Erewhon Revisited Twenty Years Later, Both by the Original Discoverer of the Country and by His SonButler, Samuel
Philosophy
Erewhon Revisited Twenty Years Later, Both by the Original Discoverer of the Country and by His Son
Butler, Samuel
Satire; Utopian fiction; Utopias -- Fiction
Dr. Downie had a jumping cat before his mental vision. He spoke quietly
and sensibly, dwelling chiefly on the benefits that had already accrued
to the kingdom through the abolition of the edicts against machinery, and
the great developments which he foresaw as probable in the near future.
He held up the Sunchild’s example, and his ethical teaching, to the
imitation and admiration of his hearers, but he said nothing about the
miraculous element in my father’s career, on which he declared that his
friend Professor Hanky had already so eloquently enlarged as to make
further allusion to it superfluous.
The reader knows what was to happen on the following morning. The
programme concerted at the Mayor’s was strictly adhered to. The
following account, however, which appeared in the Sunch’ston bi-weekly
newspaper two days after my father had left, was given me by George a
year later, on the occasion of that interview to which I have already
more than once referred. There were other accounts in other papers, but
the one I am giving departs the least widely from the facts. It ran:-
“_The close of a disagreeable incident_.--Our readers will remember that
on Sunday last during the solemn inauguration of the temple now dedicated
to the Sunchild, an individual on the front bench of those set apart for
the public suddenly interrupted Professor Hanky’s eloquent sermon by
declaring himself to be the Sunchild, and saying that he had come down
from the sun to sanctify by his presence the glorious fane which the
piety of our fellow-citizens and others has erected in his honour.
“Wild rumours obtained credence throughout the congregation to the effect
that this person was none other than the Sunchild himself, and in spite
of the fact that his complexion and the colour of his hair showed this to
be impossible, more than one person was carried away by the excitement of
the moment, and by some few points of resemblance between the stranger
and the Sunchild. Under the influence of this belief, they were
preparing to give him the honour which they supposed justly due to him,
when to the surprise of every one he was taken into custody by the
deservedly popular Ranger of the King’s preserves, and in the course of
the afternoon it became generally known that he had been arrested on the
charge of being one of a gang of poachers who have been known for some
time past to be making much havoc among the quails on the preserves.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account