《the days of my life》第162章

Now；　gentleman；　I　say　to　you　at　once　that；　high　as　might　be　that　honour　and　greatly　as　I　should　desire　it　in　any　other　circumstances；　I　feel　that　I　should　never　be　petent　to　be　a　member　of　a　House　of　mons　of　which　this　is　true。　Gentlemen；　your　president　has　made　some　very　kind　allusions　to　me　and　to　my　rather　—　what　shall　I　call　it？　—　varied　career。　He　has　spoken；　for　instance；　of　Africa。　Well；　gentlemen；　it　is　true　I　began　my　life　as　a　public　servant　in　Africa；　and　many　wonderful　things　I　saw　there。
I　was　in　at　the　beginning；　so　to　speak；　of　all　the　history　we　are　living　through　today。　I　was　with　Sir　Theophilus　Shepstone　when　we　annexed　the　Transvaal；　as　your　president　says；　I　had　the　honour　of　hoisting　the　flag　of　England　over　it。　Gentlemen；　I　lived；　too；　to　see　the　flag　pulled　down　and　buried。　And　I　tell　you　this　—　and　you；　as　colonists　as　I　was；　will　sympathise　with　me　—　it　was　the　bitterest　hour　of　my　life。　Never　can　any　of　you　in　this　room　realise　the　scene　I　witnessed　upon　the　market…square　of　Newcastle　when　the　news　of　the　surrender　of　Majuba　reached　us。　It　was　a　strange　scene；　it　was　an　awful　scene。　There　was　a　mob　of　about　5；000　men；　many　of　them　loyal　Boers；　many　Englishmen；　soldiers　even；　who　had　broken　from　the　ranks　—　and　they　marched　up　and　down　raving；　yet　weeping　like　children　—　and　swearing　that　whatever　they　were　they　were　no　longer　Englishmen。
That　is　what　I　went　through　in　those　days；　and　I　only　mention　it　to　tell　you　how　I　came　to　leave　South　Africa。　For　I　agreed　that　it　was　no　longer　a　place　for　an　Englishman。　Still；　time　goes　on；　the　wheels　swing　full　circle；　things　change。　I　remember　that　after　that　I　wrote　a　book。　It　was　a　history。　And　in　that　book　I　went　so　far　as　to　say　—　I　remember　it　well；　and　there　it　stands　in　black　and　white　to　be　read　—　that　unless　some　change　occurred；　unless　more　wisdom；　more　patriotism　and　a　different　system　altogether　prevailed　in　African　affairs；　the　result　would　be　a　war　which　would　tax　the　entire　resources　of　the　British　Empire。　Gentlemen；　have　we　not　had　that　war？　And　at　that　time　what　did　they　say？　They　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