XI
THEHOMELESSNESSOFJONES
ThustheFutureofwhichwespokeatthebeginninghas(inEnglandatleast)alwaysbeentheallyoftyranny。
TheordinaryEnglishmanhasbeendupedoutofhisoldpossessions,suchastheywere,andalwaysinthenameofprogress。
Thedestroyersoftheabbeystookawayhisbreadandgavehimastone,assuringhimthatitwasapreciousstone,thewhitepebbleoftheLord'select。TheytookawayhismaypoleandhisoriginalrurallifeandpromisedhiminsteadtheGoldenAgeofPeaceandCommerceinauguratedattheCrystalPalace。Andnowtheyaretakingawaythelittlethatremainsofhisdignityasahouseholderandtheheadofafamily,promisinghiminsteadUtopiaswhicharecalled(appropriatelyenough)
"Anticipations"or"NewsfromNowhere。"Wecomeback,infact,tothemainfeaturewhichhasalreadybeenmentioned。
Thepastiscommunal:thefuturemustbeindividualist。
Inthepastarealltheevilsofdemocracy,varietyandviolenceanddoubt,butthefutureispuredespotism,forthefutureispurecaprice。Yesterday,IknowIwasahumanfool,butto-morrowIcaneasilybetheSuperman。
ThemodernEnglishman,however,islikeamanwhoshouldbeperpetuallykeptout,foronereasonafteranother,fromthehouseinwhichhehadmeanthismarriedlifetobegin。
Thisman(Jonesletuscallhim)hasalwaysdesiredthedivinelyordinarythings;hehasmarriedforlove,hehaschosenorbuiltasmallhousethatfitslikeacoat;
heisreadytobeagreatgrandfatherandalocalgod。
Andjustasheismovingin,somethinggoeswrong。
Sometyranny,personalorpolitical,suddenlydebarshimfromthehome;andhehastotakehismealsinthefrontgarden。
Apassingphilosopher(whoisalso,byamerecoincidence,themanwhoturnedhimout)pauses,andleaningelegantlyontherailings,explainstohimthatheisnowlivingthatboldlifeuponthebountyofnaturewhichwillbethelifeofthesublimefuture。
Hefindslifeinthefrontgardenmoreboldthanbountiful,andhastomoveintomeanlodgingsinthenextspring。Thephilosopher(whoturnedhimout),happeningtocallattheselodgings,withtheprobableintentionofraisingtherent,stopstoexplaintohimthatheisnowinthereallifeofmercantileendeavor;
theeconomicstrugglebetweenhimandthelandladyistheonlythingoutofwhich,inthesublimefuture,thewealthofnationscancome。
Heisdefeatedintheeconomicstruggle,andgoestotheworkhouse。
Thephilosopherwhoturnedhimout(happeningatthatverymomenttobeinspectingtheworkhouse)assureshimthatheisnowatlastinthatgoldenrepublicwhichisthegoalofmankind;
heisinanequal,scientific,Socialisticcommonwealth,ownedbytheStateandruledbypublicofficers;infact,thecommonwealthofthesublimefuture。
Nevertheless,therearesignsthattheirrationalJonesstilldreamsatnightofthisoldideaofhavinganordinaryhome。
Heaskedforsolittle,andhehasbeenofferedsomuch。
Hehasbeenofferedbribesofworldsandsystems;hehasbeenofferedEdenandUtopiaandtheNewJerusalem,andheonlywantedahouse;
andthathasbeenrefusedhim。
SuchanapologueisliterallynoexaggerationofthefactsofEnglishhistory。Therichdidliterallyturnthepooroutoftheoldguesthouseontotheroad,brieflytellingthemthatitwastheroadofprogress。Theydidliterallyforcethemintofactoriesandthemodernwage-slavery,assuringthemallthetimethatthiswastheonlywaytowealthandcivilization。
Justastheyhaddraggedtherusticfromtheconventfoodandalebysayingthatthestreetsofheavenwerepavedwithgold,sonowtheydraggedhimfromthevillagefoodandalebytellinghimthatthestreetsofLondonwerepavedwithgold。
AsheenteredthegloomyporchofPuritanism,soheenteredthegloomyporchofIndustrialism,beingtoldthateachofthemwasthegateofthefuture。Hithertohehasonlygonefromprisontoprison,nay,intodarkeningprisons,forCalvinismopenedonesmallwindowuponheaven。Andnowheisasked,inthesameeducatedandauthoritativetones,toenteranotherdarkporch,atwhichhehastosurrender,intounseenhands,hischildren,hissmallpossessionsandallthehabitsofhisfathers。
WhetherthislastopeningbeintruthanymoreinvitingthantheoldopeningsofPuritanismandIndustrialismcanbediscussedlater。
Buttherecanbelittledoubt,Ithink,thatifsomeformofCollectivismisimposeduponEnglanditwillbeimposed,aseverythingelsehasbeen,byaninstructedpoliticalclassuponapeoplepartlyapatheticandpartlyhypnotized。
Thearistocracywillbeasreadyto"administer"CollectivismastheyweretoadministerPuritanismorManchesterism;insomewayssuchacentralizedpoliticalpowerisnecessarilyattractivetothem。
ItwillnotbesohardassomeinnocentSocialistsseemtosupposetoinducetheHonorableTomnoddytotakeoverthemilksupplyaswellasthestampsupply——atanincreasedsalary。
Mr。BernardShawhasremarkedthatrichmenarebetterthanpoormenonparishcouncilsbecausetheyarefreefrom"financialtimidity。"
Now,theEnglishrulingclassisquitefreefromfinancialtimidity。
TheDukeofSussexwillbequitereadytobeAdministratorofSussexatthesamescrew。SirWilliamHarcourt,thattypicalaristocrat,putitquitecorrectly。"We"(thatis,thearistocracy)
"areallSocialistsnow。"
ButthisisnottheessentialnoteonwhichIdesiretoend。
Mymaincontentionisthat,whethernecessaryornot,bothIndustrialismandCollectivismhavebeenacceptedasnecessities——
