1 MARCH 1946, Page 9

THE BRICK WALL

By MAURICE GORDON

HE had been in West Africa for -fourteen years. His career had been quite successful in that people thought well of the work he had done in the stations where he had been posted and now, in the Secretariat, his minutes were. so nicely turned, withal so non- committal, that everyone was quietly admiring. As they should be, of course, for that is what a Secretariat officer should be—non- committal, au fait with the routine procedure and with a complete familiarity with the standard abbreviations, B.U., F.N.A., K.I.V., &c. He was a successful civil servant of the colonial service ; if he kept up his present standard of competence he could hope for pro- motion in at least another six years.

It was interesting to observe his relations with the officers junior to himself. Perhaps a quiet tolerance would express his regard for these young people. It was realised, of course, that they had not been in the country long and so were unqualified to participate in any control of affairs by suggestion or, possibly, by tentative advice. It was nice to see' them about and to post them to fill temporarily vacant posts, or posts a little bit too expensive to live in for senior officers, or which had rather too much work for them. They were admirable to send on unpleasant treks, but, unfortunately, the fruit of their investigations on such trips was never of any value, as, alas, they had had such little experience of the country.

Every now and again an objectionable young man appeared. Why the Appointment Board at home chose such people he could not think. It usually happened that such people passed their language examinations with no difficulty and in a surprisingly short space of time—that was merely precocity. They appeared keen to get on with the job, had the future of the colony at heart and presumed to ask questions in regard to policy. They expressed a desire to know why such little progress had been made and they even ven- tured to criticise. Of course, the answer to these problem children was not difficult. It was no time at all before they were posted to some out-of-the-way station where they were given no responsi- bility, no chance to do anything constructive for the people under their charge without running the whole gamut of red tape. That would teach them, until such time as they could sit down and learn the rules of Indirect Rule as elucidated by Governors of fifteen to twenty years ago. In time they would have all the nonsense knocked out of them and settle down to time-honoured routine.

He had been young, too, and he had come out to West Africa after an expensive education and rather pleased at the prospect of Participating in the development of the Empire which he wished to serve. His reactions had been quite similar to those hi the objec- tionable young men, and his terms of service were the old terms plus allowances. He was now near his maximum salary and a

bachelor. He had been young and vigorous. He was now rathei inactive, a little pompous and drank rather too much and too often. He lived in the barest of bungalows in the best artificial manner. He had become a "Coaster" and was trapped.

There had been a time when he had been a recruit to the service, when he had been keen and enthusiastic, and when he had asked questions and even wondered about policy. It was some time ago, and the memory of the reactions were a little hazy (for alcohol leaves a haze, damp rot a mist and self-deception a fog). He could remem- ber, however, with difficulty, that he had signed a bond before he came to the service. That bond hold him for three years and made it a condition that should he resign within that time he was liable for a refund of the money spent on his colonial course and for the cost of his return passage. As far as he could recollect, he had considered resignation at one time, but found that he could not afford the penalty. So he went on until he was confirmed. Resignation carried no penalty now, but solemn consideration revealed that three years spent in a West African Colony had made him a Jack of all trades and master of none. There was no other career that he could take up unless he started again. Leave came round and, after a lively time at home and after reading the plans for the colonies that always seemed to be under consideration when he was in England, he decided that he would have another shot at it. for there was something being done after all. Another tour passed ; despondencies came and frustration was always with him. He had given the career a fair test. Realisation came quickly that he was fit for nothing else ; that if he had resigned after his first well- founded qualms he could have made, with a great effort, another start in a more straightforward concern. He was in the service for life, and the life meant another twenty years before he had quali- fied for pension. He had suffered from the climate—he had been sick of malaria, dysentery and the wretched "feeling off colour" which was a feature of the country. Twenty years stretched ahead before the pension—twenty years of feeling " not quite fit," of living in bad houses on sub-nutritional food and serving an ungrateful people and an unappreciative Government. Thus he sat. back. He thought he would not overwork during those twenty years, and to avoid that he became vague ; he mastered his platitudes and he strengthened his powers of bluff. On leave he told his friends— rapidly dwindling through irregular contact—and the young men he encountered that his job was grand and that not only would he not change it for another but recommended them to come out to the colonies too.

He was careful to point out, however, that the selection was very searching and that it was difficult to get in. He was trapped. His pride would not allow the admission of failure at home, and he rapidly built up the pompous barricade so necessary to repel the criticism of youth, which would otherwise bring about the pricking of conscience or arouse afresh the hopelessness of his position. The Brick Wall was complete. His advent to the country had been like that of most of his contemporaries and predecessors. There is no doubt that he wanted to build when he came to the colony straight from home. He wanted to build for the colony, for its people and for the Empire as a whole. He did build. He built himself a brick wall of smug satisfaction to save himself from his own misgivings. Against that brick wall his juniors battered fruitlessly, and any chips that they made in it only served to strengthen the wall that they would in due course be forced to build around themselves.