Page:Free Opinions, Freely Expressed on Certain Phases of Modern Social Life and Conduct.djvu/338

 I were a lady," said she—"I would sit down and do nothing." No more cruel torture can be imagined than this. We read in history of prisoners who, condemned to such a life, went mad with the misery of it. The only way to live happily and healthfully is to try with every moment of our time to accomplish something—even if it be only a thought. Thought, as we know, crystallizes into action. Yet very few people really think. Many get no further than to think they are thinking. To think is a kind of Work—too hard for many folks. In politics, for instance, some people let the Press think for them. They cannot be bothered to do it for themselves. And when the Press makes what is called a "corner" in any particular policy, they sometimes submit to be "cornered." There have been of late a great many rumours concerning a gigantic Press "combine" which is to be formed for the purpose of swaying the opinion of the British public and particularly the opinion of the British working man. In other words, opinion is no longer to be "free," but coerced by something like a Press "Trust" Company. Now if we are to believe this, we must likewise believe the British public fools. And we should surely be sorry to be forced to such a conclusion. Let us hope the British public has an opinion of its own entirely apart from the Press, and that it will declare that opinion bravely and openly. It is hard to imagine that it will allow its fondness for "prize-competitions" and "puzzle-pictures" to interfere with its common sense and honesty. I may say, however, that I have often marvelled at the generosity with which a large majority of people will