere4
 ,i have done my day's labour1 and now  
,i am going to descend to an old room1  
with its oaken beams and aroma of the   
past1 to take the supper of a man who   
has toiled4 ,the dear people1 and       
unfortunate ones6 who wait upon the     
erratic hours of an author are waiting  
for me there4  ,and then to bed1 and may
 the humble supplication ,i shall send  

up to ,almighty ,god for myself and     
those ,i love1 for those who read what  
,i have written1 have its hearing in the
 place where 8hearts and wills are      
weighed40 ,may ,i become a better and   
worthier man because ,i have the        
opportunity of addressing you who read4 
,and may ,god grant me to mend a faulty 
life4  ,good-night and ,amen4           
,wanstone ,court1     ,december1 #aijf4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,,richard ,,clay  ,,sons1 ,,limited1    
,,bread ,,street ,,hill1 ,e4,c41 ,,and  
,,bungay1 ,,suffolk4