GEORGE ALLEN,
SUNNYSIDE, ORPINGTON, KENT.
1871.
[1]
FORS CLAVIGERA.
LETTER I.
Denmark Hill,
1st January, 1871.
Friends,
We begin to-day another group of ten years, not in happy circumstances. Although,for the time, exempted from the direct calamities which have fallen on neighbouringstates, believe me, we have not escaped them because of our better deservings, norby our better wisdom; but only for one or two bad reasons, or for both: either thatwe have not sense enough to determine in a great national quarrel which side is right,or that we have not courage to defend the right, when we have discerned it.
I believe that both these bad reasons exist in full force; that our own politicaldivisions prevent us from understanding the laws of international justice; and that,even if we did, we should not dare to defend, perhaps not even to assert them, beingon this first of January, 1871, in much bodily fear; that is to say, afraid of theRussians; [2]afraid of the Prussians; afraid of the Americans; afraid of the Hindoos; afraid ofthe Chinese; afraid of the Japanese; afraid of the New Zealanders; and afraid of theCaffres: and very justly so, being conscious that our only real desire respectingany of these nations has been to get as much out of them as we could.
They have no right to complain of us, notwithstanding, since we have all, lately,lived ourselves in the daily endeavour to get as much out of our neighbours and friendsas we could; and having by this means, indeed, got a good deal out of each other,and put nothing into each other, the actually obtained result, this day, is a stateof emptiness in purse and stomach, for the solace of which our boasted “insular position”is ineffectual.
I have listened to many ingenious persons, who say we are better off now than everwe were before. I do not know how well off we were before; but I know positively thatmany very deserving persons of my acquaintance have great difficulty in living underthese improved circumstances: also, that my desk is full of begging letters, eloquentlywritten either by distressed or dishonest