,,seventy ,,years                       
,,among ,,savages                       
,,seventy ,,years                       
,,among ,,savages                       
,,by                                    
,,henry ,s4 ,,salt                      
,illustration3 colophon                 
,,london3 ,,george ,,allen  ,,unwin     
,,ltd4                    ,,ruskin      
,,house1 #dj ,,museum ,,street1 ,w4,c4  
#a                           ,first     
published in #aiba                      
7,all rights reserved47                 
,,contents                              
,,page    ,i4 ,,the ,,argument          
#g    ,,ii4 ,,where ,,ignorance ,,was   
,,bliss                    #af    ,,iii4
 ,,liter ,,inhumaniores                 
#cf    ,,iv4 ,,the ,,discovery          
#ej    ,v4 ,,cannibal',s ,,conscience   
#fg    ,,vi4 ,,glimpses ,,of            
,,civilization                     #gc  
,,vii4 ,,the ,,poet-,,pioneer           
#ij    ,,viii4 ,,voices ,,crying ,,in   
,,the ,,wilderness           #aja       

,,ix4 ,a ,,league ,,of ,,humaneness     
#aba    ,x4 ,,twentieth-,,century       
,,tortures                   #ace       
,,xi4 ,,hunnish ,,sports ,,and          
,,fashions                 #aea         
,,xii4 ,a ,,faddist',s ,,diversions     
#afi    ,,xiii4 ,,hoof-,,marks ,,of     
,,the ,,vandal                  #ahe    
,,xiv4 ,,the ,,forlorn ,,hope           
#bjj    ,,xv4 ,,the ,,cave-,,man        
,,re-,,emerges                     #bai 
,,xvi4 ,,poetry ,,of ,,death ,,and      
,,love                   #bca    ,,xvii4
 ,,the ,,talisman                       
#bci    ,,index                         
#bdi          ,seventy ,years ,among    
,savages          ,i    ,,the ,,argument
        ,a strange lot this1 to be      
dropped down in a world of              
barbarians--,men      who see clearly   
enough the barbarity of all ages except 
their own6--,,ernest ,,crosby4      ,the
 tales of travellers1 from ,herodotus to
 ,marco ,polo1 and from ,marco  ,polo to
 the modern 8globe-trotter10 have in all

 ages been subject1  justly or unjustly1
 to a good deal of suspicion1 on the    
ground that  those who go in quest of   
curious information among outlandish    
tribes are  likely in the first instance
 to be imposed on themselves1 and in the
  sequel to impose on their readers4 ,no
 such doubt1 however1 can attach to  the
 following record1 for ,i am myself a   
native of the land whose customs  are   
described by me4 ,i cannot think that my
 story1 true as it is1 and  admitting of
 corroboration by the similar witness of
 others1 is any the  less adventurous on
 that account2 for1 like previous       
writers who have  recorded certain      
startling discoveries1 ,i1 too1 have to 
speak of  solitudes and remotenesses1   
vast deserts and rare oases1            
inextricable  forests and dividing      
gulfs2 and such experiences are none the
 less  noteworthy because they are not  
of the body but of the mind4 ,at any    
rate1 the tale which ,i have to tell    
deals with incidents which have had  a  

very real significance for myself--quite
 as real as any of those  related by the
 most venturesome of voyagers4    ,the  
seventy years spent by me among savages 
form the subject of this  story1 but    
not1 be it noted1 seventy years of      
consciousness that my  life was so cast1
 for during the first part of my        
residence in the  strange land where ,i 
was born1 the dreadful reality of my    
surroundings  was hardly suspected by   
me1 except now and then1 perhaps1 in a  
passing  glimmer of apprehension4 ,then1
 by slow degrees1 incident after        
incident  brought a gradual awakening1  
until at last there dawned on my mind   
the  conviction which alone could       
explain and reconcile for me the many   
contradictions of our society--that we  
were not 8civilized0 but                
8savages0--that the 8dark ages10 far    
from being part of a remote past1  were 
very literally present4    ,and here1 in
 explanation of my long blindness to an 
unwelcome truth1 it  must be remarked   

that there is a fixed and almost        
insuperable  superstition among my      
savage fellow-islanders--and1 indeed1   
among all  the surrounding nations--that
 they are a cultured and highly         
civilized  race1 living in an age which 
has wholly emerged from the barbarism of
  their forefathers1 the 8good old      
times0 to which some of them even       
affect to look back with feelings of    
pious regretfulness4 ,it was this       
delusion1 to which ,i was at first fully
 subject1 that made it so  difficult for
 me to see things in their true light1  
and still makes it  wellnigh impossible 
to communicate the truth to others1     
except to those  whose suspicions have  
in like measure been aroused4 ,in       
reality1 it will  be seen1 the          
difference between the earlier          
8barbarism0 and the later  so-called    
8civilization0 is1 in the main1 a mere  
matter of the absence  or presence of   
certain intellectual refinements and    
mechanical sciences1  which1 while      

largely altering and complicating the   
outward conditions of  life1 leave its  
essentially savage spirit almost        
entirely untouched4    ,it was not till 
,i was over thirty years of age that ,i 
felt any serious  concern as to the     
manners and customs with which ,i was   
familiar1 and  which ,i had             
unquestioningly accepted from childhood 
as part of the  natural order4 ,i had   
heard and read of 8savages10 but felt   
the more  satisfaction to know that ,i  
was a native of a land which had for    
centuries enjoyed the blessings of      
civilization and of religion1 which  it 
was anxious to disseminate as widely as 
possible throughout the  earth4 ,why the
 diet of my countrymen should have been 
the first thing to  set me pondering1 ,i
 am unable to say1 for as my later      
discoveries  convinced me1 the dietetic 
habits of these people are not more     
astonishing than many kindred practices 
which ,i still regarded without         
mistrust4 ,but it was so2 and ,i then   

found myself realizing1 with an         
amazement which time has not diminished1
 that the 8meat0 which formed  the      
staple of our diet1 and which ,i was    
accustomed to regard--like  bread1 or   
fruit1 or vegetables--as a mere         
commodity of the table1 was in  truth   
dead flesh--the actual flesh and        
blood--of oxen1 sheep1 swine1 and  other
 animals that were slaughtered in vast  
numbers under conditions so  horrible   
that even to mention the subject at our 
dinner-tables would  have been an       
unpardonable offence4    ,now1 when ,i  
began to put questions to my friends and
 acquaintances about  this apparently   
glaring inconsistency in our            
8civilization10 ,i could not  help      
observing1 novice though ,i was in such 
discussion1 that the answers  by which  
they sought to parry my awkward         
importunities were extremely  evasive   
and sophistical--reminding me of the    
quibbling explanations  which travellers
 have received from cannibals when they 

inquired too  closely into certain      
dietetic observances2 and from this ,i  
could not but  suspect that1 as far as  
diet was concerned1 we differed in      
degree only  from the savages whom we   
deemed so debased4    ,it must be       
understood1 however1 that here1 and in  
other references to  8savages10 ,i use  
that term in its natural and inoffensive
 meaning1 as  implying simply a lack of 
the higher civilization and not any     
personal  cruelty or bloodthirstiness4  
,what ,i write is just a friendly       
account of  friendly savages 7by one of 
them72 and ,i would emphasize the fact  
that  the kindliness and good nature of 
my fellow-countrymen are in one         
direction quite as marked features of   
their character as their savagery  is in
 another4 ,in their own families1 to    
their own kith and kin1 to  their       
personal friends--to all those whom     
fortune has placed within1  instead of  
without the charmed circle of           
relationship--their conduct1 in  the    

great majority of cases1 is exemplary2  
it is only where custom or  prejudice   
has dug a gulf of division between their
 fellow-creatures and  themselves that  
they indulge in the barbarous practices 
to which ,i  refer4    ,it may be       
convenient if ,i here speak briefly of  
their other customs  under two heads3   
first1 those that relate to human       
beings2 and1  secondly1 those that      
relate to the so-called lower animals4  
,in few ways1  perhaps1 is the barbarism
 of these islanders more apparent than  
in their  wars and in their preparation 
for wars4 ,for what they call 8peace0   
is1  in fact1 only an armed truce--an   
interval between two outbreaks of       
hostility--during which1 so far from    
being at genuine peace with their       
neighbours1 they are occupied in        
speculating where the next attack shall 
be delivered1 or1 rather 7for they love 
to depict themselves as always  standing
 on pious self-defence against the      
wanton aggressiveness of  others71 how  

they shall repel the next attack from   
abroad4 ,it is their  custom always to  
have1 for the time being1 some bugbear  
among  neighbouring tribes1 whose       
supposed machinations against the richer
  portions of their empire give them    
constant cause for unrest1 and prompt   
them to cement undying1 but equally     
transitory1 alliances with other        
nations1 so that their very friendships 
are based less on the spirit of  amity  
than on that of distrust4 ,under        
pretence of believing in an             
unbelievable and1 indeed1 wholly        
ridiculous maxim--,si vis pacem1 para   
bellum 70,if you wish for peace1 prepare
 for war07--they keep their  minds for  
ever set on wars and rumours of wars1   
with the result that1  in spite of all  
their profession of benevolence and     
brotherhood1 the  trade of killing is   
that which is above all others respected
 by them4  ,is money required for       
purposes of national welfare1 such as   
education or  the relief of the poor8   

,every difficulty is at once put in the 
way of  such expenditure for such ends4 
,but let there be the least suspicion1  
however irrational1 of some foreign     
slight to 8the flag10 and there is      
scarce a savage in the island who is not
 willing that the public  treasury      
should be depleted in pursuance of a    
childish revenge4 ,to  remonstrate      
against such folly is to incur the      
charge of being  8unpatriotic40    ,but 
comical as their foreign policy is1     
their social system is still  more so1  
for under the guise of 8charity0 and    
8philanthropy0 there  exists1 in fact1 a
 civil war1 in which each individual1 or
 group of  individuals1 plays a         
remorseless game of 8,beggar my         
neighbour0 and  8,devil take the        
hindmost0 in mad scramble for wealth2   
whence results1 of  course1 a state of  
gross and glaring inequality1 under     
which certain  favoured persons wallow  
in the good things of life1 while others
 pass  their years in the pinch of      

extremest poverty4 ,thus1 in due course1
 and  by an unerring process1 is        
manufactured what they call 8the        
criminal  class0--that is1 the host of  
those who are driven by social injustice
 to  outlawry and violence4 ,and herein1
 perhaps1 more than in any other of     
their customs1 is shown the inherent    
savagery of their natures1 for1  instead
 of attempting to eradicate the cause of
 these evils by the  institution of     
fairer and juster modes of living1 my   
fellow-islanders  are almost to a man in
 favour of 8punishing0 7that is the     
expression7  these victims of their own 
foolish laws by the infliction of       
barbarous  sentences of imprisonment1 or
 the lash1 or1 in extreme cases1 the    
gallows4 ,to inculcate habits of honesty
 they shut a man in prison1 and  render 
him more than ever incapable of earning 
an honest livelihood4 ,as  a warning    
against robbery with violence1 they give
 a lesson in official  violence by      
flogging the criminal2 and1 by way of   

teaching the sanctity  of human life1   
they judicially murder the murderer4    
,many a grotesque  absurdity is solemnly
 and deliberately enacted in their      
so-called  8courts of law02 and any one 
who ventures to suggest that this is the
  case is regarded as a fool and        
reprobate for his pains4    ,but it is  
when we turn to their treatment of the  
non-human races that we  find the surest
 evidences of barbarism2 yet their      
savagery1 even here1  is not wholly     
8naked and unashamed10 for1 strange to  
say1 these curious  people delight to   
mask their rudeness in a cloak of       
fallacies and  sophisms1 and to         
represent themselves as 8lovers0 of     
those very  creatures whom they         
habitually torture for 8sport10         
8science10 and the  8table40 ,they      
actually have a law for the prevention  
of cruelty to  animals1 under which     
certain privileged species1 classed as  
8domestic10  are protected from some    
specified wrongs1 though all the time   

they may1  under certain conditions1 be 
subjected with impunity to other and    
worse  injuries at the hands of the     
slaughterman or the vivisector2 while   
the  wild species1 though presumably not
 less sensitive to pain1 are regarded   
as almost entirely outside the pale of  
protection1 and as legitimate  subjects 
for those brutalities of 8fashion0 and  
8sport0 which are  characteristic of the
 savage mind4 ,their women go furred and
 feathered  with the skins of beasts and
 birds2 and so murderous is their       
millinery  that whole species are       
sacrificed to this reckless habit4      
,nothing can  exceed the ferocity of the
 national pastimes1 in which1 under the 
plea  of affording healthful exercise to
 their tormentors1 park-bred deer1  that
 have been kept in paddocks for the     
purpose1 are turned out before a  mob of
 men and dogs to be baited and worried2 
foxes1 otters1 and hares  are hunted and
 8broken up02 bagged rabbits are        
8coursed0 in small  enclosures by       

yelling savages on the eve of the weekly
 religious  festival2 pheasants and     
other 8preserved0 birds are mown down in
  thousands in an organized butchery    
euphemistically known as the  battue2   
pigeons are released from traps in order
 to be shot by gangs  of ruffians who   
gamble over the result of their skill2  
and almost every  conceivable form of   
cowardly slaughter is practised as      
8sportsman-like0  and commended as      
8manly40 ,all this1 moreover1 is done   
before the eyes  and for the example of 
mere youths and children1 who are thus  
from their  tenderest years instructed  
in the habit of being pitiless and      
cruel4  ,nay1 in some cases they are    
even encouraged to take part in such    
doings1  and on the first occasion when 
they are 8in at the death0 are initiated
  by being 8blooded0--that is1 baptized 
with the blood of the slaughtered       
victim of their sport4    ,nor are these
 things perhaps so strange as they might
 at first appear1  for1 in spite of     

their boasted progress in sciences and  
arts1 my  countrymen are still          
practically ignorant of the real kinship
 which  exists between mankind and the  
other races1 and of the duties which    
this  kinship implies4 ,they are still  
the victims of that old anthropocentric 
superstition which pictures ,man as the 
centre of the universe1 and  separated  
from the inferior animals--mere         
playthings made for his august  pleasure
 and amusement--by a deep intervening   
gulf2 and it is probable  enough that if
 any one of these unthinking savages who
 8break up0 a  hare1 or baptize their   
children in the blood of a butchered    
fox1 were  reminded that he himself is  
in very truth an 8animal10 he would     
resent  such statement of an established
 fact as a slight on his religious      
convictions and on his personal         
self-respect4 ,for1 as the author of    
,hudibras discovered3        ,there's   
nothing so absurd1 or vain1      ,or    
barbarous1 or inhumane1      ,but if it 

lay the least pretence      ,to piety   
and godliness1      ,and zeal for gospel
 truths profess1      ,does sacred      
instantly commence4    ,the very        
scientists themselves1 who have in      
theory renounced the  old-fashioned idea
 of a universe created for mankind1 are 
inclined in  practice to belie their own
 biological faith1 for they claim the   
moral  right to devote large numbers of 
the lower animals1 without scruple or   
remorse1 to the tortures of 8research10 
just as if the fact of a close  kinship 
between the vivisector who wields the   
scalpel and the dog who  lies in the    
trough were a notion of which ,science  
is unaware6    ,is it surprising that1  
to those of us who have gradually       
realized that  we are dwelling in a wild
 land among savages such as these1 the  
consciousness of the discovery should at
 times bring with it a sense of         
unutterable loneliness and              
desolation--that we should feel cut off1
 as  it were1 by interminable leagues of

 misunderstanding from all human        
intercourse1 and from all possibility of
 expressing ourselves8 ,what  appeal can
 be made to people whose first instinct1
 on seeing a  beautiful animal1 full of 
joyousness and vitality1 is to hunt or  
eat it8  ,one can only marvel how such  
sheer1 untempered barbarism has come    
down  to us from the past4    ,but the  
facts1 though so terrible in their first
 impression1 are capable  of being more 
hopefully regarded2 there is a          
consolatory1 as well as a               
discomforting1 way of interpreting them4
 ,for if these countrymen of ours  are  
indeed savages 7as who can doubt871 have
 we not at least reason to  rejoice     
that1 being savages1 they in many ways  
conduct themselves so  discreetly1 and  
that1 as far as their sense of          
relationship extends1  they are so      
civil1 so kindly1 so law-abiding8       
,instead1 therefore1 of too  loudly     
upbraiding them for hunting or eating   
their little brethren1 the  animals1    

ought we not1 perhaps1 to feel and      
express some gratitude to  them that    
they do not hunt each other--that they  
have not eaten us8  ,their              
self-restraint in many directions is1   
perhaps1 quite as remarkable  as their  
self-abandonment in others2 and the mere
 fact of one's having  lived for many   
years among savages is in itself a      
testimony to their  good nature4 ,looked
 at in this light1 the trouble is not so
 much that  they are in reality savage1 
as that they suppose themselves to be   
civilized2 for it is from the false garb
 of civilization that the               
misapprehension has sprung4    ,but1    
however that may be1 they are1 when the 
worst is said of them1 a  quaint and    
interesting people1 and it is my earnest
 wish that1 by the  publication of this 
story1 ,i may be the means of drawing to
 the habits  of my fellow-islanders the 
closer attention of anthropologists4    
,surely1  in an age when many wild      
tribes have been the subject of learned 

discourse and of missionary enterprise1 
it is desirable that a race  which has  
carried into the twentieth century the  
primitive customs which  ,i have        
described should be critically and      
exhaustively studied4 ,if such  should  
indeed be the result of this book1 ,i   
shall be more than  compensated for     
whatever pain ,i may have felt in the   
writing of these  strange but faithfully
 recorded experiences4          ,,ii    
,,where ,,ignorance ,,was ,,bliss       
,thought would destroy their paradise6  
,no more3 where ignorance is bliss      
',tis folly to be wise4      ,gray's    
,ode on a ,distant ,prospect of ,eton   
,college4      ,if it be true1 as       
scientists tell us1 that the period of  
boyhood  corresponds1 in human          
development1 with an early phase of     
savagery1 and  that the individual boy  
is himself an epitome of the uncivilized
 tribe1  it may be said with still      
greater confidence that an ,english     
public  school1 or 8boy-farm10 where    

life is mostly so ordered as to foster  
the  more primitive habits of mind1 is  
essentially a nursery of barbarism--a   
microcosm of that predatory class whose 
members1 like the hunters of  old1 toil 
not1 neither do they spin1 but ever seek
 their ideal in the  twofold cult of    
sport and soldiership4 ,certainly the   
,eton of the  'sixties and 'seventies1  
whatever superficial show it might make 
of  learning and refinement1 was at     
heart a stronghold of savagery--a most  
graceful1 easy-going savagery1 be it    
granted2 for savages1 as we know1  are  
often a very pleasant people4    ,in    
some reminiscences1 ,eton under ,hornby1
 published in #aiaj1 ,i gave a          
description of the public-school        
education of fifty years ago1 a system  
probably not much worse than that of    
to-day2 and the conclusion reached  was 
that as ,eton never really changes1 it  
is best to regard her1 as she  regards  
other institutions1 in a mood of        
good-natured unconcern1 and as  a       

subject less for argument than for      
anecdote4 ,eton has been  pre-eminently 
the school 8where ignorance is bliss10  
and in a much wider  sense than that    
intended by the poet ,gray in his famous
 ode 8,on a  ,distant ,prospect of ,eton
 ,college40 ,for1 if it be true of      
schoolboys that  8thought would destroy 
their paradise0--that is1 the thought   
merely of  the personal ailments of     
mature age--how much more disturbing    
would be  the contemplation of the vast 
social wrongs that fill the world with  
suffering6 ,of such sombre thought ,eton
 knew nothing1 but basked content  in   
the warmth of her own supreme           
self-satisfaction2 and the ,eton life   
was probably the most enjoyable of all  
hitherto invented forms of  heedless    
existence4 ,it is1 then1 of the         
pleasures of ,eton that ,i would  speak1
 and of some of the more distinguished  
of her sons with whom it  was my        
privilege to be acquainted4    ,long    
before ,i was admitted to ,eton as a    

,king's ,scholar1 ,i had a personal     
link with the school in the fact that   
,john ,moultrie1 the friend of  ,praed1 
and contributor to that most noteworthy 
of school magazines1 the                
,etonian--himself a ,colleger at ,eton  
from #ahaa to #ahai--was my             
great-uncle4 ,at ,eton and ,cambridge1  
,moultrie's career had been a  brilliant
 one2 he was the 8,gerard ,montgomery0  
of the ,etonian--in  ,praed's words 8the
 humorous ,moultrie1 and the pathetic   
,moultrie1 the  ,moultrie of #8,godiva1'
 and the ,moultrie of #8,my ,brother's  
,grave1'0--but  his later career did not
 fulfil the promise of his youth4 ,the  
vivid and  extravagant fancy of his     
early poems was succeeded by a more     
homely and  sober style1 and the        
pastor-poet in his 8,dream of ,life0    
even referred  apologetically to the    
levities of his youthful muse4#a ,yet he
 still  retained in some measure the    
poet's vision2 and when ,rector of      
,rugby he  was famous for the powerful  

interpretation which he gave to         
,shakespeare  in his reading of the     
,plays4 ,him ,i remember at his rectory 
in the early  'sixties1 a dignified1    
kindly old man1 with a quaint mixture of
 humour  and pathos1 of ruggedness and  
gentleness1 in his manner4 ,many stories
  were current in ,rugby of his         
eccentricities and absent-mindedness2 on
  one occasion when he had brought a    
lengthy sermon to an end1 he is said  to
 have startled his congregation by      
substituting for the usual formula  the 
equally familiar post-prandial one3     
8,for what we have received1 the  ,lord 
make us truly thankful40    ,it was from
 this ,etonian worthy that ,i first     
heard of ,eton2 and though ,i  little   
foresaw that nearly twenty years of my  
life would be spent there  as boy and   
master1 it thus came about that in the  
summer of #ahff ,i found  myself being  
8coached0 for an ,eton scholarship by   
the ,rev4 ,c4 ,kegan  ,paul1 formerly   
8,conduct0 7,chaplain7 at ,eton1 who    

held the ,eton living of  ,sturminster  
,marshall in ,dorsetshire4    ,mr4      
,paul1 afterwards founder of a          
well-known publishing firm1 was then a  
radical parson of very 8broad0 views1 a 
friend of ,frederick ,denison  ,maurice1
 ,charles ,kingsley1 and many other     
,liberals4 ,a man of fine taste1  he    
also possessed a large fund of vivacity 
and spirits1 which1 with his  unvarying 
kindness1 made him very popular among   
his pupils2 indeed1 only  at ,eton      
itself could there have been a more     
delightful life1 regarded  from the     
boyish point of view1 than that which we
 led in those summer  months1 fishing1  
bathing1 bird's-nesting4 ,the one cloud 
on our horizon  was the impending rite  
of ,confirmation1 which some of us had  
to undergo  at ,blandford1 and for which
 ,mr4 ,paul prepared us4 ,i have always 
felt  grateful to him for the simplicity
 of his method1 which was free from  the
 morbid inquiries then common in        
schools4 ,i think he asked me only  one 

question3 8,is it wrong to doubt80 ,this
 was a problem in which ,i felt  no sort
 of concern2 making a bold shot1 ,i     
replied 8,no10 and was  gratified to    
find that ,i had answered correctly4    
,at ,eton my tutor was ,mr4 ,francis    
,warre ,cornish1 one of the gentlest and
  most accomplished of men1 the very    
antithesis of the bullying1  blustering 
schoolmaster of the good old type which 
even then was not  wholly superseded4   
,much loved by those of his pupils who  
learnt to know  him intimately1 ,mr4    
,cornish was a good deal hampered in his
 dealings  with boys by his shyness and 
diffidence2 he lacked that gift of      
geniality which is essential to a       
successful teacher4 ,this ,i discovered 
at an early date1 when1 in the course of
 the entrance examination1 ,i was  told 
to show him the rough copy of my ,latin 
verses4 ,it was to these1 as  it turned 
out1 that ,i mainly owed my election2   
but it somewhat depressed  me when my   
prospective tutor1 after reading the    

lines with a sad and  forlorn           
expression1 handed them back to me with 
no more cheering remark  than3 8,too    
many spondees40 ,years afterwards1 when 
,mr4 ,cornish1 competing  for a         
headmastership1 was described in a      
testimonial as 8trembling on  the brink 
of poetic creation0 7an odd certificate 
for such a post71 ,i  remembered his    
criticism of my youthful verses1 and    
could not help  thinking that his own   
poetic genius would also have benefited 
by a  larger infusion of the sprightly  
or dactylic element4 ,his nature was    
decidedly spondaic2 but he was a kind   
and courteous gentleman1 in the  best   
sense of the word1 and in a less rough  
environment than that of a  public      
school his great abilities would have   
found ampler scope4    ,much the same   
must be said of ,dr4 ,j4 ,j4 ,hornby1   
who succeeded the rigid  ,dr4 ,balston  
in the headmastership of ,eton in #ahfh4
 ,it was a marvel that  a man who loved 
leisure and quietude as he did1 and who 

seemed always to  desire to doff rather 
than to don the formalities of high     
office1 should  have deliberately sought
 preferment in a profession which could 
not have  been very congenial to him4   
,not that he lacked the reputed         
qualities of  a ruler3 he had a stately 
presence1 a most courteous manner1 a    
charming  sense of humour1 and the rare 
power of interesting an audience in any 
subject of which he spoke4 ,but1 behind 
these external capabilities1 he  had a  
fatal weakness--slackness1 perhaps1 is  
the proper term--which  loosened the    
reins of authority1 and made his        
headmastership a period of  which ,eton 
had no reason to be proud4 8,idleness   
holds sway everywhere10  wrote an ,eton 
boy at that time1 8and such idleness6   
,as a man who has  never had dealings   
with the ,chinese can have but a faint  
idea of what  swindling is1 so a man who
 has never been at ,eton has but a poor 
conception of what idleness is40#b ,what
 wonder1 when the headmaster was        

himself as unpunctual as a fourth-form  
boy8    ,hornby was too retiring1 too   
sensitive1 to govern a great school4 ,i 
was  in his ,division for two years1    
almost at the beginning of his          
headmastership2 and ,i can see him still
 as he sat at his oak table in  the     
middle of the sixth-form room1 toying   
with a pencil1 and looking at  us       
somewhat askance1 as if to avoid either 
scrutinizing or being  scrutinized1 for 
he was not of the drill-master kind1 who
 challenge  their class and stare them  
down4 ,we liked him the better for it1  
but  divined that he was not quite at   
ease2 and it occurred to one of us that 
he was aptly described in that terse    
phrase which ,tacitus applied to a      
,roman emperor3 ,capax imperii nisi     
impersset 78,every inch a ruler--if     
only he had not ruled074 ,there was a   
certain maladroitness1 too1 about  him  
which at times set us wondering2 until  
some one suggested that we  should look 
up the cricket records1 and see how he  

had acquitted himself  in that supreme  
criterion of greatness1 the ,eton and   
,harrow match4 ,we  did so1 and found   
that he had hit his own wicket4 ,thus   
all was  explained1 our worst misgivings
 confirmed4    ,the want of discipline  
in some of the classrooms was appalling4
 ,my first  term was spent in the 8lag0 
,division of ,fifth ,form1 a very rowdy 
one1  then taken by a most accomplished 
classical scholar known as 8,swage10 or 
8,swog10 and a more unpleasant          
introduction for a new boy could hardly 
have been devised4 ,so great was the    
uproar1 and so frenzied the attempts  of
 the unfortunate 8,swage0 to suppress   
it1 that it was as dangerous to  be a   
member of the class as it is for a      
well-disposed citizen to be  mixed up in
 a street-riot2 for among so many       
tormentors there was no  security       
against being mistaken for a ringleader4
 8,swage's0 schoolroom  was on the      
ground floor and close to the road2 and 
one of the first  scenes ,i witnessed   

was a determined attempt on the part of 
some of the  bigger boys to drive a     
stray cow into the room2 they got her to
 the  doorway1 but there she was met and
 headed back by 8,swage0 himself1       
shouting at the top of his voice and    
flourishing his large door-key4  ,that  
was the sort of game that went on almost
 daily4 ,it was currently  reported1 and
 ,i believe with truth1 that 8,swage0   
once set a punishment  to a bird4 ,to   
sing and to whistle were common         
practices in his ,division2  and when a 
bird perched near the window and        
chirruped in an interval of  the din1 he
 rounded on it blindly with a cry of 8,a
 hundred lines40    ,there was a story1 
too1 that a letter which he once wrote  
to the  headmaster1 complaining of one  
of his private pupils who persisted in  
knocking loudly on his study door1 bore 
a brief after-cry more eloquent  than   
many words3 8,p4,s4 ,he is knocking     
still40    ,to fall into the hands of   
boys1 as this ill-fated master had      

done--and  his lot was shared by several
 others--was to be a captive among      
savages3  they did not kill and eat him1
 it is true1 but that was the extent of 
their tender mercies1 and every day he  
was brought out afresh to be  baited and
 worried4    ,such was the state of     
affairs when ,hornby was made           
headmaster2 and it  became worse rather 
than better under his lax and listless  
regime4 ,yet  no one who has any        
knowledge of the history of corporal    
punishment will  be surprised to hear   
that he was a frequent wielder of the   
rod4 ,seldom  did a day pass without a  
visit from the ,sixth ,form ,prpostor to
 one or  more of the ,divisions1 to bid 
some culprit 8stay after school02 and on
  those occasions the conduct of the    
class was a good indication of the      
light in which the punishment was       
regarded4 ,as the fatal hour            
approached1 the eyes of all would be    
riveted on the offender1 who  maintained
 a dauntless demeanour to the last2     

pantomimic gestures would  indicate the 
nature of the penalty which he was      
shortly to undergo2  watches would be   
held up to emphasize the dreadful fact  
that1 as in the  case of ,dr4 ,faustus1 
time was on the wing2 and there would be
 audible  surmises as to 8how many0 he  
would get4 ,the victim's friends1       
indeed1  were hardly so considerate and 
sympathetic as the circumstances might  
have been expected to demand4           
,flogging is an old institution which   
has found mention in every book  written
 about the school1 and which could never
 be omitted from any  discourse upon    
,eton4 ,it used to be the custom1 in the
 holidays1 for  parties of ,windsor     
trippers to be shown over the school    
buildings under  the leadership of a    
woman--the wife1 presumably1 of one of  
the ,college  servants--who gave an oral
 explanation of the 8sights40 ,when the 
headmaster's room was reached1 the guide
 of course drew attention to  that awful
 emblem of authority1 the 8block02 and  

after pointing out the  part which it   
played in the correction of offenders1  
she would add1 in a  croaking voice     
befitting the solemnity of the subject3 
8,they receive the  punishment upon     
their seats40 ,that was a true1 but     
rather inadequate  description of a     
practice which only a very barbarous    
society could  tolerate4 ,a flogging was
 a disgusting sight even to the two     
8lower boys0  who then had to act as    
8holders-down02 still more so to the    
,sixth ,form  ,prpostor whose duty it   
was to be present2 most of all1 one     
would  suppose1 to the headmaster4 ,it  
has been described as 8an operation     
performed on the naked back by the      
headmaster himself1 who is always a     
gentleman1 and sometimes a high         
dignitary of the ,church40#c    ,the    
,lower ,master1 at the time of which ,i 
am speaking1 was the ,rev4 ,f4 ,e4      
,durnford1 nicknamed 8,judy10 described 
in ,eton under ,hornby as 8a  strange1  
laughable1 yet almost pathetic figure1  

with whimsical puckered  visage and     
generally weather-beaten aspect1 like a 
sort of ,ancient  ,mariner in academic  
garb40 ,he1 too1 used the birch freely  
in his domain  of ,lower ,school1 but   
his castigations were of a more paternal
 kind1 and  between the strokes of the  
rod he would interject moral reproofs in
 his  queer nasal voice1 such as3 8,you 
nahty1 nahty boy60 ,it was said that    
during the punishment he would even     
enter into conversation with the        
offender1 especially when he knew his   
8people0 personally1 and that on  one   
occasion he was overheard to inquire of 
a boy on the block3 8,have  you seen    
your uncle lately80 a question which1 in
 the circumstances1  would at first     
sight seem irrelevant1 but was probably 
intended to  awaken repentance in the   
criminal by directing his thoughts to   
some  pious and respected relative4 ,to 
the upper boys1 8,judy0 ,durnford was a 
never-failing amusement2 his every      
gesture was noted by them2 as when1  in 

correcting exercises1 if some word or   
phrase eluded his memory1 he  would sit 
scratching his temples vigorously1 and  
exclaiming3 8,it runs in  me head40     
,among ,dr4 ,hornby's assistant masters 
were several others whose               
eccentricities have been a fruitful     
subject of anecdote and legend4         
,russell ,day1 a quiet and              
insignificant-looking little man1 had a 
mordant  wit and gift of ready epigram1 
which caused him to be dreaded alike by 
master and boys4 8,friend1 thou hast    
learned this lesson with a crib3 a  crib
 is a thing in which thou liest10 was   
his remark in the course of a           
,theocritus lesson to a member of his   
,division1 from whom ,i heard the  story
 full forty years later4 ,there were two
 boys of the name of ,bankes1  one known
 afterwards as a distinguished ,k4,c41  
the other a lazy youth who  never knew  
his lessons and was wont to mumble the  
,greek or ,latin very  slowly in order  
to postpone the moment of discovery4 ,on

 one of these  occasions ,day leaned    
back in his chair and said in his       
drawling tones3  8,bankes1 ,bankes1 you 
remind me of the banks where the bees   
suck and with  their murmuring make me  
sleep40 ,i remember how a friend and    
schoolfellow  of mine named ,swan1 who  
was a pupil of ,day's1 showed me a copy 
of his  ,latin verses which had drawn   
the following annotation3 8,olor6 ,you  
cycnus40 ,not less characteristic was   
,day's curt dismissal of a youth  named 
,cole 7report says it was the future    
director of the ,bank of  ,england73    
8,then1 ,cole1 you may scuttle40 ,nor   
did he hesitate to turn his  wit against
 his colleagues or himself4 ,he called  
his pony 8,lucifer10  because1 as he    
said1 8,when you see him coming1 it     
announces the approach  of ,day40    ,a 
still more remarkable teacher was       
,william ,johnson1 author of 8,ionica10 
who afterwards took the name of ,cory1 a
 man of real genius1 whose  enforced    
departure from ,eton 7for he did not    

leave1 as was currently  supposed1 from 
some sudden whim of his own7 was the    
tragedy of his  lifetime1 a 8strange    
wounding10 as he calls it in one of his 
published  letters4 ,of 8,billy         
,johnson0 many descriptions have been   
written4 ,here is  a passage from one of
 them3         8,in appearance1 as in   
everything else1 he was unlike the      
typical       schoolmaster3 his         
thoughtful1 handsome1 somewhat sensuous 
features       were altogether out of   
the common2 and owing to his short sight
 he       had a dreamy1 mystic1         
inquiring way of looking at you which   
was       sometimes a little disquieting
 to the schoolboy mind4 ,there were     
occasions1 too1 when we dreaded his tart
 sayings 7the very school       books   
written by him bristled with epigrams71 
and listened with       some anxiety to 
his sharp1 staccato utterances1 or      
watched him       during those          
#8accusing silences' by which1 hardly   
less than by his       barbed speeches1 

he could awe the most unruly class4 ,his
 blindness       led to a prevalent     
story 7apocryphal1 ,i believe1 as it was
 told       also of other persons at    
different times7 that he had been seen  
pursuing a hen down ,windsor ,hill1 and 
making futile grabs at her1       under 
the belief that she was his hat2 but it 
is certain that he       was sometimes  
seen standing stock-still in ,school    
,yard1 or some       open space1        
apparently unconscious of all observers 
or passers-by1       and wrapt in a     
profound daydream4 ,singular he         
undoubtedly was1 to a       degree that 
was inconvenient to a schoolmaster2 and 
there were       queer anecdotes of     
certain too generous suppers that he    
gave to his       favourites among the  
boys1 when he began by politely         
overlooking       that they were getting
 drunk1 and ended by unceremoniously    
kicking       them downstairs40#d       
8,formerly wise men used to grow beards4
 ,now other persons do so40 ,this       

sentence in ,nuces1 an exercise-book of 
,william ,johnson's compilation1  was   
supposed by us to be aimed at another   
assistant master1 a bearded  clergyman1 
bluff1 honest1 mannerless1 and          
universally disliked1 who went  by the  
name of 8,stiggins40 ,he had a          
detestable habit of standing at  right  
angles to any one with whom he was      
conversing1 while he looked  straight   
away in front of him1 his long red beard
 streaming down to his  waist1 and when 
he spoke1 he jerked his words at you1 as
 it were1 from  round the corner4 ,his  
rudeness was a by-word2 and the attempt 
sometimes  made to excuse it1 on the    
ground that it 8was not intended10 did  
not  appeal very strongly ,i think1     
either to masters or to boys3 and       
justly1  for surely the only sort of    
rudeness which can be pardoned is that  
which  is intended4 ,there are          
occasions1 rare1 but real1 when it is   
necessary  and wholesome to be rude2 but
 to be rude without knowing it is the   

very  acme of ill manners1 and that was 
precisely the kind of discourtesy in    
which 8,stiggins0 was unequalled4       
,the story of how 8,stiggins0 was once  
nearly thrown into ,barnes ,pool1 a     
by-water of the ,thames1 by a riotous   
troop of boys1 has been told in  more   
than one of the books about ,eton2 it   
was a curious coincidence that  he      
should have almost shared the fate of   
his reverend predecessor in  ,pickwick1 
who was dipped in a horse-trough by the 
infuriated ,mr4  ,weller4 ,this incident
 was1 perhaps1 the greatest of the many 
scandals  that occurred at ,eton during 
,dr4 ,hornby's headmastership4    ,it   
has often struck me as strange that ,i  
should owe to such a plain and          
unadorned barbarian as 8,stiggins0 my   
first introduction to ,keats's  poems3  
he gave me1 as a prize1 ,moxon's edition
 of the works4 ,he also  8sent me up for
 good0 7for ,latin verses71 an honour of
 which ,i was  rather unpleasantly      
reminded1 some twenty or more years     

afterwards1 when  he had retired from   
,eton to a country parsonage2 for in    
order to raise  funds for a proposed    
8restoration0 of his church1 he         
conceived the idea  of soliciting 8for  
the glory of ,god10 as he expressed it1 
a subscription  from every ,old ,etonian
 who in bygone days had been 8sent up   
for good0 in  his ,division4 ,there was 
a nave effrontery about this proposal   
which was  quite characteristic of its  
author4    ,the writing of ,latin verse1
 so highly regarded at ,eton1 was a     
curious  accomplishment4 ,it was said by
 ,coleridge in his ,table ,talk that    
,etonians acquired the art 8by conning  
,ovid and ,tibullus03 my  recollection  
is that we read ,ovid but rarely1 and   
,tibullus not at all4  ,some of us      
certainly became proficient in making   
,latin verses of a kind2  but our models
 were the renderings of ,english poems  
in such collections  as the ,arundines  
,cami or the ,sabrin ,corolla1 rather   
than any ,latin  originals2 and though  

we could turn out 8longs and shorts0    
with  facility1 and even with neatness1 
,i hardly think our productions would   
have passed muster in the ,augustan age4
 ,still1 the versifier's art1 such  as  
it was1 brought us a certain            
gratification2 and in the summer1 when1 
as we all felt1 the time of the leading 
cricketers was of inestimable  value to 
the school1 we were glad to turn our    
skill to good account by  composing for 
them their weekly copy of verses1 and so
 releasing them1  as it were1 from a    
frivolous for a serious task4 ,on 8verse
 days0 members  of the ,eleven would    
often come up into ,college1 where each 
would find  for himself a poet2 and thus
 valuable time would be saved for       
practice  at the nets4 ,it was but      
little we could do in so great a cause1 
but we  did it with willingness2 and ,i 
remember the honest pride which ,i felt 
when dictating to the ,captain of the   
,eleven a copy of verses1 made up       
largely of old tags and stock phrases1  

which he copied down with much          
satisfaction and without the least      
understanding4 ,his ignorance of the    
meaning of what purported to be his own 
composition would lead to no  trouble2  
for tutors and division-masters alike   
were aware that they must  not press a  
good cricketer too hard4 ,a blue cap    
covered a multitude of  sins4    ,but   
that we were savages1 who1 looking back 
on those bygone times1 can  doubt8 ,non 
angeli1 sed ,angli4 8,it was an era10 as
 ,mr4 ,ralph ,nevill has  well remarked 
in his ,floreat ,etona1 8when the       
sickening cant of  humanitarianism1 born
 of luxury and weakness1 had not yet    
arisen1 to  emasculate and enfeeble the 
,british race40 ,the hunting and        
breaking up  of hares then1 as now1 was 
one of the recognized pastimes2 indeed1 
even  as late as the headmastership of  
,dr4 ,balston 7#aheg-fh71 it had been   
permitted to the boys1 as a variation   
from the hare-hunt1 to pursue with      
beagles a mutilated fox deprived of one 

of his pads4#e ,in the hundreds  of     
sermons which ,i have heard preached in 
,eton ,college ,chapel1 never was  a    
word spoken on the subject of cruelty4  
,and no wonder2 for ,eton had  always   
been a home of cruel sports4    ,there  
was the less excuse for these miserable 
practices1 because an  abundance and    
superabundance of the nobler sports was 
within reach of  the ,eton boy3 nowhere 
else could river and playing-field offer
 such  attractions4 ,thrilling beyond   
all else1 and crowning the glories of   
the  summer school-time1 was the great  
annual cricket match between ,eton and  
,harrow at 8,lord's10 a drama of such   
excitement as nothing in mature life    
could ever equal4 ,who1 for example1    
that witnessed the match of #ahfi--;,c4 
,j4 ,ottaway's year1 when ,eton broke a 
long series of defeats by a             
single-innings victory--can have        
forgotten the delirious scene at the    
close8 ,i can still see ,dr4 ,goodford1 
the venerable ,provost of ,eton1        

dancing ecstatically1 hat in hand1      
before the pavilion1 and looking very   
much as 8,spy0 once pictured him in a   
famous cartoon in ,vanity ,fair4        
,athletics1 of course1 took precedence  
of all intellectual pursuits4 ,the      
,etonian1 in our time1 was but a dim    
legend of the past1 and the genius  of  
,praed and ,moultrie had left no direct 
line of succession2  nevertheless among 
the upper boys there was not an entire  
dearth of  literary aspiration1 and we  
had a school magazine1 the ,adventurer1 
which existed from the later 'sixties   
for about five years4 ,one of its       
editors1 a ,colleger named ,c4 ,c4      
,thornton1 was the author of some       
extremely good verse2 and among other   
contributors1 towards the latter  part  
of the ,adventurer's career1 were       
,arthur ,a4 ,tilley1 now a ,fellow  of  
,king's ,college1 ,cambridge2 ,e4 ,c4   
,selwyn1 afterwards headmaster of       
,uppingham ,school2 ,j4 ,e4 ,c4         
,welldon1 the popular ,dean of ,durham2 

,herbert  ,w4 ,paul2 ,george ,campbell  
,macaulay2 ,j4 ,c4 ,tarver2 and ,sir    
,melville  ,macnaghten1 who wrote as    
,m#b2 also1 if ,i mistake not1 the nom  
de  plume of 8,tom0 covered some early  
poems of ,mr4 ,f4 ,b4 ,money-,coutts1   
now  known as ,baron ,latymer4 ,one of  
the best essays in the ,adventurer was  
that on 8,arbitration as a ,substitute  
for ,war10#f by ,mr4 ,herbert ,paul4    
,another noteworthy contribution1 which 
has some historical interest for        
,etonians of that period1 was a poem by 
,bishop ,welldon1 entitled  8,adventurer
 ,loquitur0#g in which the ,magazine was
 represented as giving  some description
 of the several members of its 8staff10 
whether in  recognition of their        
services or in reproof of their         
remissness4 ,among  those clearly       
indicated1 though unnamed1 were ,a4 ,a4 
,tilley1 ,r4 ,c4  ,radcliffe1 ,g4 ,r4   
,murray1 ,bernard ,coleridge 7now ,lord 
,coleridge71 ,h4 ,g4  ,wintle1 ,g4 ,c4  
,macaulay1 ,c4 ,c4 ,lacaita1 ,j4 ,e4 ,c4

 ,welldon1 ,e4 ,c4 ,selwyn1  and the    
writer of these reminiscences4 ,the     
cause of the ,adventurer's  decease was 
that it ran counter to ,etonian         
sentiment1 in acting on the  perilous   
principle that 8it is only those who    
truly love ,eton that dare  to show her 
her faults40#h    ,apart from the       
,adventurer1 the literary ambition of   
some of the  ,collegers sought irregular
 expression1 in those far-off days1 by  
supplying the ,windsor press1 when      
opportunity occurred1 with exaggerated  
and absurdly inflated accounts of any   
exciting incident such as the  outbreak 
of a fire4 ,nor was it only the local   
papers that allured us2  for ,i remember
 how ,g4 ,c4 ,macaulay and ,i once had a
 daring wager as to  which of us should 
more egregiously hoax the ,field with   
some story of  a rare bird4 ,he tried a 
too highly coloured anecdote of a       
bee-eater1 and  failed to win credence2 
while ,i1 with a modest narrative of a  
supposed  stork in ,windsor ,park 78can 

it have been a stork8 ,i shall indeed   
feel  myself lucky if my supposition be 
correct071 not only saw my letter       
inserted1 but drew the gratifying       
editorial comment3 8,most probably it   
was a stork40 ,thus we made natural     
history and beguiled the idle hours4    
,to look upon a group photograph of the 
,collegers of fifty years ago  brings   
many memories to the mind4 ,e4 ,c4      
,selwyn1 before we met at ,eton1  had   
been my schoolfellow at ,blackheath     
,proprietary ,school1 of which his      
father was headmaster2 and our friendly 
relations were renewed from  time to    
time till his death in #aiai4 ,as ,i    
once reminded him1 we had but  two      
quarrels--the first when we were        
freshmen at ,cambridge1 about ,moses1   
in whom ,i had been rash enough to say  
that ,i 8did not believe02 and the      
second1 at a later period1 because ,i   
did believe in ,mr4 ,h4 ,m4 ,hyndman1   
of whose socialist doctrines ,selwyn as 
vehemently disapproved4 ,long  years    

afterwards ,i made what ,i thought was a
 fair proposal to him--that  if he would
 give up ,moses1 ,i would give up the   
other patriarch1 and so  our two small  
disagreements would be mutually         
adjusted2 but his answer  was that1     
though ,moses need no longer delay a    
settlement1 he could not  agree to ,mr4 
,hyndman being given up1 because his    
patriotic conduct  during the ,great    
,war had shown him in a new light4      
,we used to call ,selwyn 8bishop0 in    
those days1 either because of a  distant
 relationship to ,dr4 ,g4 ,a4 ,selwyn1  
the well-known ,bishop of  ,lichfield1  
or because we thought him almost        
certainly destined to attain  to        
episcopal rank3 his scholarship1 not to 
mention his defence of ,moses1  seemed  
to warrant no less4 ,j4 ,e4 ,c4         
,welldon1 who did become a bishop1  was 
another most genial schoolfellow1 famous
 in the football field no  less than in 
the examination room4 ,i remember       
running second to him in a  handicap    

quarter-mile race1 in which he was      
allowed a good many yards'  start1 and  
with that advantage just managed to keep
 the rest of us in  the rear4 ,herbert  
,paul1 unlike ,welldon or ,selwyn1 was  
by no means  designated for a bishopric4
 ,i recall him1 a sceptic even in       
boyhood1  standing in ,upper ,passage1  
where ,collegers often held informal    
discussion1 as1 with thumbs in waistcoat
 pockets1 he would hold forth1  already 
a fearless disputant1 on matters human  
and divine4    ,among other figures in  
the group are ,dr4 ,ryle1 ,dean of      
,westminster2 ,sir  ,richmond ,ritchie2 
,mr4 ,george ,campbell ,macaulay2 ,mr4  
,c4 ,lowry1 head of  ,tonbridge ,school2
 ,dr4 ,burrows1 ,bishop of ,chichester1 
,dr4 ,harmer1 ,bishop  of ,rochester2   
,sir ,e4 ,ruggles-,brise1 ,chairman of  
the ,prison ,commission2  ,mr4 ,e4 ,c4  
,tennyson-d',eyncourt2 ,rev4 ,j4 ,h4 ,j4
 ,ellison1 late ,vicar of  ,windsor2    
,sir ,lionel ,carden1 of ,mexican fame2 
and others who in various  ways have    

become distinguished4    ,very          
provocative of reminiscence1 too1 are   
the illustrations1 printed in  books    
about ,eton1 of the ,college servants1  
the ,college buildings1 and  many       
well-remembered faces and scenes4 ,take1
 for example1 a picture of  8,old       
,college ,servants0 in ,mr4 ,ralph      
,nevill's ,floreat ,etona4    ,there    
stands the old ,college porter1 ,harry  
,atkins1 whom1 to our  disgrace1 we used
 to bombard on dark winter nights in his
 little lodge  at the gateway into      
,school ,yard1 hurling missiles at his  
door from  behind the pillars of the    
cloisters under ,upper ,school1 and     
trusting to  our superior fleetness of  
foot when he was goaded into a desperate
  charge4 ,there1 too1 are ,culliford1  
the butler1 and ,westbrook1 the cook1   
who were treated by us with far greater 
respect than the equally  respectable   
,atkins1 as presiding over departments  
in which our own  personal comforts were
 more closely concerned1 and from whose 

hands1 on  the occasion of banquets in  
the ,college ,hall1 the smaller         
,collegers  would try to beg or snatch  
dainties as they carried them up from   
the  kitchen4 ,among the least prominent
 members of the group is one            
,wagstaffe1 designated 8scullion02 yet1 
humble though he was in  appearance1 his
 name had become a household word among 
the boys2 for the  somewhat unappetizing
 dough which formed the base of the     
puddings served  to the ,collegers was  
then known as 8the ,wagstaffe10 on the  
supposition1  presumably1 that the under
 part of the pudding was the creation of
 the  under-cook4 ,i do not think ,i    
could eat that pudding now2 but looking 
on  the worthy ,wagstaffe's image again1
 ,i feel that we wronged him in         
identifying him1 as we did1 with an     
unsavoury composition for which he1  a  
mere subordinate1 was not personally to 
blame4    ,to the ,college ,hall there  
came daily1 for the remnants of bread   
and  other victuals1 a number of poor   

old alms-women2 and if any further      
proof be needed of the exceeding        
thinness of the veneer by which our     
youthful savagery was overlaid1 it will 
be found in our treatment of  those     
humble folk1 who were of much more use  
in the world than  ourselves4 ,we named 
them 8the hags02 and one of our         
amusements was to  construct for them   
what was called a 8hag-trap40 ,a large  
square piece of  bread was hollowed out 
in the centre through a hole bored in   
the side1  and when the cavity had been 
filled up with mustard1 pepper1 salt1   
etc41  the opening was plugged1 and the 
bread left lying on the table as a bait 
for some unwary victim who should carry 
it to her home4 ,whether the ,eton      
,mission in ,hackney ,wick has so       
ameliorated the hearts of later         
generations of ,etonians that a         
8hag-trap0 would now be an              
impossibility1  ,i do not know2 but in  
those days we certainly had not the     
smallest atom  of sympathy with the     

working classes1 except perhaps with    
those ,college  servants who were known 
to us personally1 and who ministered to 
our  wants4    ,we did not pretend to   
regard the working man as a brother4    
,once1 when ,i  was travelling with some
 ,eton friends1 a sweep who was standing
 on the  platform tried to enter our    
carriage just as the train was about to 
start4 ,instantly we seized the door1   
and held it closed from the inside2  and
 after a short struggle 7the black man's
 anxious eyes still haunt  me71 the     
victory remained with us1 for the train 
begun to move1 and the  sweep was left  
behind4 ,that was our idea of           
,fraternity4 ,was it ,waterloo  that was
 won in the ,eton ,playing ,fields8 ,i  
have sometimes thought it  must have    
been ,peterloo4    ,but let me turn from
 the recollection of childish deeds done
 by those  who were but 8scugs10 or     
8lower boys10 to that of the immense    
self-importance of which we were        
conscious when we had reached the       

eminence of sixth form4 ,surely nowhere 
on earth is there such a  tremendous    
personage as a sixth-form ,eton boy2 he 
acts continually with  that 8full sense 
of responsibility0 so dear to the       
occupants of the  ,parliamentary        
front-bench4 ,no visitor to ,eton       
,college ,chapel can have  failed to be 
impressed by the pompous entry of those 
twenty immaculately  attired young men  
as they precede the ,headmaster and the 
,provost in a  sort of triumphal        
procession1 thinking of anything rather 
than the  religious service to which    
their arrival is the prelude4 ,on       
speech-days1  too1 when1 arrayed in     
dress-coat and knee-breeches1 we        
declaimed  passages from the great      
writers of antiquity or of modern times1
 we felt  to the full the colossal      
seriousness of our position--serious    
also it  was in another sense1 for our  
self-satisfaction was then sobered by   
the  possibility of breaking down4 ,to  
keep order in the passages at night2 to 

say the ,latin grace in ,hall2 to note  
the names at 8,absence0 in the          
school-yard1 standing by the            
headmaster's side--even to read prayers 
in  the ,houses on occasions--these were
 but a few of the many duties and       
dignities of sixth form4 ,no young      
feathered 8bloods0 in red ,indian tribe 
could have had greater reason to be     
proud4    ,even in the holidays our     
grave responsibilities did not wholly   
cease2  for it was a custom for         
sixth-form youths to be sent as tutors  
to lower  boys who needed 8coaching0 at 
their homes4 ,on two occasions it fell  
to  my lot to perform that service for a
 lively but very backward boy at        
,evans's ,house1 ,charley ,selwyn1      
nephew of the ,bishop of ,lichfield2 and
  the awe which ,i felt at sojourning in
 a bishop's palace helped to fix  more  
firmly in my memory some of the         
impressions which ,i got there4    ,dr4 
,george ,augustus ,selwyn was the most  
stalwart champion of 8muscular          

,christianity40 ,his face was somewhat  
grim and stern1 as was to be  expected  
in so redoubtable a preacher of the     
gospel of hard work2 but  there was a   
humorous twinkle in his eyes which      
betokened a very kind  heart2 and to any
 one connected with ,eton1 present      
,etonian or ,old  ,etonian1 he extended 
the warmest of welcomes4 ,in fact1 ,new 
,zealand1 the  scene of his missionary  
labours1 and ,eton1 where he had been a 
successful scholar and athlete1 were the
 standing subjects of  conversation at  
his table3 he and ,mrs4 ,selwyn used    
often to converse  together in the      
,maori tongue2 and had there been an    
,etonian language  7other than slang7 it
 would assuredly have been spoken by    
them4 ,the  world was1 for the bishop1  
divided into ,etonian and non-,etonian4 
,i once  heard him pressing upon an old 
schoolfellow1 who was about to leave the
  ,palace1 some table-delicacies of rare
 excellence1 and quoting the  ,horatian 
line3          ,ut libet2 hc porcis     

hodie comedenda relinques4      78,as   
you like6 ,the pigs will eat them up1 if
 left407    ,he explained that some     
other guests who were coming to         
,lichfield that  day                    
were--non-,etonians4    ,but in spite of
 the large and lion-like geniality of   
the bishop1 there  were anxious moments 
when the sight of some indolent or      
slovenly action  caused his quick temper
 to give way1 and then one knew not     
whether to  tremble or be inwardly      
amused at the forms which his anger     
would take4  ,once1 on a dull ,sunday   
afternoon 7the ,sundays were dull at the
  ,palace71 he overheard his nephew     
yawning wearily and saying he did not   
know what to do4 8,what60 cried the     
bishop4 8,a ,christian boy not know     
what to do on a ,sunday afternoon60     
,then1 in terrible tones3 8,go and      
fetch your ,greek ,testament40          
,forthwith1 while ,i made haste to      
escape  from that scene of wrath1 the   
wretched boy had to undergo a long      

lesson  from his uncle4    ,on another  
occasion it was my pupil's sister1 a    
very beautiful child of  ten or twelve1 
who caused an eruption of the volcano4  
,she had left1 in  the course of        
luncheon1 8a wasteful plate0--that is1  
she had put the  gristle of the meat at 
the side1 cleverly hidden1 as she       
thought1 under  knife and fork--and the 
bishop1 observing this1 lectured her    
sharply on  the sinfulness of such a    
habit4 ,then1 to our consternation1 his 
anger  rising higher1 he ended by       
seizing the girl's plate1 and then and  
there  himself devoured the disgusting  
stuff as a practical lesson in          
frugality4 8,the bishop's in a very bad 
temper1 to-day1 sir10 the butler        
gravely remarked to me afterwards4#i    
,eton1 then1 was the school where       
ignorance was bliss1 but the bliss was  
very dear while it lasted1 and it would 
have been dearer still if we had  more  
fully realized the nature of the change 
that was to follow--the  difference     

between ,university and ,school4 ,as the
 end of the last summer  term drew near1
 we felt more and more the pang of the  
parting that was  to come2 and when it  
was time to write our ,vale--that last  
copy of the  weekly verses1 in which we 
were allowed1 for once1 to substitute   
,english  for ,latin--we naturally      
likened ourselves to some prophetic     
dreamer of  sad dreams1 or to some      
despairing convict who sees his         
approaching fate4        ,so ,i1 who    
write1 feel ever on my heart            
,such dim presentiment1 such dull       
despair3      ,me1 too1 a doom awaits2  
,i1 too1 must part1        ,and change a
 careless life for toil and care4       
,doubtless many such elegies            
periodically found their way1 as mine   
did1  into ,dr4 ,hornby's waste-paper   
basket4          ,,iii    ,,liter       
,,inhumaniores        ,next ,camus1     
reverend sire1 went footing slow4       
,,milton4      ,certainly1 after the    
liveliness of ,thames1 old ,camus seemed

 to foot it  very slowly4 ,heavy was the
 fall from the exaltation of the sixth  
form to  the lowliness of the freshman4 
,a needed experience it may have been1  
as  correcting the natural priggishness 
of boyhood2 but it was a change that  we
 little relished while we underwent it4 
,king's ,college1 ,cambridge1 in the    
early 'seventies1 was in a phase of     
transition from the old-fashioned       
system1 under which it was a mere       
appanage of ,eton1 to a new order of    
things which was gradually throwing  its
 gates open to all comers2 much1        
however1 of the ancient pettiness of    
spirit still remained2 the ,college was 
small in numbers and small in  tone1    
dominated by a code of unwritten yet    
vexatious ordinances1 which  it was     
waste of time to observe1 yet 8bad form0
 to neglect4 8,king's  always had a     
tyrant10 was a remark made to me by ,f4 
,w4 ,cornish1 himself  a ,kingsman4     
,the ,provost was ,dr4 ,okes1 a short1  
rather crabbed-looking old man1 whose   

enormous self-complacency was the theme 
of many tales4 ,once1 when he was       
walking through the court1 his pompous  
gait caused some ill-mannered           
undergraduates1 who were watching him   
from a window1 to give vent to  audible 
laughter2 whereupon he sent for them and
 explained that such  merriment must not
 be indulged in while he was passing by4
 ,that he  himself could have been the  
cause of the merriment was a possibility
  which had not entered his mind4       
,next in authority was the dean1 a wan  
and withered-looking clergyman  named   
,churton1 who always seemed unhappy     
himself and infected every one  who     
entered his rooms with a sense of       
discomfort4 ,he used to invite          
undergraduates to breakfast with him1 a 
melancholy function in which he  often  
had the aid of ,fred ,whitting 7the name
 was pronounced ,whiting71 a  bluff and 
more genial don whose conversation just 
saved the guests from  utter despair2   
and at these entertainments poor        