notasnakedidealsordesires。NobodylikedtheManchesterSchool;
itwasenduredastheonlywayofproducingwealth。
NobodylikestheMarxianschool;itisenduredastheonlywayofpreventingpoverty。Nobody'srealheartisintheideaofpreventingafreemanfromowninghisownfarm,oranoldwomanfromcultivatingherowngarden,anymorethananybody'srealheartwasintheheartlessbattleofthemachines。
Thepurposeofthischapterissufficientlyservedinindicatingthatthisproposalalsoisapisaller,adesperatesecondbest——
liketeetotalism。IdonotproposetoproveherethatSocialismisapoison;itisenoughifImaintainthatitisamedicineandnotawine。
Theideaofprivatepropertyuniversalbutprivate,theideaoffamiliesfreebutstillfamilies,ofdomesticitydemocraticbutstilldomestic,ofonemanonehouse——thisremainstherealvisionandmagnetofmankind。
Theworldmayacceptsomethingmoreofficialandgeneral,lesshumanandintimate。Buttheworldwillbelikeabroken-heartedwomanwhomakesahumdrummarriagebecauseshemaynotmakeahappyone;Socialismmaybetheworld'sdeliverance。butitisnottheworld'sdesire。
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PARTTWO
IMPERIALISM,ORTHEMISTAKEABOUTMAN
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I
THECHARMOFJINGOISM
Ihavecastaboutwidelytofindatitleforthissection;andIconfessthattheword"Imperialism"isaclumsyversionofmymeaning。Butnootherwordcamenearer;"Militarism"wouldhavebeenevenmoremisleading,and"TheSuperman"makesnonsenseofanydiscussionthatheenters。
Perhaps,uponthewhole,theword"Caesarism"wouldhavebeenbetter;
butIdesireapopularword;andImperialism(asthereaderwillperceive)
doescoverforthemostpartthemenandtheoriesthatImeantodiscuss。
Thissmallconfusionisincreased,however,bythefactthatI
doalsodisbelieveinImperialisminitspopularsense,asamodeortheoryofthepatrioticsentimentofthiscountry。
ButpopularImperialisminEnglandhasverylittletodowiththesortofCaesareanImperialismIwishtosketch。
IdifferfromtheColonialidealismofRhodes'andKipling;
butIdonotthink,assomeofitsopponentsdo,thatitisaninsolentcreationofEnglishharshnessandrapacity。
Imperialism,Ithink,isafictioncreated,notbyEnglishhardness,butbyEnglishsoftness;nay,inasense,evenbyEnglishkindness。
ThereasonsforbelievinginAustraliaaremostlyassentimentalasthemostsentimentalreasonsforbelievinginheaven。
NewSouthWalesisquiteliterallyregardedasaplacewherethewickedceasefromtroublingandthewearyareatrest;thatis,aparadiseforuncleswhohaveturneddishonestandfornephewswhoareborntired。
BritishColumbiaisinstrictsenseafairyland,itisaworldwhereamagicandirrationalluckissupposedtoattendtheyoungestsons。
ThisstrangeoptimismabouttheendsoftheearthisanEnglishweakness;
buttoshowthatitisnotacoldnessoraharshnessitisquitesufficienttosaythatnooneshareditmorethanthatgiganticEnglishsentimentalist——thegreatCharlesDickens。Theendof"DavidCopperfield"isunrealnotmerelybecauseitisanoptimisticending,butbecauseitisanImperialisticending。
ThedecorousBritishhappinessplannedoutforDavidCopperfieldandAgneswouldbeembarrassedbytheperpetualpresenceofthehopelesstragedyofEmily,orthemorehopelessfarceofMicawber。Therefore,bothEmilyandMicawberareshippedofftoavaguecolonywherechangescomeoverthemwithnoconceivablecause,excepttheclimate。
Thetragicwomanbecomescontentedandthecomicmanbecomesresponsible,solelyastheresultofaseavoyageandthefirstsightofakangaroo。
ToImperialisminthelightpoliticalsense,therefore,myonlyobjectionisthatitisanillusionofcomfort;thatanEmpirewhoseheartisfailingshouldbespeciallyproudoftheextremities,istomenomoresublimeafactthanthatanolddandywhosebrainisgoneshouldstillbeproudofhislegs。ItconsolesmenfortheevidentuglinessandapathyofEnglandwithlegendsoffairyouthandheroicstrenuousnessindistantcontinentsandislands。
AmancansitamidthesqualorofSevenDialsandfeelthatlifeisinnocentandgodlikeinthebushorontheveldt。
JustsoamanmightsitinthesqualorofSevenDialsandfeelthatlifewasinnocentandgodlikeinBrixtonandSurbiton。BrixtonandSurbitonare"new";theyareexpanding;theyare"nearertonature,"
inthesensethattheyhaveeatenupnaturemilebymile。
Theonlyobjectionistheobjectionoffact。TheyoungmenofBrixtonarenotyounggiants。TheloversofSurbitonarenotallpaganpoets,singingwiththesweetenergyofthespring。NorarethepeopleoftheColonieswhenyoumeetthemyounggiantsorpaganpoets。
TheyaremostlyCockneyswhohavelosttheirlastmusicofrealthingsbygettingoutofthesoundofBowBells。Mr。RudyardKipling,amanofrealthoughdecadentgenius,threwatheoreticglamouroverthemwhichisalreadyfading。Mr。Kiplingis,inapreciseandratherstartlingsense,theexceptionthatprovestherule。
Forhehasimagination,ofanorientalandcruelkind,buthehasit,notbecausehegrewupinanewcountry,butpreciselybecausehegrewupintheoldestcountryuponearth。Heisrootedinapast——
anAsiaticpast。Hemightneverhavewritten"KabulRiver"
ifhehadbeenborninMelbourne。
