430 SUNDRY JOURNEYS AND EXPERIENCES -IV 



Of various experiences in London, the one of most in 

 terest to me was a visit to the House of Commons, where 

 the Irish Home Rulers were attempting to bait Mr. Bal- 

 four, the government leader. One after another they 

 arose and attacked him bitterly in all the moods and 

 tenses, with alleged facts, insinuations, and denunciations. 

 Nothing could be better than his way of taking it all. 

 He sat quietly, looking at his enemies with a placid smile, 

 and then, when they were fully done, rose, and before he 

 had spoken five minutes his reply had the effect of a mus 

 ket-shot upon a bubble. It was evident that these pa 

 triots were hardly taken seriously even by their own side, 

 and, in fact, did not take themselves seriously. I then 

 realized as never before the real reasons why the ora 

 torical and other demonstrations of Irish leaders have 

 accomplished so little for their country. 



A Liberal political meeting in Holborn also interested 

 me. The main speaker was the son of the Marquis of 

 Northampton, Earl Compton, who was standing for Par 

 liament. His speech was all good, but its best point was 

 his answer to a man in the crowd who asked him if he 

 was prepared to vote for the abolition of the House of 

 Lords. That would seem a trying question to the heir 

 of a marquisate; but he answered instantly and calmly: 

 &quot;As to the House of Lords, better try first to mend it, 

 and, if we cannot mend it, end it. 



He was followed by a Home Kuler, Father McFadden, 

 whose speech, being simply anti-British rant from end 

 to end, must have cost many votes; and I was not sur 

 prised when, a day or two afterward, his bishop recalled 

 him to Ireland. 



Very pleasing to me were sundry excursions. At 

 Kugby I was intensely interested in the scenes of Ar 

 nold s activity. He had exercised a great influence over 

 my own life, and a new inspiration came amid the scenes 

 so familiar to him, and especially in the chapel where he 

 preached. 



Visiting some old friends in Hampshire, I drove with 



