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and tyres very hard. But what of that? Non sequitur that at a more reasonable speed the resistance of the air is proportionately as great; in fact, it seems probable that it would be a great deal less proportionately; and, after all, an engine has no feelings, or at least none of which we know. To tax an engine for one's comfort is not, as to give horses a heavier task than one need ask of them is, to inflict unnecessary suffering. At all events, behind my screen I secure all the fresh air man could desire-a little too much of it sometimes from the backward eddy—can smoke and talk in reasonable comfort, can refer to a map or a road-book if need arise, and can observe more and more closely on each fresh journey. What manner of things does one notice? To choose them at haphazard, let me instance here and there a church-Bottisham, near Cambridge, for example, with a striking clerestory visible from the road, the wonderful desolation of the coast between Cromer and Wells-next-Sea, the different methods of shocking' the bound corn in the humid West Country and in the Southern Midlands, the hoodie-crows among the cock-pheasants on Cambridgeshire stubbles, grouse 'cheepers' crossing the road in Scotland, a heron croaking overhead, the quarrymen returning from their work at Bethesda or at Llanberis, the character of the land and of the agriculture, the demeanour of an approaching horse, the blue eyes and the white teeth of a smiling peasant girl, the scowling face of a rider more frightened than his horse, the beauty of woodland or of gleaming water. One notices, in a word, everything, or almost everything; and with the growing power of observation, of recording impressions more rapidly and more frequently than in the days of old, comes an intelligent and surely laudable desire to know what each great house and park passed may be, to remember (or more often to seek to discover) what men and women famous for good or for evil, makers of history or writers of books, have haunted them in the past or inhabit them now. In short, the desire arises irresistibly to keep on learning more and more of this country of ours, with its endless store of beauty in many kinds and its boundless treasures of association.

Let this paper end with a sincere confession of disappointment. It was begun with a definite purpose, and the end of that purpose is desperately far away still. The original intention was, in part at any rate, so to describe the rational enjoyment of the car, its quickening influence upon the intelligence, its stimulating effect upon the brain, that those who have little or no present opportunity

VOL. XXV.-NO. 148, N.S.

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of feeling the one or the other should not begrudge them to the more fortunate that those who misunderstand the moderate motorist should begin to see him in a true light. The task has shown itself to be too severe for him who set himself to perform it. I have done grievous injustice to a glorious theme; but something may perhaps be suggested to remedy the defect. If any kind man or woman would fain know at second-hand to what lengths the innocent and illuminating delight of motoring may extend, let the following recipe be employed. First banish the notion that it consists in mere speed, the pleasure of which soon palls, the sensation of which is often entirely delusive. Vibration, indifferent suspension, a rough engine, and a broken surface will make twenty miles an hour seem faster than fifty in a well-hung and smooth-running car on a good road. Next, if any sentence or words of mine should perchance appear to be used as if they were desired to glow, as indeed they were used, let them be treated as though they were but smouldering embers, and let them be fanned by the breath of imagination until they become a glorious flame. Then, perhaps, with kindly help, I shall have demonstrated the proposition that the motor-car, rightly used, is capable of imparting so much new knowledge in close union with so much fresh and healthy pleasure that, apart from its obvious uses, it is to be encouraged as a humanising influence. Yet one word, and one only, must be written of those obvious uses of the car. To take a single example only, and that the best-it enables a medical man in town or country to visit more patients than before, to bring relief to suffering more rapidly than of yore, to stay with his patients longer than he was apt to linger when he knew that his hard-worked horse was shivering in the cold outside, to do more healing work and to enjoy more healthy leisure than was humanly possible in the past. The doctor's motor-car alone is an abundant justification of the automobile. But I must not permit myself the pleasure of explaining even a few of the practical advantages of the motor-car, for my object was mainly to show its potentialities in quite another direction.

J. E. VINCENT.

515

THE PROPHET OF BALHAM.

WHEN Mr. George Cherrybank came in for the Silverton property, on the death of his uncle, he brought with him to the Manor House a keen sense of his responsibilities as landlord and country gentleman. He was not one of those who are convinced that all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds, and, even if he had been, the recent census would have been difficult of digestion; for the recent census made it painfully clear that the population of Silverton parish was drifting away to the towns, and a mere glance at the villagers would have led the most superficial observer to doubt whether the fittest had survived.

How was the débâcle to be checked? How was village life to be made more attractive? That was the problem which exercised the mind of George Cherrybank; and, as a partial attempt to solve it, he had, with the rector's cordial consent, determined to organise a series of lectures and entertainments for the winter months.

