splendidly described as horse sense—which comes 
from intimate wordless unintellectual communing 
with Nature (please do not take that word “ com-
muning ” in any bad sense ;  if it were not for Baldwin, 
I would be a Conservative myself)—the instinct of 
some people, who at the bottom of their hearts, did 
not so much believe in these phantasms.  It was not 
so easy to get them to go out and murder a lot of 
inoffensive people at the word jump.  They had to 
be supplied with something a little more tangible. 
You will notice how all this sort of argument 
is invariably of the ad captandum variety.  It is pro-
duced out of nowhere for a definite purpose ;  and, 
as the French say, does not rime with anything.  
If it did, of course, it would immediately be exposed 
as nonsense.  It is satisfied that nobody can disprove 
it any more than they can prove it. 
Take a concrete example.  A nice young gentle-
man the other day wanted (very properly) to earn 
his living, and not being peculiarly endowed by 
Nature in the matter of original invention, he thought 
he might make a story out of the idea of a Suicide 
Club.  In this he was evidently correct.  Robert Louis 
Stevenson had in fact proved the point.  So he took 
Stevenson’s story and transferred it to Germany, 
and drivelled on about the ace of spades, and quoted 
statistics of suicides, and said that I was the president 
of the Club and that the Berlin police were after me. 
Now, I am afraid it would be a little bit difficult 
for anyone to prove that I am responsible for any 
suicides that may take place in Germany.  But, on 
the other hand, it is quite impossible for me to dis-
prove it.  So now, if you want to attack anybody 
without the slightest fear of contradiction, you know 
how to set to work.