a treatise on parents and children-第12部分

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schools　and　the　equally　unnatural　constant　association　of　them　with

adults　in　the　family　is　the　utter　defeat　of　the　vital　element　in

Christianity。　　Christ　stands　in　the　world　for　that　intuition　of　the

highest　humanity　that　we；　being　members　one　of　another；　must　not

complain；　must　not　scold；　must　not　strike；　nor　revile　nor　persecute

nor　revenge　nor　punish。　　Now　family　life　and　school　life　are；　as　far

as　the　moral　training　of　children　is　concerned；　nothing　but　the

deliberate　inculcation　of　a　routine　of　complaint；　scolding；

punishment；　persecution；　and　revenge　as　the　natural　and　only　possible

way　of　dealing　with　evil　or　inconvenience。　　〃Aint　nobody　to　be　whopped

for　this　here？〃　exclaimed　Sam　Weller　when　he　saw　his　employer's　name

written　up　on　a　stage　coach；　and　conceived　the　phenomenon　as　an　insult

which　reflected　on　himself。　　This　exclamation　of　Sam　Weller　is　at　once

the　negation　of　Christianity　and　the　beginning　and　the　end　of　current

morality；　and　so　it　will　remain　as　long　as　the　family　and　the　school

persist　as　we　know　them：　　that　is；　as　long　as　the　rights　of　children

are　so　utterly　denied　that　nobody　will　even　take　the　trouble　to

ascertain　what　they　are；　and　coming　of　age　is　like　the　turning　of　a

convict　into　the　street　after　twenty…one　years　penal　servitude。

Indeed　it　is　worse；　for　the　convict　may　have　learnt　before　his

conviction　how　to　live　in　freedom　and　may　remember　how　to　set　about

it；　however　lamed　his　powers　of　freedom　may　have　become　through

disuse；　but　the　child　knows　no　other　way　of　life　but　the　slave's　way。

Born　free；　as　Rousseau　says；　he　has　been　laid　hands　on　by　slaves　from

the　moment　of　his　birth　and　brought　up　as　a　slave。　　How　is　he；　when　he

is　at　last　set　free；　to　be　anything　else　than　the　slave　he　actually

is；　clamoring　for　war；　for　the　lash；　for　police；　prisons；　and

scaffolds　in　a　wild　panic　of　delusion　that　without　these　things　he　is

lost。　　The　grown…up　Englishman　is　to　the　end　of　his　days　a　badly

brought…up　child；　beyond　belief　quarrelsome；　petulant；　selfish；

destructive；　and　cowardly：　　afraid　that　the　Germans　will　come　and

enslave　him；　that　the　burglar　will　come　and　rob　him；　that　the　bicycle

or　motor　car　will　run　over　him；　that　the　smallpox　will　attack　him；　and

that　the　devil　will　run　away　with　him　and　empty　him　out　like　a　sack　of

coals　on　a　blazing　fire　unless　his　nurse　or　his　parents　or　his

schoolmaster　or　his　bishop　or　his　judge　or　his　army　or　his　navy　will

do　something　to　frighten　these　bad　things　away。　　And　this　Englishman；

without　the　moral　courage　of　a　louse；　will　risk　his　neck　for　fun　fifty

times　every　winter　in　the　hunting　field；　and　at　Badajos　sieges　and　the

like　will　ram　his　head　into　a　hole　bristling　with　sword　blades　rather

than　be　beaten　in　the　one　department　in　which　he　has　been　brought　up

to　consult　his　own　honor。　　As　a　Sportsman　（and　war　is　fundamentally

the　sport　of　hunting　and　fighting　the　most　dangerous　of　the　beasts　of

prey）　he　feels　free。　　He　will　tell　you　himself　that　the　true　sportsman

is　never　a　snob；　a　coward；　a　duffer；　a　cheat；　a　thief；　or　a　liar。

Curious；　is　it　not；　that　he　has　not　the　same　confidence　in　other　sorts

of　man？



And　even　sport　is　losing　its　freedom。　　Soon　everybody　will　be

schooled；　mentally　and　physically；　from　the　cradle　to　the　end　of　the

