Page:Colymbia (1873).djvu/227

Rh things they desire to suppress in the most active and energetic manner, their efforts are never in the slightest degree successful. This does not seem to discourage them in the least; indeed, my friend Julian assured me that they did not in reality wish to put an end to the pet objects of their aversion, for had they succeeded, their occupation would have been gone, which was the last thing they really desired.

Each society had its president, vice-presidents, treasurer, secretary and staff of officials, whose pleasure it was to keep it in active operation, to meet, talk, and indulge in denunciations and invectives against the practices they condemned, but who had no wish to do anything that would lead to their own extinction.

I attended meetings of many of these societies and was much struck by the earnest manner and the vigorous eloquence of the chief speakers. The musical oratory invariably employed exercises a strange fascination over both speaker and audience. The former never seems to tire of declaiming, the latter are never weary of listening. I suppose it was my want of a thorough musical education, or perhaps the impossibility I experienced in getting up the needful amount of enthusiasm in the subject discoursed upon, that caused me to feel comparatively little interested by these bursts of eloquence. A certain sameness pervaded all the speeches. The orators invariably argued as if their own peculiar subject were the most important, indeed, the only important thing in the world; as if the putting down of their pet aversion or the carrying out of their pet scheme, were the only thing needed to make life in Colymbia perfect, and to complete the happiness of the whole community. And they never failed to denounce those who differed