a miscellany of men-第6部分

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wo　crowds　were　waiting　in　the　dark　outside　the　public　building　to　hear　the　declaration　of　the　poll；　then　both　sides　alike　would　say　that　it　was　now　for　democracy　to　do　exactly　what　it　chose。　　England　herself；　lifting　her　head　in　awful　loneliness　and　liberty；　must　speak　and　pronounce　judgment。　Yet　this　might　not　be　exactly　true。　　England　herself；　lifting　her　head　in　awful　loneliness　and　liberty；　might　really　wish　Mr。　Asquith　to　be　pale　blue。　　The　democracy　of　England　in　the　abstract；　if　it　had　been　allowed　to　make　up　a　policy　for　itself；　might　have　desired　him　to　be　black　with　pink　spots。　　It　might　even　have　liked　him　as　he　is　now。　　But　a　huge　apparatus　of　wealth；　power；　and　printed　matter　has　made　it　practically　impossible　for　them　to　bring　home　these　other　proposals；　even　if　they　would　really　prefer　them。　　No　candidates　will　stand　in　the　spotted　interest；　for　candidates　commonly　have　to　produce　money　either　from　their　own　pockets　or　the　pasty's；　and　in　such　circles　spots　are　not　worn。　　No　man　in　the　social　position　of　a　Cabinet　Minister；　perhaps；　will　commit　himself　to　the　pale…blue　theory　of　Mr。　Asquith；　therefore　it　cannot　be　a　Government　measure；　therefore　it　cannot　pass。

Nearly　all　the　great　newspapers；　both　pompous　and　frivolous；　will　declare　dogmatically　day　after　day；　until　every　one　half　believes　it；　that　red　and　green　are　the　only　two　colours　in　the　paint…box。　　THE　OBSERVER　will　say：　〃No　one　who　knows　the　solid　framework　of　politics　or　the　emphatic　first　principles　of　an　Imperial　people　can　suppose　for　a　moment　that　there　is　any　possible　compromise　to　be　made　in　such　a　matter；　we　must　either　fulfil　our　manifest　racial　destiny　and　crown　the　edifice　of　ages　with　the　august　figure　of　a　Green　Premier；　or　we　must　abandon　our　heritage；　break　our　promise　to　the　Empire；　fling　ourselves　into　final　anarchy；　and　allow　the　flaming　and　demoniac　image　of　a　Red　Premier　to　hover　over　our　dissolution　and　our　doom。〃　　The　DAILY　MAIL　would　say：　〃There　is　no　halfway　house　in　this　matter；　it　must　be　green　or　red。　　We　wish　to　see　every　honest　Englishman　one　colour　or　the　other。〃　　And　then　some　funny　man　in　the　popular　Press　would　star　the　sentence　with　a　pun；　and　say　that　the　DAILY　MAIL　liked　its　readers　to　be　green　and　its　paper　to　be　read。　　But　no　one　would　even　dare　to　whisper　that　there　is　such　a　thing　as　yellow。

For　the　purposes　of　pure　logic　it　is　clearer　to　argue　with　silly　examples　than　with　sensible　ones：　because　silly　examples　are　simple。　　But　I　could　give　many　grave　and　concrete　cases　of　the　kind　of　thing　to　which　I　refer。　In　the　later　part　of　the　Boer　War　both　parties　perpetually　insisted　in　every　speech　and　pamphlet　that　annexation　was　inevitable　and　that　it　was　only　a　question　whether　Liberals　or　Tories　should　do　it。　　It　was　not　inevitable　in　the　least；　it　would　have　been　perfectly　easy　to　make　peace　with　the　Boers　as　Christian　nations　commonly　make　peace　with　their　conquered　enemies。　　Personally　I　think　that　it　would　have　been　better　for　us　in　the　most　selfish　sense；　better　for　our　pocket　and　prestige；　if　we　had　never　effected　the　annexation　at　all；　but　that　is　a　matter　of　opinion。　What　is　plain　is　that　it　was　not　inevitable；　it　was　not；　as　was　said；　the　only　possible　course；　there　were　plenty　of　other　courses；　there　were　plenty　of　other　colours　in　the　box。　　Again；　in　the　discussion　about　Socialism；　it　is　repeatedly　rubbed　into　the　public　mind　that　we　must　choose　between　Socialism　and　some　horrible　thing　that　they　call　Individualism。　I　don't　know　what　it　means；　but　it　seems　to　mean　that　anybody　who　happens　to　pull　out　a　plum　is　to　adopt　the　moral　philosophy　of　the　young　Hornerand　say　what　a　good　boy　he　is　for　helping　himself。

