第3章

XI

THEHOMELESSNESSOFJONES

ThustheFutureofwhichwespokeatthebeginninghas(inEnglandatleast)alwaysbeentheallyoftyranny。

TheordinaryEnglishmanhasbeendupedoutofhisoldpossessions,suchastheywere,andalwaysinthenameofprogress。

Thedestroyersoftheabbeystookawayhisbreadandgavehimastone,assuringhimthatitwasapreciousstone,thewhitepebbleoftheLord\'select。TheytookawayhismaypoleandhisoriginalrurallifeandpromisedhiminsteadtheGoldenAgeofPeaceandCommerceinauguratedattheCrystalPalace。Andnowtheyaretakingawaythelittlethatremainsofhisdignityasahouseholderandtheheadofafamily,promisinghiminsteadUtopiaswhicharecalled(appropriatelyenough)

\"Anticipations\"or\"NewsfromNowhere。\"Wecomeback,infact,tothemainfeaturewhichhasalreadybeenmentioned。

Thepastiscommunal:thefuturemustbeindividualist。

Inthepastarealltheevilsofdemocracy,varietyandviolenceanddoubt,butthefutureispuredespotism,forthefutureispurecaprice。Yesterday,IknowIwasahumanfool,butto-morrowIcaneasilybetheSuperman。

ThemodernEnglishman,however,islikeamanwhoshouldbeperpetuallykeptout,foronereasonafteranother,fromthehouseinwhichhehadmeanthismarriedlifetobegin。

Thisman(Jonesletuscallhim)hasalwaysdesiredthedivinelyordinarythings;hehasmarriedforlove,hehaschosenorbuiltasmallhousethatfitslikeacoat;

heisreadytobeagreatgrandfatherandalocalgod。

Andjustasheismovingin,somethinggoeswrong。

Sometyranny,personalorpolitical,suddenlydebarshimfromthehome;andhehastotakehismealsinthefrontgarden。

Apassingphilosopher(whoisalso,byamerecoincidence,themanwhoturnedhimout)pauses,andleaningelegantlyontherailings,explainstohimthatheisnowlivingthatboldlifeuponthebountyofnaturewhichwillbethelifeofthesublimefuture。

Hefindslifeinthefrontgardenmoreboldthanbountiful,andhastomoveintomeanlodgingsinthenextspring。Thephilosopher(whoturnedhimout),happeningtocallattheselodgings,withtheprobableintentionofraisingtherent,stopstoexplaintohimthatheisnowinthereallifeofmercantileendeavor;

theeconomicstrugglebetweenhimandthelandladyistheonlythingoutofwhich,inthesublimefuture,thewealthofnationscancome。

Heisdefeatedintheeconomicstruggle,andgoestotheworkhouse。

Thephilosopherwhoturnedhimout(happeningatthatverymomenttobeinspectingtheworkhouse)assureshimthatheisnowatlastinthatgoldenrepublicwhichisthegoalofmankind;

heisinanequal,scientific,Socialisticcommonwealth,ownedbytheStateandruledbypublicofficers;infact,thecommonwealthofthesublimefuture。

Nevertheless,therearesignsthattheirrationalJonesstilldreamsatnightofthisoldideaofhavinganordinaryhome。

Heaskedforsolittle,andhehasbeenofferedsomuch。

Hehasbeenofferedbribesofworldsandsystems;hehasbeenofferedEdenandUtopiaandtheNewJerusalem,andheonlywantedahouse;

andthathasbeenrefusedhim。

SuchanapologueisliterallynoexaggerationofthefactsofEnglishhistory。Therichdidliterallyturnthepooroutoftheoldguesthouseontotheroad,brieflytellingthemthatitwastheroadofprogress。Theydidliterallyforcethemintofactoriesandthemodernwage-slavery,assuringthemallthetimethatthiswastheonlywaytowealthandcivilization。

Justastheyhaddraggedtherusticfromtheconventfoodandalebysayingthatthestreetsofheavenwerepavedwithgold,sonowtheydraggedhimfromthevillagefoodandalebytellinghimthatthestreetsofLondonwerepavedwithgold。

AsheenteredthegloomyporchofPuritanism,soheenteredthegloomyporchofIndustrialism,beingtoldthateachofthemwasthegateofthefuture。Hithertohehasonlygonefromprisontoprison,nay,intodarkeningprisons,forCalvinismopenedonesmallwindowuponheaven。Andnowheisasked,inthesameeducatedandauthoritativetones,toenteranotherdarkporch,atwhichhehastosurrender,intounseenhands,hischildren,hissmallpossessionsandallthehabitsofhisfathers。

WhetherthislastopeningbeintruthanymoreinvitingthantheoldopeningsofPuritanismandIndustrialismcanbediscussedlater。

Buttherecanbelittledoubt,Ithink,thatifsomeformofCollectivismisimposeduponEnglanditwillbeimposed,aseverythingelsehasbeen,byaninstructedpoliticalclassuponapeoplepartlyapatheticandpartlyhypnotized。

Thearistocracywillbeasreadyto\"administer\"CollectivismastheyweretoadministerPuritanismorManchesterism;insomewayssuchacentralizedpoliticalpowerisnecessarilyattractivetothem。

ItwillnotbesohardassomeinnocentSocialistsseemtosupposetoinducetheHonorableTomnoddytotakeoverthemilksupplyaswellasthestampsupply——atanincreasedsalary。

Mr。BernardShawhasremarkedthatrichmenarebetterthanpoormenonparishcouncilsbecausetheyarefreefrom\"financialtimidity。\"

Now,theEnglishrulingclassisquitefreefromfinancialtimidity。

TheDukeofSussexwillbequitereadytobeAdministratorofSussexatthesamescrew。SirWilliamHarcourt,thattypicalaristocrat,putitquitecorrectly。\"We\"(thatis,thearistocracy)

\"areallSocialistsnow。\"

