At the 1910 (January) Election, Michael Rossiter had been returned
as M.P. for one of the Midland Universities. His Science had
certainly suffered from his suppressed love for Vivie, a passion
which secretly tortured him, yet for which he dared ask no respite.
He thought it was about time that _real_ men of Science entered
Parliament to check the utter mismanagement of public affairs which
had been going on since 1900. He proposed to himself to make a
succession of brilliant speeches (he really was an admirable and
fluent lecturer) on Anthropology, Chemistry--Chemistry ought
to appeal, even to City men because it made such a lot of
money--Ethnology, Hygiene, Geography, Economic Botany, Regional
Zoology, Germ Diseases, Agriculture, etc., etc.; _and_ the absolute
necessity of giving Woman the same electoral privileges as Man. He
was always well inclined that way, but after he realized that David
was Vivie he became almost an embittered Suffragist.
The Speaker took care that he had little scope for his Anthropology,
Economic Botany, Chemistry, Hygiene, etc., on Votes of Supply: but
he got in some nasty blows in the Woman's cause, and in fact was so
strangely rancorous that Ministers looked at him evilly and arranged
that he was not placed on the committee of the Conciliation Bill;
that amusing farce with which the Liberal Ministry sought in 1910 to
stave off the Suffrage dilemma.
Pages:
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246