It　is　calmly　assumed　that　the　only　two　possible　types　of　society　are　a　Collectivist　type　of　society　and　the　present　society　that　exists　at　this　moment　and　is　rather　like　an　animated　muck…heap。　　It　is　quite　unnecessary　to　say　that　I　should　prefer　Socialism　to　the　present　state　of　things。　　I　should　prefer　anarchism　to　the　present　state　of　things。　　But　it　is　simply　not　the　fact　that　Collectivism　is　the　only　other　scheme　for　a　more　equal　order。　　A　Collectivist　has　a　perfect　right　to　think　it　the　only　sound　scheme；　but　it　is　not　the　only　plausible　or　possible　scheme。　　We　might　have　peasant　proprietorship；　we　might　have　the　compromise　of　Henry　George；　we　might　have　a　number　of　tiny　communes；　we　might　have　co…operation；　we　might　have　Anarchist　Communism；　we　might　have　a　hundred　things。　　I　am　not　saying　that　any　of　these　are　right；　though　I　cannot　imagine　that　any　of　them　could　be　worse　than　the　present　social　madhouse；　with　its　top…heavy　rich　and　its　tortured　poor；　but　I　say　that　it　is　an　evidence　of　the　stiff　and　narrow　alternative　offered　to　the　civic　mind；　that　the　civic　mind　is　not；　generally　speaking；　conscious　of　these　other　possibilities。　　The　civic　mind　is　not　free　or　alert　enough　to　feel　how　much　it　has　the　world　before　it。　　There　are　at　least　ten　solutions　of　the　Education　question；　and　no　one　knows　which　Englishmen　really　want。　　For　Englishmen　are　only　allowed　to　vote　about　the　two　which　are　at　that　moment　offered　by　the　Premier　and　the　Leader　of　the　Opposition。　　There　are　ten　solutions　of　the　drink　question；　and　no　one　knows　which　the　democracy　wants；　for　the　democracy　is　only　allowed　to　fight　about　one　Licensing　Bill　at　a　time。

So　that　the　situation　comes　to　this：　The　democracy　has　a　right　to　answer　questions；　but　it　has　no　right　to　ask　them。　　It　is　still　the　political　aristocracy　that　asks　the　questions。　　And　we　shall　not　be　unreasonably　cynical　if　we　suppose　that　the　political　aristocracy　will　always　be　rather　careful　what　questions　it　asks。　　And　if　the　dangerous　comfort　and　self…flattery　of　modern　England　continues　much　longer　there　will　be　less　democratic　value　in　an　English　election　than　in　a　Roman　saturnalia　of　slaves。　　For　the　powerful　class　will　choose　two　courses　of　action；　both　of　them　safe　for　itself；　and　then　give　the　democracy　the　gratification　of　taking　one　course　or　the　other。　　The　lord　will　take　two　things　so　much　alike　that　he　would　not　mind　choosing　from　them　blindfoldand　then　for　a　great　jest　he　will　allow　the　slaves　to　choose。



THE　MAD　OFFICIAL


Going　mad　is　the　slowest　and　dullest　business　in　the　world。　　I　have　very　nearly　done　it　more　than　once　in　my　boyhood；　and　so　have　nearly　all　my　friends；　born　under　the　general　doom　of　mortals；　but　especially　of　moderns；　I　mean　the　doom　that　makes　a　man　come　almost　to　the　end　of　thinking　before　he　comes　to　the　first　chance　of　living。

