第7章

类别:其他 作者:G.K.Chesterton字数:28275更新时间:19/01/05 10:00:49
XI THESCHOOLFORHYPOCRITES Thesearethefalseaccusations;theaccusationofclassicism,theaccusationofcruelty,andtheaccusationofanexclusivenessbasedonperfectionofpedigree。Englishpublic-schoolboysarenotpedants,theyarenottorturers;andtheyarenot,inthevastmajorityofcases,peoplefiercelyproudoftheirancestry,orevenpeoplewithanyancestrytobeproudof。Theyaretaughttobecourteous,tobegoodtempered,tobebraveinabodilysense,tobecleaninabodilysense; theyaregenerallykindtoanimals,generallyciviltoservants,andtoanyoneinanysensetheirequal,thejolliestcompanionsonearth。 Istherethenanythingwronginthepublic-schoolideal? Ithinkweallfeelthereissomethingverywronginit,butablindingnetworkofnewspaperphraseologyobscuresandentanglesus;sothatitishardtotracetoitsbeginning,beyondallwordsandphrases。 thefaultsinthisgreatEnglishachievement。 Surely,whenallissaid,theultimateobjectiontotheEnglishpublicschoolisitsutterlyblatantandindecentdisregardofthedutyoftellingthetruth。IknowtheredoesstilllingeramongmaidenladiesinremotecountryhousesanotionthatEnglishschoolboysaretaughttotellthetruth,butitcannotbemaintainedseriouslyforamoment。Veryoccasionally,veryvaguely,Englishschoolboysaretoldnottotelllies,whichisatotallydifferentthing。Imaysilentlysupportalltheobscenefictionsandforgeriesintheuniverse,withoutoncetellingalie。Imaywearanotherman\'scoat,stealanotherman\'swit,apostatizetoanotherman\'screed,orpoisonanotherman\'scoffee,allwithoutevertellingalie。 ButnoEnglishschool-boyisevertaughttotellthetruth,fortheverysimplereasonthatheisnevertaughttodesirethetruth。 Fromtheveryfirstheistaughttobetotallycarelessaboutwhetherafactisafact;heistaughttocareonlywhetherthefactcanbeusedonhis\"side\"whenheisengagedin\"playingthegame。\" HetakessidesinhisUniondebatingsocietytosettlewhetherCharlesIoughttohavebeenkilled,withthesamesolemnandpompousfrivolitywithwhichhetakessidesinthecricketfieldtodecidewhetherRugbyorWestminstershallwin。 Heisneverallowedtoadmittheabstractnotionofthetruth,thatthematchisamatterofwhatmayhappen,butthatCharlesI isamatterofwhatdidhappen——ordidnot。HeisLiberalorToryatthegeneralelectionexactlyasheisOxfordorCambridgeattheboatrace。Heknowsthatsportdealswiththeunknown; hehasnotevenanotionthatpoliticsshoulddealwiththeknown。 Ifanyonereallydoubtsthisself-evidentproposition,thatthepublicschoolsdefinitelydiscouragetheloveoftruth,thereisonefactwhichIshouldthinkwouldsettlehim。 EnglandisthecountryofthePartySystem,andithasalwaysbeenchieflyrunbypublic-schoolmen。IsthereanyoneoutofHanwellwhowillmaintainthatthePartySystem,whateveritsconveniencesorinconveniences,couldhavebeencreatedbypeopleparticularlyfondoftruth? TheveryEnglishhappinessonthispointisitselfahypocrisy。 Whenamanreallytellsthetruth,thefirsttruthhetellsisthathehimselfisaliar。Davidsaidinhishaste,thatis,inhishonesty,thatallmenareliars。Itwasafterwards,insomeleisurelyofficialexplanation,thathesaidtheKingsofIsraelatleasttoldthetruth。 WhenLordCurzonwasViceroyhedeliveredamorallecturetotheIndiansontheirreputedindifferencetoveracity,toactualityandintellectualhonor。Agreatmanypeopleindignantlydiscussedwhetherorientalsdeservedtoreceivethisrebuke;whetherIndianswereindeedinapositiontoreceivesuchsevereadmonition。 Nooneseemedtoask,asIshouldventuretoask,whetherLordCurzonwasinapositiontogiveit。Heisanordinarypartypolitician;apartypoliticianmeansapoliticianwhomighthavebelongedtoeitherparty。 Beingsuchaperson,hemustagainandagain,ateverytwistandturnofpartystrategy,eitherhavedeceivedothersorgrosslydeceivedhimself。 IdonotknowtheEast;nordoIlikewhatIknow。IamquitereadytobelievethatwhenLordCurzonwentouthefoundaveryfalseatmosphere。 IonlysayitmusthavebeensomethingstartlinglyandchokinglyfalseifitwasfalserthanthatEnglishatmospherefromwhichhecame。 TheEnglishParliamentactuallycaresforeverythingexceptveracity。 Thepublic-schoolmaniskind,courageous,polite,clean,companionable; but,inthemostawfulsenseofthewords,thetruthisnotinhim。 ThisweaknessofuntruthfulnessintheEnglishpublicschools,intheEnglishpoliticalsystem,andtosomeextentintheEnglishcharacter,isaweaknesswhichnecessarilyproducesacuriouscropofsuperstitions,oflyinglegends,ofevidentdelusionsclungtothroughlowspiritualself-indulgence。Therearesomanyofthesepublic-schoolsuperstitionsthatIhavehereonlyspaceforoneofthem,whichmaybecalledthesuperstitionofsoap。 ItappearstohavebeensharedbytheablutionaryPharisees,whoresembledtheEnglishpublic-schoolaristocratsinsomanyrespects:intheircareaboutclubrulesandtraditions,intheiroffensiveoptimismattheexpenseofotherpeople,andaboveallintheirunimaginativeploddingpatriotismintheworstinterestsoftheircountry。Nowtheoldhumancommonsenseaboutwashingisthatitisagreatpleasure。 Water(appliedexternally)isasplendidthing,likewine。 Sybaritesbatheinwine,andNonconformistsdrinkwater; butwearenotconcernedwiththesefranticexceptions。 Washingbeingapleasure,itstandstoreasonthatrichpeoplecanafforditmorethanpoorpeople,andaslongasthiswasrecognizedallwaswell;anditwasveryrightthatrichpeopleshouldofferbathstopoorpeople,astheymightofferanyotheragreeablething—— adrinkoradonkeyride。Butonedreadfulday,somewhereaboutthemiddleofthenineteenthcentury,somebodydiscovered(somebodyprettywelloff)thetwogreatmoderntruths,thatwashingisavirtueintherichandthereforeadutyinthepoor。Foradutyisavirtuethatonecan\'tdo。 Andavirtueisgenerallyadutythatonecandoquiteeasily; likethebodilycleanlinessoftheupperclasses。 Butinthepublic-schooltraditionofpubliclife,soaphasbecomecreditablesimplybecauseitispleasant。BathsarerepresentedasapartofthedecayoftheRomanEmpire;butthesamebathsarerepresentedaspartoftheenergyandrejuvenationoftheBritishEmpire。Therearedistinguishedpublicschoolmen,bishops,dons,headmasters,andhighpoliticians,who,inthecourseoftheeulogieswhichfromtimetotimetheypassuponthemselves,haveactuallyidentifiedphysicalcleanlinesswithmoralpurity。 Theysay(ifIrememberrightly)thatapublic-schoolmaniscleaninsideandout。Asifeveryonedidnotknowthatwhilesaintscanaffordtobedirty,seducershavetobeclean。 Asifeveryonedidnotknowthattheharlotmustbeclean,becauseitisherbusinesstocaptivate,whilethegoodwifemaybedirty,becauseitisherbusinesstoclean。 AsifwedidnotallknowthatwheneverGod\'sthundercracksaboveus,itisverylikelyindeedtofindthesimplestmaninamuckcartandthemostcomplexblackguardinabath。 Thereareotherinstances,ofcourse,ofthisoilytrickofturningthepleasuresofagentlemanintothevirtuesofanAnglo-Saxon。Sport,likesoap,isanadmirablething,but,likesoap,itisanagreeablething。Anditdoesnotsumupallmortalmeritstobeasportsmanplayingthegameinaworldwhereitissooftennecessarytobeaworkmandoingthework。 Byallmeansletagentlemancongratulatehimselfthathehasnotlosthisnaturalloveofpleasure,asagainsttheblase,andunchildlike。Butwhenonehasthechildlikejoyitisbesttohavealsothechildlikeunconsciousness;andIdonotthinkweshouldhavespecialaffectionforthelittleboywhoeverlastinglyexplainedthatitwashisdutytoplayHideandSeekandoneofhisfamilyvirtuestobeprominentinPussintheCorner。 Anothersuchirritatinghypocrisyistheoligarchicattitudetowardsmendicityasagainstorganizedcharity。