William Morris, his homes and haunts . er, but because I really havehad more sympathy with the North from the first inspite of all the faults of its work. Let me confess andbe hanged—with the later work of Southern Europe Iam quite out of sympathy. By the time he returned to London, he was almostready to take possession of a new town house—Kelm-scott House, Upper Mall, Hammersmith—which washis London home until his death. In October of 1878^the family had moved in: it was a Georgian house, andbecame an admirable setting for the fruits of its mastersown handicrafts. But his resolve not to read
William Morris, his homes and haunts . er, but because I really havehad more sympathy with the North from the first inspite of all the faults of its work. Let me confess andbe hanged—with the later work of Southern Europe Iam quite out of sympathy. By the time he returned to London, he was almostready to take possession of a new town house—Kelm-scott House, Upper Mall, Hammersmith—which washis London home until his death. In October of 1878^the family had moved in: it was a Georgian house, andbecame an admirable setting for the fruits of its mastersown handicrafts. But his resolve not to read the papers and to putpolitical affairs out of his mind could not last for long;and by 1879 we find him treasurer of the NationalLiberal League, a rather indefinite kind of Society,which was the first flutter of the working class ofLondon in its attempt to force the hands of the moreorthodox party men. What remaining glimmer oforthodox Liberalism there ever was in Morris, wasfinally extinguished when the Liberals brought in their. THE POLITICAL PERIOD 35 Irish Coercion Bill of 1881. Mr. Mackail records thechange in terse words: In the November followingMorris took an actively joyful part in winding up theaffairs of the National Liberal League. The socialreforms which he had at heart he saw disappearing amidan ocean of Whiggery, which he no more loved than hedid Toryism. . Very soon Morriss attitude towardscurrent politics became one of mere irritation andcontempt. Then Mr. Mackail goes on to quote somewords from Sorrows Romany Rye as best express-ing Morriss mind on this subject: Toryism, a systemof common robbery, is nevertheless far better thanWhiggism—a compound of petty larceny, popular in-struction, and receiving of stolen goods.* The attitude of passive waiting was not possible ina mind like Morriss, if he saw the slightest hope ofanything at all being accomplished ; and in 1881 hel^ad hopes, in spite of all his contempt, for he wrote:**Tt is good to feel the air l
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