“Begin with them—oh—why—it’s very easy to begin with them. The difficulty is to go on with them, after the money is all spent. We’ll begin by explaining to them the benefits of civilization.”
“Capital plan!” said Mr. Supplehouse. “But how do you set about it, Smith?”
“How do we set about it? How did we set about it with Australia and America? It is very easy to criticize; but in such matters the great thing is to put one’s shoulder to the wheel.”
“We sent our felons to Australia,” said Supplehouse, “and they began the work for us. And as to America, we exterminated the people instead of civilizing them.”
“We did not exterminate the inhabitants of India,” said Harold Smith, angrily.
“Nor have we attempted to Christianize them, as the bishop so properly wishes to do with your islanders.”
“Supplehouse, you are not fair,” said Mr. Sowerby, “neither to Harold Smith nor to us;—you are making him rehearse his lecture, which is bad for him; and making us hear the rehearsal, which is bad for us.”
“Supplehouse belongs to a clique which monopolizes the wisdom of England,” said Harold Smith; “or, at any rate, thinks that it does. But the worst of them is that they are given to talk leading articles.”
“Better that, than talk articles which are not leading,” said Mr. Supplehouse. “Some first-class official men do that.”