Must I appear upon platforms and denounce this wonderful discovery as the "law of useless infanticide"?
Must I tell people that "smallpox is really a curative process and not the deadly scourge and pestilence that doctors pretend it to be"?
Must I maintain "that vaccination never did, never does, and never can prevent even a single case of smallpox"?
Must I hold it up as a "law (!) of devil worship and human sacrifice to idols"?
If I accepted Strong's offer it seemed that I must do all these things: more, I must be false to my instincts, false to my training and profession, false to my scientific knowledge.

I could not do it.

And yet--when did a man in my position ever get such a chance as that which was offered to me this day?
I was ready with my tongue and fond of public speaking; from boyhood it had been my desire to enter Parliament, where I knew well that I should show to some advantage.

Now, without risk or expense to myself, an opportunity of gratifying this ambition was given to me.

Indeed, if I succeeded in winning this city, which had always been a Tory stronghold, for the Radical party I should be a marked man from the beginning, and if my career was not one of assured prosperity the fault would be my own.