Hereagain,asinthecaseofcleanlinessandofathletics,theattitudewouldbeperfectlyhumanandintelligibleifitwerenotmaintainedasamerit。 Justastheobviousthingaboutsoapisthatitisaconvenience,sotheobviousthingaboutbeggarsisthattheyareaninconvenience。 Therichwoulddeserveverylittleblameiftheysimplysaidthattheyneverdealtdirectlywithbeggars,becauseinmodernurbancivilizationitisimpossibletodealdirectlywithbeggars; orifnotimpossible,atleastverydifficult。Butthesepeopledonotrefusemoneytobeggarsonthegroundthatsuchcharityisdifficult。 Theyrefuseitonthegrosslyhypocriticalgroundthatsuchcharityiseasy。Theysay,withthemostgrotesquegravity,\"Anyonecanputhishandinhispocketandgiveapoormanapenny; butwe,philanthropists,gohomeandbroodandtravailoverthepoorman\'stroublesuntilwehavediscoveredexactlywhatjail,reformatory,workhouse,orlunaticasylumitwillreallybebestforhimtogoto。\"Thisisallsheerlying。 Theydonotbroodaboutthemanwhentheygethome,andiftheydiditwouldnotaltertheoriginalfactthattheirmotivefordiscouragingbeggarsistheperfectlyrationalonethatbeggarsareabother。Amanmayeasilybeforgivenfornotdoingthisorthatincidentalactofcharity,especiallywhenthequestionisasgenuinelydifficultasisthecaseofmendicity。 ButthereissomethingquitepestilentlyPecksniffianaboutshrinkingfromahardtaskonthepleathatitisnothardenough。 Ifanymanwillreallytrytalkingtothetenbeggarswhocometohisdoorhewillsoonfindoutwhetheritisreallysomucheasierthanthelaborofwritingacheckforahospital。 *** XII THESTALENESSOFTHENEWSCHOOLS Forthisdeepanddisablingreasontherefore,itscynicalandabandonedindifferencetothetruth,theEnglishpublicschooldoesnotprovideuswiththeidealthatwerequire。 Wecanonlyaskitsmoderncriticstorememberthatrightorwrongthethingcanbedone;thefactoryisworking,thewheelsaregoingaround,thegentlemenarebeingproduced,withtheirsoap,cricketandorganizedcharityallcomplete。 Andinthis,aswehavesaidbefore,thepublicschoolreallyhasanadvantageoveralltheothereducationalschemesofourtime。 Youcanpickoutapublic-schoolmaninanyofthemanycompaniesintowhichtheystray,fromaChineseopiumdentoaGermanJewishdinner-party。ButIdoubtifyoucouldtellwhichlittlematchgirlhadbeenbroughtupbyundenominationalreligionandwhichbyseculareducation。 ThegreatEnglisharistocracywhichhasruledussincetheReformationisreally,inthissense,amodeltothemoderns。 Itdidhaveanideal,andthereforeithasproducedareality。 Wemayrepeatherethatthesepagesproposemainlytoshowonething: thatprogressoughttobebasedonprinciple,whileourmodernprogressismostlybasedonprecedent。Wego,notbywhatmaybeaffirmedintheory,butbywhathasbeenalreadyadmittedinpractice。 ThatiswhytheJacobitesarethelastToriesinhistorywithwhomahigh-spiritedpersoncanhavemuchsympathy。 Theywantedaspecificthing;theywerereadytogoforwardforit,andsotheywerealsoreadytogobackforit。 ButmodernTorieshaveonlythedullnessofdefendingsituationsthattheyhadnottheexcitementofcreating。 Revolutionistsmakeareform,Conservativesonlyconservethereform。 Theyneverreformthereform,whichisoftenverymuchwanted。 Justastherivalryofarmamentsisonlyasortofsulkyplagiarism,sotherivalryofpartiesisonlyasortofsulkyinheritance。 Menhavevotes,sowomenmustsoonhavevotes;poorchildrenaretaughtbyforce,sotheymustsoonbefedbyforce; thepoliceshutpublichousesbytwelveo\'clock,sosoontheymustshutthembyeleveno\'clock;childrenstopatschooltilltheyarefourteen,sosoontheywillstoptilltheyareforty。 Nogleamofreason,nomomentaryreturntofirstprinciples,noabstractaskingofanyobviousquestion,caninterruptthismadandmonotonousgallopofmereprogressbyprecedent。 Itisagoodwaytopreventrealrevolution。 Bythislogicofevents,theRadicalgetsasmuchintoarutastheConservative。Wemeetonehoaryoldlunaticwhosayshisgrandfathertoldhimtostandbyonestile。 Wemeetanotherhoaryoldlunaticwhosayshisgrandfathertoldhimonlytowalkalongonelane。 Isaywemayrepeatherethisprimarypartoftheargument,becausewehavejustnowcometotheplacewhereitismoststartlinglyandstronglyshown。Thefinalproofthatourelementaryschoolshavenodefiniteidealoftheirownisthefactthattheysoopenlyimitatetheidealsofthepublicschools。 IntheelementaryschoolswehavealltheethicalprejudicesandexaggerationsofEtonandHarrowcarefullycopiedforpeopletowhomtheydonotevenroughlyapply。 Wehavethesamewildlydisproportionatedoctrineoftheeffectofphysicalcleanlinessonmoralcharacter。 Educatorsandeducationalpoliticiansdeclare,amidwarmcheers,thatcleanlinessisfarmoreimportantthanallthesquabblesaboutmoralandreligioustraining。Itwouldreallyseemthatsolongasalittleboywasheshishandsitdoesnotmatterwhetherheiswashingoffhismother\'sjamorhisbrother\'sgore。 Wehavethesamegrosslyinsincerepretensethatsportalwaysencouragesasenseofhonor,whenweknowthatitoftenruinsit。 Aboveall,wehavethesamegreatupperclassassumptionthatthingsaredonebestbylargeinstitutionshandlinglargesumsofmoneyandorderingeverybodyabout;andthattrivialandimpulsivecharityisinsomewaycontemptible。 AsMr。Blatchfordsays,\"Theworlddoesnotwantpiety,butsoap—— andSocialism。\"Pietyisoneofthepopularvirtues,whereassoapandSocialismaretwohobbiesoftheuppermiddleclass。 These\"healthy\"ideals,astheyarecalled,whichourpoliticiansandschoolmastershaveborrowedfromthearistocraticschoolsandappliedtothedemocratic,arebynomeansparticularlyappropriatetoanimpoverisheddemocracy。Avagueadmirationfororganizedgovernmentandavaguedistrustofindividualaidcannotbemadetofitinatallintothelivesofpeopleamongwhomkindnessmeanslendingasaucepanandhonormeanskeepingoutoftheworkhouse。 Itresolvesitselfeitherintodiscouragingthatsystemofpromptandpatchworkgenerositywhichisadailygloryofthepoor,orelseintohazyadvicetopeoplewhohavenomoneynottogiveitrecklesslyaway。Noristheexaggeratedgloryofathletics,defensibleenoughindealingwiththerichwho,iftheydidnotrompandrace,wouldeatanddrinkunwholesomely,byanymeanssomuchtothepointwhenappliedtopeople,mostofwhomwilltakeagreatdealofexerciseanyhow,withspadeorhammer,pickaxorsaw。 Andforthethirdcase,ofwashing,itisobviousthatthesamesortofrhetoricaboutcorporealdaintinesswhichispropertoanornamentalclasscannot,merelyasitstands,beapplicabletoadustman。 Agentlemanisexpectedtobesubstantiallyspotlessallthetime。 Butitisnomorediscreditableforascavengertobedirtythanforadeep-seadivertobewet。AsweepisnomoredisgracedwhenheiscoveredwithsootthanMichaelAngelowhenheiscoveredwithclay,orBayardwhenheiscoveredwithblood。Norhavetheseextendersofthepublic-schooltraditiondoneorsuggestedanythingbywayofasubstituteforthepresentsnobbishsystemwhichmakescleanlinessalmostimpossibletothepoor;Imeanthegeneralritualoflinenandthewearingofthecast-offclothesoftherich。Onemanmovesintoanotherman\'sclothesashemovesintoanotherman\'shouse。 Nowonderthatoureducationistsarenothorrifiedatamanpickingupthearistocrat\'ssecond-handtrousers,whentheythemselveshaveonlytakenupthearistocrat\'ssecond-handideas。 *** XIII THEOUTLAWEDPARENT Thereisonethingatleastofwhichthereisneversomuchasawhisperinsidethepopularschools;andthatistheopinionofthepeopleTheonlypersonswhoseemtohavenothingtodowiththeeducationofthechildrenaretheparents。 YettheEnglishpoorhaveverydefinitetraditionsinmanyways。 Theyarehiddenunderembarrassmentandirony;andthosepsychologistswhohavedisentangledthemtalkofthemasverystrange,barbaricandsecretivethingsBut,asamatteroffact,thetraditionsofthepooraremostlysimplythetraditionsofhumanity,athingwhichmanyofushavenotseenforsometime。 