ButthisisnottheessentialnoteonwhichIdesiretoend。

Mymaincontentionisthat,whethernecessaryornot,bothIndustrialismandCollectivismhavebeenacceptedasnecessities——

notasnakedidealsordesires。NobodylikedtheManchesterSchool;

itwasenduredastheonlywayofproducingwealth。

NobodylikestheMarxianschool;itisenduredastheonlywayofpreventingpoverty。Nobody\'srealheartisintheideaofpreventingafreemanfromowninghisownfarm,oranoldwomanfromcultivatingherowngarden,anymorethananybody\'srealheartwasintheheartlessbattleofthemachines。

Thepurposeofthischapterissufficientlyservedinindicatingthatthisproposalalsoisapisaller,adesperatesecondbest——

liketeetotalism。IdonotproposetoproveherethatSocialismisapoison;itisenoughifImaintainthatitisamedicineandnotawine。

Theideaofprivatepropertyuniversalbutprivate,theideaoffamiliesfreebutstillfamilies,ofdomesticitydemocraticbutstilldomestic,ofonemanonehouse——thisremainstherealvisionandmagnetofmankind。

Theworldmayacceptsomethingmoreofficialandgeneral,lesshumanandintimate。Buttheworldwillbelikeabroken-heartedwomanwhomakesahumdrummarriagebecauseshemaynotmakeahappyone;Socialismmaybetheworld\'sdeliverance。butitisnottheworld\'sdesire。

***

PARTTWO

IMPERIALISM,ORTHEMISTAKEABOUTMAN

***

I

THECHARMOFJINGOISM

Ihavecastaboutwidelytofindatitleforthissection;andIconfessthattheword\"Imperialism\"isaclumsyversionofmymeaning。Butnootherwordcamenearer;\"Militarism\"wouldhavebeenevenmoremisleading,and\"TheSuperman\"makesnonsenseofanydiscussionthatheenters。

Perhaps,uponthewhole,theword\"Caesarism\"wouldhavebeenbetter;

butIdesireapopularword;andImperialism(asthereaderwillperceive)

doescoverforthemostpartthemenandtheoriesthatImeantodiscuss。

Thissmallconfusionisincreased,however,bythefactthatI

doalsodisbelieveinImperialisminitspopularsense,asamodeortheoryofthepatrioticsentimentofthiscountry。

ButpopularImperialisminEnglandhasverylittletodowiththesortofCaesareanImperialismIwishtosketch。

IdifferfromtheColonialidealismofRhodes\'andKipling;

butIdonotthink,assomeofitsopponentsdo,thatitisaninsolentcreationofEnglishharshnessandrapacity。

Imperialism,Ithink,isafictioncreated,notbyEnglishhardness,butbyEnglishsoftness;nay,inasense,evenbyEnglishkindness。

ThereasonsforbelievinginAustraliaaremostlyassentimentalasthemostsentimentalreasonsforbelievinginheaven。

NewSouthWalesisquiteliterallyregardedasaplacewherethewickedceasefromtroublingandthewearyareatrest;thatis,aparadiseforuncleswhohaveturneddishonestandfornephewswhoareborntired。

BritishColumbiaisinstrictsenseafairyland,itisaworldwhereamagicandirrationalluckissupposedtoattendtheyoungestsons。

ThisstrangeoptimismabouttheendsoftheearthisanEnglishweakness;

buttoshowthatitisnotacoldnessoraharshnessitisquitesufficienttosaythatnooneshareditmorethanthatgiganticEnglishsentimentalist——thegreatCharlesDickens。Theendof\"DavidCopperfield\"isunrealnotmerelybecauseitisanoptimisticending,butbecauseitisanImperialisticending。

ThedecorousBritishhappinessplannedoutforDavidCopperfieldandAgneswouldbeembarrassedbytheperpetualpresenceofthehopelesstragedyofEmily,orthemorehopelessfarceofMicawber。Therefore,bothEmilyandMicawberareshippedofftoavaguecolonywherechangescomeoverthemwithnoconceivablecause,excepttheclimate。

Thetragicwomanbecomescontentedandthecomicmanbecomesresponsible,solelyastheresultofaseavoyageandthefirstsightofakangaroo。

ToImperialisminthelightpoliticalsense,therefore,myonlyobjectionisthatitisanillusionofcomfort;thatanEmpirewhoseheartisfailingshouldbespeciallyproudoftheextremities,istomenomoresublimeafactthanthatanolddandywhosebrainisgoneshouldstillbeproudofhislegs。ItconsolesmenfortheevidentuglinessandapathyofEnglandwithlegendsoffairyouthandheroicstrenuousnessindistantcontinentsandislands。

AmancansitamidthesqualorofSevenDialsandfeelthatlifeisinnocentandgodlikeinthebushorontheveldt。

JustsoamanmightsitinthesqualorofSevenDialsandfeelthatlifewasinnocentandgodlikeinBrixtonandSurbiton。BrixtonandSurbitonare\"new\";theyareexpanding;theyare\"nearertonature,\"

inthesensethattheyhaveeatenupnaturemilebymile。

Theonlyobjectionistheobjectionoffact。TheyoungmenofBrixtonarenotyounggiants。TheloversofSurbitonarenotallpaganpoets,singingwiththesweetenergyofthespring。NorarethepeopleoftheColonieswhenyoumeetthemyounggiantsorpaganpoets。

TheyaremostlyCockneyswhohavelosttheirlastmusicofrealthingsbygettingoutofthesoundofBowBells。Mr。RudyardKipling,amanofrealthoughdecadentgenius,threwatheoreticglamouroverthemwhichisalreadyfading。Mr。Kiplingis,inapreciseandratherstartlingsense,theexceptionthatprovestherule。

Forhehasimagination,ofanorientalandcruelkind,buthehasit,notbecausehegrewupinanewcountry,butpreciselybecausehegrewupintheoldestcountryuponearth。Heisrootedinapast——

anAsiaticpast。Hemightneverhavewritten\"KabulRiver\"

ifhehadbeenborninMelbourne。

Isayfrankly,therefore(lestthereshouldbeanyairofevasion),thatImperialisminitscommonpatrioticpretensionsappearstomebothweakandperilous。ItistheattemptofaEuropeancountrytocreateakindofshamEuropewhichitcandominate,insteadoftherealEurope,whichitcanonlyshare。Itisaloveoflivingwithone\'sinferiors。