Isayfrankly,therefore(lestthereshouldbeanyairofevasion),thatImperialisminitscommonpatrioticpretensionsappearstomebothweakandperilous。ItistheattemptofaEuropeancountrytocreateakindofshamEuropewhichitcandominate,insteadoftherealEurope,whichitcanonlyshare。Itisaloveoflivingwithone'sinferiors。
ThenotionofrestoringtheRomanEmpirebyoneselfandforoneselfisadreamthathashauntedeveryChristiannationinadifferentshapeandinalmosteveryshapeasasnare。TheSpanishareaconsistentandconservativepeople;thereforetheyembodiedthatattemptatEmpireinlongandlingeringdynasties。TheFrenchareaviolentpeople,andthereforetheytwiceconqueredthatEmpirebyviolenceofarms。
TheEnglishareaboveallapoeticalandoptimisticpeople;
andthereforetheirEmpireissomethingvagueandyetsympathetic,somethingdistantandyetdear。Butthisdreamoftheirsofbeingpowerfulintheuttermostplaces,thoughanativeweakness,isstillaweaknessinthem;muchmoreofaweaknessthangoldwastoSpainorglorytoNapoleon。Ifeverwewereincollisionwithourrealbrothersandrivalsweshouldleaveallthisfancyoutofaccount。
WeshouldnomoredreamofpittingAustralianarmiesagainstGermanthanofpittingTasmaniansculptureagainstFrench。Ihavethusexplained,lestanyoneshouldaccusemeofconcealinganunpopularattitude,whyIdonotbelieveinImperialismascommonlyunderstood。
Ithinkitnotmerelyanoccasionalwrongtootherpeoples,butacontinuousfeebleness,arunningsore,inmyown。
ButitisalsotruethatIhavedweltonthisImperialismthatisanamiabledelusionpartlyinordertoshowhowdifferentitisfromthedeeper,moresinisterandyetmorepersuasivethingthatIhavebeenforcedtocallImperialismfortheconvenienceofthischapter。
Inordertogettotherootofthisevilandquiteun-EnglishImperialismwemustcastbackandbeginanewwithamoregeneraldiscussionofthefirstneedsofhumanintercourse。
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II
WISDOMANDTHEWEATHER
Itisadmitted,onemayhope,thatcommonthingsarenevercommonplace。
Birthiscoveredwithcurtainspreciselybecauseitisastaggeringandmonstrousprodigy。Deathandfirstlove,thoughtheyhappentoeverybody,canstopone'sheartwiththeverythoughtofthem。
Butwhilethisisgranted,somethingfurthermaybeclaimed。
Itisnotmerelytruethattheseuniversalthingsarestrange;
itismoreovertruethattheyaresubtle。Inthelastanalysismostcommonthingswillbefoundtobehighlycomplicated。
Somemenofsciencedoindeedgetoverthedifficultybydealingonlywiththeeasypartofit:thus,theywillcallfirstlovetheinstinctofsex,andtheaweofdeaththeinstinctofself-preservation。Butthisisonlygettingoverthedifficultyofdescribingpeacockgreenbycallingitblue。Thereisblueinit。
ThatthereisastrongphysicalelementinbothromanceandtheMementoMorimakesthemifpossiblemorebafflingthaniftheyhadbeenwhollyintellectual。Nomancouldsayexactlyhowmuchhissexualitywascoloredbyacleanloveofbeauty,orbythemereboyishitchforirrevocableadventures,likerunningawaytosea。
Nomancouldsayhowfarhisanimaldreadoftheendwasmixedupwithmysticaltraditionstouchingmoralsandreligion。
Itisexactlybecausethesethingsareanimal,butnotquiteanimal,thatthedanceofallthedifficultiesbegins。
Thematerialistsanalyzetheeasypart,denythehardpartandgohometotheirtea。
Itiscompleteerrortosupposethatbecauseathingisvulgarthereforeitisnotrefined;thatis,subtleandhardtodefine。
Adrawing-roomsongofmyyouthwhichbegan"Inthegloaming,O,mydarling,"wasvulgarenoughasasong;buttheconnectionbetweenhumanpassionandthetwilightisnonethelessanexquisiteandeveninscrutablething。Ortotakeanotherobviousinstance:
thejokesaboutamother-in-lawarescarcelydelicate,buttheproblemofamother-in-lawisextremelydelicate。
Amother-in-lawissubtlebecausesheisathinglikethetwilight。
Sheisamysticalblendoftwoinconsistentthings——
lawandamother。Thecaricaturesmisrepresenther;
buttheyariseoutofarealhumanenigma。"ComicCuts"
dealswiththedifficultywrongly,butitwouldneedGeorgeMeredithathisbesttodealwiththedifficultyrightly。
Theneareststatementoftheproblemperhapsisthis:
itisnotthatamother-in-lawmustbenasty,butthatshemustbeverynice。
Butitisbestperhapstotakeinillustrationsomedailycustomwehaveallhearddespisedasvulgarortrite。
Take,forthesakeofargument,thecustomoftalkingabouttheweather。Stevensoncallsit"theverynadirandscoffofgoodconversationalists。"Nowthereareverydeepreasonsfortalkingabouttheweather,reasonsthataredelicateaswellasdeep;theylieinlayeruponlayerofstratifiedsagacity。
Firstofallitisagestureofprimevalworship。
Theskymustbeinvoked;andtobegineverythingwiththeweatherisasortofpaganwayofbeginningeverythingwithprayer。
JonesandBrowntalkabouttheweather:butsodoMiltonandShelley。Thenitisanexpressionofthatelementaryideainpoliteness——equality。FortheverywordpolitenessisonlytheGreekforcitizenship。Thewordpolitenessisakintothewordpoliceman:acharmingthought。Properlyunderstood,thecitizenshouldbemorepolitethanthegentleman;perhapsthepolicemanshouldbethemostcourtlyandelegantofthethree。
Butallgoodmannersmustobviouslybeginwiththesharingofsomethinginasimplestyle。Twomenshouldshareanumbrella;
iftheyhavenotgotanumbrella,theyshouldatleastsharetherain,withallitsrichpotentialitiesofwitandphilosophy。
