The South-African crisis - pagina 69

THE SOUTH- AFRICAN

when English

65

CRISIS.

interests are at stake."

')

In other

words

because they had sacrificed right to the glory of their

Imperiahsm

This

country!

as a

unperceived

glides,

into the blood of the crowd, poisons

streptococus,

and overcomes

its

conscience.

The

first

it,

man you meet

begins to feel himself a person of importance from the

mere

fact that

he carries in his veins the blood of his

nation. All feel themselves lifted up, exalted, glorified.

The

the

greatness,

turned

to

power of

account for

their

their country,

own

must be

greatness, for the

welfare of their family, for the increase of their fortune.

Once the barrier of right is

is

down,

in politics, there

no more reason why the moral barrier should stand

way of their advance to the bait of the treasure. Then the fatal descent begins to show itself. The capitalists no longer conceal their arrogance. Even in

in the

the

ranks of the nobles, impoverished by the decline

of rents or incumbered with gambling debts, they put

The electoral The Press gives

out the corrupting bait of their greed.

machine way.

falls

Public

under their influence. opinion

Statesman even

And

feel

allows itself to be gained over.

themselves

the lamentable consequence

led is

by the

accentuated every

time yet another of the most robust convictions to pass to the enemy.

Opt'iuu

bridle.

is

seen

corruptio pessima.

The fact that the English character in its essence is endowed with such an inherent and noble potentiality would only render more deplorable its decadence. "The higher the seat," as the proverb says, ''the

^)

stead, Ave

ive in the righl

:'

P. 66.

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