the days of my life-第59章

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uggage　on　the　Italian　railways；　causing　us　to　proceed　to　Cyprus　with　practically　nothing　but　the　clothes　in　which　we　stood；　and　sent　it　home　from　that　romantic　isle　packed　in　the　remains　of　a　mule…saddle；　or　something　of　the　sort。
After　this　there　was　for　a　year　or　two　a　certain　coolness　between　me　and　The　Times；　which　had　never　received　the　promised　articles；　for　of　course　I　was　unable　to　explain　the　real　reason　of　my　delinquencies。　However；　my　affectionate　nephew　enjoyed　himself　enormously；　both　in　Cyprus　and　the　Holy　Land；　whither　I　had　taken　him　because　I　understood　that　he　intended　to　enter　the　Church。　As　we　sailed　from　Limasol　for　Beyrout　he　said；　in　a　hushed　voice；　that　he　had　something　to　tell　me。
“Speak　up；”　I　answered；　wondering；　with　an　inward　groan；　whether　he　had　engaged　himself　in　marriage　to　the　barmaid　of　the　Nicosia　Club。
It　turned　out；　however；　that　what　he　had　to　confide　was　that　he　had　changed　his　views　about　entering　the　Church；　and　up　to　this　point　had　concealed　the　matter　for　fear　lest　I　should　refuse　to　take　him　on　to　the　Holy　Land；　but　spoke　now；　perhaps　because　he　did　not　wish　to　make　the　visit　sailing　under　false　colours。　I　reflected　to　myself　that　this　bouleversement　would　be　attributed　to　my　evil　influence；　but　said　nothing。　It　all　came　right　in　the　end；　as　such　things　do；　and　I　am　bound　to　add　that；　although　he　did　not　shine　as　a　secretary；　a　trade　for　which　Nature　never　fashioned　him；　this　dear　nephew　of　mine　was　perhaps　the　pleasantest　panion　with　whom　I　ever　travelled。
In　the　intervals　of　getting　him　up　in　the　morning　and　generally　attending　to　his　wants　and　my　own；　I　managed　to　make　some　notes；　out　of　y　book；　“A　Winter　Pilgrimage。”
The　Holy　Land　impressed　me　enormously；　although　it　is　the　fashion　of　many　travellers　to　say　that　there　they　find　nothing　but　disappointment。　But　of　all　these　matters　I　have　written　in　the　“Winter　Pilgrimage；”　so　I　will　say　no　more　about　them。
By　the　way；　this　“Winter　Pilgrimage”　is；　I　think；　unique　in　one　respect：　the　first　half　of　it　was　published　serially　after　the　last　had　already　appeared。　The　managers　of　the　Queen　newspaper；　who　had　agreed　to　bring　out　all　the　portions　of　the　book　which　dealt　with　the　Holy　Land　in　this　form；　found　the　instalments　so　popular　among　their　readers　that　they　asked　to　be　allowed　to　print　the　remainder；　which　dealt　with　Italy　and　Cyprus。
Before　I　pass　to　the　subject　of　“Rural　England”　I　will　dwell　for　a　moment　upon　my　only　novel　with　a　purpose；　which　appeared　about　a　year　previous　to　my　journeyings　in　the　Near　East。　It　is　called　“Doctor　Therne；”　and　deals　with　the　matter　of　the　Anti…Vaccination　craze　—　not；　it　may　be　thought；　a　very　promising　topic　for　romance。　I　was　led　to　treat　of　it；　however；　by　the　dreadful　things　I　had　seen　and　knew　of　the　ravages　of　smallpox　in　Mexico　and　elsewhere；　and　the　fear；　not　yet　realised；　that　they　should　repeat　themselves　in　this　country。　It　was　a　dangerous　move。　Said　the　Lancet：
In　conclusion　we　must　mend　Mr。　Haggard’s　courage　in　thus　entering　the　lists　against　the　Anti…Vaccination　party。　As　a　novelist　and　a　politician　alike　it　is　evidently　to　his　advantage　to　take　no　step　that　would　be　likely　to　alienate　him　from　any　large　body　of　possible　supporters。　Yet　he　has　risked　losing　many　readers　and　creating　a　fanatical　opposition　to　whatever　he　may　do　in　a　public　or　private　capacity　for　the　sake　of　telling　the　truth。