"ForHemakethHissuntoshine……"Thisisthesecondelementintheweather;itsrecognitionofhumanequalityinthatweallhaveourhatsunderthedarkbluespangledumbrellaoftheuniverse。
Arisingoutofthisisthethirdwholesomestraininthecustom;
Imeanthatitbeginswiththebodyandwithourinevitablebodilybrotherhood。Alltruefriendlinessbeginswithfireandfoodanddrinkandtherecognitionofrainorfrost。
ThosewhowillnotbeginatthebodilyendofthingsarealreadyprigsandmaysoonbeChristianScientists。EachhumansoulhasinasensetoenactforitselfthegigantichumilityoftheIncarnation。Everymanmustdescendintothefleshtomeetmankind。
Briefly,inthemereobservation"afineday"thereisthewholegreathumanideaofcomradeship。Now,purecomradeshipisanotherofthosebroadandyetbewilderingthings。Weallenjoyit;
yetwhenwecometotalkaboutitwealmostalwaystalknonsense,chieflybecausewesupposeittobeasimpleraffairthanitis。
Itissimpletoconduct;butitisbynomeanssimpletoanalyze。
Comradeshipisatthemostonlyonehalfofhumanlife;
theotherhalfisLove,athingsodifferentthatonemightfancyithadbeenmadeforanotheruniverse。AndIdonotmeanmeresexlove;anykindofconcentratedpassion,maternallove,oreventhefiercerkindsoffriendshipareintheirnaturealientopurecomradeship。Bothsidesareessentialtolife;andbothareknownindifferingdegreestoeverybodyofeveryageorsex。
Butverybroadlyspeakingitmaystillbesaidthatwomenstandforthedignityofloveandmenforthedignityofcomradeship。
Imeanthattheinstitutionwouldhardlybeexpectedifthemalesofthetribedidnotmountguardoverit。Theaffectionsinwhichwomenexcelhavesomuchmoreauthorityandintensitythatpurecomradeshipwouldbewashedawayifitwerenotralliedandguardedinclubs,corps,colleges,banquetsandregiments。
Mostofushaveheardthevoiceinwhichthehostesstellsherhusbandnottosittoolongoverthecigars。ItisthedreadfulvoiceofLove,seekingtodestroyComradeship。
AlltruecomradeshiphasinitthosethreeelementswhichIhaveremarkedintheordinaryexclamationabouttheweather。First,ithasasortofbroadphilosophylikethecommonsky,emphasizingthatweareallunderthesamecosmicconditions。Weareallinthesameboat,the"wingedrock"ofMr。HerbertTrench。Secondly,itrecognizesthisbondastheessentialone;forcomradeshipissimplyhumanityseeninthatoneaspectinwhichmenarereallyequal。
Theoldwriterswereentirelywisewhentheytalkedoftheequalityofmen;buttheywerealsoverywiseinnotmentioningwomen。
Womenarealwaysauthoritarian;theyarealwaysaboveorbelow;
thatiswhymarriageisasortofpoeticalsee-saw。Thereareonlythreethingsintheworldthatwomendonotunderstand;
andtheyareLiberty,Equality,andFraternity。Butmen(aclasslittleunderstoodinthemodernworld)findthesethingsthebreathoftheirnostrils;andourmostlearnedladieswillnotevenbegintounderstandthemuntiltheymakeallowanceforthiskindofcoolcamaraderie。Lastly,itcontainsthethirdqualityoftheweather,theinsistenceuponthebodyanditsindispensablesatisfaction。
Noonehasevenbeguntounderstandcomradeshipwhodoesnotacceptwithitacertainheartyeagernessineating,drinking,orsmoking,anuproariousmaterialismwhichtomanywomenappearsonlyhoggish。
Youmaycallthethinganorgyorasacrament;itiscertainlyanessential。Itisatrootaresistancetothesuperciliousnessoftheindividual。Nay,itsveryswaggeringandhowlingarehumble。
Intheheartofitsrowdinessthereisasortofmadmodesty;adesiretomelttheseparatesoulintothemassofunpretentiousmasculinity。
Itisaclamorousconfessionoftheweaknessofallflesh。
Nomanmustbesuperiortothethingsthatarecommontomen。
Thissortofequalitymustbebodilyandgrossandcomic。
Notonlyareweallinthesameboat,butweareallseasick。
Thewordcomradeshipjustnowpromisestobecomeasfatuousastheword"affinity。"ThereareclubsofaSocialistsortwhereallthemembers,menandwomen,calleachother"Comrade。"Ihavenoseriousemotions,hostileorotherwise,aboutthisparticularhabit:
attheworstitisconventionality,andatthebestflirtation。
Iamconvincedhereonlytopointoutarationalprinciple。
Ifyouchoosetolumpallflowerstogether,liliesanddahliasandtulipsandchrysanthemumsandcallthemalldaisies,youwillfindthatyouhavespoiledtheveryfineworddaisy。
Ifyouchoosetocalleveryhumanattachmentcomradeship,ifyouincludeunderthatnametherespectofayouthforavenerableprophetess,theinterestofamaninabeautifulwomanwhobaffleshim,thepleasureofaphilosophicaloldfogyinagirlwhoisimpudentandinnocent,theendofthemeanestquarrelorthebeginningofthemostmountainouslove;ifyouaregoingtocallallthesecomradeship,youwillgainnothing,youwillonlyloseaword。Daisiesareobviousanduniversalandopen;
buttheyareonlyonekindofflower。Comradeshipisobviousanduniversalandopen;butitisonlyonekindofaffection;
ithascharacteristicsthatwoulddestroyanyotherkind。
Anyonewhohasknowntruecomradeshipinacluborinaregiment,knowsthatitisimpersonal。Thereisapedanticphraseusedindebatingclubswhichisstrictlytruetothemasculineemotion;
theycallit"speakingtothequestion。"Womenspeaktoeachother;
