my discovery of england-第15部分

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ull。　Poverty　no　doubt　is　only　a　relative　matter：　but　a　man　whose　income　used　to　be　10；000　a　year　and　is　now　5；000；　is　living　in　〃reduced　circumstances〃：　he　feels　himself　just　as　poor　as　the　man　whose　income　has　been　cut　from　five　thousand　pounds　to　three；　or　from　five　hundred　pounds　to　two。　They　are　all　in　the　same　boat。　What　with　the　lowering　of　dividends　and　the　raising　of　the　income　tax；　the　closing　of　factories；　feeding　the　unemployed　and　trying　to　employ　the　unfed；　things　are　in　a　bad　way。

The　underlying　cause　is　plain　enough。　The　economic　distress　that　the　world　suffers　now　is　the　inevitable　consequence　of　the　war。　Everybody　knows　that。　But　where　the　people　differ　is　in　regard　to　what　is　going　to　happen　next；　and　what　we　must　do　about　it。　Here　opinion　takes　a　variety　of　forms。　Some　people　blame　it　on　the　German　mark：　by　permitting　their　mark　to　fall；　the　Germans；　it　is　claimed；　are　taking　away　all　the　business　from　England；　the　fall　of　the　mark；　by　allowing　the　Germans　to　work　harder　and　eat　less　than　the　English；　is　threatening　to　drive　the　English　out　of　house　and　home：　if　the　mark　goes　on　falling　still　further　the　Germans　will　thereby　outdo　us　also　in　music；　literature　and　in　religion。　What　has　got　to　be　done；　therefore；　is　to　force　the　Germans　to　lift　the　mark　up　again；　and　make　them　pay　up　their　indemnity。

Another　more　popular　school　of　thought　holds　to　an　entirely　contrary　opinion。　The　whole　trouble；　they　say；　comes　from　the　sad　collapse　of　Germany。　These　unhappy　people；　having　been　too　busy　for　four　years　in　destroying　valuable　property　in　France　and　Belgium　to　pay　attention　to　their　home　affairs；　now　find　themselves　collapsed：　it　is　our　first　duty　to　pick　them　up　again。　The　English　should　therefore　take　all　the　money　they　can　find　and　give　it　to　the　Germans。　By　this　means　German　trade　and　industry　will　revive　to　such　an　extent　that　the　port　of　Hamburg　will　be　its　old　bright　self　again　and　German　waiters　will　reappear　in　the　London　hotels。　After　that　everything　will　be　all　right。

Speaking　with　all　the　modesty　of　an　outsider　and　a　transient　visitor；　I　give　it　as　my　opinion　that　the　trouble　is　elsewhere。　The　danger　of　industrial　collapse　in　England　does　not　spring　from　what　is　happening　in　Germany　but　from　what　is　happening　in　England　itself。　　England；　like　most　of　the　other　countries　in　the　world；　is　suffering　from　the　over…extension　of　government　and　the　decline　of　individual　self…help。　For　six　generations　industry　in　England　and　America　has　flourished　on　individual　effort　called　out　by　the　prospect　of　individual　gain。　Every　man　acquired　from　his　boyhood　the　idea　that　he　must　look　after　himself。　Morally；　physically　and　financially　that　was　the　recognised　way　of　getting　on。　The　desire　to　make　a　fortune　was　regarded　as　a　laudable　ambition；　a　proper　stimulus　to　effort。　The　ugly　word　〃profiteer〃　had　not　yet　been　coined。　There　was　no　income　tax　to　turn　a　man's　pockets　inside　out　and　take　away　his　savings。　　The　world　was　to　the　strong。

Under　the　stimulus　of　this　the　wheels　of　industry　hummed。　Factories　covered　the　land。　National　production　grew　to　a　colossal　size　and　the　whole　outer　world　seemed　laid　under　a　tribute　to　the　great　industry。　As　a　system　it　was　far　from　perfect。　It　contained　in　itself　all　kinds　of　gross　injustices；　demands　that　were　too　great；　wages　that　were　too　small；　in　spite　of　the　splendour　of　the　foreground；　poverty　and　destitution　hovered　behind　the　scenes。　But　such　as　it　was；　the　system　worked：　and　it　was　the　only　one　that　we　knew。