term　of　adult　compulsory　military　service；　and　finally　of　compulsory

civil　service　lasting　until　the　age　of　superannuation。　　Always　more

schooling；　more　compulsion。　　We　are　to　be　cured　by　an　excess　of　the

dose　that　has　poisoned　us。　　Satan　is　to　cast　out　Satan。







Under　the　Whip



Clearly　this　will　not　do。　　We　must　reconcile　education　with　liberty。

We　must　find　out　some　means　of　making　men　workers　and；　if　need　be；

warriors；　without　making　them　slaves。　　We　must　cultivate　the　noble

virtues　that　have　their　root　in　pride。　　Now　no　schoolmaster　will　teach

these　any　more　than　a　prison　governor　will　teach　his　prisoners　how　to

mutiny　and　escape。　　Self…preservation　forces　him　to　break　the　spirit

that　revolts　against　him；　and　to　inculcate　submission；　even　to　obscene

assault；　as　a　duty。　　A　bishop　once　had　the　hardihood　to　say　that　he

would　rather　see　England　free　than　England　sober。　　Nobody　has　yet

dared　to　say　that　he　would　rather　see　an　England　of　ignoramuses　than

an　England　of　cowards　and　slaves。　　And　if　anyone　did；　it　would　be

necessary　to　point　out　that　the　antithesis　is　not　a　practical　one；　as

we　have　got　at　present　an　England　of　ignoramuses　who　are　also　cowards

and　slaves；　and　extremely　proud　of　it　at　that；　because　in　school　they

are　taught　to　submit；　with　what　they　ridiculously　call　Oriental

fatalism　（as　if　any　Oriental　has　ever　submitted　more　helplessly　and

sheepishly　to　robbery　and　oppression　than　we　Occidentals　do）；　to　be

driven　day　after　day　into　compounds　and　set　to　the　tasks　they　loathe

by　the　men　they　hate　and　fear；　as　if　this　were　the　inevitable　destiny

of　mankind。　　And　naturally；　when　they　grow　up；　they　helplessly

exchange　the　prison　of　the　school　for　the　prison　of　the　mine　or　the

workshop　or　the　office；　and　drudge　along　stupidly　and　miserably；　with

just　enough　gregarious　instinct　to　turn　furiously　on　any　intelligent

person　who　proposes　a　change。　　It　would　be　quite　easy　to　make　England

a　paradise；　according　to　our　present　ideas；　in　a　few　years。　　There　is

no　mystery　about　it：　　the　way　has　been　pointed　out　over　and　over

again。　　The　difficulty　is　not　the　way　but　the　will。　　And　we　have　no

will　because　the　first　thing　done　with　us　in　childhood　was　to　break

our　will。　　Can　anything　be　more　disgusting　than　the　spectacle　of　a

nation　reading　the　biography　of　Gladstone　and　gloating　over　the

account　of　how　he　was　flogged　at　Eton；　two　of　his　schoolfellows　being

compelled　to　hold　him　down　whilst　he　was　flogged。　　Not　long　ago　a

public　body　in　England　had　to　deal　with　the　case　of　a　schoolmaster

who；　conceiving　himself　insulted　by　the　smoking　of　a　cigaret　against

his　orders　by　a　pupil　eighteen　years　old；　proposed　to　flog　him

publicly　as　a　satisfaction　to　what　he　called　his　honor　and　authority。

I　had　intended　to　give　the　particulars　of　this　ease；　but　find　the

drudgery　of　repeating　such　stuff　too　sickening；　and　the　effect　unjust

to　a　man　who　was　doing　only　what　others　all　over　the　country　were

doing　as　part　of　the　established　routine　of　what　is　called　education。

The　astounding　part　of　it　was　the　manner　in　which　the　person　to　whom

this　outrage　on　decency　seemed　quite　proper　and　natural　claimed　to　be

a　functionary　of　high　character；　and　had　his　claim　allowed。　　In　Japan

he　would　hardly　have　been　allowed　the　privilege　of　committing　suicide。

