a treatise on parents and children-第11部分

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quacks　who　pretend　that　they　can　save　our　souls　from　their　own

damnation。　　If　a　doctor　were　to　say　to　his　patients；　〃I　am　familiar

with　your　symptoms；　because　I　have　seen　other　people　in　your

condition；　and　I　will　bring　the　very　little　knowledge　we　have　to　your

treatment；　but　except　in　that　very　shallow　sense　I　dont　know　what　is

the　matter　with　you；　and　I　cant　undertake　to　cure　you；〃　he　would　be　a

lost　man　professionally；　and　if　a　clergyman；　on　being　called　on　to

award　a　prize　for　good　conduct　in　the　village　school；　were　to　say；　〃I

am　afraid　I　cannot　say　who　is　the　best…behaved　child；　because　I　really

do　not　know　what　good　conduct　is；　but　I　will　gladly　take　the　teacher's

word　as　to　which　child　has　caused　least　inconvenience；〃　he　would

probably　be　unfrocked；　if　not　excommunicated。　　And　yet　no　honest　and

intellectually　capable　doctor　or　parson　can　say　more。　　Clearly　it

would　not　be　wise　of　the　doctor　to　say　it；　because　optimistic　lies

have　such　immense　therapeutic　value　that　a　doctor　who　cannot　tell　them

convincingly　has　mistaken　his　profession。　　And　a　clergyman　who　is　not

prepared　to　lay　down　the　law　dogmatically　will　not　be　of　much　use　in　a

village　school；　though　it　behoves　him　all　the　more　to　be　very　careful

what　law　he　lays　down。　　But　unless　both　the　clergyman　and　the　doctor

are　in　the　attitude　expressed　by　these　speeches　they　are　not　fit　for

their　work。　　The　man　who　believes　that　he　has　more　than　a　provisional

hypothesis　to　go　upon　is　a　born　fool。　　He　may　have　to　act　vigorously

on　it。　　The　world　has　no　use　for　the　Agnostic　who　wont　believe

anything　because　anything　might　be　false；　and　wont　deny　anything

because　anything　might　be　true。　　But　there　is　a　wide　difference

between　saying；　〃I　believe　this；　and　I　am　going　to　act　on　it；〃　or；　〃I

dont　believe　it；　and　I　wont　act　on　it；〃　and　saying；　〃It　is　true；　and

it　is　my　duty　and　yours　to　act　on　it；〃　or；　〃It　is　false；　and　it　is　my

duty　and　yours　to　refuse　to　act　on　it。〃　　The　difference　is　as　great　as

that　between　the　Apostles'　Creed　and　the　Athanasian　Creed。　　When　you

repeat　the　Apostles'　Creed　you　affirm　that　you　believe　certain　things。

There　you　are　clearly　within　your　rights。　　When　you　repeat　the

Athanasian　Creed；　you　affirm　that　certain　things　are　so；　and　that

anybody　who　doubts　that　they　are　so　cannot　be　saved。　　And　this　is

simply　a　piece　of　impudence　on　your　part；　as　you　know　nothing　about　it

except　that　as　good　men　as　you　have　never　heard　of　your　creed。　　The

apostolic　attitude　is　a　desire　to　convert　others　to　our　beliefs　for

the　sake　of　sympathy　and　light：　　the　Athanasian　attitude　is　a　desire

to　murder　people　who　dont　agree　with　us。　　I　am　sufficient　of　an

Athanasian　to　advocate　a　law　for　the　speedy　execution　of　all

Athanasians；　because　they　violate　the　fundamental　proposition　of　my

creed；　which　is；　I　repeat；　that　all　living　creatures　are　experiments。

The　precise　formula　for　the　Superman；　_ci…devant_　The　Just　Man　Made

Perfect；　has　not　yet　been　discovered。　　Until　it　is；　every　birth　is　an

experiment　in　the　Great　Research　which　is　being　conducted　by　the　Life

Force　to　discover　that　formula。







The　Experiment　Experimenting



And　now　all　the　modern　schoolmaster　abortionists　will　rise　up　beaming；