ThenotionofrestoringtheRomanEmpirebyoneselfandforoneselfisadreamthathashauntedeveryChristiannationinadifferentshapeandinalmosteveryshapeasasnare。TheSpanishareaconsistentandconservativepeople;thereforetheyembodiedthatattemptatEmpireinlongandlingeringdynasties。TheFrenchareaviolentpeople,andthereforetheytwiceconqueredthatEmpirebyviolenceofarms。

TheEnglishareaboveallapoeticalandoptimisticpeople;

andthereforetheirEmpireissomethingvagueandyetsympathetic,somethingdistantandyetdear。Butthisdreamoftheirsofbeingpowerfulintheuttermostplaces,thoughanativeweakness,isstillaweaknessinthem;muchmoreofaweaknessthangoldwastoSpainorglorytoNapoleon。Ifeverwewereincollisionwithourrealbrothersandrivalsweshouldleaveallthisfancyoutofaccount。

WeshouldnomoredreamofpittingAustralianarmiesagainstGermanthanofpittingTasmaniansculptureagainstFrench。Ihavethusexplained,lestanyoneshouldaccusemeofconcealinganunpopularattitude,whyIdonotbelieveinImperialismascommonlyunderstood。

Ithinkitnotmerelyanoccasionalwrongtootherpeoples,butacontinuousfeebleness,arunningsore,inmyown。

ButitisalsotruethatIhavedweltonthisImperialismthatisanamiabledelusionpartlyinordertoshowhowdifferentitisfromthedeeper,moresinisterandyetmorepersuasivethingthatIhavebeenforcedtocallImperialismfortheconvenienceofthischapter。

Inordertogettotherootofthisevilandquiteun-EnglishImperialismwemustcastbackandbeginanewwithamoregeneraldiscussionofthefirstneedsofhumanintercourse。

***

II

WISDOMANDTHEWEATHER

Itisadmitted,onemayhope,thatcommonthingsarenevercommonplace。

Birthiscoveredwithcurtainspreciselybecauseitisastaggeringandmonstrousprodigy。Deathandfirstlove,thoughtheyhappentoeverybody,canstopone\'sheartwiththeverythoughtofthem。

Butwhilethisisgranted,somethingfurthermaybeclaimed。

Itisnotmerelytruethattheseuniversalthingsarestrange;

itismoreovertruethattheyaresubtle。Inthelastanalysismostcommonthingswillbefoundtobehighlycomplicated。

Somemenofsciencedoindeedgetoverthedifficultybydealingonlywiththeeasypartofit:thus,theywillcallfirstlovetheinstinctofsex,andtheaweofdeaththeinstinctofself-preservation。Butthisisonlygettingoverthedifficultyofdescribingpeacockgreenbycallingitblue。Thereisblueinit。

ThatthereisastrongphysicalelementinbothromanceandtheMementoMorimakesthemifpossiblemorebafflingthaniftheyhadbeenwhollyintellectual。Nomancouldsayexactlyhowmuchhissexualitywascoloredbyacleanloveofbeauty,orbythemereboyishitchforirrevocableadventures,likerunningawaytosea。

Nomancouldsayhowfarhisanimaldreadoftheendwasmixedupwithmysticaltraditionstouchingmoralsandreligion。

Itisexactlybecausethesethingsareanimal,butnotquiteanimal,thatthedanceofallthedifficultiesbegins。

Thematerialistsanalyzetheeasypart,denythehardpartandgohometotheirtea。

Itiscompleteerrortosupposethatbecauseathingisvulgarthereforeitisnotrefined;thatis,subtleandhardtodefine。

Adrawing-roomsongofmyyouthwhichbegan\"Inthegloaming,O,mydarling,\"wasvulgarenoughasasong;buttheconnectionbetweenhumanpassionandthetwilightisnonethelessanexquisiteandeveninscrutablething。Ortotakeanotherobviousinstance:

thejokesaboutamother-in-lawarescarcelydelicate,buttheproblemofamother-in-lawisextremelydelicate。

Amother-in-lawissubtlebecausesheisathinglikethetwilight。

Sheisamysticalblendoftwoinconsistentthings——

lawandamother。Thecaricaturesmisrepresenther;

buttheyariseoutofarealhumanenigma。\"ComicCuts\"

dealswiththedifficultywrongly,butitwouldneedGeorgeMeredithathisbesttodealwiththedifficultyrightly。

Theneareststatementoftheproblemperhapsisthis:

itisnotthatamother-in-lawmustbenasty,butthatshemustbeverynice。

Butitisbestperhapstotakeinillustrationsomedailycustomwehaveallhearddespisedasvulgarortrite。

Take,forthesakeofargument,thecustomoftalkingabouttheweather。Stevensoncallsit\"theverynadirandscoffofgoodconversationalists。\"Nowthereareverydeepreasonsfortalkingabouttheweather,reasonsthataredelicateaswellasdeep;theylieinlayeruponlayerofstratifiedsagacity。

Firstofallitisagestureofprimevalworship。

Theskymustbeinvoked;andtobegineverythingwiththeweatherisasortofpaganwayofbeginningeverythingwithprayer。

JonesandBrowntalkabouttheweather:butsodoMiltonandShelley。Thenitisanexpressionofthatelementaryideainpoliteness——equality。FortheverywordpolitenessisonlytheGreekforcitizenship。Thewordpolitenessisakintothewordpoliceman:acharmingthought。Properlyunderstood,thecitizenshouldbemorepolitethanthegentleman;perhapsthepolicemanshouldbethemostcourtlyandelegantofthethree。

Butallgoodmannersmustobviouslybeginwiththesharingofsomethinginasimplestyle。Twomenshouldshareanumbrella;

iftheyhavenotgotanumbrella,theyshouldatleastsharetherain,withallitsrichpotentialitiesofwitandphilosophy。

