in darkest england and the way out-第12节

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I　am　labouring　under　no　delusions　as　to　the　possibility　of　inaugurating　the　Millennium　by　any　social　specific。　　In　the　struggle　of　life　the　weakest　will　go　to　the　wall；　and　there　are　so　many　weak。　　The　fittest；　in　tooth　and　claw；　will　survive。　　All　that　we　can　do　is　to　soften　the　lot　of　the　unfit　and　make　their　suffering　less　horrible　than　it　is　at　present。　　No　amount　of　assistance　will　give　a　jellyfish　a　backbone。　No　outside　propping　will　make　some　men　stand　erect。　　All　material　help　from　without　is　useful　only　in　so　far　as　it　develops　moral　strength　within。　　And　some　men　seem　to　have　lost　even　the　very　faculty　of　self…help。　　There　is　an　immense　lack　of　common　sense　and　of　vital　energy　on　the　part　of　multitudes。

It　is　against　Stupidity　in　every　shape　and　form　that　we　have　to　wage　our　eternal　battle。　　But　how　can　we　wonder　at　the　want　of　sense　on　the　part　of　those　who　have　had　no　advantages；　when　we　see　such　plentiful　absence　of　that　commodity　on　the　part　of　those　who　have　had　all　the　advantages？

How　can　we　marvel　if；　after　leaving　generation　after　generation　to　grow　up　uneducated　and　underfed；　there　should　be　developed　a　heredity　of　incapacity；　and　that　thousands　of　dull…witted　people　should　be　born　into　the　world；　disinherited　before　their　birth　of　their　share　in　the　average　intelligence　of　mankind？

Besides　those　who　are　thus　hereditarily　wanting　in　the　qualities　necessary　to　enable　them　to　hold　their　own；　there　are　the　weak；　the　disabled；　the　aged；　and　the　unskilled；　worse　than　all；　there　is　the　want　of　character。　　Those　who　have　the　best　of　reputation；　if　they　lose　their　foothold　on　the　ladder；　find　it　difficult　enough　to　regain　their　place。　　What；　then；　can　men　and　women　who　have　no　character　do？　　When　a　master　has　the　choice　of　a　hundred　honest　men；　is　it　reasonable　to　expect　that　he　will　select　a　poor　fellow　with　　tarnished　reputation？　All　this　is　true；　and　it　is　one　of　the　things　that　makes　the　problem　almost　insoluble。　　And　insoluble　it　is；　I　am　absolutely　convinced　unless　it　is　possible　to　bring　new　moral　life　into　the　soul　of　these　people。　　This　should　be　the　first　object　of　every　social　reformer；　whose　work　will　only　last　if　it　is　built　on　the　solid　foundation　of　a　new　birth；　to　cry　〃You　must　be　born　again。〃

To　get　a　man　soundly　saved　it　is　not　enough　to　put　on　him　a　pair　of　new　breeches；　to　give　him　regular　work；　or　even　to　give　him　a　University　education。　　These　things　are　all　outside　a　man；　and　if　the　inside　remains　unchanged　you　have　wasted　your　labour。　　You　must　in　some　way　or　other　graft　upon　the　man's　nature　a　new　nature；　which　has　in　it　the　element　of　the　Divine。　　All　that　I　propose　in　this　book　is　governed　by　that　principle。

The　difference　between　the　method　which　seeks　to　regenerate　the　man　by　ameliorating　his　circumstances　and　that　which　ameliorates　his　circumstances　in　order　to　get　at　the　regeneration　of　his　heart；　is　the　difference　between　the　method　of　the　gardener　who　grafts　a　Ribstone　Pippin　on　a　crab…apple　tree　and　one　who　merely　ties　apples　with　string　upon　the　branches　of　the　crab。　　To　change　the　nature　of　the　individual；　to　get　at　the　heart；　to　save　his　soul　is　the　only　real；　lasting　method　of　doing　him　any　good。　　In　many　modern　schemes　of　social　regeneration　it　is　forgotten　that　〃it　takes　a　soul　to　move　a　body；　e'en　to　a　cleaner　sty；〃　and　at　the　risk　of　being　misunderstood　and　misrepresented；　I　must　assert　in　the　most　unqualified　way　that　it　is　primarily　and　mainly　for　the　sake　of　saving　the　soul　that　I　seek　the　salvation　of　the　body。

But　what　is　the　use　of　preaching　the　Gospel　to　men　whose　whole　attention　is　concentrated　upon　a　mad；　desperate　struggle　to　keep　themselves　alive？　　You　might　as　well　give　a　tract　to　a　shipwrecked　sailor　who　is　battling　with　the　surf　which　has　drowned　his　comrades　and　threatens　to　drown　him。　　He　will　not　listen　to　you。　　Nay；　he　cannot　hear　you　any　more　than　a　man　whose　head　is　underwater　can　listen　to　a　sermon。　　The　first　thing　to　do　is　to　get　him　at　least　a　footing　on　firm　ground；　and　to　give　him　room　to　live。　　Then　you　may　have　a　chance。　At　present　you　have　none。　　And　you　will　have　all　the　better　opportunity　to　find　a　way　to　his　heart；　if　he　comes　to　know　that　it　was　you　who　pulled　him　out　of　the　horrible　pit　and　the　miry　clay　in　which　he　was　sinking　to　perdition。