,churton's one remark1 as  he helped the
 fish1 was to say with a sour smile of  
ineffable  wretchedness3 8,whitting1    
will you be a cannibal80    ,very       
different from this chilly dean1 and    
much more interesting1 as  being genuine
 relics of the brave old days when      
,kingsmen had no need to  study or to   
exert themselves1 inasmuch as their     
,university career was  assured them    
from the first1 were two portly and     
inseparable bachelors1  ,messrs4 ,law   
and ,brocklebank1 whose sole employment 
it seemed to be to  reap to the full the
 emoluments of their life-fellowship1   
which they had  held for a goodly number
 of years4 8,brock0 and 8,applehead0    
were their  nicknames2 both were stout  
and bulky1 but there was a rotundity    
about  ,mr4 ,law's cranial development  
which gave him a more imposing          
appearance4  ,as they ambled side by    
side about the courts and lawns1 it     
amused us to  fancy them a pair of      
strange survivals from a rude           

prehistoric age1 we  ourselves1 of      
course1 playing the part of the moderns 
and intellectuals4  ,when 8,applehead0  
died1 we were enjoined in a poetical    
epitaph1 by some  anonymous admirer1 to 
deck his grave with pumpkins1 gourds1   
melons1  cucumbers and other emblematic 
fruits4    ,the literary element was not
 strong in ,king's2 but in ,henry       
,bradshaw1  one of the senior ,fellows1 
the ,college could boast a ,university  
,librarian of much distinction4 ,he was 
a kind1 but most whimsical and          
eccentric man1 whose friendship was open
 to any undergraduate who sought  it1   
only it must be sought1 and under the   
conditions imposed by ,bradshaw         
himself1 for it was never in any        
circumstances offered4 ,if you presented
  yourself uninvited at his             
rooms--rather an ordeal for a nervous   
freshman--you were welcomed1 perhaps    
taken to his heart4 ,if you did not     
present yourself1 he never asked you to 
come2 on the contrary1 however  often he

 met you on the stairs or elsewhere1 he 
passed with a look of  blank and stony  
indifference on his large and somewhat  
inexpressive  visage4 ,i knew a scholar 
of ,king's who lived on ,bradshaw's     
staircase1  and who for more than a year
 was thus passed by as non-existent3    
then1  one evening1 moved by a sudden   
impulse1 he knocked at the great man's  
door1 entered1 and was immediately      
admitted to the cheery circle of his    
acquaintance4 ,it was useless to resent 
such waywardness on ,bradshaw's  part2  
there was no 8ought0 in his vocabulary2 
you had to take him on his  own terms1  
or 8go without02 and the great number of
 ,university men who  came on pilgrimage
 to his rooms was in itself a proof of  
his mastery4 ,i  recall the following   
lines from an epigram which some        
rebellious  undergraduate wrote on him3 
,throned in supreme indifference1 he    
sees      ,the growing ardour of his    
devotees3      ,he cares not if they    
come1 yet more and more      ,they      

throng subservient to the sacred door3  
,he cares not if they go1 yet none the  
less      ,his 8harvests ripen and his  
herds increase40    ,it was so2 and     
,bradshaw1 having a gift of very pungent
 speech1 was well  able to keep his     
8herds0 in order when they were         
assembled3 he would at  times say a     
sharp and wholesome word to some        
conceited or presumptuous  visitor4     
,even his nearest friends could take no 
liberties with him4 ,it  was said that  
when ,mr4 ,g4 ,w4 ,prothero1 then a     
,fellow of ,king's1 took to  omitting   
the 8,esquire0 in the address of        
letters1 and wrote plain 8,henry        
,bradshaw10 the librarian retaliated in 
his reply by addressing  laconically to 
8,prothero0--nothing more4    ,to attend
 lectures and chapel services formed the
 chief duties of  undergraduates2 and   
the lectures were much the less tedious 
task4 ,it was  a chilly business1       
however1 on a cold winter morning1 to   
hear the great  ,greek scholar1 ,r4     

,shilleto1 hold forth for an hour on his
 beloved  ,thucydides2 for he was an    
elderly man with a chronic cough1 and   
his  enthusiasm for a ,greek idiom      
hardly compensated his audience for the 
physical difficulties with which he     
laboured4 ,he would begin cheerily on  a
 difficult passage1 and1 overtaken by a 
bout of coughing1 lose the  place for a 
while2 then1 with a drawling 8yes10     
catch up the thread of  his discourse1  
till another spasm overwhelmed him2     
while we1 desiring  our breakfasts much 
more than the privilege of listening to 
a second  ,porson1 fumed and fidgeted1  
and took notes1 or neglected to take    
notes1  till the stroke of the clock    
released us4 ,much more popular were    
some of  the lectures which we attended1
 in other ,colleges1 given by such      
skilled  exponents of the ,classics as  
,henry ,jackson and ,r4 ,c4 ,jebb4 ,jebb
 was  always the same--self-composed1   
neat and eloquent2 ,jackson1 on the     
contrary1 though not at all less        

competent1 used to work himself into a  
fever of fretfulness when he could not  
find the exact word he sought  for2 and 
then1 to our amusement1 he would upbraid
 himself as 8dolt0 and  8idiot10 even   
while he was giving a most suggestive   
address4    ,the compulsory 8chapels0   
were a great trial to some of us2 and   
each  ,king's scholar was further       
liable1 in turn1 to the function of     
reading  the ,lessons for a week4 ,i do 
not know why this should have seemed    
more  formidable than 8speeches0 at     
,eton1 but it was an office which we    
would  very thankfully have escaped4 ,it
 needed some courage to step down from a
  stall in that spacious chapel--most of
 all when1 as on a ,sunday  afternoon1  
there was a large concourse of          
visitors--and then to mount1  by what   
cragsmen would call an 8exposed ridge10 
the steps that led up to  the big       
lectern in the middle of the nave4 ,the 
sensation was one of  extreme           
solitariness and detachment1 with little

 but the lectern itself  to give support
 and protection2 so that we could almost
 sympathize with  the plight of that    
disreputable undergraduate who1         
according to a  current story 7which1 be
 it hoped1 was fictitious71 had essayed 
to read  the ,lessons1 in some college  
chapel1 when he was not so sober as he  
should have been4 ,throwing his arms    
round the eagle--for his lectern was    
fashioned in the shape of that pagan    
bird--he appalled the congregation1  it 
was said1 by exclaiming1 in a pensive   
voice3 8,if it wasn't for this          
something duck1 ,i'd be down40    ,but  
practice makes all things easier2 and   
after a time one or two of us  so far   
overcame our nervousness as to utilize  
our position at the  lectern for the    
benefit1 as we thought1 of the          
congregation at  large--certainly for   
our own personal comfort2 for we        
ventured to dock  and shorten the       
,lessons as we felt inclined4 8,here    
endeth the ,lesson10  we would cry1 when

 we had read1 perhaps1 no more than a   
dozen verses out  of twice or thrice    
that number2 and immediately the great  
organ would  sound1 and the pompous     
choral service continued on its course4 
,we had  private information that this  
irregularity did not pass unobserved by 
some of the dons2 but as nothing was    
said we concluded that they blessed  us 
for it in secret4    ,the relations     
between dons and undergraduates were for
 the most part  very friendly2 but the  
blandness of the dons was somewhat      
measured and  condescending--not without
 reason1 perhaps1 for undergraduates1   
like  schoolboys1 were apt to take undue
 advantage of any excess of  affability4
 ,once1 when ,i was walking along       
,king's ,parade with a friend1  we saw  
the great ,dr4 ,lightfoot coming from   
the opposite direction4 8,now  just     
look10 said my companion1 8how polite   
,lightfoot will be4 ,see how  ,i'll make
 him smile as he passes40 ,and sure     
enough1 the learned divine1  in response

 to an audacious salute from one who had
 no sort of claim to  his acquaintance1 
was instantly wreathed in smiles and    
benignity1 as if  he were meeting the   
son of his dearest friend1 instead of   
being  impudently imposed on by a       
stranger4    ,we rather dreaded the     
invitations that sometimes reached us to
 a formal  breakfast1 or worse still1 a 
soire 7familiarly known as a            
8stand-up071 at the residence of some   
high authority4 ,i have spoken of  the  
,churton breakfasts in ,king's2 still   
more serious an affair was it to  be one
 of a dozen undergraduates summoned en  
bloc to breakfast at  ,trinity ,lodge1  
for ,dr4 ,thompson1 the ,master of      
,trinity1 was a great  ,university      
magnate1 widely famed and feared for his
 sententious sayings  and biting        
sarcasms1 many of which were reported   
from mouth to mouth4 ,we  had heard of  
that deadly verdict of his on a         
,university sermon preached  by ,dean   
,howson1 joint author of ,conybeare and 

,howson's ,life of ,st4  ,paul3 8,i was 
thinking what a very clever man ,mr4    
,conybeare must have  been40 ,as a      
member once or twice of such a          
breakfast-party1 ,i recollect  how      
awkwardly we stood herded together when 
we had entered the sage's  presence1 and
 how1 as we passed into the             
breakfast-room1 we almost  jostled each 
other in our anxiety to get a seat as   
far as possible away  from that end of  
the long table where the ,master in his 
majesty sat4 ,as  for the soires at     
,trinity ,lodge and elsewhere1 they     
demanded some  strength of limb2 for the
 number of visitors exceeded the number 
of  seats1 and to stand for two hours in
 a corner1 and look as if one liked  it1
 was irksome even for youth4 ,at these  
ceremonials1 when the ,provost  of      
,king's was the host1 he used to invite 
undergraduates with immense             
condescension to 8be seated02 and when  
he added with emphasis3 8,you may  sit  
down here10 he was understood to be     

reflecting on the superior  comfort of a
 ,provost's entertainment as compared   
with that of ,trinity  ,lodge4    ,one  
thing that rather galled the feelings of
 undergraduates was that  none but      
,provost and ,fellows might set foot on 
the extensive lawns at  ,king's--a      
selfish privilege of the few1 as it     
appeared1 maintained to  the exclusion  
of the many4 ,however that may have     
been1 there came a  night when a small  
party of ,kingsmen committed the        
sacrilegious act of  releasing a mole in
 front of the ,provost's ,lodge1 and    
dauntlessly  awaited the result1 thus   
anticipating ,lord ,milner's policy of  
8damning  the consequences40 ,there were
 no serious consequences1 except to the 
most innocent of all the persons        
concerned--the mole4 ,we watched him    
with admiration as he sank into that    
soft green turf1 like a seal into       
water2 and the next morning we were     
thrilled to see a small line of  earthen
 hillocks on the sacred sward4 ,then    

followed a great to-do of  gardeners and
 mole-catchers2 and on the third day1 to
 our regret and  remorse1 the poor mole 
paid the penalty for the trespasses of  
others4 ,we  put a ,london newspaper on 
the track of this incident1 and the     
editor  published some humorous         
speculations1 for the benefit of readers
  interested in natural history1 as to  
how the mole could have found his  way  
to that cloistered spot4    ,the        
,cambridge ,undergraduates' ,journal 7,i
 am now speaking of the year  #ahgc and 
thereabouts7 was a fortnightly          
paper--edited at one time by ,g4  ,c4   
,macaulay1 at another by ,hallam 7now   
,lord7 ,tennyson--in which some of  us  
used to try our hands at the higher     
journalism1 and write satirical  essays 
on the various anomalies of ,cambridge  
life4 ,compulsory chapels2  compulsory  
,latin and ,greek2 8cribbing0 in        
examinations2 antiquated  college       
customs2 the exactions of college       
servants2 the social functions  known as

 8stand-ups0--these were but a few of   
the topics on which we  held forth with 
all the confidence of youth4 ,it was the
 ,adventurer  over again1 but on a more 
comprehensive scale2 for the            
undergraduate  could express his        
feelings more openly than the schoolboy2
 else the  writer of an article on      
compulsory chapels could hardly have    
inveighed1  as he did1 against the      
ordinance of full choral service1 where 
8the man  without an ear0 was doomed1   
for two long hours1 8to sit1 stand1 and 
kneel in wearisome succession40    ,the 
annual competition for the ,english     
,prize ,poem afforded another           
opportunity for nascent ambition4 ,the  
subject one year was the recovery  of   
the ,prince of ,wales 7afterwards ,king 
,edward7 from a serious illness2  and it
 was this rather snobbish theme that    
drew from one of the  competitors a     
couplet which went the round of a       
delighted ,university3        ,flashed  
o'er the land the electric message came3

      8,he is not better1 but he's much 
the same40#aj    ,then there were the   
8,sir ,william ,browne's ,medals10      
offered annually for  ,greek and ,latin 
odes and epigrams4 ,these prizes were   
usually the  perquisite of a few select 
scholars 7my friend ,e4 ,c4 ,selwyn had 
a way of  carrying them off72 but as the
 poems were sent in anonymously1 the    
envelope containing the competitor's    
name not being opened except when  he   
won the medal1 it was a safe and rather 
good sport to try one's luck  in the    
contest4 ,one of the surprises of my    
life was when old ,shilleto  7the       
coughing grammarian7 walked into my room
 one evening1 and told me  that the     
examiners had awarded me the medal for  
,greek epigram4 ,there  being a defect  
in one of the lines1 he sat down and    
corrected it1 there  and then1 by an    
emendation which was doubtless better   
,greek and  certainly worse poetry4     
,another high ,cambridge authority1 at  
that time1 was ,dr4 ,benjamin  ,kennedy1

 famed as former headmaster of          
,shrewsbury ,school1 and as author  of a
 ,latin ,grammar familiar to many       
generations of schoolboys4 ,i had  been 
told to call on him at his house1 for my
 father had been under him  at          
,shrewsbury1 and there was an old       
friendship between the families2 and    
when ,i did so with some                
trepidation--perhaps because a recent   
experience  at ,trinity ,lodge had made 
me fearful of 8receptions0--,i found him
 a most  benign old gentleman1 quite    
free from the awful stateliness of a    
,provost  or a ,master2 indeed1 when he 
asked undergraduates to dinner he       
relaxed  to an extent which could not   
but restore confidence in the most      
timid4  ,after dinner he would give us  
8words0 to decipher1 in ivory letters1  
according to that rather inane          
,victorian pastime2 or he would recite  
odd  verses to us in his quaint         
sing-song voice1 something between a    
whisper  and a wheeze4 ,who could have  

feared even the most learned of         
,professors1  when he stooped to conquer
 by rehearsing for us such an example of
 an  ,english pentameter as the         
following1 presumably of his own        
composition3        ,strawberry jam jam 
jam2 strawberry1 strawberry jam4    ,but
 even the genial ,dr4 ,kennedy could not
 wholly release himself from  the       
rigidness of ,cambridge etiquette3 it   
was impossible1 so he had  stated when  
he desired me to call on him1 for him to
 call on an  undergraduate4 ,no such    
difficulty existed for the greatest yet 
least  assuming of the distinguished men
 then living in ,cambridge1 ,frederick  
,denison ,maurice4 ,having heard of me  
as a pupil of ,mr4 ,kegan ,paul's1 he   
came1 though he was an old man1 to my   
room on the top story in ,king's1  and  
talked so quietly and naturally that ,i 
felt quite at ease with him4  ,on a     
later occasion ,i breakfasted at his    
house1 alone with him1 a  privilege     
which ,i much valued2 for even then ,i  

was aware of his real  greatness1 unlike
 as he was to the pompous ,university   
magnates who  figured so largely in     
public4 ,if only the heads of ,colleges 
and  ,universities could know--but1 of  
course1 they rarely know--how much more 
powerful is the influence of simple     
unaffected kindness than of the         
affability which betrays a touch of     
patronage and condescension6    ,st4    
,edward's ,church1 of which ,maurice was
 the incumbent1 was close to  the gates 
of ,king's--and some of us              
undergraduates used to go there on      
,sunday evenings1 notwithstanding our   
weariness of our own chapel  services1  
in order to hear him preach1 for we were
 drawn to him by the  obvious impression
 which he gave of quiet sympathy and    
strength4 ,at a  time when the revolting
 doctrine of eternal punishment was     
still widely  held1 his humanizing      
influence must have been very valuable  
within the  ,church4 ,matthew ,arnold's 
clever gibe1 that he beat about the     

bush1 but  without starting the hare1   
left a good deal unsaid2 for if he did  
not  start the hare he helped to silence
 the hell-cat4    ,not very long before 
the time of which ,i am speaking1       
,maurice's curate  at ,st4 ,edward's had
 been a namesake of that saint's1       
,edward ,carpenter1  who1 as is related 
in his autobiography1#aa resigned his   
,orders1  together with his ,fellowship 
at ,trinity ,hall1 in #ahga4 ,some      
thirteen  years later ,i made his       
acquaintance in ,london2 and ,i have    
often  regretted that ,i went to        
,cambridge too late to hear him preach1 
for ,i  have never been able quite to   
picture the author of ,towards          
,democracy  in the pulpit1 arrayed      
canonically in surplice or gown4    ,the
 goal of a ,kingsman's career at        
,cambridge was the ,classical ,tripos2  
and for three years he would read       
steadily1 and with increasing           
intentness1 keeping that end in view4   
,it was generally thought advisable  to 

have a 8coach02 but experience led me to
 doubt whether1 for those who  knew how 
to direct their own reading1 and had the
 necessary  perseverance1 it was not a  
waste of time to invoke such assistance2
 a  good 8crib0 was a far speedier and  
more effective instructor4 ,some        
8coaches10 moreover1 were apt to be     
rather lazy at times1 and to put off    
their pupils' attendance on the plea1   
perhaps1 that they had to go to  ,london
 for the day1 or were called off by some
 equally important  engagement2 and now1
 by a curious reversal1 we1 who at ,eton
 should have  been only too delighted if
 our tutors had perennially shirked     
their  duties1 had become in turn the   
studious ones1 and having ourselves paid
  for the tuition were annoyed if we did
 not get it6 ,one contemporary of  mine 
at ,king's was so upset by his 8coach's0
 remissness that he wrote  him a letter 
of remonstrance1 more in sadness than   
anger1 and roused him  to fury by       
quoting some words from ,thucydides 7   

71 in open allusion to those who first  
get their fee and then  neglect to earn 
it4    ,young men often fail to realize 
the sensitiveness of their elders1 and  
thus say and do things which cause more 
hurt than was intended4 ,we used  to be 
resentful1 in those too fastidious      
pre-war days1 of the  considerable      
amount of shale1 schist1 and rubble     
which was sold to us  with our coal2 and
 a fellow ,kingsman once asked me to    
accompany him to  the coal-merchant's1  
to whom he proposed to return a         
basketful of the  refuse in question4   
,foreseeing sport1 ,i went2 but the     
scene that ensued  was sorrowful rather 
than amusing1 for the head of the firm1 
a  venerable-looking old man with white 
hair1 happened to be in the office1  and
 when the coal-substitutes were handed  
to him over the counter his  wrath was  
so great that his hand positively shook 
with passion4 ,savages  though we were1 
we came away rather penitent4    ,there 
was1 however1 one ,kingsman at that     

time1 an undergraduate senior  to       
myself1 who was unpleasantly famed for  
the remorseless devilry with  which he  
scored off any unfortunate person whom  
chance placed in his  power4 ,his       
tailor1 it was said1 having by mistake  
sent him in a bill  that had already    
been paid1 was ordered to set the matter
 right1 on pain  of being dismissed4 ,he
 did so2 and then the offended customer 
said to  him3 8,and now ,i dismiss you  
just the same40 ,on another occasion it 
was a  broken-down clergyman who had the
 ill-luck to appeal to this young       
gentleman for pecuniary aid3 so rare an 
opportunity could not be allowed  to    
slip4 8,you trust in ,god1 ,i suppose10 
said the undergraduate4 ,it was  not    
possible for a clergyman to gainsay it4 
8,then ,i will toss up10 said  the      
other2 8and if you cry rightly1 ,i shall
 know you deserve  assistance02 and     
forthwith he spun the coin1 and the     
clergyman  cried--8heads0 or 8tails0 as 
might be4 ,but unluckily for the poor   

pilgrim1 the ,kingsman was a skilled    
manipulator of the coin in hazards  of  
this sort1 and the result was never in  
doubt4 ,the mendicant was  proved1 on   
the highest authority1 to be            
undeserving4    ,but to return to the   
,classical ,tripos4 ,coached or         
uncoached1 we came at  last to that     
great final examination1 a sort of      
,judgment ,day in  miniature1 which1 for
 some of us1 would have an important    
bearing on our  later lives4 ,the       
examination system is in various ways   
open to  criticism1 and critics have by 
no means been lacking1 but it need not  
be  denied that intellectual benefit in 
many cases may result from the          
sustained effort to prepare oneself for 
a very searching test1  necessitating a 
thorough study of the chief ,classical  
writers4 ,but the  weightiest charge    
against the ,university education is the
 one which  least often finds           
expression--that a learning which would 
strengthen the  intellect only1 and does

 not feed the heart1 is in the main but 
barren  and unprofitable1 a culture of  
the liter inhumaniores4 ,except from ,f4
  ,d4 ,maurice1 ,i never heard1 during  
my four years at ,cambridge--from       
preacher or professor1 from lecturer1   
dean1 or don--the least mention of  the 
higher social ethics1 without which     
there can be no real culture  and no    
true civilization4    ,i remember1 with 
shame1 that ,i was once so moved by the 
florid rhetoric  of ,dean ,farrar1 in a 
missionary sermon preached before the   
,university1  that ,i made a            
contribution to the offertory which ,i  
could ill afford4 ,a  day or two        
afterwards1 with the return of sanity1  
,i felt the force of  the adage that    
8fools and their money are soon parted10
 and ,i saw that  it was worse than     
folly to send missions to other         
countries1 when we  ourselves were      
little better than pagans at home4 ,the 
mischief of this  spurious religionism  
was that it lessened the chance of any  

genuine  awakening of conscience to the 
facts that stared us in the face4 ,we   
were  made to study ,paley's fantastic  
8,evidences10 while the evidence of     
nature1 of the human heart1 and of      
actual life1 was sedulously hidden      
away4    ,in the ,tripos of #ahge the   
,senior ,classic was ,mr4 ,peskett1 who 
belonged  properly to the preceding     
year1 but owing to illness or some other
 cause  had 8degraded0 into ours1 and   
thus robbed my friend ,mr4 ,arthur      
,tilley of  an honour which should      
rightly have been his4 ,dr4 ,j4 ,gow1   
,headmaster of  ,westminster ,school1   
was third2 the fifth place was shared by
 ,mr4 ,gerald  ,balfour and myself4     
,it was the custom in those days for    
headmasters of ,eton to draw largely  on
 ,king's ,college for their supply of   
assistants3 thus a ,king's ,scholar  of 
,eton1 after taking his degree at       
,cambridge1 would often return to the   
school as a ,classical assistant master1
 and so complete the academical  round4 

,the process might1 perhaps1 have been  
likened to the three stages  of         
butterfly life1 but with the first and  
the last phase transposed4 ,we  began as
 the gay ,eton insects1 whose ignorance 
was bliss2 and then1  after passing     
through the chrysalis period by the     
,cam1 reappeared on  ,thames's bank1    
metamorphosed into the caterpillars     
locally known as  8beaks10 and usually  
content thenceforth to crawl soberly    
along on a  wingless but well-nourished 
career4 ,but even a worm1 as we know1   
will  turn2 and1 as the next chapter    
must relate1 some of the grubs would at 
times be so unconscionable as to take   
new and unsettling notions into  their  
heads4          ,,iv    ,,the           
,,discovery         8,why1 they are     
cannibals60 said ,toby4 8,granted10 ,i  
replied2 8but a       more gentlemanly  
and amiable set of epicures do not      
exist40--,,herman       ,,melville4     
,what are the feelings of the poacher   
transformed into the gamekeeper8  ,they 

must1 ,i think1 be similar to those of a
 youth who1 after studying  for a few   
years at the ,university1 returns as    
master to the school which  he left as  
boy4 ,quantum mutatus ab illo6 ,the     
scene itself is the same1  but the part 
which he must play in it is now to a    
great extent reversed2  and the irony of
 the situation is that though henceforth
 an upholder of  law and order1 he      
still1 perhaps1 sympathizes at heart    
with the  transgressors whom it is his  
duty to reprimand4    ,to be summoned as
 an assistant by ,dr4 ,hornby1 and at a 
few days' notice  7his arrangements were
 frequently made in desperate haste71   
was to be  thrown very suddenly upon    
one's own resources2 for1 an appointment
 once  completed1 he showed no further  
interest in the matter1 and did not even
  trouble himself to provide a          
school-room in which his latest         
lieutenant  should teach3 that the      
number of ,divisions exceeded the number
 of rooms  was a trifle which did not   

engage his attention4 ,a novice had     
therefore  to consider himself rather   
lucky when he was able to secure1 for   
his  first term or two1 even an         
apartment so ill equipped for           
educational  purposes as a sort of      
cupboard1 situated under the stairs that
 led to  the headmaster's room1 and     
popularly known as 8,the ,dog-,kennel40 
,here1  with a class of about forty     
boys1 a pleasant summer school-time had 
to  be spent4    ,it was a curious      
sensation1 which ,i suppose all teachers
 of large  classes must have felt1 to be
 confronted by serried ranks of boys    
whose  faces were entirely strange1     
though their names were entered on the  
list  which lay1 like a map1 upon the   
desk4 ,some time was required before    
each  name could be correctly fitted to 
the face2 and in this process any       
abnormality of feature or size in       
individuals1 which might constitute a   
landmark1 was a great help4 ,a          
red-haired boy1 or a fat boy1 served to 

punctuate a row2 and that classification
 of boys 7,i forget who made it7  into  
the beef-faced and the mealy-faced was a
 thing to be kept in mind4    ,such were
 the auspices under which an ,eton      
master was in those days  started on his
 career--shut up in the ,dog-,kennel    
with a horde of young  barbarians1 whom1
 in the circumstances1 it was hardly    
possible to  instruct1 and not very easy
 to control4 ,there were a few masters  
at  ,eton1 as doubtless at other public 
schools1 who had a real gift for        
teaching2 also a few1 like our friend   
8,swage10 who were unable to  maintain  
any semblance of authority4 ,between    
these two extremes were  those1 the     
great majority of us1 who1 while        
courteously and respectfully  treated by
 the boys1 and having pleasant relations
 with them1 could not  in strict truth  
flatter themselves that1 except in      
special cases1 they  had overcome the   
natural tendency of boyhood to be idle4 
,so much has  been written about the    

defects of the ,eton system that it     
suffices here  to say that while a      
reputation for cleverness was maintained
 by a few of  the boys1 mostly ,king's  
,scholars1 the bulk of the school was   
inflexibly  bent upon other activities  
than those of the mind4    ,nor were the
 masters themselves unaffected by the   
general tone of the  school4 ,there were
 some fine scholars1 it is true1 on ,dr4
 ,hornby's  staff1 experts not in       
,classical literature only1 but in      
various  branches of learning2 yet in   
not a few cases these gifted specialists
  seemed as artless in their outlook on 
life as they were skilled in their      
particular department4 8,a d----d fool1 
with a taste for the ,classics10  was   
the too unceremonious description given 
of one of them by a  sarcastic          
acquaintance2 and the epigram1 however  
reprehensible in  expression1 hit the   
mark4 ,knowledge is not wisdom2 and this
 academical  learning often went        
together with a narrow and pedantic     

spirit which  blindly upheld the old    
order of things and resented every sign 
of  change4 ,for example1 there was one 
learned master who used to assert1 in   
those years of peace1 that what ,england
 most needed was a war--a grim1         
hard-fought war2 and this was the sort  
of reckless talk often indulged  in by  
the mildest-mannered of men1 who        
themselves were in no danger  whatever  
of exchanging the gown for the sword4   
,new ideas were under a ban at ,eton2   
notwithstanding the specious            
invitations given to some distinguished 
men to lecture before the  school4      
,gladstone1 ,arnold1 ,ruskin1 ,morris   
and ,lowell were among those  who       
addressed the boys in the ,school       
,library2 and it was instructive to     
note the reception which they severally 
obtained4 ,lowell was the most  popular2
 his cheery contention that this world  
of ours is1 after all1  8not a bad world
 to live in10 being delightedly received
 by an audience  which had good personal

 reasons for concurring in such a       
sentiment3  ,william ,morris1 on the    
other hand1 having ventured on the then 
dangerous  ground of ,socialism1 was    
hissed4 ,gladstone discreetly kept to   
the  unimpeachable subject of ,homer2   
and ,matthew ,arnold's staid appearance1
  with his 8mutton-chop0 whiskers and   
mechanical bowing of the head in  accord
 with the slow rhythm of his sentences1 
was sufficient to lull to  sleep any    
insidious doubts of his respectability4 
,as a speaker1 ,ruskin  was by far      
superior to the rest2 his lucid train of
 thought and clear1  musical voice could
 hold enchanted an audience1 even of    
,eton boys1 for  the full space of an   
hour4    ,science lectures formed       
another branch of the intellectual      
treats that  were provided for the      
school2 but ,science was still rather   
under a cloud  at that date4 ,i         
recollect the title of but one          
discussion1 and that only  because ,i   
happened to be able to throw some light 

on the geological  problem with which it
 dealt4 ,i was living in a small house  
7once famous  as 8,drury's071 which had 
a much higher one on either side2 and as
 it was  the practice for the boys in   
neighbouring houses to bombard each     
other  with any missiles or minerals    
that might be handy1 my garden became a 
sort of 8no-man's-land0 between the two 
rival fortresses1 and its  surface was  
enriched with a very varied deposit4    
,when1 therefore1 a  lecture was        
announced on the question1 8,will coal  
be found in the ,thames  valley80 ,i was
 able to solve the problem affirmatively
 by the production  from my own premises
 of some remarkably fine samples4    ,it
 would doubtless have shocked ,dr4      
,hornby if any one had suggested that   
there was a lack of religious           
instruction in that most conservative of
  schools4 ,chapel services there were  
in plenty2 and a ,greek ,testament      
lesson on ,monday morning2 and 8,sunday 
,questions0 to be answered in  writing2 

and 8,sunday ,private0 to be attended in
 the ,tutor's pupil-room2  and ,prayers 
every evening in each ,house4 ,yet the  
general tone of ,eton  was far from     
being religious1 even in the            
conventional meaning of the  term2 for  
the many superficial observances did not
 affect the deep  underlying worldliness
 of the place4 ,it was ,vanity ,fair on 
,sundays and  week-days alike4 ,there   
was an ,eton story of a servant in a    
private  family who1 when the bell was  
rung for evening devotions1 was         
overheard  to cry in a weary voice3     
8,oh1 dear6 ,why do gentry have         
prayers80 ,the  reference to 8gentry0   
shows the light in which such ceremonies
 are  regarded downstairs4 ,in the same 
way1 the religious teaching in schools  
is looked upon by the boys as imposed on
 them for purposes of  discipline4      
,it was not the boys only who found the 
,chapel services very tedious2 for  most
 of the masters were laymen1 many of    
them unorthodox1 and for these  it was  

no agreeable duty to be victimized both 
on ,sundays and on ,saints'  ,days for  
the sake of keeping up appearances      
before the school4  ,calculations are   
sometimes made of the number of years   
spent in prison  by some hardened       
criminal or 8gaol-bird40 ,why does no   
one tell us how  many hours1 amounting  
to how many years1 some zealous         
church-goer1 or  pew-bird1 has spent on 
such devotions8 ,without claiming that  
distinction1 ,i calculate that during   
some twenty years spent in  connection  
with public school and ,university ,i   
passed several thousands  of hours in   
church and chapel4    ,human nature     
could not but chafe under the fearful   
dulness and length of  the sermons in   
,eton ,college ,chapel4 ,dr4 ,goodford1 
the ,provost1 was a  sort of personified
 ,doom2 when once he mounted the pulpit 
he was in the  saddle1 so to speak1 and 
rode his congregation well-nigh to      
despair with  his merciless homilies1   
all uttered in that droning voice1 with 

its  ceaseless burr and inevitable      
cadence1 which became to generations of 
,etonians as familiar as the ,chapel    
bell itself4 ,scarcely less fearsome    
were some of the elder ,fellows1 retired
 masters1 such as ,bishop ,chapman  and 
the ,rev4 ,john ,wilder1 who were often 
let loose on us on ,sunday  mornings and
 blithely seized the opportunity3 it was
 their field-day1  and they were out to 
enjoy themselves1 quite unconscious that
 what was  pious sport to them was death
 to their unwilling audience4 ,small    
wonder  that some assistant masters used
 to dread the weeks when they were on   
duty 78in desk0 it was called72 but     
providentially there were others  who1  
disliking still more the labour of      
correcting ,latin verses1 were  willing 
to barter 8verses0 for 8desks02 that is1
 they would take so  many of a          
colleague's desks1 while he in return   
would look over a  stipulated number of 
exercises4 ,thus did the ,muse come to  
the aid of her  devotees3        ,sic me

 servavit ,apollo4    ,perhaps the      
strangest form that religion took at    
,eton was that of  missionary zeal2 we  
used to have sermons periodically about 
carrying the  gospel to 8the heathen02  
though if ever there was a benighted    
spot on  earth1 it was that pleasant    
school by the ,thames4 ,some of the boys
 were  at times infected by the passion 
for making proselytes3 on one occasion  
an extremely dull and idle youth1 who   
had lately left ,eton1 wrote to  tell   
me1 as his former tutor1 that he had    
decided to become a missionary  8to the 
poor perishing heathen0--in his case1   
the ,chinese1 a people much  less       
ignorant and barbarous than many of     
their self-appointed rescuers4          
8,divinity0 was one of the studies most 
encouraged and fostered at ,eton2  one  
would have thought the place was a      
training-school for theologians1  from  
the prominence that was given in        
examinations to this particular  branch 
of learning4 ,the result1 as might have 

been expected1 was the  same as in the  
writing of ,latin verses3 a few boys    
became adepts in the  ,bible            
,dictionary1 while the bulk of the      
school scarcely advanced beyond  that   
stage of biblical knowledge exhibited by
 a certain ,etonian who1  when invited  
to write an account of ,st4 ,james the  
,elder and ,st4 ,james  the ,less1 was  
able to give a brief description of the 
,elder1 but was  reduced1 in the case of
 the ,lesser saint1 to the rather       
inadequate1  though so far correct1     
statement that3 8,the other was         
another40    ,we were perhaps somewhat  
overdone with the ,saints at ,eton3 the 
masters  who had to set the ,sunday     
,questions were nearly as tired of      
asking about  ,st4 ,peter and ,st4 ,paul
 as the boys of answering2 and in the   
,chapel  sermons we suffered1 year after
 year1 under the whole ,hagiology1 until
  some of us1 it must be confessed1     
sighed in secret for the time3          
,when ,reason's rays1 illuming all1     

,shall put the ,saints to rout1         
,and ,peter's holiness shall pall1      
,and ,paul's shall peter out4    ,but if
 ,christianity was the nominal religion 
at ,eton1 the real creed was            
,respectability4 ,to do the 8proper     
thing02 not to offend against any of    
the conventional canons2 to dress1 walk1
 speak1 eat and live in the  manner     
prescribed by 8good form0--this was the 
ever-present obligation  which neither  
boy nor master could disregard4 ,any    
slip in matters of  etiquette was       
regarded as deadly4 ,there was a dark   
rumour about one of  the masters1 a good
 and worthy man1 but very shortsighted1 
that by a  tragic error in the ,high    
,street he had taken off his hat to his 
cook3 it  was only less dreadful than if
 he had failed to perform that act of   
courtesy in some case where it was      
required4    ,as is usual in barbarous  
societies1 the number of things that    
were  8taboo0 was considerable4 ,in the 
early 'eighties the bicycle and         

tricycle were frowned upon1 not for boys
 only but for masters2 and a  lady      
living in ,eton once received from ,mrs4
 ,hornby1 who of course1 was  at the    
head of the ,fashions1 a message that to
 ride a tricycle was 8not  a nice thing 
to do40 ,yet for the boys it was        
considered a nice thing  to hunt and    
8break up0 hares4 ,i once witnessed the 
virtuous indignation  of one of the     
masters1 a clergyman1 and a follower of 
the ,eton hounds1  when some rather     
8shady0 incident of the hunt was        
reported to the  headmaster2 but ,dr4   
,hornby soon set matters right by       
explaining that1 as  all hunting was    
cruel1 he obviously could not take      
notice of any  particular malpractice4  
,that was the sort of reasoning with    
which any  attempts to humanize ,eton   
customs were parried and thwarted4      
,yet new ideas could not be wholly      
excluded1 even from that stronghold  of 
the antique2 there were1 in fact1       
several members of ,hornby's staff  who 

held views too advanced to be avowed in 
such surroundings4 ,one of  the least   
prejudiced men at ,eton was the ,french 
,master1 ,m4 ,roublot1 who  was a close 
personal friend of his ,german          
colleague1 ,herr ,griebel2 and  it is   
pleasant to recall the fact that during 
the horrors of the  ,franco-,german     
,war1 some ten years earlier than the   
period of which ,i am  speaking1 these  
two 8enemies0 had kept their friendship 
unbroken1 and  might be seen daily      
taking their walk together1 just as if  
their  countrymen were not insanely     
engaged in cutting each other's throats4
    ,among the ,classical tutors1 two of
 the most enlightened spirits1 men of   
great personal charm1 were ,mr4 ,e4 ,s4 
,shuckburgh1 afterwards lecturer at     
,emmanuel ,college1 ,cambridge1 and the 
,rev4 ,duncan ,tovey1 who a few years   
later took the ,eton living of          
,worplesdon4 ,shuckburgh1 though himself
  most impatient of the old traditions1 
and sympathizing largely with the  newer

 thought1 was of a very critical habit  
of mind1 and used to  delight1 for      
argumentative purposes1 in dwelling on  
the difficulties and  shortcomings of   
the reforms which some of us advocated4 
,tovey was a  literary man 7his works on
 ,gray and ,thomson are well known71 out
 of his  element in such a place as     
,eton1 but in his happier moods a most  
delightful talker and companion4 ,mrs4  
,tovey1 too1 had a lambent wit  which   
could play lightly round the anomalies  
of ,eton life4 ,she once  wrote a       
charming list of some imaginary books of
 fiction1 the authorship  of which she  
assigned to various local celebrities3  
one of the works1  the supposed creation
 of an ,eton upholsterer notorious for  
his big  bills1 had a title which might 
make the fortune of a modern            
philosophical novelist3 8,man's ,time2 a
 ,mystery40    ,some of the junior      
masters played a useful part in         
challenging the old  superstitions4 ,mr4
 ,j4 ,d4 ,bourchier1 afterwards a famous

 correspondent of  ,the ,times in       
south-east ,europe1 was the first rider 
of the bicycle at  ,eton1 and incurred  
much obloquy through his persistence in 
a practice  which no ,eton master could 
then countenance with safety4 ,my       
brother-in-law1 ,j4 ,l4 ,joynes1 jun41  
was a still worse offender4 ,he had     
been impressed by ,henry ,george's      
,progress and ,poverty1 and in the      
summer holidays of #ahhb travelled with 
,george in ,ireland4 ,by a  ridiculous  
blunder of the ,irish ,constabulary1 the
 two were arrested and  locked up as    
dangerous conspirators2 and1 though they
 were quickly  discharged when the      
magistrates discovered the error1 the   
whole ,press of  the country rang with  
amused comments4 ,the ,government had to
 apologize  to ,henry ,george as an     
,american citizen2 and an account of the
 fiasco1  written by ,joynes1 and       
published in ,the ,times1 caused great  
scandal in  ,etonian circles1 where     
publicity was regarded1 not without good

 reason1  as the thing of all things to 
be deprecated4 ,great1 then1 was the    
horror  of the ,eton authorities when1 a
 few weeks later1 an advertisement      
announced ,joynes's forthcoming volume1 
,adventures of a ,tourist in  ,ireland4 
,in hot haste he was informed by the    
headmaster that he must  choose between 
his mastership and his book3 he chose   
the latter1 and  resigned his post4     
,that was the result1 as a patriotic    
colleague and  friend pointed out to me1
 of giving heed to 8a mouldy ,american40
 ,thus  fallen from the high estate of  
an ,eton mastership1 ,joynes became a   
leading spirit in the ,social           
,democratic ,federation2 and by him ,i  
was  introduced to many well-known      
socialists whose names will be mentioned
  later on4    ,during the sixteen years
 of his headmastership ,dr4 ,hornby     
dismissed no  fewer than four           
assistants1 and was himself involved at 
times in serious  conflicts with the    
,governing ,body4 ,a weak man1 he was   

obstinate to the  last degree when once 
engaged in controversy2 as was shown by 
his  determination to get rid of ,mr4   
,oscar ,browning1 who1 whatever the     
merits of their quarrel1 was worth much 
more to ,eton than ,hornby  himself4 ,it
 was not generally known that three     
other assistant masters  proffered their
 resignations as a protest against ,mr4 
,browning's  dismissal2 a most          
ill-judged step1 because matters had    
then reached a  point where either      
,hornby or ,browning had to go4 ,the    
resignations were  accepted1 and the    
three mutineers had to ask leave to     
withdraw them1  which they did with as  
good a grace as they could muster4 ,thus
 the  headmaster triumphed2 but it was a
 victory that brought him little        
credit1 and it was a lucky day for ,eton
 when1 on the death of ,dr4  ,goodford1 
he was appointed to the ,provostship in 
#ahhd4    ,dr4 ,warre1 succeeding ,dr4  
,hornby1 was like ,king ,stork following
 ,king  ,log3 it was as if the school1  

after a long period of 8go as you like10
  had been suddenly placed under a      
military dictatorship4 ,warre had nearly
  been appointed headmaster in #ahfh2   
and though1 during ,hornby's reign1 he  
continued to serve loyally as an        
assistant1 it was evident that it       
galled him to watch the nervelessness   
and vacillation with which the          
government of the school was conducted3 
,i have heard him at a 8masters'        
meeting0 appeal to ,dr4 ,hornby in terms
 which1 however respectful in  form1    
conveyed a reproach which could hardly  
have been unnoticed3 8,will  the        
headmaster insist upon his rule being   
kept8 ,will you pull us up1  sir1 if we 
neglect it80 ,we listened in amusement1 
knowing full well that  ,hornby would   
himself be the first to break his own   
rule1 if it was one  that demanded      
either punctuality or perseverance4     
,one of ,dr4 ,warre's earliest          
innovations was to visit the different  
,divisions in person while a lesson was 

going on2 a very right and proper       
course to take1 but one which came      
rather as a shock to the assistant      
masters of that time1 who had been      
accustomed to consider their            
class-rooms1 like the proverbial        
,englishman's house1 as their 8castles40
  ,we each wondered1 not without        
anxiety1 when his own turn would come4  
,when mine came1 ,i was spared a lengthy
 inspection owing to an incident  which 
was as amusing as it was unforeseen4    
,the next room happened to be  occupied 
that day by a colleague who was entirely
 unable to keep order2  and as neither  
the unfortunate man1 nor his rowdy      
,division1 was aware  that the          
headmaster was so near them1 ,i had     
hardly begun my lesson when  there rose 
a terrific din from next door--shrieks1 
catcalls1 peals of  laughter1 stamping  
of feet1 all the noises of a madhouse4  
,with a wave of  his hand to me1 the    
headmaster slipped swiftly from the     
room2 and a  moment later ,i knew what  

had happened1 not by hearing1 but by the
  instant cessation of sound1 for that  
wild uproar stopped as suddenly  as if  
it had been cleft with an axe1 and was  
succeeded by a deep silence  more       
eloquent than words4    ,a few days     
later1 ,dr4 ,hornby1 the new-made       
,provost1 came up to a small  group of  
masters who were standing near the      
school-yard1 and smilingly  asked us if 
we had been 8inspected0 yet4 8,i'm      
glad10 he added1 with a  sigh of relief1
 8that they didn't inspect me40    ,dr4 
,warre was in every way a contrast to   
,dr4 ,hornby4 ,far less sensitive  and  
refined1 he had much more real sympathy1
 if not with the masters1 at  any rate  
with the boys1 and under a rough        
exterior showed on many  occasions a    
practical kindness which was quite      
wanting in his  predecessor4 ,for       
example1 the setting of 8,georgics0     
7i4e4 the writing of  #ejj lines of     
,virgil71 one of the most senseless     
punishments in vogue at  that time1 was 

always encouraged by ,hornby4 ,when     
,warre heard an  assistant master remark
 that he was 8looking out for an        
opportunity0 to  set a 8,georgic0 to a  
troublesome boy1 he interrupted him     
with3 8,you  should look out not to set 
him a #8,georgic4'0 ,he had that kindly 
understanding of boyhood which is of    
great value to a teacher2 and from  the 
point of view of those who believe that 
,eton is an ideal school1 and  the 8hub0
 of the universe1 it is difficult to see
 how a better  headmaster than ,dr4     
,warre could have been found2 but he was
 a ,tory of  the strictest type1 and his
 appointment meant the indefinite       
postponement of reform4    ,enough has  
now been said to show why a ten-years'  
sojourn as a master at  ,eton was likely
 to bring disillusionment1 even if      
outside influences had  not quickened   
the process4 ,socialism was even then   
8in the air02 and to  have become       
personally acquainted with ,bernard     
,shaw1 ,edward ,carpenter1  ,h4 ,m4     

,hyndman1 ,henry ,george1 ,william      
,morris1 ,john ,burns1 ,h4 ,h4          
,champion1  ,belfort ,bax1 and other    
apostles of what was then termed        
8revolution10  was not calculated to    
strengthen a waverer in the pure        
,etonian faith4  ,still earlier1 in the 
winter holidays of #ahgh-gi1 ,i had met 
at ,coniston1  in the ,lake ,district1  
an ardent disciple of ,ruskin1 ,mr4     
,william ,harrison  ,riley1 who held    
communistic views2 and in the course of 
some long walks  with him on the        
mountains1 in which ,i acted as his     
guide1 he more than  repaid the         
obligation by opening my eyes to certain
 facts which ,i had  previously         
overlooked4 ,he brought me a message    
from another world4    ,this ,riley1    
with all his fiery zeal1 was a man of   
touching simplicity4  ,he was then      
working some land of ,ruskin's1 at ,st4 
,george's farm1 near  ,sheffield1 and he
 had come to ,coniston to visit the     
,master1 for whom he  felt and expressed

 an almost childlike veneration4 ,by    
,mr4 ,ruskin's  invitation ,i           
accompanied ,riley to luncheon at       
,brantwood1 and was greatly  struck by  
the meeting between the two--the        
devotion of the follower1 and  the      
geniality of the sage4 ,early in the    
morning ,riley1 who was much  surprised 
by the luxuriance of the verdure at     
,coniston1 as compared with  the grey   
desolation of the ,sheffield hills1     
confided to me his intention  of taking 
as a present to ,ruskin a clump of moss 
from a wall-top near  the hotel2 but as 
there was hardly a wall in the district 
that was not  similarly covered1 ,i     
suggested to him1 as delicately as ,i   
could1 that  it might be a case of      
carrying 8coals to ,newcastle40         
,disregarding such  hints1 he arrived at
 ,ruskin's door with a big parcel of the
 moss1 and  gravely presented it as soon
 as the first salutations were complete4
 ,the  delightful charm of ,ruskin's    
manner was seen in this little incident3

 he  laughed--for who could have helped 
laughing8--yet took the gift--and       
turned the subject--with a graciousness 
that could leave no hurt4 ,a few  years 
later ,riley migrated to ,massachusetts1
 but took with him his  quenchless      
ardour for 8the cause40 ,the last letter
 ,i received from him  concluded with   
the words3 8,my feeble hand still holds 
aloft the banner  of the ideal40    ,i  
remember that one of the subjects on    
which ,ruskin discoursed was the  poetry
 of ,tennyson1 who was still regarded by
 most people1 certainly by  the literati
 of ,eton1 as a thinker of extraordinary
 power4 ,he was an  instance1 said      
,ruskin1 8of one who1 with proper       
guidance1 might have  done something    
great02 as it was1 he had written       
nothing of real value1  except1 perhaps1
 ,in ,memoriam4 ,maud and ,the ,princess
 were  8useless10 ,enoch ,arden         
8disgusting02 the hero of ,maud 8an ass 
and a  fool10 and the war-spirit in the 
poem 8downright mischievous40 ,thus1    

again1 was sapped the simple faith of an
 ,eton master1 who knew by heart  a     
large portion of ,tennyson's poetry1    
including the whole of ,maud4    ,in    
addition to such dangerous doctrines1   
,vegetarianism was now beginning  to be 
heard of in ,eton2 and this was in one  
respect a worse heresy than  ,socialism1
 because it had to be practised as well 
as preached1 and the  abstinence from   
flesh-foods could not fail to attract   
unfavourable  attention4 ,there was a   
distinguished scientist among the ,eton 
masters at  that time1 ,dr4 ,p4 ,h4     
,carpenter1 a son of ,dr4 ,w4 ,b4       
,carpenter2 and when  he expressed a    
wish to speak with me on the subject of 
the new diet  which he heard ,i had     
adopted1 ,i felt that a critical moment 
had arrived1  and as a novice in        
vegetarian practice ,i awaited the      
scientific  pronouncement with some awe4
 ,when it came1 spoken with friendly    
earnestness1 it was this3 8,don't you   
think that animals were sent us  as     

food80 ,i have since heard the same     
pathetic question asked many  scores of 
times4 ,what can one say in reply to it1
 except that the  invoice has not yet   
been received8    ,a book of rare merit1
 filled with a multifarious store of    
facts about  the food question in       
relation to the humaner thought1 is ,mr4
 ,howard  ,williams's ,ethics of ,diet1 
which was then appearing by instalments 
in  the magazine of the ,vegetarian     
,society4 ,i had the good fortune to    
make  ,mr4 ,williams's personal         
acquaintance1 which was the beginning of
 a  valued friendship2 ,i also had      
helpful correspondence with ,professor  
,f4  ,w4 ,newman1 then ,president of the
 ,vegetarian ,society1 and with         
,professor  ,j4 ,e4 ,b4 ,mayor1 who     
afterwards succeeded to that post4 ,thus
 equipped1 ,i  was not greatly impressed
 by the proofs which friendly colleagues
  offered me of the 8impossibility0 of  
the humaner diet2 nor was ,i  troubled  
when1 of the two medical men with whom  

,i was acquainted at  ,eton1 the one    
said to me3 8,well1 ,i will give you two
 years10#ab and the  other1 a rather    
foolish person whom the boys used to    
call 8,mary10  inquired with a look of  
puzzled despair at such incredible      
madness3 8,do  vegetarians eat meat by  
night80 ,a vegetarian was of course     
regarded as  a sheer lunatic in the     
,eton of those days4 ,twenty-five years 
later ,eton  had a vegetarian headmaster
 in ,dr4 ,edward ,lyttelton1 who was an 
assistant there in the 'eighties4       
8,little did ,i think10 he wrote to me1 
8when we used to chaff you about        
cabbages1 that it would come to this60  
,it happened1 in one of those years1    
that it fell to my lot to set the       
subject for 8,declamations10 a ,latin   
theme on some debatable point1 which    
had to be composed and 8spouted0        
annually by two of the sixth-form  boys1
 who took opposite sides in the         
discussion2 and ,i chose for  subject1  
rather to ,dr4 ,hornby's disgust1 the   

question of vegetarianism  7,an         
,pythagorei qui carne abstinent laudandi
 sint74 ,another channel for  vegetarian
 propaganda was afforded by the ,ascham 
,society1 a learned and  select body    
organized by some of the masters1 who   
met periodically to  read and discuss   
papers on ethical and literary subjects4
 ,it happened  that the members were    
hospitably invited to a dinner by one of
 their  colleagues1 who specially       
announced a dish of roast veal as an    
attraction3 thus provoked1 ,i could not 
but decline that treat in the           
accredited ,eton manner1 a set of ,latin
 verses1 of which the conclusion  was   
obvious3 ,spare the calf1 or let me be  
excused3        ,si non vis vitulo      
parcere1 parce mihi4    ,thus gradually 
the conviction had been forced on me    
that we ,eton  masters1 however         
irreproachable our surroundings1 were   
but cannibals in  cap and gown--almost  
literally cannibals1 as devouring the   
flesh and  blood of the higher non-human

 animals so closely akin to us1 and     
indirectly cannibals1 as living by the  
sweat and toil of the classes who  do   
the hard work of the world4#ac ,to speak
 of this1 with any fulness1  in such a  
society as that of ,eton1 except to the 
two or three friends  who held a similar
 belief1 would have been an absurdity2  
and ,i do not  think ,i exaggerated1 in 
the first chapter of this book1 when ,i 
described  the discovery as bringing    
with it a sense of being cut off from   
one's  neighbours by interminable       
leagues of misunderstanding4 ,i was     
living in  partibus infidelium4 ,it     
became a necessity to leave a place     
where there  could be no sympathetic    
exchange of thought upon matters which  
were  felt to be of vastly more         
importance than the accepted religion   
and  routine4    ,i treasure the        
recollection of the interview in which  
,i took farewell of  ,dr4 ,warre4 ,most 
kindly he expressed his regret that ,i  
had lost faith in  that public school   

system to which he himself1 as all      
,etonians are  aware1 devoted a lifetime
 of unsparing service4 8,it's the       
,vegetarianism10 he gravely remarked2   
and ,i understood him to mean that  it  
was the abandonment of the orthodox diet
 that had led1 by inevitable  weakening 
of the mens sana in corpore sano1 to my 
apostasy in regard  to ,education4 ,when
 ,i told him that ,socialism must take  
its share of  blame1 as having been at  
least an auxiliary cause1 he was really 
shocked4 8,socialism60 he cried1 in his 
hearty tones4 8,then blow us up1  blow  
us up6 ,there's nothing left for it but 
that40    ,it is strange to reflect that
 between thirty and forty years ago the 
mere mention of ,socialism should have  
suggested desperate acts of  violence3  
the term was then the bugbear1 for the  
time being1 of the  respectable classes1
 who always keep on hand some convenient
 scare-word1  for the purpose of making 
an alarm4 8,anarchism0 has since served 
its  turn2 8,bolshevism0 is the latest4 

,something to fear1 something to hate1  
seems to be an indispensable            
requirement2 hence the periodical       
outbreak  of war-cries and              
flogging-crazes2 it matters little what 
the bogey is1  so long as there is a    
vendetta of some kind1 even if it be    
only1 for a  diversion1 a campaign      
against the sparrow or the rat4 ,there  
is no surer  token of the barbaric mind 
than this capricious state of panic1    
described by ,george ,meredith as 8all  
stormy nightcap and fingers  starving   
for the bell-rope40    ,my one          
irreparable loss in leaving ,eton was   
not that of culture or  scholarship or  
social position1 but of the game of     
,fives2 for ,i used to  think that the  
evolution of the ,eton fives-court1 the 
original of which  was a flagged space  
between two buttresses of the ,chapel   
78,tax not the  royal ,saint with vain  
expense071 was the most valuable        
contribution ever  made by the school to
 the well-being of mankind4 ,fives is a 

great game2  and to have played it with 
such master-hands as ,a4 ,c4 ,ainger1   
,e4 ,c4  ,austen-,leigh1 ,edward        
,lyttelton1 or ,c4 ,t4 ,studd1 was a    
privilege neither  to be forgotten nor  
to be replaced4 ,i used afterwards to   
dream at times  that ,i was again       
engaged in the game--8serving10 perhaps1
 or taking the  service1 or enjoying a  
duel of long sweeping strokes on the    
outer court1  or mixed up in one of     
those close-fought rallies that centred 
round the  8pepper-box02 until a perfect
 shot from one side or the other had    
sent  the ball to its resting-place in  
8dead man's hole40    ,my parting gift  
to the school was an article entitled   
8,confessions of an  ,eton ,master10    
which appeared in the ,nineteenth       
,century in ,january1  #ahhe1 and led to
 a good deal of discussion on the ,eton 
system of  education4          ,v       
,,cannibal',s ,,conscience         ,if  
any one should be educated from his     
infancy in a dark cave till       he    

were of full age1 and then should of a  
sudden be brought into       broad      
daylight 444 no doubt but many strange  
and absurd fancies       would arise in 
his mind4--,from ,,bacon',s ,advancement
 of ,learning4      8,do you think me a 
cannibal80 is the remark often made by a
 cheery  flesh-eater1 when enjoying his 
roast beef in the presence of a         
vegetarian2 and it may not be denied    
that such is the thought which  commonly
 suggests itself1 for the more highly   
developed nonhuman animals  are very    
closely akin to man4 8,we do not eat    
negroes10 says ,mr4 ,w4 ,h4  ,hudson1   
8although their pigmented skin1 flat    
feet and woolly heads  proclaim them a  
different species--even monkey's flesh  
is abhorrent to  us1 merely because we  
fancy that that creature1 in its        
ugliness1  resembles some old men and   
some women and children that we know4   
,but the  gentle1 large-brained social  
cow 444 we slaughter and feed on her    
flesh--monsters and cannibals that we   

are40 ,no apology1 then1 shall be  made 
for the heading of this chapter4 ,there 
is a very real likeness1 not  only      
between anthropophagy and other forms of
 flesh-eating1 but between  the excuses 
offered by cannibals and those offered  
by flesh-eaters4    ,forty years ago1   
the possibility of living healthily on a
 non-flesh diet  was by no means so     
generally admitted as it is now2 and    
consequently  very nave and artless     
objections used to be advanced against  
abstinence  from butcher's-meat4 ,mr4   
,kegan ,paul told me that he had once   
heard a  lady say to ,f4 ,w4 ,newman3   
8,but1 ,professor1 don't you feel very  
weak80 to  which the ,professor sturdily
 replied3 8,madam1 feel my calves40     
8,what on  earth do you live on80 used  
to be a frequent question at ,eton in   
those  days1 the implication being that 
there is no 8variety0 in the vegetarian 
diet2 an amusing complaint1 in view of  
what ,richard ,jefferies has  described 
as 8the ceaseless round of mutton and   

beef to which the dead  level of        
civilization sic reduces us40 ,so       
obvious is this monotony  in the        
orthodox repasts that the ,spectator1 a 
good many years ago1  published an      
article headed1 8,wanted1 a ,new ,meat10
 in which it was  explained that what is
 needed is some new and large animal1   
something  which 8shall combine the game
 flavour with the substantial solidity  
of a  leg of mutton40 ,the ,spectator's 
choice ultimately fell upon the eland1  
but not before the claims of various    
other 8neglected animals10 among  them  
the wart-hog1 had been conscientiously  
debated4    ,that the cannibal          
conscience is somewhat guilty and ill at
 ease seems  evident from the nature of 
the arguments put forward by the        
apologists  of flesh-eating2 else why   
did ,dr4 ,p4 ,h4 ,carpenter suggest that
 the lower  animals were 8sent0 to us   
for food1 when1 as a scientist1 he knew 
well  the absurdity of that remark8 ,why
 not say frankly what ,nathaniel        

