a treatise on parents and children-第23部分

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than　our　bookmakers　are　mathematicians。　　For　some　time　past　a

significant　word　has　been　coming　into　use　as　a　substitute　for　Destiny；

Fate；　and　Providence。　　It　is　〃The　Machine〃：　　the　machine　that　has　no

god　in　it。　　Why　do　governments　do　nothing　in　spite　of　reports　of　Royal

Commissions　that　establish　the　most　frightful　urgency？　　Why　do　our

philanthropic　millionaires　do　nothing；　though　they　are　ready　to　throw

bucketfuls　of　gold　into　the　streets？　　The　Machine　will　not　let　them。

Always　the　Machine。　　In　short；　they　dont　know　how。



They　try　to　reform　Society　as　an　old　lady　might　try　to　restore　a

broken　down　locomotive　by　prodding　it　with　a　knitting　needle。　　And

this　is　not　at　all　because　they　are　born　fools；　but　because　they　have

been　educated；　not　into　manhood　and　freedom；　but　into　blindness　and

slavery　by　their　parents　and　schoolmasters；　themselves　the　victims　of

a　similar　misdirection；　and　consequently　of　The　Machine。　　They　do　not

want　liberty。　　They　have　not　been　educated　to　want　it。　　They　choose

slavery　and　inequality；　and　all　the　other　evils　are　automatically

added　to　them。



And　yet　we　must　have　The　Machine。　　It　is　only　in　unskilled　hands　under

ignorant　direction　that　machinery　is　dangerous。　　We　can　no　more　govern

modern　communities　without　political　machinery　than　we　can　feed　and

clothe　them　without　industrial　machinery。　　Shatter　The　Machine；　and

you　get　Anarchy。　　And　yet　The　Machine　works　so　detestably　at　present

that　we　have　people　who　advocate　Anarchy　and　call　themselves

Anarchists。







The　Provocation　to　Anarchism



What　is　valid　in　Anarchism　is　that　all　Governments　try　to　simplify

their　task　by　destroying　liberty　and　glorifying　authority　in　general

and　their　own　deeds　in　particular。　　But　the　difficulty　in　combining

law　and　order　with　free　institutions　is　not　a　natural　one。　　It　is　a

matter　of　inculcation。　　If　people　are　brought　up　to　be　slaves；　it　is

useless　and　dangerous　to　let　them　loose　at　the　age　of　twenty…one　and

say　〃Now　you　are　free。〃　　No　one　with　the　tamed　soul　and　broken　spirit

of　a　slave　can　be　free。　　It　is　like　saying　to　a　laborer　brought　up　on

a　family　income　of　thirteen　shillings　a　week；　〃Here　is　one　hundred

thousand　pounds：　　now　you　are　wealthy。〃　　Nothing　can　make　such　a　man

really　wealthy。　　Freedom　and　wealth　are　difficult　and　responsible

conditions　to　which　men　must　be　accustomed　and　socially　trained　from

birth。　　A　nation　that　is　free　at　twenty…one　is　not　free　at　all；　just

as　a　man　first　enriched　at　fifty　remains　poor　all　his　life；　even　if　he

does　not　curtail　it　by　drinking　himself　to　death　in　the　first　wild

ecstasy　of　being　able　to　swallow　as　much　as　he　likes　for　the　first

time。　　You　cannot　govern　men　brought　up　as　slaves　otherwise　than　as

slaves　are　governed。　　You　may　pile　Bills　of　Right　and　Habeas　Corpus

Acts　on　Great　Charters；　promulgate　American　Constitutions；　burn　the

chateaux　and　guillotine　the　seigneurs；　chop　off　the　heads　of　kings　and

queens　and　set　up　Democracy　on　the　ruins　of　feudalism：　　the　end　of　it

all　for　us　is　that　already　in　the　twentieth　century　there　has　been　as

much　brute　coercion　and　savage　intolerance；　as　much　flogging　and

hanging；　as　much　impudent　injustice　on　the　bench　and　lustful　rancor　in

