the days of my life-第122章

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y　laughed　at　me；　an　unknown　young　man。　And；　years　later；　when　the　war　was　on；　they　dug　up　the　book　and　printed　these　paragraphs　and　said；　“Dear　me；　what　a　remarkable　prophecy！”　Three　men　were　right：　Sir　Bartle　Frere　was　right；　and　they　disgraced　him；　my　old　chief；　Sir　Theophilus　Shepstone；　was　right；　and　they　disgraced　him；　and　even　I；　humble　as　I　was；　was　right；　and　they　mocked　at　me。　We　know　the　end。
Thus　my　residential　and　official　connection　with　South　Africa　came　to　an　end　—　I　would　not　stop　there　any　longer。　I　came　home　and　went　to　the　bar；　where　I　had　fair　prospects。　And　then　a　sad　thing　happened　to　me　—　I　wrote　a　successful　book。
I　do　not　know　whether　to　be　sorry　or　glad　that　I　wrote　it。　Other　things　might　not　have　happened；　and；　after　all；　as　Job　the　Patriarch　says：　“Man　knoweth　not　his　own　way。”　You　go　as　destiny　drives　you。　So　it　was；　gentlemen；　I　took　to　fiction。　Having　begun；　I　had　to　go　on。　And；　after　all；　there　is　something　to　be　said　for　it。　After　all；　it　is　not　a　bad　thing　to　have　given　pleasure　and　amusement　to　many　who　are　weary　or　sick；　and；　perhaps；　some　instruction　also。　You　might　do　worse　than　to　write　a　good　novel。　Not　that　I　for　a　moment　wish　to　state　that　all　of　mine　are　good。
Of　course；　the　time　es　to　every　writer；　I　suppose；　when　he　has　an　inspiration　and　does　something　which　he　knows　to　be　better　than　he　ever　did　before。　Perhaps　he　sees　a　little　higher　up　into　heaven　perhaps　he　sees　a　little　lower　down　into　—　the　other　depths；　and　he　creates　something　and　knows　that　that　thing　which　he　has　created　will　live；　and　that　it　will　even　go　glittering　down　the　generations。　He　knows；　perhaps；　that　he　has　cut　his　name　fairly　deep　upon　the　iron　leaves　of　the　Book　of　Time；　which　are　so　hard　to　mark。　Perhaps　he　knows　that；　and　for　a　little　while　he　is　content。　Not　for　long　—　no　artist；　I　think；　is　ever　contented　for　long　with　what　he　has　done。　But　he　thinks：　“At　least；　I　have　done　something。”
Then；　perhaps；　he　begins　to　understand　—　it　es　into　his　mind　—　that　that　was　not　his　real　inspiration。　Not　in　these　gauds　of　the　imagination；　these　sparkling　things；　these　plays　of　fancy　or　of　eloquence　or　wit；　was　the　real　inspiration　to　be　found。　He　turns　and　wonders　where　it　is。　And　he　turns；　let　us　say；　and　looks　at　the　dull　masses　of　misery　that　pervade　the　globe；　he　looks　and　wonders；　and　he　thinks：　Is　there　nothing　that　I；　humble　as　I　am；　can　do　to　help　to　alleviate　that　misery；　to　lift　up　those　who　are　fallen；　to　lift　them　up　for　their　own　good　and　for　the　good　of　the　world？　And　then；　gentlemen；　he　knows　that　that；　not　the　gaudy；　exciting　work　is　the　real　inspiration　of　his　life。
And；　perhaps；　he　turns　and　tries　to　match　his　own　single　strength　against　the　prejudices　of　generations；　and　tries　to　get　men　to　think　as　he　does；　tries　to　show　them　where　the　evil　lies　and　where；　too；　lies　the　remedy。　Gentlemen；　I　have　spoken；　as　it　were；　in　allegory。　And　yet　these　things　have　some　application；　certainly　in　my　humble　case　they　have　some　application。　Years　ago；　I　saw　what　I　described　to　you；　I　saw　the　evils　with　which；　since　then；　I　have　attempted　to　cope。　I　recognised　that　it　was　my　duty　to　cope　with　them　if　I　could。
It　is　a　hard　task；　gentlemen。　It　is　a　hard　thing；　in　the　first　place；　to　live　down　the　reputation　of　being　a　writer　of　fiction　—　to　surmount　the　enormous　barrier　of　prejudice　that　lies　across　one’s　path。　And　it　is　not　for　years；　perhaps；　that　people　will　begin　to　listen　and　will　begin　to　understand　that　to　most　men’s　minds　there　are　two　sides。　Still；　humbly；　imperfectly；　I　did　attempt　it。　I　have　not　done　much。　Yet　I　have　done　something。　They　listen　to　me　now　a　bit。　If　they　had　not　listened　to　me　I　should　not　be　here　in　my　present　position　today　as　a　missioner　from　the　Government　of　Great　Britain。