,hawthorne wrote in his ,english        
,notebook that 8the best thing a man    
born in this island can do is to eat his
 beef and mutton1 and drink his  porter1
 and take things as they are1 and think 
thoughts that shall be so  beefish1     
muttonish1 and porterish1 that they     
shall be matters rather  material than  
intellectual08 ,the reckless hardihood  
of a simple and  barbarous people is    
essentially unconscious1 just as the    
action of a  hawk or weasel is          
unconscious when it seizes its prey2 but
 when  consciousness is once awakened1  
and a doubt arises as to the morality of
  the action1 the habit begins of giving
 sophistical reasons for practices  that
 cannot be justified4 ,herman ,melville 
tells us in his ,typee that  the        
,polynesians1 being aware of the horror 
which ,europeans feel for               
anthropophagy1 8invariably deny its     
existence1 and1 with the craft  peculiar
 to savages1 endeavour to conceal every 
trace of it40 ,the  existence of        

flesh-eating cannot be denied2 but do we
 not see a savage's  craft in the shifty
 and far-fetched reasons alleged for its
 continuance8    ,it is only fair to    
8the noble savage0 to draw this         
distinction between  the natural        
barbarism and the sophisticated1 between
 the real necessity  for killing for    
food and the pretended necessity4       
,commander ,peary1 the  ,arctic         
explorer1 once wrote in the ,windsor    
,magazine1 under the title  of 8,hunting
 ,musk ,oxen near the ,pole10 a story of
 the genuine hunger1 and  expressed a   
doubt whether a single one of his       
readers knew what hunger  was4 ,he was  
actually in a famishing state when a    
herd of ,musk ,oxen came  in view3 8,the
 big black animals10 he said1 8were not 
game1 but meat1 and  every nerve and    
fibre in my gaunt body was vibrating    
with a savage lust  for that meat1 meat 
that should be soft and warm1 meat into 
which the  teeth could sink and tear and
 rend40 ,here was a savagery that can at

  least be understood and respected1    
that did not need to postulate the      
8sending0 of the oxen for its           
subsistence2 yet1 strange to say1       
,peary's  story would be voted          
disgusting in many a respectable        
household which  orders its 8home-killed
 meat0 from the family butcher and      
employs a cook  to disguise it4         
,certainly1 if there is a 8noble        
savage10 we must  recognize also the    
ignoble variety that has developed the  
8conscience0  of which ,i speak4    ,to 
this 8cannibal's conscience0 we owe     
those delightful excuses1 those  flowers
 of sophistry1 which strew the path of  
the flesh-eater and lend  humour to an  
otherwise very gruesome subject4 ,by far
 the most  entertaining of them is what 
may be called the academical fallacy1   
inasmuch as it seems to have a special  
attraction for learned men--the         
argument that it is a kindness to the   
animals themselves to kill and eat      
them1 because otherwise they would not  

be bred at all1 and so would miss  the  
pleasures of existence4 ,this           
8,canonization of the ,ogre10 as it has 
been named1 was propounded by ,professor
 ,d4 ,g4 ,ritchie1 ,sir ,leslie         
,stephen1 ,sir ,henry ,thompson1 ,dr4   
,stanton ,coit1 and other distinguished 
publicists1#ad every one of whom1 with  
the single exception of ,dr4  ,coit1    
prudently evaded discussion of the      
question when the flaw in his  reasoning
 was pointed out1 viz4 that existence   
cannot be compared with  non-existence4 
,of existence it is possible to         
predicate certain  qualities--good or   
bad1 happiness or unhappiness--but of   
non-existence  we can predicate nothing 
at all2 we must first have the actual   
ground of  existence to argue from1 and 
he who bases his reasoning on the       
non-existent is building upon the       
treacherous sands4    8,the ,pig has a  
stronger interest than anyone in the    
demand for bacon10  wrote ,sir ,leslie  
,stephen in his ,social ,rights and     

,duties4 ,sir ,leslie  was repeatedly   
invited to make some answer to the      
criticisms which this  dictum called    
forth2 but courageous champion of       
intellectual freedom  though he was1 he 
preferred in this instance to take      
refuge in silence4  ,to no one but ,dr4 
,stanton ,coit has philosophy been      
indebted for a full  exposition of a    
comfortable theory which may be         
expressed 7with the  alteration of one  
word7 in ,coleridge's famous lines3     
,he prayeth best who eateth best        
,all things both great and small4       
8,if the motive that might produce the  
greatest number of happiest  cattle10   
said ,dr4 ,coit1 8would be the eating of
 beef1 then beef-eating1  so far1 must  
be commended4 ,and while heretofore the 
motive has not been  for the sake of    
cattle1 it is conceivable that1 if      
vegetarian  convictions should spread   
much further1 love for cattle would 7if 
it be  not psychologically incompatible7
 blend with the love of beef1 in the    

minds of the opponents of               
vegetarianism40#ae ,according to this   
ethical  dictum1 it will be seen1       
mankind will continue to eat cows1      
sheep1 pigs1  and other animals for     
conscience sake--we must be1 not        
conscientious  objectors to butchery1   
but conscientious promoters of it4 ,so  
far1 ,dr4  ,coit only set forth in      
greater detail the argument stated by   
,professor  ,ritchie1 ,sir ,leslie      
,stephen1 and the other casuists in     
cannibalism2 but  now we come to that   
8psychological incompatibility0 to which
 in a  parenthesis he referred4         
8,but we frankly admit10 he continued1  
8that it is a question       whether the
 love of cattle1 intensified to the     
imaginative point of       individual   
affection for each separate beast1 would
 not destroy the       pleasure of      
eating beef1 and render this            
time-honoured custom                    
psychologically impossible4 ,we surmise 
that bereaved affection at       the    

death of a dear creature would destroy  
the flavour40    ,nothing in controversy
 ever gave me keener satisfaction than  
to have  drawn this 8surmise10 this     
pearl of great price1 from ,dr4 ,stanton
 ,coit  in the very serious columns of  
the ,ethical ,world4 ,it shows clearly1 
,i  think1 why his co-adjutors in the   
metaphysic of the larder were wise in   
their avoidance of discussion4    ,it   
seems to be a benign provision of       
,nature that those who allege           
altruistic reasons for selfish actions  
invariably make themselves  ridiculous4 
8,what would become of the ,esquimaux80 
was one of the  questions often put to  
advocates of vegetarianism2 probably it 
is the  only instance on record of any  
solicitude for the welfare of that      
remote  people4 ,then1 again1 we were   
frequently asked3 8,what would become of
 the  animals80 the implication being   
that under a vegetarian regime there    
would be large numbers of uneaten and   
neglected quadrupeds left straying      

about the earth4 ,an artist friend of   
mine once drew an amusing picture  to   
illustrate this 8,flesh-,eaters'        
,dilemma40 ,a gentleman and lady1       
sitting at a well-ordered dinner-table1 
are terribly inconvenienced by  an      
invasion1 through the conservatory door1
 of a number of such  superfluous       
animals3 a cow is putting her head      
through the window2 a  sheep is         
snatching at the bread2 a pig is playing
 with a rabbit on the  floor2 and in the
 distance a forlorn ox is seen lying in 
desperation  against the garden gate4   
,such are some of the sophisms of which 
cannibal's conscience is  prolific4     
,they belong to that class of subterfuge
 which ,bacon designated  eidola specus1
 8idols of the cave10 as lurking in the 
inmost and  darkest recesses of the     
human mind4 8,fallacies of the          
,cave-,dweller0  might perhaps be a     
fitting name for them2 for they seem to 
be  characteristic of the more primitive
 and uncivilized intelligence4          

,,vi    ,,glimpses ,,of ,,civilization  
,wealth is acquired by overreaching our 
neighbours1 and is spent in             
insulting them4--,,william ,,godwin4    
,in the 'eighties there were two        
movements especially attractive to one  
who was breaking away from the old      
academical traditions1 to wit1          
,socialism1 the more equitable          
distribution of wealth2 and             
,simplification1 the saner method of    
living4 ,william ,godwin1 in many ways  
a true prophet1 had foreshadowed the    
need of both these reforms in that      
pungent sentence of his ,political      
,justice4    ,simplification of life has
 in all ages had its advocates1 but it  
was not  till the time of ,rousseau and 
the revolutionary epoch that it acquired
  its full significance1 when the       
connection between simple living and a  
juster social state became obvious and  
unmistakable1 and it was seen  that     
luxury on the part of one man must      
involve drudgery on the part of         

another4 ,thoreau's ,walden1 published  
in ,america in #ahed1 was beginning  to 
be known in ,england some thirty years  
later2 and ,edward ,carpenter's  essays1
 afterwards collected in his ,england's 
,ideal 7#ahhg71 were  pointing the way  
to a wiser and healthier mode of life4  
,i read some of  those essays while     
still at ,eton2 and amid such           
surroundings they had a  peculiarly     
vivid interest1 as revealing1 what was  
there quite  overlooked1 that it was    
possible to dispense with the greater   
part of  the trappings with which we    
were encumbered1 and to live far more   
simply  and cheaply than was dreamed of 
in polite society4    ,the removal from 
a public school to a cottage among the  
,surrey hills was  something more than a
 change of residence3 it was an         
emigration1 a  romance1 a strange new   
life in some remote antipodes1 where the
 emblems  of the old servitude1 such as 
cap and gown1 found new and better uses1
  like swords beaten into ploughshares4 

,my gown was cut into strips for        
fastening creepers to walls3 my top-hat1
 the last time ,i remember seeing  it1  
was shading a young vegetable-marrow4   
,servants there were none2 and  with the
 loss of them we learnt two things3     
first that servants do a  great deal    
more than their employers give them     
credit for2 secondly1  that much of what
 they do may be lessened or rendered    
needless by a  little judicious         
forethought in the arrangement of a     
house4    ,one ungrateful office that   
servants perform is that of protecting  
their  employers from personal          
interviews with beggars and tramps2 they
 act as  plenipotentiaries in the       
business of saying ,no4 ,in country     
districts  this certainly saves a good  
deal of a householder's time1 but       
whether it  is altogether a benefit to  
him may be doubted1 for tramps are      
sometimes  an amusing folk1 and by no   
means devoid of humour in their mode of 
levying taxes upon the well-to-do4 ,one 

old mendicant1 ,i remember1 who  called 
at my back door to solicit a small sum  
for a very special  purpose1 and told   
his tale so skilfully that from         
admiration1 not  conviction1 ,i relieved
 him1 as he himself expressed it1 of his
 immediate  difficulty4 ,two minutes    
later there was a gentle knock at my    
front  door1 and behold the same old    
rascal commencing the same old tale6 ,he
  had made the mistake of supposing that
 a single cottage was two  semi-detached
 ones1 and when the door was opened by  
his late benefactor1  ,i saw him shaken 
by a momentary spasm of laughter1 so    
human as to disarm  wrath4    ,then     
there were the 8tramps0 in the          
metaphorical sense1 the friends and     
bidden or unbidden guests whose visits  
were welcomed in that secluded  region  
of bare heaths and hills4 ,edward       
,carpenter1 as the writer of the  books 
which had shown such life to be         
possible1 was1 of course1 the  tutelary 
deity of the place3 ,bernard ,shaw1 on  

the other hand1 was the  advocatus      
diaboli1 whose professed hatred of the  
country gave an  additional zest to his 
appearances there1 and culminated in a  
characteristic article1 8,a ,sunday on  
the ,surrey ,hills10 in which he        
described a wet walk on ,hindhead and   
the extremity of his sufferings  until  
he was restored to ,london by 8the      
blessed rescuing train40#af ,but  it is 
dangerous to jest on such subjects2 and 
,i regret to say that a  local paper1   
some years afterwards1 in reprinting    
8,g4,b4,s4's0 jeremiad1  added some     
scathing editorial comments1 which      
showed a resentment  unmitigated by     
time1 on 8a cockney gentleman possessing
 a very fine  liver1 but no soul above  
his stomach40#ag ,in the simplification 
of  household life1 ,shaw easily held   
his own2 he was most conscientious and  
exemplary in 8washing up10 and to see   
the methodical precision with  which he 
made his bed was itself a lesson in     
domestic orderliness4 ,thus  was        

realized the truth of what ,clough had  
written in his ,bothie3        ,how even
 churning and washing1 the dairy1 the   
scullery duties1      ,wait but a touch 
to redeem and convert them to charms and
 attractions2      ,scrubbing requires  
for true grace but frank and artistical 
handling1      ,and the removal of slops
 to be ornamentally treated4    ,in     
dealing with tramps1 however1 even ,shaw
 could be at fault4 ,we once  had a     
visit from a very undesirable vagrant   
who held forth at great  length about a 
fearful wound which he bore on his      
person2 and when his  lecture was ended1
 ,shaw1 in the approved ,fabian fashion1
 proceeded to  ask a ,question or two4  
,but in such company to question is to  
suspect2  and the tramp1 deeply hurt at 
any reflection on his veracity1 at once 
commenced to divest himself of his      
clothing1 so as to offer ocular  proof4 
8,a sight to dream of1 not to tell40 ,we
 were just saved from it by  an earnest 
disavowal of any fragment of unbelief4  

,among the most welcome of our visitors 
was 8the ,wayfarer10 ,mr4 ,w4 ,j4       
,jupp1 author in after years of one of  
the wisest and most gracious of  books1 
a real spiritual autobiography1 a true  
story of the heart4#ah  ,himself a      
devoted nature-lover1 he brought us     
tidings of the greatest of              
poet-naturalists1 ,henry ,david         
,thoreau1 and thus laid me under the    
first  of the many obligations which ,i 
owe to a friendship of old date4    ,but
 refreshing though it was thus to throw 
off the signs and symbols of            
,respectability1 it is not so easy to   
drop 8the gentleman0 as one could  wish1
 for the tattoo-marks of gentility are  
almost as ineffaceable as  those of the 
barbarous ritual in which the islanders 
of the ,pacific  delight4 ,once a       
gentleman1 always a gentleman3 the      
imputation1 like that  of criminality1  
is hard to live down4 ,i once met the   
author of ,towards  ,democracy walking  
and talking with a very ragged tramp    

whom he had  overtaken on the high road4
 ,the tramp accosted me1 as if wishing  
to  explain matters3 8,this             
gentleman----0 he began1 indicating ,mr4
  ,carpenter4 8,i'm not a gentleman10   
sharply interjected the philosopher2    
whereupon the tatterdemalion1 with a    
puzzled look1 and a shake of the  head  
that showed entire bewilderment1 forsook
 us and went shambling on  his way4     
,as an organized movement1              
,simplification has not been so         
successful as  the importance of the    
subject might have warranted4 ,the      
,fellowship of  the ,new ,life1 a       
society established in #ahhc1 had the   
services of many  thoughtful men1 among 
them ,mr4 ,maurice ,adams1 ,mr4 ,w4 ,j4 
,jupp1 ,mr4  ,herbert ,rix1 ,mr4 ,j4    
,ramsay ,macdonald1 and ,mr4 ,percival  
,chubb2 but  though its protagonist1    
,mr4 ,adams1 brought to the cause an    
exceptional  knowledge and ability1 the 
,fellowship1 after lasting a good many  
years1  gradually flagged and expired4  

,this was the more to be regretted1     
because simplification of life is       
peculiarly liable to misunderstanding   
and cheap ridicule1 and therefore needed
 to be set permanently before  the      
public in a rational form2 whereas now  
it is largely associated in  people's   
minds with ,pastor ,wagner's book1 ,the 
,simple ,life1 and similar  banalities4 
,for it is stupid1 nothing less1 to     
represent ,simplification  as merely a  
personal matter1 and as amounting to    
little more than  moderation and        
sincerity in the various departments of 
life3 there is a  social aspect of the  
question which cannot thus be ignored4  
,as ,thoreau  says3 8,if ,i devote      
myself to other pursuits and            
contemplations1 ,i must  first see1 at  
least1 that ,i do not pursue them       
sitting upon another  man's shoulders40 
,simplicity is not only 8a state of     
mind03 it implies  action as well as    
taste4    ,it is not very surprising1   
perhaps1 that this doctrine has been    

ridiculed by critics1 in view of the    
unwise manner in which some of its      
adherents have preached and practised   
it4 ,the attractions of ,rousseau's     
8return to nature0 have been too        
powerful for the weaker enthusiasts1    
who1 in their desire to be 8natural10   
have missed the qualities in which  true
 naturalness consists4 ,i remember the  
case of a clever young man1  fresh from 
the ,university1 who1 bitten by the     
creed of simplicity1  rented a large    
tract in a sandy wilderness where crops 
could hardly be  made to grow1 and      
induced an experienced labourer1 of the 
old school1 to  bring his family to     
reside upon this model farm in the hope 
of there  realizing the ideal4 ,he would
 be 8natural02 that was his constant    
cry4 ,a  ,hardy would have been needed  
to portray the agricultural tragedies   
that  ensued4 ,in the fierce heat of a  
fiery summer the crops withered one by  
one1 until the heart of the old         
husbandman was sick within him with a   

savage despair4 ,i recall a ,sunday     
stroll1 with the party from the farm1   
to a hill which overlooked that ,sahara 
where their hopes were buried1  and the 
deep fervour of the veteran's           
ejaculations as he gazed across  the    
desolate scene4 8,well1 ,i am--0 was his
 repeated remark2 and the  language was 
quite unfitted for the mixed company at 
his side4    ,against fiascos of this   
sort stood the fact that the writings of
 the  true exponents of ,simplicity were
 increasingly read and pondered4 ,in    
,thoreau's genius there was a magnetism 
which could influence not only  those   
who knew him1 but a later generation of 
readers1 among whom a  common love for  
the 8poet-naturalist0 of ,concord has   
often been a link  of friendship 7as ,i 
have reason to remember with gratitude7 
between  lives that were otherwise far  
apart4 ,a first reading of ,walden was  
in  my own case an epoch1 a revelation2 
and ,i know that in this respect my     
experience was not a singular one2 nor  

has the impression which ,i then  formed
 of ,thoreau's greatness been in any way
 lessened1 but on the  contrary much    
strengthened1 by my correspondence or   
personal intercourse  with those who    
were numbered among his friends4    ,one
 of the most remarkable chapters in     
,walden is that on 8,higher  ,laws10 in 
which the ideal of humaneness is        
insisted on as an essential  part of    
,simplification4 ,how often1 from the   
lack of such principle1 in  the efforts 
to lead the simple life1 has simplicity 
itself become little  more than         
sentimentality6 ,who but a savage1 for  
example1 would include  the keeping and 
killing of pigs as a feature of a model 
homestead8 ,yet  in that establishment  
of which ,i have spoken1 where the      
avowed aim was  to be 8natural10 the    
pig-killing was a festive event4        
8,father sticks  'em1 brother cleans    
'em10 was the description vouchsafed by 
a charming  young 8land-girl0 7to use a 
later-invented term71 who dwelt with    

delight  upon these unsavoury divisions 
of labour in her ,blithedale ,romance4  
,well might ,tolstoy use this           
pig-killing process in illustration of  
his  argument that1 in any advance      
toward civilization1 a disuse of        
butchery  must be 8the first step40     
,socialism was at that time in its early
 and romantic stage1 when the  menace of
 the ,social ,democratic ,federation was
 becoming a terror to the  well-to-do1  
and when many a dignitary of ,church and
 ,state shared ,dr4  ,warre's belief    
that to 8blow us up0 was the diabolical 
desire of the  incendiaries who         
denounced ,capitalism4 ,doubtless it was
 the novelty of  the attack that made it
 seem so terrible2 for ,chartism had    
been largely  forgotten1 and ,secularism
 had been filling up the interval as the
  national bogey4 ,certainly in that    
period of the 'eighties the leading     
socialist figures seemed more ominous   
and sinister than do any in the  ,labour
 movement of to-day4 ,to ,william       

,morris1 indeed1 as being a poet of     
wide renown1 a sort of licence was      
accorded to speak as bluntly as he      
chose2 but ,hyndman1 ,burns1 ,bax and   
,h4 ,h4 ,champion were names of dark    
import to the 8bourgeois0 of that date4 
,mr4 ,hyndman's repeated  prophecies of 
a ,revolution were none the less        
disturbing because they  were always    
unfulfilled2 ,mr4 ,burns was dreaded as 
a demagogue who had  been imprisoned    
owing to his defiance of law and order1 
,mr4 ,champion1 as  a retired army      
officer1 who might possibly turn his    
military knowledge  to deadly account4  
,to one who knew those reformers        
personally1 and their  fearless labours 
in an unpopular cause1 it is strange to 
recall the  storm of obloquy which they 
then had to face2 to them and others of 
like  mettle is due in large measure    
such progress as has since been made in 
the betterment of the conditions of     
,labour4 ,their weakness was that they  
could not agree among themselves        

7reformers seldom can72 hence the       
internal ruptures that wrecked the      
influence of the ,s4,d4,f4 ,round       
,champion in particular the discord     
raged1 until he was ostracized by his   
former colleagues2 yet no juster word   
was ever said of him than a  remark made
 to me1 years afterwards1 by ,mr4 ,john 
,burns--that if he were  ever in a tight
 place at a tiger-hunt there was no one 
whom he would so  gladly have at his    
side as ,h4 ,h4 ,c4    ,with ,william   
,morris it was impossible1 even for a   
8comrade10 to have any  quarrel2 his    
utter sincerity and great-heartedness   
forbad it4 ,but broad  as his geniality 
was1 he used to seem rather nonplussed  
by such new  ideas as vegetarianism in  
conjunction with teetotalism4 8,i'd like
 to ask  you to have a drink10 he would 
say1 after a meeting or lecture2 and    
then  would add1 as in despair3 8,but   
you won't drink40    ,one of the        
memories of those years is the great    
meeting held in  ,february1 #ahhh1 to   

welcome ,john ,burns and ,cunninghame   
,graham on their  release from prison4  
,apart from my admiration for the heroes
 of the  evening1 ,i had some cause to  
remember the occasion1 because1 like    
many  others who were present1 ,i lost a
 valuable watch4 ,this placed us in an  
embarrassing position2 for having       
assembled to protest against the        
conduct of the police in the ,square1 we
 could not with dignity invoke  their   
aid against the pickpockets4    ,quite  
the strangest personality among the     
socialists of that time was  ,dr4       
,edward ,aveling4 ,it is easy to set him
 down as a scoundrel1 but in  truth he  
was an odd mixture of fine qualities and
 bad2 a double-dealer1  yet his         
duplicities were the result less of a   
calculated dishonesty than  of a nature 
in which there was an excess of the     
emotional and artistic  element1 with an
 almost complete lack of the moral4 ,the
 character of  ,dubedat in ,mr4 ,bernard
 ,shaw's play1 ,the ,doctor's ,dilemma1 

in some ways  recalls that of ,aveling1 
for nearly every one who had dealings   
with him1  even those who were on the   
friendliest of terms1 found themselves  
victimized1 sooner or later1 by his     
fraudulence in money matters4 ,one's    
feelings towards him might1 perhaps1    
have been summed up in the remark  made 
by one of the characters in ,the        
,doctor's ,dilemma3 8,i can't help      
rather liking you1 ,dubedat4 ,but you   
certainly are a thorough-going          
specimen40    ,yet ,aveling's services  
to the socialist cause were perfectly   
sincere2  and so1 too1 was his love of  
good literature1 though it sometimes    
manifested itself in rather too         
sentimental a strain4 ,he was a skilled 
reciter of poetry1 and on one occasion  
when1 with ,eleanor ,marx1 he  visited  
our ,surrey cottage1 he undertook to    
read aloud the last ,act of  ,shelley's 
,prometheus ,unbound4 ,as he gave effect
 to chorus and  semi-chorus1 and to the 
wonderful succession of spirit voices in

 that  greatest of lyrical dramas1 he   
trembled and shook in his passionate    
excitement1 and when he had delivered   
himself of the solemn words of          
,demogorgon with which the poem         
concludes1 he burst into a storm of sobs
  and tears4 ,i used to regret that ,i  
had never heard his recitation1 said  to
 be his most effective performance1 of  
,poe's 8,the ,bells02 for there  was    
something rather uncanny and impish in  
his nature which doubtless  made him a  
good interpreter of the weird4    ,there
 was real tragedy1 however1 in          
,aveling's alliance with ,karl ,marx's  
daughter2 for ,eleanor ,marx was a      
splendid woman1 strong both in brain    
and in heart1 and true as steel to the  
man who was greatly her inferior  in    
both1 and who treated her at the end    
with a treachery and ingratitude  which 
led directly to her death4    ,as a     
corrective of the romantic socialism of 
the ,s4,d4,f4 arose the  soberer        
doctrine of ,fabianism1 a name derived1 

we are told1 from the  celebrated       
,fabius1 who won his victories on the   
principle of 8more  haste1 less speed02 
else one would have been disposed to    
trace it to a  derivative of the ,latin 
fari1 8to talk10 as seen in the word    
8confabulation40 ,in the early and most 
interesting days of ,fabianism1  its    
chief champions1 known as 8the four10   
were ,sidney ,webb1 ,bernard  ,shaw1    
,sydney ,olivier1 and ,graham ,wallas2  
and assuredly no ,roman three  ever     
8kept the bridge so well0 as the ,fabian
 four kept the planks of  their platform
 in all the assaults that were made on  
it4 ,rarely have  better debates been   
heard than at those fortnightly meetings
 in ,willis's  ,rooms4 ,the trouble     
indeed with ,fabianism was that it      
became almost too  brainy2 it used to   
remind me of ,sydney ,smith's remark    
about some one who  was all mind--that  
8his intellect was indecently exposed40 
,humaneness  found little place in the  
,fabian philosophy4 ,once1 when visiting

 a  suburban villa that had just been   
occupied by a refined ,fabian family1 ,i
  learned that the ladies of the        
household1 highly intellectual and      
accomplished women1 had themselves been 
staining the floors of their new  and   
charming residence with bullock's blood 
brought in a bucket from the  shambles4 
,shaw was1 of course1 the outstanding   
figure of ,fabianism1 as he was  bound  
to be of any movement in which he took  
permanent part2 but he was  a great deal
 more than ,fabian1 he was humanitarian 
as well2 and it gives  cause for        
reflection1 as showing how much easier  
it is to change men's  theories than    
their habits1 that1 while his influence 
on social and  economic thought has been
 very marked1 his followers in the      
practice of  the ,humanities have been  
few4 ,it has been noticeable1 too1 how1 
in the  many appreciations that have    
been written of ,shaw1 his              
humanitarianism  has been almost        
entirely ignored1 or passed over as an  

amiable  eccentricity of a man of       
genius4 ,yet it is clear that if        
8,g4,b4,s410 who1  during the past forty
 years1 has done enough disinterested   
work to make  the reputation of a score 
of philanthropists1 is 8not to be taken 
quite  seriously10 there is no sense in 
taking any one seriously4 ,a man is not 
less in earnest because he has a rich   
gift of humour or veils his truths  in  
paradoxes4 ,shaw1 in fact1 is one of the
 most serious and painstaking  of       
thinkers3 his frivolity is all in the   
manner1 his seriousness in the  intent2 
whereas1 unhappily1 in most persons it  
is the intent that is so  deadly        
frivolous1 and the manner that is so    
deadly dull4    ,perhaps the dulness of 
our age shows itself most clearly in its
 humour2  the professional jester of the
 dinner-table or comic journal is of all
  men the most saddening4 ,it is related
 that when ,emerson took his little  boy
 to see a circus clown1 the child looked
 up with troubled eyes and  said3       

8,papa1 the funny man makes me want to  
go home40 ,many of us must  have felt   
that sensation when we have heard or    
read some of the  banalities that pass  
for humorous4 ,it is here that          
8,g4,b4,s40 stands out  in refreshing   
contrast2 his wit is as genuine and     
spontaneous as that of  ,sydney ,smith2 
but whereas ,sydney ,smith was          
constrained in his old age to  calculate
 how many cartloads of flesh-meat he    
consumed in his lifetime1  ,bernard     
,shaw has been able to tell the world   
that his funeral will be  followed 8not 
by mourning coaches1 but by herds of    
oxen1 sheep1 swine1  flocks of poultry1 
and a small travelling aquarium of live 
fish0--representatives of grateful      
fellow-beings whom he has not  eaten4#ai
    ,if socialists had cared for the    
poetical literature of their cause one  
half so well as the ,chartists did1 the 
names of ,francis ,adams and ,john      
,barlas would have been far more widely 
known4 ,it was ,mr4 ,w4 ,m4 ,rossetti   

who drew my attention to ,adams's fiery 
volume of verse1 the ,songs of  the     
,army of the ,night1 first published in 
,australia in #ahhg2 and as ,i  was then
 preparing an anthology of ,songs of    
,freedom ,i got into  communication with
 the writer1 and our acquaintance       
quickly ripened into  friendship4       
,francis ,adams was a poet of ,socialism
 in a much truer sense  than ,william   
,morris2 for1 while ,morris was a poet  
who became a  socialist1 ,adams1 like   
,barlas1 was less a convert to          
,socialism than a  scion of ,socialism1 
a veritable ,child of the ,age1 to quote
 the title  of his own autobiographical 
romance1 in the storm and stress of his 
career4 ,he had received a classical    
education at ,shrewsbury ,school 7the   
8,glastonbury0 of his novel71 and after 
a brief spell of schoolmastering1  had  
became a journalist and wanderer4 ,he   
was connected for a short  time1 in     
#ahhc or thereabouts1 with the ,social  
,democratic ,federation1 and  enrolled  

himself a member under the ,regent's    
,park trees one ,sunday  afternoon at a 
meeting addressed by his friend1 ,frank 
,harris4 ,in  ,australia1 for a time1   
where he took an active part in the     
,labour  movement1 and wrote frequently 
for the ,sydney ,bulletin and other     
journals1 he had many friends and       
admirers2 but just as a ,parliamentary  
career was opening for him he was       
crippled by illness1 and returned to    
,england1 a consumptive1 in #ahij1 to   
die three years later by his own  hand4 
,of ,adams's prose works the most       
remarkable is ,a ,child of the ,age1    
written when he was only eighteen1 and  
first printed under the title of        
,leicester1 an ,autobiography1 an       
extraordinarily fascinating1 if         
somewhat morbid story1 which deserves to
 be ranked with ,wuthering  ,heights and
 ,the ,story of an ,african ,farm1 among
 notable works of  immature imagination4
 ,he told me that it was written almost 
spontaneously3 it just 8came to him0 to 

write it1 and he himself felt  that it  
was an abnormal book4 ,of the ,songs of 
the ,army of the ,night1  he said that  
they were intended to do what had never 
before been  done--to express what might
 be the feelings of a member of the     
working  classes as he found out the    
hollowness1 to him1 of our culture and  
learning2 hence the pitiless invective  
which shows itself in many of the       
poems4 ,as surely as ,elliott's 8,corn  
,law ,rhymes0 spoke the troubled  spirit
 of their age1 so do these fierce keen  
lyrics1 on fire alike with  love and    
with hate1 express the passionate       
sympathies and deep  resentments of the 
socialist movement in its revolt from a 
sham  philanthropy and patriotism4 ,no  
rebel poet has ever 8arraigned his      
country and his day0 in more burning    
words than ,adams in his stanzas 8,to   
,england40        ,i1 whom you fed with 
shame and starved with woe1        ,i   
wheel above you1      ,your fatal       
,vulture1 for ,i hate you so1        ,i 

almost love you4    ,but the ,songs are 
not only denunciatory2 they have a      
closer and more  personal aspect1 as in 
the infinitely compassionate 8,one among
 so ,many10  which endears them to the  
heart of the reader as only a few choice
 books  are ever endeared4 ,in their    
strange mixture of sweetness and        
bitterness1  they are very typical of   
,francis ,adams himself3 he was at one  
moment1  and in one aspect1 the most    
simple and lovable of beings2 at        
another1  the most aggressively critical
 and fastidious4#bj    ,but if ,francis 
,adams has not received his just meed of
 recognition1 what  shall be said of    
,john ,barlas1 whose seven small volumes
 of richest and  most melodious verse   
were printed 7they can hardly be said to
 have been  published7 under the nom de 
plume of 8,evelyn ,douglas10 and mostly 
in  places remote from the world of     
books8 ,when full allowance is made for 
such drawbacks1 it is strange that      
literary critics1 ever on the  look-out 

for new genius1 failed to discover      
,barlas2 for though the  number of      
modern poets is considerable1 the born  
singers are still as  few and far       
between as before2 yet it was to that   
small and select class  that ,barlas    
unmistakably belonged4 ,his ,poems      
,lyrical and ,dramatic  7#ahhd7         
contained1 with much that was faulty and
 immature1 many  exquisitely beautiful  
lyrics1 the expression of a genuine gift
 of song4  ,a ,greek in spirit1 he also 
possessed in a high degree the sense of 
brotherhood with all that breathes1 and 
was ever aspiring in his poetry  not    
only to the enjoyment of what is best   
and most beautiful on earth1  but to a  
fairer and happier state of society     
among mankind4 ,nor was he a  dreamer   
only1 intent on some far horizon of the 
future2 he was an ardent  lover of      
liberty and progress in the present2 and
 this hope1 too1 found  worthy utterance
 in his verse4 ,it would be difficult to
 say where  ,freedom has been more nobly

 presented than in his poem to 8,le     
,jeune  ,barbaroux03        ,freedom1   
her arm outstretched1 but lips firm set1
      ,freedom1 her eyes with tears of  
pity wet1        ,but her robe splashed 
with drops of bloody dew1      ,freedom1
 thy goddess1 is our goddess yet1       
,young ,barbaroux4    ,of ,barlas's     
,love ,sonnets 7#ahhi7 it may be said   
without exaggeration  that1 unknown     
though they are to the reading public   
and to any but a  mere handful of       
students1 they are not undeserving to be
 classed among  the best                
sonnet-sequences4 ,it was ,meredith's   
opinion that as  sonnet-writer ,barlas  
took 8high rank among the poets of his  
time02 and  that the concluding sonnet  
was 8unmatched for nobility of          
sentiment40  ,nobility was indeed a     
trait of all ,barlas's poetry1 and of   
his  character4 ,sprung from the line of
 the famous ,kate ,douglas who won the  
name of ,bar-lass1 he was noted even in 
his school-days for magnanimity  and    

courage2 and in no way did those        
qualities show themselves more  clearly 
than in the dignity with which he bore  
long years of failure and  misfortune1  
darkened at times by insanity4    ,the  
winter of #ahia-ahib had brought the one
 occasion on which ,barlas's  name came 
before the public4 ,he was charged with 
firing a revolver at  the ,house of     
,commons1 which he did to mark his      
contempt for  ,parliamentary rule2 but  
when ,h4 ,h4 ,champion and ,oscar ,wilde
 offered  themselves as sureties1 he was
 discharged in the care of his friends4 
,i  first heard from him1 through       
,champion1 soon after that event1 in a  
letter in which he spoke of his poetry  
as having been 8three parts of my       
religion02 but it was not till ten or   
twelve years later that ,i became       
closely acquainted with him1 and then he
 wrote to me regularly till his  death  
in #aiad4 ,his letters1 written mostly  
from an asylum in ,scotland1  are among 
the most interesting ,i have ever       

received2 for in spite of his  ill      
health he was an untiring student1 a    
great classical scholar1 and  deeply    
read in many ,greek and ,latin authors  
whose works lie outside the  narrow     
range of school and ,university         
curriculum4 ,but his genius was in  his 
poems2 and it is to be hoped that a     
selection from these may yet see  the   
light4    ,thus it was that these two   
poets1 ,adams and ,barlas1 though       
true-born  children of ,socialism1 were 
precluded1 owing to the misfortunes     
which  beset their lives1 from taking   
active part in its advocacy4 ,edward    
,carpenter1 on the other hand1 if       
unattached to any one section of        
reformers1 has been one of the most     
influential writers and speakers in  the
 socialist cause2 and his name is       
deservedly honoured not only for  his   
many direct services to the movement1   
but for the personal  friendship which  
he has extended to fellow-workers1 and  
indeed to all  who have sought his      

aid--giving freely where1 in the nature 
of the case1  there could be little or  
no return4 ,his cottage at ,millthorpe  
had  already become1 in the 'nineties1 a
 place of pilgrimage1 the resort of     
8comrades0 who dropped down on him from 
the surrounding hills1 or  swarmed up   
the valley from ,chesterfield like a    
tidal wave1 or 8bore10 as  he aptly     
described it4 ,his friend ,george ,adams
 and family were then  living with him  
at ,millthorpe2 and those who had the   
good fortune to be  intimate with that  
delightful household will always        
remember their  visits with pleasure4   
,george ,adams1 the sandal-maker1 was as
 charming a  companion as the heart     
could desire1 full of artistic feeling  
7witness  his beautiful watercolours71  
of quaint humorous fancies1 and of      
unfailing kindliness4 ,his memory is    
very dear to his friends4    ,one of the
 strangest things said about ,edward    
,carpenter1 and by one of  his most     
admiring critics1 is that he has no     

faculty for organization4 ,i  used often
 to be struck by the great patience and 
adroitness with which  he marshalled and
 managed his numerous uninvited guests4 
,he might fairly  have exclaimed1 with  
,emerson3        ,askest 8how long thou 
shalt stay08      ,devastator of the    
day6    ,but though the pilgrims often  
showed but little consideration for     
their  host1 in the manner and duration 
of their visits1 he seemed to be always 
master of the emergency1 receiving the  
new-comers1 however untimely  their     
arrival1 with imperturbable urbanity1   
and gently detaching the  limpets with a
 skill that made them seem to be taking 
a voluntary and  intended departure4 ,it
 was hospitality brought to a fine art4 
,for many years there was a quaint      
division of ,carpenter's writings in    
the ,british ,museum catalogue1 his     
earlier works being attributed to one   
,edward ,carpenter1 8,fellow of ,trinity
 ,hall1 ,cambridge10 and the later to   
another ,edward ,carpenter1 placed on   

the lower grade of 8,social  ,reformer40
 ,there was1 perhaps1 some propriety1 as
 well as unconscious  humour in this    
dual arrangement2 for ,carpenter1 like  
,morris1 was not a  socialist born1 but 
one who1 by force of natural bias1 had  
gravitated  from ,respectability to     
,freedom2 and his writings bore obvious 
tokens of  the change4    ,another and  
more audacious classification was once  
propounded to me by  ,bernard ,shaw1    
viz4 that future commentators would     
divide ,carpenter's  works into two     
periods2 first1 that of the             
comparatively trivial books  written    
before he came in contact with          
8,g4,b4,s402 secondly1 that of the      
really important contributions to       
literature1 where the ,shavian          
influence is discernible4 ,i mentioned  
this scheme to ,carpenter2 and he       
smilingly suggested that if there were  
any indebtedness1 the names of  the     
debtor and the creditor must be         
reversed4 ,but it would have been as    

reasonable for an elephant to claim to  
have influenced a whale1 or a  whale an 
elephant1 as for either the thinker or  
the seer1 each moving  in quite a       
different province1 to suppose that he  
had affected the  other's course4 ,one  
common influence they felt--the desire  
to humanize  the barbarous age in which 
they lived--and it is strange that      
,carpenter1  in his book on             
8,civilization10 should have bestowed so
 fair and  unmerited a name on a state  
of society which1 in spite of all its   
boasted sciences and mechanical         
inventions1 is at heart little else than
  an ancient ,savagery in a more complex
 and cumbrous form4          ,,vii      
,,the ,,poet-,,pioneer         ,i know  
not the internal constitution of other  
men4444 ,i see that in       some       
external attributes they resemble me1   
but when1 misled by that                
appearance1 ,i have thought to appeal to
 something in common1 and               
unburthen my inmost soul to them1 ,i    

have found my language                  
misunderstood1 like one in a distant and
 savage land4--,,shelley4      ,the     
words quoted above would savour of      
self-righteousness1 if put into  the    
mouth of any one but the poet who wrote 
them4 ,coming from ,shelley1  they do   
not give that impression2 for we feel of
 him that1 as ,leigh ,hunt  used to say1
 he was 8a spirit that had darted out of
 its orb and found  itself in another   
world 444 he had come from the planet   
,mercury40 ,or1  rather1 he was a       
prophet and forerunner of a yet distant 
state of  society upon this planet      
,earth1 when the savagery of our past   
and  present shall have been replaced by
 a civilization that is to be4          
,during the latter half of the          
nineteenth century ,shelley's influence 
was  very powerful1 not only upon the   
canons of poetry1 but upon ideals of    
various kinds--upon free-thought1       
socialism1 sex-questions1 food-reform1  
and not a few other problems of         

intellectual and ethical import4 ,the   
,chartist movement set the example4 ,in 
a letter which ,i received from         
,eleanor ,marx in #ahib she spoke of the
 8enormous influence0 exercised by      
,shelley's writings upon leading        
,chartists3 8,i have heard my father and
  ,engels again and again speak of this2
 and ,i have heard the same from the    
many ,chartists it has been my good     
fortune to know--,ernest ,jones1        
,richard ,moore1 the ,watsons1 ,g4 ,j4  
,harvey1 and others40 ,what was true of 
,chartism held equally good of other    
movements2 as indeed was admitted  by   
,shelley's detractors as well as claimed
 by his friends3 witness ,sir  ,leslie  
,stephen's complaint that 8the devotees 
of some of ,shelley's pet  theories0 had
 become 8much noisier40 ,in the         
'eighties1 the interest  aroused by the 
controversies that raged about ,shelley1
 both as poet and  as pioneer1 was      
especially strong1 as was proved by the 
renewed output  of ,shelleyan           

literature1 such as ,mr4 ,forman's and  
,mr4 ,w4 ,m4 ,rossetti's  editions of   
the works1 the biography of ,dr4        
,dowden1 and the numerous  publications 
of the ,shelley ,society1 dating from   
#ahhf to #ahib4 ,it was a  time when the
 old abusive view of ,shelley1 as a     
fiend incarnate1 was  giving way to the 
equally irrational apologetic view--the 
8poor1 poor  ,shelley0 period--of which 
,dowden was the spokesman2 yet a good   
deal of  the old bitterness still       
remained1 and ,mr4 ,cordy ,jeaffreson's 
lurid  fiction1 entitled 8,the ,real    
,shelley10 was published as late as     
#ahhe4    ,it is difficult for a humble 
student of such a genius as ,shelley to 
speak frankly of the debt that he owes  
to him1 without seeming to forget  his  
own personal unimportance2 but ,i prefer
 to risk the misunderstanding  than to  
leave the tribute unsaid4 ,from the day 
when at a preparatory  school ,i was    
first introduced to ,shelley's lyrics by
 having some stanzas  of 8,the ,cloud0  

set for translation into ,latin1 ,i     
never doubted that he  stood apart from 
all other poets in the enchantment of   
his verse2 and ,i  soon learnt that     
there was an equal distinction in the   
beauty and wisdom  of his thoughts2 so  
that he became to me1 as to others1 what
 ,lucretius  found in ,epicurus1 a guide
 and solace in all the vicissitudes of  
life3        ,thou art the father of our
 faith1 and thine      ,our holiest     
precepts2 from thy songs divine1        
,as bees sip honey in some flowery dell1
      ,cull we the glories of each      
golden line1      ,golden1 and graced   
with life imperishable4#ba    ,at ,eton 
there was little knowledge of ,shelley1 
and still less  understanding4 ,when it 
was first proposed to place a bust of   
the poet in  the ,upper ,school1 ,dr4   
,hornby is said to have replied3 8,no3  
he was a bad  man10 and to have         
expressed a humorous regret that he had 
not been  educated at ,harrow4 ,i once  
read a paper on ,shelley before the     

,ascham  ,society1 and was amazed at the
 ignorance that prevailed about him     
among  ,eton masters3 only one or two of
 them had any acquaintance with the     
longer poems2 the rest had read the     
lines 8,to a ,skylark02 one told us     
with a certain amount of pride that he  
had read 8,adonais02 many thought  the  
poet a libertine2 and though they did   
not say that he was a disgrace  to      
,eton1 it was evident that that was the 
underlying sentiment4 ,several  years   
after ,i had left ,eton1 ,william ,cory 
wrote a paper for the ,shelley  ,society
 on 8,shelley's ,classics0 7viz4 his    
knowledge of ,greek and ,latin71  which1
 in his absence1 ,i read at one of the  
,society's meetings2 and ,i  remember   
being surprised to find that even he    
regarded ,shelley as a  verbose and     
tedious writer4    ,from ,mr4 ,kegan    
,paul1 who was a friend of ,sir ,percy  
and ,lady ,shelley1 ,i  had heard all   
that was known of the inner history of  
,shelley's life2 and  as1 after the     

publication of ,dowden's biography in   
#ahhf1 the main facts  were no longer in
 dispute1 it seemed to me that the best 
service that  could then be rendered to 
his memory was to show how1 far from    
being a  8beautiful and ineffectual     
angel10 he was a beautiful but very     
efficient  prophet of reform4 ,this ,i  
did1 or tried to do1 in various essays  
published about the time when the       
,shelley ,society was beginning its     
work2 and ,i was thus brought into close
 touch with it during the seven  years  
of its existence4 ,as illustrating how  
the old animosities still  smouldered1  
more than sixty years after ,shelley's  
death1 ,i am tempted to  quote a        
testimonial received by me from a critic
 in the ,westminster  ,review1 where ,i 
found myself described as one of the    
writers who  grubbed amongst 8the       
offensive matter0 of ,shelley's life    
8with gross  minds and grunts of        
satisfaction10 and as having made 8an   
impudent  endeavour to gain the         

notoriety of an iconoclast amongst      
social heretics  with immoral tendencies
 and depraved desires40 ,there was the  
old genuine  ring about this1 and ,i    
felt that ,i must be on the right track 
as a  ,shelley student4 ,i knew1 too1   
from letters which ,i had received from 
,lady ,shelley1 the poet's              
daughter-in-law1 whose ,shelley         
,memorials was  the starting-point of   
all the later appreciations1 that ,i was
 not  writing without credentials4 8,for
 the last thirty-five years10 she wrote 
to me in #ahhh1 speaking for ,sir ,percy
 ,shelley and herself1 8we have         
suffered so much from what has been     
written on ,shelley by those who had    
not the capacity of understanding his   
character1 and were utterly  ignorant of
 the circumstances which shaped his     
life1 that ,i cannot  refrain from      
expressing our heartfelt thanks and     
gratitude for the  comfort and pleasure 
we have had in reading your paper40 ,and
 later3 8,it  is a great happiness to me

 to know1 in my old age1 that when ,i am
 gone  there will be some one left to do
 battle for the truth against those     
whose nature prevents them from seeing  
in ,shelley's beautiful unselfish  love 
and kindness anything but evil40    ,the
 ,shelley ,society1 founded by ,dr4 ,f4 
,j4 ,furnivall in #ahhf1 had the        
support of a large number of the poet's 
admirers1 among whom were ,mr4 ,w4  ,m4 
,rossetti1 ,mr4 ,stopford ,brooke1 ,mr4 
,buxton ,forman1 ,mr4 ,hermann ,vezin1  
,dr4 ,john ,todhunter1 ,mr4 ,f4 ,s4     
,ellis1 ,mr4 ,stanley ,little1 and ,mr4 
,bernard  ,shaw2 and much useful work   
was done in the way of meetings and     
discussions1 the publication of essays  
on ,shelley1 and facsimile  reprints of 
some of his rarer volumes1 thus throwing
 new light1  biographical or            
bibliographical1 on many doubtful       
questions4 ,i will  refer only to one of
 these1 in which ,i was myself          
concerned1 a study of  8,julian and     
,maddalo10 which ,i read at a meeting in

 #ahhh1 and which was  subsequently     
printed in the ,shelley ,society's      
,papers and reissued as a  pamphlet4    
,its object was to make clear what had  
been overlooked by  ,dowden1 ,rossetti1 
and the chief authorities1 though hinted
 at by one or  two writers1 viz4 that   
the story of 8the maniac0 7in 8,julian  
and  ,maddalo07 was not1 as generally   
supposed1 a mere fanciful interpolation1
  but a piece of poetical autobiography1
 a veiled record of ,shelley's own      
feelings at the time of his separation  
from ,harriet4 ,on this point ,dr4      
,furnivall wrote to me 7,april #af1     
#ahhh73 8,robert ,browning says he has  
always held the main part of your view1 
from the first publication of  #8,julian
 and ,maddalo1' but you must not push it
 into detail4 ,i had a long  talk with  
him last night40    ,the greatest single
 achievement of the ,shelley ,society   
was the staging  of ,the ,cenci at the  
,islington ,theatre1 in #ahhf4 ,the     
performance was  technically a private  

one1 as the ,licenser of ,plays had     
refused his  sanction2 but great public 
interest was aroused1 and the acting of 
,mr4  ,hermann ,vezin as ,count ,cenci1 
and of ,miss ,alma ,murray as           
,beatrice--8the  poetic actress without 
a rival0 was ,browning's description of 
her--made  the event one which no lover 
of ,shelley could forget4 ,if the       
,society had  done nothing else than    
this1 its existence would still have    
been  justified4    ,every literary     
association1 like every social movement1
 is sure to have  a humorous aspect as  
well as a serious one1 and the ,shelley 
,society was  very far from being an    
exception to this beneficent rule2      
indeed1 on  looking back over its       
career1 one has to check the impulse to 
be  absorbed in the laughable features  
of the proceedings1 to the exclusion  of
 its really valuable work4 ,the         
situation was rich in delightful        
incongruities2 for the bulk of the      
,committee1 while admiring ,shelley's   

poetical genius1 seemed quite unaware of
 the conclusions to which his           
principles inevitably led1 and of the   
live questions which any genuine  study 
of ,shelley was certain to awake4       
,accordingly1 when ,mr4 ,g4 ,w4  ,foote1
 the ,president of the ,national        
,secular ,society1 gave an address      
before a very large audience on         
,shelley's religion1 the ,committee1    
with  a few exceptions1 marked their    
disgust for the lecturer's views1 which 
happened also to be ,shelley's1 by the  
expedient of staying away4 ,i think  it 
was on an earlier occasion that ,bernard
 ,shaw appalled the company by          
commencing a speech with the words3 8,i1
 as a socialist1 an atheist1 and  a     
vegetarian44440 ,i remember how the     
honorary secretary1 speaking to me      
afterwards1 as to a sympathetic         
colleague1 said that he had always      
understood that if a man avowed himself 
an atheist it was the proper  thing 8to 
go for him02 but when ,i pointed out    

that1 whatever might be  thought of such
 a course as a general rule1 it would be
 a little  difficult to act on it in a  
,shelley ,society1 he seemed struck by  
my  suggestion4 ,anyhow1 we did not go  
for ,shaw2 perhaps we knew that he had  
studied the noble art of self-defence4  
,then there was sad trouble on the      
,committee when ,dr4 ,aveling applied   
for  membership1 for the majority       
decided to refuse it--his marriage      
relations being similar to              
,shelley's--and it was only by the      
determined  action of the chairman1 ,mr4
 ,w4 ,m4 ,rossetti1 who threatened to   
resign if  the resolution were not      
cancelled1 that the difficulty was      
surmounted4  ,this was by no means the  
only occasion on which ,william         
,rossetti's sound  sense rescued the    
,society from an absurd and impossible  
position2 but  sane as were his         
judgments in all practical matters1 he  
was himself  somewhat lacking in humour1
 as was made evident by a certain       

lecture  which he gave us on 8,shelley  
and ,water02 a title1 by the way1 which 
might have been applied1 not inaptly1 to
 the sentiments of several of  our      
colleagues4 ,there are1 as all ,shelley 
students know1 some curious  references1
 in the poems1 to death by drowning2 and
 we thought that the  lecturer intended 
to comment on these1 and on any passages
 which might  illustrate the love which 
,shelley felt for sailing on river or   
sea2 we  were therefore rather taken    
aback when we found that the lecture1   
which  was divided into two parts1 viz4 
8,shelley and ,salt ,water0 and         
8,shelley  and ,fresh ,water10 consisted
 of little more than the quotation of a 
number of passages4 ,we heard the first 
part 7,i forget whether it was the  salt
 or the fresh71 and then1 at ,dr4       
,furnivall's suggestion1 the second  was
 withdrawn4 ,there was comedy in this2  
but none the less all lovers of         
,shelley owe gratitude to ,mr4 ,w4 ,m4  
,rossetti1 for he was one of the first  

critics to understand the real greatness
 of ,shelley's genius1 and to           
appreciate not the poetry alone1 but the
 conceptions by which it was  inspired4 
,he likewise did good service in        
introducing to the public some  original
 writers1 ,walt ,whitman among them1    
whose recognition might  otherwise have 
been delayed4    ,but the outstanding   
figure of the ,shelley ,society was that
 of its  founder1 ,dr4 ,f4 ,j4          
,furnivall1 the veteran scholar and     
sculler1 a grand  old man whose         
unflagging ardour in his favourite      
pursuits might have  shamed many        
enthusiasts who were his juniors by half
 a century4 ,a born  fighter1 the       
vehemence of his disputes with certain  
men of letters  7,swinburne1 for        
example71 was notorious2 but personally 
he was kindness  itself1 and ,i have    
most pleasant recollections of the many 
visits which  ,i paid him in his house  
near ,primrose ,hill1 where1 sitting in 
a big  arm-chair1 he would talk eagerly1

 as he took tea1 over the men he had    
known or the ,societies he had founded4 
,his tea-tray used to be placed on  a   
sort of small bridge which rested on the
 arms of the chair1 and in his          
excitement over a thrilling anecdote1 ,i
 have seen him forget that he was  thus 
restricted1 and springing forward send  
tray and tea flying together  across the
 room4 ,he once told me that1 for       
hygienic reasons1 he had been  a        
vegetarian for twenty years1 and had    
done the hardest work of his life       
without flesh-food3 then1 happening to  
be confined to the house with  sprained 
ankles1 he got out of health by         
neglecting to reduce his daily  diet4   
,just at that moment a friend sent him a
 turkey1 and he said to  himself3 8,now1
 why should this fine bird be wasted1   
owing to a mere whim  of mine80 ,thus   
had he relapsed into cannibalism as     
lightly as he  relinquished it4         
,there was an innocence and navet about 
,furnivall which at times was  almost   

boyish2 his impetuosity and total lack  
of discretion made him  insensible to   
other persons' feelings1 so that he gave
 direful offence1  and trod on the toes 
of many good people1 without being in   
the least  conscious of it4 ,he ruined  
the ,browning ,society1 of which he was 
both  founder and confounder1 by an     
ill-advised speech about ,jesus ,christ1
  in a discussion on 8,christmas ,eve   
and ,easter ,day02 and in like manner1  
though with less serious results1 he    
startled his ,shelleyan friends1  when  
,prometheus was the subject of debate1  
by asking in tones of  impatience3 8,why
 did the fellow allow himself to be     
chained to the  rock8 ,why didn't he    
show fight1 as ,i should have done80    
,and certainly1  when one thinks of it1 
there would have been trouble in the    
,caucasus1 if  ,dr4 ,furnivall had been 
bidden to play the martyr's part4       
,knowing of my connection with ,eton1   
,dr4 ,furnivall once came to me1 in     
high spirits1 with the news that in some

 researches at the ,british  ,museum he 
had by chance unearthed the fact that   
,nicholas ,udall1 a  headmaster of ,eton
 in the sixteenth century1 and one of   
the recognized  8worthies0 of the       
school1 had been convicted of a criminal
 offence--its  nature ,i must leave my  
readers to surmise4 ,i had heard this   
before1 but  ,i could not spoil the old 
man's glee by saying so2 ,i therefore   
congratulated him warmly1 and asked him1
 in jest1 whether he would not  write to
 ,dr4 ,warre and tell him of so         
interesting a discovery4 8,i have       
written to him10 he cried2 and then1    
with a shade of real surprise and       
disappointment on his face3 8,but he's  
not answered me60    ,during the latter 
part of the ,shelley ,society's career1 
when its  fortunes were dimmed1 and many
 of its fashionable members had dropped 
off1 we still continued to hold our     
monthly meetings at ,university         
,college1 ,gower ,street1 and very      
quaint little gatherings some of them   

were4 ,the audience at times numbered no
 more than five or six1 and the         
8proceedings0 might have altogether     
failed had it not been for two or  three
 devoted enthusiasts who never slackened
 in their attendance4 ,one  of these was
 ,mrs4 ,simpson1 an old lady who became 
to the ,shelley ,society  what ,miss    
,flite was to the ,court of ,chancery in
 ,bleak ,house1 an  ever-present        
spectator and ally4 ,we all liked and   
respected her--she was  humanitarian as 
well as ,shelleyan--but we were a little
 embarrassed when  her filial piety     
prompted her to give us copies of her   
father's  writings1 a bulky volume      
entitled ,the ,works of ,henry          
,heavisides4 ,it  was a sobering        
experience to become possessed of that  
book1 the title of  which conveyed a    
true indication of the contents4    ,the
 ,shelley ,centenary 7,august #d1 #ahib7
 marked the climax of the cult  which   
had had so great a vogue in the previous
 decade4 ,the local meeting  held at    

,horsham in the afternoon1 when ,sussex 
squires and literary  gentlemen from    
,london united in an attempt to         
whitewash ,shelley's  character--those  
8shining garments0 of his1 8so little   
specked with  mire10 as one speaker     
expressed it--was a very hollow affair  
which  contrasted sharply with the      
,london celebration held in the evening 
at  the ,hall of ,science1 when ,mr4 ,g4
 ,w4 ,foote presided1 and ,mr4 ,bernard 
,shaw  convulsed the audience by his    
description of the ,horsham apologetics4
 ,an  account of both these meetings was
 written by 8,g4,b4,s40 in his best     
vein1  and printed in the ,albemarle    
,review3 it was in this article that he 
made the suggestion that ,shelley should
 be represented1 at ,horsham1 on a      
bas-relief1 8in a tall hat1 ,bible in   
hand1 leading his children on  ,sunday  
morning to the church of his native     
parish40    ,that piece of sculpture has
 never been executed2 but it would      
hardly  have been more inappropriate    

than the two chief monuments that have  
been erected1 the one in ,christchurch  
,priory1 ,hants1 the other at           
,university ,college1 ,oxford2 for what 
could be less in keeping with the       
impression left by ,shelley's ethereal  
genius than to figure him1 as is  done  
in both these works1 as a dead body1    
stretched limp and pitiful  like some   
suicide's corpse at the ,morgue8 ,let us
 rid our thoughts of all  such ghastly  
and funereal notions of ,shelley1 and   
think of him as what  he is1 the poet   
not of death but of life1#bb that nobler
 life to which  mankind shall yet       
attain1 when they have learnt1 in his   
own words3        ,to live as if to love
 and live were one4    ,the most human  
portrait of ,shelley1 to my thinking1 is
 the one painted  by a young ,american  
artist1 ,william ,west1 who met him at  
,byron's villa  near ,leghorn1 in #ahbb1
 and being greatly struck by his        
personality1 made  a rough sketch which 
he afterwards finished and took back to 

,america4  ,there it was preserved after
 ,west's death1 and reproduced for the  
first  time in the ,century ,magazine in
 ,october1 #aije1 with an explanatory   
article by its present owner1 ,mrs4     
,john ,dunn4 ,by the courtesy of ,mrs4  
,dunn1 ,i was able to use this portrait 
as a frontispiece to a revised  edition 
of my study of ,shelley1 published in   
#aiac4 ,mr4 ,buxton ,forman  told me    
that he did not believe in the          
genuineness of the picture2 but  readers
 of ,letters about ,shelley 7#aiag7 will
 see that ,dr4 ,richard  ,garnett held a
 contrary opinion1 and so1 as ,i know1  
did ,mr4 ,w4 ,m4  ,rossetti4 ,some      
account of ,west's meeting with         
,shelley1 and of his  recollections of  
,byron1 may be found in ,henry ,theodore
 ,tuckerman's ,book  of the ,artists4   
,his portrait of ,byron is well known2  
and there seems to  be no inherent      
improbability in the account given of   
the origin and  preservation of the     
other picture1 which certainly impresses

 one as  being more in agreement with   
the verbal descriptions of ,shelley in  
his  later years than the almost boyish 
countenance so familiar in  engravings4 
,shelley is the greatest of the         
poet-pioneers of civilization1 and his  
influence is still very far from having 
reached its zenith3 he is 8the  poet of 
the young0 in the sense that future     
generations will be better  and better  
able to understand him4        ,thy     
wisdom lacks not years1 thy wisdom grows
      ,with our growth and the growth of
 time unborn4#bc          ,,viii        
,,voices ,,crying ,,in ,,the            
,,wilderness        ,i suffer mute and  
lonely1 yet another      ,uplifts his   
voice to let me know a brother          
,travels the same wild paths though out 
of sight4             ,,james ,,thomson 
7,b4,v474      ,poets1 as ,shelley said1
 are 8the hierophants of an             
unapprehended  inspiration1 the mirrors 
of the gigantic shadows which futurity  
casts  upon the present40 ,the surest   

solace for the conditions in which men's
  lives are still lived is to be found  
in the utterances of those  impassioned 
writers1 poets or poet-naturalists as we
 may call them1 who  are the harbingers 
of a higher social state1 and1 as such1 
have power to  cheer their fellow-beings
 with the charm of their speech1 though 
it is  only by the few that the full    
purport of their message can be         
understood4 ,it is of some of these     
lights in the darkness1 these voices    
crying in the wilderness1 that ,i would 
now speak4    ,there would seem1 at     
first sight1 to be a great gulf fixed   
between  ,shelley and ,james ,thomson1  
between optimist and pessimist1 between 
the  poet of ,prometheus ,unbound whose 
faith in the future was immutable1  and 
him of ,the ,city of ,dreadful ,night1  
who so despaired of progress as  to hold
 that before we can reform the present  
we must reform the past4  ,yet it was on
 ,thomson's shoulders that the mantle of
 ,shelley descended1  in so far as they 

were the singers of free-thought2 and he
 was one of  the earliest of all writers
 of distinction to apprehend the        
greatness of  that 8poet of poets and   
purest of men0 to whom his own ,vane's  
,story  was dedicated4 ,though we do not
 assent to the pessimistic contention   
that we are the product of a past which 
has foredoomed human effort to  failure1
 we may still profit by the mood of     
pessimism1 the genuine  vein of sadness 
that is found in all literatures and    
felt at times by  all thoughtful men2   
for in its due place and proportion it  
is as real as  the contrary mood of joy4
 ,why1 then1 should the darker mood be  
sedulously discountenanced1 as if it    
came from the source of all evil8  ,it  
stands for something2 it is part of us1 
and it is not to be  arbitrarily set    
aside4    ,so wonderful a poem as ,the  
,city of ,dreadful ,night needs no      
apology2  its justification is in its   
own grandeur and strength3 nor ought    
such  literature to be depressing in its

 effect on the reader's mind1 but       
rather 7in its right sphere and         
relation7 a means of enlightenment and  
help4 ,for whatever the subject and     
moral of a poem may be1 there is        
nothing saddening in ,art1 provided the 
form and treatment be adequate2  we are 
not discouraged but cheered by any      
revelation of feeling that is  sincerely
 and nobly expressed4 ,i hold ,thomson1 
therefore1 pessimist  though he was1 to 
have been1 by virtue of his indomitable 
courage and  love of truth1 one of the  
inspired voices of democracy4    ,over  
thirty years ago ,i was requested by    
,mr4 ,bertram ,dobell1 ,thomson's       
friend and literary executor1 to write a
 ,life of the poet2 and in the          
preparation of that work1 which involved
 a good deal of search for  scattered   
letters and other biographical material1
 ,i was brought into  touch not only    
with many personal friends of ,thomson1 
such as ,mr4  ,charles ,bradlaugh1 ,mr4 
,g4 ,w4 ,foote1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,theodore