Forinstance,workingmenhaveatraditionthatifoneistalkingaboutavilethingitisbettertotalkofitincoarselanguage; oneisthelesslikelytobeseducedintoexcusingit。 Butmankindhadthistraditionalso,untilthePuritansandtheirchildren,theIbsenites,startedtheoppositeidea,thatitdoesnotmatterwhatyousaysolongasyousayitwithlongwordsandalongface。Oragain,theeducatedclasseshavetabooedmostjestingaboutpersonalappearance; butindoingthistheytaboonotonlythehumoroftheslums,butmorethanhalfthehealthyliteratureoftheworld;theyputpolitenose-bagsonthenosesofPunchandBardolph,StigginsandCyranodeBergerac。Again,theeducatedclasseshaveadoptedahideousandheathencustomofconsideringdeathastoodreadfultotalkabout,andlettingitremainasecretforeachperson,likesomeprivatemalformation。Thepoor,onthecontrary,makeagreatgossipanddisplayaboutbereavement;andtheyareright。Theyhaveholdofatruthofpsychologywhichisatthebackofallthefuneralcustomsofthechildrenofmen。 Thewaytolessensorrowistomakealotofit。Thewaytoendureapainfulcrisisistoinsistverymuchthatitisacrisis; topermitpeoplewhomustfeelsadatleasttofeelimportant。 Inthisthepooraresimplythepriestsoftheuniversalcivilization; andintheirstuffyfeastsandsolemnchatteringthereisthesmellofthebakedmeatsofHamletandthedustandechoofthefuneralgamesofPatroclus。 Thethingsphilanthropistsbarelyexcuse(ordonotexcuse) inthelifeofthelaboringclassesaresimplythethingswehavetoexcuseinallthegreatestmonumentsofman。ItmaybethatthelaborerisasgrossasShakespeareorasgarrulousasHomer; thatifheisreligioushetalksnearlyasmuchabouthellasDante; thatifheisworldlyhetalksnearlyasmuchaboutdrinkasDickens。NoristhepoormanwithouthistoricsupportifhethinkslessofthatceremonialwashingwhichChristdismissed,andrathermoreofthatceremonialdrinkingwhichChristspeciallysanctified。 Theonlydifferencebetweenthepoormanofto-dayandthesaintsandheroesofhistoryisthatwhichinallclassesseparatesthecommonmanwhocanfeelthingsfromthegreatmanwhocanexpressthem。 Whathefeelsismerelytheheritageofman。Nownobodyexpectsofcoursethatthecabmenandcoal-heaverscanbecompleteinstructorsoftheirchildrenanymorethanthesquiresandcolonelsandteamerchantsarecompleteinstructorsoftheirchildren。 Theremustbeaneducationalspecialistinlocoparentis。 ButthemasteratHarrowisinlocoparentis;themasterinHoxtonisrathercontraparentem。Thevaguepoliticsofthesquire,thevaguervirtuesofthecolonel,thesoulandspiritualyearningsofateamerchant,are,inveritablepractice,conveyedtothechildrenofthesepeopleattheEnglishpublicschools。 ButIwishheretoaskaveryplainandemphaticquestion。 Cananyonealiveevenpretendtopointoutanywayinwhichthesespecialvirtuesandtraditionsofthepoorarereproducedintheeducationofthepoor?Idonotwishthecoster\'sironytoappealascoarselyintheschoolasitdoesinthetaproom;butdoesitappearatall? Isthechildtaughttosympathizeatallwithhisfather\'sadmirablecheerfulnessandslang?Idonotexpectthepathetic,eagerpietasofthemother,withherfuneralclothesandfuneralbakedmeats,tobeexactlyimitatedintheeducationalsystem; buthasitanyinfluenceatallontheeducationalsystem? Doesanyelementaryschoolmasteraccorditevenaninstant\'sconsiderationorrespect?IdonotexpecttheschoolmastertohatehospitalsandC。O。S。centerssomuchastheschoolboy\'sfather; butdoeshehatethematall?Doeshesympathizeintheleastwiththepoorman\'spointofhonoragainstofficialinstitutions? Isitnotquitecertainthattheordinaryelementaryschoolmasterwillthinkitnotmerelynaturalbutsimplyconscientioustoeradicatealltheseruggedlegendsofalaboriouspeople,andonprincipletopreachsoapandSocialismagainstbeerandliberty? Inthelowerclassestheschoolmasterdoesnotworkfortheparent,butagainsttheparent。Moderneducationmeanshandingdownthecustomsoftheminority,androotingoutthecustomsofthemajority。 InsteadoftheirChristlikecharity,theirShakespeareanlaughterandtheirhighHomericreverenceforthedead,thepoorhaveimposedonthemmerepedanticcopiesoftheprejudicesoftheremoterich。 Theymustthinkabathroomanecessitybecausetotheluckyitisaluxury;theymustswingSwedishclubsbecausetheirmastersareafraidofEnglishcudgels;andtheymustgetovertheirprejudiceagainstbeingfedbytheparish,becausearistocratsfeelnoshameaboutbeingfedbythenation。 *** XIV FOLLYANDFEMALEEDUCATION Itisthesameinthecaseofgirls。IamoftensolemnlyaskedwhatIthinkofthenewideasaboutfemaleeducation。 Buttherearenonewideasaboutfemaleeducation。 Thereisnot,thereneverhasbeen,eventhevestigeofanewidea。 Alltheeducationalreformersdidwastoaskwhatwasbeingdonetoboysandthengoanddoittogirls;justastheyaskedwhatwasbeingtaughttoyoungsquiresandthentaughtittoyoungchimneysweeps。 Whattheycallnewideasareveryoldideasinthewrongplace。 Boysplayfootball,whyshouldn\'tgirlsplayfootball; boyshaveschoolcolors,whyshouldn\'tgirlshaveschool-colors; boysgoinhundredstoday-schools,whyshouldn\'tgirlsgoinhundredstoday-schools;boysgotoOxford,whyshouldn\'tgirlsgotoOxford——inshort,boysgrowmustaches,whyshouldn\'tgirlsgrowmustaches——thatisabouttheirnotionofanewidea。 Thereisnobrain-workinthethingatall;norootqueryofwhatsexis,ofwhetheritaltersthisorthat,andwhy,anymorethanthereisanyimaginativegripofthehumorandheartofthepopulaceinthepopulareducation。 Thereisnothingbutplodding,elaborate,elephantineimitation。 Andjustasinthecaseofelementaryteaching,thecasesareofacoldandrecklessinappropriateness。Evenasavagecouldseethatbodilythings,atleast,whicharegoodforamanareverylikelytobebadforawoman。Yetthereisnoboy\'sgame,howeverbrutal,whichthesemildlunaticshavenotpromotedamonggirls。 Totakeastrongercase,theygivegirlsveryheavyhome-work; neverreflectingthatallgirlshavehome-workalreadyintheirhomes。Itisallapartofthesamesillysubjugation; theremustbeahardstick-upcollarroundtheneckofawoman,becauseitisalreadyanuisanceroundtheneckofaman。 ThoughaSaxonserf,ifheworethatcollarofcardboard,wouldaskforhiscollarofbrass。 Itwillthenbeanswered,notwithoutasneer,\"Andwhatwouldyouprefer?WouldyougobacktotheelegantearlyVictorianfemale,withringletsandsmelling-bottle,doingalittleinwatercolors,dabblingalittleinItalian,playingalittleontheharp,writinginvulgaralbumsandpaintingonsenselessscreens? Doyoupreferthat?\"TowhichIanswer,\"Emphatically,yes。\" Isolidlypreferittothenewfemaleeducation,forthisreason,thatIcanseeinitanintellectualdesign,whilethereisnoneintheother。Iambynomeanssurethateveninpointofpracticalfactthatelegantfemalewouldnothavebeenmorethanamatchformostoftheinelegantfemales。 IfancyJaneAustenwasstronger,sharperandshrewderthanCharlotteBronte;Iamquitecertainshewasstronger,sharperandshrewderthanGeorgeEliot。Shecoulddoonethingneitherofthemcoulddo:shecouldcoollyandsensiblydescribeaman。 IamnotsurethattheoldgreatladywhocouldonlysmatterItalianwasnotmorevigorousthanthenewgreatladywhocanonlystammerAmerican;noramIcertainthatthebygoneduchesseswhowerescarcelysuccessfulwhentheypaintedMelroseAbbey,weresomuchmoreweak-mindedthanthemodernduchesseswhopaintonlytheirownfaces,andarebadatthat。 Butthatisnotthepoint。Whatwasthetheory,whatwastheidea,intheirold,weakwater-colorsandtheirshakyItalian?Theideawasthesamewhichinaruderrankexpresseditselfinhome-madewinesandhereditaryrecipes;andwhichstill,inathousandunexpectedways,canbefoundclingingtothewomenofthepoor。 