320 Mr. H. Bi^er Haggard [May 8, 



WEEKLY EVENING MEETING, 

 Friday, May 8, 1903. 



Sir James Crichton Browne, M.D. LL.D. F.R.S., Treasurer and 

 Vice-President, in the Chair. 



H. Rider Haggard, Esq. 

 Mural England. 



The subject upon which I have the honour to address you to-night is 

 so vast that I confess I hardly know how it should be approached. 

 Recently I have found two years of incessant labour very inadequate 

 to the collection and consideration of the body of facts which are 

 treated of in my work " Rural England," and some twelve hundred 

 pages of close print scarcely sufficient to their record. 



How then am I to deal with them intelligently under the same 

 great title within the space of a single hour ? 



I must confine myself to certain aspects of the subject — that is 

 clear — and even so, ask you to forgive me if I omit much. 



In those aspects are involved the difficult and debated question of 

 small-holdings ; their relation to national health and well-being ; 

 the methods which would best promote their establishment and 

 multiplication, and their working in practice illustrated by certain 

 examples with which I am acquainted. Also, if time allows, I should 

 like to say a few words on the present position of the agricultural 

 labourer, the very important matter of rural housing, and the pallia- 

 tives that I propose for some existing evils. 



Speaking broadly, although of course its physical conditions are 

 the same, the England of the past must have been a very different 

 country from that with which we are acquainted to-day. Then, the 

 land was the main strength of Britain, now commerce is its strength. 

 Then, except for occasional foreign wars, our energies were concen- 

 trated at home, now they are diffused over every quarter of the globe. 

 Then, Empire abroad was but a dream — in the beginning not so much 

 as that — now, although some argue that it brings no adequate material 

 advantage to our toiling millions, we think and talk of little else, and 

 in a sense are lost — as well we may be — in the contemplation of the 

 glory of a world-wide rule. Then, we grew the food we ate, and at 

 times even exported Home, now we import three parts of it, and, in the 

 event of a few defeats at sea, must begin to starve within a dozen 

 weeks. Then, wo were land-dwellers and the towns were small ; now 

 the great bulk of us are city-dwellers, most of whom know nothing 

 of the land, and, as it does not concern their purses or their }denty, 

 arc absolutely indifferent to its welfare. Then, the country side was 