 ,wright1 ,mrs4  ,h4 ,bradlaugh ,bonner1
 ,mr4 ,j4 ,w4 ,barrs1 ,mr4 ,charles     
,watts1 and ,mr4 ,percy  ,holyoake1 but 
also with some well-known writers1 among
 them ,mr4 ,george  ,meredith1 ,mr4     
,swinburne1 ,mr4 ,watts-,dunton1 ,mr4   
,w4 ,m4 ,rossetti1 and ,mr4  ,william   
,sharp4 ,i was impressed by the warm    
regard in which ,thomson's  memory was  
held by those who had known him1 the    
single exception being a  sour old      
landlady in a gloomy ,london street1 of 
whose remarks ,i took  note as an       
instance of the strangely vague views   
held in some quarters  as to the        
function of a biographer4 ,she could    
give me no information  about her       
impecunious lodger1 except that he had  
8passed away02 but she  added that if ,i
 wished to write the ,life of a good    
man1 a real  ,christian1 and a total    
abstainer--here she looked at me        
dubiously1 as if  questioning my ability
 to carry out her suggestion--there was 
her dear  departed husband6    ,in      

another case an old friend of           
,thomson's1 who told me many interesting
  facts about his early life1 detained  
me just as ,i was taking my  departure1 
and said in a meditative way1 as if     
anxious to recall even  the veriest     
trifle3 8,i think ,i remember that      
,jimmy once wrote a poem on  some       
subject or other40 ,what he imagined to 
be my object in writing a  ,life of an  
obscure ,army schoolmaster1 except that 
he had written a  poem1 ,i did not      
discover2 perhaps the idea was that the 
biographer goes  about1 like the lion1  
seeking whom he may devour4    ,in      
literary circles there has always been a
 strong prejudice against  8,b4,v410    
owing1 of course1 to his atheistical    
views and the general lack  of          
8respectability0 in his life and        
surroundings4 ,i was told by ,mr4       
,william ,sharp that1 just after the    
,life of ,james ,thomson was  published1
 he happened to be travelling to        
,scotland in company with ,mr4  ,andrew 

,lang1 and having with him a copy of the
 book1 which he was  reviewing for the  
,academy1 he tried to engage his        
companion in talk  about ,thomson1 but  
was met by a marked disinclination to   
discuss a  subject so uncongenial4 ,i   
was not surprised at hearing this2 but  
,i had  been puzzled by a refusal which 
,i received from ,mr4 ,swinburne to     
allow  me to publish a letter which he  
had addressed to ,mr4 ,w4 ,m4 ,rossetti 
some  years before1 in high praise of   
,thomson's narrative poem 8,weddah and  
,om-el-,bonain10 which he had described 
as possessing 8forthright  triumphant   
power40 ,that letter1 so ,mr4 ,swinburne
 wrote to me1 had been  inspired by 8a  
somewhat extravagant and uncritical     
enthusiasm10 and he  now spoke in rather
 severe reprobation of ,thomson1 as one 
who might have  left behind him 8a      
respectable and memorable name40 ,the   
word  8respectable10 coming from the    
author of ,poems and ,ballads1 deserves 
to be noted4    ,about two years later1 

in #ahij1 the immediate cause of this   
change of  opinion on ,mr4 ,swinburne's 
part was explained to me by no less an  
authority than ,mr4 ,watts-,dunton1 who 
had invited me to pay him a visit  in   
order to have a talk about ,thoreau4    
,during a stroll on ,putney ,heath1     
shared by ,mr4 ,bernard ,shaw1 ,mr4     
,watts-,dunton told me the story of     
,james  ,thomson's overthrow2 and as the
 similar downfall of ,whitman1 and of   
some  of ,swinburne's other early       
favourites1 was probably brought about  
in the  same manner1 the process is     
worth relating4 ,mr4 ,swinburne1 as ,i  
have  said1 had written in rapturous    
praise of one of 8,b4,v4's0 poems4 ,one 
day  ,mr4 ,watts-,dunton said to him3   
8,i wish you would re-read that poem of 
,thomson's1 as ,i cannot see that it    
possesses any great merit40 ,a few  days
 later ,swinburne came to him and said3 
8,you are quite right4 ,i have  re-read 
#8,weddah and ,om-el-,bonain1' and ,i   
find that it has very little  value40   

,watts-,dunton's influence over his     
friend was so complete that  there are  
in fact two ,swinburnes3 the earlier1   
democratic poet of the  ,songs before   
,sunrise1 who had not yet been rescued  
by ,mr4  ,watts-,dunton2 and the later1 
respectable ,swinburne1 whose bent was  
for  the most part reactionary4 ,a 8lost
 leader0 indeed6 ,contrary to the       
proverb1 the appeal1 in this case1 must 
be from ,philip sober to ,philip  drunk4
    ,at the luncheon which followed our 
walk1 ,mr4 ,swinburne was present1 and  
one could not help observing that in    
personal matters1 as in his  literary   
views1 he seemed to be almost dependent 
on ,mr4 ,watts-,dunton3  he ran to him  
with a new book like a poetic child with
 a plaything4 ,his  amiability of manner
 and courtesy were charming2 but his    
delicate face1  quaint chanting voice1  
and restlessly twitching fingers1 gave  
an  impression of weakness4 ,he talked1 
,i remember1 of ,meredith's ,sandra     
,belloni and ,diana of the ,crossways1  

and complained of their obscurity       
78,can you construe them8072 then of his
 reminiscences of ,eton1 with  friendly 
inquiries about my father-in-law1 the   
,rev4 ,j4 ,l4 ,joynes1 who  had been his
 tutor and house-master2 also about one 
of the ,french  teachers1 ,mr4 ,henry   
,tarver1 with whom he had been on very  
intimate  terms4 ,here a few words on   
the poet's adventures at ,eton may not  
be out  of place4#bd    ,it is stated in
 ,gosse's ,life of ,swinburne that there
 is no truth in the  legend that he was 
bullied at ,eton2 it is1 however1 a fact
 that his ,eton  career was not         
altogether an untroubled one4 ,mr4      
,joynes used to tell how  ,swinburne    
once came to him before school and      
begged to be allowed to  8stay out10    
because he was afraid to face some      
bigger boys who were  temporarily       
attached to his ,division--8those       
dreadful boys10 he called  them4 8,oh1  
sir1 they wear tail coats6 ,sir1 they   
are men60 ,the request  was not granted2

 but his tutor soothed the boy by       
reading a ,psalm with  him1 and thus    
fortified he underwent the ordeal4      
,one very characteristic anecdote has   
unfortunately been told  incorrectly4   
,lady ,jane ,swinburne had come to ,eton
 to see her son1 who  was ill1 and she  
read ,shakespeare to him as he lay in   
bed4 ,when she left  him for a time1 a  
maid1 whom she had brought with her1 was
 requested to  continue the reading1 and
 she did so1 with the result that a     
glass of  water which stood on a table  
by the bedside was presently dashed over
  her by the invalid4 ,in the version   
quoted by his biographer the glass  of  
water has become 8a pot of jam0--quite  
wrongly1 as ,i can testify1 for  ,i     
heard ,mr4 ,joynes tell the story more  
than once4    ,swinburne was not allowed
 to read ,byron or ,shelley while he was
 at ,eton4  ,in ,mr4 ,joynes's house    
there was a set of volumes of the old   
,english  dramatists1 and the young     
student urgently begged to be permitted 

to  read these4 8,might he read ,ford80 
,to settle so difficult a question      
recourse was had to the advice of ,mr4  
,w4 ,g4 ,cookesley1 a master who was    
reputed 8to know about everything02 and 
,mr4 ,cookesley's judgment was  that the
 boy might read all ,ford's plays except
 one--the one1 of course1  which has a  
title calculated to alarm4 ,but this1 it
 transpired1 was one  that he had       
specially wished to read6    ,mr4       
,watts-,dunton has been well described  
by ,mr4 ,coulson ,kernahan as 8a  hero  
of friendship02 and his personal        
friendliness was shown not to           
distinguished writers only1 but to any  
one whom he could encourage or  help1   
nor did he take the least offence1      
however bluntly his own  criticisms were
 criticized4 ,in reviewing ,the ,city of
 ,dreadful ,night1  on its first        
appearance in book form 7#ahhj71 he had 
said that ,thomson  wrote in his        
pessimistic style 8because now it is the
 fashion to be  dreadful10 a denial of  

the sincerity of the poet to which ,i   
referred in  my ,life of ,james ,thomson
 as one of the strangest of             
misapprehensions4  ,when ,i met ,mr4    
,watts-,dunton1 he alluded to this and  
other matters  concerning ,thomson so   
genially as to make me wonder how he    
could at  times have written in so      
unsympathetic and unworthy a manner of  
authors  whom he disliked4 ,admirers of 
,walt ,whitman1 in particular1 had      
reason to  resent the really disgusting 
things that were said of him2 as when he
  was likened to a savage befouling the 
door-step of the civilized man4  ,that  
,whitman himself must have been         
indignant at the jibes levelled at  him 
from ,putney ,heath can hardly be       
doubted3 ,i was told by a friend of  his
 that he had been heard to speak of     
,swinburne--the second  ,swinburne--as  
8a damned simulacrum40    ,very         
different from ,swinburne's ungenerous  
attitude to ,thomson was that  of       
,george ,meredith1 as may be seen from  

several of his letters to me1  published
 in the ,life of ,james ,thomson1 and   
reprinted in ,letters of  ,george       
,meredith4 ,a proposal was made that    
,mr4 ,meredith should himself  write an 
appreciation of 8,b4,v402 this he could 
not do1 but he gave me  permission to   
make use of any opinions he had         
expressed by letter to me  or in        
conversation2 ,i visited him at ,box    
,hill in #ahia1 and he talked at  great 
length on that and other subjects4 ,of  
,thomson he spoke with  feelings akin to
 affection1 exclaiming more than once3  
8,poor dear  fellow6 ,i bitterly        
reproach myself that ,i did not help him
 more1 by  getting him work on the      
,athenum40 ,but he doubted if he could  
at that  date have been reclaimed3      
earlier in life he might have been      
saved1 he  thought1 by the companionship
 of a woman who would have given him    
sympathy and aid2 praise1 too1 which had
 been the ruin of many writers  7he     
instanced ,george ,eliot and ,dickens1  

with some trenchant remarks  about both7
 would have been good for 8,b4,v410 who 
was so brave and  honest4 ,he himself1  
he said1 had often felt what it was to  
lack all  recognition1 and sometimes1   
when he had looked up from his writing  
and  seen a distant field in sunlight1  
he had thought1 8it must be well to be  
in the warmth40 ,what above all he      
admired in ,thomson was his resolute    
clear courage4 ,there had been no       
mention of pessimism in their talk1     
except that when he had been speaking of
 the brightest and the darkest  moods of
 ,nature1 ,thomson answered3 8,i see no 
brightest40    ,meredith was evidently  
repelled by this gospel of despair2 he  
said that  the writing of ,the ,city of 
,dreadful ,night had done its author no 
good1  inasmuch as he there embodied his
 gloomier images in a permanent form    
which in turn reacted on him and made   
him more despondent4 ,he  considered    
8,weddah and ,om-el-,bonain0 to be      
,thomson's masterpiece1 and  the finest 

narrative poem we have3 8,where can you 
find its equal80 ,i  told him of        
,swinburne's change of opinion about it1
 and he said  instantly3 8,you know     
whose doing that is40 ,a playful account
 followed  of the way in which his own  
poems used to be reviewed by            
,watts-,dunton in  the ,athenum4 8,we   
always receive anything of ,mr4         
,meredith's with  respect40 8,you know10
 said ,meredith1 8what that sort of     
beginning  means40 ,of late he had      
ceased to send out review copies of his 
poems1  being sickened by the ineptitude
 of critics4 8,there are a good many    
curates about the country10 he added1   
8and the fact that many of them do  a   
little reviewing in their spare hours   
does not tend to elevate  literature40  
,of social problems he spoke with       
freedom2 most strongly of the certain   
change that is coming1 when women get   
their economic independence4  ,infinite 
mischief comes to the race from loveless
 marriages4 ,but he  anticipated it     

would take six or more generations for  
women to rid  themselves of the         
intellectual follies they now inherit   
from their  grandmothers4    ,at dinner 
,mr4 ,meredith talked of his distaste   
for flesh food1 and his  esteem for     
simplicity in all forms1 and stated     
emphatically that it was  quite a       
mistake to suppose that his own         
experiments in vegetarianism had        
injured his health4 ,yet1 if he were to 
try that diet again1 he knew how  his   
friends would explain to him that it is 
8impossible to live without  meat10 or  
7this in dramatically sarcastic tones7  
that 8if it be possible  for some       
persons1 it is not possible for me40#be 
,i was struck by  his great kindliness  
as host2 he was in fact over-solicitous 
for the  welfare of vegetarian guests4  
,the formality and punctiliousness of   
,mr4 ,meredith's manner1 with his       
somewhat ceremonious gestures and       
pronunciation1 perhaps affected a       
visitor rather unfavourably at first    

introduction2 but after a few  minutes  
this impression wore off1 and one felt  
only the vivacity and  charm of his     
conversation4 ,it was a continuous flow 
of epigrams1 as  incisive in many cases 
as those in his books2 during which ,i  
noticed the  intense sensitiveness and  
expressiveness of his mouth1 the lips   
curling  with irony1 as he flung out his
 sarcasms about critics1 and curates1   
and  sentimentalists of every order4    
,his eyes were remarkably keen and      
penetrating1 and he watched narrowly the
 effect of his points2 so that  even to 
keep up with him as a listener was a    
considerable mental strain4  ,it was in 
consequence of my mentioning this to    
,mr4 ,bernard ,shaw1 a few  days later1 
that he made his sporting offer that1 if
 he were taken down  to ,box ,hill1 he  
8would start talking the moment he      
entered the house1  and not let         
,meredith get a word in edgeways40 ,in  
,mr4 ,s4 ,m4 ,ellis's  biography of     
,meredith1 ,shaw is quoted as saying    

that the proposal  emanated from ,mr4   
,clement ,shorter or myself3 this1      
however1 is quite  incorrect1 for the   
suggestion was his own1 and much too    
reckless to have  had any other source4 
,such an encounter1 had it taken place1 
would not  have been1 as ,shaw flattered
 himself1 a monologue1 but a combat so  
colossal that one shrinks from          
speculating on the result3 all that     
seems  certain is that it would have    
lasted till the talk-out blow was given1
  and that upon the tomb of one or other
 of the colloquists a hic tacet  would  
have had to be inscribed4    ,i noticed 
a certain resemblance in ,meredith's    
profile to that of ,edward  ,carpenter  
7it may be seen in some of the          
photographs72 and this was the  more    
surprising because of the unlikeness of 
the two men in temperament1  ,meredith's
 cry for 8,more brain1 ,o ,lord1 more   
brain60 being in contrast  with         
,carpenter's rather slighting references
 to 8the wandering lunatic  ,mind40 ,yet

 ,meredith1 too1 was an apostle of      
,nature2 his democratic  instincts are  
unmistakable1 though the scenes of his  
novels are mostly  laid in aristocratic 
surroundings1 so that his 8cry for      
simplicity0 came  8from the very camp of
 the artificial40 ,this was the view of 
his  philosophy taken by me in an       
article on 8,nature-lessons from ,george
  ,meredith10 published in the ,free    
,review1 in reference to which ,mr4     
,meredith wrote3 8,it is pleasant to be 
appreciated1 but the chief  pleasure for
 me is in seeing the drift of my work   
rightly apprehended40    ,to ,mr4       
,bertram ,dobell1 the well-known        
bookseller1 whose name is so  closely   
associated with ,thomson's and          
,traherne's1 ,i was indebted for  much  
information about books and writers of  
books1 given in that cosy  shop of his  
in the ,charing ,cross ,road1 which was 
a place of pleasant  recollections for  
so many literary men4 ,i had especial   
reason to be  grateful to him for       

directing me to the writings of ,herman 
,melville1  whose extraordinary genius1 
shown in such masterpieces as ,typee and
  ,the ,whale1 was so unaccountably     
ignored or undervalued that his name  is
 still often confused with that of      
,whyte ,melville or of ,herman          
,merivale4 ,melville was a great admirer
 of ,james ,thomson2 this he made  plain
 in several letters addressed to        
,english correspondents1 in which  he   
described ,the ,city of ,dreadful ,night
 as the 8modern ,book of ,job  under an 
original form1 duskily looming with the 
same aboriginal  verities10 and wrote of
 one of the lighter poems that 8,sunday 
up the  ,river1 contrasting with the    
,city of ,dreadful ,night1 is like a    
,cuban  humming-bird1 beautiful in fairy
 tints1 flying against the tropic       
thunderstorm40    ,mr4 ,dobell was a man
 of very active mind1 and he had always 
in view some  further literary projects4
 ,one of these1 of which he told me not 
long  before his death1 was to write a  

book about his friend1 ,james ,thomson2 
and it is much to be regretted that this
 could not be accomplished4  ,another   
plan--surely one of the strangest ever  
conceived--was to render  or re-write   
,walt ,whitman's poems in the ,omar     
,khayym stanza3 a proposal  which       
reminded me of the beneficent scheme of 
,fourier1 or another of the  early      
communists1 to turn the waters of the   
ocean into lemonade4 ,it is  difficult  
to speak of ,leaves of ,grass and the   
,rubiyt in the same  breath2 yet ,i once
 heard the ,omar ,khayym poem referred  
to in a still  stranger connection by a 
clergyman who was the 8autocrat of the  
breakfast table0 in a hotel where ,i was
 staying4 ,suddenly pausing in his      
table-talk1 he did me the honour of     
consulting me on a small question of    
authorship4 8,i am right1 am ,i not10 he
 said1 8in supposing that the           
translator of ,omar ,khayym             
was--,emerson80    ,mr4 ,dobell's       
experiences in book-lore had been long  

and varied1 and he  could tell some     
excellent stories1 one of which         
especially struck me as  showing that he
 had a rare fund of shrewd sense as well
 as of  professional knowledge4 ,he once
 missed from his shop a very scarce and 
valuable book1 in circumstances which   
made it a matter of certainty to  him   
that it had been abstracted by a keen   
collector who had been talking  to him  
that very day1 though no word concerning
 the book had been  spoken4 ,dobell was 
greatly troubled1 until he hit upon a   
plan which was  at once the simplest and
 most tactful that could have been      
imagined4  ,without any inquiry or      
explanation1 he sent in a bill for the  
book1 as  in course of business1 and the
 account was duly paid4    ,through     
,songs of ,freedom1 an anthology edited 
by me in #ahib1 ,i came  into           
correspondence with many democratic     
writers1 several of whom1  especially   
,mr4 ,gerald ,massey and ,mr4 ,w4 ,j4   
,linton1 showed much interest  in the   

work and gave me valuable assistance4   
,dr4 ,john ,kells ,ingram's  famous     
verses1 8,the ,men of #8,ninety-,eight10
 were included in the book2  and as     
curiosity has sometimes been expressed  
as to how far the  sentiments of that   
poem accorded with the later views of   
its author1 it  may be worth mentioning 
that1 in giving me permission to reprint
 the  stanzas1 he wrote as follows3     
8,you will not suppose that the effusion
 of  the youth exactly represents the   
convictions of the man4 ,but ,i have    
never been ashamed of having written the
 verses4 ,they were the fruit of        
genuine feeling40 ,a request for        
,joaquin ,miller's spirited lines1      
8,sophie  ,perovskaya10 brought me a    
letter from the veteran author of that  
very  beautiful book1 ,life amongst the 
,modocs 7a work of art worthy to be     
classed with ,herman ,melville's        
,typee71 which was one of the strangest 
pieces of penmanship ,i ever received1  
having the appearance of being  written 

with a piece of wood rather than a pen1 
but more than  compensating by its      
heartiness for the labour needed in     
deciphering it3  8,i thank you          
cordially2 ,i am abashed at my audacity 
long ago1 in  publishing what ,i did in 
dear old ,england4 ,i hope to do        
something really  worth your reading    
before ,i die40 ,but that he had done   
long before4    ,the liberality with    
which writers of verse allow their poems
 to be used  in anthologies is very     
gratifying to an editor2 the more so1 as
 such  republication is by no means     
always a benefit to the authors         
themselves4  ,mr4 ,john ,addington      
,symonds was an example of a poet who   
had suffered  much1 as he told me1 from 
compilers of anthologies1 especially in 
regard  to some lines in his oft-quoted 
stanzas1 8,a ,vista10 which in the      
original ran thus3        ,nation with  
nation1 land with land1        ,inarmed 
shall live as comrades free4            
8,inarmed0 signified linked fraternity1 

but the word being a strange one  was   
changed in some collections to          
8unarmed10 and in that easier form  had 
quite escaped from ,mr4 ,symonds's      
control4 ,this error still continues  to
 be repeated and circulated1 and has    
practically taken the place of  the     
authorized text4 ,truth1 as the saying  
is1 may be great1 but it does  not      
always prevail4    ,mr4 ,j4 ,a4         
,symonds1 like his friend ,mr4 ,roden   
,noel1 at whose house ,i met  him1 was  
one of those writers who1 starting from 
a purely literary  standpoint1 came over
 in the end towards the democratic view 
of life4  ,his appreciation of ,whitman 
is well known2 and he told me that since
 he  wrote his study of ,shelley for the
 8,english ,men of ,letters0 series he  
had changed some of his views in the    
more advanced ,shelleyan direction4     
,robert ,buchanan was another of ,roden 
,noel's friends with whom ,i became     
acquainted and had a good deal of       
correspondence4 ,his later writings1    

owing to their democratic tendencies and
 extreme outspokenness1 received  much  
less public attention than the earlier  
ones2 in ,the ,new ,rome1 in            
particular1 there were a number of      
trenchant poems denouncing the          
savageries of an aggressive militarism1 
and pleading the cause of the  weak and 
suffering folk1 whether human or        
sub-human1 against the  tyrannous and   
strong4 ,so marked1 in his later years1 
became ,buchanan's  humanitarian        
sympathies1 that when his biography was 
written by ,miss  ,harriett ,jay1 in    
#aijc1 ,i was asked to contribute a     
chapter on the  subject4    ,an         
anthologist1 as ,i have said1 meets with
 much courtesy from poets1 yet  his path
 is not altogether a rose-strewn one4   
,when ,i undertook the work1  ,i was    
warned by ,mr4 ,bernard ,shaw that the  
only certain result would be  that ,i   
should draw on myself the concentrated  
resentment of all the  authors          
concerned3 this forecast was far from   

being verified2 but in one  or two      
instances ,i did become aware of certain
 irritable symptoms on the  part of     
poetical acquaintances whose own songs  
of freedom had unluckily  escaped my    
notice4 ,then the over-anxiety of some  
authors as to which of  their           
master-pieces should be included1 and   
which withheld1 was at times  a trial to
 an editor4 ,one of my contributors1 who
 had moved in high  circles1 was        
concerned to think that certain         
royalties of his  acquaintance might    
feel hurt by his arraignment of tyrants3
 8but if the  ,czar10 he wrote1 8takes  
it home to himself1 ,i shall be only too
  delighted40 ,whether any protest from 
the ,czar or other crowned heads was    
received by the publishers of the       
,canterbury ,poets ,series1 ,i never    
heard4    ,but if poets are the         
forerunners of a future society1 to     
8poet-naturalists0 also must a like     
function be assigned4 ,of ,thoreau1 to  
whom that title was first and most      

fittingly given1 ,i have already        
spoken2 and his was the genius which1 to
 me1 next to that of ,shelley1  was the 
most astonishing of nineteenth-century  
portents2 a scion of the  future1       
springing up1 like some alien           
wild-flower1 unclassed and              
uncomprehended3 like ,shelley's1 too1   
his wisdom is still far ahead of  our   
age1 and destined to be increasingly    
acknowledged4    ,it was with this      
thought in mind that ,i wrote a         
biography of ,thoreau1 in  which task ,i
 received valuable aid from his         
surviving friends1 ,mr4  ,harrison      
,blake1 ,mr4 ,daniel ,ricketson1 ,mr4   
,frank ,b4 ,sanborn1 ,dr4 ,edward       
,emerson1 and others4 ,with ,mr4        
,sanborn1 the last of the ,concord      
group1 ,i  corresponded for nearly      
thirty years1 and ,i had several long   
talks with  him on the occasions of his 
visiting ,england3 he was a man of great
  erudition and extraordinary memory1 so
 that his store of information  amassed 

in a long life was almost encyclopedic4 
,i learnt much from him  about ,concord 
and its celebrities2 and he collaborated
 with me in  editing a collection of    
,thoreau's 8,poems of ,nature10 which   
was published  in #ahie4 ,mr4 ,daniel   
,ricketson1 the 8,mr4 ,d4 ,r40 of       
,emerson's edition of  ,thoreau's       
,letters1 was another friend to whom ,i 
was greatly indebted2  his              
correspondence with me was printed in a 
memorial volume1 ,daniel  ,ricketson and
 his ,friends1 in #aijb4 ,by no one was 
,i more helped and  encouraged than by  
that most ardent of ,thoreau-students1  
,dr4 ,samuel ,a4  ,jones1 of ,ann       
,arbor1 ,michigan1 who1 with his        
fellow-enthusiast1 ,mr4  ,alfred ,w4    
,hosmer1 of ,concord1 sent me at various
 times a large amount of  ,thoreauana1  
and enabled me to make a number of      
corrections and  amplifications in a    
later edition of the ,life4 ,it was     
through our  common love of ,thoreau    
that ,i first became acquainted with    

,mr4 ,w4 ,sloane  ,kennedy1 of ,belmont1
 ,massachusetts1 a true nature-lover    
with whom ,i have  had much pleasant and
 friendly intercourse both personally   
and by  letter4    ,richard ,jefferies1 
unlike ,shelley or ,thoreau1 was so far 
a pessimist as  to believe that 8lives  
spent in doing good have been lives     
nobly  wasted02 but while convinced that
 8the whole and the worst the worst     
pessimist could say is far beneath the  
least particle of the truth1 so  immense
 is the misery of man10 he could yet    
feel the hope of future  amelioration4  
8,full well aware that all has failed1  
yet side by side  with the sadness of   
that knowledge1 there yet lives on in me
 an  unquenchable belief1 thought       
burning like the sun1 that there is yet 
something to be found1 something real1  
something to give each separate         
personality sunshine and flowers in its 
own existence now40 ,if ever  there was 
an inspired work1 a real book of        
prophecy1 such a one is  ,jefferies's   

,story of my ,heart1 in which1 with his 
gaze fixed on a  future society1 where  
the term pauper 78inexpressibly wicked  
word07  shall be unknown1 he speaks in  
scathing condemnation of the present    
lack  of just and equitable             
distribution1 which keeps the bulk of   
the human  race still labouring for bare
 sustenance and shelter4    ,in a study 
of ,jefferies's life and ideals1        
published in #ahid1 ,i drew  attention  
to the marked change that came over his 
views1 during his  later years1 on      
social and religious questions1 a       
ripening of thought1  accompanied by a  
corresponding growth of literary style1 
which can be  measured by the great     
superiority of ,the ,story over such    
books as ,the  ,gamekeeper at ,home2 and
 in connection with this subject ,i     
pointed out  that the incident recorded 
by ,sir ,walter ,besant in his ,eulogy  
of  ,richard ,jefferies of a death-bed  
return to the ,christian faith1 at a    
time when ,jefferies was physically and 

intellectually a wreck1 could not  be   
accepted as in any way reversing the    
authoritative statement of his          
religious convictions which he had      
himself published in his ,story4 ,for   
this ,i was taken to task in several    
papers as having perverted biography  in
 the interest of my own prejudiced      
opinions2 but under this censure1  not  
to mention that my views were shared by 
those friends and students  of          
,jefferies with whom ,i was brought in  
touch1 ,i had one unsuspected  source of
 consolation in the fact that ,sir      
,walter ,besant told me in  private     
correspondence that1 from what he had   
learnt since the  publication of his    
,eulogy1 he was convinced that ,i was   
quite right4 ,i  did not make this      
public until many years later1 when a   
new edition of  my book appeared3 there 
was then some further outcry in a       
section of the  press2 but this was not 
repeated when ,mr4 ,edward ,thomas1 in  
the latest  and fullest biography of    

,jefferies1 dismissed the supposed      
conversion as  a wrong interpretation by
 8narrow sectarians0 who ignored the    
work of  ,jefferies's maturity4    ,i   
have thought it worth while to refer to 
these facts1 not that they are          
themselves important1 but as            
illustrating a ,christianizing process  
which  is often carried on with         
boundless effrontery by 8religious0     
writers  after the death of             
free-thinkers4 ,another instance may be 
seen in the  case of ,francis ,w4       
,newman1 where a similar attempt was    
made to represent  him as having        
abandoned his own deliberate            
convictions4    ,from ,jefferies one's  
thoughts pass naturally to ,mr4 ,w4 ,h4 
,hudson4 ,it  must be over twenty-five  
years since through the hospitality of  
,mrs4 ,e4  ,phillips1 of ,croydon1 an   
ardent bird-lover and humanitarian1 ,i  
had the  good fortune to be introduced  
to ,mr4 ,hudson and to his books4 ,a    
philosopher and keen observer of all    

forms of life1 he is far from being  an 
ornithologist only2 but there are       
certain sympathies that give rise  to a 
sort of natural freemasonry among those 
who feel them2 and of  these one of the 
pleasantest and most human is the love  
of birds--not of  cooked birds1 if you  
please1 associated with dining-room     
memories of  8the pleasures of the      
table10 nor of caged birds in           
drawing-rooms1 nor  of stuffed birds in 
museums2 but of real birds1 live birds1 
wild birds1  free to exercise their     
marvellous faculties of flight and song4
 ,from  this love has sprung a          
corresponding bird-literature2 and of   
the notable  names among the prophets   
and interpreters of bird life1 the      
latest1 and  in my opinion the greatest1
 is that of ,mr4 ,hudson3 his books1 in 
not a  few chapters and passages1 rise  
above the level of mere natural history1
  and affect the imagination of the     
reader as only great literature can4    
,if he is an unequal writer and somewhat

 desultory1 perhaps1 in his  manner of  
work1 yet at his best he is the greatest
 living master of  ,english prose4 ,such
 books as ,the ,naturalist in ,la ,plata
 and ,nature in  ,downland 7to name two 
only7 are classics that can never be    
forgotten4  ,and ,mr4 ,hudson's         
influence1 it should be noted1 has been 
thrown more and  more on the side of    
that humane study of natural history    
which ,thoreau  adopted3 his verdict is 
given in no uncertain language against  
the  barbarous habits of game-keeper and
 bird-catcher1 fashionable milliner1    
and amateur collector of 8specimens40   
,if a single title were to be sought for
 ,mr4 ,hudson's writings1 the name  of  
one of his earlier books1 ,birds and    
,man1 might be the most  appropriate2   
for there seems almost to be a mingling 
of the avian with  the human in his     
nature3 ,i have sometimes fancied that  
he must be a  descendant of ,picus1 or  
of some other prehistoric hero who was  
changed  into a bird4 ,there is a       

passage in ,virgil's neid where ,diomede
 is  represented as lamenting1 as a     
8fearful prodigy10 such metamorphosis of
  his companions4        ,lost friends1 
to birds transfigured1 skyward soar1    
,or fill the rocky wold with wailing    
cries4    ,but if such a vicissitude    
were to befall any of ,mr4 ,hudson's    
friends1 ,i  feel sure that1 far from   
being dismayed by it1 he would be able  
to  continue his acquaintance with them 
on terms of entire understanding3  they 
would in no sense be 8lost0 because they
 were feathered4 ,to him a  much more   
fearful prodigy is the savage fashion of
 wearing the skins and  feathers of     
slaughtered birds as ornamental         
head-gear4    ,one of the most devoted  
followers of this new school of natural 
history1  and himself a naturalist of   
distinction1 was ,dr4 ,alexander ,h4    
,japp1 who1  under the pen-name of 8,h4 
,a4 ,page10 wrote the first account of  
,thoreau  published in this country4 ,i 
have a recollection of many pleasant    

chats  with him1 especially of a visit  
which he paid me with ,mr4 ,walton      
,ricketson1 the sculptor1 a son of that 
intimate friend of ,thoreau's of  whom  
,i have spoken4 ,walton ,ricketson was a
 boy at the time when ,thoreau  used to 
visit his father at ,new ,bedford2 but  
he was present on the  occasion when the
 grave hermit of ,walden surprised the  
company by a  sudden hilarious impulse1 
which prompted him to sing 8,tom        
,bowling0 and  to perform an improvised 
dance1 in which1 it is said1 he kept    
time to  the music but executed some    
steps more like those of the ,indians   
than  the usual ballroom figures4       
,dr4 ,japp was also a biographer of ,de 
,quincey1 and by his sympathetic        
understanding did much to correct the   
disparaging judgments passed on  8the   
,english opium-eater0 by many critics   
and press-writers4 ,as a result  of a   
study of ,de ,quincey which ,i published
 in #aijd1 ,i made the  acquaintance1   
three years later1 of ,miss ,emily de   

,quincey 7she spelt her  name in that   
manner71 his last surviving daughter4   
,she was a most  charming old lady1 full
 of vivacity and humour2 and her        
letters1 of  which ,i received a good   
many1 were written with a sprightliness 
recalling that of her father in his     
lighter moods2 some of her              
reminiscences1 too1 were very           
interesting4 ,she remembered the opium  
decanter and glass standing on the      
mantelpiece when she was a child1 but   
she said that ,de ,quincey quite left   
off the use of the drug for years       
before his death4 ,she told me that the 
grudge against her father1 which        
frequently found expression in          
8grotesque descriptions0 of him1 was    
caused in part by his neglect to answer 
the letters1 many of a very  flattering 
kind1 addressed to him by readers of his
 books2 a remissness  which was due1 not
 to any lack of courtesy or gratitude1  
but to his  inveterate procrastination2 
he would always be going to write       

8to-morrow0 or 8when he had a good pen40
 ,on one occasion an admirer  wrote to  
him from ,australia1 begging him for    
8some truths0 that he might  give to his
 little son 7who had been named after   
,de ,quincey7 when he  should be able to
 understand them4 ,de ,quincey said     
sadly to his  daughter3 8,my dear1      
truths are very low with me just now4   
,do you think1  if ,i sent a couple of  
lies1 they would answer the purpose80   
,she feared  that he never sent either  
truths or lies4 ,among the unanswered   
letters  which her father received she  
recollected that there was one from     
8three  brothers10 accompanied by a     
volume of poems by 8,currer1 ,ellis and 
,acton  ,bell40 ,it was by the poetry of
 ,ellis that the ,de ,quinceys were most
  struck1 but not till years afterwards 
did they guess that those  8brothers0   
were the ,bront sisters in disguise4    
,were it not a common practice of       
reviewers1 in estimating the work of a  
great writer1 to omit1 as far as        

possible1 any mention of humane         
sympathies shown by him1 it would be    
strange that ,de ,quincey should be     
represented as a mere 8dreamer0 and     
visionary2 for in truth1 in spite of    
the transcendental ,toryism of his      
politics1 he was in several respects a  
pioneer of advanced humanitarian        
thought1 especially in the question of  
corporal punishment1 on which he spoke1 
a hundred years ago1 with a  dignity and
 foresight which might put to shame many
 purblind  8progressives0 of to-day4    
,his profound regard for a suffering    
humanity  is one of the noblest features
 in his writings2 he rejoiced1 for      
instance1 at the interference of        
,parliament to amend the 8ruinous social
  evil0 of female labour in mines2 and  
he spoke of the cruelty of that  spirit 
which could look 8lightly and           
indulgently on the affecting  spectacle 
of female prostitution40 8,all ,i have  
ever had enjoyment of in  life10 he     
said1 8seems to rise up to reproach me  

for my happiness1 when  ,i see such     
misery1 and think there is so much of it
 in the world40 ,it is  amusing to read 
animadversions on ,de ,quincey's 8lack  
of moral fibre10  written by critics who
 lag more than a century behind him in  
some of the  matters that afford an     
unequivocal test of man's advance from  
barbarism  to civilization4             
,,ix    ,a ,,league ,,of ,,humaneness   
,hommes1 soyez humains4 ,c'est votre    
premier devoir4 ,quelle sagesse y       
a-t-il pour vous1 hors de               
l'humanit4--,,rousseau4      ,from the  
vaticinations of poets and prophets ,i  
now return to the  actualities of the   
present state4 ,thirty years ago there  
were already in  existence a number of  
societies which aimed at the humanizing 
of public  opinion1 in regard not to war
 only but to various other savage and   
uncivilized practices4 ,the ,vegetarian 
,society1 founded in #ahdg1  advocated a
 radical amendment2 and the cause of    
zoophily1 represented by  the ,royal    

,society for the ,prevention of ,cruelty
 to ,animals1 had been  strengthened by 
the establishment of several            
,anti-,vivisection ,societies4  ,in like
 manner the philanthropic tendencies of 
the time1 with respect to  prison       
management and the punishment or        
reclamation of offenders1 were          
reflected in the work of the ,howard    
,association4    ,the purpose of the    
,humanitarian ,league1 which was formed 
in #ahia1 was to  proclaim a general    
principle of humaneness1 as underlying  
the various  disconnected efforts1 and  
to show that though the several         
societies were  necessarily working on  
separate lines1 they were nevertheless  
inspired  and united by a single bond of
 fellowship4 ,the promoters of the      
,league  saw clearly that barbarous     
practices can be philosophically        
condemned on  no other ground than that 
of the broad democratic sentiment of    
universal  sympathy4 ,humanity and      
science between them have exploded the  

time-honoured idea of a hard-and-fast   
line between white man and black  man1  
rich man and poor man1 educated man and 
uneducated man1 good man  and bad man3  
equally impossible to maintain1 in the  
light of newer  knowledge1 is the idea  
that there is any difference in kind1   
and not in  degree only1 between human  
and non-human intelligence4 ,the        
emancipation  of men from cruelty and   
injustice will bring with it in due     
course the  emancipation of animals     
also4 ,the two reforms are inseparably  
connected1  and neither can be fully    
realized alone4    ,we were well aware  
that a movement of this character would 
meet with no  popular support2 on the   
contrary1 that those who took part in it
 would  be regarded as 8faddists0 and   
8visionaries02 but we knew also that the
  direct opposite of this was the truth1
 and that while we were supposed  to be 
merely building 8castles in the air10 we
 were in fact following  ,thoreau's most
 practical advice1 and putting the      

foundations under  them4 ,for what is   
8the basis of morality10 as laid down by
 so great a  thinker as ,schopenhauer1  
except this very doctrine of a          
comprehensive  and reasoned sympathy8   
,a year or two before the founding of   
the ,league1 ,i had read at a meeting   
of the ,fabian ,society a paper on      
8,humanitarianism10 which afterwards    
formed a starting-point for the         
,league's publications4 ,the idea of a  
humane society1 with a wider scope than 
that of any previously existing  body1  
was suggested by ,mr4 ,howard ,williams2
 and it was at the house of a  very true
 friend of our cause1 ,mrs4 ,lewis 7now 
,mrs4 ,drakoules71 in ,park  ,square1   
,london1 that a small group of persons1 
among whom were ,mrs4  ,lewis1 ,mr4     
,edward ,maitland1 ,mr4 ,howard         
,williams1 ,mr4 ,kenneth ,romanes1  and 
the present writer1#bf assembled1 early 
in #ahia1 to draw up a  manifesto and to
 launch the ,humanitarian ,league4 ,the 
title  8humanitarian0 was chosen        

because1 though fully aware of certain  
objections to the word1 we felt that it 
was the only term which  sufficiently   
expressed our meaning1 and that1 whether
 a good name or a  bad name1 it must be 
taken up1 like a gauntlet1 by those who 
intended to  fight for the cause which  
it denotes4    ,for it was to be a      
fighting1 not a talking ,society that   
the ,league was  designed1 even if it   
were a forlorn hope4 ,in an interesting 
letter1 read  at the first meeting1 the 
opinion was expressed by our veteran    
friend1  ,professor ,francis ,w4        
,newman1 that the time was not ripe for 
such a  venture as the assertion of a   
humanitarian ethic2 but we came to the  
conclusion that however small a         
beginning might be made1 much good would
  be done by a systematic protest       
against the numerous barbarisms of the  
age--the cruelties inflicted by men on  
men1 and the still more atrocious       
ill-treatment of the lower animals4     
,edward ,maitland1 who1 in spite of his 

advanced years1 took a good deal  of    
interest in our meetings1 had had rather
 a remarkable career as  traveller1     
writer1 and mystic2 and his earlier     
book1 ,the ,pilgrim and  the ,shrine1   
had been widely read4 ,those who knew   
him only as occultist  would have been  
surprised to see how extremely critical 
he was--to the  verge of                
fastidiousness--in discussing practical 
affairs2 there was no  one on that      
committee more useful in bringing the   
cold light of reason  to bear on our    
consultations than the joint-author of  
,dr4 ,anna  ,kingsford's very strange   
revelations4 ,at the time ,i knew him1  
he was  writing his magnum opus1 the    
,life of ,anna ,kingsford1 and he would 
often discourse to me freely1 after a   
committee meeting1 on his  spiritual    
experiences1 to the astonishment1       
perhaps1 of our  fellow-travellers by   
rail or tram3 on one occasion he        
described to me  on the top of an       
omnibus how he had been privileged to be

 a beholder of  the ,great ,white       
,throne4 ,there was something in these  
narrations so  natural and genuine as to
 compel the respectful attention of the 
listener1 whatever his personal belief  
might be as to the reality of the       
visions described4    ,mr4 ,howard      
,williams1 on the other hand1 was as    
pronounced a rationalist  as ,maitland  
was a mystic1 and one who by word and by
 pen1 in private and  in public1 was a  
quiet but untiring champion of the      
humanitarian cause4  ,his ,ethics of    
,diet1 which had the honour1 at a later 
date1 of being  highly commended by     
,tolstoy1 whose essay entitled 8,the    
,first ,step0 was  written as a preface 
to his ,russian translation of the book1
 is a  veritable mine of knowledge1     
which ranges over every period of       
history  and covers not only the subject
 of humane dietetics but the whole field
  of man's attitude toward the non-human
 races3 if ,ethical ,societies were     
intended to be anything more than places

 of debate1 they would long ago  have   
included this work among their standard 
text-books4 ,for the writing  of such a 
treatise1 ,mr4 ,williams was specially  
qualified by the fact  that with a wide 
classical knowledge he united in a      
remarkable degree  the newer spirit and 
enthusiasm of humanity2 he was in the   
truest sense  a student and professor of
 liter humaniores4 ,it is difficult to  
estimate precisely the result of labours
 such as his2 but that they have  had an
 appreciable influence upon the growth  
of a more humane public  opinion is not 
to be doubted4    ,the ,committee was   
gradually strengthened by the inclusion 
of such  experienced workers as the     
,rev4 ,j4 ,stratton1 ,colonel ,w4 ,lisle
 ,b4  ,coulson1 ,mrs4 ,l4 ,t4 ,mallet1  
,mr4 ,j4 ,frederick ,green1 ,miss       
,elizabeth  ,martyn1 the first secretary
 of the ,league1 and ,mr4 ,ernest ,bell1
 a member  of the well-known publishing 
firm and now ,president of the          
,vegetarian  ,society1 who for over     

twenty years was a bulwark of strength  
as  chairman and treasurer4 ,a campaign 
against the ,royal ,buckhounds had at   
once commanded respect2 the pamphlets   
were well noticed in the  press--better1
 perhaps1 in those days1 when they were 
still a novelty1  than later1 when they 
were taken as a matter of course--some  
successful  meetings were held1 and the 
general interest shown in the ,league's 
doings was out of all proportion to its 
numerical strength4    ,it was in #ahie 
that the second phase of the ,league's  
career began with  the acquirement of an
 office in ,great ,queen ,street1 and   
the institution  of a monthly journal1  
,humanity1 so-called at first because   
its later  title1 ,the ,humanitarian1   
was at that time appropriated elsewhere4
 ,the  holding of a ,national           
,humanitarian ,conference1 at ,st4      
,martin's ,town  ,hall1 in the same     
year1 was the first big public effort   
that the ,league  had made1 and         
attracted a good deal of attention2 and 

the scope of the  work was considerably 
extended by the appointment of special  
departments  for dealing with such      
subjects as ,sports1 ,criminal ,law and 
,prison  ,reform1 ,humane ,diet and     
,dress1 and the ,education of ,children2
 and by a  much wider use of the press  
as a medium for propaganda1 in which    
sphere  the ,league was now able to     
avail itself of the services of ,mr4    
,joseph  ,collinson1 whose numerous     
press letters soon became a distinctive 
feature of its work4 ,in the summer of  
#ahig the ,league shifted its           
headquarters to ,chancery ,lane1 where  
it remained till it was brought to  an  
end in #aiai4    ,the ,league was soon  
engaged in controversies of various     
kinds4 ,a little  book entitled         
,animals' ,rights1 which ,i wrote at the
 request of my  friend1 ,mr4 ,ernest    
,bell1 and which was published by his   
firm in #ahib1  led to a great deal of  
discussion1 and passed through numerous 
editions1  besides being translated into

 ,french1 ,german1 ,dutch1 ,swedish1 and
 other  languages4 ,among its earliest  
critics was ,professor ,d4 ,g4 ,ritchie1
 who1  in his work on ,natural ,rights1 
maintained that though 8we may be said  
to have duties of kindness towards the  
animals1 it is incorrect to  represent  
these as strictly duties towards the    
animals themselves1 as  if they had     
rights against us40 7,the italics are   
,mr4 ,ritchie's47 ,there  is a puzzle   
for you1 reader4 ,i took it to mean     
that1 in man's duty of  kindness1 it is 
the kindness only that has reference to 
the animals1 the  duty being a private  
affair of the man's2 the convenience of 
which  arrangement is that the man can  
shut off the kindness whenever it suits 
him to do so1 the kindness being1 as it 
were1 the water1 and the duty  the tap4 
,for instance1 when the question of     
vivisection arose1 ,mr4  ,ritchie at    
once turned off the water of kindness1  
though it had been  very liberally      
turned on by him when he gave approval  

to the  humanitarian protests against   
the barbarities of sport4    ,to this   
sophistical hair-splitting1 in a matter 
of much practical  importance1 we from  
the first refused to yield1 and made it 
plain that  it was no battle of words in
 which we were engaged but one of       
ethical  conduct1 and that while we were
 quite willing to exchange the term     
8rights0 for a better one1 if better    
could be found1 we would not allow  the 
concept either of human 8duties0 or of  
animals' 8rights0 to be  manipulated in 
the manner of which ,mr4 ,ritchie's book
 gave a conspicuous  example4 ,meanwhile
 the word 8rights0 held the field4      
,the old ,catholic school was1 of       
course1 antagonistic to the recognition 
of animals' rights1 and we had          
controversies with ,monsignor ,john ,s4 
,vaughan1 among other sacerdotalist     
writers1 when he laid down the  ancient 
proposition that 8beasts exist for the  
use and benefit of man40  ,it may be    
doubted whether argument is not a pure  

waste of time1 when  there is a         
fundamental difference of opinion as to 
data and principles3  the sole reason   
for such debate was to ensure that the  
humanitarian view  of the question was  
rightly placed before the public1 and to
 show how  strange was the alliance     
between sacerdotalist and vivisector4   
,evolutionary science has demonstrated  
beyond question the kinship of all      
sentient life2 yet the scientist1 in    
order to rake together a moral  defence 
for his doings1 condescends to take     
shelter under the same plea  as the     
theologian1 and having got rid of the   
old anthropocentric fallacy  in the     
realm of science avails himself of that 
fallacy in the realm of  ethics3 a      
progressive in one branch of thought1 he
 is still a  medievalist in another4    
,thus scientist and sacerdotalist       
between them would perpetuate the       
experimental tortures of the laboratory4
 ,laborare est orare was the  old       
saying2 now it should be expanded by the

 ,catholic school of  vivisectionists   
into laboratorium est oratorium3 the    
house of torture  is the house of       
prayer4 ,it is a beautiful and touching 
scene of  reconciliation1 this meeting  
of priest and professor over the        
torture-trough of the helpless animal4  
,they might exclaim in ,tennyson's      
words3        ,there above the little   
grave1      ,o there above the little   
grave1        ,we kissed again with     
tears4    ,more exhilarating was the    
discussion when ,mr4 ,g4 ,k4 ,chesterton
 entered  the lists as champion of those
 high prerogatives of ,mankind1 which he
  saw threatened by the sinister devices
 of humanitarians1 who1 as he has       
explained in one of his books1 8uphold  
the claims of all creatures  against    
those of humanity40 ,a debate with ,mr4 
,chesterton took place in  the ,essex   
,hall2 and for several years afterwards 
the argument was  renewed at times1 as1 
for instance1 when reviewing a book of  
mine on  ,the ,logic of ,vegetarianism1 

he insisted#bg that 8the difference     
between our moral relation to men and to
 animals is not a difference of  degree 
in the least3 it is a difference of     
kind40 ,the human race1 he  held1 is a  
definite society1 different from        
everything else4 8,the man  who breaks a
 cat's back breaks a cat's back4 ,the   
man who breaks a man's  back breaks an  
implied treaty40 ,to us1 this terse     
saying of ,mr4  ,chesterton's seemed to 
contain unintentionally the root of all 
cruelty  to animals1 the quintessence of
 anthropocentric arrogance4 ,the man who
  breaks a cat's back1 breaks a cat's   
back4 ,yes1 and the scientist who       
vivisects a dog1 vivisects a dog2 the   
sportsman who breaks up a hare1  breaks 
up a hare4 ,that is all4 ,the victims   
are not human4 ,but it is a  distinction
 which has caused1 in savage hands1 the 
immemorial ill-usage  of the lower      
animals through the length and breadth  
of the world4    ,perhaps the strangest 
of ,mr4 ,chesterton's charges against   

humanitarians  was one which he made in 
his book ,orthodoxy1 that their trend is
 8to  touch fewer and fewer things10    
i4e4 to abstain from one action after   
another until they are left in a merely 
negative position4 ,he failed to  see   
that while we certainly desire to touch 
fewer and fewer things with  whip1      
hob-nailed boot1 hunting-knife1 scalpel1
 or pole-axe1 we equally  desire to get 
into touch with more and more of our    
fellow-beings by  means of that         
sympathetic intelligence which tells us 
that they are  closely akin to          
ourselves4 ,why1 ultimately1 do we      
object to such  practices as            
vivisection1 blood-sports1 and butchery8
 ,because of the  cruelty inseparable   
from them1 no doubt2 but also because of
 the hateful  narrowing of our own human
 pleasures which these barbarous customs
  involve4 ,a recognition of the rights 
of animals implies no sort of           
disparagement of human rights3 this     
indeed was clearly indicated in the     

sub-title of my book1 ,animals' ,rights 
8considered in relation to  social      
progress40    ,during the winter of     
#ahie-if1 a course of lectures on       
8,rights10 as  viewed from various      
standpoints--,christian1 ethical1       
secularist1  scientific1 theosophical1  
and humanitarian--was organized by the  
,humanitarian ,league2 and of these     
perhaps the most significant was ,mr4   
,frederic ,harrison's address on the    
ethical view1 in which it was           
maintained that 8man's morality towards 
the lower animals is a vital  and indeed
 fundamental part of his morality       
towards his fellow-men40 ,at  this same 
meeting some discussion arose on the far
 from unimportant  question of          
nomenclature1 objection being taken to  
,mr4 ,harrison's use of  the term       
8brute10 which he1 on his part1 defended
 as being  scientifically correct1 and1 
in the sense of 8inarticulate10 wholly  
void  of offence1 even when applied to  
such highly intelligent beings as the   

elephant1 the horse1 or the dog4        
,humanitarians1 however1 have generally 
held that the meaning of the word       
8brute10 in this connection1 is not     
8inarticulate0 but 8irrational10 and    
that for this reason it should be       
discarded1 on the ground that to call an
 animal a brute1 or irrational1  is the 
first step on the path to treating him  
accordingly4 8,give a dog a  bad name10 
says the proverb2 and directly follows  
the injunction3 8and  hang him40    ,for
 like reasons the ,humanitarian ,league 
always looked with disfavour on  the    
expression 8dumb animals10 because1 to  
begin with1 animals are not  dumb1 and  
secondly1 nothing more surely tends to  
their depreciation than  thus to        
attribute to them an unreal deficiency  
or imperfection3 such a  term may be    
meant to increase our pity1 but in the  
long run it lessens  what is more       
important1 our respect4 ,in this matter 
the ,league was glad  to have the       
support of ,mr4 ,theodore               

,watts-,dunton1 who1 as long ago as     
#ahgg1 had written satirically in the   
,athenum of what he called 8the  great  
human fallacy0 conveyed in the words    
8the dumb animals10 and had  pointed out
 that animals are no more dumb than men 
are4 ,years afterwards  he wrote to me  
to inquire about the authorship of an   
article in the  ,humanitarian in which  
the same conclusion was reached1 and    
expressed  his full sympathy with our   
point of view4    ,but much more        
difficult to contend with than any      
anti-humanitarian  arguments is the dull
 dead weight of that unreasoning        
prejudice which  cannot see             
consanguinity except in the conventional
 forms1 and simply  does not comprehend 
the statement that 8the animals0 are our
  fellow-beings4 ,there are numbers of  
good and kindly folk with whom1 on  this
 question1 one never reaches the point  
of difference at all1 but is  involved  
in impenetrable misapprehensions3 there 
may be talking on  either side1 but     

communication there is none4 ,tell them1
 in ,howard  ,moore's words1 that the   
non-human beings are 8not conveniences  
but  cousins10 and they will answer1    
assentingly1 that they are all in favour
  of 8kindness to animals02 after which 
they will continue to treat them  not as
 cousins but as conveniences4 ,this     
impossibility of even making  oneself   
intelligible was brought home to me with
 great force1 some years  ago1 in       
connection with the death of a very dear
 friend1 a cat1 whose  long life of     
fifteen years had to be ended in the    
chloroform-box owing  to an incurable   
ailment4 ,the veterinary surgeon whose  
aid ,i invoked was  an extremely kind   
man1 for whose skill ,i shall always    
feel grateful2 and  from his patience   
and sympathetic manner ,i thought he    
partly understood  what the occasion    
meant to me--that1 like a human         
death-bed1 it was a  scene that could   
never pass from the mind4 ,it was1      
therefore1 with  something of an amused 

shock that ,i recollected1 after he had 
gone1 what  ,i had hardly noticed at the
 moment1 that he had said to me1 as he  
left  the door3 8,you'll be wanting a   
new pussy-cat soon40    ,richard        
,jefferies has remarked that the belief 
that animals are devoid  of reason is   
rarely held by those who themselves     
labour in the fields3  8,it is the      
cabinet-thinkers who construct a        
universe of automatons40 ,one  is       
cheered now and then by hearing animals 
spoken of1 quite simply and  naturally1 
as rational beings4 ,i once made the    
acquaintance1 in the ,lake  ,district1  
of an old lady living in a roadside     
cottage1 who had for her  companion1    
sitting in an armchair by the fire1 a   
lame hen1 named ,tetty1  whom she had   
saved and reared from chicken-hood4     
,some years later1 as ,i  passed that   
way1 ,i called and inquired after       
,tetty1 but learnt that she  was dead4  
8,ah1 poor ,tetty60 said the dame1 as   
tears fell from her eyes2  8she passed  

away several months ago1 quite conscious
 to the end40 ,that  to attribute to a  
dying bird the self-consciousness which 
is supposed to  be the special          
prerogative of mankind1 should1 to the  
great majority of  persons1 appear      
nothing less than comical1 is a measure 
of the width of  that gulf which        
religion has delved between 8the beasts 
that perish0 and  the ,christian with   
his 8soul0 to save4    ,but it is not   
often that one hears of a case like that
 of ,tetty3 as a  rule1 disappointment  
lurks in the hopes that flatter the     
humanitarian  mind4 ,we had a neighbour 
in ,surrey1 an old woman living in an   
adjoining  cottage1 who professed full  
adherence to our doctrine that cats     
should  not be allowed to torture       
captured birds4 8,i always take them    
away from  my cat3 ,i can't bear to see 
them suffering10 she said4 ,we warmly   
approved of this admirable sentiment4   
,but then1 as she turned aside1 she     
added quietly3 8,unless1 of course1     

they're sparrows40    ,a year or two ago
 the papers described a singular        
accident at a railway  station1 where a 
cow got on the line and was wedged      
between the platform  and a moving      
train3 the cow1 we were told1 was       
killed1 8but fortunately  there was no  
personal injury0--a view of the         
occurrence which seemed1 to  a          
humanitarian1 still stranger than the   
accident itself4    ,here1 again1 is an 
instance of unintended humour3          
8,homeward ,bound0 as  the title of a   
cheerful picture in which a bronzed     
sailor is represented  returning from   
the tropics1 carrying--a caged parrot4  
,it is this traditional habit of        
regarding the lower animals not as      
persons and fellow-beings1 but as       
automata and 8things10 that lies  behind
 the determined refusal to recognize    
that they have rights1 and is  thus     
ultimately responsible for much of the  
callousness with which they  are        
treated4 ,with this superstition the    

