now I'm for ever
picking it up. It always opens at the same page and I find myself
thinking, speculating about it in a ridiculous manner. I shall throw
the thing away to-morrow, but I know the page by heart anyway. It's
an account of the work of some school or other. Here are a few of the
lectures that were given:

Mr. Fred. A. Bush. What the Community owes the Newspaper and what the
Newspaper owes the Community.--Rev. I. R. Glass. Fools.--Hon. W. T.
Cessna. Don't Pay too dearly for the Whistle.--Prof. Wellington
Putman. Rip van Winkle.--Rev. R. S. Hanshaw. The Mind's Picture
Gallery.

Then they acted _Othello_--The "Normal Students," whoever they may be.
Othello, E. F. Dunlavey. Iago--Douglas Giffard. Desdemona--Carrie
Whitehill. Emilia--Gussie Rodgers.... Afterwards I see that Miss
Gussie Rodgers gave a lecture on the Anglo-Saxon in Literature. She
must have been a clever young woman. Then I see that they decorated
one of their rooms with "a large number of carbon prints of celebrated
paintings," "the class picture being the most important and costing in
the neighbourhood of $100--this is the hunting scene of Ruysdael...."
Also they added to their Museum "manufactured articles from abroad
illustrative of the habits and customs of foreigners."

Now isn't that _all_ incredible after the day that I've had? Where do
the things join? What's all _that_ got to do with the horrors I've
been through to-day, with the Forest, the cholera, Marie, Semyonov....
With _all_ that's happening in Europe? With this mad earthquake of a
catastrophe? And yet one thinks of such silly things. I can see them
doing _Othello_ with their cheap ermine, bad jewellery and impossible
wigs. I expect Othello's black came off as he got hotter and hotter;
and the Rev. I. R. Glass on "Fools".... There'd be all the cheap
morality--"It's better, my young friends, to be good than to be bad.
It pays better in the end"--and there'd be little stories, sentimental
some of them and humorous some of them. There'd be a general titter
of laughter at the humorous ones.... And the carbon prints, the
"Ruysdael" always pointed out to visitors ... and after the war it
will all be going on again. At Polchester, too, they'll be having
cheap lectures in the Town-Hall and Shakespeare Readings and
High-School Prize-givings.... _Where's_ the Connexion between That and
This? _Where's_ the permanent thing in us that goes on whatever life
may do to us? Is life still beautifu