\"ForHemakethHissuntoshine……\"Thisisthesecondelementintheweather;itsrecognitionofhumanequalityinthatweallhaveourhatsunderthedarkbluespangledumbrellaoftheuniverse。

Arisingoutofthisisthethirdwholesomestraininthecustom;

Imeanthatitbeginswiththebodyandwithourinevitablebodilybrotherhood。Alltruefriendlinessbeginswithfireandfoodanddrinkandtherecognitionofrainorfrost。

ThosewhowillnotbeginatthebodilyendofthingsarealreadyprigsandmaysoonbeChristianScientists。EachhumansoulhasinasensetoenactforitselfthegigantichumilityoftheIncarnation。Everymanmustdescendintothefleshtomeetmankind。

Briefly,inthemereobservation\"afineday\"thereisthewholegreathumanideaofcomradeship。Now,purecomradeshipisanotherofthosebroadandyetbewilderingthings。Weallenjoyit;

yetwhenwecometotalkaboutitwealmostalwaystalknonsense,chieflybecausewesupposeittobeasimpleraffairthanitis。

Itissimpletoconduct;butitisbynomeanssimpletoanalyze。

Comradeshipisatthemostonlyonehalfofhumanlife;

theotherhalfisLove,athingsodifferentthatonemightfancyithadbeenmadeforanotheruniverse。AndIdonotmeanmeresexlove;anykindofconcentratedpassion,maternallove,oreventhefiercerkindsoffriendshipareintheirnaturealientopurecomradeship。Bothsidesareessentialtolife;andbothareknownindifferingdegreestoeverybodyofeveryageorsex。

Butverybroadlyspeakingitmaystillbesaidthatwomenstandforthedignityofloveandmenforthedignityofcomradeship。

Imeanthattheinstitutionwouldhardlybeexpectedifthemalesofthetribedidnotmountguardoverit。Theaffectionsinwhichwomenexcelhavesomuchmoreauthorityandintensitythatpurecomradeshipwouldbewashedawayifitwerenotralliedandguardedinclubs,corps,colleges,banquetsandregiments。

Mostofushaveheardthevoiceinwhichthehostesstellsherhusbandnottosittoolongoverthecigars。ItisthedreadfulvoiceofLove,seekingtodestroyComradeship。

AlltruecomradeshiphasinitthosethreeelementswhichIhaveremarkedintheordinaryexclamationabouttheweather。First,ithasasortofbroadphilosophylikethecommonsky,emphasizingthatweareallunderthesamecosmicconditions。Weareallinthesameboat,the\"wingedrock\"ofMr。HerbertTrench。Secondly,itrecognizesthisbondastheessentialone;forcomradeshipissimplyhumanityseeninthatoneaspectinwhichmenarereallyequal。

Theoldwriterswereentirelywisewhentheytalkedoftheequalityofmen;buttheywerealsoverywiseinnotmentioningwomen。

Womenarealwaysauthoritarian;theyarealwaysaboveorbelow;

thatiswhymarriageisasortofpoeticalsee-saw。Thereareonlythreethingsintheworldthatwomendonotunderstand;

andtheyareLiberty,Equality,andFraternity。Butmen(aclasslittleunderstoodinthemodernworld)findthesethingsthebreathoftheirnostrils;andourmostlearnedladieswillnotevenbegintounderstandthemuntiltheymakeallowanceforthiskindofcoolcamaraderie。Lastly,itcontainsthethirdqualityoftheweather,theinsistenceuponthebodyanditsindispensablesatisfaction。

Noonehasevenbeguntounderstandcomradeshipwhodoesnotacceptwithitacertainheartyeagernessineating,drinking,orsmoking,anuproariousmaterialismwhichtomanywomenappearsonlyhoggish。

Youmaycallthethinganorgyorasacrament;itiscertainlyanessential。Itisatrootaresistancetothesuperciliousnessoftheindividual。Nay,itsveryswaggeringandhowlingarehumble。

Intheheartofitsrowdinessthereisasortofmadmodesty;adesiretomelttheseparatesoulintothemassofunpretentiousmasculinity。

Itisaclamorousconfessionoftheweaknessofallflesh。

Nomanmustbesuperiortothethingsthatarecommontomen。

Thissortofequalitymustbebodilyandgrossandcomic。

Notonlyareweallinthesameboat,butweareallseasick。

Thewordcomradeshipjustnowpromisestobecomeasfatuousastheword\"affinity。\"ThereareclubsofaSocialistsortwhereallthemembers,menandwomen,calleachother\"Comrade。\"Ihavenoseriousemotions,hostileorotherwise,aboutthisparticularhabit:

attheworstitisconventionality,andatthebestflirtation。

Iamconvincedhereonlytopointoutarationalprinciple。

Ifyouchoosetolumpallflowerstogether,liliesanddahliasandtulipsandchrysanthemumsandcallthemalldaisies,youwillfindthatyouhavespoiledtheveryfineworddaisy。

Ifyouchoosetocalleveryhumanattachmentcomradeship,ifyouincludeunderthatnametherespectofayouthforavenerableprophetess,theinterestofamaninabeautifulwomanwhobaffleshim,thepleasureofaphilosophicaloldfogyinagirlwhoisimpudentandinnocent,theendofthemeanestquarrelorthebeginningofthemostmountainouslove;ifyouaregoingtocallallthesecomradeship,youwillgainnothing,youwillonlyloseaword。Daisiesareobviousanduniversalandopen;

buttheyareonlyonekindofflower。Comradeshipisobviousanduniversalandopen;butitisonlyonekindofaffection;

ithascharacteristicsthatwoulddestroyanyotherkind。

Anyonewhohasknowntruecomradeshipinacluborinaregiment,knowsthatitisimpersonal。Thereisapedanticphraseusedindebatingclubswhichisstrictlytruetothemasculineemotion;

theycallit\"speakingtothequestion。\"Womenspeaktoeachother;

menspeaktothesubjecttheyarespeakingabout。Manyanhonestmanhassatinaringofhisfivebestfriendsunderheavenandforgottenwhowasintheroomwhileheexplainedsomesystem。

