not this land, other lands, all lands, be ours? Why need we build empires for others—why should we not be the masters?"
So the German spirit awoke—it shows no sign of sleeping again.
The world owes much to the German Race in many ways, and its place always has and always must be a great one; but it is not the only great race by any means; happily for the world it is not so. The widely different human races leaven and balance each other. What a terrible, insufferable world it would be if it was all British, or all German! Fancy having no other nation to grumble at, to revile or scorn—it is not to be thought of! If the British won every event in the Olympic Games, what would be the use of holding them at all? It is good to be beaten and so stimulated at times. Besides, it is all so amusing, this game of politics, it is so interesting to push the figures on the board about and see which gains an advantage here or there; there would be no “playing the game” if one piece won every time. The nation that is too fond of talking about “the sporting thing to do” is beginning to have unpleasant ideas as to what “the sporting thing” is, and is by no means exciting universal admiration when it says, “It isn't cricket !”—it is thinking a great deal too much about the gate-money.
Daring spirit, high ideals, the love of surmounting difficulties, the desire to be first, but fairly first, the spirit that will not be beaten, the steady endurance that leads to the overcoming, and trifles of that sort, are really not so useless and ridiculous after all; they do pay, they win empires when you realise them.
I lie in my long chair and see the seas rushing past and think of these things. Then I tumble to earth, or the deck, again, for it is feeding-time