Although　so　different　in　matter　and　manner　from　my　other　works；　this　tale　has　been　widely　read；　and　will　in　due　course　appear　in　one　of　those　sevenpenny　editions　which　have　bee　so　popular　of　recent　years。　I　dedicated　it　（without　permission）　to　the　Jenner　Society。　The　Executive　mittee　of　this　society　on　December　22；　1898；　passed　a　warm　and　unanimous　resolution　thanking　me　for　the　work。
Of　“Rural　England；”　the　heaviest　labour　of　all　my　laborious　life；　there　is　really　not　very　much　to　say。　There　it　is。　I　shall　never　forget　the　remark　of　my　daughter　Dolly；　a　young　lady　with　a　turn　for　humour；　when　these　two　great　volumes　—　they　contain　as　many　words　as　would　fill　five　novels　—　arrived　from　Messrs。　Longmans　and；　portly；　blue　and　beautiful；　stood　before　us　on　the　table。　“My　word；　Dad！”　she　said；　“if　I　had　written　a　book　like　that；　I　should　spend　the　rest　of　my　life　sitting　to　stare　at　it！”
I　confess　that　before　all　was　finished　I　was　inclined　to　share　in　this　opinion。　What　a　toil　was　that！　First　there　were　the　long　journeys；　one　of　them　took　eight　months　without　a　break；　though；　happily；　that　summer　was　very　different　from　this　more　disastrous　year　of　cold　and　floods；　1912。　Then　there　were　the　articles　for　the　Daily　Express　and　Yorkshire　Post；　which　must　be　pleted　in　my　spare　time；　sometimes　at　midnight；　of　which　I　wrote　more　than　fifty。
I　do　not　think　I　could　have　pleted　the　task　at　all　without　the　assistance　of　my　friend　Mr。　Arthur　Cochrane；　who　took　the　notes　while　I　did　the　talking；　and　also　helped　very　much　in　the　preparation　of　the　series　of　agricultural　maps。　These　maps；　I　regret　to　say；　it　was　found　impossible　to　include　in　the　cheaper　edition　because　of　the　cost　of　reproducing　them。
But　making　the　investigations　was　not　all。　After　these　came　the　writing　of　the　work　itself；　whereof　the　articles　only　formed　the　foundation。　This　occupied　the　best　part　of　another　year　of　most　incessant　and　careful　application；　for　here　every　fact　must　be　checked。　It　was　the　very　antithesis　to　that　involved　in　the　position　of　novels；　where　the　imagination　has　free　play。　Here　I　may　add　that　of　the　recorded　results　of　these　hundreds　of　interviews　and　statements　made　upon　the　individual　authority　of　the　persons　seen；　or　from　observation　of　the　matters　investigated；　not　one　　wrong。　The　manager　of　the　Great　Eastern　Railway　took　exception　to　some　of　the　carriage　rates　quoted　by　an　informant；　for　which　I　was　not　responsible。　Also　one　gentleman　who　had　invited　me　to　inspect　his　farm　spoke　of　“minor　inaccuracies　and　blemishes”　in　the　account　I　gave　thereof。　In　nearly　twelve　hundred　closely　printed　pages　that；　I　am　proud　to　say；　is　all。
The　work　was　well　received；　although　of　course　there　were　those　who　found　fault。　Everyone　has　his　own　ideas　as　to　how　such　a　thing　should　be　done；　though　those　who　try　to　do　it　are　few　indeed。　I　too　had　my　idea；　which　was　to　arrive　at　the　truth　out　of　the　mouths　of　many　witnesses。　I　desired　to　set　down　the　facts　as　they　were　at　the　beginning　of　the　twentieth　century；　not　as　they　had　been　in　the　past　or　would　possibly　be　in　the　future；　or　as　people　with　various　theories　and　political　views　would　like　to　see　them。　I　wished　to　preserve　a　large　body　of　incontestable　evidence　for　the　benefit　of　future　generations。　Since　that　day　things；　I　am　glad　to　say；　have　changed　a　little　—　not　very　much　—　for　the　better；　and　if　I　were　to　undertake　such　a　task　afresh　—　which　Heaven　forbid！　—　I　might　write　otherwise　on　certain　points。　But　I　tried　to　draw　a　picture　of　our　agriculture　and　rural　conditions　in　the　twenty…seven　counties　that；　with　the　Channel　Islands；　I　visited；　which　should　be　true　and　faithful　to　the　circumstances　of　the　time。