Thisisnotpeculiartointellectualmen;menarealltheoretical,whethertheyaretalkingaboutGodoraboutgolf。

Menareallimpersonal;thatistosay,republican。Nooneremembersafterareallygoodtalkwhohassaidthegoodthings。

Everymanspeakstoavisionarymultitude;amysticalcloud,thatiscalledtheclub。

Itisobviousthatthiscoolandcarelessqualitywhichisessentialtothecollectiveaffectionofmalesinvolvesdisadvantagesanddangers。

Itleadstospitting;itleadstocoarsespeech;itmustleadtothesethingssolongasitishonorable;comradeshipmustbeinsomedegreeugly。Themomentbeautyismentionedinmalefriendship,thenostrilsarestoppedwiththesmellofabominablethings。

Friendshipmustbephysicallydirtyifitistobemorallyclean。

Itmustbeinitsshirtsleeves。Thechaosofhabitsthatalwaysgoeswithmaleswhenleftentirelytothemselveshasonlyonehonorablecure;

andthatisthestrictdisciplineofamonastery。AnyonewhohasseenourunhappyyoungidealistsinEastEndSettlementslosingtheircollarsinthewashandlivingontinnedsalmonwillfullyunderstandwhyitwasdecidedbythewisdomofSt。BernardorSt。Benedict,thatifmenweretolivewithoutwomen,theymustnotlivewithoutrules。

Somethingofthesamesortofartificialexactitude,ofcourse,isobtainedinanarmy;andanarmyalsohastobeinmanywaysmonastic;

onlythatithascelibacywithoutchastity。Butthesethingsdonotapplytonormalmarriedmen。Thesehaveaquitesufficientrestraintontheirinstinctiveanarchyinthesavagecommon-senseoftheothersex。

Thereisonlyoneverytimidsortofmanthatisnotafraidofwomen。

***

III

THECOMMONVISION

Nowthismasculineloveofanopenandlevelcamaraderieisthelifewithinalldemocraciesandattemptstogovernbydebate;

withoutittherepublicwouldbeadeadformula。Evenasitis,ofcourse,thespiritofdemocracyfrequentlydifferswidelyfromtheletter,andapothouseisoftenabettertestthanaParliament。Democracyinitshumansenseisnotarbitramentbythemajority;itisnotevenarbitramentbyeverybody。

Itcanbemorenearlydefinedasarbitramentbyanybody。

Imeanthatitrestsonthatclubhabitoftakingatotalstrangerforgranted,ofassumingcertainthingstobeinevitablycommontoyourselfandhim。Onlythethingsthatanybodymaybepresumedtoholdhavethefullauthorityofdemocracy。

Lookoutofthewindowandnoticethefirstmanwhowalksby。

TheLiberalsmayhavesweptEnglandwithanover-whelmingmajority;

butyouwouldnotstakeabuttonthatthemanisaLiberal。TheBiblemaybereadinallschoolsandrespectedinalllawcourts;butyouwouldnotbetastrawthathebelievesintheBible。Butyouwouldbetyourweek\'swages,letussay,thathebelievesinwearingclothes。

Youwouldbetthathebelievesthatphysicalcourageisafinething,orthatparentshaveauthorityoverchildren。Ofcourse,hemightbethemillionthmanwhodoesnotbelievethesethings;

ifitcomestothat,hemightbetheBeardedLadydressedupasaman。

Buttheseprodigiesarequiteadifferentthingfromanymerecalculationofnumbers。Peoplewhoholdtheseviewsarenotaminority,butamonstrosity。Butoftheseuniversaldogmasthathavefulldemocraticauthoritytheonlytestisthistestofanybody。

Whatyouwouldobservebeforeanynewcomerinatavern——thatistherealEnglishlaw。Thefirstmanyouseefromthewindow,heistheKingofEngland。

Thedecayoftaverns,whichisbutapartofthegeneraldecayofdemocracy,hasundoubtedlyweakenedthismasculinespiritofequality。IrememberthataroomfulofSocialistsliterallylaughedwhenItoldthemthattherewerenotwonoblerwordsinallpoetrythanPublicHouse。Theythoughtitwasajoke。

Whytheyshouldthinkitajoke,sincetheywanttomakeallhousespublichouses,Icannotimagine。Butifanyonewishestoseetherealrowdyegalitarianismwhichisnecessary(tomales,atleast)

hecanfinditaswellasanywhereinthegreatoldtaverndisputeswhichcomedowntousinsuchbooksasBoswell\'sJohnson。Itisworthwhiletomentionthatonenameespeciallybecausethemodernworldinitsmorbidityhasdoneitastrangeinjustice。

ThedemeanorofJohnson,itissaid,was\"harshanddespotic。\"

Itwasoccasionallyharsh,butitwasneverdespotic。

Johnsonwasnotintheleastadespot;Johnsonwasademagogue,heshoutedagainstashoutingcrowd。Theveryfactthathewrangledwithotherpeopleisproofthatotherpeoplewereallowedtowranglewithhim。Hisverybrutalitywasbasedontheideaofanequalscrimmage,likethatoffootball。Itisstrictlytruethathebawledandbangedthetablebecausehewasamodestman。

Hewashonestlyafraidofbeingoverwhelmedorevenoverlooked。

Addisonhadexquisitemannersandwasthekingofhiscompany;

hewaspolitetoeverybody;butsuperiortoeverybody;

thereforehehasbeenhandeddownforeverintheimmortalinsultofPope——

\"LikeCato,givehislittleSenatelawsAndsitattentivetohisownapplause。\"

Johnson,sofarfrombeingkingofhiscompany,wasasortofIrishMemberinhisownParliament。Addisonwasacourteoussuperiorandwashated。

