the new machiavelli-第59部分

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literature。〃



〃They　had　a　Royal　Commission　on　the　Dramatic　Censorship；〃　said　

Thorns；　with　a　note　of　minute　fairness。　　〃It　shows　what　they　were　

made　of；〃　he　added。



〃It's　what　I've　told　Remington　again　and　again；〃　said　Crupp；　〃we've　

got　to　pick　up　the　tradition　of　aristocracy；　reorganise　it；　and　make　

it　work。　　But　he's　certainly　suggested　a　method。〃



〃There　won't　be　much　aristocracy　to　pick　up；〃　said　Dayton；　darkly　to　

the　ceiling；　〃if　the　House　of　Lords　throws　out　the　Budget。〃



〃All　the　more　reason　for　picking　it　up；〃　said　Neal。　　〃For　we　can't　

do　without　it。〃



〃Will　they　go　to　the　bad；　or　will　they　rise　from　the　ashes；　

aristocrats　indeedif　the　Liberals　come　in　overwhelmingly？〃　said　

Britten。



〃It's　we　who　might　decide　that；〃　said　Crupp；　insidiously。



〃I　agree；〃　said　Gane。



〃No　one　can　tell；〃　said　Thorns。　　〃I　doubt　if　they　will　get　beaten。〃



It　was　an　odd；　fragmentary　discussion　that　night。　　We　were　all　with　

ideas　in　our　minds　at　once　fine　and　imperfect。　　We　threw　out　

suggestions　that　showed　themselves　at　once　far　inadequate；　and　we　

tried　to　qualify　them　by　minor　self…contradictions。　　Britten；　I　

think；　got　more　said　than　any　one。　　〃You　all　seem　to　think　you　want　

to　organise　people；　particular　groups　and　classes　of　individuals；〃　

he　insisted。　　〃It　isn't　that。　　That's　the　standing　error　of　

politicians。　　You　want　to　organise　a　culture。　　Civilisation　isn't　a　

matter　of　concrete　groupings；　it's　a　matter　of　prevailing　ideas。　　

The　problem　is　how　to　make　bold；　clear　ideas　prevail。　　The　question　

for　Remington　and　us　is　just　what　groups　of　people　will　most　help　

this　culture　forward。〃



〃Yes；　but　how　are　the　Lords　going　to　behave？〃　said　Crupp。　　〃You　

yourself　were　asking　that　a　little　while　ago。〃



〃If　they　win　or　if　they　lose；〃　Gane　maintained；　〃there　will　be　a　

movement　to　reorganise　aristocracyReform　of　the　House　of　Lords；　

they'll　call　the　political　form　of　it。〃



〃Bailey　thinks　that；〃　said　some　one。



〃The　labour　people　want　abolition；〃　said　some　one。　　〃Let　'em；〃　said　

Thorns。



He　became　audible；　sketching　a　possibility　of　action。



〃Suppose　all　of　us　were　able　to　work　together。　　It's　just　one　of　

those　indeterminate；　confused；　eventful　times　ahead　when　a　steady　

jet　of　ideas　might　produce　enormous　results。〃



〃Leave　me　out　of　it；〃　said　Dayton；　〃IF　you　please。〃



〃We　should；〃　said　Thorns　under　his　breath。



I　took　up　Crupp's　initiative；　I　remember；　and　expanded　it。



〃I　believe　we　could　doextensive　things；〃　I　insisted。



〃Revivals　and　revisions　of　Toryism　have　been　tried　so　often；〃　said　

Thorns；　〃from　the　Young　England　movement　onward。〃



〃Not　one　but　has　produced　its　enduring　effects；〃　I　said。　　〃It's　the　

peculiarity　of　English　conservatism　that　it's　persistently　

progressive　and　rejuvenescent。〃



I　think　it　must　have　been　about　that　point　that　Dayton　fled　our　

presence；　after　some　clumsy　sentence　that　I　decided　upon　reflection　

was　intended　to　remind　me　of　my　duty　to　my　party。



Then　I　remember　Thorns　firing　doubts　at　me　obliquely　across　the　

table。　　〃You　can't　run　a　country　through　its　spoilt　children；〃　he　

said。　　〃What　you　call　aristocrats　are　really　spoilt　children。　　

They've　had　too　much　of　everything；　except　bracing　experience。〃