CHAPTER　6。　　THE　VICIOUS。

There　are　many　vices　and　seven　deadly　sins。　　But　of　late　years　many　of　the　seven　have　contrived　to　pass　themselves　off　as　virtues。　　Avarice；　for　instance；　and　Pride；　when　re…baptised　thrift　and　self…respect；　have　become　the　guardian　angels　of　Christian　civilisation；　and　as　for　Envy；　it　is　the　corner…stone　upon　which　much　of　our　competitive　system　is　founded。　　There　are　still　two　vices　which　are　fortunate；　or　unfortunate；　enough　to　remain　undisguised；　not　even　concealing　from　themselves　the　fact　that　they　are　vices　and　not　virtues。　　One　is　drunkenness；　the　other　fornication。　　The　viciousness　of　these　vices　is　so　little　disguised；　even　from　those　who　habitually　practise　them；　that　there　will　be　a　protest　against　merely　describing　one　of　them　by　the　right　Biblical　name。　　Why　not　say　prostitution？　　For　this　reason：　prostitution　is　a　word　applied　to　only　one　half　of　the　vice；　and　that　the　most　pitiable。　　Fornication　hits　both　sinners　alike。　　Prostitution　applies　only　to　the　woman。

When；　however；　we　cease　to　regard　this　vice　from　the　point　of　view　of　morality　and　religion；　and　look　at　it　solely　as　a　factor　in　the　social　problem；　the　word　prostitution　is　less　objectionable。　　For　the　social　burden　of　this　vice　is　borne　almost　entirely　by　women。　　The　male　sinner　does　not；　by　the　mere　fact　of　his　sin；　find　himself　in　a　worse　position　in　obtaining　employment；　in　finding　a　home；　or　even　in　securing　a　wife。　His　wrong…doing　only　hits　him　in　his　purse；　or；　perhaps；　in　his　health。　His　incontinence；　excepting　so　far　as　it　relates　to　the　woman　whose　degradation　it　necessitates；　does　not　add　to　the　number　of　those　for　whom　society　has　to　provide。　　It　is　an　immense　addition　to　the　infamy　of　this　vice　in　man　that　its　consequences　have　to　be　borne　almost　exclusively　by　woman。　　The　difficulty　of　dealing　with　drunkards　and　harlots　is　almost　insurmountable。　　Were　it　not　that　I　utterly　repudiate　as　a　fundamental　denial　of　the　essential　principle　of　the　Christian　religion　the　popular　pseudo…scientific　doctrine　that　any　man　or　woman　is　past　saving　by　the　grace　of　God　and　the　power　of　the　Holy　Spirit；　I　would　sometimes　be　disposed　to　despair　when　contemplating　these　victims　of　the　Devil。　　The　doctrine　of　Heredity　and　the　suggestion　of　Irresponsibility　come　perilously　near　re…establishing；　on　scientific　bases；　the　awful　dogma　of　Reprobation　which　has　cast　so　terrible　a　shadow　over　the　Christian　Church。　　For　thousands　upon　thousands　of　these　poor　wretches　are；　as　Bishop　South　truly　said；　〃not　so　much　born　into　this　world　as　damned　into　it。〃　　The　bastard　of　a　harlot；　born　in　a　brothel；　suckled　on　gin；　and　familiar　from　earliest　infancy　with　all　the　bestialities　of　debauch；　violated　before　she　is　twelve；　and　driven　out　into　the　streets　by　her　mother　a　year　or　two　later；　what　chance　is　there　for　such　a　girl　in　this　worldI　say　nothing　about　the　next？　Yet　such　a　case　is　not　exceptional。　　There　are　many　such　differing　in　detail；　but　in　essentials　the　same。　　And　with　boys　it　is　almost　as　bad。　There　are　thousands　who　were　begotten　when　both　parents　were　besotted　with　drink；　whose　mothers　saturated　themselves　with　alcohol　every　day　of　their　pregnancy；　who　may　be　said　to　have　sucked　in　a　taste　for　strong　drink　with　their　mothers'　milk；　and　who　were　surrounded　from　childhood　with　opportunities　and　incitements　to　drink。　　How　can　we　marvel　that　the　constitution　thus　disposed　to　intemperance　finds　the　stimulus　of　drink　indispensable？　　Even　if　they　make　a　stand　against　it；　the　increasing　pressure　of　exhaustion　and　of　scanty　food　drives　them　back　to　the　cup。　　Of　these　poor　wretches；　born　slaves　of　the　bottle；　predestined　to　drunkenness　from　their　mother's　womb；　there　arewho　can　say　how　many？　　Yet　they　are　all　men；　all　with　what　the　Russian　peasants　call　〃a　spark　of　God〃　in　them；　which　can　never　be　wholly　obscured　and　destroyed　while　life　exists；　and　if　any　social　scheme　is　to　be　comprehensive　and　practical　it　must　deal　with　these　men。　　It　must　provide　for　the　drunkard　and　the　harlot　as　it　provides　for　the　improvident　and　the　out…of…work。　　But　who　is　sufficient　for　these　things？

I　will　take　the　question　of　the　drunkard；　for　the　drink　difficulty　lies　at　the　root　of　everything。　　Nine…tenths　of　our　poverty；　squalor；　vice；　and　crime　spring　from　this　poisonous　tap…root。　　Many　of　our　social　evils；　which　overshadow　the　land　like　so　many　upas　trees；　would　dwindle　away　and　die　if　they　were　not　constantly　watered　with　strong　drink。　There　is　universal　agreement　on　that　point；　in　fact；　the　agreement　as　to　the　evils　of　intemperance　is　almost　as　universal　as　the　conviction　that　politicians　will　do　nothing　practical　to　interfere　with　them。　In　Ireland；　Mr。　Justice　Fitzgerald　says　that　intemperance　leads　to　nineteen…twentieths　of　the　crime　in　that　country；　but　no　one　proposes　a　Coercion　Act　to　deal　with　that　evil。　　In　England；　the　judges　all　say　the　same　thing。　　Of　course　it　is　a　mistake　to　assume　that　a　murder；　for　insta