ItwastheideaIurgedinthesecondpartofthisbook: thattheworldmustkeeponegreatamateur,lestweallbecomeartistsandperish。Somebodymustrenounceallspecialistconquests,thatshemayconqueralltheconquerors。Thatshemaybeaqueenoflife,shemustnotbeaprivatesoldierinit。IdonotthinktheelegantfemalewithherbadItalianwasaperfectproduct,anymorethanIthinktheslumwomantalkingginandfuneralsisaperfectproduct;alas!therearefewperfectproducts。 Buttheycomefromacomprehensibleidea;andthenewwomancomesfromnothingandnowhere。Itisrighttohaveanideal,itisrighttohavetherightideal,andthesetwohavetherightideal。 TheslummotherwithherfuneralsisthedegeneratedaughterofAntigone,theobstinatepriestessofthehouseholdgods。 TheladytalkingbadItalianwasthedecayedtenthcousinofPortia,thegreatandgoldenItalianlady,theRenascenceamateuroflife,whocouldbeabarristerbecauseshecouldbeanything。 Sunkenandneglectedintheseaofmodernmonotonyandimitation,thetypesholdtightlytotheiroriginaltruths。Antigone,ugly,dirtyandoftendrunken,willstillburyherfather。 Theelegantfemale,vapidandfadingawaytonothing,stillfeelsfaintlythefundamentaldifferencebetweenherselfandherhusband: thathemustbeSomethingintheCity,thatshemaybeeverythinginthecountry。 TherewasatimewhenyouandIandallofuswereallveryclosetoGod; sothatevennowthecolorofapebble(orapaint),thesmellofaflower(orafirework),comestoourheartswithakindofauthorityandcertainty;asiftheywerefragmentsofamuddledmessage,orfeaturesofaforgottenface。Topourthatfierysimplicityuponthewholeoflifeistheonlyrealaimofeducation; andclosesttothechildcomesthewoman——sheunderstands。 Tosaywhatsheunderstandsisbeyondme;saveonlythis,thatitisnotasolemnity。Ratheritisatoweringlevity,anuproariousamateurishnessoftheuniverse,suchaswefeltwhenwewerelittle,andwouldassoonsingasgarden,assoonpaintasrun。Tosmatterthetonguesofmenandangels,todabbleinthedreadfulsciences,tojugglewithpillarsandpyramidsandtossuptheplanetslikeballs,thisisthatinneraudacityandindifferencewhichthehumansoul,likeaconjurercatchingoranges,mustkeepupforever。 Thisisthatinsanelyfrivolousthingwecallsanity。 Andtheelegantfemale,droopingherringletsoverherwater-colors,knewitandactedonit。Shewasjugglingwithfranticandflamingsuns。 Shewasmaintainingtheboldequilibriumofinferioritieswhichisthemostmysteriousofsuperioritiesandperhapsthemostunattainable。 Shewasmaintainingtheprimetruthofwoman,theuniversalmother: thatifathingisworthdoing,itisworthdoingbadly。 *** PARTFIVE THEHOMEOFMAN *** I THEEMPIREOFTHEINSECT AcultivatedConservativefriendofmineonceexhibitedgreatdistressbecauseinagaymomentIoncecalledEdmundBurkeanatheist。Ineedscarcelysaythattheremarklackedsomethingofbiographicalprecision;itwasmeantto。 Burkewascertainlynotanatheistinhisconsciouscosmictheory,thoughhehadnotaspecialandflamingfaithinGod,likeRobespierre。Nevertheless,theremarkhadreferencetoatruthwhichitishererelevanttorepeat。ImeanthatinthequarrelovertheFrenchRevolution,Burkedidstandfortheatheisticattitudeandmodeofargument,asRobespierrestoodforthetheistic。 TheRevolutionappealedtotheideaofanabstractandeternaljustice,beyondalllocalcustomorconvenience。 IftherearecommandsofGod,thentheremustberightsofman。 HereBurkemadehisbrilliantdiversion;hedidnotattacktheRobespierredoctrinewiththeoldmediaevaldoctrineofjusdivinum(which,liketheRobespierredoctrine,wastheistic),heattackeditwiththemodernargumentofscientificrelativity; inshort,theargumentofevolution。Hesuggestedthathumanitywaseverywheremoldedbyorfittedtoitsenvironmentandinstitutions;infact,thateachpeoplepracticallygot,notonlythetyrantitdeserved,butthetyrantitoughttohave。 \"Iknownothingoftherightsofmen,\"hesaid,\"butIknowsomethingoftherightsofEnglishmen。\"Thereyouhavetheessentialatheist。 Hisargumentisthatwehavegotsomeprotectionbynaturalaccidentandgrowth;andwhyshouldweprofesstothinkbeyondit,foralltheworldasifweweretheimagesofGod!WearebornunderaHouseofLords,asbirdsunderahouseofleaves; weliveunderamonarchyasniggersliveunderatropicsun; itisnottheirfaultiftheyareslaves,anditisnotoursifwearesnobs。Thus,longbeforeDarwinstruckhisgreatblowatdemocracy,theessentialoftheDarwinianargumenthadbeenalreadyurgedagainsttheFrenchRevolution。Man,saidBurkeineffect,mustadapthimselftoeverything,likeananimal; hemustnottrytoaltereverything,likeanangel。 Thelastweakcryofthepious,pretty,half-artificialoptimismanddeismoftheeighteenthcenturycarneinthevoiceofSterne,saying,\"Godtempersthewindtotheshornlamb。\" AndBurke,theironevolutionist,essentiallyanswered,\"No;Godtemperstheshornlambtothewind。\"Itisthelambthathastoadapthimself。Thatis,heeitherdiesorbecomesaparticularkindoflambwholikesstandinginadraught。 ThesubconsciouspopularinstinctagainstDarwinismwasnotamereoffenseatthegrotesquenotionofvisitingone\'sgrandfatherinacageintheRegent\'sPark。Mengoinfordrink,practicaljokesandmanyothergrotesquethings;theydonotmuchmindmakingbeastsofthemselves,andwouldnotmuchmindhavingbeastsmadeoftheirforefathers。 Therealinstinctwasmuchdeeperandmuchmorevaluable。 Itwasthis:thatwhenonceonebeginstothinkofmanasashiftingandalterablething,itisalwayseasyforthestrongandcraftytotwisthimintonewshapesforallkindsofunnaturalpurposes。 thepopularinstinctseesinsuchdevelopmentsthepossibilityofbacksbowedandhunch-backedfortheirburden,orlimbstwistedfortheirtask。Ithasaverywell-groundedguessthatwhateverisdoneswiftlyandsystematicallywillmostlybedonebeasuccessfulclassandalmostsolelyintheirinterests。 Ithasthereforeavisionofinhumanhybridsandhalf-humanexperimentsmuchinthestyleofMr。Wells\'s\"IslandofDr。Moreau。\"Therichmanmaycometobreedingatribeofdwarfstobehisjockeys,andatribeofgiantstobehishall-porters。Groomsmightbebornbow-leggedandtailorsborncross-legged;perfumersmighthavelong,largenosesandacrouchingattitude,likehoundsofscent; andprofessionalwine-tastersmighthavethehorribleexpressionofonetastingwinestampedupontheirfacesasinfants。 Whateverwildimageoneemploysitcannotkeeppacewiththepanicofthehumanfancy,whenonceitsupposesthatthefixedtypecalledmancouldbechanged。Ifsomemillionairewantedarms,someportermustgrowtenarmslikeanoctopus;ifhewantslegs,somemessenger-boymustgowithahundredtrottinglegslikeacentipede。 Inthedistortedmirrorofhypothesis,thatis,oftheunknown,mencandimlyseesuchmonstrousandevilshapes;menrunalltoeye,oralltofingers,withnothingleftbutonenostriloroneear。 Thatisthenightmarewithwhichthemerenotionofadaptationthreatensus。Thatisthenightmarethatisnotsoveryfarfromthereality。 Itwillbesaidthatnotthewildestevolutionistreallyasksthatweshouldbecomeinanywayunhumanorcopyanyotheranimal。 Pardonme,thatisexactlywhatnotmerelythewildestevolutionistsurge,butsomeofthetamestevolutioniststoo。 Therehasrisenhighinrecenthistoryanimportantcultuswhichbidsfairtobethereligionofthefuture——whichmeansthereligionofthosefewweak-mindedpeoplewholiveinthefuture。Itistypicalofourtimethatithastolookforitsgodthroughamicroscope; andourtimehasmarkedadefiniteadorationoftheinsect。 Likemostthingswecallnew,ofcourse,itisnotatallnewasanidea; itisonlynewasanidolatry。VirgiltakesbeesseriouslybutIdoubtifhewouldhavekeptbeesascarefullyashewroteaboutthem。Thewisekingtoldthesluggardtowatchtheant,acharmingoccupation——forasluggard。