The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-04-15
FAMOUS ENGLISH NOVELIST'S REACTION TO
STRUGGLE SHOWN IN "MR. BRlTLING SEES
1T THROUCH"-BEST FICTION SINCE
BEGINNING OF CONFLICT

/ S~Ao "OAa@hb VIM lOXl6 OuI
be an English cousin Of the America,
Corners = Mr.. Direcks family an,
Mr.. Iawrence Carmine, an Englisl
gentleman. and q "colored gentleman
from India" q great authority on In
dian literature. and Mrs. Britling, tn,
ordinary middle class English gentle
! woman. and Hugh. Mr. Britlings eldes
son. young student Of art and sci.
ence. and~one thing and another. Mr.
I D1reck falls in love with the English
country life, with the entire freedom
from restraint characteristic Of It.
home circles. They play hockey and
golf. eat lunches indoors and outdoors
! discuss freely and without .rancor ev.
| erything under the sun.
| Matchirg's Easy was Mr.. Britling'.
England. $50 good Of you Americans
to come to see the old country" SAID
Mr.. Britling to Mr.. Dirock. 80 good OF
you. IN England. you see, we have do.
mesticated everything. We have even
domesticated God" They call upon
Lady Homar'vn, Mr.. Britling's neigh.
| Dor Mr.. Drifting had a moment of ex-
position rs they approached the en-
trance ~ her house. Il expect we
shall find Philbert from the home OF :
flee hhe"o---or is ii the government
board and Sir Thomas Loot, the
treasury rrnn. There may be some other
people Of that sort. and people we call
the government class Wives also. And
rather fancy. the Countess of Fren-
sham is coming. she's strong IN the
Irish question, and Lady Venetia
Trumpington. who. they say. is "A
beauty. It's Lady Homartyn's way to
expect me to come in--she likes to see
pe at table-to be nibbled at, If one
wants to-" This will give an idea OF
Matchin's Easy's society" and the OPP
portunities 1t afforded for keeping in
touch with London's political gossip.
Here they discussed the moving topics
Of the day. praised and condemned Sir
Edward Grey, Asouith and Sir Edward
Carson and Lloyd George, home rule,
Ulster, music, art Socialism. the suf-
fragettes-ail the things that seemed
80 big and important before the Euro
pean war cloud broke.
-fhe psychology Of all this recent
subordination and violence is curious, .
Drifting would rema ting.
too. l don't quite grasp it. It's the
same thing whether you look at the
suffrage business. or the labor people,
or this Irish question. People may be
too safe. You see. we live at the end
Of series of secure generations in
which none Of the great things Of life
have changed materially. We have
grown up with no sense Of danger
of responsibility. None Of us-for
though I talk, my actions belle me-
really believe that life can change
very fundamentally any more forever.
'" Here we are and visibly
nothing is MISUNDERSTANDING will ever
change. II the world were
like whispering gallery. what whis-
rers might we not hear now-from In
dia. from Africa. from Germany init
nations Of the future-but we should
not heed them"
And indeed at the very moment
when Mr.. Britling was saying these
words, in Sarajevo. In Bosnia. where
the hour was somewhat later. men
whispered together. and one. held nerv-
ously to black rprcel that had been
given him, and nodded as they repeated
his instructions, n black parcel with
certain unstable chemicals and Gu
rious arrangement Of detonators there
in. black parcel destined ultimately to
shatter nearly every landmark Of Mr.
Britlings and Lady Fensham's cos
mogony. =" sar
But the hockey games went on and
Mr.. Direck continued to court his Eng
fish cousin. Miss Corner and Mr.. Brit
ling to'ply his platnoic affair with Mrs.
Harrowdean. and Teddy and his gentle
wife to fondle their new baby. and Herr
Heinrich to ask questions and play on
his violin and with his squirrel, and
the writing Of the essay, And Now
War End" went on also. -. Then
the "black parcel" exploded in the
archduke's automobile over there in an
Oriental city. But still Mr.,
Britling. to whom the explosion was
dissertations upon the scommon sense
of the world and the practical security
OF our western peace.
Then came the newspapers with
their news Of the Sarajeyo murders
who is this archduke. anyhow p"
asked Mr.. Direck at the breakfast ia.
BILE. And where is this Bosnia?"
ats in Austria" said Teddy
TITS in the Middle Ages" said Mr..
Rritling;, "It's like something out Of
the Prisoner of Zenda'"
"Pleaser" said Herr Heinrich. will
not this affect European politics."
Il don't know perhaps It will
1T says in the paper that Serbia
sent those bombs to Sarajevo."
TITS like another world" said Mr..
Britling. Can you imagine anything
like that happening nowadays west Of
the Adriatic? win you have another
egg. Mr.. Direck?"
Please" asked Herr Heinrich,
might not this lead to war;
Anrsk <hN~IS