Johnsonwasaninsolentequalandthereforewaslovedbyallwhoknewhim,andhandeddowninamarvellousbook,whichisoneofthemeremiraclesoflove。

Thisdoctrineofequalityisessentialtoconversation;

somuchmaybeadmittedbyanyonewhoknowswhatconversationis。

Oncearguingatatableinatavernthemostfamousmanonearthwouldwishtobeobscure,sothathisbrilliantremarksmightblazelikethestarsonthebackgroundofhisobscurity。

Toanythingworthcallingamannothingcanbeconceivedmorecoldorcheerlessthantobekingofyourcompany。

Butitmaybesaidthatinmasculinesportsandgames,otherthanthegreatgameofdebate,thereisdefiniteemulationandeclipse。

Thereisindeedemulation,butthisisonlyanardentsortofequality。Gamesarecompetitive,becausethatistheonlywayofmakingthemexciting。Butifanyonedoubtsthatmenmustforeverreturntotheidealofequality,itisonlynecessarytoanswerthatthereissuchathingasahandicap。

Ifmenexultedinmeresuperiority,theywouldseektoseehowfarsuchsuperioritycouldgo;theywouldbegladwhenonestrongrunnercameinmilesaheadofalltherest。

Butwhatmenlikeisnotthetriumphofsuperiors,butthestruggleofequals;and,therefore,theyintroduceevenintotheircompetitivesportsanartificialequality。

Itissadtothinkhowfewofthosewhoarrangeoursportinghandicapscanbesupposedwithanyprobabilitytorealizethattheyareabstractandevensevererepublicans。

No;therealobjectiontoequalityandself-rulehasnothingtodowithanyofthesefreeandfestiveaspectsofmankind;allmenaredemocratswhentheyarehappy。Thephilosophicopponentofdemocracywouldsubstantiallysumuphispositionbysayingthatit\"willnotwork。\"

Beforegoingfurther,Iwillregisterinpassingaprotestagainsttheassumptionthatworkingistheonetestofhumanity。

Heavendoesnotwork;itplays。Menaremostthemselveswhentheyarefree;andifIfindthatmenaresnobsintheirworkbutdemocratsontheirholidays,Ishalltakethelibertytobelievetheirholidays。

Butitisthisquestionofworkwhichreallyperplexesthequestionofequality;anditiswiththatthatwemustnowdeal。

Perhapsthetruthcanbeputmostpointedlythus:thatdemocracyhasonerealenemy,andthatiscivilization。Thoseutilitarianmiracleswhichsciencehasmadeareanti-democratic,notsomuchintheirperversion,orevenintheirpracticalresult,asintheirprimaryshapeandpurpose。TheFrame-BreakingRioterswereright;

notperhapsinthinkingthatmachineswouldmakefewermenworkmen;

butcertainlyinthinkingthatmachineswouldmakefewermenmasters。

Morewheelsdomeanfewerhandles;fewerhandlesdomeanfewerhands。

Themachineryofsciencemustbeindividualisticandisolated。

Amobcanshoutroundapalace;butamobcannotshoutdownatelephone。

Thespecialistappearsanddemocracyishalfspoiledatastroke。

***

IV

THEINSANENECESSITY

ThecommonconceptionamongthedregsofDarwiniancultureisthatmenhaveslowlyworkedtheirwayoutofinequalityintoastateofcomparativeequality。Thetruthis,Ifancy,almostexactlytheopposite。Allmenhavenormallyandnaturallybegunwiththeideaofequality;theyhaveonlyabandoneditlateandreluctantly,andalwaysforsomematerialreasonofdetail。

Theyhavenevernaturallyfeltthatoneclassofmenwassuperiortoanother;theyhavealwaysbeendriventoassumeitthroughcertainpracticallimitationsofspaceandtime。

Forexample,thereisoneelementwhichmustalwaystendtooligarchy——orrathertodespotism;Imeantheelementofhurry。

Ifthehousehascaughtfireamanmustringupthefireengines;

acommitteecannotringthemup。Ifacampissurprisedbynightsomebodymustgivetheordertofire;thereisnotimetovoteit。

Itissolelyaquestionofthephysicallimitationsoftimeandspace;

notatallofanymentallimitationsinthemassofmencommanded。

Ifallthepeopleinthehouseweremenofdestinyitwouldstillbebetterthattheyshouldnotalltalkintothetelephoneatonce;nay,itwouldbebetterthatthesilliestmanofallshouldspeakuninterrupted。IfanarmyactuallyconsistedofnothingbutHanibalsandNapoleons,itwouldstillbebetterinthecaseofasurprisethattheyshouldnotallgiveorderstogether。

Nay,itwouldbebetterifthestupidestofthemallgavetheorders。

Thus,weseethatmerelymilitarysubordination,sofarfromrestingontheinequalityofmen,actuallyrestsontheequalityofmen。

DisciplinedoesnotinvolvetheCarlyleannotionthatsomebodyisalwaysrightwheneverybodyiswrong,andthatwemustdiscoverandcrownthatsomebody。Onthecontrary,disciplinemeansthatincertainfrightfullyrapidcircumstances,onecantrustanybodysolongasheisnoteverybody。Themilitaryspiritdoesnotmean(asCarlylefancied)obeyingthestrongestandwisestman。

Onthecontrary,themilitaryspiritmeans,ifanything,obeyingtheweakestandstupidestman,obeyinghimmerelybecauseheisaman,andnotathousandmen。Submissiontoaweakmanisdiscipline。

Submissiontoastrongmanisonlyservility。

NowitcanbeeasilyshownthatthethingwecallaristocracyinEuropeisnotinitsoriginandspiritanaristocracyatall。

Itisnotasystemofspiritualdegreesanddistinctionslike,forexample,thecastesystemofIndia,orevenliketheoldGreekdistinctionbetweenfreemenandslaves。Itissimplytheremainsofamilitaryorganization,framedpartlytosustainthesinkingRomanEmpire,partlytobreakandavengetheawfulonslaughtofIslam。ThewordDukesimplymeansColonel,justasthewordEmperorsimplymeansCommander-in-Chief。ThewholestoryistoldinthesingletitleofCountsoftheHolyRomanEmpire,whichmerelymeansofficersintheEuropeanarmyagainstthecontemporaryYellowPeril。Nowinanarmynobodyeverdreamsofsupposingthatdifferenceofrankrepresentsadifferenceofmoralreality。