,league was in conflict from the  first4
    ,but perhaps some of my readers may 
still think that time spent on the      
rights of animals is so much taken away 
from the great human interests  that are
 at stake4 ,let us help men first1 they 
may argue1 and then1 when  mankind is   
righted1 we can help the animals after4 
,on the other hand1  there are some     
zoophilists who take the contrary view  
that men can help  themselves1 and that 
it is the animals first and foremost who
 need aid  and protection4 ,the         
,league's opinion was that both these   
arguments are  mistaken1 and1 for the   
same reason1 viz4 that1 in our complex  
modern  society1 all great issues of    
justice or injustice are crossed and    
intermingled1 so that no one cruelty can
 be singled out as the source of  all   
other cruelties1 nor can any one reform 
be fully realized apart from  the rest4 
,by 8humanitarian0 we meant one who     
feels and acts humanely1  not towards   
mankind only1 or the lower animals only1

 but towards all  sentient life--one who
 adopts the ,humanitarian ,league's     
principle that  8it is iniquitous to    
inflict avoidable suffering on any      
sentient being40  ,we did not regard as 
humanitarians1 for example1 those       
8philanthropic0  persons who1 having    
made a fortune by commercial            
competition1 in which  the depreciation 
of wages was a recognized method1       
afterwards gave back  a portion of their
 wealth in 8charity40 ,this might1      
perhaps1 be  philanthropy1 but it did   
not seem to be quite humanity4 ,nor did 
we think  that the name 8humanitarian0  
should be given to those zoophilists or 
animal lovers who keep useless and      
pampered animals as pets and            
playthings1 wasting on them time and    
money which might be better spent       
elsewhere1 and indeed wasting the lives 
of the animals themselves1 for  animals 
have their own lives to live as men     
have4    ,perhaps the most able of all  
vindications of humane principles is    

that  contained in ,mr4 ,howard ,moore's
 ,the ,universal ,kinship1 published by 
the ,league in #aijf4 ,it was through a 
notice which ,i wrote in the            
,humanitarian of an earlier book of his1
 ,better-,world ,philosophy1  that the  
,league first came into association with
 him2 and ,i remember  with shame that  
when that 8sociological synthesis10 as  
its sub-title  proclaimed it to be1     
first came into my hands1 ,i nearly left
 it unread1  suspecting it to be but the
 latest of the many wearisome ethical   
treatises that are a scourge to the     
reviewer1 to whom the very word         
8sociology0 or 8synthesis0 is a terror4 
,but fortunately ,i read the book1  and 
quickly discovered its merits2 and from 
that time1 till his death in  #aiaf1    
,howard ,moore was one of the truest and
 tenderest of our friends1  himself     
prone to despondency and1 as his books  
show1 with a touch of  pessimism1 yet   
never failing in his support and        
encouragement of others  and of all     

humanitarian effort4 8,what on earth    
would we ,unusuals do1 in  this lonely  
dream of life10 so he wrote in one of   
his letters1 8if it  were not for the   
sympathy and friendship of the ,few80   
,howard ,moore died by his own hand 7he 
had good reason for his action72  and   
the timorous attitude which so many     
people adopt towards suicide was  shown 
in the silence on this point which was  
maintained in most of the  ,english     
zoophilist journals which mentioned his 
death3 one editor hit  upon the         
sagacious announcement that 8he died    
very suddenly10 which  deserves1 ,i     
think1 to be noted as a consummate      
instance of how the truth  may be       
truthfully obscured4    ,in ,the        
,universal ,kinship1 ,howard ,moore left
 to humanitarians a  treasure which it  
will be their own fault if they do not  
value as it  deserves4 ,there is a      
tendency to forget that it is to modern 
evolutionary science that the ethic of  
humaneness owes its strongest           

corroboration4 ,the physical basis of   
the humane philosophy rests on the      
biological fact that kinship is         
universal4 ,starting from this admitted 
truth1 ,moore showed1 with much wealth  
of argument and epigram1 that the       
supposed psychical gulf between human   
and non-human has no more  existence1   
apart from the imagination of man1 than 
the physical gulf  which has now been   
bridged by science4 ,the purpose of our 
movement was  admirably stated by him3  
8to put science and humanitarianism in  
place of  tradition and savagery40 ,it  
was with that aim in view that our      
,league of  ,humaneness had been formed4
          ,x    ,,twentieth-,,century   
,,tortures         ,why not bring back  
at once the boot1 the stake1 and the    
thumbscrew8--,,professor ,,lawson       
,,tait4      ,it is among the proudest  
boasts of this country that torture is  
not  permitted within its borders3      
8,torture10 wrote ,macaulay1 8was       
inflicted  for the last time in the     

month of ,may1 #afdj40 ,but pleasant    
though it is  to think that it was in   
the beautiful springtime that the       
barbarous  practice came to an end1 this
 is unfortunately one of the cases in   
which  our people allow themselves to be
 beguiled and fooled by very            
transparent quibbles2 for a few minutes'
 thought would suffice to  convince the 
most complacent of ,britons that while  
some specialized  forms of judicial     
torture have been abandoned1 other      
tortures1 some of  them not less painful
 and fully as repulsive1 are being      
inflicted to  this day--nearly three    
hundred years after the glorious date of
  abolition4 ,for if 8torture10 as      
etymology and the dictionaries and      
common usage tell us1 means nothing more
 or less than the forcible  infliction  
of extreme pain1 it is not a            
technicality but an absurdity to        
pretend that it finds no place among    
twentieth-century institutions4         
,flogging is torture in a most literal  

sense1 and in one of its grossest       
shapes3 the 8cat10 as ,mr4 ,g4 ,k4      
,chesterton has well said1 is 8the rack 
without any of its intellectual         
reasons40#bh ,the horror of the old     
naval and military lashings is within   
the memory of many officers who  were   
compelled to witness them3 how is the   
punishment any less savage in  its      
nature because it is now administered in
 a less severe degree1 and  on men      
convicted of robbery with violence or   
some breach of prison  discipline8 ,in  
one of the ,parliamentary debates of    
,november1 #aiab1 a  ,member who had    
been invited by the ,home ,secretary to 
examine the 8cat10  gave it as his      
opinion that 8if that is not torture1   
then ,i do not  know what torture is40  
,in the gloomiest but most impressive of
 his stories1 ,the ,island of ,dr4      
,moreau1 ,mr4 ,h4 ,g4 ,wells has        
represented his savage 8beast-folk0 as  
monotonously chanting a certain 8idiotic
 formula0 about the  infallibility of   

8the ,law40 ,with nothing more fitly    
than with this can  be compared the     
undying legend1 now over half a century 
old1 that  8garrotting was put down by  
the lash40 ,it is not often that a      
popular  fallacy1 however erroneous it  
may be1 can be actually disproved2 but  
in  this particular case such refutation
 was possible1 in the certified fact    
that the garrotting 8epidemic0 of #ahfb 
had been suppressed by the  ordinary law
 before flogging for that offence was   
legalized4 ,for many  years the         
,humanitarian ,league issued a public   
challenge on the subject1  and made the 
facts known in thousands of press       
letters2 the challenge  was quietly     
ignored1 and the false statement        
repeated1 till it was plain  that1 as   
,de ,quincey remarked1 8rarer than the  
phnix is that virtuous  man who will    
consent to lose a prosperous story on   
the consideration  that it happens to be
 a lie40 ,one such virtuous man1        
however1 and one  only1 was found1      

namely1 ,mr4 ,montague ,crackanthorpe1  
who actually  recanted the statement    
which he could not substantiate4#bi ,in 
view of  his unique candour1 it was     
suggested after his death that a statue 
should be erected to his memory4        
,very different from the course taken by
 ,mr4 ,crackanthorpe was the  action of 
,sir ,alexander ,wood ,renton1 of the   
,supreme ,court of ,ceylon1  who1 in an 
article on 8,corporal ,punishment10     
introduced into the  ,encyclopdia       
,britannica of #aiaj that very          
garrotting legend from which  it had    
previously been kept free1 and made the 
further mistake of giving  the date of  
the ,flogging ,act of #ahfc as #ahfa1   
thus lending to his  blunder a          
misleading appearance of plausibility4  
,when called to account1  he was content
 to maintain a masterly silence--more   
eloquent than  words--and to allow his  
misstatement1 unacknowledged and        
uncorrected1 to  continue to keep alive 
a prevalent superstition4 ,can it be    

wondered that  such fallacies persist1  
when a ,chief ,justice will thus lie low
 rather  than admit himself at fault8   
,it is an amusing fact1 and far too     
little known1 that the text which has   
long lent a sanctity to the use of      
corporal punishment1 is not taken1 as   
supposed1 from the ,proverbs of         
,solomon1 but from a passage1 and a     
rather unseemly one1 in ,butler's       
,hudibras 7#affc73cj this1 however1  is 
as it should be1 for it is fitting that 
an indecent practice should  claim      
authority from an indecent source4 ,thus
 encouraged1 and with this  divine      
precept in their thoughts1 parents and  
schoolmasters1 and  magistrates1 and    
judges1 and all governors and rulers1   
have felt that in  wielding the rod they
 were discharging a religious           
obligation1 and not1  as might otherwise
 have been suspected1 gratifying some   
very primitive  instincts of their own4 
,for 8the ,wisdom of ,solomon0 has been 
quoted as  our guide1 in the correction 

of the old as well as of the young2     
indeed1  as a writer in the ,people     
sagely remarked1 8the older the         
evildoer1  the more his need of the     
birch40 ,on this principle1 aged        
vagrants have  on various occasions been
 sentenced to be corrected with the rod2
 but  it is to the young that the       
blessings of the birch more properly    
belong4        ,our ,british boys1 from 
shore to shore1        ,two priceless   
boons may find3      ,the ,flag that's  
ever waved before1        ,the ,birch   
that's waved behind4    ,in its campaign
 against flogging in the ,royal ,navy1  
the ,humanitarian  ,league gained not   
only a considerable success1 but an     
amount of  entertainment which of itself
 would have more than repaid the labour 
expended on the work4 ,to begin with1   
there was the technical quibble1  very  
characteristic of officialdom1 that     
though the backs of boys1 or  rather of 
young men1 might be cut into ribbons    
with the birch1 there was  no 8flogging0

 in the ,navy1 for 8flogging0 meant the 
infliction not of  the birch but of the 
8cat40 ,with ,mr4 ,swift ,mac,neill     
conducting the  attack in the ,house of 
,commons1 it may be imagined that such  
prevarications--and there were many     
similar instances--fared but badly2  and
 it was no surprise when 8these         
degrading practices10 as ,sir ,henry    
,campbell-,bannerman described them1    
were brought to an end in #aijf1  though
 the use of the cane1 to the discredit  
of the ,admiralty1 is still  permitted  
and defended4    ,in this long          
controversy the ,league was brought into
 conflict with all  sorts of opponents1 
among them several ,admirals1 of whom   
the 8breeziest0  were the ,hon4 ,v4 ,a4 
,montagu and ,sir ,william ,kennedy4    
,with the latter  especially we had     
great fun1 as we found in him an        
antagonist of the  utmost heartiness and
 good humour4 8,of what use is it10 he  
wrote to me1  8sending me all this      
rubbish1 except to fill the waste-paper 

basket8 ,i  don't care a damn for       
,admiral----'s opinion40 ,on another    
occasion he  sent me a formal challenge 
to meet him 8at any time and place1 when
  pistols and coffee will be provided40 
,at a later date we had his  support1   
equally emphatic1 in our protest against
 the practice of  feeding snakes on live
 prey at the 8,zoo40    ,other friends1 
too1 helped to lend gaiety to a rather  
dismal subject4  ,among those who       
actively co-operated with the ,league   
was a commercial  traveller1 who was    
deeply versed in the various laws       
relating to  corporal punishment1 and   
who1 as he once confided to me1 had been
 in the  habit of working locally as a  
sort of freelance and ,bashi-,bazouk4   
,he had  made a practice1 for example1  
of writing 8,how about the ,birch80 on  
the  ,admiralty's printed notices in    
which boys were invited to reap the     
benefits of joining the ,navy2 and this 
had touched so sore a point that  the   
advertisements in question had at length

 been put within glass  frames4 ,another
 of his little jokes was to write to    
private  schoolmasters1 saying that he  
had a son whom he was about to send to  
school 7which was true71 and asking     
whether they could guarantee that  there
 would be no corporal punishment4       
,several masters responded  favourably1 
but as the boy could not be sent to more
 than one place of  education1 these    
worthy folk were deprived of their quid 
pro quo2 in  the end1 however1 a nemesis
 fell upon their betrayer1 for once1    
when he  had just returned home after a 
long journey1 tired1 and wanting above  
everything his tea1 who should be       
announced but one of those very         
pedagogues with whom he had been in     
communication4 ,he too had travelled    
some distance1 rather than miss the     
chance of a pupil1 and1 having  8ideas0 
on the subject of corporal punishment1  
had come1 as he said1 for  8a good      
talk40 8,i could have eaten him10 was   
our friend's remark4    ,in the         

'nineties of last century1 the state of 
the ,criminal ,law1 as ,mr4  ,justice   
,mathew pointed out1 was a hundred years
 behind the times1 and a  special       
department of the ,humanitarian ,league 
was established in order  to advocate   
certain much-needed reforms4 ,it was    
felt that in view of the  severity of   
the penal laws1 the inequality of       
sentences1 and the hard  and            
indiscriminating character of prison    
discipline1 an organized  attempt ought 
to be made to humanize both the spirit  
of the law and the  conditions of prison
 life1 and to show that the true purpose
 of  imprisonment was the reformation1  
not the mere punishment1 of the         
offender4 ,in this campaign the ,league 
was able to avail itself of a mass  of  
expert information4 ,it published1 in   
#ahic1 a very effective pamphlet1  8,i  
was in ,prison10 written by ,mr4 ,robert
 ,johnson1 director of the  ,colonial   
,college at ,hollesley ,bay2 and this   
was followed1 a year later1  by 8,a     

,plea for ,mercy to ,offenders10 an     
address given before the ,league  by    
,mr4 ,c4 ,h4 ,hopwood1 the ,recorder of 
,liverpool1 who1 with his friend  ,mr4  
,johnson1 did great service in showing  
the futility of long sentences  of      
imprisonment4 ,i had several talks about
 that time with ,mr4 ,johnson  and ,mr4 
,hopwood2 and they would have thrown in 
their lot altogether with  the          
,humanitarian ,league but for their fear
 that the inclusion within its          
programme of many other questions1 such 
as sport and vivisection1 would         
alienate sympathy in some quarters from 
their special subject of prison  reform3
 it was for this reason that ,mr4       
,hopwood afterwards founded the         
,romilly ,society4    ,two other names  
stood out conspicuously in the same     
sphere of work--that  of ,dr4 ,w4       
,douglas ,morrison1 the well-known      
criminologist1 now ,rector of           
,marylebone1 under whose guidance the   
,league took a prominent part in the    

agitation which led to the ,prisons ,act
 of #ahih1 and that of 8,lex10 one  of  
the keenest intellects of his time1     
whose pen was placed unreservedly  at   
the ,league's disposal4 ,mr4 ,w4 ,h4 ,s4
 ,monck--for it was he who adopted  that
 nom de plume--was ,chief ,registrar in 
,bankruptcy in the ,king's  ,bench      
,division1 ,dublin1 a post which he     
filled with distinction1 while  his     
extraordinarily active and versatile    
mind found interest in many  other      
studies3 he was a mathematician1 an     
astronomer1 a writer on logic1          
political economy1 and moral philosophy1
 and withal a chess-player of  note1    
among which pursuits he never failed to 
find time to help the  humanitarian     
cause4 ,his official position made it   
desirable that his  name should not     
appear2 but many were the press letters 
that he wrote1  and many the            
resolutions1 memorials1 and letters to  
governmental  departments that he       
drafted on the ,league's behalf4 ,to    

8ask #8,lex' to  draft it0 was often the
 course taken by the ,committee when    
dealing with  some technical matter that
 needed exceptional care4 ,the two      
subjects in  which ,mr4 ,monck was      
specially concerned1 besides that of    
flogging1 were  the establishment of a  
,court of ,criminal ,appeal and a       
revision of the  law relating to        
,imprisonment for ,debt2 and it was     
largely his  unacknowledged labours that
 brought about the one reform and       
prepared  the way for the other4 ,in his
 press letters on corporal punishment he
  would sometimes adopt the ironic      
manner2 that is1 he would write as one  
who in part believed in the value of    
flogging1 yet in such a way as to       
suggest rather the flaws and failures of
 the practice1 and so to impair  any    
faith in it which might linger in the   
minds of his readers4    ,among other   
friends to whom this department of the  
,league was much  indebted were ,mr4    
,george ,ives1 author of ,a ,history of 

,penal ,methods2  ,mrs4 ,h4 ,bradlaugh  
,bonner2 ,mr4 ,carl ,heath2 ,mr4 ,h4 ,b4
 ,montgomery2 ,mrs4 ,l4  ,t4 ,mallet2   
,dr4 ,t4 ,baty1 the distinguished       
authority on ,international  ,law2 and  
,mr4 ,joseph ,collinson1 who for some   
years acted as its honorary  secretary4 
,mr4 ,collinson was a young             
north-countryman1 self-taught1 and  full
 of native readiness and ingenuity1 who 
at an early age had  developed a passion
 for humanitarian journalism1 and whose 
press letters  became as well known as  
those of ,mr4 ,algernon ,ashton1 while  
he had a  marked advantage over that    
gentleman in having an ethical purpose  
and  something definite to write about4 
,any one who should glance over the     
files of the chief ,london and          
provincial journals1 between the years  
#ahie and #aiaj1 could not fail to see a
 number of letters signed 8,joseph      
,collinson10 or to admire the           
pertinacity with which the humanitarian 
view of a host of controversial         

subjects1 in particular those relating  
to criminal law and prisons1 was brought
 to the notice of the public4           
,especially in regard to the flogging   
question ,mr4 ,collinson's services     
were of great value4    ,thus supported1
 the ,humanitarian ,league had no cause 
to fear any  reasoned opposition3 our   
difficulty1 rather1 was to meet with    
any2 for  our antagonists were mostly   
anonymous and often abusive             
correspondents  of newspapers1 and the  
real obstacle with which we had to cope 
was the  crass weight of prejudice and  
the immense stability of old            
institutions4  ,two of our adversaries1 
however1 must not go without mention4   
,one was  ,mr4 ,william ,tallack1 then  
,secretary of the ,howard ,association1 
whose  hostility was dangerous because  
it lurked under the guise of            
philanthropy4 ,he was an old gentleman  
of benevolent demeanour1 whose  method  
it was to sit astutely 8on the fence10  
making oracular  utterances1 now on that

 side1 now on this1 so that1 like the   
writer of  an astrological almanack1 he 
might be able in any event to run in and
  cry3 8,i told you so40 ,in his        
,penological ,principles1 a work much   
advertised in those days1 there was     
plenty of penology1 but very little     
principle1 much more of the ,tallack    
than of the ,howard3 it was1 in fact1  a
 farrago of platitudes and pieties1     
which said many things without          
ultimately meaning anything at all4     
,yet1 in spite of his much verbiage  and
 many estimable sentiments1 ,mr4        
,tallack was a reactionist2 he  belonged
 to an antiquated school of thought1    
quite out of sympathy with  the new     
style of prison reform2 and as he lost  
no opportunity of  disparaging the work 
of the ,league1 we showed him somewhat  
emphatically  that that was a game at   
which two parties could play4 ,this he  
did not  relish1 especially as we were  
strongly backed up by ,mr4 ,passmore    
,edwards  in his paper1 the ,echo4 ,a   

conference was accordingly proposed by  
,mr4  ,tallack1 where it was agreed that
 in future there should be a friendly   
arrangement of 8hands off0 on either    
side4 ,i remember how1 at that  meeting1
 he told me in his paternal manner1 as  
an instance of the  advantages of not   
advocating 8extreme0 measures of reform1
 that he  enjoyed the privilege of being
 able1 now and then1 to have a personal 
talk with the ,home ,secretary4 8,what  
would humanitarians think of that80     
,the old gentleman was evidently unaware
 that if he was a persona grata  at the 
,home ,office1 it was precisely because 
he was known to be a 8tame0  reformer1 a
 parasite of the old system1 not a      
champion of the new1 and  therefore     
useful to those who wished to let       
matters go on as before4    ,in a       
prison-play 8,the ,home ,secretary's    
,holiday10 which was acted before  the  
,humanitarian ,league at one of its     
social gatherings1 ,mr4 ,tallack was    
glanced at in the character of ,mr4     

,prim1 a ,visiting ,justice1 who dwells 
on the value of 8segregation10          
8introspection10 8self-questioning10 and
  8remorse10 as heaven-sent means by    
which the convicted sinner may be       
awakened to a sense of his guilt4       
,our other critic1 of whom ,i must say a
 brief word1 was ,sir ,robert           
,anderson1 then an ex-,assistant        
,commissioner of ,police2 who1 being of 
a  choleric and over-bearing nature1 was
 consumed with wrathful indignation  at 
the activities of the ,humanitarian     
,league4 ,in his book on ,criminals  and
 ,crime1 vengeful tirades against the   
professional criminal were  accompanied 
with scarcely less violent abuse of     
8professional  humanitarians0--a strange
 term this1 to be applied to honorary   
workers  in an unpopular cause1 and by  
one who had himself been for many years 
a  salaried official at ,scotland ,yard6
 ,in the same work we figured  variously
 as 8humanity-mongers10 8agitators10    
8fools10 8hysterical  faddists10        

8doctrinaire philanthropists10 8spurious
 philosophers10  8maudlin               
sentimentalists10 and so on4 ,authors   
sometimes describe their  books as 8a   
labour of love40 ,sir ,robert's was     
certainly a labour of  hate1 and among  
the punishments which he indicated as   
suitable for an  impenitent thief were  
the gallows1 crucifixion1 thumb-screws1 
and the  rack2 he added that it was     
consideration for the community1 not for
 the  thief1 that prevented the use of  
them4 ,it is not pleasant to have to    
speak of such a man2 one would rather   
forget him4 ,but in estimating the      
savagery of the age1 the fact that his  
most vindictive proposals met  with a   
good deal of public support is one which
 cannot be left out of  account4    ,a  
thorough-going condemnation of flogging 
is without doubt a very  unpopular      
policy2 the ,humanitarian ,league lost  
many members and much  pecuniary support
 by its steadfastness on this point1    
especially1  strange to say1 among      

zoophilists and anti-vivisectionists1   
many of whom  were firm believers in the
 propriety of vivisecting the backs of  
criminals1 and would have gone any      
distance1 as ,i have heard said1 8to    
see a vivisector flogged40 ,not the     
least valuable part of the ,league's    
duties was to put a check on foolish    
talk of that sort2 and in this we  had  
the satisfaction of being warmly        
supported by so distinguished an        
opponent of vivisection as ,professor   
,lawson ,tait4 ,it came about in a      
rather strange way4    ,the ,league held
 a meeting in ,birmingham2 and a local  
member1 who had the  arrangements in    
hand1 got ,mr4 ,tait to preside1 but by 
some oversight did  not sufficiently    
apprise him beforehand of our aims and  
objects4 ,when he  entered the room--a  
formidable-looking figure1 with slow    
gait1 massive  build1 and heavy         
brows--he was seen to be in a towering  
rage4 ,the storm  broke at once4        
,instead of the usual complimentary     

remarks from the  chair1 he told us in  
wrathful tones that he knew nothing of  
the  ,humanitarian ,league1 and that it 
was most improper that he should have   
been left thus uninformed4 ,this was    
true1 and we wished the earth would     
swallow us up2 but there was nothing for
 it but to go on with the  business of  
the meeting1 and while the speeches were
 being made ,mr4  ,tait sat and studied 
the ,league's printed manifesto4 ,as he 
read it1 the  gloom gradually left him2 
he began to mutter approval of point    
after  point1 then to chuckle with      
satisfaction1 and presently he turned to
 me  7,i happened to be sitting next to 
him7 and told me that he was in         
complete agreement with our programme4  
,a great good humour now took the  place
 of his former resentment1 and presently
 he spoke at some length1  and himself  
moved a resolution that the objects of  
the ,league were  8worthy the support of
 all good citizens40 ,he declared that  
he felt  almost as strongly on the      

question of prison punishments as on    
that of  vivisection1 and severely      
censured the clamour for the lash that  
had  been raised by some                
woman-suffragists of ,edinburgh4 ,it was
 then that he  used the words prefixed  
to this chapter3 8,why not bring back at
 once the  boot1 the stake1 and the     
thumbscrew80    ,that there are numbers 
of persons who would be quite willing to
 bring  back1 if it were possible1 the  
medieval forms of torture cannot for a  
moment be doubted by any one who1 like  
myself1 has had the experience of       
working for over twenty-five years for  
the discontinuance of flogging4  ,there 
are1 of course1 many reasonable         
advocates of corporal punishment  in one
 or another of its forms2 but there are 
many more to whom the cry  for flogging1
 and for more and yet more flogging1 has
 become a veritable  craze1 as was seen 
when1 in the agitation for the lashing  
of 8white  slavers0 in #aiab1 a frenzied
 shriek of passion went up from a large 

section of the people4 8,we know10 said 
a ,member of ,parliament at the  time1  
8the extraordinary hysterical emotion   
which this ,bill has aroused  throughout
 ,england4 ,we get letters from all     
sorts of people1 chiefly  women1 #8flog 
them1' #8crucify them1' and anything    
else you like4 ,it is a  cry we have had
 all down the ages40#ca ,that there has 
been such a cry  all down the ages is   
likely enough2 but the age which        
tolerates it can  hardly claim to be a  
civilized one4    ,in ,the ,flogging    
,craze1 a ,statement of the ,case       
against ,corporal  ,punishment1#cb a    
book published for the ,humanitarian    
,league in #aiaf1  with a preface by my 
friend ,sir ,george ,greenwood1 ,i      
availed myself of  the large amount of  
material amassed by the ,league during  
its long  campaign against flogging1 in 
the hope that such a work--the first of 
its kind1 if pamphlets be               
excepted--might prove useful to many    
social  reformers1 who1 though          

instinctively opposed to the use of the 
lash1 are  often silenced by confident  
assertions of its efficacy1 and are     
unaware  that in this1 as in similar    
discussions1 humanity and reason go hand
 in  hand4    ,let me now turn to       
another and still more gruesome form of 
torture4 ,it  is fitting1 perhaps1 that 
the twin tyrannies of ,flogging and     
,vivisection  should be linked together 
as ,lawson ,tait saw them1 for they are 
indeed  kindred expressions of one      
barbarous spirit4 ,i use1 for the sake  
of  brevity and convenience1 the        
customary term 8vivisection10 though    
there  is force in the objection raised 
against it by certain humanitarian      
writers1 that the ,latin word somewhat  
conceals the vileness of the  practice1 
and though the phrase suggested by ,mr4 
,howard ,williams1  8experimental       
torture10 is more strictly appropriate  
to the nameless  thing for which a name 
has to be found4 ,here1 at any rate1 in 
the  twentieth century of our barbarism1

 is torture in its most naked  form--the
 rack1 not indeed 8without any of its   
intellectual reasons10 as  was said of  
the lash1 but torture as surely as the  
boot and the  thumbscrew were torture4  
,as for the intellectual reasons alleged
 in  excuse of the practice1 it was     
pointed out in ,animals' ,rights that   
before holding vivisection justified on 
the strength of its utility1 a  wise man
 will take into consideration the other1
 the moral side of  the question1 8the  
hideous injustice of torturing a        
sentient animal1  and the wrong thereby 
done to the humane sense of the         
community40 ,this  contention was quoted
 and corroborated in an unexpected      
quarter1 viz4 in  a book published in   
#aija by a ,russian doctor1 ,v4         
,veresaeff1#cc who1  though himself     
justifying vivisection1 did not conceal 
his misgivings as  to the ethical aspect
 of the practice4 8,the question10 he   
said1 in  reference to the passage in   
,animals' ,rights1 8is plainly put1 and 

there can be no room for any            
equivocation4 ,i repeat that we ought   
not to  ridicule the pretensions of the 
anti-vivisectionists--the sufferings of 
animals are truly horrible2 and sympathy
 with them is not  sentimentality40 ,in 
view of that admission1 ,i will waste no
 words in  discussing the pretence that 
ansthetics have relieved the vivisected 
animals of their 8truly horrible0       
sufferings4 ,it is not so1 even in this 
country1 where the legal restrictions   
are a farce2 and if it were so  here1   
the rest of the world would be open to  
experimentation unlicensed  and         
unlimited4    ,the special application  
of the word 8vivisection0 to            
physiological  experiments has led to a 
belief1 in many minds1 that the         
vivisecting  scientist is the sole      
torturer of animals4 ,this is unjust    
both to the  laboratory and to its      
victims4 ,the crusade against           
vivisection would be  much strengthened 
if those who take part in it would      

remember that the  cruelties of science 
are only part of the great sum of       
cruelty that in  various forms disgraces
 the dealings of mankind with the lower 
animals4  ,granted that the worst       
barbarities of the vivisector exceed    
those of the  sportsman or the          
slaughterman1 both in duration and      
intensity1 it is  still a fact1 as      
scientists have often pointed out1 that 
there are other  tortures than those of 
the laboratory1 and that to some of     
these the  name 8vivisection0 might as  
accurately be applied4 ,for example1    
clumsy  castration of domestic animals1 
as the law is beginning to recognize1   
is nothing less than 8farmyard          
vivisection02 the 8docking0 of horses'  
tails is vivisection in a very revolting
 form2 in the seal-fishery the  wretched
 victims of 8fashion0 have often been   
skinned alive2 nor can it  be pretended 
that the torture of the egrets1 flung   
aside to die when  their nuptial plumes 
have been torn off1 demands a milder    

name than  vivisection2 yet some        
zoophilists1 who look upon a vivisecting
  physiologist as a fiend1 do not       
hesitate to wear an aigrette or a       
sealskin cloak1 or to be the owners of  
docked horses or cropped dogs4 ,it  is  
impossible to draw a strict line of     
division between those  barbarities     
which amount to torture and those which 
fall short of it1  and it is convenient 
that the cruelties of sport and fashion 
should be  dealt with under a separate  
head2 nevertheless there is one other   
practice on which a few words must be   
spoken before this chapter is  closed4  
,under the antiquated methods of        
transport and butchery still permitted  
in ,england1 it is impossible to doubt  
that something not far removed  from    
torture is often practised in the cattle
 trade2 for which reason1  while aware  
that in vegetarianism lies the only full
 solution of the  diet-question1        
humanitarians have long pressed for an  
amelioration of  the worst features of  

cattle-ship and shambles1 and1 as a     
minimum1 for  the establishment of      
public abattoirs in place of private    
slaughterhouses4 ,even in this respect1 
owing to the supineness of the  ,county 
,council1 ,london has been left at the  
mercy of 8the trade10 though  in some   
other districts there has been a        
gratifying improvement4 ,the            
,humanitarian ,league1 enjoying the     
advantage of being advised by such      
experts as ,sir ,benjamin ,richardson1  
,mr4 ,h4 ,f4 ,lester 7whose ,behind the 
,scenes in ,slaughterhouses we published
 in #ahib71 ,mr4 ,charles ,w4  ,forward1
 ,mr4 ,c4 ,cash1 and ,mr4 ,r4 ,s4       
,ayling1 lost no opportunity of  making 
known the need of this long postponed   
reform2 but the subject  being so       
repulsive it was always difficult to    
enlist the sympathies of  the public1   
that is1 of the very persons whose      
conscience ought to have  been touched2 
or1 if any interest was awakened1 it    
might be among  those who were          

traditionally or professionally opposed 
to the changes  desired4    ,this danger
 was once curiously illustrated at a    
meeting held by the  ,league in the     
rooms of the ,royal ,society for the    
,prevention of ,cruelty  to ,animals1   
when ,mr4 ,john ,colam1 the ,secretary  
of that ,society1 took the  chair1 and  
,mr4 ,c4 ,w4 ,forward gave an address on
 the ,jewish method of  slaughtering4 ,a
 mere handful of our friends attended1  
but the hall was  packed from end to end
 with ,jewish visitors1 who had seen the
  announcement of the meeting in the    
papers1 and rallied to the defence of   
their ritual4 ,we had intended to move a
 resolution1 strongly condemning  the   
,jewish system1 but we decided1 after a 
hurried consultation with ,mr4  ,colam1 
that an academic discussion would better
 suit the circumstances2  and           
fortunately it did not occur to our     
,hebrew friends to propose and  pass a  
resolution of the contrary kind3 they   
talked long and volubly1  and we were   

glad they did nothing worse4 ,the       
meeting1 however1 was not  without      
result1 for it led1 a couple of months  
later1 to the reception  by the ,jewish 
,board of ,shecheta of a deputation from
 the ,humanitarian  ,league1 at which   
the ,chief ,rabbi1 ,dr4 ,adler1 was     
present1 and gave us a  very courteous  
reply4 ,the ,jewish system of 8casting10
 he said1 which had  especially been    
criticized as barbarous1 was a good deal
 misunderstood  owing to the word by    
which it was described3 in reality the  
animals were  not 8cast10 but 8let down 
gently with ropes40 ,mr4 ,forward1      
however1 who  had often witnessed the   
process1 remained unconvinced on this   
point3 it  seemed to him that it was the
 public that was being let down gently  
with  words4    ,the ,league had the    
satisfaction of seeing the ,jewish      
system strongly  condemned in the       
official report 7#aijd7 of the          
,committee appointed to  consider the   
,humane ,slaughtering of ,animals2 but  

nothing has yet been  done to carry the 
recommendations of that ,committee into 
effect1 the  supposed sanctity of a     
8religious0 usage having been allowed1  
as usual1  to outweigh the clearest     
dictates of humaneness4    ,there are   
not a few other current and             
strongly-rooted practices to which  the 
title of this chapter might justly be   
applied2 but enough has now  been said  
to show that the merry month of ,may1 in
 the year of grace  #afdj1 did not      
witness1 as has been supposed1 quite the
 last instance of  the infliction of    
,torture in this favoured land of the   
free4          ,,xi    ,,hunnish        
,,sports ,,and ,,fashions        ,half  
ignorant1 they turn'd an easy wheel1    
,that set sharp racks at work1 to pinch 
and peel4                ,,keats4       
,from the subject of torture we pass    
naturally to that of sport2 indeed1  it 
is difficult to separate them1 for they 
are psychologically and  actually akin4 
,there is undoubtedly an element of     

sport in the gloating  over savage      
punishments1 and some of the sufferings 
which sportsmen  inflict1 such as the   
hunting to death of a timid deer or     
hare1 cannot  fairly be distinguished   
from torture4 ,but when ,i speak of     
8sport0 in  this connection1 ,i mean of 
course blood-sport2 not the manly games 
of  playing-field or river1 but the     
quest for personal recreation at the    
expense of pain to others4 ,the term    
8blood-sports0 was first used1 as  far  
as ,i am aware1 by ,mr4 ,john           
,macdonald1 who1 under the name of      
8,meliorist10 was the author of some    
suggestive articles that appeared in    
the ,echo2 anyhow1 the ,humanitarian    
,league borrowed the word from him1  and
 finding that it 8went home10 made a    
point of using it on every  possible    
occasion4 ,it is the right and proper   
expression for the  practices which it  
connotes4    ,the ,league published in  
#aiad a volume of essays on ,killing for
 ,sport1  with ,preface by ,mr4 ,bernard

 ,shaw1 in which the various aspects of 
blood-sports were for the first time    
fully set forth and examined from  the  
standpoint of ethics and economics3 the 
book1 in fact1 formed a  summary of the 
,league's arraignment of certain bloody 
and barbarous  pastimes1 just as ,the   
,flogging ,craze was a record of its    
protests  against the continued use of  
the lash4 ,i will here mention only a   
few of  the more salient features of a  
long campaign4    ,for ten years1 from  
#ahia to #aija1 the ,league made the    
,royal ,buckhounds  serve as a          
8peg0--and a very useful peg it was--on 
which to hang an  exposure of the       
cruelty of stag-hunting4#cd ,the doings 
of the  ,buckhounds were watched from   
season to season2 detailed accounts of  
the  8runs0 were published1 in          
contradiction of the shuffling reports  
sent to  the papers by patrons of the   
,hunt1 and a number of horrible cases of
  mutilation were dragged into light4   
,questions were put in ,parliament2     

leaflets1 articles1 and press letters   
printed in hundreds1 and many  lectures 
given at various clubs and institutions4
    ,in this work we had the sympathy of
 many distinguished public men and  the 
support of a section of the press       
7notably of the ,star1 which was  then  
edited by ,mr4 ,ernest ,parke72 but     
every possible difficulty was put  in   
our way by officials1 whether of the    
,court1 the ,government1 or the  ,hunt1 
who in this case1 as in all1 desired    
nothing more than to save  themselves   
trouble by letting things go on as      
before4 ,red tape cared  little whether 
carted stags continued to be            
disembowelled on iron  palings and      
worried by hounds4 ,for example1 when1  
in #ahih1 we wished to  lay before      
,queen ,victoria the case against the   
,royal ,hunt1 in answer  to ,lord       
,ribblesdale's book1 ,the ,queen's      
,hounds1 her private secretary1  ,sir   
,a4 ,bigge1 refused to bring the        
,league's publications to her notice2   

the ,home ,secretary also declined to do
 so1 and so did the ,prime  ,minister1  
each and all of them cordially advising 
us to apply elsewhere4  ,thus thwarted1 
we hit on the expedient of petitioning  
the ,queen to  allow the counter-case to
 be sent to her1 and in this way the    
,home  ,office was finally forced to do 
what it had declared to be 8contrary to 
practice40 ,the ,queen1 as we had known 
since #ahia1 from a private letter      
addressed to ,mr4 ,stratton by ,sir     
,henry ,ponsonby1 had been 8strongly    
opposed to stag-hunting for many years  
past02 and when this fact was  published
 after her death it settled the fate of 
the ,buckhounds4    ,looking back twenty
 years and more1 it is comical to find  
the followers  of the ,royal ,hunt      
trying to exploit the visit of the      
,german ,emperor1 in  #ahii1 in order to
 bolster up the failing reputation of   
their sport4 ,they  were very anxious   
that a 8meet0 of the ,buckhounds should 
be one of the  entertainments provided  

for the ,kaiser1 and on ,november #bdth1
 in  expectation of his being present1  
an unusually large company assembled2   
but the ,humanitarian ,league had been  
beforehand in the matter1 a letter  of  
protest which it had addressed to the   
,prince of ,wales had the desired       
effect1 and the ,kaiser had an          
engagement elsewhere4 ,had he been      
present1  he would1 as it happened1 have
 seen a deer staked and done to death in
  the manner which was far from         
uncommon1 and he would have learnt 7if  
he  had any doubt on the subject7 that  
8,huns0 are not entirely confined to    
,germany4    ,this rascally 8sport10    
though no longer a ,state institution1  
is still  carried on by private packs in
 several parts of the country1 and      
nothing  but fresh legislation can      
prevent its continuance4 ,a 8,spurious  
,sports  ,bill0 drafted by the          
,humanitarian ,league1 with the purpose 
of  prohibiting the hunting of carted   
stags1 the coursing of bagged rabbits1  

and the shooting of birds released from 
traps1 has been introduced at  various  
times in the ,house of ,commons by ,mr4 
,a4 ,c4 ,morton1 ,mr4 ,h4 ,f4           
,luttrell1 ,sir ,william ,byles1 ,sir   
,george ,greenwood1 and other ,members1 
and in the ,house of ,lords by the      
,bishop of ,hereford 7,dr4 ,percival72  
but  its opponents have always succeeded
 in preventing its becoming law4 ,on    
one occasion 7#ahic7 it was 8talked out0
 by ,sir ,frederick ,banbury1 who  is   
renowned in the ,house as an            
anti-vivisectionist and friend of       
animals4 ,it is not only human beings   
who have to pray1 at times1 to be       
delivered from their friends4    ,the   
,eton ,beagles were another of the      
,league's most cherished 8pegs10 and    
displayed as useful an illustration of  
the hare-hunt as the ,royal  ,buckhounds
 of the deer-worry4 ,had humanitarians  
talked of the cruelty of  hare-hunting  
in general1 little attention would have 
been paid to them2  but with concrete   

instances drawn from the leading public 
school1 and  quoted in the words of the 
boys themselves as printed in the ,eton 
,college ,chronicle--a disgusting record
 of 8blooded0 hounds and of the  hare   
8broken up10 or crawling 8deadbeat10    
8absolutely stiff10 8so done  that she  
could not stand0--a great impression was
 made1 and the  memorials presented to  
the headmaster or the ,governing ,body1 
asking for  the substitution of a       
drag-hunt 7a form of sport which was    
formerly  popular at ,eton and led to   
very good runs71 received a large number
 of  very influential signatures1       
including that of the ,visitor of ,eton1
 the  late ,bishop of ,lincoln1 ,dr4 ,e4
 ,l4 ,hicks4 ,but public opinion counts 
for  very little at the school where    
ignorance is bliss2 a far more important
  consideration for ,governing ,bodies  
and headmasters is the opinion of ,old  
,etonians2 indeed1 it is doubtful       
whether a headmaster of ,eton could even
  retain his position if he were to     

decree the discontinuance of what ,dr4  
,warre described1 with all due          
solemnity1 as 8an old ,eton             
institution40  ,so obvious was this that
 we were inspired to borrow the title of
 ,gray's  famous poem in an enlarged    
form1 and to indite an 8,ode on the     
,exceedingly ,distant ,prospect of      
,humane ,reform at ,eton ,college40     
,dr4 ,e4 ,c4 ,selwyn1 headmaster of     
,uppingham1 wrote to me if he were made 
headmaster of ,eton1 he would abolish   
the ,beagles 8at the earliest           
opportunity40 ,unfortunately he was not 
the successful candidate for the  post  
when ,dr4 ,warre gave it up1 or we might
 have seen some rare sport at  ,eton1   
and a hue and cry more exciting than any
 hare-hunt4 ,dislike of  blood-sport as 
a school recreation is by no means      
confined to  humanitarians1 as may be   
seen from the following sentence which  
,i quote  from an interesting           
unpublished letter on the ethics of     
sport1 addressed  to ,mr4 ,stratton in  

#aije by ,mr4 ,f4 ,c4 ,selous1 the great
 lion-hunter3  8,after reading your     
pamphlet1 ,i certainly think it would be
 better to  substitute drag-hunting for 
the pursuit and killing of a hare4 ,to  
see  one of these animals worried and   
torn by a pack of dogs is not an        
edifying sight for a young boy40    ,all
 hunting1 whether of the hare1 fox1     
stag1 or otter1 has many horrible       
features3 perhaps the very nastiest is  
the custom of 8blooding10 i4e4          
baptizing with the blood of the mangled 
victim any children or young  folk who  
partake in the sport for the first time4
 ,the practice has been  described1 but 
too modestly1 it would seem1 as 8a      
hunting tradition  which goes back to   
the ,middle ,ages02 one would suppose it
 went back to  still more primitive     
times4 ,yet to this day this savage     
ritual is  patronized by our nobility   
and by royalty4 8,prince ,henry was     
blooded10  was the conclusion of a      
newspaper report of a 8kill0 with a pack

 of  fox-hounds1 ,january #i1 #aibj4    
,there is a double significance1 it     
seems1  in the expression 8a prince of  
the blood40    8,you can't eliminate    
cruelty from sport10 says a             
distinguished  sportsman1 the ,earl of  
,warwick1 in his ,memories of ,sixty    
,years4 ,in no  form of blood-sport do  
we more clearly see what a veritable    
mania this  amateur butchery may become 
than in one of ,lord ,warwick's hobbies1
 8big  game hunting10 the difficult and 
costly pursuit of wild animals in       
distant lands1 for no better reason than
 the craze for killing4  ,tiger-shooting
 is doubtless an exciting pastime1 and  
there are savage  beasts that at times  
have to be destroyed2 but what of that  
other tiger  that lurks in the heart of 
each of us8 and how is he going to be   
eliminated1 so long as a savage lust for
 killing is a recognized form of        
amusement8 ,for in spite of all the     
barriers and divisions that prejudice   
and superstition have heaped up between 

the human and the non-human1 we  may    
take it as certain that1 in the long    
run1 as we treat out  fellow-beings1    
8the animals10 so shall we treat our    
fellow-men4    ,every one knows how the 
possessors of such 8trophies0 as the    
heads and  horns of 8big game0 love to  
decorate their halls with these         
mementoes of  the chase4 ,i was once a  
visitor at a house which was not only   
adorned in  this way1 but contained also
 a human head that had been sent home by
 a  member of a certain ,african        
expedition and 8preserved0 by the skill 
of  the taxidermist4 ,when ,i was       
invited by the owner of the head--the   
second owner--to see that particular    
trophy1 it was with some  misgivings    
that ,i acquiesced2 but when1 after     
passing up a staircase  between walls   
plastered with portions of the carcases 
of elephant1  rhinoceros1 antelope1     
etc41 ,i came to a landing where1 under 
a glass  case1 was the head of a        
pleasant-looking young negro1 ,i felt no

 special  repugnance at the sight4 ,it  
was simply a part--and1 as it seemed1   
not a  peculiarly dreadful or loathsome 
part--of the surrounding dead-house2    
and ,i understood how mankind itself may
 be nothing more than 8big game0  to our
 soldier-sportsmen abroad4 ,the absolute
 distinction between human  and         
non-human is a fiction which will not   
bear the test either of  searching      
thought in the study or of rough        
experience in the wilds4    ,iniquitous 
as the ,game ,laws are1 ,i have often   
thought it strange that  ,kingsley1 even
 when regarding them1 quite justly1 from
 the poacher's  standpoint1 should have 
hurled at the game-preserver that       
eloquent  denunciation3        ,there's 
blood on the game you sell1 squire1     
,and there's blood on the game you eat4 
without in the least realizing the full 
truth of the statement4 ,for  there1    
literally1 is blood on the 8game0 which 
the squire 7or the  poacher7 disposes   
of1 viz4 the blood of the 8game0 itself2

 and that  ,kingsley should have        
forgotten this1 is a singular proof of  
the way in  which the lower animals are 
regarded as mere goods and chattels1 and
 not  as creatures of flesh and blood at
 all--except to cook and eat4 ,the very 
use of the word 8game10 in this sense1  
is most significant4    ,as mention has 
been made of the fall of the ,royal     
,buckhounds1 a few  words must be said  
of the man who chiefly brought it about4
 ,the ,rev4 ,j4  ,stratton was ,master  
of ,lucas's ,hospital1 ,wokingham1 a    
charitable  institution founded in      
#affc1 where a number of aged labourers 
live as  pensioners2 and as ,wokingham  
lay in the centre of the hunting        
district1  he was well placed for       
observing what went on1 and for         
obtaining exact  information3 he had1   
moreover1 a first-hand knowledge of     
8sport10 and  his detestation of it was 
based on his own earlier experiences1 as
 well  as on a keen sense of fair play4 
,of all the active workers with whom ,i 

have been privileged to be associated1  
,mr4 ,stratton was the finest2 ,i  have 
known nothing more courageous than the  
way in which1 almost  single-handed at  
first1 and with the whole hunting       
fraternity against  him1 he gradually   
8pulled down0 7to use a pleasant        
sporting term7 the  cruel and stupid    
institution which was carried on in the 
,sovereign's  name and at the expense of
 the public4    ,in character1 as in    
appearance1 ,mr4 ,stratton was a ,roman2
 his stern and  unswerving rectitude    
made him respected even by his most     
active  opponents4 ,his outspokenness1  
where matters of real import were at    
stake1 was quite undaunted1 and to an   
extent which sometimes caused           
consternation among the weaker brethren4
 ,i was once asked by a  sympathetic    
bishop whether it would be possible 8to 
keep ,mr4 ,stratton  quiet40 ,more than 
one dignitary of the ,church must have  
mused on that  problem2 for if ,mr4     
,stratton had a weakness1 it was for a  

bishop4 ,i do  not mean that he viewed  
bishops with undue reverence1 somewhat  
the  reverse1 for he loved to take a    
bishop to task2 and some of his letters 
to bishops1 in reference to their       
sanction of vivisection or              
blood-sports1 were of a nature to cause 
a mild surprise in episcopal  circles4  
,but if bishops did not always          
appreciate ,mr4 ,stratton1 other        
persons did4 ,so well did the birds in  
his garden at ,wokingham understand     
him1 that they would let him talk to    
them and stroke them as they sat on     
their nests4 ,could there be a more     
convincing proof of a man's goodness8   
,another active champion of the reform  
of blood-sports was ,colonel ,w4 ,l4    
,b4 ,coulson1 a well-known              
,northumberland country gentleman and   
,j4,p41 who  was one of the first men of
 influence to join the ,humanitarian    
,league4  ,he possessed a fine military 
presence1 and a voice which1 even at its
  whisper1 had a volume and resonance   

which could not fail to make it  heard  
to the uttermost corner of a room2 his  
appearance1 in brief1 had  so little of 
the pale cast of thought that on the    
occasion when he first  met us we were  
the victims of an odd misapprehension4  
,it had been  arranged that he would    
preside at a public meeting in ,london1 
the first  we held1 on the subject of   
deer-hunting2 and when the members of   
our  ,committee arrived1 some time      
before the discussion began1 we were    
troubled to find thus early upon the    
scene a very large and powerfully  built
 man1 whom1 as he did not introduce     
himself1 we imagined to be a  master of 
staghounds1 or at least an opponent of  
formidable calibre1  come to intimidate 
us at the start4 ,we were relieved when 
we discovered  him to be our missing    
chairman4    ,colonel ,coulson was very 
popular with his audiences1 for there   
was a  frankness about him which went   
straight to the heart1 and his speeches1
  though not cultured1 were full of     

raciness and humanity4 ,himself brought 
up as a sportsman1 he felt keenly about 
the sufferings of animals1 and  after   
his retirement from the army devoted    
much time to lecturing-tours1  in which 
he visited many parts of the country and
 especially addressed  himself to       
schools4 ,eton would not receive him1   
doubtless fearing some  reference to her
 hare-hunt2 but at several of the other 
big public  schools he was asked to     
speak more than once4 ,brave1 simple1   
and  courteous1 he was loved by all who 
knew him1 and by none more than by  his 
colleagues in the humanitarian cause4   
,nothing was more remarkable in the     
history of the ,humanitarian ,league    
than the diversity of character in the  
persons whom its principles  attracted4 
,lady ,florence ,dixie1 who joined the  
,league at its start in  #ahia1 had a   
strange and adventurous career1 and has 
been described1 not  inaptly1 as 8a sort
 of #8,admirable ,crichton' among women1
 a poet1 a  novelist1 an explorer1 a war

 correspondent1 a splendid horse-woman1 
a  convincing platform-speaker1 a       
swimmer of great endurance1 and as keen 
a  humanitarian as ever lived40 ,it was 
as humanitarian that ,i knew her2 and   
she was certainly one of the most       
faithful supporters of the ,league1     
ever ready to help with pen or purse1   
and prompt1 sincere1 and  unwavering in 
her friendship4 ,her poems1 of which she
 sent me more than  one volume1 had     
little worth2 but her essay on 8,the    
,horrors of ,sport0  was one of the most
 vivid and moving appeals that have been
 written on  the subject2 none of the   
,league's pamphlets had so wide a       
circulation1  for it has been read and  
quoted in every part of the             
,english-speaking  world4 ,she here     
wrote with full knowledge of the facts1 
and with a  sympathetic insight1 which1 
together with a swift and picturesque   
style1  made her1 at her best1 a        
powerful and fascinating writer4 ,of her
  personal eccentricities many reports  

were rife2 and ,i remembered that  when 
,i lived at ,eton she used to be seen in
 the garden of her villa1 on  the       
,windsor bank of the ,thames1 walking1  
like a modern ,circe1 with a  number of 
wild beasts in her train4 ,on one       
occasion a jaguar made his  escape from 
her control1 and there was a mild panic 
in ,windsor and ,eton  till he was      
recaptured3 it might have indeed been   
serious if the bold  youths who hunted  
the terror-stricken hare had started a  
quarry that  showed fight4    ,another  
unfailing friend of the ,league's       
,sports ,committee was the ,hon4        
,fitz,roy ,stewart4 ,when ,i first knew 
him he was ,secretary of the ,central   
,conservative ,office1 and we were      
rather surprised at finding an ally in  
that direction2 in fact1 we had some    
suspicions1 entirely unjust1 as the     
result proved1 that ,mr4 ,stewart might 
be desirous of learning our plan  of    
campaign against the ,royal ,buckhounds 
in the interest of his sporting         

friends4 ,the first time ,i visited him 
at the ,conservative headquarters ,i    
was introduced to ,sir ,howard ,vincent1
 ,m4,p41 who1 though a patron of the    
,royal ,society for the ,prevention of  
,cruelty to ,animals1 had not scrupled  
to throw in his lot with those who were 
fighting for the continuance of         
rabbit-coursing1 pigeon-shooting and    
stag-hunting4 ,he seemed to be a        
good-natured1 vacuous-minded person1 and
 one of his remarks1 ,i remember1  was  
that ,england is 8a paradise for        
animals40 ,this was hardly the  opinion 
of ,fitz,roy ,stewart1 who was          
indefatigable with his schemes for  the 
prohibition of the more cruel forms of  
sport4 ,he had great hopes of  young    
,mr4 ,winston ,churchill1 then beginning
 to be known as a rising star  of the   
,tory party1 and at his earnest request 
a letter was sent to ,mr4  ,churchill   
from the office of the ,league1         
reminding him of ,lord ,randolph        
,churchill's strong denunciation of     

stag-hunting1 and asking his aid        
against the ,buckhounds4 ,mr4           
,churchill1 however1 unmoved by this    
appeal  to his filial piety1 sagely     
opined that the crusade against the     
,royal  ,hunt was too democratic4       
,mr4 ,fitz,roy ,stewart worked closely  
with the ,humanitarian ,league till his 
death in #aiad2 and many were his press 
letters which he and ,i jointly         
composed at the office in ,chancery     
,lane4 ,he liked to come there armed    
with some sheets of his ,carlton ,club  
notepaper1 on which the letters1  when  
worded to his satisfaction1 were duly   
copied and signed--8,old  ,harrovian10  
or 8,a ,member of the ,carlton ,club10  
was his favourite  signature--and then  
he sent them off to some influential    
editors of his  acquaintance1 whose     
disgust would have been unmeasured had  
they known  what company their esteemed 
contributor had been keeping4 ,mr4      
,stewart1 ,i  must in fairness add1     
though a strong opponent of blood-sport1

 was a  firm believer in the beneficence
 of flogging2 but he was willing to sink
  this one point of difference in his   
general approval of the ,league's  work4
 ,so good-natured was he1 that when the 
subject of corporal  punishment was     
going to crop up at a ,committee        
meeting1 he used to ask  me to put it   
first on the agenda1 so that he might   
wait outside until  that burning        
question was disposed of3 then he would 
join us--coming in  to dessert1 as we   
expressed it--and take his share in the 
discussion4  ,oh1 if all colleagues were
 as reasonable6 ,as ,the ,times truly   
said of  him1 8his sweetness of temper  
and social tact made him the most       
companionable of human beings40    ,mr4 
,john ,colam1 for many years ,secretary 
of the ,royal ,society for the          
,prevention of ,cruelty to ,animals1 was
 a well-known figure in the  zoophilist 
movement at the time of which ,i am     
speaking1 and had a great  reputation   
for astuteness4 ,wily he certainly was1 

with the vast  experience he had        
acquired in evading the double pressure 
of those who  cried 8forward0 and of    
those who cried 8back02 and he was a    
veritable  ,proteus in the skill with   
which he gave the slip to any one who   
tried to  commit him to any course but  
the safest4 ,he used privately to allege
 the  backwardness of his ,committee as 
a cause for this seeming timidity2 thus 
he told me in #aija1 when the fate of   
the ,royal ,buckhounds was hanging in   
the balance1 that the ,r4,s4,p4,c4,a4   
was unable to take any public action1   
not from any remissness on his part1 but
 because certain members of the         
,committee were afraid of alienating    
subscribers1 including ,king ,edward    
himself4 ,personally ,i liked ,mr4      
,colam2 he was humane so far as his     
interests permitted1 and when one had   
realized1 once for all1 the  uselessness
 of attempting to bind him to any fixed 
purpose1 it was  instructive to have an 
occasional talk with him at ,jermyn     

,street1 and to  observe the great      
adroitness with which he conducted the  
affairs of the  ,society2 and he1 on his
 part1 when he saw that one had no      
longer any  ethical designs on him1 but 
approached him rather as a              
fellow-student1  albeit a mere amateur1 
in the art of dealing with unreasonable 
people1  would become chatty and        
confidential and tell amusing stories of
 a  ,secretary's adventures4 ,he would  
have made a successful ,prime ,minister1
  for his 8wizardry0 was of the highest 
order2 as a humanitarian he left        
something to be desired4    ,with the   
,sporting ,league1 which professed to   
discountenance  8malpractices0 in sport1
 yet opposed the ,bill which would have 
prohibited rabbit-coursing and kindred  
pastimes1 we were of course  involved in
 controversy4 ,we sought to bring this  
to a point by proposing  a public       
discussion of the question3 8,what are  
malpractices in ,sport80  ,but this     
challenge was declined1 the ,sportsman  

expressing the opinion  that 8such      
piffling folly is best treated with     
contempt10 and the  ,evening ,news that 
8cackling is the strong point of the    
faddists40 ,we  were more successful in 
bringing to book some champions of      
aristocratic  blood-sports1 among them  
,sir ,herbert ,maxwell and ,sir ,edward 
,grey1 who on  one or two occasions     
appeared on neutral platforms1 and      
seized the  opportunity to eulogize     
their own favourite recreations1 but    
showed  little relish for the discussion
 which they themselves had provoked4    
,mr4  ,f4 ,g4 ,aflalo was another of our
 many antagonists in the magazines and  
the press2 and ,i have a pleasant       
recollection of friendly encounters     
with him in the ,fortnightly ,review and
 elsewhere4 ,many other  apologists of  
blood-sports there were1 of a more      
sentimental and  unreasoning kind1 and  
with these1 too1 we much enjoyed the    
argument1  which was quite as good sport
 to us as their hunting or coursing was 

to  them4    ,before passing from       
,sports to ,fashions1 ,i will speak     
briefly of those  popular places of     
recreation1 known euphemistically as    
8,zoological  ,gardens10 which in a     
civilized age would surely be execrated 
as among  the saddest and dullest spots 
on the earth1 being1 in fact1 nothing   
cheerier than big convict-stations1 to  
which the ill-fated                     
life-prisoners--8stuff10 as the keepers 
call them--are conveyed from  many      
distant lands4 ,how any rational person 
can find pleasure in seeing1  for       
example1 8the lions fed0 7the modern    
version of ,christianos ad  leones7 is a
 mystery that baffles thought4 ,i have  
not been to the  ,london 8,zoo0 for a   
good many years2 but when ,i knew it1   
the  incongruities of the place were so 
ludicrous as almost to obscure one's    
sense of its barbarity3 the ,tiger's    
den1 for instance1 was labelled3        
8,beware of pickpockets10 and the       
,eagle's cage bore the inscription3 8,to

  the ,refreshment ,rooms02 and there1  
sure enough1 within sight of the        
captive ,bird of ,jove moping           
disconsolate on his perch1 was a waiter1
  serving out coffees or lemon-squashes1
 regardless of the great ,raptor by     
whom his predecessor1 ,ganymede1 had    
been carried off to be the god's        
cup-bearer4 ,could bathos have gone     
further8    ,a friend of mine who1 as an
 ,eton boy1 used to go to the 8,zoo0 in 
the  holidays and amuse himself by      
teasing the captives1 was converted to  
humanitarian principles in a rather     
curious way4 ,an elk1 or some large     
animal of the ruminant order1 whose     
wrath he had deservedly incurred1       
coughed on him with such vehemence that 
he retired from the elk-house  covered  
with a sort of moist bran1 and with his 
top-hat irrevocably  damaged4 ,though at
 the time this touched his hat rather   
than his heart1  he afterwards came to  
regard the incident as what is called a 
8means of  grace40 ,it caused him1 too1 

to 8ruminate10 and so brought home to   
him  the fact that an elk is 8a person40
    ,a pamphlet of mine1 issued by the  
,humanitarian ,league in #ahie1 entitled
  8,a ,zoophilist at the ,zoo10 was the 
beginning of an agitation which         
gradually led to a considerable         
improvement in the housing of the       
animals1 in which discussion the most   
noteworthy feature was a series of      
articles contributed to the ,saturday   
,review by ,mr4 ,edmund ,selous1 and    
afterwards reprinted by the ,league4    
,another subject1 debated with much     
liveliness1 was the practice of feeding 
pythons and other large serpents  on    
living prey--ducks1 fowls1 rabbits1 and 
even goats being given to the  reptiles1
 to be devoured in a manner which was   
sickening to witness and  almost too    
loathsome to describe4#ce ,these        
exhibitions were open till  #ahha2 then 
for publicity extreme secrecy was       
substituted1 and all  inquiries were met
 by the stereotyped statement that the  

use of live  prey was confined to cases 
8where such food was a necessity40      
,who feeds slim serpents must himself be
 slim4    ,the ,league found the        
reptile-feeders at ,regent's ,park      
exceedingly  slippery to deal with1 and 
it needed long time1 and much patience1 
to  bring them to book4 ,in this task1  
however1 ,i was encouraged by the       
recollection of a scene which ,i once   
witnessed in a crowded                  
railway-carriage1 when a large eel had  
made its escape from a basket  which one
 of my fellow-travellers was holding1   
and created a mild panic  among the     
company by its convolutions under the   
seat4 ,an old lady  sharply upbraided   
the owner of the eel1 and ,i was struck 
by the  reasonableness of his reply in  
rather difficult circumstances1 when the
  eel had repeatedly slipped from his   
grasp4 8,wait a little1 mum10 he  said1 
8until he gets a bit dusty02 and the    
result proved the man to be  right4 ,in 
like manner we waited till the excuses  

given by the ,zoological  ,society had  
become very dusty indeed4    ,some of   
the reasons offered for the old system  
of snake-feeding were  themselves truly 
reptilian4 8,we follow ,god's           
ordinances1 and they must  be right10   
was the reverent remark of a keeper2 and
 humanitarians were  told that 8to      
declare the use of live food to be cruel
 is to bring that  charge against the   
,designer of ,nature ,himself40 ,so deep
 and fervent was  the piety of the      
,reptile ,house6 ,nevertheless1 we      
continued to urge our  point1 and the   
subject was hotly debated at more than  
one of the  ,zoological ,society's      
annual meetings1 where1 as a result of  
the protests  raised by ,captain ,alfred
 ,carpenter1 ,r4,n41 ,mr4 ,stephen      
,coleridge1 ,mr4  ,rowland ,hunt1 and   
other ,f4,z4,s4's1 it was made evident  
that the majority  of the ,fellows1 who 
regarded the ,society as a sort of      
private club1 were  indignant at public 
opinion being brought to bear upon their

 concerns4  ,it was a situation not     
devoid of humour4 ,i happen to know that
 in the  course of an excited meeting   
held in ,november1 #aijg1 when the ,duke
 of  ,bedford1 as ,president of the     
,zoological ,society1 was in the chair1 
the  following telegram was despatched  
to his ,grace3         ,beg you to stand
 firm for live food and maintain the    
ordinances of       the ,creator4       
,from ,,anna ,,conda4        ,this      
artless prayer of an unknown lady was   
fully in accord with the  spirit of the 
meeting4 ,nevertheless1 things moved1   
even in ,regent's  ,park2 and1 when we  
had shown that the snakes in the ,new   
,york ,zoological  ,park were           
successfully fed on freshly-killed      
animals1 we had the  satisfaction of    
seeing the same less barbarous method   
adopted at the  ,london 8,zoo40    ,i   
once had the advantage of hearing some  
of the inner history of a large         
menagerie from the wife of one of the   
keepers1 a charwoman in the house  where