〃Children　can　always　be　educated；〃　said　Crupp。



〃I　said　SPOILT　children；〃　said　Thorns。



〃Look　here；　Thorns！〃　said　I。　　〃If　this　Budget　row　leads　to　a　storm；　

and　these　big　people　get　their　power　clipped；　what's　going　to　

happen？　　Have　you　thought　of　that？　　When　they　go　out　lock；　stock；　

and　barrel；　who　comes　in？〃



〃Nature　abhors　a　Vacuum；〃　said　Crupp；　supporting　me。



〃Bailey's　trained　officials；〃　suggested　Gane。



〃Quacks　with　a　certificate　of　approval　from　Altiora；〃　said　Thorns。　　

〃I　admit　the　horrors　of　the　alternative。　　There'd　be　a　massacre　in　

three　years。〃



〃One　may　go　on　trying　possibilities　for　ever；〃　I　said。　　〃One　thing　

emerges。　　Whatever　accidents　happen；　our　civilisation　needs；　and　

almost　consciously　needs；　a　culture　of　fine　creative　minds；　and　all　

the　necessary　tolerances；　opennesses；　considerations；　that　march　

with　that。　　For　my　own　part；　I　think　that　is　the　Most　Vital　Thing。　　

Build　your　ship　of　state　as　you　will；　get　your　men　as　you　will；　I　

concentrate　on　what　is　clearly　the　affair　of　my　sort　of　man；I　want　

to　ensure　the　quality　of　the　quarter　deck。〃



〃Hear；　hear！〃　said　Shoesmith；　suddenlyhis　first　remark　for　a　long　

time。　　〃A　first…rate　figure；〃　said　Shoesmith；　gripping　it。



〃Our　danger　is　in　missing　that；〃　I　went　on。　　〃Muddle　isn't　ended　by　

transferring　power　from　the　muddle…headed　few　to　the　muddle…headed　

many；　and　then　cheating　the　many　out　of　it　again　in　the　interests　of　

a　bureaucracy　of　sham　experts。　　But　that　seems　the　limit　of　the　

liberal　imagination。　　There　is　no　real　progress　in　a　country；　except　

a　rise　in　the　level　of　its　free　intellectual　activity。　　All　other　

progress　is　secondary　and　dependant。　　If　you　take　on　Bailey's　dreams　

of　efficient　machinery　and　a　sort　of　fanatical　discipline　with　no　

free…moving　brains　behind　it；　confused　ugliness　becomes　rigid　

ugliness；that's　all。　　No　doubt　things　are　moving　from　looseness　to　

discipline；　and　from　irresponsible　controls　to　organised　controls

and　also　and　rather　contrariwise　everything　is　becoming　as　people　

say；　democratised；　but　all　the　more　need　in　that；　for　an　ark　in　

which　the　living　element　may　be　saved。〃



〃Hear；　hear！〃　said　Shoesmith；　faint　but　pursuing。



It　must　have　been　in　my　house　afterwards　that　Shoesmith　became　

noticeable。　　He　seemed　trying　to　say　something　vague　and　difficult　

that　he　didn't　get　said　at　all　on　that　occasion。　　〃We　could　do　

immense　things　with　a　weekly；〃　he　repeated；　echoing　Neal；　I　think。　　

And　there　he　left　off　and　became　a　mute　expressiveness；　and　it　was　

only　afterwards；　when　I　was　in　bed；　that　I　saw　we　had　our　capitalist　

in　our　hands。　。　。　。



We　parted　that　night　on　my　doorstep　in　a　tremendous　glowbut　in　

that　sort　of　glow　one　doesn't　act　upon　without　much　reconsideration；　

and　it　was　some　months　before　I　made　my　decision　to　follow　up　the　

indications　of　that　opening　talk。







5





I　find　my　thoughts　lingering　about　the　Pentagram　Circle。　　In　my　

developments　it　played　a　large　part；　not　so　much　by　starting　new　

trains　of　thought　as　by　confirming　the　practicability　of　things　I　

had　already　hesitatingly　entertained。　　Discussion　with　these　other　

men　so　prominently　involved　in　current　affairs　endorsed　views　that　

otherwise　would　have　seemed　only　a　little　less　remote　from　actuality　