Butinourowntimehasappearedaverydifferenttone,andmorethanonegreatman,aswellasnumberlessintelligentmen,haveinourtimeseriouslysuggestedthatweshouldstudytheinsectbecausewearehisinferiors。 Theoldmoralistsmerelytookthevirtuesofmananddistributedthemquitedecorativelyandarbitrarilyamongtheanimals。 Theantwasanalmostheraldicsymbolofindustry,asthelionwasofcourage,or,forthematterofthat,thepelicanofcharity。 Butifthemediaevalshadbeenconvincedthatalionwasnotcourageous,theywouldhavedroppedthelionandkeptthecourage;ifthepelicanisnotcharitable,theywouldsay,somuchtheworseforthepelican。 Theoldmoralists,Isay,permittedtheanttoenforceandtypifyman\'smorality;theyneverallowedtheanttoupsetit。 Theyusedtheantforindustryasthelarkforpunctuality; theylookedupattheflappingbirdsanddownatthecrawlinginsectsforahomelylesson。Butwehavelivedtoseeasectthatdoesnotlookdownattheinsects,butlooksupattheinsects,thatasksusessentiallytobowdownandworshipbeetles,likeancientEgyptians。 MauriceMaeterlinckisamanofunmistakablegenius,andgeniusalwayscarriesamagnifyingglass。Intheterriblecrystalofhislenswehaveseenthebeesnotasalittleyellowswarm,butratheringoldenarmiesandhierarchiesofwarriorsandqueens。 Imaginationperpetuallypeersandcreepsfurtherdowntheavenuesandvistasinthetubesofscience,andonefancieseveryfranticreversalofproportions;theearwigstridingacrosstheechoingplainlikeanelephant,orthegrasshoppercomingroaringaboveourroofslikeavastaeroplane,asheleapsfromHertfordshiretoSurrey。Oneseemstoenterinadreamatempleofenormousentomology,whosearchitectureisbasedonsomethingwilderthanarmsorbackbones;inwhichtheribbedcolumnshavethehalf-crawlinglookofdimandmonstrouscaterpillars; orthedomeisastarryspiderhunghorriblyinthevoid。 Thereisoneofthemodernworksofengineeringthatgivesonesomethingofthisnamelessfearoftheexaggerationsofanunderworld; andthatisthecuriouscurvedarchitectureoftheundergroundrailway,commonlycalledtheTwopennyTube。Thosesquatarchways,withoutanyuprightlineorpillar,lookasiftheyhadbeentunneledbyhugewormswhohaveneverlearnedtolifttheirheadsItistheveryundergroundpalaceoftheSerpent,thespiritofchangingshapeandcolor,thatistheenemyofman。 ButitisnotmerelybysuchstrangeaestheticsuggestionsthatwriterslikeMaeterlinckhaveinfluencedusinthematter; thereisalsoanethicalsidetothebusiness。 TheupshotofM。Maeterlinck\'sbookonbeesisanadmiration,onemightalsosayanenvy,oftheircollectivespirituality; ofthefactthattheyliveonlyforsomethingwhichhecallstheSouloftheHive。Andthisadmirationforthecommunalmoralityofinsectsisexpressedinmanyothermodernwritersinvariousquartersandshapes;inMr。BenjaminKidd\'stheoryoflivingonlyfortheevolutionaryfutureofourrace,andinthegreatinterestofsomeSocialistsinants,whichtheygenerallyprefertobees,Isuppose,becausetheyarenotsobrightlycolored。 NotleastamongthehundredevidencesofthisvagueinsectolatryarethefloodsofflatterypouredbymodernpeopleonthatenergeticnationoftheFarEastofwhichithasbeensaidthat\"Patriotismisitsonlyreligion\";or,inotherwords,thatitlivesonlyfortheSouloftheHive。WhenatlongintervalsofthecenturiesChristendomgrowsweak,morbidorskeptical,andmysteriousAsiabeginstomoveagainstusherdimpopulationsandtopourthemwestwardlikeadarkmovementofmatter,insuchcasesithasbeenverycommontocomparetheinvasiontoaplagueofliceorincessantarmiesoflocusts。 TheEasternarmieswereindeedlikeinsects;intheirblind,busydestructiveness,intheirblacknihilismofpersonaloutlook,intheirhatefulindifferencetoindividuallifeandlove,intheirbasebeliefinmerenumbers,intheirpessimisticcourageandtheiratheisticpatriotism,theridersandraidersoftheEastareindeedlikeallthecreepingthingsoftheearth。 Butneverbefore,Ithink,haveChristianscalledaTurkalocustandmeantitasacompliment。Nowforthefirsttimeweworshipaswellasfear;andtracewithadorationthatenormousformadvancingvastandvagueoutofAsia,faintlydiscernibleamidthemysticcloudsofwingedcreatureshungoverthewastedlands,throngingtheskieslikethunderanddiscoloringtheskieslikerain;Beelzebub,theLordofFlies。 InresistingthishorribletheoryoftheSouloftheHive,weofChristendomstandnotforourselves,butforallhumanity; fortheessentialanddistinctivehumanideathatonegoodandhappymanisanendinhimself,thatasoulisworthsaving。 Nay,forthosewholikesuchbiologicalfanciesitmightwellbesaidthatwestandaschiefsandchampionsofawholesectionofnature,princesofthehousewhosecognizanceisthebackbone,standingforthemilkoftheindividualmotherandthecourageofthewanderingcub,representingthepatheticchivalryofthedog,thehumorandperversityofcats,theaffectionofthetranquilhorse,thelonelinessofthelion。Itismoretothepoint,however,tourgethatthismereglorificationofsocietyasitisinthesocialinsectsisatransformationandadissolutioninoneoftheoutlineswhichhavebeenspeciallythesymbolsofman。 Inthecloudandconfusionofthefliesandbeesisgrowingfainterandfainter,asisfinallydisappearing,theideaofthehumanfamily。 Thehivehasbecomelargerthanthehouse,thebeesaredestroyingtheircaptors;whatthelocusthathleft,thecaterpillarhatheaten; andthelittlehouseandgardenofourfriendJonesisinabadway。 *** II THEFALLACYOFTHEUMBRELLASTAND WhenLordMorleysaidthattheHouseofLordsmustbeeithermendedorended,heusedaphrasewhichhascausedsomeconfusion; becauseitmightseemtosuggestthatmendingandendingaresomewhatsimilarthings。Iwishspeciallytoinsistonthefactthatmendingandendingareoppositethings。Youmendathingbecauseyoulikeit; youendathingbecauseyoudon\'t。Tomendistostrengthen。 I,forinstance,disbelieveinoligarchy;solwouldnomoremendtheHouseofLordsthanIwouldmendathumbscrew。Ontheotherhand,Idobelieveinthefamily;thereforeIwouldmendthefamilyasIwouldmendachair;andIwillneverdenyforamomentthatthemodernfamilyisachairthatwantsmending。Butherecomesintheessentialpointaboutthemassofmodernadvancedsociologists。 Herearetwoinstitutionsthathavealwaysbeenfundamentalwithmankind,thefamilyandthestate。Anarchists,Ibelieve,disbelieveinboth。 ItisquiteunfairtosaythatSocialistsbelieveinthestate,butdonotbelieveinthefamily;thousandsofSocialistsbelievemoreinthefamilythananyTory。Butitistruetosaythatwhileanarchistswouldendboth,Socialistsarespeciallyengagedinmending(thatis,strengtheningandrenewing)thestate;andtheyarenotspeciallyengagedinstrengtheningandrenewingthefamily。 Theyarenotdoinganythingtodefinethefunctionsoffather,mother,andchild,assuch;theyarenottighteningthemachineupagain; theyarenotblackeninginagainthefadinglinesoftheolddrawing。 Withthestatetheyaredoingthis;theyaresharpeningitsmachinery,theyareblackeninginitsblackdogmaticlines,theyaremakingmeregovernmentineverywaystrongerandinsomewaysharsherthanbefore。 Whiletheyleavethehomeinruins,theyrestorethehive,especiallythestings。Indeed,someschemesoflaborandPoorLawreformrecentlyadvancedbydistinguishedSocialists,amounttolittlemorethanputtingthelargestnumberofpeopleinthedespoticpowerofMr。Bumble。Apparently,progressmeansbeingmovedon—— bythepolice。 Thepointitismypurposetourgemightperhapsbesuggestedthus: thatSocialistsandmostsocialreformersoftheircolorarevividlyconsciousofthelinebetweenthekindofthingsthatbelongtothestateandthekindofthingsthatbelongtomerechaosoruncoerciblenature; theymayforcechildrentogotoschoolbeforethesunrises,buttheywillnottrytoforcethesuntorise;theywillnot,likeCanute,banishthesea,butonlythesea-bathers。