 ,i was staying1 who was of a somewhat  
loquacious and communicative            
disposition1 the staple of her talk     
being the adventures of her husband1    
,johnnie4 8,johnnie came home dead-tired
 last night1 sir10 she said on one      
occasion4 8,why was that1 ,mrs4 ,smith80
 ,i asked4 8,why1 sir1 he had had to    
beat the elephant2 and after that he was
 too stiff and tired to take his        
supper40 ,my natural inquiry whether the
 elephant had been able to take  his    
supper was set aside as frivolous4      
,knowing something of the profound piety
 of the keepers at the 7,london7  8,zoo0
 in relation to snake-feeding1 ,i was   
pained to learn from this good  woman   
that her husband1 who1 unfortunately1   
was not employed in a                   
reptile-department1 had 8lost his       
faith10 and for a reason which ,i think 
has not before been recorded among the  
many modern causes of unbelief4  8,you  
see1 sir1 ,johnny can never again hold  
with the ,church1 after the  way he's   

seen clergymen going on with girls in   
the elephant house40    ,when speaking  
of cruel pastimes1 ,i referred to the   
value of the term  8blood-sports0 in the
 many controversies which we waged4     
,just as the  fortunes of a book may be 
affected by its title1 so in ethical and
  political discussions there is often  
what may be called a winning word2  and 
where none such is found ready to hand1 
it is advisable to invent  one4 ,thus   
the ,league made good play with         
8flagellomania10 as used by ,mr4        
,bernard ,shaw in one of his lectures2  
and 8brutalitarian0 7an invention  of   
our own1 ,i think7 did us yeoman        
service1 as will be seen in a later     
chapter4 8,murderous ,millinery10       
another term which has gained a wide    
circulation1 was first used as a        
chapter-heading in my ,animals'         
,rights2 and though it rather shocked   
some zoophilists of the older  school1  
who presumably thought that only a human
 being can be  8murdered10 it served a  

useful purpose1 perhaps1 in drawing     
attention  to the revolting cruelty that
 underlies the plumage trade4 ,in its   
condemnation of these barbarities1 as in
 other matters1 the ,humanitarian       
,league was a pioneer2 its pamphlet on  
8,the ,extermination of ,birds10        
written by ,miss ,edith ,carrington1 and
 published nearly thirty years ago1     
played a marked part in the creation of 
a better public opinion2 and a  ,bill   
drafted by the ,league in #aija1 to     
prohibit the use of the plumage  of     
certain rare and beautiful birds1       
attracted very wide public  attention1  
and was the basis of subsequent attempts
 at legislation4 ,but  here it must be  
added that the man who has done more    
than all the  ,societies together to    
insure the passage of a ,plumage ,bill  
is ,mr4 ,james  ,buckland4 ,nothing in  
the humanitarian movement has been finer
 than the  way in which ,mr4 ,buckland  
forced this question to the front and   
made it  peculiarly his own4    ,every  

whit as savage as the feather-trade is  
the fur-trade1 responsible  as it is for
 some most horrible methods of          
torture--the steel-trap1  which inflicts
 shocking injuries on its victim2 the   
spring-pole1 which  jerks both trap and 
captive high in air1 there to hang till 
the trapper  next comes on his rounds2  
the terrible 8dead-fall0 used for bears 
and  other large animals2 the poisoning 
of wolves with strychnine2 and the      
abominations in the butchery of seals4  
,even the fashionable people who  wear  
furs 7in a climate where there is not   
the least need of such  clothing7 would 
hardly be able to continue the habit if 
they knew how  their 8comforts0 were    
provided2 as it is1 the ,feather-,headed
 ,woman is  not a commoner sight in our 
streets than the ,ass in the skin of the
  7,sea7 ,lion4 ,it would seem that     
fur-wearers are almost unconscious that 
their sables and sealskins are the      
relicts of previous possessors1 and1    
like the heroines of modern drama1 have 

very decidedly had 8a past02 or1  if    
they do not wholly forget this fact1    
they think it quite natural that  they  
should now have their turn with the     
skin1 as the animal had  before4 ,thus  
,pope1 in a well-known couplet3         
,know1 ,nature's children all divide her
 care2      ,the fur that warms a       
monarch warmed a bear4    ,one would    
have thought that the bear who grew the 
skin had somewhat more  right to it than
 the monarch6 ,politicians may talk of  
8one man1 one  vote02 but really1 if    
there is ever to be a civilized state1 a
 programme  of 8one man1 one skin0 seems
 fairer and more democratic4            
,,xii    ,a ,,faddist',s ,,diversions   
,no greyhound loves to cote a hare1 as  
,i to turn and course a                 
fool4--,,scott',s ,kenilworth4      ,i  
wonder how many times1 during the past  
thirty years1 we humanitarians  were    
told that we were 8faddists10 or        
8cranks10 or 8sentimentalists10  that   
our hearts were 8better than our heads10

 and that we were totally  lacking in a 
sense of humour4 ,i feel sure that if ,i
 had kept all the  letters and          
press-cuttings in which we found        
ourselves thus described1  they would   
amount not to hundreds but to thousands2
 for it seemed to be  a common belief   
among the genial folk whose unpleasant  
practices were  arraigned by us that the
 ,committee of the ,humanitarian ,league
 must be a  set of sour ,puritans1      
sitting in joyless conclave1 and making 
solemn  lamentation over the wickedness 
of the world4 ,our opponents little knew
  how much we were indebted to them for 
providing a light and comic side  in a  
controversy which might otherwise have  
been just a trifle dull4    ,it was said
 by ,gibbon1 that it was the privilege  
of the medieval church  8to defend      
nonsense by cruelties40 ,nowadays we see
 the patrons of sport1  vivisection1    
butchery1 and other time-honoured       
institutions1 adopting  the contrary    
process1 and defending cruelties by     

nonsense4 ,and by what  nonsense6 ,i do 
not know where else one can find such   
grotesque  absurdities1 such utter      
topsy-turvydom of argument1 as in the   
quibbling  modern brutality which gives 
sophisticated reasons for perpetuating  
savage customs4    ,of some of the      
fallacies of the cannibalistic          
conscience ,i have already  spoken3 a   
volume could easily be filled with not  
less diverting  utterances culled from  
kindred fields of thought4 ,the         
apologists of the  ,royal ,buckhounds1  
for instance1 were comedians of the     
first rank1 a  troupe of entertainers   
who long ago anticipated 8,the          
,follies40 ,did they  not themselves    
assure us that1 in hunting the carted   
stag1 they 8rode to  save the deer for  
another day08 ,such devotion needed     
another ,lovelace3        ,did'st       
wonder1 since my love was such1         
,i hunted thee so sore8      ,i could   
not love thee1 ,deer1 so much1          
,loved ,i not ,hunting more4    ,the    

stag1 so a noble lord pointed out at a  
meeting of the ,sporting  ,league1 was  
8a most pampered animal40 8,when he was 
going to be hunted1  he was carried to  
the meet in a comfortable cart4 ,when   
set down1 the  first thing he did was to
 crop the grass4 ,when the hounds got   
too near1  they were stopped4 ,by and by
 he lay down1 and was wheeled back to   
his  comfortable home4 ,it was a life   
many would like to live40 ,thus it was  
shown to be a deprivation1 to humans and
 non-humans alike1 not to be  hunted by 
a pack of staghounds over a country of  
barbed wire and broken  bottles4 ,life  
seemed poor and mean without it4        
,fox-hunting1 too1 has always been      
refreshingly rich in sophistries4 ,the  
farmer is adjured to be grateful to the 
,hunt1 because the fox is killed1  and  
the fox because his species 7not        
himself7 is 8preserved0#a thus the      
sportsman takes credit either way--on   
the one hand1 for the destruction  of a 
pest2 on the other1 for saving similar  

pests from extermination4 ,it  is a     
scene for a ,gilbertian opera or a 8,bab
 ,ballad02 it makes one feel  that this 
,british blood-sport must be deleterious
 not only to the  victims of the chase1 
but to the mental capacity of the       
gentlemen who  indulge in it4    ,the   
climax of absurdity was reached1        
perhaps1 in the dedication by the       
,archbishop of ,york 7,dr4 ,cosmo ,lang7
 of a stained window--a very  stained   
window1 as was remarked at the time--in 
the church of ,moor  ,monkton1 to the   
memory of the ,rev4 ,charles ,slingsby1 
an aged  blood-sportsman who broke his  
neck in the hunting-field4 ,that a      
minister  should have been 8launched    
into eternity10 as the phrase is1 while 
chasing a fox1 might have been expected 
to cause a sense of deep pain1  if not  
shame1 to his co-religionists3 what     
happened was that an  ,archbishop was   
found willing to eulogize1 in a         
consecrated place of  worship1 not only 
the old gentleman whose life was thus   

thrown away1 but  the sport of          
fox-hunting itself3 ,dr4 ,lang          
pronounced1 in fact1 what may  be called
 the ,foxology4 ,of the stained window1 
with its representation1  on one part1  
of ,st4 ,hubert and the stag1 and on the
 other of ,st4  ,francis--yes1 ,st4     
,francis--giving his blessing to the    
birds1 one can  only think with a smile4
 ,a few months later1 an ,izaak ,walton 
memorial  window was placed in          
,winchester ,cathedral in honour of 8the
 quaint old  cruel coxcomb0 whom ,byron 
satirized4 ,whether1 in this work of    
religious  art1 the pious angler is     
portrayed in the act of impaling the    
live frog  on the hook 8as if he loved  
him10 the newspapers did not state4     
,many instances might be quoted of the  
deep godliness1 at times even  religious
 rapture1 felt by the votaries of       
blood-sports2 perhaps one  from the     
,german ,crown ,prince's ,leaves from my
 ,hunting ,diary is most  impressive3   
8,to speak of religious feelings is a   

difficult matter4 ,i  only know one     
thing--,i have never felt so near my    
,god as when ,i1 with my  rifle on my   
knee1 sat in the golden loneliness of   
high mountains1 or in  the moving       
silence of the evening forest40 ,this   
sort of sentiment is by  no means       
exclusively of ,german make4 ,listen to 
the piety of a big  game-hunter1 ,mr4   
,h4 ,w4 ,seton-,karr3 8,why did         
,almighty ,god create lions to  prey on 
harmless animals8 ,and should we not1   
even at the expense of a  donkey as     
bait1 be justified in reducing their    
number80 ,here1 again1 is  what the     
,rev4 ,walter ,crick had to say in      
defence of the fur-trade3 8,if  it is   
wrong to carry a sealskin muff1 the     
camel's-hair raiment of ,st4  ,john     
,baptist1 to say nothing of the garments
 worn by our first parents  in the      
,garden of ,eden1 stands equally        
condemned40    ,strictly ecclesiastical 
was the tone of a pamphlet which hailed 
from ,new  ,york ,state1 entitled 8,the 

,dog ,question1 discussed in the        
,interest of  ,humanity10 and concluded 
in these terms3 8,now1 my boy or girl1  
whichever  you are1 drop this nonsense  
about dogs4 ,they are demanding valuable
 time  that should be employed in       
teaching such as you4 ,a dog cannot love
 you4  ,you cannot love a dog4 ,naught  
beside a divine soul can love or be     
loved4  ,chloroform your dog1 and take  
to reading your ,testament40    ,i once 
overheard a clergyman1 who had taken his
 seat at a tea-table in a  ,surrey      
garden1 sharply call to order some boys 
of his party who were  striking wildly  
at wasps and mashing them with any      
instrument that was  handy4 ,i listened1
 thinking that at last ,i was going to  
hear some wise  words on that silly and 
disgusting practice in which many       
excitable  persons indulge2 but it      
turned out that the cause of the        
reverend  gentleman's displeasure was   
merely that he had not yet 8said grace03
  that done1 the wasp-mashing was       

resumed without interruption4    ,space 
would fail me1 were ,i to attempt to    
cite one-hundredth part of the  amazing 
,book of ,fallacies written in defence  
of ,brutality4 8,methinks10  said ,sir  
,herbert ,maxwell1 8were it possible to 
apply the referendum to  our flocks and 
herds1 the reply would come in a fashion
 on which  vegetarians scarcely         
calculate40 ,there would be a universal 
roar of  remonstrance1 it seems1 from   
oxen1 sheep1 and swine1 at the proposal 
to  sever their grateful association    
with the drover and the slaughterman4   
,even more delightful was ,mr4 ,w4 ,t4  
,stead1 when he received from the       
spirit world a message to the effect    
that vegetarianism was good for  some   
persons but not good for him4 ,that     
message1 ,i think1 smacked less  of the 
starry spheres than of the ,review of   
,reviews office3 if it was  not pure    
spirit1 it was pure ,stead4    ,the     
8mystics0 were often a great joy to us2 
for example1 ,mr4 ,j4 ,w4  ,lloyd1      

author of an occult work called         
,dawn-,thought1 expressed himself  as   
follows3 8,when ,i go afield with my    
gun1 and kill my little brother1  the   
,rabbit1 ,i do not therefore cease to   
love him1 or deny my  relationship1 or  
do him any real wrong4 ,i simply set him
 free to come  one step nearer to me40  
,here was ,brer ,fox again1 only        
funnier4 ,we  suggested to ,mr4 ,lloyd  
that 8,brawn-,thought0 might be a more  
appropriate  title for his book4        
,thus1 like pedagogues1 we faddists1    
too1 had our diversions2 cheered as  we 
were in the weary work of propaganda by 
such mental harlequinades as  those of  
which ,i have quoted a few specimens    
almost at random4    ,perhaps the most  
laughable thing about the poor spavined 
,fallacies was  the entire confidence   
with which they were trotted out4 ,they 
were very  old and very silly2 they had 
again and again been refuted2 yet they  
were  always advanced in a manner which 
seemed to say3 8,surely this is an      

argument you have never heard before8   
,surely you will give up your           
humanitarian sentiment now80 ,as the    
frequent oral exposure of such          
inveterate sophisms was a tedious task1 
we found it convenient to print  them1  
tabulated and numbered1 each with its   
proper refutation1 under  some such     
title as 8,familiar ,fallacies10 or1    
borrowing from ,sydney  ,smith1 8,the   
,noodle's ,oration02 and then1 when some
 opponent came along  exultingly with   
one or other of them1 all we had to do  
was to send him  the list1 with a mark  
against his own delusion4 ,trust one who
 has tried  the plan3 it is more        
effective than any amount of personal   
talk4 ,the man  who will bore you to    
death with his pertinacious twaddle1 in 
the belief  that he is saying something 
new1 will soon tire of it when he finds 
the  whole story already in print1 with 
a 8,see number--0 written large in  blue
 pencil against his most original       
argument4    ,but the ,league did not   

stop at that point3 we felt ourselves   
competent1  after years of experience1  
to carry the war into the enemies'      
camp--to  hoist them with their own     
petard by means of the reductio ad      
absurdum1  a pretended defence of the   
very practices which we were attacking4 
,the  publication of the first and only 
number of ,the ,brutalitarian1 a        
,journal for the ,sane and ,strong1 went
 far towards achieving our aims4  ,the  
printers were inundated with requests   
for copies1 and the editor 7as  ,i      
happen to know7 received many letters of
 warm congratulation on his  efforts 8to
 combat the sickly sentiments of modern 
times40 ,the press1 as  a whole1        
regarded the new paper with amusement   
tempered with caution3  some suspecting 
in it the hand of ,mr4 ,g4 ,k4          
,chesterton1 some of ,mr4  ,bernard     
,shaw1 while one venturesome editor     
hinted that the humanitarians           
themselves might have been concerned in 
it1 but prudently added that  8perhaps  

that would be attributing too much      
cleverness to the  ,humanitarian        
,league40 ,so the authorship of the     
,brutalitarian1 like  that of the       
letters of ,junius1 remained a secret2  
but the laughter  caused by its         
preposterous eulogies of ,flogging put a
 stop for the time  to the cry that had 
been raised in ,blackwood by ,mr4 ,g4   
,w4 ,steevens and  others1 that 8we have
 let ,brutality die out too much40 ,they
 did not  relish their own panacea1 when
 it was served to them in an undiluted  
form1 and with imbecility no less than  
brutality as its principal  ingredient4 
,the ,eton ,beagles1 of course1 offered 
a tempting mark for satire1 as it  was  
easy to hit upon a strain of balderdash1
 in mock defence of  hare-hunting1 the  
absurdity of which would be apparent to 
the ordinary  reader1 yet would escape  
the limited intelligence of schoolboys  
and  sporting papers4 ,accordingly1     
there appeared in #aijg1 two numbers of 
,the ,beagler ,boy1 conducted by two    

,old ,etonians with the professed       
purpose of 8saving a gallant school     
sport from extinction10 and with the    
ulterior design of showing that there is
 nothing too fatuous to be  seriously   
accepted as argument by the upholders of
 blood-sports4    ,the success of the   
,beagler ,boy in this adventure was not 
for a moment  in doubt4 ,the ,etonians  
were enthusiastic over it4 ,the         
,sportsman found  it 8a publication     
after our own heart10 and 8far more     
interesting and  invigorating than      
anything we are capable of02 and the    
hoax was welcomed  in like manner by    
,sporting ,life1 ,horse and ,hound1 and 
the  ,illustrated ,sporting and         
,dramatic ,news1 a periodical described 
7by  itself7 as 8bright1 entertaining1  
and original40 ,one of the most         
solemnly comic notices was that in      
,countryside1 ,mr4 ,e4 ,kay ,robinson's 
paper1 which found the ,beagler ,boy    
8clever and strenuous1 but of  course ex
 parte02 but the gem of the collection  

was a long and serious  dissertation on 
8,boys and ,beagles0 in the ,british    
,medical ,journal1  which thought that  
its readers would be glad to have their 
attention  directed to the new sporting 
organ4 ,there was a sauve qui peut among
  these worthy people when1 from the    
general laughter in the press1 they     
learnt that they had been imposed upon2 
but the shock was borne most            
good-humouredly4 8,even the beagler     
boys10 as was remarked by the  ,evening 
,standard1 8those of them1 at least1 who
 know how rare and  precious an         
instrument satire is1 may forgive1 after
 they have read3  perhaps some will even
 be converted40 ,their disillusionment  
must  certainly have been rather keenly 
felt at the time2 like that of the  lion
 who1 as related in ,the ,man-,eaters of
 ,tsavo1 had carried off what  he       
thought was a coolie from the tent1 only
 to find1 when he had gone  some        
distance1 that it was a sack of sawdust4
    ,the ,beagler ,boy was added1 by    

request1 to ,lord ,harcourt's collection
  of books1 pamphlets1 and other matter 
relating to ,eton1 which at a later     
date he presented to the ,school4 ,it   
must1 ,i feel sure1 be gratifying to    
,sir ,george ,greenwood1 and to the     
other ,old ,etonian who collaborated    
with  him in the editorship1 to know    
that the fruits of their toil are thus  
enshrined in the archives of ,eton      
,college4    ,some twelve months after  
the meteoric career of the ,beagler ,boy
 it  happened that there was a good deal
 of talk about an ,eton ,mission to     
,china1 which was to give the ,chinese  
8an opportunity of the best  education  
and of learning ,christianity40 ,then a 
very curious thing  happened4 ,a        
,chinese gentleman1 ,mr4 ,ching ,ping1  
who was in ,england at the  time1 wrote 
to ,dr4 ,lyttelton1 the headmaster1 and 
offered to conduct a  ,chinese ,mission 
to ,eton1 in order to bring 8a message  
of humanity and  civilization to your   
young barbarians of the ,west40 ,the    

proposal was not  accepted1 and it was  
even hinted in the press that ,mr4      
,ching ,ping came  from this side of    
,suez2 but however that may have been1  
his letter to  ,dr4 ,lyttelton had a    
wide circulation1 both in ,england and  
in the ,far  ,east4    ,such were some  
of a faddist's diversions2 others too we
 had1 of a  different kind1 for the     
every-day work that goes on behind the  
scenes in  an office is by no means     
devoid of entertainment to one who is   
interested in the eccentricities of     
human nature1 and is prepared to  risk  
some wasted hours in studying them4     
,there was a time when ,i went to  the  
headquarters of the ,humanitarian       
,league in ,chancery ,lane almost  daily
 for some years1 and there had          
experience of many strange visitors  and
 correspondents of every                
complexion--voluble cranks and genial   
impostors2 swindlers begging for the    
cost of a railway-ticket to their       
distant and long-lamented homes2        

ex-convicts proposing to write their    
prison-story at the ,league's expense2  
needy journalists anxious to pick  up a 
paragraph2 litigants who wanted         
gratuitous legal advice2 and1 worst  of 
all1 the confidential ,bores who were   
determined to talk to one for  hours    
together about what ,mr4 ,stead used to 
call 8the progress of the  world40      
,nor did the post often fail to bring me
 some queer tidings--a letter  perhaps1 
from some zealot who sent his latest    
pamphlet about 8,god's ,dumb  ,animals0 
7himself1 alas6 not one of them71 with a
 request that it should  be at once     
forwarded to the ,pope2 a voluminous    
work in manuscript1  propounding1 as its
 author assured me1 8opinions of an     
extraordinary and  undreamt of kind02 an
 anthology of ,bible-texts in praise of 
some  disputed practice2 a suggestion   
that a notorious murderer should be     
flogged before being hanged2 a grave    
remonstrance from a friend who  feared  
that public abattoirs 8would pave the   

way for ,socialism02 a  request from a  
very troublesome correspondent that the 
,league would  award a medal to a man   
who had saved her from drowning2 two    
twenty-page  epistles from an ,american 
lady1 who1 in the first1 complimented me
 on my  8markedly intelligent view of   
the universe10 and in the second told me
  frankly that ,i was a fool2 a note    
inviting me to call at a certain        
address1 to fetch a cat whom the writer 
wished me to destroy2 and an  urgent    
inquiry whether sea-sand was a healthy  
bedding for pigs4 ,such  communications 
were the daily reward of those who sat  
in offices to  promote humanitarian     
principles4 ,it was remarkable how few  
persons  volunteered for the work4      
,even arbitration1 of a most delicate   
and thankless sort1 was thrust  upon us4
 ,my opinion was once asked on a point  
of manners1 by a young man  who was a   
member of the ,humanitarian ,league4 ,he
 had never been in the  habit of doffing
 his hat to ladies2 he hardly knew how  

to do so2 yet  having come to ,london   
from ,arcadia he found himself upbraided
 for not  making the customary obeisance
 to the wife of his employer4 ,what was 
he  to do8 ,i gave him what ,i thought  
was the tactful advice1 that he should  
so far make compromise as to raise his  
hat slightly1 eschewing  flourishes4 ,a 
fortnight later he returned in          
reproachful mood1 with the  news that my
 too slender regard for principle had   
had a disastrous  result4 ,he had met   
the lady on the steps of some           
underground station1  and in his attempt
 to bow to her1 had dropped his hat in  
the stream of  outgoing passengers1     
where it had been trampled underfoot4   
,all this was well enough for an amateur
 like myself who could withdraw  when it
 became unbearable2 but it made me      
understand why the official  secretaries
 of propagandist societies often acquire
 a sort of defensive  astuteness which  
is wrongly ascribed to some inborn      
cunning in their  character4 ,to do     

reform work in an office open at certain
 hours1 is like  being exposed as a     
live-bait where one may be nibbled at by
 every  prowling denizen of the deep1   
or1 to speak more accurately1 of the    
shallows2 and it is no exaggeration to  
say that the secretarial work of  a     
cause is hindered much less by its      
avowed enemies than by its  professed   
friends4 ,among zoophilists1 especially1
 there are a number of  good people1    
ladies1 who go about talking of their   
8mercy-work10 yet  show a merciless     
indifference to the value of other      
persons' time4 ,here1  incidentally1 ,i 
may say that one of the most considerate
 visitors whom ,i  ever saw at the      
office of the ,humanitarian ,league was 
,mr4 ,g4 ,k4  ,chesterton1 who          
repeatedly expressed his fears that1 if 
he occupied much  of my time1 our       
friends the animals might be the        
sufferers4 8,can you  assure me10 he    
said1 8that1 if ,i stay a few minutes   
longer1 no elephant  will be the worse  

for it80    ,by far the most deadly     
consumer of humanitarian energies is the
  benevolent ,bore4 ,there was a very   
good and worthy old gentleman who used  
to pay me frequent visits1 the reason of
 which ,i did not discover till  many   
years later2 on several occasions he    
brought with him a written  list of     
questions to be put to me1 twelve or    
more perhaps in number1 the  only one of
 which ,i still remember was the not    
very thrilling inquiry3  8,now1 ,sir1 do
 you read the ,echo80 ,in particular he 
pressed on my  attention1 as demanding  
most earnest study1 a book called ,the  
,alpha1  written by a friend of his1 and
 differing1 as he explained to me1 from 
all other printed works in this--that   
whereas they expressed merely  the      
opinions of their respective writers1   
,the ,alpha conveyed the  actual and    
absolute truth4 ,in my liking and       
respect for a sincere friend  of our    
cause1 ,i not only replied as well as ,i
 could to his string of  questions1 but 

even made an attempt to read ,the ,alpha
 itself3 here1  however 7as with ,the   
,works of ,henry ,heavisides mentioned  
in a previous  chapter71 ,i failed so   
utterly that all ,i could do was to     
agree with the  donor of the book that  
it was certainly unique4 ,this was too  
ambiguous  to satisfy him2 he was       
disappointed in me1 and from that time  
his visits  were fewer1 till they       
altogether ceased3 thus ,the ,alpha     
became in a  manner the ,omega or the   
end of our intercourse4 ,after his death
 ,i learnt  that he had left money to   
found a ,society2 and then only did ,i  
comprehend why he had 8sampled0 the     
,humanitarian ,league with such         
assiduous care4 ,without knowing it1 we 
had been weighed in the balance  and    
found wanting3 we were not capable of so
 great and sacred a trust4    ,sometimes
 the visitation came from oversea2 in   
one case we unwittingly  brought it on  
ourselves1 by sending to the ,madrid    
papers an account of a  scandalous scene

 that had taken place with the ,royal   
,buckhounds1 our  object being to show  
that ,british deer-hunting and ,spanish 
bull-baiting  came of the same stock4   
,we did not know with what zest the     
,spanish  papers had taken to the       
subject1 till one day there arrived in  
,chancery  ,lane an infuriated          
,american1 who told us that his work in 
the ,canary  ,islands had been blasted  
and ruined by our action4 ,for years1 he
 said1  he had preached kindness to     
animals1 making ,england his exemplar1  
and  now at one fell swoop all his      
labours had been demolished1 for the    
story  of the ,british stag-bait had    
gone like wild-fire through the ,spanish
  papers1 and thence to the ,canaries4  
,we expressed our sincere regret to  him
 for this mishap1 but tried to make him 
see that it was no fault of  ours if he 
had based his propaganda on a false     
principle1 viz4 the  superiority of     
,anglo-,saxon ethics1 instead of on the 
universal  obligation of humaneness4 ,it

 was useless4 ,he consumed much time in 
excited talk1 and went away unappeased4 
,this incident should be classed1  ,i   
feel1 not with our diversions1 but with 
our tribulations2 but having  no chapter
 on the latter theme1 ,i must let it    
remain where it stands4    ,but here    
some of my readers may be wondering why 
the office of the  ,humanitarian ,league
 should have been so open to attack3    
they imagine it  perhaps as a luxurious 
suite of apartments1 one within the     
other1 with a  hall-porter in the outer 
premises1 skilled in the art of the     
sending the  undesirable visitor into   
space4 ,in reality1 the circumstances of
 the  ,league were very humble1 and its 
housing was in accord with its income2  
some of our friends1 in fact1 used to be
 pleased to chaff us by quoting  that   
well-known verse in ,lowell's stanzas to
 ,lloyd ,garrison3        ,in a small   
chamber1 friendless and unseen1         
,toiled o'er his types one poor         
unlearn'd young man2      ,the place was

 dark1 unfurnitured and mean2           
,yet there the freedom of a race began4 
,thus it was that1 with an ante-room of 
very diminutive size1 we were  almost at
 the mercy of any one who opened the    
outer door2 for though the  secretary of
 the ,league1 ,miss ,whitaker1 would    
rush forward most  devotedly to bear the
 brunt of the charge1 not a few of our  
assailants  were through the front      
lines1 and well in our midst1 before we 
were  aware of it4 ,to this ,i owe my   
not inconsiderable knowledge of the     
time-devouring ,bore4    ,among the     
ex-prisoners who visited us were        
occasionally some very good  fellows1   
with a real wish to do something to     
improve the penal system1  which they   
all described as thoroughly bad2 but as 
a rule they lacked  the power of        
expressing what they knew1 or were      
hampered by some  personal ailment4     
,there was one1 a quiet civil man1 who  
was anxious to  give a lecture before   
the ,league1 and assured us that1 though

 he was  prone to drink1 he would take  
care that none of his lapses should     
coincide with the date of his appearance
 on our platform4 ,that was a  risk     
which we were not disposed to take2 but 
strange to say1 the very  disaster which
 we shunned in this case actually befell
 us1 a year or two  afterwards1 at a    
most respectable meeting which we       
organized jointly  with another         
,society4 ,on the very stroke of the    
clock1 when the audience  was all seated
 in expectation1 and the chairman was   
ready to ascend the  platform1 supported
 by the members of our ,committee1 the  
news reached us  that the lecturer      
himself could not be present3 it was he 
in fact1 who  was having to be          
8supported10 in another and more literal
 sense4    ,ex-warders did not often    
favour us with a visit2 but one there   
was who  had been employed in ,reading  
,gaol at the time when ,oscar ,wilde was
  imprisoned there3 such was his story1 
and ,i had no reason to disbelieve  it4 

,he told me several edifying anecdotes1 
among them the following3 ,it  used to  
be a great hardship to ,wilde that the  
glazed window of his cell  allowed him  
no skyward view 7one recalls his        
allusion1 in ,the ,ballad  of ,reading  
,gaol1 to 8that little tent of blue1    
which prisoners call the  sky072 and    
once1 when the prison chaplain was      
visiting him1 he spoke  sorrowfully of  
this grievance4 ,but the chaplain only  
offered him  spiritual comfort1 and     
urged him to lift up his thoughts 8to   
,him who is  above the sky02 whereat    
,wilde1 suddenly losing his patience1   
exclaimed1  8,get out1 you d----d fool60
 and pushed him to the door4 ,for this  
he was  reported to the ,governor4      
,the ,league had not often the honour of
 finding itself in agreement with  the  
,prison ,commissioners2 but we did think
 that they were wise to  decline the too
 generous offer of a body calling itself
 the ,poetry  ,recital ,society to read 
poetry to prisoners4 ,the words1 8,i was

 in  prison1 and ye came unto me10 would
 receive a new and fearful              
significance1 if a number of versifiers 
and reciters were to be let  loose on   
the helpless inmates of our gaols4 ,it  
seemed barbarous on the  part of these  
minstrels to try to secure an audience  
which had no choice  in the matter1 and 
which had not got even an open window to
 jump through  if the strain should have
 become too acute4    ,of beggars and   
swindlers we had no lack in ,chancery   
,lane2 it suited  their purpose to      
regard a ,humanitarian ,league as       
primarily designed for  the relief of   
the impecunious2 its very name1 they    
felt1 could imply  nothing less4 ,they  
were mostly young men who seemed to act 
in concert2  for they usually came1 as  
if on circuit1 at certain times of the  
year4  ,their mentality was of a low    
order 7or they thought that ours was71  
for  though they showed a certain       
ingenuity in collecting previous        
information about the parties on whom   

they tried to impose1 they often        
presented their case so badly as to make
 it palpably absurd4 ,sometimes1        
however1 a really clever and humorous   
rogue would make his appearance4  ,there
 was one such who began a wordy         
statement that if ,i would but  grant   
him twenty minutes1 he could convince me
 that he was deserving of  half a crown2
 but when ,i hinted that if the         
interview was going to cost  me half a  
crown1 ,i would rather be spared the    
twenty minutes1 his  solemnity fell from
 him like a cloud1 and with a twinkling 
eye he said  that he would be only too  
pleased to cut his story as short as ,i 
liked4    ,when ,i was a master at ,eton
 ,i used to subscribe to the ,charity   
,organization ,society1 and ,i was      
presented by that austere body with a   
number of tickets1 one of which was to  
be given to every beggar who  called2   
but the trouble was that the tramps     
declined to regard the  8scrap of paper0
 seriously1 and informed us1 in effect1 

that when they  asked for bread we were 
offering them a stone4 ,it certainly did
 not seem  quite a human way of treating
 a fellow-being2 unless one could hold  
the  comfortable belief1 confidently    
expressed to me by one of my ,eton      
colleagues1 a very religious man1 that  
every mendicant one meets has had  a    
good chance in life1 and has            
deliberately thrown it away4 ,the logic 
of  that view was to say 8no0 to        
everybody4    ,i once had an opportunity
 of seeing the exactly opposite theory  
put into  practice4 ,when ,i was living 
in ,surrey1 ,i had a visit from ,prince 
,kropotkin1 who was looking for a house 
in the district1 and we spent a  day in 
walking about on that quest4 ,we met a  
troop of beggars whose  appearance was  
decidedly professional2 and ,i noticed  
that ,kropotkin at  once responded to   
their appeal4 ,later in the day we fell 
in with the  same party1 and again1 when
 they told their tale of woe1 ,kropotkin
 put  his hand in his pocket4 ,at this  

,i ventured to ask him whether he had   
observed that they were the same lot2 to
 which he replied3 8,oh1 yes4 ,i  know  
they are probably impostors and will    
drink the money at the public  house2   
but we are going back to our comfortable
 tea1 and ,i cannot run  the risk of    
refusing help where it may possibly be  
needed40 ,if in this  matter one        
sympathizes with ,kropotkin rather than 
with the ,charity  ,organization folk1  
,i suppose it is on ,shelley's          
principle--that he would  8rather be    
damned with ,plato and ,lord ,bacon than
 be saved with ,paley and  ,malthus40   
,i will conclude this chapter on our    
diversions with a rather diverting      
passage from ,mr4 ,george ,moore's      
,confessions3         8,self1 and after 
self1 a friend2 the rest may go to the  
devil2 and       be sure that when any  
man is more stupidly vain and           
outrageously       egotistic than his   
fellows1 he will hide his hideousness in
       humanitarianism4444              

,humanitarianism is a pigsty where      
liars1       hypocrites1 and the obscene
 in spirit congregate2 it has been so   
since the great ,jew conceived it1 and  
it will be so till the end4       ,far  
better the blithe modern pagan in his   
white tie and evening       clothes1 and
 his facile philosophy4 ,he says3 #8,i  
don't care how the       poor live2 my  
only regret is that they live at all'2  
and he gives       the beggar a         
shilling40    ,many years ago1 at a     
meeting of the ,shelley ,society1 ,i had
 the pleasure  of a talk with ,mr4      
,george ,moore2 and ,i remember that    
when he asked me  what work ,i was      
doing1 and ,i said it was mostly        
humanitarian1 there came  over his      
expressive face a look of               
half-incredulous surprise and           
disgust--the sort of look a bishop might
 give to one who coolly remarked  that  
he had just committed the sin against   
the ,holy ,ghost4 ,i was rather  puzzled
 at the moment2 and it was not till long

 after1 when ,i read ,mr4  ,moore's     
,confessions1 that ,i realized of what  
crimes ,i had convicted  myself in his  
eyes by my too careless avowal4 ,but as 
for 8the blithe  modern pagan10 ,i      
suspect he would be a little less blithe
 if his wish  were fulfilled1 and the   
poor did not live at all2 for how then  
would he  obtain his evening clothes and
 his white tie8 ,he would have to live  
entirely1 one fears1 upon his 8facile   
philosophy10 as snails were once        
reputed to subsist on their own         
succulence4          ,,xiii             
,,hoof-,,marks ,,of ,,the ,,vandal      
,the barbarian gives to the earth he    
lives on an aspect of rough             
brutality4--,,elis,e ,,reclus4          
,humanitarianism is not merely an       
expression of sympathy with pain3 it is 
a protest against all tyranny and       
desecration1 whether such wrong be  done
 by the infliction of suffering on      
sentient beings1 or by the  ,vandalism  
which can ruthlessly destroy the natural

 grace of the earth4  ,it is in man's   
dealings with the mountains1 where1     
owing to the  untameable wildness of the
 scenery1 any injury is certain to be   
irreparable1 that the marks of the      
modern ,vandal are most clearly seen4   
,it so happens that as ,i have known the
 mountains of ,carnarvonshire and       
,cumberland rather intimately for many  
years1 the process of spoliation  which1
 as ,elise ,reclus has remarked1 is a   
characteristic of barbarism1  has been  
there forced on my attention4 ,it is    
close on half a century  since ,i was   
introduced to some of the wildest       
mountains of ,north ,wales  by that     
muscular bishop1 ,dr4 ,g4 ,a4 ,selwyn1  
of whom ,i have spoken in an  earlier   
chapter1 when1 as tutor to his nephew1  
,i was one of an episcopal  party that  
went on a summer holiday from ,lichfield
 to ,penmaenmawr4 ,there  the bishop    
relaxed very genially from the austere  
dignities of his  ,palace3 and having   
procured an ,ordnance map1 was not only 

taken with a  desire to find his way    
across the heights to ,llyn-an-,afon1 a 
tarn which  nestles under the front of  
the great range of ,carnedd ,llewelyn1  
but  insisted on being accompanied by   
his nephew and his nephew's tutor4      
,mountaineering1 as ,i afterwards saw1  
could not have been one of ,dr4         
,selwyn's many accomplishments2 for we  
had to make more than one  expedition   
before we set eyes on the lake1 and in  
the course of our  first walk he slipped
 on a steep ridge and put his thumb out 
of joint1  to the secret amusement1 ,i  
had reason to fear1 of my pupil1 who1   
greatly  disliking these forced marches 
into the wilderness1 regarded the       
accident as a nemesis on an uncle's     
despotism4 ,but to me the experience  of
 those bleak uplands was invaluable1 for
 it was the beginning of a  love of     
mountains1 both ,cambrian and ,cumbrian1
 which led me to return to  them again  
and again1 until ,i had paid over a     
hundred visits to their  chief summits4 

,thus ,i could not fail to note1 now in 
the one district1  now in the other1 how
 the hand of the desecrator had been    
busy4    ,recent discussions in the     
press on the subject of the proposed    
,sty ,head  motor-road have been useful 
in two ways3 first1 they called forth so
  strong and general an expression of   
opinion against that ill-advised        
project1 as to render its realization   
extremely unlikely for a long time  to  
come2 and secondly1 they drew attention 
to the wider and deeper  under-lying    
question of the preservation of ,british
 mountain scenery  against ,vandalism of
 various kinds4 ,the attempt on the ,sty
 ,head was in  itself a significant     
object-lesson in the dangers by which   
our mountain  8sanctuaries0 are beset4  
,a hundred and fifty years ago the poet 
,gray  could write thus of the hamlet of
 ,seathwaite1 where the famous ,pass has
  its entrance on the ,borrowdale side3 
8,all further access is here barred to  
prying mortals1 only there is       a   

little path winding over the fells1 and 
for some weeks in the       year        
passable to the dalesmen2 but the       
mountains know well that       these    
innocent people will not reveal the     
mysteries of their       ancient        
kingdom40    ,if the mountains held that
 belief1 it was they1 not the dalesmen1 
who  were the innocents1 for the little 
path has been found passable at every   
season of the year2 and ,mr4 ,g4 ,d4    
,abraham1 himself a distinguished       
climber1 and a native of the district1  
was so willing to reveal the  mountain  
mysteries as to plead in his book on    
,motor ,ways in ,lakeland  for the      
construction of a highroad from the very
 point where all farther  access used to
 be barred4 8,the quaint little         
old-world hamlet10 he said1  8will      
doubtless recover its glory of former   
days when the highway over  ,sty ,head  
,pass becomes an accomplished fact40    
,the love of mountains1 itself a growth 
of modern times1 has in fact  brought   

with it a peril which did not exist     
before2 it has opened the  gateway and  
pointed the path to the shrine2 but     
where the worshipper  enters1 what if   
the destroyer enters too8 ,what if the  
pilgrim is close  followed by the       
prospector8    ,some years ago ,mr4 ,c4 
,p4 ,trevelyan1 ,m4,p41 introduced an   
8,access to  ,mountains ,bill10 which   
while safeguarding the interests of     
land-owners1  would have permitted      
pedestrians to indulge their love of    
highland  scenery by making their way to
 the summits of uncultivated mountain or
  moorland4 ,all nature-lovers must     
desire that such a measure may become   
law2 and it might be hoped that         
landlords themselves would not persist  
in opposing it1 for consideration should
 show them that it is impossible        
permanently to exclude the people from  
the hilltops of their native  land4     
,even now1 since it is the difficult and
 the forbidden which  attract1 there is 
a certain relish in the attempted ascent

 of those  heights which in the         
landlord's sense 7not the climber's7 are
 still  8inaccessible0--just as the     
cragsmen find a pleasure in striving to 
surmount the obstacles of rock-face or  
gully4 ,who has not longed to  cross the
 lofty frontier into some deer-stalking 
or grouse-shooting  ,thibet1 where1     
beyond the familiar lying sign-post     
stating that  8trespassers will be      
prosecuted10 all is vagueness and       
mystery8 ,what  mountain-lover has not  
at times sought to snatch an 8access to 
mountains0 where access was denied8     
,i still recall the zest of a raid1     
albeit unsuccessful1 on one of the      
summits of the ,grampians1 when our     
small party of climbers1 starting  from 
,aviemore1 and passing the heathery     
shores of ,loch-an-,eilan1 fell in  near
 8the ,argyle ,stone0 with a number of  
deer-stalkers1 who groaned  aloud in    
their fury when they heard by what route
 we had ascended1 and  insisted on our  
going down to ,kincraig4 ,we had spoiled

 their day's  sport1 they told us2 and  
we1 while regretting to have done so1   
could not  refrain from saying that they
 had equally spoiled ours4 ,we were     
consoled1 however1 in some measure1     
during that inglorious descent1 by  the 
sight of an osprey1 or fishing-eagle1   
hovering over the river ,spey3          
doubtless the bird was one of a pair    
that for years haunted  ,loch-an-,eilan1
 until the cursed cupidity of           
egg-collectors drove them  from almost  
their last breeding-place4    ,one of   
the most inaccessible heights in        
,england at the present day is          
,kinderscout1 the 8,peak0 of            
,derbyshire1 a triangular plateau of    
heathery  moorland1 with rocky 8edges0  
broken into fantastic turrets and       
8castles40 ,here only do the ,derbyshire
 hills show some true mountain          
characteristics2 and the central        
position of the 8,peak10 which is about 
twenty miles equidistant from           
,sheffield1 ,manchester1 and            

,huddersfield1  would seem to mark it as
 a unique playground for the dwellers in
 our  great manufacturing towns4 ,in    
reality1 it is a terra incognita to all 
but a very few1 a place not for workers 
to find health in1 but for  sportsmen to
 shoot grouse2 and there is no spot in  
,england which is  guarded against      
intruders with more jealous care4 ,i    
speak advisedly1 for  ,i once tried1    
with some friends1 to 8rush0 the        
summit-ridge from the  public path which
 crosses its western shoulders1 only to 
be overtaken  and turned back by some   
skilfully posted gamekeeper4#cf ,the    
loss to the  public of a right of way   
over these moors1 as over many similar  
places1  is deplorable2 and here1 as    
elsewhere1 the compromise that has been 
arrived at has been greatly to the      
landlord's advantage1 for while the     
grouse-shooter excludes the public from 
a vast area of moorland1 the  wayfarer  
finds himself limited to the narrowest  
of roundabout routes1  and is insulted1 

as at ,ashop ,head1 by a perfect plague 
of notice-boards  threatening all the   
imaginary pains and penalties of the law
 for any  divergence on to the hillside4
 ,certainly an ,access to ,mountains    
,bill is  urgently required4    ,but    
there is one thing which is even worse  
than too little access to  mountains1   
and that is the concession of too much4 
,it were heartily to  be wished that    
such districts as those of the ,lakes1  
,snowdonia1 and  others which might be  
named1 had long ago been made           
inaccessible1 in  this sense1 to the    
railway-lord1 the company-promoter1 and 
all the other  ,vandals who for         
commercial purposes would destroy the   
sanctitude of the  hills4 ,we have1 in  
fact1 to consider what sort of access we
 propose1  for just as there is all the 
difference in the world between the     
admission of the public to see a grand  
piece of statuary1 and the  admission of
 the man who has a design to chip the   
statue's nose1 so we  have to           

distinguish between those who come to   
the mountains to speculate  on the      
beauties of ,nature and those who come  
there to speculate in a  baser sense4   
,access to mountains is in itself most  
desirable1 but what  if we end by having
 no mountains to approach8 ,in this     
respect the ,bill  might be             
strengthened1 by making it withhold from
 the ,vandal the access  which it would 
bestow on the mountaineer4    ,already  
much that was of inestimable value has  
been lost4 ,the ,lake  ,district has in 
this respect been more fortunate than   
some other  localities1 because1 owing  
to the powerful sentiment aroused by the
 ,lake  poets1 there is a considerable  
public opinion opposed to any act of    
desecration4 ,for this we have to thank1
 in the first place1 the great  name of 
,wordsworth1 and1 next1 the faithful    
band of defenders which has  stood      
between the enterprising contractor and 
his prey1 as in the case  of the once   
threatened railway to ,ambleside and    

,grasmere4 ,but even in  ,lakeland no   
little damage has been done1 as by the  
mining which has  ruined the scenery of 
,coniston1 and by the permission granted
 to  ,manchester to turn the once sylvan
 and secluded ,thirlmere into a         
suburban tank--,thirlmere first1 and now
 the ruin of ,haweswater is to  follow4 
,mention has been made in an earlier    
part of this book of a visit which ,i   
paid to ,coniston in the winter of      
#ahgh-gi4 ,it so happened that a spell  
of severe frost and cloudless skies had 
then turned the ,lakeland  mountains    
into a strange realm of enchantment1 the
 rocks being  fantastically coated with 
fronds and feathers of snow1 and the    
streams  and waterfalls frozen into     
glittering masses of ice4 ,i was the    
only  visitor in the place 7it was      
before ,mr4 ,harrison ,riley's arrival71
 and  for several days ,i had been      
scrambling over the range of the ,old   
,man  mountain without meeting a human  
being1 when one afternoon1 on the shore 

of ,levers ,water1 a solitary figure    
came suddenly round a buttress of the   
hill and stalked silently past me as if 
wrapped in thought4 ,i knew at  once    
that it was ,ruskin1 for what other     
inhabitant of ,coniston would be  on the
 fells at such a season8    ,a few days 
later1 when ,i went to ,brantwood with  
,harrison ,riley1 as ,i  have described1
 ,ruskin talked a good deal of his      
favourite mountain  haunts1 as he showed
 us his wild strawberry beds1 and       
terraces on the  hillside made like     
,swiss roads2 also a small beck running 
through his  grounds to the lake1 which 
he said was never dry1 and was as       
precious to  him as a stream of pure    
gold4 ,the ,lake scenery1 he said1      
almost  compensated him for the loss of 
,switzerland1 which he could not hope to
  see again2 his feeling for it was one 
less of affection than of  8veneration40
 ,but the sunsets had been a            
disappointment to him1 for the  sky     
above the ,old ,man was often sullen and

 overclouded1 and this he  attributed to
 the poisonous influence of the copper  
mines4    ,at present the chief danger  
to the quietude and beauty of the ,lake 
district seems to be the motor-craze1   
especially that form of it which  has   
been called 8the fascinating sport of   
hill-hunting10 a game which  has turned 
the ,kirkstone ,pass into a place of    
terror1 where noisy  machines pant and  
snort up one side and scorch furiously  
down the other1  and which is now       
craving new heights to conquer4 ,if not 
on the ,sty ,head1  why not make a      
motor-way of the old track from         
,langdale to ,eskdale over  the passes  
of ,wrynose and ,hardknott8 ,such was   
the 8compromise0 which  some            
mountain-lovers unwisely suggested1     
forgetting1 first1 that even  this      
surrender1 though less deadly than that 
of the ,sty ,head1 would  involve the   
destruction of a wild and primitive     
tract1 and secondly  that1 as there is  
no finality in such dealings1 it would  

only whet the  motorists' appetite for  
more4 ,it is generally overlooked1 too1 
though  the point is a very important   
one1 that the invaders have already got 
much more than their due share of the   
district2 for the making of many  of the
 roads now in existence would have been 
strongly opposed years  ago1 if it had  
been possible to foresee the riotous use
 to which they  would be put4    ,but it
 is when we turn to the mountains of    
,snowdonia that we see what  inexcusable
 injury has been done by the rapacity of
 private enterprise1  connived at by the
 indifference of the public4 ,it is a   
somewhat strange  fact that1 while there
 is an ,english branch of the ,league   
for the  ,preservation of ,swiss        
,scenery1 no organized attempt is made  
to preserve  our own mountain scenery1  
not from desecration merely1 but from   
destruction4#cg    ,take1 for example1  
the case of the ,river ,glaslyn1 which  
flows from the  heart of ,snowdon       
through ,cwm ,dyli and ,nant ,gwynant1  

till it finds its  way by the ,pass of  
,aberglaslyn to the sea4 ,visitors are  
often invited to  admire the 8power     
works10 erected some years ago at the   
head of ,nant  ,gwynant1 and other signs
 of enterprise2 but from the            
nature-lover's  point of view there is a
 different tale to tell4 ,the once      
shapely peak  of ,snowdon has been      
blunted into a formless cone by the     
,summit ,hotel1  which has since added  
to its premises a battlemented wall     
built of red  brick2 both ,glaslyn and  
,llyn ,llydaw1 two tarns of flawless    
natural  beauty1 have long been befouled
 with copper mines2 and more recently   
the  glorious waterfall1 through which  
the stream dashed headlong from ,cwm    
,dyli to ,nant ,gwynant1 has been       
replaced by a line of hideous metal     
pipes1 by which the whole hillside is   
scarred4 ,as for the far-famed ,pass  of
 ,aberglaslyn1 defaced as it is by      
railway works and tunnellings1          
remorselessly begun and then temporarily

 abandoned1 its state can only  be      
described as one of stagnant            
devastation4    ,yet all this mountain  
scenery1 which has been foolishly       
sacrificed for  private purposes1 might 
have been a public possession of        
inestimable  value had it been tended as
 it deserved2 and much yet remains in   
,snowdonia that might be saved for the  
enjoyment and refreshment of  future    
generations1 if the apathy of public    
feeling1 and of the ,welsh  people1     
could be dispelled4 ,but it is useless  
to look for local  resistance to this   
vandalism1 for one is always met by the 
assertion1  true but irrelevant1 that   
such enterprises 8give work02 which1    
indeed1  would equally justify the      
pulling down of ,westminster ,abbey to  
8give  work0 to the unemployed of       
,london4 ,nothing but an enlightened    
public  opinion1 unmistakably expressed1
 can now avert the destruction 7for such
  it is7 of the noblest of ,welsh1      
perhaps of all ,british mountains4      

