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235
The Private Papers of Henry Ryecroft
·
George Gissing
80
And
gentle
idealists
utter
their
indignant
wonder
at
the
continuance
of
war!
Why,
it
passes
the
wit
of
man
to
explain
how
it
is
that
nations
are
ever
at
peace!
For,
if
only
by
the
rarest
good
fortune
do
individuals
associate
harmoniously,
there
would
seem
to
be
much
less
likelihood
of
mutual
understanding
and
good-will
between
the
peoples
of
alien
lands.
As
a
matter
of
fact,
no
two
nations
are
ever
friendly,
in
the
sense
of
truly
liking
each
other;
with
the
reciprocal
criticism
of
countries
there
always
mingles
a
sentiment
of
animosity.
The
original
meaning
of
hostis
is
merely
stranger,
and
a
stranger
who
is
likewise
a
foreigner
will
only
by
curious
exception
fail
to
stir
antipathy
in
the
average
human
being.
Add
to
this
that
a
great
number
of
persons
in
every
country
find
their
delight
and
their
business
in
exasperating
international
disrelish,
and
with
what
vestige
of
common
sense
can
one
feel
surprise
that
war
is
ceaselessly
talked
of,
often
enough
declared.
In
days
gone
by,
distance
and
rarity
of
communication
assured
peace
between
many
realms.
Now
that
every
country
is
in
proximity
to
every
other,
what
need
is
there
to
elaborate
explanations
of
the
distrust,
the
fear,
the
hatred,
which
are
a
perpetual
theme
of
journalists
and
statesmen?
By
approximation,
all
countries
have
entered
the
sphere
of
natural
quarrel.
That
they
find
plenty
of
things
to
quarrel
about
is
no
cause
for
astonishment.
A
hundred
years
hence
there
will
be
some
possibility
of
perceiving
whether
international
relations
are
likely
to
obey
the
law
which
has
acted
with
such
beneficence
in
the
life
of
each
civilized
people;
whether
this
country
and
that
will
be
content
to
ease
their
tempers
with
bloodless
squabbling,
subduing
the
more
violent
promptings
for
the
common
good.
Yet
I
suspect
that
a
century
is
a
very
short
time
to
allow
for
even
justifiable
surmise
of
such
an
outcome.
If
by
any
chance
newspapers
ceased
to
exist
.
.
.
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