Butinsidetheoutlineofthestatetheirlinesareconfused,andentitiesmeltintoeachother。 Theyhavenofirminstinctivesenseofonethingbeinginitsnatureprivateandanotherpublic,ofonethingbeingnecessarilybondandanotherfree。Thatiswhypiecebypiece,andquitesilently,personallibertyisbeingstolenfromEnglishmen,aspersonallandhasbeensilentlystoleneversincethesixteenthcentury。 Icanonlyputitsufficientlycurtlyinacarelesssimile。 ASocialistmeansamanwhothinksawalking-sticklikeanumbrellabecausetheybothgointotheumbrella-stand。 Yettheyareasdifferentasabattle-axandabootjack。 Theessentialideaofanumbrellaisbreadthandprotection。 Theessentialideaofastickisslendernessand,partly,attack。 Thestickisthesword,theumbrellaistheshield,butitisashieldagainstanotherandmorenamelessenemy—— thehostilebutanonymousuniverse。Moreproperly,therefore,theumbrellaistheroof;itisakindofcollapsiblehouse。 Butthevitaldifferencegoesfardeeperthanthis;itbranchesoffintotwokingdomsofman\'smind,withachasmbetween。 Forthepointisthis:thattheumbrellaisashieldagainstanenemysoactualastobeamerenuisance; whereasthestickisaswordagainstenemiessoentirelyimaginaryastobeapurepleasure。Thestickisnotmerelyasword,butacourtsword;itisathingofpurelyceremonialswagger。 Onecannotexpresstheemotioninanywayexceptbysayingthatamanfeelsmorelikeamanwithastickinhishand,justashefeelsmorelikeamanwithaswordathisside。 Butnobodyeverhadanyswellingsentimentsaboutanumbrella; itisaconvenience,likeadoorscraper。Anumbrellaisanecessaryevil。Awalking-stickisaquiteunnecessarygood。 This,Ifancy,istherealexplanationoftheperpetuallosingofumbrellas;onedoesnothearofpeoplelosingwalkingsticks。 Forawalking-stickisapleasure,apieceofrealpersonalproperty;itismissedevenwhenitisnotneeded。 Whenmyrighthandforgetsitsstickmayitforgetitscunning。 Butanybodymayforgetanumbrella,asanybodymightforgetashedthathehasstoodupinoutoftherain。 Anybodycanforgetanecessarything。 IfImightpursuethefigureofspeech,ImightbrieflysaythatthewholeCollectivisterrorconsistsinsayingthatbecausetwomencanshareanumbrella,thereforetwomencanshareawalking-stick。Umbrellasmightpossiblybereplacedbysomekindofcommonawningscoveringcertainstreetsfromparticularshowers。 Butthereisnothingbutnonsenseinthenotionofswingingacommunalstick;itisasifonespokeoftwirlingacommunalmustache。 Itwillbesaidthatthisisafrankfantasiaandthatnosociologistssuggestsuchfollies。Pardonmeiftheydo。Iwillgiveapreciseparalleltothecaseofconfusionofsticksandumbrellas,aparallelfromaperpetuallyreiteratedsuggestionofreform。 AtleastsixtySocialistsoutofahundred,whentheyhavespokenofcommonlaundries,willgoonatoncetospeakofcommonkitchens。 ThisisjustasmechanicalandunintelligentasthefancifulcaseIhavequoted。Sticksandumbrellasarebothstiffrodsthatgointoholesinastandinthehall。Kitchensandwashhousesarebothlargeroomsfullofheatanddampandsteam。 Butthesoulandfunctionofthetwothingsareutterlyopposite。 Thereisonlyonewayofwashingashirt;thatis,thereisonlyonerightway。Thereisnotasteandfancyintatteredshirts。 Nobodysays,\"Tompkinslikesfiveholesinhisshirt,butI mustsay,givemethegoodoldfourholes。\"Nobodysays,\"Thiswasherwomanripsuptheleftlegofmypyjamas;nowifthereisonethingIinsistonitistherightlegrippedup。\" Theidealwashingissimplytosendathingbackwashed。 Butitisbynomeanstruethattheidealcookingissimplytosendathingbackcooked。Cookingisanart;ithasinitpersonality,andevenperversity,forthedefinitionofanartisthatwhichmustbepersonalandmaybeperverse。 Iknowaman,nototherwisedainty,whocannottouchcommonsausagesunlesstheyarealmostburnedtoacoal。 Hewantshissausagesfriedtorags,yethedoesnotinsistonhisshirtsbeingboiledtorags。Idonotsaythatsuchpointsofculinarydelicacyareofhighimportance。 Idonotsaythatthecommunalidealmustgivewaytothem。 WhatIsayisthatthecommunalidealisnotconsciousoftheirexistence,andthereforegoeswrongfromtheverystart,mixingawhollypublicthingwithahighlyindividualone。 Perhapsweoughttoacceptcommunalkitchensinthesocialcrisis,justasweshouldacceptcommunalcat\'s-meatinasiege。 ButtheculturedSocialist,quiteathisease,bynomeansinasiege,talksaboutcommunalkitchensasiftheywerethesamekindofthingascommunallaundries。 Thisshowsatthestartthathemisunderstandshumannature。 Itisasdifferentasthreemensingingthesamechorusfromthreemenplayingthreetunesonthesamepiano。 III THEDREADFULDUTYOFGUDGE InthequarrelearlieralludedtobetweentheenergeticProgressiveandtheobstinateConservative(or,totalkatendererlanguage,betweenHudgeandGudge),thestateofcross-purposesisatthepresentmomentacute。TheTorysayshewantstopreservefamilylifeinCindertown;theSocialistveryreasonablypointsouttohimthatinCindertownatpresentthereisn\'tanyfamilylifetopreserve。 ButHudge,theSocialist,inhisturn,ishighlyvagueandmysteriousaboutwhetherhewouldpreservethefamilylifeiftherewereany; orwhetherhewilltrytorestoreitwhereithasdisappeared。 Itisallveryconfusing。TheTorysometimestalksasifhewantedtotightenthedomesticbondsthatdonotexist;theSocialistasifhewantedtoloosenthebondsthatdonotbindanybody。 Thequestionweallwanttoaskofbothofthemistheoriginalidealquestion,\"Doyouwanttokeepthefamilyatall?\"IfHudge,theSocialist,doeswantthefamilyhemustbepreparedforthenaturalrestraints,distinctionsanddivisionsoflaborinthefamily。 Hemustbracehimselfuptobeartheideaofthewomanhavingapreferencefortheprivatehouseandamanforthepublichouse。 Hemustmanagetoenduresomehowtheideaofawomanbeingwomanly,whichdoesnotmeansoftandyielding,buthandy,thrifty,ratherhard,andveryhumorous。Hemustconfrontwithoutaquiverthenotionofachildwhoshallbechildish,thatis,fullofenergy,butwithoutanideaofindependence;fundamentallyaseagerforauthorityasforinformationandbutter-scotch。Ifaman,awomanandachildlivetogetheranymoreinfreeandsovereignhouseholds,theseancientrelationswillrecur;andHudgemustputupwithit。 Hecanonlyavoiditbydestroyingthefamily,drivingbothsexesintosexlesshivesandhordes,andbringingupallchildrenasthechildrenofthestate——likeOliverTwist。ButifthesesternwordsmustbeaddressedtoHudge,neithershallGudgeescapeasomewhatsevereadmonition。 FortheplaintruthtobetoldprettysharplytotheToryisthis,thatifhewantsthefamilytoremain,ifhewantstobestrongenoughtoresisttherendingforcesofouressentiallysavagecommerce,hemustmakesomeverybigsacrificesandtrytoequalizeproperty。 TheoverwhelmingmassoftheEnglishpeopleatthisparticularinstantaresimplytoopoortobedomestic。Theyareasdomesticastheycanmanage;theyaremuchmoredomesticthanthegoverningclass; buttheycannotgetwhatgoodtherewasoriginallymeanttobeinthisinstitution,simplybecausetheyhavenotgotenoughmoney。 Themanoughttostandforacertainmagnanimity,quitelawfullyexpressedinthrowingmoneyaway:butifundergivencircumstanceshecanonlydoitbythrowingtheweek\'sfoodaway,thenheisnotmagnanimous,butmean。Thewomanoughttostandforacertainwisdomwhichiswellexpressedinvaluingthingsrightlyandguardingmoneysensibly; buthowisshetoguardmoneyifthereisnomoneytoguard? Thechildoughttolookonhismotherasafountainofnaturalfunandpoetry;buthowcanheunlessthefountain,likeotherfountains,isallowedtoplay?Whatchancehaveanyoftheseancientartsandfunctionsinahousesohideouslytopsy-turvy;ahousewherethewomanisoutworkingandthemanisn\'t;andthechildisforcedbylawtothinkhisschoolmaster\'srequirementsmoreimportantthanhismother\'s?No,GudgeandhisfriendsintheHouseofLordsandtheCarltonClubmustmakeuptheirmindsonthismatter,andthatveryquickly。