and　say；　〃We　quite　agree。　　We　regard　every　child　in　our　school　as　a

subject　for　experiment。　　We　are　always　experimenting　with　them。　　We

challenge　the　experimental　test　for　our　system。　　We　are　continually

guided　by　our　experience　in　our　great　work　of　moulding　the　character

of　our　future　citizens；　etc。　etc。　etc。〃　　I　am　sorry　to　seem

irreconcilable；　but　it　is　the　Life　Force　that　has　to　make　the

experiment　and　not　the　schoolmaster；　and　the　Life　Force　for　the

child's　purpose　is　in　the　child　and　not　in　the　schoolmaster。　　The

schoolmaster　is　another　experiment；　and　a　laboratory　in　which　all　the

experiments　began　experimenting　on　one　another　would　not　produce

intelligible　results。　　I　admit；　however；　that　if　my　schoolmasters　had

treated　me　as　an　experiment　of　the　Life　Force：　　that　is；　if　they　had

set　me　free　to　do　as　I　liked　subject　only　to　my　political　rights　and

theirs；　they　could　not　have　watched　the　experiment　very　long；　because

the　first　result　would　have　been　a　rapid　movement　on　my　part　in　the

direction　of　the　door；　and　my　disappearance　there…through。



It　may　be　worth　inquiring　where　I　should　have　gone　to。　　I　should　say

that　practically　every　time　I　should　have　gone　to　a　much　more

educational　place。　　I　should　have　gone　into　the　country；　or　into　the

sea；　or　into　the　National　Gallery；　or　to　hear　a　band　if　there　was　one；

or　to　any　library　where　there　were　no　schoolbooks。　　I　should　have　read

very　dry　and　difficult　books：　　for　example；　though　nothing　would　have

induced　me　to　read　the　budget　of　stupid　party　lies　that　served　as　a

text…book　of　history　in　school；　I　remember　reading　Robertson's　Charles

V。　and　his　history　of　Scotland　from　end　to　end　most　laboriously。

Once；　stung　by　the　airs　of　a　schoolfellow　who　alleged　that　he　had　read

Locke　On　The　Human　Understanding；　I　attempted　to　read　the　Bible

straight　through；　and　actually　got　to　the　Pauline　Epistles　before　I

broke　down　in　disgust　at　what　seemed　to　me　their　inveterate

crookedness　of　mind。　　If　there　had　been　a　school　where　children　were

really　free；　I　should　have　had　to　be　driven　out　of　it　for　the　sake　of

my　health　by　the　teachers；　for　the　children　to　whom　a　literary

education　can　be　of　any　use　are　insatiable：　　they　will　read　and　study

far　more　than　is　good　for　them。　　In　fact　the　real　difficulty　is　to

prevent　them　from　wasting　their　time　by　reading　for　the　sake　of

reading　and　studying　for　the　sake　of　studying；　instead　of　taking　some

trouble　to　find　out　what　they　really　like　and　are　capable　of　doing

some　good　at。　　Some　silly　person　will　probably　interrupt　me　here　with

the　remark　that　many　children　have　no　appetite　for　a　literary

education　at　all；　and　would　never　open　a　book　if　they　were　not　forced

to。　　I　have　known　many　such　persons　who　have　been　forced　to　the　point

of　obtaining　University　degrees。　　And　for　all　the　effect　their

literary　exercises　has　left　on　them　they　might　just　as　well　have　been

put　on　the　treadmill。　　In　fact　they　are　actually　less　literate　than

the　treadmill　would　have　left　them；　for　they　might　by　chance　have

picked　up　and　dipped　into　a　volume　of　Shakespear　or　a　translation　of

Homer　if　they　had　not　been　driven　to　loathe　every　famous　name　in

literature。　　I　should　probably　know　as　much　Latin　as　French；　if　Latin

had　not　been　made　the　excuse　for　my　school　imprisonment　and

degradation。







Why　We　Loathe　Learning　and　Love　Sport