The work of organisation was not a light one, for the amount of local talent that could be relied on was limited. The rector's tour to Palestine had already done duty several times, and had also been much exploited in his sermons; still, it could be served up again, and would fill the bill for one occasion. Then Major Bridge was always ready to give his lecture on 'Big Game in Borneo'; and Mr. Cherrybank thought that he could himself improvise something on the Principles of Political Economy, though the recent Fiscal Controversy had somewhat confused his ideas. That accounted for three evenings; a concert and a penny reading would bring the total up to five; a little bit of acting at Christmastime might increase it to six. But where were the rest of the entertainments to come from? For Mr. Cherrybank's plan had been to have one per week, and an English winter, unfortunately, extends over a longer period than six weeks.

In this dilemma Mrs. Cherrybank, acting for her husband, entered upon a correspondence with her friend Mrs. St. Helier, of Balham, an energetic and enthusiastic lady, who had espoused many causes in her day and sat at the feet of many Popes. The

following extracts will give the reader a fair idea of its nature and scope:

The Manor, Silverton: September 3, 1907.

DARLING TOOTOO,-You are always so clever and so well informed that I am writing to you in a really great difficulty. Now do help me, like the dear, wise soul that you are. George is trying to arrange for some entertainments for our village this wintersomething that will be instructive as well as amusing, you know. George is going to take political economy himself, and we have got promises from the Rector and Major Bridge; but, of course, that isn't nearly enough. You have such heaps of clever friends! Do you think that you could persuade any of them to take pity on us? Of course we should put them up and give them some shooting or hunting and so on, and George always gets on so well with clever people. Now do think of somebody; I am sure you must know of heaps.

Your loving,

LULU.

PS. Do you happen to know of a cook? I am afraid we are going to lose Emma, as she can't get accustomed to the country.

Garibaldi Villa, Balham : September 5, 1907.

DEAREST LULU,-I am afraid that you vastly exaggerate my talents as a ‘Universal Provider.' I wish I could come myself and talk to your villagers, but, as you know, James can't spare me; and it isn't easy to persuade people to lecture. So many men who are brilliant talkers in a drawing-room lose their nerve completely when they get on to a platform, like poor Charles Slackenthorpe. But I wonder that you haven't thought of writing to Horace Wetherby; he has no nerves, and an evening with him is a revelation. . . . It's no use asking me about cooks, as I am in the same difficulty myself; for I fear I shall have to part with Mrs. Rice. I am practically certain that she drinks. Isn't it dreadful, for she exactly suited us!

Your loving,

Тоотоо.

The Manor, Silverton: September 7, 1907. DARLING TOOTOO,-Thank you so much for your dear letter. Yes, I wish you could come; but who is Mr. Wetherby? George doesn't remember ever to have heard of him, so it's not likely

that poor ignorant little me should be any wiser. What is his subject, and could we write to him without knowing him? . . . I am so sorry about Mrs. Rice! When I was with you last spring, Alice told me that she seemed very queer: I have asked her to-day whether she meant drink, and she says, 'Yes, that was it; only, of course, she didn't like to say so then.'

Your loving,

LULU.

Garibaldi Villa, Balham : September 9, 1907.

DARLING LULU,-Not know who Horace Wetherby is! Whereever have you been living! Why, he is the greatest and most original thinker of the day-a prophet, a sort of second Carlyle, and he writes in all the papers! And what is his subject? Well, he can talk wisely and wittily about everything, from the cedar of Libanus to the hyssop that grows on the wall. You ought certainly to get him. An evening in his company will be quite as great a revelation to your country squires as to the villagers. . . I find that I was quite mistaken about Mrs. Rice. She is a teetotaller of the bluest brand; but she has suffered a great deal from her teeth lately, poor thing, and, very unwisely, uses laudanum to allay the pain. I am afraid that your Alice must be rather malicious. Mrs. Rice tells me that she was a great mischiefmaker in the servants' hall, and set them all by the ears. I think it is right that you should know this.

Your loving,

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The Manor, Silverton: September 10, 1907.

DARLING TOOTOO,-Your prophet sounds delightful! But can we ask a favour of him without knowing him, and would he care to lecture to a small village audience like ours? Of course, we should do our best to make everybody come, but they are very apathetic and not very intelligent. If you would be so kind, George thinks it would be better that you should sound him first. ... I am so glad about Mrs. Rice! But you are unjust to Alice; she is the soul of good-nature and most popular with the servants here. She says they knew all about the laudanum, and that it came from the public-house!

Your loving,

LULU.

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