IftheyarecontenttohaveEnglandturnedintoabeehiveandanant-hill,decoratedhereandtherewithafewfadedbutterfliesplayingatanoldgamecalleddomesticityintheintervalsofthedivorcecourt,thenletthemhavetheirempireofinsects; theywillfindplentyofSocialistswhowillgiveittothem。 ButiftheywantadomesticEngland,theymust\"shellout,\" asthephrasegoes,toavastlygreaterextentthananyRadicalpoliticianhasyetdaredtosuggest;theymustendureburdensmuchheavierthantheBudgetandstrokesmuchdeadlierthanthedeathduties; forthethingtobedoneisnothingmorenorlessthanthedistributionofthegreatfortunesandthegreatestates。WecannowonlyavoidSocialismbyachangeasvastasSocialism。Ifwearetosaveproperty,wemustdistributeproperty,almostassternlyandsweepinglyasdidtheFrenchRevolution。Ifwearetopreservethefamilywemustrevolutionizethenation。 *** IV ALASTINSTANCE Andnow,asthisbookisdrawingtoaclose,Iwillwhisperinthereader\'searahorriblesuspicionthathassometimeshauntedme: thesuspicionthatHudgeandGudgearesecretlyinpartnership。 Thatthequarreltheykeepupinpublicisverymuchofaput-upjob,andthatthewayinwhichtheyperpetuallyplayintoeachother\'shandsisnotaneverlastingcoincidence。Gudge,theplutocrat,wantsananarchicindustrialism;Hudge,theidealist,provideshimwithlyricpraisesofanarchy。Gudgewantswomen-workersbecausetheyarecheaper; Hudgecallsthewoman\'swork\"freedomtoliveherownlife。\" Gudgewantssteadyandobedientworkmen,Hudgepreachesteetotalism—— toworkmen,nottoGudge——Gudgewantsatameandtimidpopulationwhowillnevertakearmsagainsttyranny;HudgeprovesfromTolstoithatnobodymusttakearmsagainstanything。Gudgeisnaturallyahealthyandwell-washedgentleman;HudgeearnestlypreachestheperfectionofGudge\'swashingtopeoplewhocan\'tpracticeit。 Aboveall,Gudgerulesbyacoarseandcruelsystemofsackingandsweatingandbi-sexualtoilwhichistotallyinconsistentwiththefreefamilyandwhichisboundtodestroyit;thereforeHudge,stretchingouthisarmstotheuniversewithapropheticsmile,tellsusthatthefamilyissomethingthatweshallsoongloriouslyoutgrow。 IdonotknowwhetherthepartnershipofHudgeandGudgeisconsciousorunconscious。Ionlyknowthatbetweenthemtheystillkeepthecommonmanhomeless。IonlyknowIstillmeetJoneswalkingthestreetsinthegraytwilight,lookingsadlyatthepolesandbarriersandlowredgoblinlanternswhichstillguardthehousewhichisnonethelesshisbecausehehasneverbeeninit。 *** V CONCLUSION Here,itmaybesaid,mybookendsjustwhereitoughttobegin。 IhavesaidthatthestrongcentersofmodernEnglishpropertymustswiftlyorslowlybebrokenup,ifeventheideaofpropertyistoremainamongEnglishmen。Therearetwowaysinwhichitcouldbedone,acoldadministrationbyquitedetachedofficials,whichiscalledCollectivism,orapersonaldistribution,soastoproducewhatiscalledPeasantProprietorship。Ithinkthelattersolutionthefinerandmorefullyhuman,becauseitmakeseachmanassomebodyblamedsomebodyforsayingofthePope,asortofsmallgod。Amanonhisownturftasteseternityor,inotherwords,willgivetenminutesmoreworkthanisrequired。 ButIbelieveIamjustifiedinshuttingthedooronthisvistaofargument,insteadofopeningit。ForthisbookisnotdesignedtoprovethecaseforPeasantProprietorship,buttoprovethecaseagainstmodernsageswhoturnreformtoaroutine。 Thewholeofthisbookhasbeenaramblingandelaborateurgingofonepurelyethicalfact。Andifbyanychanceitshouldhappenthattherearestillsomewhodonotquiteseewhatthatpointis,Iwillendwithoneplainparable,whichisnonetheworseforbeingalsoafact。 Alittlewhileagocertaindoctorsandotherpersonspermittedbymodernlawtodictatetotheirshabbierfellow-citizens,sentoutanorderthatalllittlegirlsshouldhavetheirhaircutshort。 Imean,ofcourse,alllittlegirlswhoseparentswerepoor。 Manyveryunhealthyhabitsarecommonamongrichlittlegirls,butitwillbelongbeforeanydoctorsinterfereforciblywiththem。 Now,thecaseforthisparticularinterferencewasthis,thatthepoorarepresseddownfromaboveintosuchstinkingandsuffocatingunderworldsofsqualor,thatpoorpeoplemustnotbeallowedtohavehair,becauseintheircaseitmustmeanliceinthehair。Therefore,thedoctorsproposetoabolishthehair。 Itneverseemstohaveoccurredtothemtoabolishthelice。 Yetitcouldbedone。Asiscommoninmostmoderndiscussionstheunmentionablethingisthepivotofthewholediscussion。 ItisobvioustoanyChristianman(thatis,toanymanwithafreesoul)thatanycoercionappliedtoacabman\'sdaughterought,ifpossible,tobeappliedtoaCabinetMinister\'sdaughter。 Iwillnotaskwhythedoctorsdonot,asamatteroffactapplytheirruletoaCabinetMinister\'sdaughter。 Iwillnotask,becauseIknow。Theydonotbecausetheydarenot。 Butwhatistheexcusetheywouldurge,whatistheplausibleargumenttheywoulduse,forthuscuttingandclippingpoorchildrenandnotrich?Theirargumentwouldbethatthediseaseismorelikelytobeinthehairofpoorpeoplethanofrich。Andwhy? Becausethepoorchildrenareforced(againstalltheinstinctsofthehighlydomesticworkingclasses)tocrowdtogetherincloseroomsunderawildlyinefficientsystemofpublicinstruction; andbecauseinoneoutofthefortychildrentheremaybeoffense。 Andwhy?Becausethepoormanissogrounddownbythegreatrentsofthegreatgroundlandlordsthathiswifeoftenhastoworkaswellashe。Thereforeshehasnotimetolookafterthechildren,thereforeoneinfortyofthemisdirty。 Becausetheworkingmanhasthesetwopersonsontopofhim,thelandlordsitting(literally)onhisstomach,andtheschoolmastersitting(literally)onhishead,theworkingmanmustallowhislittlegirl\'shair,firsttobeneglectedfrompoverty,nexttobepoisonedbypromiscuity,and,lastly,tobeabolishedbyhygiene。He,perhaps,wasproudofhislittlegirl\'shair。 Buthedoesnotcount。 Uponthissimpleprinciple(orratherprecedent)thesociologicaldoctordrivesgaylyahead。Whenacrapuloustyrannycrushesmendownintothedirt,sothattheirveryhairisdirty,thescientificcourseisclear。Itwouldbelongandlaborioustocutofftheheadsofthetyrants;itiseasiertocutoffthehairoftheslaves。 Inthesameway,ifitshouldeverhappenthatpoorchildren,screamingwithtoothache,disturbedanyschoolmasterorartisticgentleman,itwouldbeeasytopulloutalltheteethofthepoor; iftheirnailsweredisgustinglydirty,theirnailscouldbepluckedout;iftheirnoseswereindecentlyblown,theirnosescouldbecutoff。Theappearanceofourhumblerfellow-citizencouldbequitestrikinglysimplifiedbeforewehaddonewithhim。 Butallthisisnotabitwilderthanthebrutefactthatadoctorcanwalkintothehouseofafreeman,whosedaughter\'shairmaybeascleanasspringflowers,andorderhimtocutitoff。 Itneverseemstostrikethesepeoplethatthelessonofliceintheslumsisthewrongnessofslums,notthewrongnessofhair。 Hairis,tosaytheleastofit,arootedthing。Itsenemy(liketheotherinsectsandorientalarmiesofwhomwehavespoken) sweepuponusbutseldom。Intruth,itisonlybyeternalinstitutionslikehairthatwecantestpassinginstitutionslikeempires。 Ifahouseissobuiltastoknockaman\'sheadoffwhenheentersit,itisbuiltwrong。 Themobcanneverrebelunlessitisconservative,atleastenoughtohaveconservedsomereasonsforrebelling。Itisthemostawfulthoughtinallouranarchy,thatmostoftheancientblowsstruckforfreedomwouldnotbestruckatallto-day,becauseoftheobscurationoftheclean,popularcustomsfromwhichtheycame。 TheinsultthatbroughtdownthehammerofWatTylermightnowbecalledamedicalexamination。