Nobodyeversaysaboutaregiment,\"YourMajorisveryhumorousandenergetic;yourColonel,ofcourse,mustbeevenmorehumorousandyetmoreenergetic\"Nooneeversays,inreportingamess-roomconversation,\"LieutenantJoneswasverywitty,butwasnaturallyinferiortoCaptainSmith。\"Theessenceofanarmyistheideaofofficialinequality,foundedonunofficialequality。

TheColonelisnotobeyedbecauseheisthebestman,butbecauseheistheColonel。SuchwasprobablythespiritofthesystemofdukesandcountswhenitfirstaroseoutofthemilitaryspiritandmilitarynecessitiesofRome。Withthedeclineofthosenecessitiesithasgraduallyceasedtohavemeaningasamilitaryorganization,andbecomehoneycombedwithuncleanplutocracy。Evennowitisnotaspiritualaristocracy——itisnotsobadasallthat。

Itissimplyanarmywithoutanenemy——billeteduponthepeople。

Man,therefore,hasaspecialistaswellascomrade-likeaspect;

andthecaseofmilitarismisnottheonlycaseofsuchspecialistsubmission。Thetinkerandtailor,aswellasthesoldierandsailor,requireacertainrigidityofrapidityofaction:

atleast,ifthetinkerisnotorganizedthatislargelywhyhedoesnottinkonanylargescale。ThetinkerandtailoroftenrepresentthetwonomadicracesinEurope:theGipsyandtheJew;buttheJewalonehasinfluencebecausehealoneacceptssomesortofdiscipline。

Man,wesay,hastwosides,thespecialistsidewherehemusthavesubordination,andthesocialsidewherehemusthaveequality。

Thereisatruthinthesayingthattentailorsgotomakeaman;

butwemustrememberalsothattenPoetsLaureateortenAstronomersRoyalgotomakeaman,too。TenmilliontradesmengotomakeManhimself;

buthumanityconsistsoftradesmenwhentheyarenottalkingshop。

Nowthepeculiarperilofourtime,whichIcallforargument\'ssakeImperialismorCaesarism,isthecompleteeclipseofcomradeshipandequalitybyspecialismanddomination。

Thereareonlytwokindsofsocialstructureconceivable——

personalgovernmentandimpersonalgovernment。Ifmyanarchicfriendswillnothaverules——theywillhaverulers。

Preferringpersonalgovernment,withitstactandflexibility,iscalledRoyalism。Preferringimpersonalgovernment,withitsdogmasanddefinitions,iscalledRepublicanism。

ObjectingbroadmindedlybothtokingsandcreedsiscalledBosh;

atleast,Iknownomorephilosophicwordforit。Youcanbeguidedbytheshrewdnessorpresenceofmindofoneruler,orbytheequalityandascertainedjusticeofonerule;butyoumusthaveoneortheother,oryouarenotanation,butanastymess。

Nowmenintheiraspectofequalityanddebateadoretheideaofrules;theydevelopandcomplicatethemgreatlytoexcess。

Amanfindsfarmoreregulationsanddefinitionsinhisclub,wheretherearerules,thaninhishome,wherethereisaruler。

Adeliberateassembly,theHouseofCommons,forinstance,carriesthismummerytothepointofamethodicalmadness。

Thewholesystemisstiffwithrigidunreason;

liketheRoyalCourtinLewisCarroll。YouwouldthinktheSpeakerwouldspeak;thereforeheismostlysilent。

Youwouldthinkamanwouldtakeoffhishattostopandputitontogoaway;thereforehetakesoffhishattowalkoutandputsinontostopin。Namesareforbidden,andamanmustcallhisownfather\"myrighthonorablefriendthememberforWestBirmingham。\"Theseare,perhaps,fantasiesofdecay:

butfundamentallytheyansweramasculineappetite。

Menfeelthatrules,evenifirrational,areuniversal;

menfeelthatlawisequal,evenwhenitisnotequitable。

Thereisawildfairnessinthething——asthereisintossingup。

Again,itisgravelyunfortunatethatwhencriticsdoattacksuchcasesastheCommonsitisalwaysonthepoints(perhapsthefewpoints)wheretheCommonsareright。

TheydenouncetheHouseastheTalking-Shop,andcomplainthatitwastestimeinwordymazes。NowthisisjustonerespectinwhichtheCommonsareactuallyliketheCommonPeople。Iftheyloveleisureandlongdebate,itisbecauseallmenloveit;

thattheyreallyrepresentEngland。TheretheParliamentdoesapproachtothevirilevirtuesofthepothouse。

Therealtruthisthatadumbratedintheintroductorysectionwhenwespokeofthesenseofhomeandproperty,asnowwespeakofthesenseofcounselandcommunity。Allmendonaturallylovetheideaofleisure,laughter,loudandequalargument;

buttherestandsaspecterinourhall。Weareconsciousofthetoweringmodernchallengethatiscalledspecialismorcut-throatcompetition——Business。Businesswillhavenothingtodowithleisure;businesswillhavenotruckwithcomradeship;

businesswillpretendtonopatiencewithallthelegalfictionsandfantastichandicapsbywhichcomradeshipprotectsitsegalitarianideal。Themodernmillionaire,whenengagedintheagreeableandtypicaltaskofsackinghisownfather,willcertainlynotrefertohimastherighthonorableclerkfromtheLaburnumRoad,Brixton。Thereforetherehasariseninmodernlifealiteraryfashiondevotingitselftotheromanceofbusiness,togreatdemigodsofgreedandtofairylandoffinance。