,it is strange that the incongruity--the
 lack of humour--in these  outrages on  
the sanctitude of a great mountain does 
not make itself  felt4 ,what could be   
more ridiculous1 apart from the gross   
vandalism of  the act1 than to put a    
railway-station on ,snowdon8 ,a friend  
who knows  the ,welsh mountains         
intimately told me that on his first    
visit to the  peak1 after the building  
of the ,summit ,hotel1 he remarked to a 
companion3 8,we shall be expected to    
have a green chartreuse after lunch     
here40 ,a waiter1 overhearing him1 said3
 8,we ain't got no green  chartreuse1   
sir2 but we have cherry brandy and      
curaoa1 if you like40    ,in a little   
book entitled ,on ,cambrian and         
,cumbrian ,hills1 published in  #aijh1  
,i commented strongly on these outrages1
 and the justice of my  criticisms with 
regard to the ruin of ,welsh mountain   
scenery was not  seriously disputed in  
the local press1 though one editor did  
accuse me  of being guilty of 8a wicked 

libel upon the people of ,wales10 and   
expressed himself as having been caused 
8real pain0 by my remarks4 ,when1       
however1 ,i asked him to consider what  
real pain the disfigurement of  ,snowdon
 had caused to mountain-lovers1 and     
suggested that1 instead of  taking me to
 task1 he should try to arouse his      
readers to put an end to  the vandalism 
which1 for the sake of a temporary      
profit1 is ruining some  of the finest  
portions of ,carnarvonshire1 he made a  
reply which was1 in  fact1 a most signal
 corroboration of my complaint2 for he  
stated that ,i  had evidently 8no       
conception of the difficulties which    
residents in  ,north ,wales have to     
encounter when they oppose any          
commercial  enterprise1 backed up by    
,english speculators1 which threatens to
 spoil  our beauty-spots40#ch ,there we 
have the fatal truth in a sentence6     
,what  is spoiling ,snowdonia is the    
commercial cupidity of the ,welsh       
themselves1 utilized by ,english        

capitalists4 ,the editor navely added   
that1 were ,i myself living in ,north   
,wales1 ,i should be 8more              
sympathetic40 ,more sympathetic1 that   
is1 with the ,welsh residents1 who  know
 that their country is being spoiled1   
but dare not say so2 less  sympathetic  
with the mountain-lovers who deplore    
this crime6    ,in the excuses put      
forward for the invasion of the         
mountains with  funicular railways1     
motor high-roads1 and the like1 there is
 a comic  element which would be vastly 
entertaining if the very existence of   
mountain scenery were not at stake4     
,thus ,i have been met with the         
argument that a mountain railway1 such  
as that on ,snowdon1 8takes into a      
purer atmosphere and into an ennobling  
environment those who have no  other way
 of learning the lesson that grand      
mountains can teach10 to  wit1 8the     
enfeebled toilers of the towns40 ,i was 
reminded1 as one  convicted of 8a little
 selfishness10 that 8the weak and the   

feeble have  to be considered1 as well  
as the athletic and the hardy40 ,but1 in
 the  first place1 those who travel by  
so expensive a route as this mountain   
railway are rarely the toilers of the   
towns1 nor1 so far as ,i have  observed 
them1 are they 8the weak and the        
feeble40 ,they seem to be  mostly       
able-bodied well-to-do tourists1 who are
 too lazy to use their  legs4 ,i once   
overheard a passenger in a train1       
describing a recent ,swiss  trip1 make  
the remark3 8,oh1 no1 ,i didn't walk a  
step4 ,funicular  railways up nearly all
 the mountains--,pilatus1 ,rigi1 and the
 rest4 ,i  wouldn't give a fig to walk40
    ,it is amusing1 too1 to find        
8imperial0 reasons advanced in defence  
of  the ,snowdon railroad1 in what is   
called the 8,official ,guide10 a        
pamphlet  published by the ,london and  
,north-,western ,railway at ,llanberis  
,england1  we are proudly told1 8does   
not usually care to be behind other     
countries  in matters of progress1 but1 

with regard to the application of       
mechanical means for reaching the peaks 
of mountains1 until now it has          
certainly been so40 ,the inference is   
obvious4 ,patriotic climbers should     
ascend ,snowdon by train4    ,then there
 is the clever appeal to the sense of   
peril and romance4 ,we  are informed in 
the same disinterested treatise that the
 owner of  ,snowdon 7yes1 reader1       
,snowdon is owned671 8having regard to  
the  exigencies of the modern tourist1  
the increasing eagerness of people to   
#8do' ,snowdon1 and the dangers which   
beset the ordinary ways available  for  
that purpose1 felt that the solitude and
 sanctity of ,snowdon ought1  to a      
certain extent1 to give way before the  
progressive advance of the  age40 ,and  
again3 8,hitherto none but the most     
daring or the most sanguine  would      
venture to ascend during a storm4444    
,none the less1 however1  ,snowdon      
during a storm presents a scene of      
impressive grandeur1 and the  new       

railway will make it possible to see it 
under this aspect without  risk40       
,henceforth poets will know how to view 
the grandeur of the  gathering storm4   
8,i climbed the dark brow of the mighty 
,helvellyn10 sang  ,scott4 ,the modern  
singer will take a ticket on the        
,snowdon ,mountain  ,tramroad4    ,the  
true objection to mountain railways is  
not that they bring more  people to the 
mountain1 but that they spoil the very  
thing that the  people come to see1 viz4
 the mountain itself4 ,the environment1 
in fact1  is no longer 8ennobling0 when 
a mountain-top is vulgarized1 as        
,snowdon  has been1 by a railway and    
hotel2 it is then not a mountain scene  
at  all4 ,there are numberless points of
 view in ,north ,wales1 and in every    
highland district1 to which the weak and
 feeble can be easily conveyed1  and    
from which they can see the mountains at
 their best2 but to  construct a railway
 to the chief summit is 8to kill the    
goose that laid  the golden eggs10      

because1 when that is done1 there is no 
mountain 7in  the true sense7 any longer
 for the enjoyment of either feeble or  
strong4    ,and surely the feeble can   
seek their enjoyment in fitter ways than
 in  being hauled up mountains by steam4
 ,i have heard of a blind man who       
walked1 with a friend to guide him1 to  
the top of ,goatfell1 in the ,isle  of  
,arran1 because he wished to feel the   
mountain air and to hear the  thunder of
 the sea waves far away below4 ,was not 
that better than  spoiling ,goatfell    
with a rail8 ,not1 of course1 that such 
railways are  really made for the       
benefit of the feeble-bodied2 they are  
built for  commercial purposes1 to put  
money into private pockets at the       
expense of  scenery which should belong 
to the community as a whole4    ,but it 
is not only the nature-lover and the    
rock-climber who are  interested in the 
preservation of mountains2 the          
naturalist also1 and  the botanist1 are 
very deeply concerned1 for the          

extermination of the  rarer fauna and   
flora is practically assured unless the 
onroad of this  vandalism is checked4   
,the golden eagle1 the kite1 and the    
osprey are  gone4 ,do we desire such    
birds as the raven1 the chough1 the     
buzzard1 and  the peregrine falcon to   
survive in their few remaining          
strongholds8 ,if  so1 we must take      
measures to stop the depredations not   
only of the  egg-collecting tourist1 but
 of the death-dealing gamekeeper4       
,the flight of the buzzard is one of the
 greatest glories of the hills of       
,cumberland and ,carnarvonshire1 and it 
is deeply to be regretted that so       
beautiful and harmless a bird should be 
wantonly destroyed4 ,the  worst--or     
should we say the best8--that can be    
said of the buzzard is  that in very    
rare instances he has been known to     
8stoop0 at persons who  approach his    
eyrie4 ,in a letter which appeared in   
the ,lakes ,chronicle  some years ago a 
tourist absurdly complained that he had 

been attacked  on a mountain near       
,windermere by a 8huge bird 8--evidently
 a  buzzard--and urged that 8it would be
 to the advantage of the public if  some
 good shot were to free the mountain of 
this foul-fiend usurper40  ,the buzzard 
defending his nest is a 8foul-fiend     
usurper06 ,such is the  amount of       
sympathy which the average tourist has  
with the wild mountain  bird6 ,and as   
for the ornithological knowledge1 this  
may be judged from  the fact that a     
similar incident on the same mountain   
was actually  described in the papers   
under the head1 8,bustard attacks a     
clergyman40    ,of the wild upland flora
 there is the same tale to tell4 ,the   
craze for  collecting1 and what is      
worse1 uprooting1 the rarer ,alpine     
plants has  almost brought about the    
extinction of several species1 such as  
the  saxifraga nivalis1 which used to be
 fairly frequent on ,snowdon1           
,helvellyn1 and other ,british hills2   
and this in spite of the many  appeals  

that have been made to the better       
feeling of tourists4 ,public  spirit in 
these matters seems to be wellnigh dead4
    ,what1 then1 is being done1 in the  
face of these destructive agencies1 to  
preserve our wild mountain districts1   
and the wild life that is native  to    
them1 from the ruin with which they are 
threatened8 ,as far as ,i am  aware1    
apart from occasional protests in       
newspapers1 this only--that  appeals are
 made to the public from time to time by
 the ,national ,trust  and kindred      
societies to save1 by private purchase1 
certain 8beauty  spots0 from spoliation4
 ,these appeals cannot but meet with the
 entire  approval of nature-lovers1 and 
the rescuing of such estates as         
,catbells1  ,gowbarrow1 ,grange ,fell1  
and others that might be mentioned1     
represents a  real measure of success4  
,still the question has to be           
faced--what is to  be done in the future
 if1 as is certain to happen1 the menace
 to our  mountains is maintained8 ,it is

 too much to hope that large sums can   
always be raised by private             
subscription2 also1 while one favoured  
place  is being safeguarded1 others1    
less fortunate1 are being destroyed4 ,we
  cannot save our mountains generally by
 these piecemeal purchases2 for  even if
 the money were always procurable1 the  
rate of destruction  exceeds that of    
purchase1 and the power of the many     
syndicates that  would exploit the      
mountains must necessarily be greater   
than that of the  few ,societies that   
would preserve them4 ,in a word1 private
 action is  quite inadequate1 in the    
long run1 to repel so extensive an      
attack4    ,what is needed is public    
action on a scale commensurate with the 
evil1  in the direction of the          
8reservation0 of certain districts as   
sanctuaries for all wild life4 ,we need1
 in fact1 highland parks1 in  which the 
hills themselves1 with the wild animals 
and plants whose life  is of the hills1 
shall be preserved in their wildness as 

the property of  the people2 an         
arrangement which would be equally      
gratifying to the  nature-lover1 the    
naturalist1 and the mountaineer1 and of 
vastly more  8profit0 to the nation as a
 whole than the disfigurement of its    
beautiful places4    ,without at all    
suggesting that the ,national ,trust    
should relax its  efforts for the rescue
 by purchase of particular tracts1 ,i   
think that it  would be doing a still   
greater service if it could see its way 
to  organizing a movement for pressing  
on the ,government the urgent need of   
taking some active steps to counteract  
the injury which is being done by       
commercial interests to the true        
interests of the people4 ,otherwise the 
result will be that while a few spots   
are saved1 whole districts will be      
lost1 and eventually all that the nation
 will possess will be some oases  of    
beauty in a desert of ugliness4    ,as  
,i have elsewhere pointed out1#ci there 
is only one thorough solution  of the   

problem1 and that is1 to nationalize    
such districts as ,snowdonia1           
,lakeland1 the ,peak of ,derbyshire1 and
 other public holiday-haunts1 and  so to
 preserve them for the use and enjoyment
 of the people for all  time4 8,if      
parks1 open spaces1 railways1 tramways1 
water1 and other  public needs can be   
nationalized1 why not mountains8 ,it is 
impossible to  over-estimate the value  
of mountains as a recreation-ground for 
soul and  body2 yet1 while we are       
awaking to the need of maintaining      
public rights  in other directions1 we  
are allowing our mountains--in ,north   
,wales and  elsewhere--to be sacrificed 
to commercial selfishness4 ,if ,snowdon1
 for  instance1 had been purchased by   
the public twenty years ago1 the        
investment would have been a great deal 
more profitable than those in  which we 
usually engage2 but while we are willing
 to spend vast sums on  grabbing other  
people's territory1 we have not1 of     
course1 a penny to  spare for the       

preservation of our own40          ,,xiv
    ,,the ,,forlorn ,,hope        ,at   
least we witness of thee1 ere we die1   
,that these things are not otherwise1   
but thus4                   ,,swinburne4
      ,twenty-four years' work with the 
,humanitarian ,league had left many     
problems unsolved1 many practical       
matters undecided2 but on one point     
some of us were now in no sort of       
uncertainty--that a race which still    
clung tenaciously to the practices at   
which ,i have glanced in the  foregoing 
chapters was essentially barbaric1 not  
in its diet only1  though the butchery  
of animals for food had first arrested  
our  attention1 but also1 and not less  
glaringly1 in its penal system1 its     
sports1 its fashions1 and its general   
way of regarding that great body  of our
 fellow-beings whom we call 8the        
animals40 ,it did not need ,mr4  ,howard
 ,moore's very suggestive book1 ,savage 
,survivals1#dj to convince  us of this2 
but we found in the conclusions reached 

by him an ample  corroboration of those 
we had long had in mind1 and which alone
 could  explain the stubborn adherence  
of educated as well as uneducated       
classes  to a number of primitive and   
quite uncivilized habits4 8,it is not   
possible10 he says1 8to understand the  
things higher men do1 nor to  account   
for the things that you find in their   
natures1 unless you  recognize the fact 
that higher men are merely savages made 
over and only  partially changed40      
,professor ,f4 ,w4 ,newman's warning1   
that the time was not ripe for a        
,humanitarian ,league1 had to this      
extent been verified3 if we had thought 
that we were going to effect any great  
visible changes1 we should have  been   
justly disappointed4 ,but those who work
 with no expectation of  seeing results 
cannot be disappointed2 they are beyond 
the scope of  failure1 and may even     
meet1 as we did1 with some small and    
unforeseen  success4 ,the ,league was   
thus1 in the true sense of the term1 a  

,forlorn  ,hope2 that is1 a troop of    
venturesome pioneers1 who were quite    
untrammelled by 8prospects10 and whose  
whim it was to open out a path by  which
 others might eventually follow4        
,perhaps the success of the ,league lay 
less in what it did than in what  it    
demanded--less1 that is1 in the defeat  
of a flogging ,bill1 or in  the         
abolition of a cruel sport1 than in the 
fearless1 logical1 and  unwavering      
assertion of a clear principle of       
humaneness1 which applies  to the case  
of human and non-human alike4 ,after    
all1 it does not so  greatly matter     
whether this or that particular form of 
cruelty is  prohibited2 what matters is 
that all forms of cruelty should be     
shown  to be incompatible with progress4
 ,here1 ,i venture to think1 the        
intellectual and controversial side of  
the ,league's work was of some  value2  
for before a new system could be built  
up1 the ground had to be  cleared1 and  
the main obstacle to humanitarianism had

 long been the very  widespread contempt
 for what is known as 8sentiment10 and  
the idea that  humanitarians were a poor
 weakly folk who might be ridiculed with
  impunity4 ,the ,humanitarian ,league  
changed all that2 and a good many       
pompous persons1 who had come into      
collision with its principles1  emerged 
with modified views and a considerably  
enlarged experience4    ,i have already 
spoken of some of the protagonists of   
the ,league3 at this  point it may be   
fitting to recount1 in epic fashion1 the
 names and  services of a few of the    
influential allies who from time to time
 lent  us their aid4    ,mr4 ,herbert   
,spencer's philosophical writings were  
fully imbued with the  humane spirit4   
,an opponent of militarism1 of          
vindictive penal laws1 of  corporal     
punishment for the young1 of cruel      
sports1 and indeed of every  form of    
brutality1 he had done as much as any   
man of his generation to  humanize      
public opinion4 ,he willingly signed the

 ,humanitarian ,league's  memorials     
against the ,royal ,buckhounds and the  
,eton ,beagles4    ,dr4 ,alfred ,r4     
,wallace was also in full accord with   
us1 and he was  especially interested in
 our protest against the ,game ,laws1   
8those  abominable engines of oppression
 and selfishness10 as he described them 
in one of several letters which ,i      
received from him4 ,he was anxious that 
some ,member of ,parliament should be   
found who would move an annual          
resolution for the abolition of these   
laws1 and he considered that such  a    
motion 8would serve as a very good test 
of ,liberalism and ,radicalism40  ,in   
reference to flogging under the old     
,vagrancy ,act1 he wrote3 8,there  are  
scores or hundreds of these old laws    
which are a disgrace to  civilization4  
,many years ago ,i advocated enacting a 
law for the  automatic termination of   
all laws after1 say1 fifty years1 on the
  ground that one generation cannot     
properly legislate for a later one      

under totally different conditions40    
8,the ,truth about the ,game ,laws10 a  
pamphlet of which ,dr4 ,wallace         
expressed much approval1 was written by 
,mr4 ,j4 ,connell1 author of 8,the  ,red
 ,flag10 whose democratic instincts had 
led him to acquire first-hand  knowledge
 of the nocturnal habits of             
game-keepers1 and was prefaced with     
some spirited remarks by ,mr4 ,robert   
,buchanan1 who1 as having been for  many
 years a devotee of sport1 here         
occupied1 as he himself expressed  it1  
8the position of the converted clown who
 denounces topsy-turvydom40  ,buchanan's
 humane sympathies were shown in many of
 his poems1 as in his  8,song of the    
,fur ,seal10 inspired by one of the     
,league's pamphlets2 he  wrote also a   
powerful article on 8,the ,law of       
,infanticide10 in reference  to one of  
those cruel cases in which the          
death-sentence is passed on  some poor  
distracted girl1 and which clearly      
demonstrate1 as ,buchanan  pointed out1 

that 8we are still a savage and         
uncivilized people1 able  and willing to
 mow down with artillery such subject   
races as are not of  our way of         
thinking1 but utterly blind and         
indifferent to the sorrows of  the weak 
and the sufferings of the martyred      
poor40    ,george ,meredith1 for the    
last ten or twelve years of his life1   
was a  friend and supporter of the      
,league4 8,on a point or two of your    
advocacy10 he wrote to me1 8,i am not in
 accord with you1 but fully upon  most40
 ,he declared the steel trap to be      
8among the most villainous  offences    
against humanity02 and he more than once
 signed the ,league's  memorials against
 such spurious sports as rabbit-coursing
 and  stag-hunting4 ,when the ,royal    
,buckhounds were abolished in #ahia1 he 
wrote  to us3 8,your efforts have gained
 their reward1 and it will encourage you
  to pursue them in all fields where the
 good cause of sport1 or any good       
cause1 has to be cleansed of blood and  

cruelty4 ,so you make steps in our      
civilization40    ,mr4 ,thomas ,hardy   
more than once lent his name to the     
,league's petitions1  and recognized    
that in its handling of the problem of  
animals' rights it  was grappling with  
the question 8of equal justice all      
round40 ,in an  extremely interesting   
letter1 read at the annual meeting in   
#aiaj1 he  expressed his opinion that   
8few people seem to perceive fully1 as  
yet1  that the most far-reaching        
consequence of the establishment of the 
common origin of all species is ethical2
 that it logically involved a           
readjustment of altruistic morals1 by   
enlarging1 as a necessity of  rightness1
 the application of what has been called
 the ,golden ,rule from  the area of    
mere mankind to that of the whole animal
 kingdom40 ,this  was1 of course1 the   
main contention of the ,humanitarian    
,league4    ,in #ahif the ,league       
addressed an appeal to a number of      
leading artists1  asking them to make it

 plain that their sympathies were on the
  humanitarian side1 and that they would
 at least not be abettors of that       
spirit of cruelty which is the ally and 
companion of ugliness4 ,very few        
replies were received1 but among them   
was one from ,mr4 ,g4 ,f4 ,watts1 who1  
in becoming a member1 wrote us a letter 
on the cruelty of docking  horses' tails
 78barbarous in those who practise it1  
infinitely degrading  in those who      
encourage it from so mean a motive as   
fashion--only not  contemptible because 
so much worse071 which was very widely  
published in  the press1 and did great  
service in bringing an odious fashion   
into  disrepute4 ,mr4 ,walter ,crane was
 another artist who gave support on many
  occasions to humanitarian principles2 
so1 too1 was ,mr4 ,martin ,anderson     
78,cynicus071 who employed on the       
,league's behalf his great powers as a  
satirist in a cartoon which castigated  
the tame deer hunt4    ,count ,tolstoy1 
it goes without saying1 was in full     

sympathy with us2 and  so was that      
many-sided man of genius1 ,m4 ,elise    
,reclus4 ,famed as  geographer1         
philosopher1 and revolutionist1 one is  
tempted to sum him up  in the word      
8poet02 for though he did not write in  
verse1 he was a great  master of        
language1 unsurpassed in lucidity of    
thought and serene beauty  of style4 ,he
 was a vegetarian1 and the grounds of   
his faith are set  forth in a luminous  
essay on that subject which he wrote for
 the  ,humanitarian ,league4 ,very      
beautiful1 too1 is his article on 8,the 
,great  ,kinship10 worthily translated  
by ,edward ,carpenter1 in which he      
portrayed  the primeval friendly        
relations of mankind with the lower     
races1 and  glanced at the still more   
wonderful possibilities of the future4  
,his  anarchist views prevented him from
 formally joining an association  which 
aimed at legislative action2 but his    
help was always freely given4  8,i send 
you my small subscription10 he wrote1   

8without any engagement  for the future1
 not knowing beforehand if next year ,i 
will be penniless  or not40 ,i only once
 saw ,elise ,reclus2 it was on the      
occasion of an  anarchist meeting in    
which he took part1 and he then         
impressed me as  being the ,grand ,old  
,man without rival or peer2 never       
elsewhere have ,i  seen such magnificent
 energy and enthusiasm combined with    
such lofty  intellectual gifts4         
,ernest ,crosby1 another philosophic    
anarchist1 was perhaps as little  known1
 in proportion to his great merits1 as  
any writer of our time4  ,elected as a  
,republican to the ,assembly of ,new    
,york ,state1 he had been  appointed in 
#ahhi to be a ,judge of the             
,international ,court in ,egypt2 but    
after serving there five years1 his     
whole life was suddenly changed1  owing 
largely to a book of ,tolstoy's which   
fell into his hands3 he  resigned his   
post1 and thenceforward passed judgment 
on no man but  himself4 ,a poet and     

thinker of high order1 he stood up with 
unfailing  courage against the brute    
force of 8imperialism0 in its every     
form--the  exploitation of one race by  
another race1 of one class by another   
class1  of the lower animals by mankind4
 ,it is strange that his writings1      
especially the volume entitled ,swords  
and ,plowshares1 should be almost       
unknown to ,english democrats1 for they 
include many poems which touch a  very  
high standard of artistic excellence1   
and a few that are gems of  verse4 8,the
 ,tyrant's ,song10 for instance1        
expresses in a few lines the  strength  
of the ,non-,resistant1 and of the      
conscientious objector to  military     
service 78the man with folded arms072   
yet during all the long  controversy on 
that subject ,i never once saw it quoted
 or mentioned4 ,a  superficial likeness 
between ,crosby's unrhymed poetry and   
that of ,edward  ,carpenter led in one  
case to an odd error on the part of an  
,american  friend to whom ,i had vainly 

commended ,carpenter's writings2 for in 
his  joy over ,swords and ,plowshares he
 rashly jumped to the conclusion that   
8,ernest ,crosby0 was a nom de plume for
 the other ,e4,c4 8,i owe you a         
confession10 he wrote4 8,hitherto ,i    
have not been able to find in           
,carpenter anything that substantiated  
your admiration for him2 but now  a     
flood of light is illuminating his      
,towards ,democracy40 ,i  communicated  
this discovery to the poets concerned1  
and they were both  charmed by it4      
,crosby was a tall handsome man1 of     
almost military appearance1 and this1   
too1 was a cause of misapprehension2 for
 an ,english friend whom he  visited1   
and who knew him only through his       
writings1 spent a long  afternoon with  
him without even discovering that he was
 the ,crosby whose  poems he admired4   
,clarence ,darrow1 brother-in-law of    
,howard ,moore and friend of ,crosby1   
was another of our ,american comrades4  
,he arrived one afternoon  unexpectedly 

at the ,league's office1 with a letter  
of introduction from  ,crosby4 ,it is   
often difficult to know what to do with 
such letters in  the presence of their  
bearer--whether to keep him waiting till
 the  message has been deciphered1 or to
 greet him without knowing fully who  he
 is--but on this occasion a glance at   
,crosby's first three words was  enough1
 for ,i saw3 8,this is ,darrow10 and ,i 
knew that ,darrow was the  author of    
8,crime and ,criminals10 an entirely    
delightful lecture1  brimming over with 
humour and humanity1 which had been     
delivered to the  prisoners of the      
,chicago ,county ,gaol2 and ,i had heard
 of him from ,crosby  as a brilliant and
 successful advocate1 who had devoted   
his genius not  to the quest of riches  
or fame1 but to the cause of the poor   
and the  accused4 ,it was ,darrow2 and  
as ,i looked into a face in which       
strength  and tenderness were           
wonderfully mingled1 the formalities of 
first  acquaintance seemed to be        

mercifully dispensed with1 and ,i felt  
as if ,i  had known him for years4      
,since that time ,darrow has become     
widely known  in ,america by his        
pleadings in the ,haywood and other     
,labour trials1 and  more recently      
through the ,mc,namara case4 ,he is the 
author of several  very remarkable      
works4 ,his ,farmington is a fascinating
 book of  reminiscences1 and ,an ,eye   
for an ,eye the most impressive story   
ever  written on the subject of the     
death-penalty4    ,let me now pass to a 
very different champion of our cause4   
,in connection  with the ,humanitarian1 
the ,humane ,review1 and the ,league's  
publications in general1 ,i received a  
number of letters from 8,ouida10        
written mostly on that colossal         
notepaper which her handwriting         
required1 some of them so big that the  
easiest way to read them was to  pin    
them on the wall and then stand back as 
from a picture4 ,her large  vehement    
nature showed itself not only in the    

passionate wording of  these protests   
against cruelties of various kinds1 but 
in her queer  errors in detail1 and in  
the splendid carelessness with which the
  envelopes were often addressed4 ,one  
much-travelled wrapper1 directed        
wrongly1 and criss-crossed with         
postmarks and annotations1 ,i preserved 
as a specimen of the tremendous tests to
 which the acumen of the ,post  ,office 
was subjected by her4    ,ouida was     
often described as 8fanatical20 but     
though her views were  certainly        
announced in rather unmeasured terms1 ,i
 found her reasonable  when any error or
 exaggeration was pointed out4 ,her     
sincerity was beyond  question2 again   
and again she lent us the aid of her    
pen1 and as the  press was eager to     
accept her letters1 she was a valuable  
ally1 though  through all that she wrote
 there ran that pessimistic tone which  
marked  her whole attitude to modern    
life4 ,whatever her place in literature1
 she  was a friend of the oppressed and 

a hater of oppression1 and her name     
deserves to be gratefully remembered for
 the burning words which she  spoke on  
behalf of those who could not speak for 
themselves4    ,it was always a cause of
 pride to the ,humanitarian ,league that
 its  principles were broad enough to   
win the support of thoughtful and       
feeling men1 without regard to          
differences of character or of opinion  
upon other subjects4 ,a striking        
instance of this catholicity was seen on
  an occasion when the ,rev4 ,hugh      
,price ,hughes was lecturing before the 
,league on the attitude of              
,nonconformists towards                 
,humanitarianism1 and  ,mr4 ,g4 ,w4     
,foote1 editor of the ,freethinker1 and 
,president of the  ,national ,secular   
,society1 was present in the audience2  
for ,mr4 ,price  ,hughes and ,mr4 ,foote
 had been engaged in a very bitter      
personal  controversy concerning the    
alleged conversion of a certain 8atheist
  shoemaker40 ,when ,mr4 ,foote rose to 

take part in the discussion1 ,i  noticed
 a sudden look of concern on the face of
 the lecturer1 as he  whispered to me3  
8,is that ,mr4 ,foote80 expecting       
doubtless a  recrudescence of           
hostilities2 but on the neutral1 or     
rather the  universal ground of         
humanitarianism1 hostilities could not  
be2 and  questions bearing on the       
subject of the lecture were courteously 
asked  and answered by antagonists who1 
however sharply at variance on other    
questions1 were in their humanity at    
one4    ,looking back over a large      
period of the ,league's work1 ,i can    
think of no  one who gave us more       
constant proofs of friendship than ,mr4 
,foote2 and  his testimony was the more 
welcome because of the very high and    
rare  intellectual powers which he      
wielded4 ,few men of his time combined  
in  equal degree such gifts of brain and
 heart4 ,i have heard no public  speaker
 who had the faculty of going so        
straight to the core of a  subject--of  

recapturing and restoring1 as it were1  
to the attention of  an audience that   
jewel called 8the point10 on which all  
are supposed to  be intent1 but which   
seems so fatally liable to be mislaid4  
,it was  always an intellectual treat to
 hear him speak2 and though1 owing to   
religious prejudices1 his public        
reputation as thinker and writer was    
absurdly below his deserts he had the   
regard of ,george ,meredith and  others 
who were qualified to judge1 and the    
enthusiastic support of his  followers4 
,all social reformers1 whether they     
acknowledge it or not1 owe  a debt of   
gratitude to iconoclasts like ,bradlaugh
 and ,foote1 who made  free speech      
possible where it was hardly possible   
before4    ,mr4 ,passmore ,edwards1     
renowned as a philanthropist1 was       
another of our  supporters2 indeed1 he  
once proposed indirectly1 through a     
friend1 that  he should be elected      
,president of the ,league2 but this     
suggestion we did  not entertain1       

because1 though we valued his           
appreciation1 we were  anxious to keep  
clear of all ceremonious titles and     
8figure-heads0 that  might possibly     
compromise our freedom of action4       
,perhaps1 too1 we were a  little piqued 
by an artless remark which ,mr4 ,edwards
 had made to the  ,rev4 ,j4 ,stratton1  
who was personally intimate with him3   
8,it is for the  ,league to do the small
 things1 ,mr4 ,stratton4 ,leave the     
great things to  me40 ,none the less1   
,mr4 ,edwards remained on most friendly 
terms with the  ,league2 and when the   
,warden of the ,passmore ,edwards       
,settlement curtly  requested us not to 
send him any more of our 8circulars10   
,mr4 ,edwards  expressed his surprise   
and regret1 and added these words3 8,if 
the  ,passmore ,edwards ,settlement does
 as much good as the ,humanitarian      
,league in proportion to the means at   
its disposal1 ,i shall be  abundantly   
satisfied40    ,two other friends ,i    
must not leave unmentioned4 ,mr4 ,w4 ,j4

 ,stillman's  delightful story of his   
pet squirrels1 ,billy and ,hans1 was the
 most  notable of the many charming     
things written by him in praise of that 
humaneness which1 to him1 was identical 
with religion4 ,a copy of the  book     
which he gave me1 and which ,i count    
among my treasures1 bears marks  of     
having been nibbled on the cover4 8,the 
signature of my ,squirrels10  ,mr4      
,stillman had written there4 ,i value no
 autograph more than that of  ,billy or 
,hans4    ,mr4 ,r4 ,w4 ,trine used often
 to visit the ,league when he was in    
,london4  ,he had an extraordinary      
aptitude for re-stating unpopular truths
 in a  form palatable to the public2 and
 his ,every ,living ,creature1 which was
  practically a ,humanitarian ,league   
treatise in a new garb1 has had a wide  
circulation4 ,mr4 ,trine1 many years    
ago1 asked me to recommend him to a     
,london publisher with a view to an     
,english edition of his ,in ,tune with  
the ,infinite2 and ,i have it as a joke 

against my friend ,mr4 ,ernest ,bell    
that when ,i mentioned the proposal to  
him he at first looked grave and        
doubtful4 ,eventually he arranged       
matters with ,mr4 ,trine1 and ,i do not 
think his firm has had reason to regret 
it1 for the book has sold by  hundreds  
of thousands4    ,enough has been said  
to show that the humanitarian movement  
was not in  want of able counsellors and
 allies2 and there were not a few others
 of  whom further mention would have to 
be made if this book were a history  of 
the ,league4 ,the support of such       
friends as ,mr4 ,edward ,carpenter1 ,mr4
  ,bernard ,shaw1 ,mrs4 ,besant1 ,mr4   
,w4 ,h4 ,hudson1 and ,mr4 ,herbert      
,burrows1  was taken for granted4 ,sir  
,sydney ,olivier1 distinguished alike as
  thinker and administrator1 was at one 
time a member of the ,committee2 a      
similar position was held for many years
 by ,captain ,alfred ,carpenter1  ,r4,n4
 ,even ,old ,etonians were not unknown  
in our ranks4 ,mr4 ,goldwin ,smith  paid

 tribute to the justice of our protests 
against both vivisection and  the ,eton 
hare-hunt1 as may be seen in two letters
 which he wrote to me1  now included in 
his published ,correspondence4 ,in ,sir 
,george ,greenwood  our ,committee had  
for years a champion both in ,parliament
 and in the  press1 whose wide          
scholarship1 armed with a keen and      
rapier-like humour1  made many a        
dogmatical opponent regret his entry    
into the fray4 ,readers  of that subtly 
reasoned book1 ,the ,faith of an        
,agnostic1 will not need  to be told    
that its author's philosophy is no mere 
negative creed1 but  one that on the    
ethical side finds expression in very   
real humanitarian  feeling4             
,belonging to the younger generation1   
,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,douglas ,deuchar were   
among the most valuable of the ,league's
 8discoveries03 rarely1 ,i  suppose1 has
 a reform society had the aid of a more 
talented pair of  writers4 ,mr4 ,deuchar
 has a genuine gift of verse which1 if  

cultivated1  should win him a high place
 among present-day poets3 if anything   
finer  and more discriminating has been 
written about ,shelley than his sonnet1 
first printed in the ,humane ,review1 ,i
 do not know it2 and in his small       
volume of poems1 ,the ,fool ,next ,door1
 published under a disguised name1      
there are other things not less good4   
,mrs4 ,deuchar1 as ,miss ,m4 ,little1   
earned distinction as a novelist of     
great power and insight3 she1 too1  was 
a frequent contributor to the ,humane   
,review and the  ,humanitarian4    ,the 
,humane ,review1 which has been         
mentioned more than once in the         
foregoing pages1 was a quarterly        
magazine1 published by ,mr4 ,ernest     
,bell1  and edited by myself1 during the
 first decade of the century4 ,it was   
independent of the ,humanitarian        
,league1 but was very useful as an organ
  in which the various subjects with    
which the ,league dealt could be        
discussed more fully than was possible  

in the brief space of its  journal4 ,the
 list of contributors to the ,review    
included the names of  many well-known  
writers2 and if humanitarians had cared 
sufficiently for  their literature1 it  
would have had a longer life3 that it   
survived for  ten years was due to the  
fact that it was very generously        
supported by  two excellent friends of  
our cause1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,atherton     
,curtis4    ,the ,humanitarian ,league  
itself resembled the ,humane ,review in 
this1  that its ordinary income was     
never sufficient to meet the yearly     
expenditure1 and had it not been for the
 special donations of a few of  its     
members1 notably ,mr4 ,ernest ,bell1 and
 some welcome bequests1 its  career     
would have closed long before #aiai4    
,the ,league ended1 as it  began1 in its
 character of ,forlorn ,hope4 ,we had   
the goodwill of the  free-lances1 not of
 the public or of the professions4 ,i   
have already  mentioned how the artists1
 with one or two important exceptions1  

stood  aloof from what they doubtless   
regarded as a meddlesome agitation2     
literary men1 even those who agreed with
 us1 were often afraid of  incurring the
 name 8humanitarian02 schoolmasters     
looked askance at a  society which      
condemned the cane2 and religious folk  
were troubled  because we did not begin 
our meetings with prayers 7as was the   
fashion a  quarter-century ago71 and    
because none of the usual pietistic     
phrases  were read in our journal4 ,from
 the clergy we got little cheer2 though 
there were a few of them who did not    
hesitate to say personally with  ,dean  
,kitchin1 that the ,league 8was carrying
 out the best side of our  ,saviour's   
life and teaching40 ,mr4 ,price ,hughes1
 in particular1 was most  courageous in 
his endorsement of an ethic which found 
little favour  among his                
co-religionists4 ,archbishop ,temple and
 some leaders of  religious opinion     
personally signed our memorials against 
cruel sport2  and the ,bishop of        

,hereford 7,dr4 ,percival7 introduced   
our ,spurious ,sports  ,bill in the     
,house of ,lords2 yet from ,churchmen as
 a body our cause  received no sympathy1
 and many of them were ranged against   
it4    ,in the many protests against    
cruelty in its various forms1 whether of
  judicial torture1 or vivisection1 or  
butchery1 or blood-sport1 the           
reproachful cry3 8,where are the        
clergy80 has frequently been raised1 but
  raised by those who have forgotten1 in
 each case1 that there was nothing  new 
in the failure of organized ,religion to
 aid in the work of  emancipation4    ,i
 wish to be just in this matter4 ,i know
 well from a long experience of  work in
 an unpopular cause that humaneness is  
not a perquisite of any  one sect or    
creed1 whether affirmative or negative1 
religious or  secular2 it springs up in 
the heart of all sorts of persons in all
 sorts  of places1 according to no law  
of which at present we have cognisance4 
,in every age there have been men whose 

religion was identical with  their      
humanity2 men like that true saint1     
,john ,woolman1 whose gift1 as  has been
 well said1 was love4 ,st4 ,francis is  
the favourite instance of  this type2   
but sweet and gracious as he was1 with  
his appeals to  8brother wolf0 and      
8sister swallows10 his example has      
perhaps suffered  somewhat by too       
frequent quotation1 which raises the    
suspicion that the  ,church makes such  
constant use of him because its choice  
is but a  limited one4 ,less known1 and 
more impressive1 is the story1 related  
by  ,gibbon1 of the ,asiatic monk1      
,telemachus 7,a4,d4 #djd71 who1 having  
dared to  interrupt the gladiatorial    
shows by stepping into the arena to     
separate  the combatants1 was           
overwhelmed under a shower of stones4   
8,but the  madness of the people soon   
subsided2 they respected the memory of  
,telemachus1 who had deserved the honour
 of martyrdom1 and they submitted       
without a murmur to laws which abolished

 for ever the human sacrifices  of the  
amphitheatre40 ,gibbon's comment is as  
follows3 8,yet no church has  been      
dedicated1 no altar has been erected1 to
 the only monk who died a  martyr in the
 cause of humanity40    ,religion has   
never befriended the cause of           
humaneness4 ,its monstrous  doctrine of 
eternal punishment and the torture of   
the damned underlies  much of the       
barbarity with which man has treated    
man2 and the deep  division imagined by 
the ,church between the human being1    
with his  immortal soul1 and the        
soulless 8beasts10 has been responsible 
for an  incalculable sum of cruelty4    
,i knew a ,catholic priest1 of high     
repute1 who excused the ,spanish        
bull-fight on the plea that it forms a  
safety-valve for men's savage           
instincts2 their barbarity goes out on  
the bull1 and leaves them gentle  and   
kindly in their domestic relations4 ,it 
is1 in fact1 the story of the           
scape-goat repeated2 only the victim is 

not a goat1 and he does not  escape4    
,everywhere among the religious1 except 
in a few individuals1 one  meets the    
persistent disbelief in the kinship of  
all sentient life3 it  is the religious1
 not the heretics1 who are the true     
infidels and  unbelievers4 ,a few years 
ago the ,bishop of ,oxford refused to   
sanction a  prayer for the animals1     
because 8it has never been the custom of
 the  ,church to pray for any other     
beings than those we think of as        
rational40    ,i was told by the ,rev4  
,g4 ,ouseley1 an old man whose heart and
 soul were  in the work of alleviating  
the wrongs of animals1 that he once     
approached all the ministers of religion
 in a large town on the south  coast1 in
 the hope of inducing them to           
discountenance the cruel  treatment of  
cats4 ,he met with little encouragement2
 and one of the  parsons on whom he     
called1 the most influential in the     
place1 bluntly  ridiculed the proposal4 
8,one can't chuck a cat across the      

room10 he  said1 8without some old woman
 making a fuss about it40 ,mr4          
,ouseley's  only comment1 when he       
repeated this remark1 was3 8,a          
,christian  clergyman60    ,the         
following is an extract from a letter   
written at ,jerusalem by my  friend ,mr4
 ,philip ,g4 ,peabody1 who has travelled
 very widely1 and has  been a most      
careful observer of the treatment       
accorded to animals1  especially to     
horses1 in the various countries visited
 by him3         8,when ,i reflect that 
for centuries1 and from all parts of the
       world1 the most earnest          
,christians have been coming here1 and  
are       still coming2 that often they 
remain here until they die2 that        
scores of great churches here are       
crowded with pious thousands2 and       
that not one human being of them1 so far
 as ,i can see or can learn1       has  
the slightest regard for the cruelties  
occurring hundreds of       times daily1
 so atrocious that the most heartless   

ruffian in ,boston       would          
indignantly protest against them--what  
am ,i to think of the       value of    
,christianity to make men good1 tender1 
and kind80    ,this opinion would seem  
to be corroborated by that of ,dean     
,inge1 who has  described ,man as 8a    
bloodthirsty savage1 not much changed   
since the  first ,stone ,age40          
,unfortunately1 the ,gloomy ,dean1 whose
 oracular  utterances are so valued by  
journalists as providing excellent      
material  for 8copy10 does not himself  
extend any sympathy to those who are    
endeavouring to mitigate the savageness 
which he deplores1 and which his        
religion has failed to amend4           
,perhaps no better test of a people's   
civilization could be found than in  the
 manner of their religious festivals4   
,what of our ,christmas--the  season    
when peace and goodwill take the form of
 a general massacre  followed by a      
general gormandizing1 with results not  
much less fatal to  the merry-makers    

than to their victims8 ,one would think 
that a decent  cannibal would be        
sickened by the shows of live cattle1   
fattened for the  knife1 and thousands  
of ghastly carcases hung in the         
butchers' shops2  but1 on the contrary1 
the spectacle is everywhere regarded as 
a genial  and festive one4 ,the protests
 which the ,humanitarian ,league used to
  make1 in letters to ministers of      
religion and other persons of           
influence1 met with hardly any response2
 sometimes a press-writer would  piously
 vindicate the sacred season1 as        
8,dagonet0 once did in the  ,referee3   
8,we are1 of course1 from a certain     
point of view1 barbarians  in our       
butchery of beasts for the banquet4 ,the
 spectacle of headless  animals hanging 
on hooks and dripping with blood is not 
sthetic4 ,but  ,nature is barbarous in  
her methods1 and it is a law of ,nature 
that one  set of live things should live
 upon another set of live things4 ,to   
kill  and eat is a natural instinct4 ,to

 denounce it as inhuman is not only     
absurd1 but in a sense impious40 ,piety 
and pole-axe1 it will be seen1 go       
together1 in the celebration of the     
,christian ,saturnalia4                 
,christmas comes but once a year3       
,let this our anguish soften6      ,for 
who could bide that season drear        
,of bogus mirth and gory cheer1         
,if it came more often8    ,from        
,religion1 then1 as such1 the ,league   
expected nothing and got  nothing2 but  
it must be owned that its failure to    
obtain any substantial  help from the   
,labour movement was something of a     
disappointment2 for  though not a few   
leaders1 men such as ,keir ,hardie1 ,j4 
,r4 ,clynes1 ,j4 ,r4  ,macdonald1 ,bruce
 ,glasier1 and ,george ,lansbury1 were  
good friends to our  cause1 the party1  
as a whole1 showed little interest in   
the reforms  which we advocated1 even in
 matters which specially concerned the  
working classes1 such as the ,vagrancy  
,act1 the ,game ,laws1 and the use of   

the cane in ,board ,schools4 ,as for the
 non-humans1 it is a curious fact  that 
while the ,national ,secular ,society   
includes among its immediate  practical 
objects a more humane treatment of      
animals1 and their legal  protection    
against cruelty1 the ,labour movement1  
like the ,churches1 has  not cared to   
widen its outlook even to the extent of 
demanding better  conditions for the    
more highly organized domestic animals4 
,i have often thought that ,walter      
,crane's cartoon1 8,the ,triumph of     
,labour10 has a deep esoteric meaning1  
though perhaps not intended by its      
author4 ,every socialist knows the      
picture--a ,may-day procession1 in      
which a number of working-folk are      
riding to the festival in a large  wain1
 with a brave flutter of flags and      
banners1 and supporting above  them1    
with upturned palms1 a ponderous-looking
 globe on which is  inscribed 8,the     
,solidarity of ,labour0--the whole party
 being drawn by two  sturdy ,oxen1 the  

true heroes of the scene1 who must be   
wishing the  solidarity of labour were a
 little less solid1 for it would appear 
that  those heedless merry-makers ought 
to be prosecuted for overloading their  
faithful friends4 ,the ,triumph of      
,labour seems a fit title for the scene1
  but in a sense which democrats would  
do well to lay to heart4 ,do not  horses
 and other 8beasts of burden0 deserve   
their share of citizenship8  ,centuries 
hence1 perhaps1 some learned antiquarian
 will reconstruct1  from such anatomical
 data as may be procurable1 the gaunt1  
misshapen1  pitiable figure of our now  
vanishing cab-horse1 and a more         
civilized  posterity will shudder at the
 sight of what we still regard as a     
legitimate agent in locomotion4         
,such1 then1 was the position of our    
,forlorn ,hope in the years that saw    
the menace of ,armageddon looming       
larger4 ,like every one else1           
humanitarians underrated the vastness of
 the catastrophe towards which  the     

world was drifting2 but some at least   
saw the madness of the  scaremongers who
 were persistently fostering in their   
respective nations  the spirit of       
hatred2 and five years before the crash 
came it was  pointed out in the         
,humanitarian that a terrible war was1  
consciously  or unconsciously1 the aim  
and end of the outcry that was being    
raised  about the wicked designs of     
,germany1 to the concealment of the more
  important fact that every nation's    
worst enemies are the quarrelsome or    
interested persons within its own       
borders1 who would involve two          
naturally friendly peoples in a foolish 
and fratricidal strife4    ,we knew too 
well1 from the lessons of the ,boer     
,war1 what sort of folk  some of these  
were1 who1 themselves without the least 
intention of  fighting1 had stirred up  
such warlike passions in the ,yellow    
,press4 ,i  had been acquainted with    
some of them at that time1 and had not  
forgotten how1 meeting one such         

firebrand1 ,i noticed with surprise that
  he had become facially1 as well as    
journalistically1 yellow1 his cheeks    
having assumed an ochreous hue since ,i 
had seen him a day or two before4  ,he  
confided his secret to me4 ,he had once 
enlisted in the army2 and  having1 as he
 supposed1 been discharged1 was now     
stupefied by receiving  a notice to     
rejoin his regiment4 ,and there he sat1 
wondering how he  could meet his        
country's call1 a yellow journalist     
indeed3 ,i saw him in  his true colours 
that day4    ,but even thus1 though we  
suspected1 with a great eruption in     
prospect1  that to pursue our           
humanitarian work was but to cultivate  
the slopes of  a volcano1 we did not at 
all guess the magnitude of the coming   
disaster4  ,it might bring a return1 we 
feared1 to the ethics of1 say1 the      
,middle  ,ages2 our countrymen's innate 
savagery would be rather more openly and
  avowedly practised--that would be all4
 ,they would be like the troupe of      

monkeys who1 having been trained to go  
through their performance with  grave   
and sedate demeanour1 were loosed       
suddenly1 by the flinging of a  handful 
of nuts1 into all their native          
lawlessness4 ,what we did not           
anticipate--the very thing that         
happened--was that the atavism aroused  
by such a conflict would bring to light 
much more aboriginal instincts  than    
those of a few centuries back2 that it  
was not the medieval man who  was being 
summoned from the vasty deep1 but the   
prehistoric troglodyte1  or ,cave-,man1 
who1 far from having become extinct1 as 
was fondly  supposed1 still survived in 
each and all of us1 awaiting his chance 
of  resurrection4          ,,xv    ,,the
 ,,cave-,,man ,,re-,,emerges            
,i scan him now1      ,beastlier than   
any phantom of his kind      ,that ever 
butted his rough brother-brute      ,for
 lust or lusty blood or provender4      
,,tennyson4      ,it is a subject of    
speculation among zoologists whether the

 swamps and  forests of ,central ,africa
 may still harbour some surviving       
,dinosaur1 or  ,brontosaur1 a gigantic  
dragon-like monster1 half-elephant1     
half-reptile1  a relic of a far bygone  
age4 ,the thought is thrilling1 though  
the hope  is probably doomed to         
disappointment4 ,what is more certain is
 that not  less marvellous prodigies may
 be studied1 by those naturalists who   
have  the eyes to see them1 much nearer 
home2 for though ,africa has been truly 
called a wonderful museum1 it cannot    
compare in that respect with the  human 
mind1 a repository that still teems with
 griffins and gorgons1  centaurs and    
chimras1 not less real because they are 
not creatures of  flesh and blood4 ,two 
thousand years ago it was shown by the  
,roman poet  ,lucretius that what       
mortals had to fear was not such fabled 
pests as the  ,nemean lion1 the         
,arcadian boar1 or the ,cretan bull1 but
 the much more  terrible in-dwelling    
monsters of the mind4 ,in like manner1  

it was from  some hidden mental recesses
 that there emerged that immemorial     
savage1  the ,cave-,man1 who1 released  
by the great upheaval of the war1 was   
sighted by many eye-witnesses1 on many  
occasions1 during the  five-years'      
carnival of ,hatred4#da    ,some day1   
perhaps1 a true history of the war will 
be written1 and it  will then be made   
plain how such conflict had been        
rendered all but  inevitable by the     
ambitious schemes and machinations not  
of one ,empire1  but of several2 by the 
piling up of huge armaments under the   
pretence of  insuring peace2 by the     
greed of commercialists2 and by the     
spirit of  jealousy and suspicion       
deliberately created by reckless        
speakers and  writers on both sides2    
further1 how1 when the crisis arrived1  
the  working-classes in all the nations 
concerned were bluffed and cajoled  into
 a contest which to their interests was 
certain in any event to be  ruinous4    
,then1 the flame once lit1 there        

followed in this country the  clever    
engineering of enforced military        
service1 rendered possible by  the      
preceding ,registration ,act 7disguised 
under the pretence of a quite  different
 purpose71 and by a number of illusory  
pledges and promises for  the protection
 of conscientious objectors to warfare4 
,the whole story1  faithfully told1 will
 be a long record of violence and       
trickery  masquerading as 8patriotism02 
but what ,i am concerned with here is   
less  the war itself than the brutal    
spirit of hatred and persecution which  
the war engendered4    ,as a single     
instance of ,cave-,man's ferocity1 take 
the ill-treatment of  8enemy aliens0 by 
non-combatants1 who1 themselves running 
no personal  risks1 turned their        
insensate malice against helpless       
foreigners who had  every claim to a    
generous nation's protection4 8,they are
 an accursed  race10 said a typical     
speaker at one of the meetings held in  
,london4  8,intern them all1 or rather  

leave out the n1 and inter them all4    
,let  the name #8,german' be handed down
 to posterity1 and be known to the      
historian as everything that was        
bestial1 damnable1 and abominable40     
,these would be words of criminal       
lunacy--nothing less--in the mouth of   
civilized beings1 yet they are merely   
examples of things said on  innumerable 
occasions in every part of our land4    
,great masses of  ,englishmen were1 for 
the time1 in a mental state lower than  
that of  remote tribes whom we regard as
 ,bushmen and cannibals4    ,perhaps the
 most curious feature of this orgie of  
patriotic ,hatred was  its artificial   
nature3 it was at home1 not at the      
front1 that it  flourished2 and if those
 who indulged in it had been sane enough
 to read  even the war-news with        
intelligence1 they would there have     
found ample  disproof of their          
denunciations4 ,half a dozen lines from 
one of ,mr4  ,philip ,gibbs's           
descriptions would have put their       

ravings to shame4 8,some  of them       
,english wounded were helped down by    
,german prisoners1 and it  was queer to 
see one of our men with his arms round  
the necks of two  ,germans4 ,german     
wounded1 helped down by our men less    
hurt than they1  walked in the same way1
 with their arms round the necks of our 
men2 and  sometimes an ,english soldier 
and a ,german soldier came along        
together  very slowly1 arm in arm1 like 
old cronies40 ,not much patriotic       
,hatred  there4    ,nor1 of course1 was 
it only the wounded1 companions in      
misfortune1 who  thus forgot their      
enmity2 for the practice of             
8fraternizing0 sprang up  to such an    
extent at the first ,christmas of the   
war1 that it was  afterwards prohibited4
 8,they gave us cigars and cigarettes   
and toffee10  wrote an ,english soldier 
who took part in this parley with the   
accursed  race1 8and they told us that  
they didn't want to fight1 but they had 
to4  ,we were with them about an hour1  

and the officers couldn't make head or  
tail of it40 ,to this a military        
correspondent adds3 8,there is more     
bitterness against the ,germans among   
the ,french soldiers than among the     
,british1 who as a rule show no         
bitterness at all1 but the general      
spirit  of the ,french army is much less
 bitter than that of many civilians40   
,it  is an interesting psychological    
fact that it was the civilians1 the     
do-nothings1 who made ,hatred into a    
cult4    ,and what a beggarly1          
despicable sort of virulence it was6    
,for a genuine  hatred there is at least
 something to be said2 but this spurious
  manufactured malevolence1 invented by 
yellow journalists1 and fostered  by    
,government placards1 was a mere        
poison-gas of words1 a thing without    
substance1 yet with power to corrupt and
 vitiate the minds of all who  succumbed
 to it4 ,men wrangled1 as in sop's      
fable1 not over the ass1 but  over the  
shadow of the ass4 ,theirs was1 in      

,coleridge's words3        ,a wild and  
dreamlike trade of blood and guile1     
,too foolish for a tear1 too wicked for 
a smile4    ,yet it was difficult not to
 smile at it4 ,the ,niagara of nonsense 
that  the war let loose--the war that   
was supposed to be 8making people       
think0--was almost as laughable as the  
war itself was tragic2 and  satirists#db
 there were who1 like ,juvenal1 found it
 impossible to keep  a grave countenance
 under such provocation4 ,hereafter1 no 
doubt1 smiles  and tears will be freely 
mingled1 when posterity realizes1 for   
example1  what tragi-comic part was     
played by 8the scrap of paper10 that    
emblem of  national adherence to        
obligations of honour2 by the concern   
felt among  the greater nations for the 
interests of the smaller2 or by the     
justification of the latest war as 8the 
war to end war40#dc ,what a  vast amount
 of material1 too1 will be available for
 an illustrated book  of humour1 when   
some wag of the future shall collect and

 reprint the  series of official        
war-posters1 including1 of course1 those
 printed as  advertisements of the      
war-loans 7the melancholy lady1 reminded
 that 8,old  ,age must ,come10 and the  
rest of them71 and when it shall be     
recollected  that these amazing         
absurdities could really influence the  
public6 ,as if  militarism in itself    
were not comical enough1 its eulogists  
succeeded in  making it still more      
ridiculous by their cartoons4 ,as for   
the blind  credulity which the war-fever
 inspired1 the legend of the ,angels of 
,mons  will stand for age-long          
remembrance4        ,parturiunt mures1  
nascetur ridiculus ,mons4    ,this      
credulity begins1 like charity1 at home4
 ,whenever a war breaks out1  there is  
much talk of the disingenuousness of    
8enemy0 writers2 but the  sophisms which
 are really perilous to each country are
 those of native  growth--those which   
lurk deep in the minds of its own       
people1 ready1  when the season summons 

them1 to spring up to what ,sydney      
,smith called  8the full bloom of their 
imbecility40 ,that egregious maxim1 si  
vis  pacem para bellum1 8,if you wish   
for peace1 prepare for war10 is now     
somewhat discredited2 but it did its    
8bit0 in causing the war1 and after  a  
temporary retirement will doubtless be  
brought forward again when              
circumstances are more favourable4 ,it  
is perhaps as silly a saying as  any    
invented by the folly of man4 ,imagine a
 ward of lunatics1 who1  having got     
their keepers under lock and key by a   
reversal of position  such as that      
described in one of ,poe's fantastic    
stories1 should proceed  to safeguard   
peace by arming themselves with pokers  
and legs of tables4  ,for a time this   
adoption of the para bellum principle   
might postpone  hostilities2 but even   
lunatics would be wasting time and      
temper in thus  standing idly arrayed1  
and it is certain that sooner or later  
that  madhouse would realize its        

,armageddon4 ,for opportunity in the    
long run  begets action2 and whether you
 put a poker into a lunatic's hand1 or a
  sword into a soldier's1 the result    
will eventually be the same4    ,or     
perhaps we are told that war is 8a great
 natural outburst10  mysterious in its  
origin1 beyond human control3 the creed 
expressed in  ,wordsworth's famous      
assertion that carnage is 8,god's       
daughter40 ,could  any superstition be  
grosser8 ,there is nothing mysterious or
 cataclysmic  in the outbreak of modern 
wars4 ,antipathies and rivalries of     
nations  there are1 as of individuals1  
and of course if these are cherished    
they  will burst into flame2 but it is  
equally true that if they are wisely    
discountenanced and repressed they will 
finally subside4 ,we do not  excuse an  
individual who pleads his jealousy1 his 
passion1 his thirst  for revenge as a   
reason for committing an assault1 though
 personal crime  is just as much an     
8outbreak0 as war is4 ,there seems to be

 an idea that  when such passions exist 
it is better for them to 8come out40 ,on
 the  contrary1 the only hope for       
mankind is that such savage survivals   
should  not come out1 but that 8the ape 
and tiger0 should be steadily  repressed
 until they die4    ,but 8this war was  
justifiable40 ,in every nation the      
belief prevails  that1 though war in    
general is to be deprecated1 any        
particular contest  in which they may be
 engaged is righteous1 inevitable1 one  
of pure  self-defence1 in their own     
words1 8forced on us40 ,even if this    
were  true1 in some instances1 in bygone
 years when international relations     
were less complex1 and when it was      
possible for two countries to quarrel   
and 8fight it out10 like schoolboys1    
without inflicting any widespread       
injury upon others1 it is wholly        
different now2 for the calamity caused  
by a modern war is so great that it     
hardly matters1 to the world at  large1 
who1 in schoolboy phrase1 8began it40   