the　pulpit；　as　much　naive　resort　to　torture；　persecution；　and

suppression　of　free　speech　and　freedom　of　the　press；　as　much　war；　as

much　of　the　vilest　excess　of　mutilation；　rapine；　and　delirious

indiscriminate　slaughter　of　helpless　non…combatants；　old　and　young；　as

much　prostitution　of　professional　talent；　literary　and　political；　in

defence　of　manifest　wrong；　as　much　cowardly　sycophancy　giving　fine

names　to　all　this　villainy　or　pretending　that　it　is　〃greatly

exaggerated；〃　as　we　can　find　any　record　of　from　the　days　when　the

advocacy　of　liberty　was　a　capital　offence　and　Democracy　was　hardly

thinkable。　　Democracy　exhibits　the　vanity　of　Louis　XIV；　the　savagery

of　Peter　of　Russia；　the　nepotism　and　provinciality　of　Napoleon；　the

fickleness　of　Catherine　II：　　in　short；　all　the　childishnesses　of　all

the　despots　without　any　of　the　qualities　that　enabled　the　greatest　of

them　to　fascinate　and　dominate　their　contemporaries。



And　the　flatterers　of　Democracy　are　as　impudently　servile　to　the

successful；　and　insolent　to　common　honest　folk；　as　the　flatterers　of

the　monarchs。　　Democracy　in　America　has　led　to　the　withdrawal　of

ordinary　refined　persons　from　politics；　and　the　same　result　is　coming

in　England　as　fast　as　we　make　Democracy　as　democratic　as　it　is　in

America。　　This　is　true　also　of　popular　religion：　　it　is　so　horribly

irreligious　that　nobody　with　the　smallest　pretence　to　culture；　or　the

least　inkling　of　what　the　great　prophets　vainly　tried　to　make　the

world　understand；　will　have　anything　to　do　with　it　except　for　purely

secular　reasons。







Imagination



Before　we　can　clearly　understand　how　baleful　is　this　condition　of

intimidation　in　which　we　live；　it　is　necessary　to　clear　up　the

confusion　made　by　our　use　of　the　word　imagination　to　denote　two　very

different　powers　of　mind。　　One　is　the　power　to　imagine　things　as　they

are　not：　　this　I　call　the　romantic　imagination。　　The　other　is　the

power　to　imagine　things　as　they　are　without　actually　sensing　them；　and

this　I　will　call　the　realistic　imagination。　　Take　for　example　marriage

and　war。　　One　man　has　a　vision　of　perpetual　bliss　with　a　domestic

angel　at　home；　and　of　flashing　sabres；　thundering　guns；　victorious

cavalry　charges；　and　routed　enemies　in　the　field。　　That　is　romantic

imagination；　and　the　mischief　it　does　is　incalculable。　　It　begins　in

silly　and　selfish　expectations　of　the　impossible；　and　ends　in　spiteful

disappointment；　sour　grievance；　cynicism；　and　misanthropic　resistance

to　any　attempt　to　better　a　hopeless　world。　　The　wise　man　knows　that

imagination　is　not　only　a　means　of　pleasing　himself　and　beguiling

tedious　hours　with　romances　and　fairy　tales　and　fools'　paradises　（a

quite　defensible　and　delightful　amusement　when　you　know　exactly　what

you　are　doing　and　where　fancy　ends　and　facts　begin）；　but　also　a　means

of　foreseeing　and　being　prepared　for　realities　as　yet　unexperienced；

and　of　testing　the　possibility　and　desirability　of　serious　Utopias。

He　does　not　expect　his　wife　to　be　an　angel；　nor　does　he　overlook　the

facts　that　war　depends　on　the　rousing　of　all　the　murderous

blackguardism　still　latent　in　mankind；　that　every　victory　means　a

defeat；　that　fatigue；　hunger；　terror；　and　disease　are　the　raw　material

which　romancers　work　up　into　military　glory；　and　that　soldiers　for　the

most　part　go　to　war　as　children　go　to　school；　because　they　are　afraid