ThatwhichVirginiusloathedandavengedasfoulslaverymightnowbepraisedasfreelove。 ThecrueltauntofFoulon,\"Letthemeatgrass,\"mightnowberepresentedasthedyingcryofanidealisticvegetarian。 Thosegreatscissorsofsciencethatwouldsnipoffthecurlsofthepoorlittleschoolchildrenareceaselesslysnappingcloserandclosertocutoffallthecornersandfringesoftheartsandhonorsofthepoor。Soontheywillbetwistingneckstosuitcleancollars,andhackingfeettofitnewboots。 Itneverseemstostrikethemthatthebodyismorethanraiment; thattheSabbathwasmadeforman;thatallinstitutionsshallbejudgedanddamnedbywhethertheyhavefittedthenormalfleshandspirit。Itisthetestofpoliticalsanitytokeepyourhead。 Itisthetestofartisticsanitytokeepyourhairon。 Nowthewholeparableandpurposeoftheselastpages,andindeedofallthesepages,isthis:toassertthatwemustinstantlybeginalloveragain,andbeginattheotherend。Ibeginwithalittlegirl\'shair。 ThatIknowisagoodthingatanyrate。Whateverelseisevil,theprideofagoodmotherinthebeautyofherdaughterisgood。 Itisoneofthoseadamantinetendernesseswhicharethetouchstonesofeveryageandrace。Ifotherthingsareagainstit,otherthingsmustgodown。Iflandlordsandlawsandsciencesareagainstit,landlordsandlawsandsciencesmustgodown。Withtheredhairofoneshe-urchininthegutterIwillsetfiretoallmoderncivilization。 Becauseagirlshouldhavelonghair,sheshouldhavecleanhair; becausesheshouldhavecleanhair,sheshouldnothaveanuncleanhome: becausesheshouldnothaveanuncleanhome,sheshouldhaveafreeandleisuredmother;becausesheshouldhaveafreemother,sheshouldnothaveanusuriouslandlord;becausethereshouldnotbeanusuriouslandlord,thereshouldbearedistributionofproperty;becausethereshouldbearedistributionofproperty,thereshallbearevolution。 Thatlittleurchinwiththegold-redhair,whomIhavejustwatchedtoddlingpastmyhouse,sheshallnotbeloppedandlamedandaltered; herhairshallnotbecutshortlikeaconvict\'s;no,allthekingdomsoftheearthshallbehackedaboutandmutilatedtosuither。 Sheisthehumanandsacredimage;allaroundherthesocialfabricshallswayandsplitandfall;thepillarsofsocietyshallbeshaken,andtheroofsofagescomerushingdown,andnotonehairofherheadshallbeharmed。 *** THREENOTES *** I ONFEMALESUFFRAGE Notwishingtooverloadthislongessaywithtoomanyparentheses,apartfromitsthesisofprogressandprecedent,Iappendherethreenotesonpointsofdetailthatmaypossiblybemisunderstood。 Thefirstreferstothefemalecontroversy。ItmayseemtomanythatIdismisstoocurtlythecontentionthatallwomenshouldhavevotes,evenifmostwomendonotdesirethem。 Itisconstantlysaidinthisconnectionthatmaleshavereceivedthevote(theagriculturallaborersforinstance) whenonlyaminorityofthemwereinfavorofit。Mr。Galsworthy,oneofthefewfinefightingintellectsofourtime,hastalkedthislanguageinthe\"Nation。\"Now,broadly,Ihaveonlytoanswerhere,aseverywhereinthisbook,thathistoryisnotatobogganslide,butaroadtobereconsideredandevenretraced。 IfwereallyforcedGeneralElectionsuponfreelaborerswhodefinitelydislikedGeneralElections,thenitwasathoroughlyundemocraticthingtodo;ifwearedemocratsweoughttoundoit。 Wewantthewillofthepeople,notthevotesofthepeople; andtogiveamanavoteagainsthiswillistomakevotingmorevaluablethanthedemocracyitdeclares。 Butthisanalogyisfalse,foraplainandparticularreason。 Manyvotelesswomenregardavoteasunwomanly。 Nobodysaysthatmostvotelessmenregardedavoteasunmanly。 Nobodysaysthatanyvotelessmenregardeditasunmanly。 Notinthestillesthamletorthemoststagnantfencouldyoufindayokeloratrampwhothoughthelosthissexualdignitybybeingpartofapoliticalmob。Ifhedidnotcareaboutavoteitwassolelybecausehedidnotknowaboutavote;hedidnotunderstandthewordanybetterthanBimetallism。Hisopposition,ifitexisted,wasmerelynegative。Hisindifferencetoavotewasreallyindifference。 Butthefemalesentimentagainstthefranchise,whateveritssize,ispositive。Itisnotnegative;itisbynomeansindifferent。 Suchwomenasareopposedtothechangeregardit(rightlyorwrongly) asunfeminine。Thatis,asinsultingcertainaffirmativetraditionstowhichtheyareattached。Youmaythinksuchaviewprejudiced; butIviolentlydenythatanydemocrathasarighttooverridesuchprejudices,iftheyarepopularandpositive。ThushewouldnothavearighttomakemillionsofMoslemsvotewithacrossiftheyhadaprejudiceinfavorofvotingwithacrescent。 Unlessthisisadmitted,democracyisafarceweneedscarcelykeepup。 Ifitisadmitted,theSuffragistshavenotmerelytoawakenanindifferent,buttoconvertahostilemajority。 *** II ONCLEANLINESSINEDUCATION Onre-readingmyprotest,whichIhonestlythinkmuchneeded,againstourheathenidolatryofmereablution,Iseethatitmaypossiblybemisread。IhastentosaythatIthinkwashingamostimportantthingtobetaughtbothtorichandpoor。 Idonotattackthepositivebuttherelativepositionofsoap。 Letitbeinsistedonevenasmuchasnow;butletotherthingsbeinsistedonmuchmore。Iamevenreadytoadmitthatcleanlinessisnexttogodliness;butthemodernswillnotevenadmitgodlinesstobenexttocleanliness。 IntheirtalkaboutThomasBecketandsuchsaintsandheroestheymakesoapmoreimportantthansoul;theyrejectgodlinesswheneveritisnotcleanliness。Ifweresentthisaboutremotesaintsandheroes,weshouldresentitmoreaboutthemanysaintsandheroesoftheslums,whoseuncleanhandscleansetheworld。 Dirtisevilchieflyasevidenceofsloth;butthefactremainsthattheclassesthatwashmostarethosethatworkleast。 Concerningthese,thepracticalcourseissimple;soapshouldbeurgedonthemandadvertisedaswhatitis——aluxury。 Withregardtothepooralsothepracticalcourseisnothardtoharmonizewithourthesis。Ifwewanttogivepoorpeoplesoapwemustsetoutdeliberatelytogivethemluxuries。 Ifwewillnotmakethemrichenoughtobeclean,thenemphaticallywemustdowhatwedidwiththesaints。 Wemustreverencethemforbeingdirty。 *** III ONPEASANTPROPRIETORSHIP Ihavenotdealtwithanydetailstouchingdistributedownership,oritspossibilityinEngland,forthereasonstatedinthetext。 Thisbookdealswithwhatiswrong,wronginourrootofargumentandeffort。Thiswrongis,Isay,thatwewillgoforwardbecausewedarenotgoback。ThustheSocialistsaysthatpropertyisalreadyconcentratedintoTrustsandStores: theonlyhopeistoconcentrateitfurtherintheState。Isaytheonlyhopeistounconcentrateit;thatis,torepentandreturn; theonlystepforwardisthestepbackward。 ButinconnectionwiththisdistributionIhavelaidmyselfopentoanotherpotentialmistake。Inspeakingofasweepingredistribution,Ispeakofdecisionintheaim,notnecessarilyofabruptnessinthemeans。ItisnotatalltoolatetorestoreanapproximatelyrationalstateofEnglishpossessionswithoutanymereconfiscation。 Apolicyofbuyingoutlandlordism,steadilyadoptedinEnglandasithasalreadybeenadoptedinIreland(notablyinMr。Wyndham\'swiseandfruitfulAct),wouldinaveryshorttimereleasethelowerendofthesee-sawandmakethewholeplankswingmorelevel。 Theobjectiontothiscourseisnotatallthatitwouldnotdo,onlythatitwillnotbedone。Ifweleavethingsastheyare,therewillalmostcertainlybeacrashofconfiscation。 Ifwehesitate,weshallsoonhavetohurry。Butifwestartdoingitquicklywehavestilltimetodoitslowly。 Thispoint,however,isnotessentialtomybook。AllIhavetourgebetweenthesetwoboardsisthatIdislikethebigWhiteleyshop,andthatIdislikeSocialismbecauseitwill(accordingtoSocialists) besolikethatshop。Itisitsfulfilment,notitsreversal。 IdonotobjecttoSocialismbecauseitwillrevolutionizeourcommerce,butbecauseitwillleaveitsohorriblythesame。