If　we　are　to　discuss　the　importance　of　art；　learning；　and　intellectual

culture；　the　first　thing　we　have　to　recognize　is　that　we　have　very

little　of　them　at　present；　and　that　this　little　has　not　been　produced

by　compulsory　education：　　nay；　that　the　scarcity　is　unnatural　and　has

been　produced　by　the　violent　exclusion　of　art　and　artists　from

schools。　　On　the　other　hand　we　have　quite　a　considerable　degree　of

bodily　culture：　　indeed　there　is　a　continual　outcry　against　the

sacrifice　of　mental　accomplishments　to　athletics。　　In　other　words　a

sacrifice　of　the　professed　object　of　compulsory　education　to　the　real

object　of　voluntary　education。　　It　is　assumed　that　this　means　that

people　prefer　bodily　to　mental　culture；　but　may　it　not　mean　that　they

prefer　liberty　and　satisfaction　to　coercion　and　privation。　　Why　is　it

that　people　who　have　been　taught　Shakespear　as　a　school　subject　loathe

his　plays　and　cannot　by　any　means　be　persuaded　ever　to　open　his　works

after　they　escape　from　school；　whereas　there　is　still；　300　years　after

his　death；　a　wide　and　steady　sale　for　his　works　to　people　who　read　his

plays　as　plays；　and　not　as　task　work？　　If　Shakespear；　or　for　that

matter；　Newton　and　Leibnitz；　are　allowed　to　find　their　readers　and

students　they　will　find　them。　　If　their　works　are　annotated　and

paraphrased　by　dullards；　and　the　annotations　and　paraphrases　forced　on

all　young　people　by　imprisonment　and　flogging　and　scolding；　there　will

not　be　a　single　man　of　letters　or　higher　mathematician　the　more　in　the

country：　　on　the　contrary　there　will　be　less；　as　so　many　potential

lovers　of　literature　and　mathematics　will　have　been　incurably

prejudiced　against　them。　　Everyone　who　is　conversant　with　the　class　in

which　child　imprisonment　and　compulsory　schooling　is　carried　out　to

the　final　extremity　of　the　university　degree　knows　that　its　scholastic

culture　is　a　sham；　that　it　knows　little　about　literature　or　art　and　a

great　deal　about　point…to…point　races；　and　that　the　village　cobbler；

who　has　never　read　a　page　of　Plato；　and　is　admittedly　a　dangerously

ignorant　man　politically；　is　nevertheless　a　Socrates　compared　to　the

classically　educated　gentlemen　who　discuss　politics　in　country　houses

at　election　time　（and　at　no　other　time）　after　their　day's　earnest　and

skilful　shooting。　　Think　of　the　years　and　years　of　weary　torment　the

women　of　the　piano…possessing　class　have　been　forced　to　spend　over　the

keyboard；　fingering　scales。　　How　many　of　them　could　be　bribed　to

attend　a　pianoforte　recital　by　a　great　player；　though　they　will　rise

from　sick　beds　rather　than　miss　Ascot　or　Goodwood？



Another　familiar　fact　that　teaches　the　same　lesson　is　that　many　women

who　have　voluntarily　attained　a　high　degree　of　culture　cannot　add　up

their　own　housekeeping　books；　though　their　education　in　simple

arithmetic　was　compulsory；　whereas　their　higher　education　has　been

wholly　voluntary。　　Everywhere　we　find　the　same　result。　　The

imprisonment；　the　beating；　the　taming　and　laming；　the　breaking　of

young　spirits；　the　arrest　of　development；　the　atrophy　of　all

inhibitive　power　except　the　power　of　fear；　are　real：　　the　education　is

sham。　　Those　who　have　been　taught　most　know　least。







Antichrist



Among　the　worst　effects　of　the　unnatural　segregation　of　children　in

schools　and　the　equally　unnatural　constant　association　of　the