menspeaktothesubjecttheyarespeakingabout。Manyanhonestmanhassatinaringofhisfivebestfriendsunderheavenandforgottenwhowasintheroomwhileheexplainedsomesystem。
Thisisnotpeculiartointellectualmen;menarealltheoretical,whethertheyaretalkingaboutGodoraboutgolf。
Menareallimpersonal;thatistosay,republican。Nooneremembersafterareallygoodtalkwhohassaidthegoodthings。
Everymanspeakstoavisionarymultitude;amysticalcloud,thatiscalledtheclub。
Itisobviousthatthiscoolandcarelessqualitywhichisessentialtothecollectiveaffectionofmalesinvolvesdisadvantagesanddangers。
Itleadstospitting;itleadstocoarsespeech;itmustleadtothesethingssolongasitishonorable;comradeshipmustbeinsomedegreeugly。Themomentbeautyismentionedinmalefriendship,thenostrilsarestoppedwiththesmellofabominablethings。
Friendshipmustbephysicallydirtyifitistobemorallyclean。
Itmustbeinitsshirtsleeves。Thechaosofhabitsthatalwaysgoeswithmaleswhenleftentirelytothemselveshasonlyonehonorablecure;
andthatisthestrictdisciplineofamonastery。AnyonewhohasseenourunhappyyoungidealistsinEastEndSettlementslosingtheircollarsinthewashandlivingontinnedsalmonwillfullyunderstandwhyitwasdecidedbythewisdomofSt。BernardorSt。Benedict,thatifmenweretolivewithoutwomen,theymustnotlivewithoutrules。
Somethingofthesamesortofartificialexactitude,ofcourse,isobtainedinanarmy;andanarmyalsohastobeinmanywaysmonastic;
onlythatithascelibacywithoutchastity。Butthesethingsdonotapplytonormalmarriedmen。Thesehaveaquitesufficientrestraintontheirinstinctiveanarchyinthesavagecommon-senseoftheothersex。
Thereisonlyoneverytimidsortofmanthatisnotafraidofwomen。
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III
THECOMMONVISION
Nowthismasculineloveofanopenandlevelcamaraderieisthelifewithinalldemocraciesandattemptstogovernbydebate;
withoutittherepublicwouldbeadeadformula。Evenasitis,ofcourse,thespiritofdemocracyfrequentlydifferswidelyfromtheletter,andapothouseisoftenabettertestthanaParliament。Democracyinitshumansenseisnotarbitramentbythemajority;itisnotevenarbitramentbyeverybody。
Itcanbemorenearlydefinedasarbitramentbyanybody。
Imeanthatitrestsonthatclubhabitoftakingatotalstrangerforgranted,ofassumingcertainthingstobeinevitablycommontoyourselfandhim。Onlythethingsthatanybodymaybepresumedtoholdhavethefullauthorityofdemocracy。
Lookoutofthewindowandnoticethefirstmanwhowalksby。
TheLiberalsmayhavesweptEnglandwithanover-whelmingmajority;
butyouwouldnotstakeabuttonthatthemanisaLiberal。TheBiblemaybereadinallschoolsandrespectedinalllawcourts;butyouwouldnotbetastrawthathebelievesintheBible。Butyouwouldbetyourweek'swages,letussay,thathebelievesinwearingclothes。
Youwouldbetthathebelievesthatphysicalcourageisafinething,orthatparentshaveauthorityoverchildren。Ofcourse,hemightbethemillionthmanwhodoesnotbelievethesethings;
ifitcomestothat,hemightbetheBeardedLadydressedupasaman。
Buttheseprodigiesarequiteadifferentthingfromanymerecalculationofnumbers。Peoplewhoholdtheseviewsarenotaminority,butamonstrosity。Butoftheseuniversaldogmasthathavefulldemocraticauthoritytheonlytestisthistestofanybody。
Whatyouwouldobservebeforeanynewcomerinatavern——thatistherealEnglishlaw。Thefirstmanyouseefromthewindow,heistheKingofEngland。
Thedecayoftaverns,whichisbutapartofthegeneraldecayofdemocracy,hasundoubtedlyweakenedthismasculinespiritofequality。IrememberthataroomfulofSocialistsliterallylaughedwhenItoldthemthattherewerenotwonoblerwordsinallpoetrythanPublicHouse。Theythoughtitwasajoke。
Whytheyshouldthinkitajoke,sincetheywanttomakeallhousespublichouses,Icannotimagine。Butifanyonewishestoseetherealrowdyegalitarianismwhichisnecessary(tomales,atleast)
hecanfinditaswellasanywhereinthegreatoldtaverndisputeswhichcomedowntousinsuchbooksasBoswell'sJohnson。Itisworthwhiletomentionthatonenameespeciallybecausethemodernworldinitsmorbidityhasdoneitastrangeinjustice。
ThedemeanorofJohnson,itissaid,was"harshanddespotic。"
Itwasoccasionallyharsh,butitwasneverdespotic。
Johnsonwasnotintheleastadespot;Johnsonwasademagogue,heshoutedagainstashoutingcrowd。Theveryfactthathewrangledwithotherpeopleisproofthatotherpeoplewereallowedtowranglewithhim。Hisverybrutalitywasbasedontheideaofanequalscrimmage,likethatoffootball。Itisstrictlytruethathebawledandbangedthetablebecausehewasamodestman。
Hewashonestlyafraidofbeingoverwhelmedorevenoverlooked。
Addisonhadexquisitemannersandwasthekingofhiscompany;
hewaspolitetoeverybody;butsuperiortoeverybody;
thereforehehasbeenhandeddownforeverintheimmortalinsultofPope——
"LikeCato,givehislittleSenatelawsAndsitattentivetohisownapplause。"
Johnson,sofarfrombeingkingofhiscompany,wasasortofIrishMemberinhisownParliament。Addisonwasacourteoussuperiorandwashated。
Johnsonwasaninsolentequalandthereforewaslovedbyallwhoknewhim,andhandeddowninamarvellousbook,whichisoneofthemeremiraclesoflove。
Thisdoctrineofequalityisessentialtoconversation;