Or　turn　to　another　aspect　of　this　same　principle　of　self…help。　The　way　to　acquire　knowledge　in　the　early　days　was　to　buy　a　tallow　candle　and　read　a　book　after　one's　day's　work；　as　Benjamin　Franklin　read　or　Lincoln：　and　when　the　soul　was　stimulated　to　it；　then　the　aspiring　youth　must　save　money；　put　himself　to　college；　live　on　nothing；　think　much；　and　in　the　course　of　this　starvation　and　effort　become　a　learned　man；　with　somehow　a　peculiar　moral　fibre　in　him　not　easily　reproduced　to…day。　For　to…day　the　candle　is　free　and　the　college　is　free　and　the　student　has　a　〃Union〃　like　the　profiteer's　club　and　a　swimming…bath　and　a　Drama　League　and　a　coeducational　society　at　his　elbow　for　which　he　buys　Beauty　Roses　at　five　dollars　a　bunch。

Or　turn　if　one　will　to　the　moral　side。　The　older　way　of　being　good　was　by　much　prayer　and　much　effort　of　one's　own　soul。　Now　it　is　done　by　a　Board　of　Censors。　There　is　no　need　to　fight　sin　by　the　power　of　the　spirit：　let　the　Board　of　Censors　do　it。　They　together　with　three　or　four　kinds　of　Commissioners　are　supposed　to　keep　sin　at　arm's　length　and　to　supply　a　first　class　legislative　guarantee　of　righteousness。　As　a　short　cut　to　morality　and　as　a　way　of　saving　individual　effort　our　legislatures　are　turning　out　morality　legislation　by　the　bucketful。　　The　legislature　regulates　our　drink；　it　begins　already　to　guard　us　against　the　deadly　cigarette；　it　regulates　here　and　there　the　length　of　our　skirts；　it　safeguards　our　amusements　and　in　two　states　of　the　American　Union　it　even　proposes　to　save　us　from　the　teaching　of　the　Darwinian　Theory　of　evolution。　The　ancient　prayer　〃Lead　us　not　into　temptation〃　is　passing　out　of　date。　The　way　to　temptation　is　declared　closed　by　Act　of　Parliament　and　by　amendment　to　the　constitution　of　the　United　States。　Yet　oddly　enough　the　moral　tone　of　the　world　fails　to　respond。　The　world　is　apparently　more　full　of　thugs；　hold…up　men；　yeg…men；　bandits；　motor…thieves；　porchclimbers；　spotters；　spies　and　crooked　policemen　than　it　ever　was；　till　it　almost　seems　that　the　slow；　old…fashioned　method　of　an　effort　of　the　individual　soul　may　be　needed　still　before　the　world　is　made　good。

This　vast　new　system；　the　system　of　leaning　on　the　government；　is　spreading　like　a　blight　over　England　and　America；　and　everywhere　we　suffer　from　it。　Government；　that　in　theory　represents　a　union　of　effort　and　a　saving　of　force；　sprawls　like　an　octopus　over　the　land。　It　has　become　like　a　dead　weight　upon　us。　Wherever　it　touches　industry　it　cripples　it。　It　runs　railways　and　makes　a　heavy　deficit：　it　builds　ships　and　loses　money　on　them：　it　operates　the　ships　and　loses　more　money：　it　piles　up　taxes　to　fill　the　vacuum　and　when　it　has　killed　employment；　opens　a　bureau　of　unemployment　and　issues　a　report　on　the　depression　of　industry。

Now；　the　only　way　to　restore　prosperity　is　to　give　back　again　to　the　individual　the　opportunity　to　make　money；　to　make　lots　of　it；　and　when　he　has　got　it；　to　keep　it。　In　spite　of　all　the　devastation　of　the　war　the　raw　assets　of　our　globe　are　hardly　touched。　Here　and　there；　as　in　parts　of　China　and　in　England　and　in　Belgium　with　about　seven　hundred　people　to　the　square　mile；　the　world　is　fairly　well　filled　up。　There　is　standing　room　only。　But　there　are　vast　empty　spaces　still。　Mesopotamia　alone　has　millions　of　acres　of　potential　wheat　land　with　a　few　Arabs　squatting　on　it。　Canada　could　absorb　easily　half　a　million　settlers　a　year　for　a　generation　to　come。　The　most　fertile　part　of　the　world；　the　valley　of　the　Amazon；　is　still　untouched：　so　fertile　is　it　that　for　tens　of　thousands　of　square　miles　it　is　choked　with　trees；　a　mere　tangle　of　life；　defying　all　entry。　The　idea　of　our　humanity　sadly　walking　the　streets　of　Glasgow　or　sitting　mournfully　fishing　on　the　piers　of　the　Hudson；　out　of　work；　would　be　laughable　if　it　were　not　for　the　pathos　of　it。