Some；　of　course；　were　angry　with　me　because　I　did　not　advocate　Protection　as　a　remedy。　Others　of　a　different　school　were　angry　because　I　pointed　out　that　Free　Trade　had　wrought　enormous　damage　to　British　agriculture；　and　that　this　same　Protection；　if　it　could　be　established；　would　go　far　to　repair　that　damage。　As　a　matter　of　fact；　I　began　my　travels　a　believer　in　Protection。　By　the　time　I　had　finished　them；　rightly　or　wrongly　I　came　to　the　conclusion　that　it　was　not　feasible　in　England　—　a　view　which；　during　the　last　ten　years　or　so　that　have　elapsed　since　the　publication　of　“Rural　England；”　little　has　happened　to　controvert。　Indeed；　I　still　hold　that　Protection；　or　Tariff　Reform；　which　is　so　widely　advocated　by　the　followers　of　Mr。　Chamberlain；　is　a　heavy　stone　tied　round　the　neck　of　the　Unionist　dog；　and　one　which　it　will　find　makes　swimming　difficult　in　our　political　waters。
I　elaborated　these　views　in　a　speech　I　made　some　months　after　I　published　“Rural　England”　at　the　Framlingham　Farmers’　Club；　which　speech　has　often　been　quoted　since　that　time；　when；　it　will　be　remembered；　Mr。　Chamberlain’s　proposals　were　very　much　before　the　country。
Well；　Mr。　Chamberlain’s　trumpet；　which　has　been　echoing　through　the　land　for　the　last　ten　years；　has　not　yet　shaken　down　the　Free　Trade　walls；　though　it　is　possible　that　by　the　time　these　lines　are　read　it　may　have　done　so。　I　cannot　tell；　nobody　can　tell　except　the　Great　Disposer　of　events。　I　can　only　put　things　as　I　see　them。　At　any　rate　the　point　that　I　believe　I　was　the　first　to　place　before　the　public　in　the　above　speech；　although　others　took　it　up　soon　afterwards；　is　sound　and　clear。　I　can　see　no　escape　from　the　conclusion　that；　if　food…stuffs　are　to　be　admitted　to　our　markets　practically　free；　while　other　imports　are　taxed；　our　agriculture　must　suffer　to　a　terrible　extent。　The　same　thing　applies；　if　in　a　less　degree；　to　the　admission　of　food…stuffs　without　impost　from　the　constituent　parts　of　the　British　Empire。　It　would　make　little　difference　to　the　British　farmer；　in　these　circumstances；　whether　the　corn　or　the　meat　came　in　free　from　India　and　Canada　or　from　Russia　and　the　Argentine；　if　at　the　same　time　he　had　to　pay　more　for　his　implements；　his　clothing；　and　every　other　article　of　daily　life；　and；　as　a　consequence；　a　higher　rate　of　wages；　while　he　only　realised　the　old　low　prices　for　what　he　had　to　sell。　For；　be　it　remembered；　the　British　manufacturer　peting　with　the　foreign…made　articles　would　certainly　raise　the　cost　of　his　output　till　it　equalled；　or　almost　equalled；　the　price　at　which　such　foreign　articles　could　be　profitably　sold　to　the　British　consumer。
At　first　my　hopes　of　any　tangible　result　of　my　labours　were　bitterly　disappointed。　Thus；　when　in　January　1906；　a　little　over　three　years　later；　I　wrote　a　preface　to　a　new　edition　of　“Rural　England；”　I　find　myself　saying：
