My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org

3o6MY LIFEadvocated by Robert Blatchford ; but this was, I fear,too much advanced even for the readers of this veryadvancedpaper, since no one came forward in mysupport. I feel sure, however, that there are manywho, when it is clearly put before them, will approveof the policy I have sketched out, since it is merelyone of justice and consideration for nations as well asfor individuals—of adopting the same rules of rightand wrong in the one case as in the other.About the year 1899 our house at Parkstonebecame no longer suitable owing to the fact thatbuilding had been going on all around us and whathad been open country when we came there hadbecome streets of villas, and in every direction wehad to walk a mile or more to get into any opencountry. I therefore began to search about variousparts of the southern counties for a suitable house,and after almost giving up the attempt in despair, weaccidentally found a spot within four miles of ourParkstone home and about half a mile from a station,with such a charming distant view and pleasantsurroundings that we determined, if we could get twoor three acres at a moderate price, to build a smallhouse upon it.After a rather long negotiation I obtained threeacres of land, partly wood, at the end of the year1901 ;sold my cottage at Godalming at a fair price,began at once making a new garden and shrubbery,decided on plans, and began building early in thenew year. The main charm of the site was a smallneglected orchard with old much-gnarled apple, pear,and plum trees, in a little grassy hollow sloping tothe south-east, with a view over moors and fieldstowards Poole harbour, beyond which were thePurbeck hills to the right, and a glimpse of the open