,it takes two to make a  quarrel2 and   
the two are jointly responsible for the 
disaster that their  quarrel entails    
upon mankind4    ,the more one looks    
into these fallacies about fighting--and
 their number  is legion--one is        
compelled to believe that the spirit    
which chiefly  underlies the tendencies 
to war1 apart from the direct incentive 
of  commercial greed1 is one of ,fear4  
,hatred is more obvious1 but it is fear 
which is at the bottom of the hatred4   
,this alone can account for the         
extraordinary shortsightedness with     
which all freedom1 both of speech  and  
of action1 is trampled on1 when a war is
 once commenced4 ,in such               
circumstances1 society at once reverts1 
in its panic alarm for its own  safety1 
to what may be called the ,ethics of the
 ,pack4 ,of all the absurd  charges     
levelled against those objectors to     
military service who refused  to        
sacrifice their own principles to other 
persons' ideas of patriotism1  the      

quaintest was that of 8cowardice02 for1 
with all respect to the very  real      
physical bravery of those who fought1 it
 must be said that the  highest courage 
shown during the war was that of the    
persons who were  denounced and         
ridiculed as cravens4 ,it was a moment  
when it required  much more boldness to 
object than to consent2 one of those    
crises to  which the famous lines of    
,marvell are applicable3        ,when   
the sword glitters o'er the judge's     
head1      ,and fear has coward         
churchmen silencd1      ,then is the    
poet's time2 'tis then he draws1        
,and single fights forsaken virtue's    
cause4    ,the despised 8,conchie0 was1 
in truth1 the hero and poet of the      
occasion4    ,again1 it must be owing to
 fear1 above all other impulses1 that   
when a  war is over1 the conquerors1    
instead of offering generous terms--a   
course which would be at least as much  
to their own advantage as to that  of   
the vanquished--enforce hard and ruinous

 conditions which rob them  of a        
permanent peace4 ,this they do from what
 ,leigh ,hunt calls        ,the         
consciousness of strength in enemies1   
,who must be strain'd upon1 or else they
 rise4    ,it was this that caused the  
,germans1 fifty years ago1 to dictate at
  ,paris those shameful terms which have
 now been their own undoing2 and it  was
 this which caused the ,french1 in their
 hour of victory1 to imitate  the worst 
blunders of their enemies4    ,we are   
but a world of savages1 or we should see
 that in international as  in personal  
affairs generosity is much more mighty  
than vengeance4 ,some  years before the 
war there appeared in the ,daily ,news  
an article by  its ,paris correspondent1
 the late ,mr4 ,j4 ,f4 ,macdonald1 which
 even at the  time was very impressive1 
and which now1 as one looks back over   
the  horrors of the war1 has still      
greater and more melancholy             
significance4  ,he called it 8,a        
,dream40 ,he pointed out that the sole  

obstacle to a  friendly relationship    
between ,france and ,germany1 and the   
chief peril to  ,european peace1 was the
 lost provinces of ,alsace-,lorraine4   
8,during my fifteen years' residence in 
,france ,i have often dreamt a          
dream--so audacious1 so quixotic1 so    
startling1 that ,i can hardly       put 
it down on paper4 ,it was that the      
,german ,emperor restored the           
provinces of ,alsace-,lorraine to       
,france4444 ,what a thrill throughout   
the world1 what a heroic and            
imperishable place in history for the   
,german ,emperor1 were the centenary of 
,waterloo to be commemorated       by   
the generous1 the magnificent release of
 ,alsace-,lorraine40    ,a dream1       
indeed1 and of a kind which at present  
flits through the ivory  gate2 but a    
true dream in the sense that it conveyed
 a great  psychological fact1 and of the
 sort which will yet have to be         
fulfilled1  if ever the world is to     
become a fit place for civilized        

beings--not to  mention 8heroes0--to    
dwell in4    ,but let us return to      
realities and to the ,cave-,man4        
,however irrational  the ,hatred which  
surged up in so many hearts1 it         
nevertheless had power  to trample every
 humane principle under foot4 ,that     
gorilla-like visage  which looked out at
 us from numbers of human faces meant   
that our  humanitarian cause1 if not    
killed or mortally injured by the       
war-spirit1  was at least1 in military  
parlance1 8interned40 ,what we were     
advocating  was a more sympathetic      
conduct of life with regard to both our 
human and  our non-human fellow-beings1 
and what we mainly relied on1 and aimed 
at  developing by the aid of reason1 was
 the compassionate instinct which       
cannot view any suffering unmoved4 ,we  
had advanced to a point where some  sort
 of reprobation1 however inadequate1 was
 beginning to be felt for  certain      
barbarous practices2 and though we could
 not claim to have done  more than curb 

the ferocious spirit of cruelty that had
 come down to us  from the past1 it was 
at least some satisfaction that limits  
were  beginning to be imposed on it4    
,what result1 then1 was inevitable1     
when1  in a considerable area of the    
world1 all such ethical restrictions    
were  suddenly and completely withdrawn1
 and mankind was exhorted to take a     
deep draught of aboriginal savagery8    
,terrible as are the wrongs that        
countless human beings have to suffer1  
when great military despotisms are      
adjusting by the sword their 8balance   
of power10 and exhibiting their entire  
lack of balance of mind1 still  more    
terrible are the cruelties inflicted on 
the innocent non-human  races whose fate
 it is to be involved in the internecine
 battles of men4  ,in a message         
addressed to the ,german people1 the    
,kaiser was reported to  have said3 8,we
 shall resist to the last breath of man 
and of horse40 ,as  if the horse could  
enjoy the comforts of 8patriotism10 and 

were not  ruthlessly sacrificed1 like a 
mere machine1 for a quarrel in which he 
had neither lot nor part6 ,more         
suffering is caused to animals in a day 
of war than in a year of peace2 and so  
long as wars last it is idle to  suppose
 that a humane treatment of animals can 
be secured4 ,do the  opponents of       
blood-sports1 of butchery1 of           
vivisection1 wonder at the  obstinate   
continuance of those evils8 ,let them   
consider what goes on  7blessed by      
bishops7 in warfare1 and they need not  
wonder any more4    8,do men gather figs
 from thistles80 ,it seemed as if some  
of our sages  expected men to do so1 if 
one might judge from the anticipations  
of a  regenerated ,europe that was to   
arise after the close of the war6       
,already  we see the vanity of such     
prophesyings--of making a sanguinary    
struggle  the foundation of idealistic  
hopes4 ,not all the wisdom of all the   
prophets can alter the fact that like   
breeds like1 that savage methods        

perpetuate savage methods1 that evil    
cannot be suppressed by evil1 nor  one  
kind of militarism extinguished by      
another kind of militarism4 ,hell1  we  
say1 is paved with good intentions2 but 
those who assumed that the  converse was
 true1 and that the pathway of their    
good intentions could  be paved with    
hell1 have been woefully disillusioned  
by the event4    ,there is a too easy   
and sanguine expectation of 8good coming
 out of  evil40 ,people talked as if    
,armageddon would naturally be followed 
by the  millennium4 ,but history shows  
that modern wars leave periods of       
exhaustion and repression4              
8,reconstruction0 is a phrase now much  
in  vogue1 but reconstruction is not    
progress4 ,if two neighbouring families1
  or several families1 quarrel and pull 
down each others' houses1 there  will   
certainly have to be 8reconstruction02  
but it will be a long time  before they 
are even as well off as they were       
before4 ,so it is with  nations4 ,the   

question is3 ,does war quicken men's    
sympathies or deaden  them8 ,to some    
extent1 both1 according to the          
difference in their  temperaments2 but  
it is to be feared that those who are   
quickened by  experience of war to      
hatred of war are but a small minority1 
compared  with those who are rendered   
more callous4    ,one great obstacle to 
the discontinuance of bloodshed is the  
incorrigible sentimentality with which  
war has always been regarded by         
mankind4 8,who was it10 exclaimed the   
poet ,tibullus1 8that first invented    
the dreadful sword8 ,how savage1 how    
truly steel-hearted was he60 ,but       
surely the reproach is less deserved by 
the early barbarian who had the         
ingenuity to discover an improved method
 of destruction than by the  so-called  
civilized persons who1 for the sake of  
lucre1 prolong such  inventions long    
after the date when they should have    
been abandoned4  8,war is hell10 men    
say1 and continue to accept it as       

inevitable4 ,but if  war is hell1 who   
but men themselves are the fiends that  
people it8    ,in like manner the       
outbreak of war is often called 8a      
relapse into  barbarism10 but rather it 
is a proof that we have never emerged   
from  barbarism at all2 and the         
knowledge of that fact is the only      
rational  solace that can be found1 when
 we see the chief nations of ,europe    
flying  at each other's throats4 ,for if
 this were a civilized age1 the prospect
  would be without hope2 but seeing that
 we are not civilized--that as yet  we  
have only distant glimpses of           
civilization--we can still have faith   
in the future4 ,for the present1 looking
 at the hideous lessons of the  war1 we 
must admit that the growth of a humaner 
sentiment has been  indefinitely        
retarded4 ,we cannot advance at the same
 time on the path of  militarism and of 
humaneness3 we shall have to make up our
 minds1 when  the fit of savagery has   
spent itself1 which of the two diverging

 paths  we are to follow4 ,and the moral
 of the war for social reformers will   
perhaps be this3 that it is not         
sufficient to condemn the barbarities of
  warfare alone1 as our pacifists have  
too often done4 ,the civilized  spirit  
can only be developed by a consistent   
protest against all forms  of cruelty   
and oppression2 it is only by           
cultivating a whole-minded  reverence   
for the rights of all our fellow-beings 
that we shall rid  ourselves of that    
inheritance of selfish callousness of   
which the  militarist and imperialist   
mania is a part4#dd    ,is it not time  
that we sent the ,cave-,man back to his 
den--henceforth to  be his              
sepulchre--and buried for ever that     
infernal spirit of ,hatred  which he    
brought with him from the pit8          
,,xvi    ,,poetry ,,of ,,death ,,and    
,,love        ,and ,death and ,love are 
yet contending for their prey4          
,,shelley4      ,to look back over a    
long stretch of years1 or to re-read the

 annals of a  ,society with which one   
has been closely associated1 is to be   
reminded of  the loss of many cherished 
comrades and friends4 ,during the past  
decade1  especially1 there are few      
households that have not become more    
intimately associated with ,death2 but  
even in this matter1 it would  seem1 the
 war1 far from 8making men think10 has  
thrown them back more  and more on the  
ancient substitutes for thought1 and on 
consolations  which only console when   
they are quite uncritically accepted4   
,for though the ceaseless conflict      
between death and love has brought to   
the aid of mankind in this age1 as in   
all ages1 a host of comforters  who1    
whether by religion or by philosophy1   
have made light of the  terrors of the  
grave1 they have as yet failed to supply
 the solace for  which mankind has long 
looked and is still looking4 ,they      
profess to  remove 8the sting of death10
 but leave its real bitterness--the     
sundering of lover from lover1 friend   

from friend--unmitigated and  untouched4
    ,death is the eternal foe of love2  
and it is just because it is the foe  of
 love1 not only because it is the foe of
 life1 that it is properly and          
naturally dreaded4 ,its sting lies not  
in the mortality1 but in the            
separation4 ,a lover1 a friend1 a       
relative1 grieves1 not because the      
loved one is mortal1 still less because 
he himself is mortal1 but  because they 
two will meet no more in the relation in
 which they have  stood to each other4  
,they told me1 ,heraclitus1 they told me
 you were dead4      ,they brought me   
bitter news to hear1 and bitter tears to
 shed4      ,i wept as ,i remembered how
 often you and ,i      ,had tired the   
sun with talking1 and sent him down the 
sky4    ,it is useless to surmise1 or to
 assert1 that the spirit passes1 after  
death1 into other spheres of activity or
 of happiness2 for1 even if  there were 
proof of this1 it would in no way lessen
 the grief of those  who are bereaved of

 the actual4 ,it was long ago pointed   
out by ,lucretius  that even a renewed  
physical life would in any case be so   
different from  the present life that it
 could not be justly regarded as in any 
true  sense a continuance of it3        
,nor yet1 if time our scattered dust    
re-blend1      ,and after death upbuild 
the flesh again--      ,yea1 and our    
light of life arise re-lit--      ,can  
such new birth concern the ,self one    
whit1      ,when once dark death has    
severed memory's chain8#de    ,in like  
manner a future spiritual life could    
never compensate for the  severance of  
love in this life2 for it is of the very
 essence of love  to desire1 not similar
 things1 nor as good things1 nor even   
better  things1 but the same things4 ,as
 ,richard ,jefferies wrote3 8,i do not  
want  change2 ,i want the same old and  
loved things1 the same wild flowers1 the
  same trees and soft ash-green3 the    
turtle-doves1 the blackbirds1 444 and   
,i want them in the same place40    ,and

 what is true of the nature-lover is not
 less true of the  human-lover1 be he   
parent1 or brother1 or husband1 or      
friend4 ,it is not  a solace but a      
mockery of such passionate affection to 
assert that it  can be compensated for  
its disruption in the present by a new  
but  changed condition in the future4 ,a
 recognition of this truth may be seen  
in ,thomas ,hardy's poem1 8,he ,prefers 
,her ,earthly03    444 ,well1 shall ,i  
say it plain8      ,i would not have you
 thus and there1      ,but still would  
grieve on1 missing you1 still feature   
,you as the one you were4    ,but this1 
it may be said1 is to set love in       
rebellion against not death  only1 but  
the very laws of life4 ,there is truth  
in such censure2 and  wisest is he who  
can so reconcile his longings with his  
destiny as to  know enough of the       
sweetness of love without too much of   
the bitterness  of regret4 ,perhaps1 in 
some fairer society of a future age1    
when love is  more generally shared1 the

 sting of death will be less acute2 but 
what  centuries have yet to pass before 
that 8,golden ,city0 of which ,john     
,barlas sang can be realized8           
,there gorgeous ,plato's spirit         
,hangs brooding like a dove1      ,and  
all men born inherit        ,love free  
as gods above2      ,there each one is  
to other      ,a sister or a brother1   
,a father or a mother1        ,a lover  
or a love4    ,meantime it would almost 
seem that to the religious folk who     
assume a  perpetuity of individual life1
 the thought of death sometimes becomes 
less solemn1 less sacred1 than it is to 
those who have no supernatural  beliefs4
 ,the easy assurance of immortality to  
which friends who are  writing letters  
of condolence to a mourner too often    
have recourse1 is  usually a sign less  
of sympathy than of the lack of it2 for 
it is not  sympathetic to repeat ancient
 formulas in face of a present and very 
real grief2 indeed1 it is in many cases 
an impertinence1 when it is  done       

without any regard to the views of the  
person to whom such solace  is          
addressed4 ,among the professional      
ghouls who watch the death-notices  in  
the papers1 none1 perhaps1 are more     
callous--not even the would-be  buyers  
of old clothes or artificial teeth--than
 the pious busybodies who  intrude on   
homes of sorrow with their vacant tracts
 and booklets4 ,nay1  worse3 nowadays   
mourners are lucky if some spiritist    
acquaintance does  not have a beatific  
vision of the lost one2 for the dead    
seem to be  regarded as a lawful prey by
 any one who sees visions and dreams    
dreams1  and who is determined to call  
them as witnesses that there is no      
reality  in the most stringent          
ordinances of nature3        ,stern law 
of every mortal lot2        ,which man1 
proud man1 finds hard to bear1      ,and
 builds himself ,i know not what        
,of second life ,i know not where4      
,with much appropriateness did ,matthew 
,arnold introduce his trenchant  rebuke 

of human arrogance into a poem on the   
grave of a dog2 for mankind  has neither
 right nor reason to presume for itself 
an hereafter which it  denies to humbler
 fellow-beings who share at least the   
ability to suffer  and to love4 ,can any
 one1 not a mere barbarian1 who has     
watched the  death of an animal whom he 
loved1 and by whom he was himself loved 
with  that faithful affection which is  
never withheld when it is merited1 dare 
to doubt that the conditions of life and
 death are essentially the same  for    
human and for non-human8 ,is an animal's
 death one whit less poignant  in       
remembrance than that of one's dearest  
human friend8 ,must it not  remain with 
us as ineffaceably8    ,that individual 
love should resent the thraldom of death
 may be  unreasonable2 but it is useless
 to ignore the fact of such resentment1 
or to proffer consolations which can    
neither convince nor console4 ,from  the
 earliest times the poets1 above all    
others1 have borne witness to  love's   

protest4 ,perhaps the most moving lyric 
in ,roman literature is  that short     
elegy written by ,catullus at his       
brother's grave1 full of a  deep passion
 which can hardly be conveyed in another
 tongue4        ,borne far o'er many    
lands1 o'er many seas1        ,on this  
sad service1 brother1 have ,i sped1     
,to proffer thee death's last           
solemnities1        ,and greet1 though  
words be vain1 the silent dead3         
,for thou art lost1 so cruel fate       
decrees2        ,ah1 brother1 from my   
sight untimely fled6      ,yet take     
these gifts1 ordained in bygone years   
,for mournful dues when funeral rites   
befell2      ,take them1 all streaming  
with a brother's tears3        ,and     
thus1 for evermore--hail and farewell6  
,a similar cry is heard in that famous  
passage of ,virgil1 where the  bereaved 
,orpheus refuses to be comforted for the
 loss of his ,eurydice4  ,and nearly two
 thousand years later we find           
,wordsworth1 a ,christian  poet1 echoing

 the same lamentation3    444 ,when ,i  
stood forlorn1      ,knowing my heart's 
best treasure was no more2      ,that   
neither present time1 nor years unborn1 
,could to my sight that heavenly face   
restore4    ,mark the reference to      
8years unborn40 ,wordsworth was a       
believer in  immortality2 but           
immortality itself cannot restore what  
is past and  gone4 ,all the sages and   
seers and prophets1 that have given     
mankind the  benefit of their wisdom    
since the world began1 have so far      
failed to  provide the least crumb of   
comfort for the ravages of death1 or to 
explain why love should be for ever     
built up to be for ever overthrown1  and
 why union should always be followed by 
disseverance4    ,there may1 of course1 
be a solution of this tragedy hereafter 
to be  discovered by mankind2 all that  
we know is that1 as yet1 no human being 
has found the clue to the mystery1 or1  
if he has found it1 has  vouchsafed the 
knowledge to his fellow-mortals4 ,for we

 must dismiss as  idle the assertion    
that such things cannot be communicated 
in words4  ,anything that is apprehended
 by the mind can be expressed by the    
mouth--not adequately1 perhaps1 yet     
still1 in some measure1  expressed--and 
the reason why this greatest of secrets 
has never been  conveyed is that1 as    
yet1 it has never been apprehended4     
,it is1 doubtless1 this lack of any real
 knowledge1 of any genuine  consolation1
 that drives mankind to seek refuge in  
the more primitive  superstitions4      
,something more definite1 more tangible1
 is not  unnaturally desired2 and       
therefore men turn to the assurances of 
what is  called spiritualism--the       
refusal to believe that death1 in the   
accepted  sense1 has taken place at all4
 ,this creed is at least free from the  
vagueness of the ordinary religious view
 of death4 ,it is small comfort  to be  
told that a lost friend is sitting      
transfigured1 harp in hand1 in  some    
skiey mansion of the blest2 but it might

 mitigate the bereavement  of some      
mourners 7not all7 to converse with     
their lost one1 and to learn  that he   
exists in much the same manner1 and with
 the same affections as  before4 ,some  
who 8prefer him earthly0 are less likely
 to be disappointed  in spiritualism    
than in any other philosophy2 the danger
 is rather that  they should find him   
too earthly--enjoying a cigarette1      
perhaps1 as in  a case mentioned in     
recent revelations of the spirit-life4  
,this is  literalness with a vengeance2 
but however ludicrous and incredible it 
may be1 it is not--from the comforter's 
point of view--meaningless2  whereas it 
is unmeaning to tell a mourner that the 
loved one is not  lost1 to him1 when the
 whole environment and fabric of their  
love are  shattered and destroyed4      
,is there1 then--pending such fuller    
knowledge as mankind may hereafter      
gain--no present comfort for death's    
tyranny8 ,i have spoken of the poets  as
 the champions of love against death2   

and it is perhaps in poetry1  the poetry
 of love and death1 that the best solace
 will be found--in  that open-eyed and  
quite rational view of the struggle1    
which does not  deny the reality of     
death1 but asserts the reality of love4 
,it is  amusing to hear those who do not
 accept the orthodox creed as regards an
  after-life described as cold          
8materialists0 and 8sceptics40 ,for who 
have  written most loftily1 most        
spiritually1 about death and the great  
emotions that are implied in the        
word--the religionists and              
8spiritualists10 who pretend to a mystic
 knowledge1 or the great  free-thinking 
poets1 from the time of ,lucretius to   
the time of ,shelley  and ,james        
,thomson8 ,can any 8spiritualist0 poetry
 match the great sublime  passages of   
the ,de ,rerum ,natur1 or1 to come to   
our own age1 of ,the  ,city of ,dreadful
 ,night8    ,it is to the poets1 then1  
not to the dogmatists1 that we must look
 for  solace2 for1 where knowledge is   

still unattainable1 an aspiration is    
wiser than an assertion1 and the theme  
of death is one which can be far  better
 treated idealistically than as a matter
 of doctrine4 ,in poetry1  as nowhere   
else1 can be expressed those manifold   
moods1 and half-moods1  in which the    
noblest human minds have sought relief  
when confronted by  this mighty problem2
 and far more soothing than any         
unsubstantial  promises of futurity is  
the charm that is felt in the magic of  
beautiful  verse4 ,in ,milton's words3  
444 ,i was all ear1      ,and took in   
strains that might create a soul        
,under the ribs of death4    ,at the    
present time1 when a great war has      
brought bereavement into so  many homes1
 and when superstition is reaping its   
harvest among the sad  and broken lives 
that are everywhere around us1 how can  
rational men do  better than recall as  
many minds as possible from the false   
teachers to  the true1 from the priests1
 who claim a knowledge which they do not

  possess1 to the poets1 in whom1 as    
,shelley said1 there is 8the power of   
communicating and receiving intense and 
impassioned conceptions  respecting man 
and nature08 ,and the testimony of the  
poets cannot be  mistaken2 their first  
word and their last word is ,love4      
,whether it be  ,cowper1 gazing on his  
mother's portrait2 or ,burns1 lamenting 
his  ,highland ,mary2 or ,wordsworth1 in
 his elegies for ,lucy2 or ,shelley1 in 
the raptures of his 8,adonais02 or      
pessimists1 such as ,edgar ,poe and     
,james ,thomson1 to whom love was the   
8sole star of light in infinite  black  
despair0--the lesson that we learn from 
them is the same4 ,for  death there is  
no solace but in love2 it is to love's  
name that the  human heart must cling4  
,ah6 let none other alien spell soe'er1 
,but only the one ,hope's one name be   
there1      ,not less1 nor more1 but    
even that word alone6          ,,xvii   
,,the ,,talisman        ,comprendre     
c'est ,pardonner4--,,madame ,,de        

,,sta,l4      ,are we1 then1 a civilized
 people8 ,has the ,man of to-day1 still 
living by  bloodshed1 still striving to 
grow rich at the expense of his         
neighbour1  still using torture in      
punishment1 still seeking sport in      
destruction1  still waging fratricidal  
wars1 and1 while making a hell on earth1
  claiming for himself an eternal heaven
 hereafter--has this selfish1  predatory
 being arrived at a state of            
8civilization08    ,it may be said1     
perhaps1 that as the ideal is always in 
advance of the  actual1 and it is easy  
to show that any present stage of       
society falls  far short of what it     
might be and ought to be1 the           
distinction between  savagery and       
civilization is a matter of names4      
,this1 in one sense1 is  true2 but it is
 also true that names are of great      
importance as reacting  upon conduct1   
and that to use flattering titles as a  
veil for cruel  practices gives         
permanence to evils that otherwise would

 not be  permitted4 ,our present        
self-satisfaction in what we are pleased
 to call  our civilization is a very    
serious obstacle to improvement4    ,in 
this manner euphemism plays a great part
 in language2 for just as the  ,greeks  
used gracious terms to denote malignant 
powers1 and so1 as they  thought1 to    
disarm their hostility1 the modern mind 
seeks1 consciously  or unconsciously1 to
 disguise iniquities by misnaming them4 
,thus a blind  tribal hatred can be     
masked as 8patriotism02 living idly on  
the work of  others is termed 8an       
independence02 vivisection cloaks itself
 as  8research02 and the massacre of    
wild animals for man's wanton amusement 
is dignified as 8sport40 ,there is      
undoubtedly much virtue in names4       
,but here another objection may be      
raised1 to wit1 that in view of the     
vast advance that has been made by      
mankind from primeval savagery to the   
present complex social state1 it is     
impossible to apply to the higher  man  

the same name as to the lower man2 for  
if we are savages1 what are  the        
,bushmen or the ,esquimaux8             
,better fifty years of ,europe than a   
cycle of ,cathay4    ,it may be doubted 
whether of late years ,europe has been  
pleasanter as a  residential district   
than ,cathay2 but1 letting that pass1   
must we not  admit that a real culture  
implies something more than material and
  mental opulence8 8,civilization10 as a
 ,french writer has lately said1 8is    
not in this terrible trumpery3 if it is 
not in the heart of man1 then it  exists
 nowhere40#df ,it is easy to frame      
8ethnical periods10 as is done  in      
,morgan's ,ancient ,society1 in which   
are postulated the three                
phases--,savagery1 ,barbarism1 and      
,civilization--the last-named commencing
  with the invention of a ,phonetic     
,alphabet2 but such a definition1 when  
put to practical test1 seems a somewhat 
fanciful one4 ,the brute who  tortures  
or butchers a sentient fellow-being     

remains a brute1 whether a  ,phonetic   
,alphabet has been invented or not4 ,he 
has not learnt the ,,abc of             
civilization4 ,what is needed1 for the  
measurement of human progress1 is  a    
standard of ethical1 not ethnical       
refinement4    ,that mankind has already
 advanced so far is a sign1 not that it 
has now  reached its zenith1 but that it
 has yet further to advance2 and this   
advance will be delayed1 not promoted1  
by the refusal to recognize that  the   
physical and mental sciences have far   
outrun the moral--that1  despite our    
multifarious discoveries and            
accomplishments1 we are still           
barbarians at heart4    ,in this sense1 
then1 we are savages2 and the knowledge 
of that fact is  the first step toward  
civilization4 ,there is a line which    
pious  zoophilists are fond of quoting  
to sportsmen or other thoughtless       
persons who ill-use their humbler       
fellow-creatures3        ,remember1 ,he 
who made thee made the brute4    ,the   

reminder is wholesome1 for kinship is   
too apt to be forgotten2 but ,i  would  
venture to interpret that significant   
verse in a much more literal  sense2 for
 it must be confessed that many a human 
being1 if judged by  his actions1 is not
 only related to the brute1 but is      
himself the  brute4 ,the old ,greek     
maxim1 8,know thyself10 is the          
starting-point of all  reformation4     
,through this knowledge1 and only       
through it1 can come the patience which 
forgives because it fully understands3  
8,comprendre c'est pardonner0 is        
assuredly one of the world's greatest   
sayings4        ,he pardons all1 who all
 can understand4    ,there is no need to
 search for extenuating circumstances1  
because1 as  ,ernest ,crosby has        
remarked3 8,is not the fact of being    
born a man or a  woman an all-sufficient
 extenuating circumstance80 ,all is     
explained1  when once we are content to 
look upon our fellow-beings1 and upon   
ourselves1 as what we verily are--a race

 of rough but not unkindly  barbarians1 
emerging with infinite slowness to a    
more humanized  condition1 and to       
recognize that if mankind1 even as it   
is1 has been  evolved from a still more 
savage ancestry1 that fact is in itself 
a  proof that progress is not wholly    
chimerical4    ,considered from the     
point of view of personal happiness and 
peace of  mind1 the question is the     
same4 ,to what sort of comfort can a    
person of  sensibility hope to attain1  
in sight of the immense sum of          
wretchedness  and suffering that is     
everywhere visible1 and audible1 around 
us8 ,i know  not a few humanitarians    
whose lives are permanently saddened by 
the  thought of the awful destitution   
that afflicts large masses of mankind1  
and of the not less awful cruelties     
inflicted on the lower animals in  the  
name of sport and science and fashion4  
,how can sensitive and  sympathetic     
minds forget the loss of other persons' 
happiness in the  culture of their own1 

especially if they have realized that   
not a little  of their well-being is    
derived from the toil of their fellows8 
,here1 again1 some measure of           
consolation may be found1 if we look at 
the  problem in a less sanguine and     
therefore less exacting spirit4 ,people 
often indignantly ask1 with reference to
 some cruel action or custom1  whether  
we are living 8in an age of civilization
 or of savagery10 the  implication being
 that in an era of the highest and      
noblest  civilization1 such as ours is  
assumed to be1 some unaccountably       
barbarous persons are stooping to an    
unworthy practice4 ,is it not wiser1    
and more conducive to one's personal    
peace of mind1 to reverse this          
assumption1 and to start with the frank 
avowal that the present age1 in  spite  
of its vast mechanical cleverness1 is1  
from an ethical point of  view1 one of  
positive barbarism1 not so savage1 of   
course1 as some that  have preceded it1 
but still undeniably savage as compared 

with what we  foresee of a civilized    
future8    ,viewed in this more modest  
light1 many usages which1 if prevalent  
in a  civilized country1 might well make
 one despair of humankind1 are seen to  
be1 like the crimes of children1        
symptoms of the thoughtless infancy of  
our race4 ,we are not civilized folk who
 have degenerated into monsters1  but   
untamed savages who1 on the whole1 make 
a rather creditable display1  and may in
 future centuries become civilized4     
,for example1 when one meets a number of
 8sportsmen0 going forth1 with  horses  
and with hounds1 to do to death with    
every circumstance of  barbarity some   
wretched little animal whom they have   
actually bred1 or  8preserved10 or      
imported for the purpose1 such a        
sight--if one regards  them as rational 
and civilized beings--might well spoil  
one's happiness  for a fortnight4 ,but  
if we take a lower stand1 and see in    
them nothing  more than fine strapping  
barbarians1 engaged in one of the       

national  recreations of those 8dark    
ages0 in which we live1 the outlook     
becomes  immediately a more cheerful    
one2 and instead of being surprised that
  ladies and gentlemen in the twentieth 
century should desire to 8break  up0 a  
fox1 we are able to recognize the       
moderation and civility with  which in  
other respects they conduct themselves4 
,one advantage1 at least1 can be drawn  
by humanitarians from the present  state
 of affairs--a more accurate            
apprehension of the obstacles by which  
their hopes are beset4 ,much has been   
said and written about the causes  of   
the war2 and it is inevitable that the  
immediate causes 7for they  alone are   
discussed7 should be thoroughly         
investigated4 ,but the deeper           
underlying causes of the recent war1 and
 of every war1 are not those  upon which
 diplomatists and politicians and       
journalists and historians  are intent3 
they must be sought in that callous and 
selfish habit of  mind--common to all   

races1 and as such accepted without     
thought1 and  transmitted from one      
generation to another--which exhibits   
itself not in  war only1 but in numerous
 other forms of barbarity observed in   
so-called  civilized life4    ,no       
,league of ,nations1 or of individuals1 
can avail1 without a change of  heart4  
,reformers of all classes must recognize
 that it is useless to  preach peace by 
itself1 or socialism by itself1 or      
anti-vivisection by  itself1 or         
vegetarianism by itself1 or kindness to 
animals by itself4  ,the cause of each  
and all of the evils that afflict the   
world is the  same--the general lack of 
humanity1 the lack of the knowledge that
 all  sentient life is akin1 and that he
 who injures a fellow-being is in fact  
doing injury to himself4 ,the prospects 
of a happier society are wrapped  up in 
this despised and neglected truth1 the  
very statement of which1 at  the present
 time1 must 7,i well know7 appear       
ridiculous to the accepted  instructors 

of the people4    ,the one and only     
talisman is ,love4 ,active work has to  
be done1 but if it  is to attain its    
end1 it is in the spirit of love that it
 must be  undertaken4 ,perhaps the most 
significant symptom of the brutishness  
aroused by the war-fever was the blank  
inability which many ,christians  showed
 not only to practise such injunctions  
as 8,love your enemies10 but  even to   
understand them4#dg ,had it not been    
that humour1 like  humaneness1 was sunk 
fathoms deep in an ocean of stupidity1  
one would  have been tempted to quote   
,ernest ,crosby's delightful lines on   
8,love the  ,oppressors03        ,love  
the oppressors and tyrants3      ,it is 
the only way to get rid of them6    ,in 
these days1 when the voice of hatred and
 malevolence is so dominant1  it is a   
joy to turn to the pages of writers who 
proclaim a wiser faith4  8,this is a    
gray world10 says ,howard ,moore4       
8,there is enough sorrow in  it1 even   
though we cease to scourge each         

other--the sorrow of floods1  famines1  
fires1 earthquakes1 storms1 diseases1   
and death4 ,we should  trust each other1
 and love each other1 and sympathize    
with and help each  other1 and be       
patient and forgiving40 ,nor is it only 
the human that  claims our sympathy2 for
 does not ,pierre ,loti1 in his ,book of
 ,pity and  ,death1 imagine even his    
stray ,chinese cat1 whom he had         
befriended on  shipboard1 addressing him
 in similar words3 8,in this autumn day1
 so sad  to the heart of cats1 since we 
are here together1 both isolated beings 
444 suppose we give1 one to the other1 a
 little of that kindness which  softens 
trouble1 which resembles the immaterial 
and defies death1 which  is called      
affection1 and which expresses itself   
from time to time by a  caress40    ,has
 not this distracted world had enough1  
and more than enough1 of  jealousies and
 denunciations8 ,is it not time that we 
tried1 in their  stead1 the effect1 say1
 of a bombardment of blessings8 ,if     

there are  light-waves1 heat-waves1     
sound-waves1 may there not also be      
love-waves8  ,how if we sent out a daily
 succession of these to earth's         
uttermost  parts8 ,a benediction is as  
easily uttered as a curse2 and it needs 
no  priest to pronounce it4 ,at least it
 is pleasant to think 7and men put      
faith in creeds that are much less      
believable7 that gentle thoughts1 the   
8wireless0 of the heart1 may penetrate  
and be picked up in regions that  are   
beyond our ken1 and so create a more    
favourable atmosphere for  gentle deeds4
 8,why did none of them tell me10 asks  
,crosby1 8that my soul  was a           
loving-machine80 ,it is strange1        
certainly1 that we take so much  more   
pains to kindle the fires of hate than  
the fires of love4    8,boundless       
compassion for all living beings10 says 
,schopenhauer1 8is the  surest and most 
certain guarantee of pure moral conduct1
 and needs no  casuistry4 ,whoever is   
filled with it will assuredly injure no 

one1 do  harm to no one1 encroach on no 
man's rights2 he will rather have regard
  for every one1 forgive every one1 help
 every one as far as he can1 and  all   
his actions will bear the stamp of      
justice and loving-kindness40#dh        
,incidentally it may be observed that1  
as ,schopenhauer points out1 the        
difficulties of what is called the sex  
question would in large measure  be     
solved1 if this rule of 8injure no one0 
were more fully believed and  acted on4 
,the lesson of the past six years is    
this4 ,it is useless to hope that       
warfare1 which is but one of many savage
 survivals1 can be abolished1  until the
 mind of man is humanized in other      
respects also--until all  savage        
survivals are at least seen in their    
true light4 ,as long as man  kills the  
lower races for food or sport1 he will  
be ready to kill his  own race for      
enmity4 ,it is not this bloodshed1 or   
that bloodshed1  that must cease1 but   
all needless bloodshed--all wanton      

infliction of  pain or death upon our   
fellow-beings4 ,only when the great     
sense of the  universal kinship has been
 realized among us1 will love cast out  
hatred1  and will it become impossible  
for the world to witness anew the       
senseless horrors that disgrace ,europe 
to-day4    ,humanitarians1 then1 must   
expect little1 but claim much2 must know
 that  they will see no present fruits  
of their labours1 but that their labours
  are nevertheless of far-reaching      
importance4 ,let those who have been    
horrified by the spectacle of an        
atrocious war resolve to support the    
peace movement more strongly than ever2 
but let them also support the  still    
wider and deeper humanitarian movement  
of which pacifism is but a  part1       
inasmuch as all humane causes1 though   
seemingly separate1 are  ultimately and 
essentially one4          ,,postscript  
,in the preparation of this book ,i have
 used the substance of several  articles
 that first appeared in the ,humane     

,review1 ,humanitarian1  ,literary      
,guide1 ,rationalist ,press             
,association's ,annual1 ,vegetarian     
,messenger1 or elsewhere4               
,acknowledgment of certain other        
obligations is  made in the footnotes4  
,,index      ,adams1 ,francis1 #hc-he   
,adams1 ,george1 #hg    ,adams1         
,maurice1 #gf1 #gg    ,adventurer1 the1 
#bh1 #bi    ,anderson1 ,martin          
78,cynicus071 #bjd    ,anderson1 ,sir   
,robert1 #adc1 #add    ,animals1 kinship
 with man1 #ac1 #ad1 #abh1 #acj1 #aca2  
deaths of1 #acj1 #bcd2    8dumb10 #abi2 
rights of1 #abe-abh1 #acb               
,anthropocentric superstition1 #ac1     
#abg1 #abh1 #aca    ,arnold1 ,matthew1  
#de1 #eb1 #bcd    ,aveling1 ,edward1    
#hj1 #ha1 #ie      ,barlas1 ,john1      
#he-hg2    quoted1 #bcc    ,beagler     
,boy1 the1 #age1 #agf    ,bell1 ,ernest1
 #abd1 #abe1 #baa    ,besant1 ,sir      
,walter1 #aae1 #aaf    ,big ,game       
,hunting1 #aee1 #aef    8,blooding10    
#ac1 #aee    ,blood-,sport1 #ab1 #ac1   

#aea1 #afb1 #aga1 #bdc    ,bourchier1   
,j4 ,d41 #eg1 #eh    ,bradshaw1 ,henry1 
#cg-ci    ,browning1 ,oscar1 #eh1 #ei   
,browning1 ,robert1 #id                 
,brutalitarian1 ,the1 #agd    ,buchanan1
 ,robert1 #aac1 #bjb1 #bjc    ,buckland1
 ,james1 #afg      8,canonization of the
 ,ogre10 #gj1 #ga    ,carpenter1        
,captain ,alfred1 ,r4,n41 #afe1 #baj    
,carpenter1 ,edward1 #de1 #fa1 #gc1 #ge1
 #gf1 #hg-hi1 #aji1 #aaj1 #bje1 #bjf1   
#baj    ,carpenter1 ,dr4 ,p4 ,h41 #fb1  
#fh    ,catullus1 quoted1 #bce          
,champion1 ,h4 ,h41 #fa1 #gi1 #hf       
,chesterton1 ,g4 ,k41 #abg1 #abh1 #agd1 
#agh2    quoted1 #ace    ,ching ,ping1  
,chinese ,mission to ,eton1 #agf        
,christmas cruelties1 #bae    ,coit1    
,dr4 ,stanton1 #gj1 #ga    ,colam1      
,john1 #adi1 #afa1 #afb    ,comprendre  
c'est pardonner1 #bda    ,conda1 ,anna1 
her appeal to the ,zoological ,society1 
#afe    ,cornish1 ,f4 ,warre1 #ai1 #cf  
,cory1 ,william1 see ,johnson           
,coulson1 ,colonel ,w4 ,l4 ,b41 #abd1   

#aeh1 #aei    ,crane1 ,walter1 #bjd1    
#baf    ,crosby1 ,ernest1 #bje1 #bjf1   
#bda1 #bdd1 #bde      ,darrow1          
,clarence1 #bjf1 #bjg    ,day1 ,rev4    
,russell1 #bc1 #bd    de ,quincey1 ,miss
 ,e41 #aah1 #aai    ,de ,quincey1       
,thomas1 #aah-abj2    quoted1 #acf      
,deuchar1 ,n4 ,douglas1 #baa2    quoted1
 #ajj    ,dixie1 ,lady ,florence1 #aei1 
#afj    ,dobell1 ,bertram1 #ajb1 #aaj1  
#aaa    ,durnford1 ,rev4 ,f4 ,e41 #bc   
,edwards1 ,j4 ,passmore1 #adb1 #bji     
,eton ,college1 #af-ce1 #ej-ff    ,eton 
,hare-hunt1 #bg1 #ef1 #aed1 #aee1 #afj1 
#age      ,fabian ,society1 #ha1 #hb    
,feather and ,fur ,trades1 #ab1 #adh1   
#afg1 #afh1 #agb    ,fighting1 fallacies
 about1 #bbc-bbe1 #bbh1 #bbi            
,flagellomania1 #ade1 #adf1 #aff        
,flesh-eating1 #i1 #fg-fi1 #adh         
,flogging1 at ,eton1 #bb1 #bc2    in    
,royal ,navy1 #ach2    judicial1        
#ace-acg1 #add-adf    ,foote1 ,g4 ,w41  
#id1 #ie1 #ih1 #ajb1 #bjh    ,foxology1 
the1 pronounced by an ,archbishop1 #aga 

,furnivall1 ,dr4 ,f4 ,j41 #ic1 #id1 #if1
 #ig      ,game ,laws1 #aef1 #aeg1 #bjb 
,garrotting1 not suppressed by the lash1
 #acf1 #acg    ,george1 ,henry1 #eh1 #fa
    ,goodford1 ,dr4 ,c4 ,o41 #bh1 #ed   
,greenwood1 ,sir ,george1 #aec1 #agf1   
#baj      8,hag-traps10 #cb    ,hardy1  
,thomas1 #bjc1 #bjd2    quoted1 #bcc    
,harrison1 ,frederic1 #abh1 #abi        
,hatred1 carnival of1 #bbj-bbb1 #bbg1   
#bcj    ,hopwood1 ,c4 ,h41 #adj         
,hornby1 ,dr4 ,j4 ,j41 #ai1 #bj1 #ej1   
#ef1 #eh-fj2    on ,shelley1 #ib        
,hudibras1 quoted1 #ac1 #acg    ,hudson1
 ,w4 ,h41 #aaf-aah1 #baj2    quoted1 #ff
    ,hughes1 ,rev4 ,h4 ,price1 #bjh1    
#bab    ,humane ,review1 ,the1 #baa     
,humanitarian ,league1 established1     
#aba-abc2    closed1 #baa    ,hyndman1  
,h4 ,m41 #cj1 #gi1 #ajh 7note7          
,inge1 ,very ,rev4 ,w4 ,r41 #gj 7note71 
#bad1 #bae    ,ingram1 ,john ,kells1    
#aaa1 #aab      ,japp1 ,a4 ,h41 #aah    
,jefferies1 ,richard1 #aae1 #aaf1 #acj  
,johnson 7,cory71 ,william1 #bd1 #be1   

#ib2    quoted1 #bcb    ,joynes1 ,rev4  
,j4 ,l41 #aje1 #ajf    ,joynes1 ,j4 ,l1 
jun41 #eh    ,jupp1 ,w4 ,j41 #gf        
,kennedy1 ,admiral ,sir ,w41 #ach       
,kennedy1 ,dr4 ,benjamin1 #dc1 #dd      
,kennedy1 ,w4 ,s41 #aae    ,kropotkin1  
,prince1 #ahc1 #ahd      ,latin ,verses 
at ,eton1 #bf1 #bg    ,lester1 ,h4 ,f41 
#adh    ,linton1 ,w4 ,j41 #aaa    ,loti1
 ,pierre1 quoted1 #bdd1 #bde    ,lowell1
 ,j4 ,r41 #eb2    quoted1 #ahj          
,lucretius1 quoted1 #ia1 #bcb           
,lyttelton1 ,dr4 ,edward1 #bc 7note71   
#fc1 #ff1 #agf      ,macaulay1 ,g4 ,c41 
#bj 7note71 #bh1 #bi1 #db    ,macdonald1
 ,j4 ,f41 his dream1 #bbf    ,macdonald1
 ,john1 #aea    ,maitland1 ,edward1     
#abb-abd    ,marx1 ,eleanor1 #ha1 #ij   
,massey1 ,gerald1 #aaa    ,maurice1     
,rev4 ,f4 ,d41 #dd1 #de1 #dg            
,melville1 ,herman1 #fi1 #aaj1 #aab     
,meredith1 ,george1 #ajb1 #ajg-aaj1     
#bjc2    quoted1 #fe    ,miller1        
,joaquin1 #aab    ,missionary zeal1 at  
,eton1 #ee1 #agf2    at ,cambridge1 #dh 

,monck1 ,w4 ,h4 ,s4 78,lex071 #adj1 #ada
    ,moore1 ,george1 on                 
,humanitarianism1 #ahd    ,moore1 ,j4   
,howard1 #acj1 #acb-acd1 #bjj2          
quoted1 #fd 7note71 #bdd    ,morris1    
,william1 #eb1 #fa1 #gi1 #hj            
,morrison1 ,dr4 ,w4 ,d41 #adj           
,moultrie1 ,john1 #ag1 #ah    ,mountain 
scenery1 desecration of1 #ahe-aii       
8,murderous ,millinery10 #aff           
,names1 importance of1 #abi1 #aff1 #bci1
 #bdj    ,newman1 ,francis ,w41 #fc1    
#fh1 #aaf1 #abc1 #bja    ,noel1 ,hon4   
,roden1 #aac      ,okes1 ,dr41 ,provost 
of ,king's ,college1 ,cambridge1 #cf1   
#cg1 #da    ,olivier1 ,sir ,sydney1 #ha1
 #baj    8,ouida10 #bjg      ,parke1    
,ernest1 #aeb    ,paul1 ,c4 ,kegan1 #ah1
 #fh1 #ib    ,paul1 ,herbert ,w41 #bh1  
#cj    ,peabody1 ,philip ,g41 #bad      
,pig-killing1 #gh      ,reclus1 ,elise1 
#bjd1 #bje    ,religion1 its attitude   
towards ,humaneness1 #bab-baf           
,renton1 ,chief ,justice1 his error in  
the ,encyclopdia ,britannica1 #acg      

,ricketson1 ,daniel1 #aad    ,ricketson1
 ,walton1 #aah    ,riley1 ,w4 ,harrison1
 #fa1 #fb1 #aij    ,ritchie1 ,d4 ,g41   
#gj1 #abe1 #abf    ,rossetti1 ,w4 ,m41  
#hc1 #ie1 #if1 #ii1 #ajb    ,ruskin1    
,john1 #eb1 #fa1 #fb1 #aij1 #aia2    on 
,tennyson1 #fb      ,sanborn1 ,f4 ,b41  
#aad    ,savages1 in what sense1 #h-aj  
,schopenhauer1 quoted1 #abb1 #bde       
,selous1 ,edmund1 #afd    ,selous1 ,f4  
,c41 on the ,eton ,hare-hunt1 #aee      
,selwyn1 ,dr4 ,e4 ,c41 #bh-cj1 #dc1 #aed
    ,selwyn1 ,dr4 ,g4 ,a41 ,bishop of   
,lichfield1 #cj1 #cc-ce1 #ahe1 #ahf     
,sharp1 ,william1 #ajb1 #ajc    ,shaw1  
,g4 ,bernard1 #fa1 #ge1 #hj1 #hb1 #hc1  
#hh1 #ic1 #ie1      #ih1 #aji1 #aac1    
#aea1 #aff1 #agd1 #baj    ,shelley1     
,lady1 #ib1 #ic    ,shelley1 ,p4 ,b41   
#ij-ic1 #ii1 #ajj    ,shelley ,society1 
#ia1 #ic-ih    ,shilleto1 ,r41 #ci1 #dc 
,shuckburgh1 ,e4 ,s41 #eg               
,simplification of ,life1 #gc1 #ge-gh   
,slaughter-house barbarities1 #i1       
#adh-aej    ,smith1 ,professor ,goldwin1

 #baj    ,snake-,feeding in ,zoological 
,gardens1 #afd1 #afe    ,socialism1 #fa1
 #gc1 #gi1 #hj2    ,dr4 ,warre on1 #fe  
,solomon1 on the rod1 ,butlerized1 #acg 
,spencer1 ,herbert1 #bjb                
,stag-hunting1 #aeb-aed1 #agj           
,stephen1 ,sir ,leslie1 #gj1 #ia        
,stewart1 ,hon4 ,fitz,roy1 #afj1 #afa   
8,stiggins10 #be1 #bf    ,stillman1 ,w4 
,j41 #bji    ,stratton1 ,rev4 ,j41 #abd1
 #aeg1 #aeh    8,swage10 #ba            
,swinburne1 ,a4 ,c41 #ajb-ajg           
,symonds1 ,j4 ,a41 #aab1 #aac           
,tait1 ,professor ,lawson1 #add1 #ade   
,tallack1 ,william1 #adb1 #adc          
,telemachus1 the ,martyr1 #bac          
,thompson1 ,dr41 ,master of ,trinity    
,college1 ,cambridge1 #da    ,thomson1  
,james 78,b4,v4071 #aja-ajd1 #bcg       
,thoreau1 ,h4 ,d41 #gc1 #gf1 #gh1 #aad1 
#aae1 #aah1 #abb2    quoted1 #gg        
,tolstoy1 ,count1 #gi1 #bjd1 #bje       
,tovey1 ,d4 ,c41 #eg    ,trine1 ,r4 ,w41
 #bji1 #baj      ,vaughan1 ,mgr4 ,j4    
,s41 #abf    ,vegetarianism1 at ,eton1  

#fb-fd1 #fh    ,veresaeff1 ,v41 his     
,confessions of a ,physician1 #adg      
,vivisection1 #ab1 #abg1 #adf-adh       
,wallace1 ,alfred ,r41 #bjb    ,warre1  
,dr4 ,e41 ,headmaster of ,eton1 #ei1    
#fj1 #fe1 #ig1 #aed    ,watts1 ,g4 ,f41 
#bjd    ,watts-,dunton1 ,theodore1 #ajb1
 #ajd-ajf1 #ajh1 #abi    ,welldon1 ,rt4 
,rev4 ,j4 ,e4 ,c41 #bh-cj    ,west1     
,william1 his portrait of ,shelley1 #ii1
 #ajj    ,wilde1 ,oscar1 #hf1 #aha1 #ahb
    ,williams1 ,howard1 #fc1 #abb1 #abd1
 #adf      ,zoological ,gardens1 #afc1  
#afd2    piety at the ,reptile ,house1  
#afe           99       99       99     
99       99    ,printed in ,great       
,britain by    ,,unwin ,,brothers1      
,,limited    ,,woking ,,and ,,london    
99       99       99       99       99  
,works by ,henry ,s4 ,salt      ,the    
,flogging ,craze ,a ,statement of the   
,case against  ,corporal ,punishment    
,with ,,foreword by ,,sir ,,george      
,,greenwood4      #cs4 #f;d4 net4       
,godwin's ,political ,justice ,a reprint

 of the ,essay  on ,property    ,edited 
by ,,henry ,s4 ,,salt4      #cs4 #f;d4  
net4    ,,george ,,allen  ,,unwin ,,ltd4
      ,treasures of ,lucretius          
7,translations7      #as4 #f;d4 net4    
,the ,life of ,james ,thomson 78,b4,v407
    ,revised ,edition      #bs4 #f;d4   
net4    ,,watts  ,,co4      ,the ,life  
of ,henry ,david ,thoreau      #as4     
#f;d4 net4    ,second ,edition          
,songs of ,freedom      #as4 #f;d4 net4 
,edited by ,,henry ,s4 ,,salt4          
,,walter ,,scott ,,publishing ,,co4     
,richard ,jefferies3 ,his ,life and his 
,ideals      #as4 #f;d4 net4      ,eton 
under ,hornby      #bs4 #f;d4 and #as4  
#d;d4      ,tennyson as a ,thinker      
#f;d4    ,a4 ,c4 ,,fifield      ,de     
,quincey    ,bell's ,great ,writers4    
,short ,monographs4      #as4 #f;d4 net4
      ,animals' ,rights    ,revised     
,edition      #as4 #f;d4      ,the      
,logic of ,vegetarianism      #f;d4     
,killing for ,sport ,essays by ,various 
,writers      #as4    ,with ,,preface by

 ,g4 ,,bernard ,,shaw4 ,edited by       
,,henry ,s4 ,,salt4    ,g4 ,bell  ,sons 
,ltd4           99       99       99    
99       99    ,ruskin the ,prophet ,and
 ,other ,centenary ,studies ,by ,,john  
,,masefield1 ,,dean  ,,inge1 ,c4 ,f4 ,g4
 ,,masterman1 ,,and ,,others ,,edited   
,,by ,j4 ,,howard ,,whitehouse    ,demy 
#hvo4      #hs4 #f;d4 net4    ,an       
important and authoritative book on     
,ruskin1 containing critical            
appreciations and essays by ,john       
,masefield1 ,dean ,inge1 ,j4 ,a4        
,hobson1  ,charles ,masterman1 ,h4 ,w4  
,nevinson1 ,laurence ,binyon1 and the   
editor1  ,howard ,whitehouse4 ,among the
 subjects dealt with are the ,influence 
of  ,ruskin in ,modern ,life1 his social
 and economic teaching1 his relation to 
,plato1 and many other aspects of his   
teaching and influence4 ,the book  will 
be a fitting complement to the          
remarkable exhibition of ,ruskin's      
drawings recently held at the ,royal    
,academy4      ,the ,harvest of ,ruskin 

,,by ,,principal ,,john ,w4 ,,graham1   
,m4,a4    ,cr4 #hvo4       #gs4 #f;d4   
net4    ,a critical but sympathetic     
estimate of the net result of ,ruskin's 
teaching in the regions of economics and
 social reform1 education and  religion1
 examined in the light of the present   
situation between ,capital  and ,labour1
 the advocacy of ,guild ,socialism1 and 
the widespread  unsettlement about      
religion4      ,pagan and ,christian    
,creeds    ,their ,origin and ,meaning  
,demy #hvo4      ,,by ,,edward          
,,carpenter      #ajs4 #f;d4 net4    8,a
 splendid theory1 and ,mr4 ,carpenter's 
exposition of it is done with an        
infectious enthusiasm 444 like all this 
veteran writer's work1 a sincere        
contribution to the world's stock of    
knowledge40--,daily ,chronicle4    8 444
 ,a genius which is both scientific and 
artistic1 philosophic and  poetic4 ,such
 genius sees and gives the reader       
visions40--,observer4      ,the ,making 
of ,humanity    ,demy #hvo4      ,,by   

,,robert ,s4 ,,briffault      #abs4     
#f;d4 net4    8,an astonishing book 444 
a tour de force of rapid historical     
exposition4 ,a masterly analysis of     
human progress4 ,we hope ,democracy     
will study this brace and brilliant     
book40--,english ,review4           99  
99       99       99       99    ,the   
,history of ,social  ,development ,,by  
,,dr4              ,f4 ,m,,ller-,,lyer  
,,translated ,,by ,,elizabeth ,,coote   
,,lake  ,h4 ,a4 ,,lake1 ,b4,sc4 7,econ47
 ,,with ,,an  ,,introduction ,,by       
,,professors ,l4 ,t4 ,,hobhouse  ,e4 ,j4
 ,,urwick    ,demy #hvo4      #ahs4 net4
    ,this translation of ,dr4 ,f4       
,mller-,lyer's famous book1 8,phasen der
  ,kultur10 will appeal to all who are  
interested in labour problems at the    
present time4 ,it contains a series of  
studies of the different economic       
phenomena of to-day1 describing the     
gradual evolution of each from the      
earliest times1 with an indication of   
the probable trend of future            

developments4 ,the inter-connection of  
the different conditions so  described  
is well illustrated1 and each chapter   
ends with a brief  summary of its       
subject matter4 ,the accounts of the    
various stages of  food production1 of  
clothing1 of housing and of the use of  
tools contain  in a brief and readable  
form the results of the investigations  
of the  past century1 and ,part ,,iii1  
8,the ,history of the ,evolution of     
,labour10  will be read with especial   
interest4      ,the ,perils of ,wealth  
and  ,poverty ,,by ,,canon ,s4 ,a4      
,,barnett1                 ,m4,a41      
,d4,c4,l4    ,,edited ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 
,v4 ,a4 ,,boyle1 ,m4,a4 ,,with ,,an     
,,introduction ,,by ,,mrs4 ,s4 ,a4      
,,barnett1 ,c4,b4,e4    ,cr4 #hvo4      
#bs4 #f;d4 net4    ,canon ,barnett was  
so careful a student of social          
conditions1 and so sane  an idealist1   
that this little book 7which he was     
engaged in writing just  before his last
 illness7 will be of interest to all who

 think1 and who  desire the common      
welfare4      ,the ,sickness of an      
,acquisitive  ,society         ,,by ,r4 
,h4 ,,tawney    ,cr4 #hvo4      ,second 
,impression      #bs4 net4    ,in this  
booklet the author analyses the causes  
of the present  discontents which are   
troubling modern society1 and traces    
their origin  to the divorce of property
 rights from social duties4             
,co-operation and the ,future  of       
,industry         ,,by ,,leonard ,s4    
,,woolf    ,cr4 #hvo4      ,second      
,edition      #es4 net4    8,a book of  
great immediate and practical           
importance4 ,every one who  desires     
industrial reconstruction would do well 
to master  it40--,herald4           99  
99       99       99       99           
,government and ,industry ,,by ,c4      
,,delisle ,,burns    ,author of         
8,political ,ideals0    ,demy #hvo4     
,about #afs4 net4    ,this is a         
description of the existing relations   
between ,british  government and the    

industrial system4 ,the present         
tendencies are shown  to indicate the   
formation of an organized 8economic0    
community1 based  upon the ,state       
organization but distinct from it4 ,the 
dominant  conception operating in this  
economic community is that of public    
service4 ,the theory expressed in the   
book1 however1 is subordinated to a     
description of actual facts--the        
administrative treatment of labour      
conditions1 unemployment1 commerce and  
finance1 which will be found  valuable  
even by those who do not agree with the 
theory1 since the  description is the   
only one which covers contemporary      
post-war  administration4      ,problems
 of a ,new ,world ,,by ,j4 ,a4 ,,hobson 
,cr4 #hvo4      #gs4 #f;d4 net4         
,events of the last few years have      
shaken our political and economic       
systems to their foundations4 ,the old  
guarantees of order and progress  no    
longer suffice4 ,the problems of #aibj  
are not those of #aiad4 ,human  ,nature 

itself1 as an operative force1 has      
changed4    ,these chapters discuss the 
revelations and describe the new ideals 
that  are struggling to get themselves  
realized in the new ,industry1 the new  
,state1 and the new ,world-,order4      
,what the ,workers ,want ,a ,study in   
,british ,labour ,,by ,,arthur ,,gleason
    ,demy #hvo4      ,about #afs4 net4  
,a record of the aims and achievements  
of ,british ,labour1 the result of  five
 years' continuous study of ,labour     
conditions4 ,it deals with what  the    
workers want1 who the leaders are1 what 
the strikes mean1 what the  workers have
 won1 and what they seek4 ,there are    
chapters by ,messrs4  ,smillie1 ,frank  
,hodges1 ,c4 ,t4 ,cramp and others2 and 
the appendix contains  all the important
 documents of the industrial revolution4
                       99       99      
99       99       99                    
,,london3 ,,george ,,allen  ,,unwin     
,,limited                    ,,ruskin   
,,house1 #dj ,,museum ,,street1 ,w4,c4  

#a4      ,,footnotes3     #a ,in an     
article published in ,macmillan's       
,magazine1 ,december #ahhg1   ,i dealt  
with the subject of ,moultrie's ,poems4 
#b ,article on 8,eton as it is10 in the 
,adventurer1 ,no4 #bc1 by 8,e4 ,g4      
,r40 7,g4 ,c4 ,macaulay74     #c ,dr4   
,lyttelton1 when ,headmaster of ,eton1  
substituted the cane for   the birch in 
the ,upper ,school4     #d ,from the    
chapter on 8,the ,author of ,ionica10 in
 ,eton under ,hornby4     #e ,see       
,brinsley ,richards's ,seven ,years at  
,eton4     #f ,the article1 unsigned1   
appeared in ,no4 #bc4     #g ,the       
,adventurer1 ,no4 #bj4     #h ,see the  
concluding article1 8,valete            
,etonenses10 ,no4 #bi4     #i ,the      
incident is a good example of the way in
 which the real   ethics of diet are    
often overlooked1 while stress is laid  
upon some   quite minor and subordinate 
aspect of it4     #aj ,i was not aware  
of these lines having appeared in print1
   until they were quoted by ,sir       

,edward ,cook in his ,more ,literary    
,recreations1 #aiai4 ,my version of them
 is slightly different from his2   but  
,i think my recollection is trustworthy4
     #aa ,my ,days and ,dreams1 by      
,edward ,carpenter1 #aiaf4     #ab ,the 
two years allowed for vegetarianism have
 now become forty1   and all of them    
years of hard work4     #ac 8,our       
competitive system of industry is a     
vestigial institution4   ,it is a       
survival from the militant ages of the  
past4444 ,it is a system   of           
cannibalism4 ,instead of instilling the 
feeling of brotherhood1   it compels us 
to eat each other40--,savage ,survivals1
 by ,j4 ,howard   ,moore1 #aiaf4     #ad
 ,since the above was written1 ,dean    
,inge has added his name to the         
illustrious list4 ,is it not time1 by   
the way1 that some one collected   the  
,gloomy ,dean's golden sayings in a     
volume--under the title of   ,ingots1   
perhaps8     #ae ,article on 8,the      
,bringing of ,sentient ,beings into     

,existence10 the   ,ethical ,world1 ,may
 #g1 #ahih4     #af ,pall ,mall         
,gazette1 ,april #bh1 #ahhh4     #ag    
,farnham ,herald1 ,september #af1 #ahii4
     #ah ,wayfarings3 a ,record of      
,adventure and ,liberation in the ,life 
of   the ,spirit1 #aiah4     #ai ,the   
,academy1 ,october #ae1 #ahih4     #bj  
,the substance of what is here said     
about ,francis ,adams is taken   from my
 editorial note to the revised edition  
of the ,songs of the   ,army of the     
,night1 published by ,mr4 ,a4 ,c4       
,fifield1 #aiaj4     #ba ,de ,rerum     
,natur1 iii4 #i-ac1 as translated in    
,treasures of   ,lucretius4     #bb ,it 
is significant that the title of ,edward
 ,carpenter's lines   to ,shelley3 8,to 
a ,dead ,poet10 became1 in later        
editions of ,towards   ,democracy1 8,to 
,one who is where the ,eternal are40    
#bc ,sonnet to ,shelley1 by ,n4 ,douglas
 ,deuchar4     #bd ,from a letter on    
8,swinburne at ,eton10 ,times ,literary 
,supplement1 ,december #be1 #aiai4      

#be ,the assertion made in ,mr4 ,h4 ,m4 
,hyndman's ,records of an   ,adventurous
 ,life 7#aiaa7 that ,meredith's         
vegetarianism was 8almost   the death of
 him10 and that he himself 8recognized  
the truth10 viz4   that flesh food is a 
necessity for those who work with mind  
as well   as body1 is directly at       
variance with what ,meredith himself    
told me   twenty years nearer the date  
of the experiment in question4     #bf  
,here perhaps ,i had better say that my 
own work for the ,league1   though      
mostly private and anonymous1 was       
continuous during the   twenty-nine     
years of the ,league's existence2 so    
that in describing   the various aspects
 of the movement ,i am writing of what  
,i know4 ,the   opinions expressed are1 
of course1 only personal1 as in the     
remarks   about the war 7,chap4 ,,xv74  
#bg ,daily ,news1 ,april #aj1 #aijf4    
#bh ,daily ,news1 ,june #f1 #aijh4      
#bi ,the ,times1 ,december #aa and #bf1 
#aijb4     #cj        ,then spare the   

rod and spoil the child4                
,hudibras1 ,part ,,ii1 canto #a1 #hdd4  
#ca ,mr4 ,j4 ,f4 ,p4 ,rawlinson1 in the 
,house of ,commons1 ,november #a1 #aiab4
     #cb ,london3 ,george ,allen        
,unwin1 ,ltd4     #cc ,the ,confessions 
of a ,physician1 translated by ,simeon  
,linden1   pp4 #aeh1 #aei4     #cd ,a   
,member of ,parliament who had charge of
 a ,sports ,bill once   begged us not to
 get the ,buckhounds abolished1 because1
 as he said1   they were the great      
incentive to vote for the ,bill4     #ce
 ,see ,dickens's description1 ,forster's
 ,life of ,dickens1 iii4 #adf4     #cf  
,some years later ,i was enabled1 by the
 courtesy of the owner1 to   visit the  
top of ,kinderscout on a frosty         
afternoon in ,december1 when   it had   
the appearance of a great snow-clad     
table-land1 intersected by   deep ruts1 
and punctuated here and there by the    
black masonry of the   tors4     #cg ,i 
have here incorporated the substance of 
a letter on 8,the   ,preservation of    

,mountain ,scenery0 published in ,the   
,times1 ,april #bh1   #aijh4     #ch    
,north ,wales ,weekly ,news1 ,may #ae1  
#aijh4     #ci ,on ,cambrian and        
,cumbrian ,hills4     #dj ,charles ,h4  
,kerr  ,co41 ,chicago1 #aiaf2 ,watts    
,co41 ,london1 #aiah4     #da ,see the  
address on 8,war and ,sublimation10     
given by ,dr4 ,l4 ,jones1   in the      
subsection of ,psychology1 at the       
meetings of the ,british   ,association1
 ,september #aa1 #aiae4 ,in war1 he     
pointed out1 impulses   were noticed    
which apparently did not exist in peace1
 except in   the criminal classes4      
,primitive tendencies never disappeared 
from   existence2 they only vanished    
from view by being repressed and buried 
in the unconscious mind4     #db ,cf4   
,mr4 ,edward ,garnett's ,papa's ,war1   
and ,other ,satires1   ,george ,allen   
,unwin1 ,ld41 #aiah4     #dc 8,we were  
told that the war was to end war1 but it
 was not3 it did   not and it could     
not40 ,so said ,field-,marshal ,sir     

,henry ,wilson1 ,may #ah1   #aibj2 at   
which date it was no longer necessary to
 keep up the illusion4     #dd ,if any  
doubt existed as to the national        
insensibility caused by   the war1 it   
must have been dispelled by the         
comparative indifference   with which   
the news of the ,amritsar massacre--a   
more terrible atrocity   than any for   
which ,german commanders were           
responsible--was received in   this     
country4     #de ,de ,rerum ,natur1 iii1
 #hdg-hej1 as translated in ,treasures  
of   ,lucretius4     #df ,civilization1 
by ,george ,duhamel4 ,translated by ,t4 
,p4   ,conwil-,evans4     #dg ,i heard a
 ,derbyshire gamekeeper actually quote  
8,vengeance is   mine2 ,i will repay1   
saith the ,lord10 as if it were an      
injunction to   the righteous to follow 
the example of a vengeful ,deity4       
#dh ,the ,basis of ,morality4           
,translated by ,arthur ,brodrick        
,bullock1   #aijc 7,george ,allen and   
,unwin1 ,ltd474      ,typographical     

errors corrected by the etext           
transcriber3    for how then would be   
obtain for how then would he obtain pg  
#ahd    the ,london and ,north-,western 
,railway at ,llanber i ,england the     
,london  and ,north-,western ,railway at
 ,llanberis ,england pg #aie