I　wish　I　could　add　that　I　was　able　to　point　to　any　tangible　fruits　of　its　publication。　This；　however；　I　cannot　do。　Personally；　I　have　made　every　effort　to　bring　the　reforms　urged　in　its　pages　to　the　benevolent　notice　of　those　in　authority。　At　some　private　cost　I　have　inflicted　upon　them　copies　of　these　expensive　volumes　and　been　favoured　in　return　with　polite　notes　of　thanks。　I　have　interviewed　certain　of　them　who　wished　to　receive　me。　I　have　neglected　other　work　in　order　to　travel　up　and　down　the　country　addressing　every　kind　of　meeting　and　explaining　my　views；　in　short；　of　would…be　agricultural　reformers；　I　may　say　almost；　that　I　have　“laboured　more　abundantly　than　they　all。”　Now　after　four　years　are　gone　by　I　must　with　humiliation　report　that　nothing　of　any　consequence　has　happened。
It　is　true　that　at　one　time　I　hoped　that　the　great　extension　of　parcel　post　privileges　which；　under　the　title　of　an　Agricultural　Post；　I　urged　so　earnestly　in　the　interests　of　small　holders；　would　pass　into　the　region　of　acplished　fact。　In　February　1903　I　wrote　a　letter　on　this　subject　to　Mr。　Hanbury；　and　I　give　an　extract　from　his　answer：
House　of　mons：　February　18；　1903。
Dear　Mr。　Haggard；　—　I　should　have　answered　some　days　—　or　weeks　—　ago；　but　I　have　been　in　munication　with　the　P。M。G。；　Henniker　Heaton；　and　others　on　the　subject　you　have　done　so　much　to　bring　to　the　front。　So　far　from　opposing　the　principle　of　your　suggestion　I　am　heartily　in　favour　of　it；　and　I　am　doing　what　I　can　to　see　it　carried　into　practice。　My　criticisms　are　criticisms　of　detail。　I　do　not　think　the　scheme　can　be　limited　to　agriculture　or　even　to　rural　districts。　It　must　apply　all　round。　Nor　is　it　practicable　to　pete　for　long　distances　with　the　Railway　panies。　The　coaches　of　the　P。O。　run　to　distances　of　50　miles　round　London；　and　at　present　it　costs　the　P。O。　less　to　send　parcels　by　that　way　than　by　rail。　But　the　arrangement　with　the　Railway　panies　as　to　parcels　expires　very　shortly　now；　and　it　remains　to　be　seen　whether　they　cannot　be　made　to　carry　them　very　much　cheaper　in　the　future。　The　weak　point　of　the　P。O。　service　as　regards　the　country　districts　is　that　it　distributes　the　parcels　sent　from　the　towns　to　almost　every　house　free；　but　does　not　do　so　much　for　collection　as　it　does　for　distribution。　The　result　is　that　the　flow　of　traffic　is　all　in　one　direction。　A　farm…house　or　cottage　a　mile　or　a　mile　and　a　half　from　a　P。O。　can　readily　receive　parcels　from　London；　but　to　despatch　one　to　London　involves　a　walk　of　a　mile　or　a　mile　and　a　half。
So　again　the　limit　of　11　lbs。　is　satisfactory　to　a　town　producer　or　a　tradesman；　but　it　is　not　at　all　what　the　small　farmer　wants。
Knowing　how　keen　your　interest　in　these　questions　is　and　what　good　you　have　done　already；　I　hope　we　shall　be　able　to　work　side　by　side　on　this　and　many　other　points。
Yours　sincerely；
R。　W。　Hanbury。
Of　my　answer　there　is　a　copy　extant；　from　which　I　quote：
Ditching　House；　Norfolk：
February　19；　1903。
Dear　Mr。　Hanbury；　—　It　is　with　great　pleasure　that　I　have　read　your　kind　letter　and　learn　from　it　that　this　Post　is　really　to　receive　your　support。　Under　these　circumstances　（although　of　course　there　will　be　endless　difficulties　and　obstacles　to　overe）　I　see　no　reason　why　it　should　not　pass　into　the　realm　of　acplished　fact。　If　so　I　am　sure　that　ing　generations　will　bless　your　name　as　the　Minist