not　to。　　They　are　afraid　even　to　say　they　are　afraid；　as　such　candor

is　punishable　by　death　in　the　military　code。



A　very　little　realistic　imagination　gives　an　ambitious　person　enormous

power　over　the　multitudinous　victims　of　the　romantic　imagination。　　For

the　romancer　not　only　pleases　himself　with　fictitious　glories：　　he

also　terrifies　himself　with　imaginary　dangers。　　He　does　not　even

picture　what　these　dangers　are：　　he　conceives　the　unknown　as　always

dangerous。　　When　you　say　to　a　realist　〃You　must　do　this〃　or　〃You　must

not　do　that；〃　he　instantly　asks　what　will　happen　to　him　if　he　does　（or

does　not；　as　the　case　may　be）。　　Failing　an　unromantic　convincing

answer；　he　does　just　as　he　pleases　unless　he　can　find　for　himself　a

real　reason　for　refraining。　　In　short；　though　you　can　intimidate　him；

you　cannot　bluff　him。　　But　you　can　always　bluff　the　romantic　person：

indeed　his　grasp　of　real　considerations　is　so　feeble　that　you　find　it

necessary　to　bluff　him　even　when　you　have　solid　considerations　to

offer　him　instead。　　The　campaigns　of　Napoleon；　with　their　atmosphere

of　glory；　illustrate　this。　　In　the　Russian　campaign　Napoleon's

marshals　achieved　miracles　of　bluff；　especially　Ney；　who；　with　a

handful　of　men；　monstrously　outnumbered；　repeatedly　kept　the　Russian

troops　paralyzed　with　terror　by　pure　bounce。　　Napoleon　himself；　much

more　a　realist　than　Ney　（that　was　why　he　dominated　him）；　would

probably　have　surrendered；　for　sometimes　the　bravest　of　the　brave　will

achieve　successes　never　attempted　by　the　cleverest　of　the　clever。

Wellington　was　a　completer　realist　than　Napoleon。　　It　was　impossible

to　persuade　Wellington　that　he　was　beaten　until　he　actually　was

beaten。　　He　was　unbluffable；　and　if　Napoleon　had　understood　the　nature

of　Wellington's　strength　instead　of　returning　Wellington's　snobbish

contempt　for　him　by　an　academic　contempt　for　Wellington；　he　would　not

have　left　the　attack　at　Waterloo　to　Ney　and　D'Erlon；　who；　on　that

field；　did　not　know　when　they　were　beaten；　whereas　Wellington　knew

precisely　when　he　was　not　beaten。　　The　unbluffable　would　have

triumphed　anyhow；　probably；　because　Napoleon　was　an　academic　soldier；

doing　the　academic　thing　（the　attack　in　columns　and　so　forth）　with

superlative　ability　and　energy；　whilst　Wellington　was　an　original

soldier　who；　instead　of　outdoing　the　terrible　academic　columns　with

still　more　terrible　and　academic　columns；　outwitted　them　with　the　thin

red　line；　not　of　heroes；　but；　as　this　uncompromising　realist　never

hesitated　to　testify；　of　the　scum　of　the　earth。







Government　by　Bullies



These　picturesque　martial　incidents　are　being　reproduced　every　day　in

our　ordinary　life。　　We　are　bluffed　by　hardy　simpletons　and　headstrong

bounders　as　the　Russians　were　bluffed　by　Ney；　and　our　Wellingtons　are

threadbound　by　slave…democracy　as　Gulliver　was　threadbound　by　the

Lilliputians。　　We　are　a　mass　of　people　living　in　a　submissive　routine

to　which　we　have　been　drilled　from　our　childhood。　　When　you　ask　us　to

take　the　simplest　step　outside　that　routine；　we　say　shyly；　〃Oh；　I

really　couldnt；〃　or　〃Oh；　I　shouldnt　like　to；〃　without　being　able　to

point　out　the　smallest　harm　that　could　possibly　ensue：　　victims；　not

of　a　rational　fear　of　real　dangers；　but　of　pure　abstract　fear；　the

quintessence　of　cowardice；　the　very　negation　of　〃the　fear　of　God。〃