The daily silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1903-1907, 1906-03-08
Current Comment
A Slump Ia Imperialism.

Evidence of the collapse of new i'm.
perialism in England is ound in the
national elections, which returned to
parliament many notables who were
not at the front with the shouting
crowd during the Boar war. Further
evidence is pointed out by c. Il. Mas
terinan in his new book, 'In Peril of
Change" which adduces a new spirit
IN literature as the expression of a new
national feeling.
Fifteen years z a new and arrest
ing spirit manifested itself in English
literature. Its message, proclaimed by
a few men of genius, diffused itself
through a thousand obscure channels
in press and platform and imposed a
new enthusiasm upon the public. This
was the imperialistic spirit, and its
chief apostles were w. Il. Henley and
Rudyard Kipling. The result of this
spirit was a literature of forced feroci-
ty. Under it's influence imperial des-
tiny replaced national well being, and
men were no longer asked to pursue
the just course, but to approve the in
evitable. 1t was a message of vigor
and revolt, pleasing to a nation wearied
of the draIness of its uniform success
es. The vogue of the imperialistic
writer's, Mr.. Masterman explains.
LASTED only SO long as it could keep
divorced from real things and confined
to its world of Illusion" Enlarging
upon this point, he continues:
While British wars consisted of battues
of blacks, with the minimum of loss and
pain to ourselves, the falsity Of the at
mosphere of Mr.. Kipling's battle tales was
undiscoverable.
With the outbreak of real war and some
apprehension of its meaning the spell
snapped. Directly Mr.. Kipiing commenced
TO write of the actual conflict in South
Africa the note suddenly Jared and rang
false. His judgment was found to be con-
cerned not with war. but with the idea Of
wharf.-the conception in the brain of a
journalist. The jauntiness and cocksure-
ness, the surface We're suddenly
confronted with realities-death and loss
and longing. There was a good killing
Il 4 Ia III i4ol odAicid1tOAy III
ing of the whole war" This attitude i'm
mediately disclosed it's essential %vulgarity;
a grimace from the teeth outward; wal
as viewed from Capel Court or White
chapel or any other place where men are
noisy and impotent.
Real wal gave indeed a revelation of
high sacrifice, the coming of the fire of
Prometheus" into the common ways of
men; flaming up under the stress of a
vast upheaval in the conflict Of life and
of death. 1t was not given to the apostles
of the new Imperialism to estimate or
even to understand those deeper tides of
the human soul. Their conception was of
wal carried on In the spirit of the music
hall comedy; the men at the close of the
struggle wiping their hands. which have
successfully gouged out the eyes of their
enemies, while they hum the latest pop
ular song. With the coming of a wal
which it had so furiously demanded the
literature of reaction fell, first into shrill-
ness. then into silence. Read today, the
whole thing stands remote and fantastic,
the child of a time infinitely far away. OF
its authors, some are dead. and some con-
tinue a strange shadowy life in an alien
time.
This imperialistic spirit in English
literature has now collapsed utterly.
says this writer, and a new note is be-
coming dominant. From this new note
Mr.. Masterman prophesies that the
spirit of the coming time will pro-
claim always the well being Of Eng
land and the English people. Feudalism
and class spirit must give way to de-
mocracy. with a claim for every Eng
lish man, woman and child to share In
the great inheritance which England
has won.