Well；　what　is　it；　what　is　this　problem　that　moved　me？　I　will　tell　you　in　a　few　words。　I　perceived　and　realised　the　enormous　change　that　is　ing　over　the　Western　world；　how　those；　who　for　countless　generations；　dwelt　upon　the　land；　are　deserting　the　land　and　crowding　into　the　cities。　I　studied　the　reasons　for　this。　For　two　years　I　studied　them；　going　through　England；　village　by　village；　county　by　county；　town　by　town。　And　I　found　out　what　they　were。　In　England　the　chief　cause　was　lack　of　prospect　on　the　land。　We　are　cramped　in　England　with　the　remains　of　a　feudal　system　which　works　nothing　but　ill；　and　under　that　system　it　is　so　that　no　man　on　the　land　seems　to　have　a　chance　to　rise。　The　labourer　on　the　land；　say　at　two…and…twenty；　is　earning　as　high　a　wage　as　he　can　ever　hope　to　earn。
I　ask　you；　gentlemen；　how　should　any　of　us　like　to　know　that　at　two…and…twenty　we　were　doing　the　best　we　could　hope　to　do　in　life？　That　is　the　lot　of　the　labourer　on　the　land。　All　that　he　has　to　look　forward　to　at　the　end　of　his　long　career　of　forty　or　fifty　years　of　toil　is　probably　a　place　in　the　workhouse。　Is　that　an　attractive　prospect？　Then；　no　doubt；　the　spread　of　education；　the　facilities　of　travel；　and　other　things　of　that　kind　conduce　to　the　immigration　into　the　cities；　and　this　movement　goes　on　with　ever…increasing　rapidity。
At　the　present　moment　in　England；　I　believe　we　have　but　one…seventh　of　our　population　living　on　the　land。　In　the　United　States；　if　the　figures　given　me　are　correct；　matters　are　very　little　better。　And　so　it　is　in　other　countries　—　everywhere　the　land　dwellers　heap　themselves　into　the　cities。　And　what　happens　to　them　when　they　get　there？　How　many　succeed？　Not　one　in　five；　I　say。　The　rest　of　them；　for　the　most　part；　get　nothing。　If　sickness　strikes　a　man；　when　he　arises　from　his　bed　his　place　is　gone。　His　children　grow　ill　through　crowding　together　in　narrow　courts　and　unsanitary　rooms；　and　bee　decimated　by　disease。　Bad　times　e　and　the　workmen　are　dismissed　by　the　thousand　from　their　employ。　Grey　hairs；　at　any　rate；　e　at　last；　and　with　grey　hairs　the　notice　to　quit；　and　so　they　go　down；　and　they　go　under　and　bee　part　of　that　mass　which　is　known　as　the　submerged　tenth　—　though　I　imagine　there　is　a　good　deal　more　than　a　tenth。　And　there　they　are　—　miseries　to　themselves；　useless　to　their　country；　and　a　burden　upon　the　town　that　has　to　support　them。
Gentlemen；　if　you　think　I　exaggerate；　ask　missioner　Booth　Tucker；　and　he　will　tell　you。　He　will　tell　you；　he　who　knows；　as　one　of　the　heads　of　the　great　organisation　that　is　today　dealing　with　this　class　of　people。　He　will　tell　you　how　many　children　they　have　to　feed　in　the　morning　in　the　big　cities　in　order　that　they　may　go　to　school；　how　many　dock　labourers　they　have　to　feed；　and　so　on。　He　can　tell　you　tales　you　will　scarcely　believe　of　the　suffering　—　the　horrible　suffering；　the　inconceivable　misery　of　these　great　cities　which　the　foolish　peoples　of　the　earth　rush　into　to　dwell　there。
Now；　that　is　what　is　going　on　in　the　great　city。　Let　us　look　at　the　other　side　of　the　question。　Let　us　go　to　places　like　Fort　Amity；　where　I　saw　the　Colony　of　the　Salvation　Army。　As　your　president　told　you；　I　am　not　at　liberty　to　forestall　my　report　in　any　way；　but　I　can　say　this　—　that　there　I　went　to　the　schools；　as　I　did　in　other　places；　and　saw　the　children。　The　parents　of　these　Fort　Amity　children　were　taken　from　a　great　city；　the　city　of　Chicago；　where　mostly　they　were　working　as　day　labourers。　They　came　with　nothing；　in　fact；　it　was　necessary　to　pay　the　fares　of　most　of　them。　They　had　no　prospects；　nothing　earned；　nothing　to　hope　for。　If　we　could　get　at　the　facts；　no　doubt　we　should　find　they　lived　in　one　or　two　rooms；　and　not　too　well。　I　went　and　looked　at　these　children。　My　daughter　photographed　them　in　the　schools　at　Fort　Amity。　Never　did　you　see　a　healthier；　happier；　more　robust；　more　promising　set　of　children　in　your　life。　And　I　wondered　how　these　children　would　have　looked　had　not　the　Salvation　Army　had　the　idea　of　starting　this　Colony　and　had　they　been　left　to　wander　about　in　the　streets　of　Chicago。　And　I　wondered　also；　gentlemen；　how　many　of　these　faces　—　these　happy；　contented　faces　—　would　have　been　wanting；　but　for　the　change　made　in　the　condition　of　these　children。
But　you　may　be　political　economists；　some　of　you；　and　we　all　know　that　political　economy　is　a　hard　doctrine。　And　you　may　say：　Well；　these　people　went　to　the　cities　of　their　own