Thispopularphilosophyisutterlydespoticandanti-democratic;

thisfashionistheflowerofthatCaesarismagainstwhichIamconcernedtoprotest。Theidealmillionaireisstronginthepossessionofabrainofsteel。Thefactthattherealmillionaireisrathermoreoftenstronginthepossessionofaheadofwood,doesnotalterthespiritandtrendoftheidolatry。Theessentialargumentis\"Specialistsmustbedespots;menmustbespecialists。

Youcannothaveequalityinasoapfactory;soyoucannothaveitanywhere。Youcannothavecomradeshipinawheatcorner;

soyoucannothareitatall。Wemusthavecommercialcivilization;

thereforewemustdestroydemocracy。\"Iknowthatplutocratshareseldomsufficientfancytosoartosuchexamplesassoaporwheat。

Theygenerallyconfinethemselves,withfinefreshnessofmind,toacomparisonbetweenthestateandaship。Oneanti-democraticwriterremarkedthathewouldnotliketosailinavesselinwhichthecabin-boyhadanequalvotewiththecaptain。

Itmighteasilybeurgedinanswerthatmanyaship(theVictoria,forinstance)wassunkbecauseanadmiralgaveanorderwhichacabin-boycouldseewaswrong。Butthisisadebatingreply;

theessentialfallacyisbothdeeperandsimpler。Theelementaryfactisthatwewereallborninastate;wewerenotallbornonaship;

likesomeofourgreatBritishbankers。Ashipstillremainsaspecialistexperiment,likeadiving-belloraflyingship:

insuchpeculiarperilstheneedforpromptitudeconstitutestheneedforautocracy。Butweliveanddieinthevesselofthestate;

andifwecannotfindfreedomcamaraderieandthepopularelementinthestate,wecannotfinditatall。Andthemoderndoctrineofcommercialdespotismmeansthatweshallnotfinditatall。

Ourspecialisttradesintheirhighlycivilizedstatecannot(itsays)berunwithoutthewholebrutalbusinessofbossingandsacking,\"toooldatforty\"andalltherestofthefilth。

Andtheymustberun,andthereforewecallonCaesar。NobodybuttheSupermancoulddescendtodosuchdirtywork。

Now(toreiteratemytitle)thisiswhatiswrong。Thisisthehugemodernheresyofalteringthehumansoultofititsconditions,insteadofalteringhumanconditionstofitthehumansoul。

Ifsoapboilingisreallyinconsistentwithbrotherhood,somuchtheworstforsoap-boiling,notforbrotherhood。

Ifcivilizationreallycannotgetonwithdemocracy,somuchtheworseforcivilization,notfordemocracy。Certainly,itwouldbefarbettertogobacktovillagecommunes,iftheyreallyarecommunes。Certainly,itwouldbebettertodowithoutsoapratherthantodowithoutsociety。Certainly,wewouldsacrificeallourwires,wheels,systems,specialties,physicalscienceandfrenziedfinanceforonehalf-hourofhappinesssuchashasoftencometouswithcomradesinacommontavern。

Idonotsaythesacrificewillbenecessary;Ionlysayitwillbeeasy。

***

PARTTHREE

FEMINISM,ORTHEMISTAKEABOUTWOMAN

***

I

THEUNMILITARYSUFFRAGETTE

Itwillbebettertoadoptinthischapterthesameprocessthatappearedapieceofmentaljusticeinthelast。

Mygeneralopinionsonthefemininequestionaresuchasmanysuffragistswouldwarmlyapprove;anditwouldbeeasytostatethemwithoutanyopenreferencetothecurrentcontroversy。

ButjustasitseemedmoredecenttosayfirstthatIwasnotinfavorofImperialismeveninitspracticalandpopularsense,soitseemsmoredecenttosaythesameofFemaleSuffrage,initspracticalandpopularsense。Inotherwords,itisonlyfairtostate,howeverhurriedly,thesuperficialobjectiontotheSuffragettesbeforewegoontothereallysubtlequestionsbehindtheSuffrage。

Well,togetthishonestbutunpleasantbusinessover,theobjectiontotheSuffragettesisnotthattheyareMilitantSuffragettes。

Onthecontrary,itisthattheyarenotmilitantenough。

Arevolutionisamilitarything;ithasallthemilitaryvirtues;

oneofwhichisthatitcomestoanend。Twopartiesfightwithdeadlyweapons,butundercertainrulesofarbitraryhonor;

thepartythatwinsbecomesthegovernmentandproceedstogovern。

Theaimofcivilwar,liketheaimofallwar,ispeace。

NowtheSuffragettescannotraisecivilwarinthissoldierlyanddecisivesense;first,becausetheyarewomen;

and,secondly,becausetheyareveryfewwomen。Buttheycanraisesomethingelse;whichisaltogetheranotherpairofshoes。

Theydonotcreaterevolution;whattheydocreateisanarchy;

andthedifferencebetweentheseisnotaquestionofviolence,butaquestionoffruitfulnessandfinality。Revolutionofitsnatureproducesgovernment;anarchyonlyproducesmoreanarchy。

MenmayhavewhatopinionstheypleaseaboutthebeheadingofKingCharlesorKingLouis,buttheycannotdenythatBradshawandCromwellruled,thatCarnotandNapoleongoverned。

Someoneconquered;somethingoccurred。YoucanonlyknockofftheKing\'sheadonce。ButyoucanknockofftheKing\'shatanynumberoftimes。Destructionisfinite,obstructionisinfinite:

solongasrebelliontakestheformofmeredisorder(insteadofanattempttoenforceaneworder)thereisnologicalendtoit;itcanfeedonitselfandrenewitselfforever。

IfNapoleonhadnotwantedtobeaConsul,butonlywantedtobeanuisance,hecould,possibly,havepreventedanygovernmentarisingsuccessfullyoutoftheRevolution。Butsuchaproceedingwouldnothavedeservedthedignifiednameofrebellion。

ItisexactlythisunmilitantqualityintheSuffragettesthatmakestheirsuperficialproblem。Theproblemisthattheiractionhasnoneoftheadvantagesofultimateviolence;itdoesnotaffordatest。