The　world　is　out　of　work　for　the　simple　reason　that　the　world　has　killed　the　goose　that　laid　the　golden　eggs　of　industry。　By　taxation；　by　legislation；　by　popular　sentiment　all　over　the　world；　there　has　been　a　disparagement　of　the　capitalist。　And　all　over　the　world　capital　is　frightened。　It　goes　and　hides　itself　in　the　form　of　an　investment　in　a　victory　bond；　a　thing　that　is　only　a　particular　name　for　a　debt；　with　no　productive　effort　behind　it　and　indicating　only　a　dead　weight　of　taxes。　There　capital　sits　like　a　bull…frog　　hidden　behind　water…lilies；　refusing　to　budge。

Hence　the　way　to　restore　prosperity　is　not　to　multiply　government　departments　and　government　expenditures；　nor　to　appoint　commissions　and　to　pile　up　debts；　but　to　start　going　again　the　machinery　of　bold　productive　effort。　Take　off　all　the　excess　profits　taxes　and　the　super…taxes　on　income　and　as　much　of　the　income　tax　itself　as　can　be　done　by　a　wholesale　dismissal　of　government　employees　and　then　give　industry　a　mark　to　shoot　at。　What　is　needed　now　is　not　the　multiplication　of　government　reports；　but　corporate　industry；　the　formation　of　land　companies；　development　companies；　irrigation　companies；　any　kind　of　corporation　that　will　call　out　private　capital　from　its　hiding　places；　offer　employment　to　millions　and　start　the　wheels　moving　again。　If　the　promoters　of　such　corporations　presently　earn　huge　fortunes　for　themselves　society　is　none　the　worse：　and　in　any　case；　humanity　being　what　it　is；　they　will　hand　back　a　vast　part　of　what　they　have　acquired　in　return　for　LL。D。　　degrees；　or　bits　of　blue　ribbon；　or　companionships　of　the　Bath；　or　whatever　kind　of　glass　bead　fits　the　fancy　of　the　retired　millionaire。

The　next　thing　to　be　done；　then；　is　to　〃fire〃　the　government　officials　and　to　bring　back　the　profiteer。　As　to　which　officials　are　to　be　fired　first　it　doesn't　matter　much。　In　England　people　have　been　greatly　perturbed　as　to　the　use　to　be　made　of　such　instruments　as　the　〃Geddes　Axe〃：　the　edge　of　the　axe　of　dismissal　seems　so　terribly　sharp。　But　there　is　no　need　to　worry。　If　the　edge　of　the　axe　is　too　sharp；　hit　with　the　back　of　it。

As　to　the　profiteer；　bring　him　back。　He　is　really　just　the　same　person　who　a　few　years　ago　was　called　a　Captain　of　Industry　and　an　Empire　Builder　and　a　Nation　Maker。　It　is　the　times　that　have　changed；　not　the　man。　He　is　there　still；　just　as　greedy　and　rapacious　as　ever；　but　no　greedier：　and　we　have　just　the　same　social　need　of　his　greed　as　a　motive　power　in　industry　as　we　ever　had；　and　indeed　a　worse　need　than　before。

We　need　him　not　only　in　business　but　in　the　whole　setting　of　life；　or　if　not　him　personally；　we　need　the　eager；　selfish；　but　reliant　spirit　of　the　man　who　looks　after　himself　and　doesn't　want　to　have　a　spoon…fed　education　and　a　government　job　alternating　with　a　government　dole；　and　a　set　of　morals　framed　for　him　by　a　Board　of　Censors。　Bring　back　the　profiteer：　f