than　the　guardians　of　Plato　or　the　labour　laws　of　More。　　Among　other　

questions　that　were　never　very　distant　from　our　discussions；　that　

came　apt　to　every　topic；　was　the　true　significance　of　democracy；　

Tariff　Reform　as　a　method　of　international　hostility；　and　the　

imminence　of　war。　　On　the　first　issue　I　can　still　recall　little　

Bailey；　glib　and　winking；　explaining　that　democracy　was　really　just　

a　dodge　for　getting　assent　to　the　ordinances　of　the　expert　official　

by　means　of　the　polling　booth。　　〃If　they　don't　like　things；〃　said　

he；　〃they　can　vote　for　the　opposition　candidate　and　see　what　happens　

thenand　that；　you　see；　is　why　we　don't　want　proportional　

representation　to　let　in　the　wild　men。〃　　I　opened　my　eyesthe　lids　

had　dropped　for　a　moment　under　the　caress　of　those　smooth　soundsto　

see　if　Bailey's　artful　forefinger　wasn't　at　the　side　of　his　

predominant　nose。



The　international　situation　exercised　us　greatly。　　Our　meetings　were　

pervaded　by　the　feeling　that　all　things　moved　towards　a　day　of　

reckoning　with　Germany；　and　I　was　largely　instrumental　in　keeping　up　

the　suggestion　that　India　was　in　a　state　of　unstable　equilibrium；　

that　sooner　or　later　something　must　happen　theresomething　very　

serious　to　our　Empire。　　Dayton　frankly　detested　these　topics。　　He　

was　full　of　that　old　Middle　Victorian　persuasion　that　whatever　is　

inconvenient　or　disagreeable　to　the　English　mind　could　be　

annihilated　by　not　thinking　about　it。　　He　used　to　sit　low　in　his　

chair　and　look　mulish。　　〃Militarism；〃　he　would　declare　in　a　tone　of　

the　utmost　moral　fervour；　is　a　curse。　　It's　an　unmitigated　curse。〃　　

Then　he　would　cough　shortly　and　twitch　his　head　back　and　frown；　and　

seem　astonished　beyond　measure　that　after　this　conclusive　statement　

we　could　still　go　on　talking　of　war。



All　our　Imperialists　were　obsessed　by　the　thought　of　international　

conflict；　and　their　influence　revived　for　a　time　those　uneasinesses　

that　had　been　aroused　in　me　for　the　first　time　by　my　continental　

journey　with　Willersley　and　by　Meredith's　〃One　of　Our　Conquerors。〃　　

That　quite　justifiable　dread　of　a　punishment　for　all　the　slackness；　

mental　dishonesty；　presumption；　mercenary　respectability　and　

sentimentalised　commercialism　of　the　Victorian　period；　at　the　hands　

of　the　better　organised；　more　vigorous；　and　now　far　more　highly　

civilised　peoples　of　Central　Europe；　seemed　to　me　to　have　both　a　

good　and　bad　series　of　consequences。　　It　seemed　the　only　thing　

capable　of　bracing　English　minds　to　education；　sustained　

constructive　effort　and　research；　but　on　the　other　hand　it　produced　

the　quality　of　a　panic；　hasty　preparation；　impatience　of　thought；　a　

wasteful　and　sometimes　quite　futile　immediacy。　　In　1909；　for　

example；　there　was　a　vast　clamour　for　eight　additional　Dreadnoughts





　　　　　〃We　want　eight

　　　　　　And　we　won't　wait；〃





but　no　clamour　at　all　about　our　national　waste　of　inventive　talent；　

our　mean　standard　of　intellectual　attainment；　our　disingenuous　

criticism；　and　the　consequent　failure　to　distinguish　men　of　the　

quality　needed　to　carry　on　the　modern　type　of　war。　　Almost　

universally　we　have　the　wrong　men　in　our　places　of　responsibility　

and　the　right　men　in　no　place　at　all；　almost　universally　we　have　

poorly　qualified；　hesitating；　and　resentful　subordina