somuchmaybeadmittedbyanyonewhoknowswhatconversationis。
Oncearguingatatableinatavernthemostfamousmanonearthwouldwishtobeobscure,sothathisbrilliantremarksmightblazelikethestarsonthebackgroundofhisobscurity。
Toanythingworthcallingamannothingcanbeconceivedmorecoldorcheerlessthantobekingofyourcompany。
Butitmaybesaidthatinmasculinesportsandgames,otherthanthegreatgameofdebate,thereisdefiniteemulationandeclipse。
Thereisindeedemulation,butthisisonlyanardentsortofequality。Gamesarecompetitive,becausethatistheonlywayofmakingthemexciting。Butifanyonedoubtsthatmenmustforeverreturntotheidealofequality,itisonlynecessarytoanswerthatthereissuchathingasahandicap。
Ifmenexultedinmeresuperiority,theywouldseektoseehowfarsuchsuperioritycouldgo;theywouldbegladwhenonestrongrunnercameinmilesaheadofalltherest。
Butwhatmenlikeisnotthetriumphofsuperiors,butthestruggleofequals;and,therefore,theyintroduceevenintotheircompetitivesportsanartificialequality。
Itissadtothinkhowfewofthosewhoarrangeoursportinghandicapscanbesupposedwithanyprobabilitytorealizethattheyareabstractandevensevererepublicans。
No;therealobjectiontoequalityandself-rulehasnothingtodowithanyofthesefreeandfestiveaspectsofmankind;allmenaredemocratswhentheyarehappy。Thephilosophicopponentofdemocracywouldsubstantiallysumuphispositionbysayingthatit"willnotwork。"
Beforegoingfurther,Iwillregisterinpassingaprotestagainsttheassumptionthatworkingistheonetestofhumanity。
Heavendoesnotwork;itplays。Menaremostthemselveswhentheyarefree;andifIfindthatmenaresnobsintheirworkbutdemocratsontheirholidays,Ishalltakethelibertytobelievetheirholidays。
Butitisthisquestionofworkwhichreallyperplexesthequestionofequality;anditiswiththatthatwemustnowdeal。
Perhapsthetruthcanbeputmostpointedlythus:thatdemocracyhasonerealenemy,andthatiscivilization。Thoseutilitarianmiracleswhichsciencehasmadeareanti-democratic,notsomuchintheirperversion,orevenintheirpracticalresult,asintheirprimaryshapeandpurpose。TheFrame-BreakingRioterswereright;
notperhapsinthinkingthatmachineswouldmakefewermenworkmen;
butcertainlyinthinkingthatmachineswouldmakefewermenmasters。
Morewheelsdomeanfewerhandles;fewerhandlesdomeanfewerhands。
Themachineryofsciencemustbeindividualisticandisolated。
Amobcanshoutroundapalace;butamobcannotshoutdownatelephone。
Thespecialistappearsanddemocracyishalfspoiledatastroke。
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IV
THEINSANENECESSITY
ThecommonconceptionamongthedregsofDarwiniancultureisthatmenhaveslowlyworkedtheirwayoutofinequalityintoastateofcomparativeequality。Thetruthis,Ifancy,almostexactlytheopposite。Allmenhavenormallyandnaturallybegunwiththeideaofequality;theyhaveonlyabandoneditlateandreluctantly,andalwaysforsomematerialreasonofdetail。
Theyhavenevernaturallyfeltthatoneclassofmenwassuperiortoanother;theyhavealwaysbeendriventoassumeitthroughcertainpracticallimitationsofspaceandtime。
Forexample,thereisoneelementwhichmustalwaystendtooligarchy——orrathertodespotism;Imeantheelementofhurry。
Ifthehousehascaughtfireamanmustringupthefireengines;
acommitteecannotringthemup。Ifacampissurprisedbynightsomebodymustgivetheordertofire;thereisnotimetovoteit。
Itissolelyaquestionofthephysicallimitationsoftimeandspace;
notatallofanymentallimitationsinthemassofmencommanded。
Ifallthepeopleinthehouseweremenofdestinyitwouldstillbebetterthattheyshouldnotalltalkintothetelephoneatonce;nay,itwouldbebetterthatthesilliestmanofallshouldspeakuninterrupted。IfanarmyactuallyconsistedofnothingbutHanibalsandNapoleons,itwouldstillbebetterinthecaseofasurprisethattheyshouldnotallgiveorderstogether。
Nay,itwouldbebetterifthestupidestofthemallgavetheorders。
Thus,weseethatmerelymilitarysubordination,sofarfromrestingontheinequalityofmen,actuallyrestsontheequalityofmen。
DisciplinedoesnotinvolvetheCarlyleannotionthatsomebodyisalwaysrightwheneverybodyiswrong,andthatwemustdiscoverandcrownthatsomebody。Onthecontrary,disciplinemeansthatincertainfrightfullyrapidcircumstances,onecantrustanybodysolongasheisnoteverybody。Themilitaryspiritdoesnotmean(asCarlylefancied)obeyingthestrongestandwisestman。
Onthecontrary,themilitaryspiritmeans,ifanything,obeyingtheweakestandstupidestman,obeyinghimmerelybecauseheisaman,andnotathousandmen。Submissiontoaweakmanisdiscipline。
Submissiontoastrongmanisonlyservility。
NowitcanbeeasilyshownthatthethingwecallaristocracyinEuropeisnotinitsoriginandspiritanaristocracyatall。
Itisnotasystemofspiritualdegreesanddistinctionslike,forexample,thecastesystemofIndia,orevenliketheoldGreekdistinctionbetweenfreemenandslaves。Itissimplytheremainsofamilitaryorganization,framedpartlytosustainthesinkingRomanEmpire,partlytobreakandavengetheawfulonslaughtofIslam。ThewordDukesimplymeansColonel,justasthewordEmperorsimplymeansCommander-in-Chief。ThewholestoryistoldinthesingletitleofCountsoftheHolyRomanEmpire,whichmerelymeansofficersintheEuropeanarmyagainstthecontemporaryYellowPeril。Nowinanarmynobodyeverdreamsofsupposingthatdifferenceofrankrepresentsadifferenceofmoralreality。