What　is　to　be　said　of　a　profession　in　which　such　obscenities　are　made

points　of　honor；　or　of　institutions　in　which　they　are　an　accepted　part

of　the　daily　routine？　　Wholesome　people　would　not　argue　about　the

taste　of　such　nastinesses：　　they　would　spit　them　out；　but　we　are

tainted　with　flagellomania　from　our　childhood。　　When　will　we　realize

that　the　fact　that　we　can　become　accustomed　to　anything；　however

disgusting　at　first；　makes　it　necessary　for　us　to　examine　carefully

everything　we　have　become　accustomed　to？　　Before　motor　cars　became

common；　necessity　had　accustomed　us　to　a　foulness　in　our　streets　which

would　have　horrified　us　had　the　street　been　our　drawing…room　carpet。

Before　long　we　shall　be　as　particular　about　our　streets　as　we　now　are

about　our　carpets；　and　their　condition　in　the　nineteenth　century　will

become　as　forgotten　and　incredible　as　the　condition　of　the　corridors

of　palaces　and　the　courts　of　castles　was　as　late　as　the　eighteenth

century。　　This　foulness；　we　can　plead；　was　imposed　on　us　as　a

necessity　by　the　use　of　horses　and　of　huge　retinues；　but　flogging　has

never　been　so　imposed：　　it　has　always　been　a　vice；　craved　for　on　any

pretext　by　those　depraved　by　it。　　Boys　were　flogged　when　criminals

were　hanged；　to　impress　the　awful　warning　on　them。　　Boys　were　flogged

at　boundaries；　to　impress　the　boundaries　on　their　memory。　　Other

methods　and　other　punishments　were　always　available：　　the　choice　of

this　one　betrayed　the　sensual　impulse　which　makes　the　practice　an

abomination。　　But　when　its　viciousness　made　it　customary；　it　was

practised　and　tolerated　on　all　hands　by　people　who　were　innocent　of

anything　worse　than　stupidity；　ill　temper；　and　inability　to　discover

other　methods　of　maintaining　order　than　those　they　had　always　seen

practised　and　approved　of。　　From　children　and　animals　it　extended　to

slaves　and　criminals。　　In　the　days　of　Moses　it　was　limited　to　39

lashes。　　In　the　early　nineteenth　century　it　had　become　an　open

madness：　　soldiers　were　sentenced　to　a　thousand　lashes　for　trifling

offences；　with　the　result　（among　others　less　mentionable）　that　the

Iron　Duke　of　Wellington　complained　that　it　was　impossible　to　get　an

order　obeyed　in　the　British　army　except　in　two　or　three　crack

regiments。　　Such　frantic　excesses　of　this　disgusting　neurosis　provoked

a　reaction　against　it；　but　the　clamor　for　it　by　depraved　persons　never

ceased；　and　was　tolerated　by　a　nation　trained　to　it　from　childhood　in

the　schools　until　last　year　（1913）；　when　in　what　must　be　described　as

a　paroxysm　of　sexual　excitement　provoked　by　the　agitation　concerning

the　White　Slave　Traffic　（the　purely　commercial　nature　of　which　I　was

prevented　from　exposing　on　the　stage　by　the　Censorship　twenty　years

ago）　the　Government　yielded　to　an　outcry　for　flagellation　led　by　the

Archbishop　of　Canterbury；　and　passed　an　Act　under　which　a　judge　can

sentence　a　man　to　be　flogged　to　the　utmost　extremity　with　any

instrument　usable　for　such　a　purpose　that　he　cares　to　prescribe。　　Such

an　Act　is　not　a　legislative　phenomenon　but　a　psychopathic　one。　　Its

effect　on　the　White　Slave　Traffic　was；　of　course；　to　distract　public

attention　from　its　real　cause　and　from　the　people　who　really　profit　by

it　to　imaginary　〃foreign　scoundrels；〃　and　to　secure　a　monopoly　of　its

organization　for　women。



And　all　this　evil　is　made　possible　by　the　schoo