THE OPEN DOOR 



Peshawur, Annam, Nyassaland, Kerman, Serengetti, 

 Tanganyika and many others. On these beautiful 

 syllables must their imaginations feed, for that which 

 is told is as nothing at all. Adventure there is none, 

 romance there is none, mention of high emprise 

 there is none. Adventure, romance, high emprise 

 have to these men somehow lost their importance. 

 Perhaps such things have been to them too common 

 — as well mention the morning egg. Perhaps they 

 have found that there is no genuine adventure, no 

 real romance except over the edge of the world where 

 the rainbow stoops. 



The 'bus rattles in and rattles out again. It takes 

 the fresh-faced young men down past the inner 

 harbour to where lie the tall ships waiting. They 

 and their cargo of exuberance, of hope, of energy, 

 of thirst for the bubble adventure, the rainbow 

 romance, sail away to where these wares have a 

 market. And the quiet men glide away to the north. 

 Their wares have been marketed. The sleepy, 

 fierce, passionate, sunny lands have taken all they 

 had to bring. And have given in exchange? 

 Indifference, ill-health, a profound realization that 

 the length of days are as nothing at all, a supreme 

 agnosticism as to the ultimate value of anything 

 that a single man can do, a sublime faith that it 

 must be done, the power to concentrate, patience 



9 