But　the　process　of　going　mad　is　dull；　for　the　simple　reason　that　a　man　does　not　know　that　it　is　going　on。　　Routine　and　literalism　and　a　certain　dry…throated　earnestness　and　mental　thirst；　these　are　the　very　atmosphere　of　morbidity。　　If　once　the　man　could　become　conscious　of　his　madness；　he　would　cease　to　be　man。　　He　studies　certain　texts　in　Daniel　or　cryptograms　in　Shakespeare　through　monstrously　magnifying　spectacles；　which　are　on　his　nose　night　and　day。　　If　once　he　could　take　off　the　spectacles　he　would　smash　them。　　He　deduces　all　his　fantasies　about　the　Sixth　Seal　or　the　Anglo…Saxon　Race　from　one　unexamined　and　invisible　first　principle。　If　he　could　once　see　the　first　principle；　he　would　see　that　it　is　not　there。

This　slow　and　awful　self…hypnotism　of　error　is　a　process　that　can　occur　not　only　with　individuals；　but　also　with　whole　societies。　　It　is　hard　to　pick　out　and　prove；　that　is　why　it　is　hard　to　cure。　　But　this　mental　degeneration　may　be　brought　to　one　test；　which　I　truly　believe　to　be　a　real　test。　A　nation　is　not　going　mad　when　it　doe's　extravagant　things；　so　long　as　it　does　them　in　an　extravagant　spirit。　　Crusaders　not　cutting　their　beards　till　they　found　Jerusalem；　Jacobins　calling　each　other　Harmodius　and　Epaminondas　when　their　names　were　Jacques　and　Jules；　these　are　wild　things；　but　they　were　done　in　wild　spirits　at　a　wild　moment。

But　whenever　we　see　things　done　wildly；　but　taken　tamely；　then　the　State　is　growing　insane。　For　instance；　I　have　a　gun　license。　　For　all　I　know；　this　would　logically　allow　me　to　fire　off　fiftynine　enormous　field…guns　day　and　night　in　my　back　garden。　　I　should　not　be　surprised　at　a　man　doing　it；　for　it　would　be　great　fun。　　But　I　should　be　surprised　at　the　neighbours　putting　up　with　it；　and　regarding　it　as　an　ordinary　thing　merely　because　it　might　happen　to　fulfil　the　letter　of　my　license。

Or；　again；　I　have　a　dog　license；　and　I　may　have　the　right　（for　all　I　know）　to　turn　ten　thousand　wild　dogs　loose　in　Buckinghamshire。　　I　should　not　be　surprised　if　the　law　were　like　that；　because　in　modern　England　there　is　practically　no　law　to　be　surprised　at。　　I　should　not　be　surprised　even　at　the　man　who　did　it；　for　a　certain　kind　of　man；　if　he　lived　long　under　the　English　landlord　system；　might　do　anything。　　But　I　should　be　surprised　at　the　people　who　consented　to　stand　it。　　I　should；　in　other　words；　think　the　world　a　little　mad　if　the　incident；　were　received　in　silence。

Now　things　every　bit　as　wild　as　this　are　being　received　in　silence　every　day。　　All　strokes　slip　on　the　smoothness　of　a　polished　wall。　　Ail　blows　fall　soundless　on　the　softness　of　a　padded　cell。　　For　madness　is　a　passive　as　well　as　an　active　state：　it　is　a　paralysis；　a　refusal　of　the　nerves　to　respond　to　the　normal　stimuli；　as　well　as　an　unnatural　stimulation。　　There　are　commonwealths；　plainly　to　be　distinguished　here　and　there　in　history；　which　pass　from　prosperity　to　squalor；　or　from　glory　to　insignificance；　or　from　freedom　to　slavery；　not　only　in　silence；　but　with　serenity。　　The　face　still　smiles　while　the　limbs；　literally　and　loathsomely；　are　dropping　from　the　body。　　These　are　peoples　that　have　lost　the　power　of　astonishment　at　their　own　actions。　　When　they　give　birth　to　a　fantastic　fashion　or　a　foolish　law；　they　do　not　start　or　stare　at　the　monster　they　have　brought　forth。　　They　have　grown　used　to　their　own　unreason；　chaos　is　their　cosmos；　and　the　whirlwind　is　the　breath　of　their　nostrils。　　These　nations　are　really　in　danger　of　going　off　their　heads　en　masse；　of　becoming　one　vast　vision　of　imbecility；　with　toppling　cities　and　crazy　country…sides；　all　dotted　with　industrious　lunatics。　One　of　these　countries　is　modern　England。

Now　here　is　an　actual　instance；　a　small　ease　of　how　our　social　co