'm convinced
now that there is much misery all over the fishing banks, and I have a
conviction that I shall help to remove it. I am called to make the
effort, but I never listen to sentiment without also hearing what common
sense has to say. Perhaps we should all see the everyday life of the
men, and see a good deal of it before we begin theorizing. Look at that
smack away on our port bow. I'll be bound one or two are hurt in some
way there. That's one of 120 sail that we saw; multiply 120 by 20, and
then you have the number of vessels that we must attend under this
crackbrained scheme of ours. All the ledger and daybook men say we are
crackbrained. Now, if we can go on doing just a little with our ordinary
dispensaries, is it wise to risk playing at magnificence? You see I am
taking the side of Mr. Commonsense against my own ideas."

"I certainly think you may succeed," said Miss Dearsley.

"So do I; and now you see my point. We want to persuade other people as
quickly as possible to think as we do. To persuade, we must back all our
talkee-talkee by facts, and to get facts we must work and endure in
patience. You see what an amazingly clear political economist I am. Wait
till we run into the fleet; we shall be sure to catch them before the
trawls go down for the night, and, unless I'm mistaken, some of us will
be astonished. I never go into a new fleet without seeing what a little
weir we have at present to check a Niagara of affliction."

Mrs. Walton had much to do with many philanthropic movements, and men
were always glad to hear her judgments--mainly because she was not a
platform woman. She turned an amused look on Fullerton, and said, "Of
course a woman can't deal with logic and common sense and all those
dreadful things, and I know what a terribly rigid logician Mr. Fullerton
is. I think, even without seeing any more misery and broken bones and
things, that we have no very great difficulty before us. The case is as
simple as can be--to a woman. There is an enormous fund set aside by the
public for charity, and everybody wants to see a fair distribution. If a
slater comes off a roof and breaks a limb, there is a hospital for him
within half an hour's drive in most towns. If one of our men here breaks
his arm, there is no hospital within less than two days' steam. We don't
want the public to think the fisher is a more deserving man than the
slater; we want both men to have a fair chance. Charitable men can see
t