Nobodyeversaysaboutaregiment,"YourMajorisveryhumorousandenergetic;yourColonel,ofcourse,mustbeevenmorehumorousandyetmoreenergetic"Nooneeversays,inreportingamess-roomconversation,"LieutenantJoneswasverywitty,butwasnaturallyinferiortoCaptainSmith。"Theessenceofanarmyistheideaofofficialinequality,foundedonunofficialequality。
TheColonelisnotobeyedbecauseheisthebestman,butbecauseheistheColonel。SuchwasprobablythespiritofthesystemofdukesandcountswhenitfirstaroseoutofthemilitaryspiritandmilitarynecessitiesofRome。Withthedeclineofthosenecessitiesithasgraduallyceasedtohavemeaningasamilitaryorganization,andbecomehoneycombedwithuncleanplutocracy。Evennowitisnotaspiritualaristocracy——itisnotsobadasallthat。
Itissimplyanarmywithoutanenemy——billeteduponthepeople。
Man,therefore,hasaspecialistaswellascomrade-likeaspect;
andthecaseofmilitarismisnottheonlycaseofsuchspecialistsubmission。Thetinkerandtailor,aswellasthesoldierandsailor,requireacertainrigidityofrapidityofaction:
atleast,ifthetinkerisnotorganizedthatislargelywhyhedoesnottinkonanylargescale。ThetinkerandtailoroftenrepresentthetwonomadicracesinEurope:theGipsyandtheJew;buttheJewalonehasinfluencebecausehealoneacceptssomesortofdiscipline。
Man,wesay,hastwosides,thespecialistsidewherehemusthavesubordination,andthesocialsidewherehemusthaveequality。
Thereisatruthinthesayingthattentailorsgotomakeaman;
butwemustrememberalsothattenPoetsLaureateortenAstronomersRoyalgotomakeaman,too。TenmilliontradesmengotomakeManhimself;
buthumanityconsistsoftradesmenwhentheyarenottalkingshop。
Nowthepeculiarperilofourtime,whichIcallforargument'ssakeImperialismorCaesarism,isthecompleteeclipseofcomradeshipandequalitybyspecialismanddomination。
Thereareonlytwokindsofsocialstructureconceivable——
personalgovernmentandimpersonalgovernment。Ifmyanarchicfriendswillnothaverules——theywillhaverulers。
Preferringpersonalgovernment,withitstactandflexibility,iscalledRoyalism。Preferringimpersonalgovernment,withitsdogmasanddefinitions,iscalledRepublicanism。
ObjectingbroadmindedlybothtokingsandcreedsiscalledBosh;
atleast,Iknownomorephilosophicwordforit。Youcanbeguidedbytheshrewdnessorpresenceofmindofoneruler,orbytheequalityandascertainedjusticeofonerule;butyoumusthaveoneortheother,oryouarenotanation,butanastymess。
Nowmenintheiraspectofequalityanddebateadoretheideaofrules;theydevelopandcomplicatethemgreatlytoexcess。
Amanfindsfarmoreregulationsanddefinitionsinhisclub,wheretherearerules,thaninhishome,wherethereisaruler。
Adeliberateassembly,theHouseofCommons,forinstance,carriesthismummerytothepointofamethodicalmadness。
Thewholesystemisstiffwithrigidunreason;
liketheRoyalCourtinLewisCarroll。YouwouldthinktheSpeakerwouldspeak;thereforeheismostlysilent。
Youwouldthinkamanwouldtakeoffhishattostopandputitontogoaway;thereforehetakesoffhishattowalkoutandputsinontostopin。Namesareforbidden,andamanmustcallhisownfather"myrighthonorablefriendthememberforWestBirmingham。"Theseare,perhaps,fantasiesofdecay:
butfundamentallytheyansweramasculineappetite。
Menfeelthatrules,evenifirrational,areuniversal;
menfeelthatlawisequal,evenwhenitisnotequitable。
Thereisawildfairnessinthething——asthereisintossingup。
Again,itisgravelyunfortunatethatwhencriticsdoattacksuchcasesastheCommonsitisalwaysonthepoints(perhapsthefewpoints)wheretheCommonsareright。
TheydenouncetheHouseastheTalking-Shop,andcomplainthatitwastestimeinwordymazes。NowthisisjustonerespectinwhichtheCommonsareactuallyliketheCommonPeople。Iftheyloveleisureandlongdebate,itisbecauseallmenloveit;
thattheyreallyrepresentEngland。TheretheParliamentdoesapproachtothevirilevirtuesofthepothouse。
Therealtruthisthatadumbratedintheintroductorysectionwhenwespokeofthesenseofhomeandproperty,asnowwespeakofthesenseofcounselandcommunity。Allmendonaturallylovetheideaofleisure,laughter,loudandequalargument;
buttherestandsaspecterinourhall。Weareconsciousofthetoweringmodernchallengethatiscalledspecialismorcut-throatcompetition——Business。Businesswillhavenothingtodowithleisure;businesswillhavenotruckwithcomradeship;
businesswillpretendtonopatiencewithallthelegalfictionsandfantastichandicapsbywhichcomradeshipprotectsitsegalitarianideal。Themodernmillionaire,whenengagedintheagreeableandtypicaltaskofsackinghisownfather,willcertainlynotrefertohimastherighthonorableclerkfromtheLaburnumRoad,Brixton。Thereforetherehasariseninmodernlifealiteraryfashiondevotingitselftotheromanceofbusiness,togreatdemigodsofgreedandtofairylandoffinance。
Thispopularphilosophyisutterlydespoticandanti-democratic;
