第64部分(第4/7 頁)

ur。

Further；　is　there　not　some　hypocrisy　in　such　cavilling　in　an　age　when　all　the　great　nations　of　the　world　are　arming　themselves　to　the　teeth　for　that　Armageddon　which　one　day　must　e？　And　do　not　some　of　the　very　papers　in　which　it　appears　fill　their　columns　with　nauseous　and　most　particular　accounts　of　dreadful　and　degrading　crimes；　such　as　the　betrayal　and　butchery　of　a　defenceless　woman；　dilating　on　them　from　day　to　day　till　the　reader　is　sickened？　Of　which　is　it　the　more　harmful　to　read　—　of　a　fight　between　the　splendid　Zulu　impis；　faithful　to　death；　of　old　Umslopogaas　holding　the　stair　against　overpowering　odds；　or；　let　us　say；　of　the　dismemberment　of　a　wife　or　the　massacre　of　little　children　by　some　human　brute　or　lunatic？

Personally　I　hate　war；　and　all　killing；　down　to　the　destruction　of　the　lower　animals　for　the　sake　of　sport；　has　bee　abominable　to　me。　But　while　the　battle…clouds　bank　up　I　do　not　think　that　any　can　be　harmed　by　reading　of　heroic　deeds　or　of　frays　in　which　brave　men　lose　their　lives。

What　I　deem　undesirable　are　the　tales　of　lust；　crime；　and　moral　perversion　with　which　the　bookstalls　are　strewn　by　dozens。

Chapter　17　POLITICS　AND　TOWN　LIFE

H。　R。　H。‘s　political　views　—　Bred　a　Tory　—　Cross…bench　mind　—　Strong　Imperialist　—　Asked　to　stand　for　King’s　Lynn　—　Declined　—　Co…director　of　African　Review　—　Undertook　later　to　contest　East　Norfolk　—　Difficult　constituency　for　Conservative　—　Beaten　by　198　votes　—　Stood　in　the　agricultural　interest　—　Specially　interested　in　S。　African　affairs　—　Cecil　Rhodes　—　Retired　from　African　Review　—　Death　of　H。　R。　H。‘s　father　—　Elected　chairman　of　local　bench　—　Major　Burnham　—　Some　of　his　adventures　—　Major　Cheyne。

Ever　since　I　came　to　manhood　I　have　taken　an　interest　in　politics；