thisfashionistheflowerofthatCaesarismagainstwhichIamconcernedtoprotest。Theidealmillionaireisstronginthepossessionofabrainofsteel。Thefactthattherealmillionaireisrathermoreoftenstronginthepossessionofaheadofwood,doesnotalterthespiritandtrendoftheidolatry。Theessentialargumentis"Specialistsmustbedespots;menmustbespecialists。
Youcannothaveequalityinasoapfactory;soyoucannothaveitanywhere。Youcannothavecomradeshipinawheatcorner;
soyoucannothareitatall。Wemusthavecommercialcivilization;
thereforewemustdestroydemocracy。"Iknowthatplutocratshareseldomsufficientfancytosoartosuchexamplesassoaporwheat。
Theygenerallyconfinethemselves,withfinefreshnessofmind,toacomparisonbetweenthestateandaship。Oneanti-democraticwriterremarkedthathewouldnotliketosailinavesselinwhichthecabin-boyhadanequalvotewiththecaptain。
Itmighteasilybeurgedinanswerthatmanyaship(theVictoria,forinstance)wassunkbecauseanadmiralgaveanorderwhichacabin-boycouldseewaswrong。Butthisisadebatingreply;
theessentialfallacyisbothdeeperandsimpler。Theelementaryfactisthatwewereallborninastate;wewerenotallbornonaship;
likesomeofourgreatBritishbankers。Ashipstillremainsaspecialistexperiment,likeadiving-belloraflyingship:
insuchpeculiarperilstheneedforpromptitudeconstitutestheneedforautocracy。Butweliveanddieinthevesselofthestate;
andifwecannotfindfreedomcamaraderieandthepopularelementinthestate,wecannotfinditatall。Andthemoderndoctrineofcommercialdespotismmeansthatweshallnotfinditatall。
Ourspecialisttradesintheirhighlycivilizedstatecannot(itsays)berunwithoutthewholebrutalbusinessofbossingandsacking,"toooldatforty"andalltherestofthefilth。
Andtheymustberun,andthereforewecallonCaesar。NobodybuttheSupermancoulddescendtodosuchdirtywork。
Now(toreiteratemytitle)thisiswhatiswrong。Thisisthehugemodernheresyofalteringthehumansoultofititsconditions,insteadofalteringhumanconditionstofitthehumansoul。
Ifsoapboilingisreallyinconsistentwithbrotherhood,somuchtheworstforsoap-boiling,notforbrotherhood。
Ifcivilizationreallycannotgetonwithdemocracy,somuchtheworseforcivilization,notfordemocracy。Certainly,itwouldbefarbettertogobacktovillagecommunes,iftheyreallyarecommunes。Certainly,itwouldbebettertodowithoutsoapratherthantodowithoutsociety。Certainly,wewouldsacrificeallourwires,wheels,systems,specialties,physicalscienceandfrenziedfinanceforonehalf-hourofhappinesssuchashasoftencometouswithcomradesinacommontavern。
Idonotsaythesacrificewillbenecessary;Ionlysayitwillbeeasy。
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PARTTHREE
FEMINISM,ORTHEMISTAKEABOUTWOMAN
***
I
THEUNMILITARYSUFFRAGETTE
Itwillbebettertoadoptinthischapterthesameprocessthatappearedapieceofmentaljusticeinthelast。
Mygeneralopinionsonthefemininequestionaresuchasmanysuffragistswouldwarmlyapprove;anditwouldbeeasytostatethemwithoutanyopenreferencetothecurrentcontroversy。
ButjustasitseemedmoredecenttosayfirstthatIwasnotinfavorofImperialismeveninitspracticalandpopularsense,soitseemsmoredecenttosaythesameofFemaleSuffrage,initspracticalandpopularsense。Inotherwords,itisonlyfairtostate,howeverhurriedly,thesuperficialobjectiontotheSuffragettesbeforewegoontothereallysubtlequestionsbehindtheSuffrage。
Well,togetthishonestbutunpleasantbusinessover,theobjectiontotheSuffragettesisnotthattheyareMilitantSuffragettes。
Onthecontrary,itisthattheyarenotmilitantenough。
Arevolutionisamilitarything;ithasallthemilitaryvirtues;
oneofwhichisthatitcomestoanend。Twopartiesfightwithdeadlyweapons,butundercertainrulesofarbitraryhonor;
thepartythatwinsbecomesthegovernmentandproceedstogovern。
Theaimofcivilwar,liketheaimofallwar,ispeace。
NowtheSuffragettescannotraisecivilwarinthissoldierlyanddecisivesense;first,becausetheyarewomen;
and,secondly,becausetheyareveryfewwomen。Buttheycanraisesomethingelse;whichisaltogetheranotherpairofshoes。
Theydonotcreaterevolution;whattheydocreateisanarchy;
andthedifferencebetweentheseisnotaquestionofviolence,butaquestionoffruitfulnessandfinality。Revolutionofitsnatureproducesgovernment;anarchyonlyproducesmoreanarchy。
MenmayhavewhatopinionstheypleaseaboutthebeheadingofKingCharlesorKingLouis,buttheycannotdenythatBradshawandCromwellruled,thatCarnotandNapoleongoverned。
Someoneconquered;somethingoccurred。YoucanonlyknockofftheKing'sheadonce。ButyoucanknockofftheKing'shatanynumberoftimes。Destructionisfinite,obstructionisinfinite:
solongasrebelliontakestheformofmeredisorder(insteadofanattempttoenforceaneworder)thereisnologicalendtoit;itcanfeedonitselfandrenewitselfforever。
IfNapoleonhadnotwantedtobeaConsul,butonlywantedtobeanuisance,hecould,possibly,havepreventedanygovernmentarisingsuccessfullyoutoftheRevolution。Butsuchaproceedingwouldnothavedeservedthedignifiednameofrebellion。
ItisexactlythisunmilitantqualityintheSuffragettesthatmakestheirsuperficialproblem。Theproblemisthattheiractionhasnoneoftheadvantagesofultimateviolence;itdoesnotaffordatest。