in darkest england and the way out-第21节

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bout　Co…operation。　　Personally；　I　am　a　strong　believer　in　Co…operation；　but　it　must　be　Co…operation　based　on　the　spirit　of　benevolence。　　I　don't　see　how　any　pacific　re…adjustment　of　the　social　and　economic　relations　between　classes　in　this　country　can　be　effected　except　by　the　gradual　substitution　of　cooperative　associations　for　the　present　wages　system。　As　you　will　see　in　subsequent　chapters；　so　far　from　there　being　anything　in　my　proposals　that　would　militate　in　any　way　against　the　ultimate　adoption　of　the　co…operative　solution　of　the　question；　I　look　to　Co…operation　as　one　of　the　chief　elements　of　hope　in　the　future。　But　we　have　not　to　deal　with　the　ultimate　future；　but　with　the　immediate　present；　and　for　the　evils　with　which　we　are　dealing　the　existing　cooperative　organisations　do　not　and　cannot　give　us　much　help。

AnotherI　do　not　like　to　call　it　specific；　it　is　only　a　name；　a　mere　mockery　of　a　specificso　let　me　call　it　another　suggestion　made　when　discussing　this　evil；　is　Thrift。　　Thrift　is　a　great　virtue　no　doubt。　But　how　is　Thrift　to　benefit　those　who　have　nothing？　　What　is　the　use　of　the　gospel　of　Thrift　to　a　man　who　had　nothing　to　eat　yesterday；　and　has　not　threepence　to…day　to　pay　for　his　lodging　to…night？　　To　live　on　nothing　a　day　is　difficult　enough；　but　to　save　on　it　would　beat　the　cleverest　political　economist　that　ever　lived。　　I　admit　without　hesitation　that　any　Scheme　which　weakened　the　incentive　to　Thrift　would　do　harm。　　But　it　is　a　mistake　to　imagine　that　social　damnation　is　an　incentive　to　Thrift。　　It　operates　least　where　its　force　ought　to　be　most　felt。　　There　is　no　fear　that　any　Scheme　that　we　can　devise　will　appreciably　diminish　the　deterrent　influences　which　dispose　a　man　to　save。　　But　it　is　idle　wasting　time　upon　a　plea　that　is　only　brought　forward　as　an　excuse　for　inaction。　　Thrift　is　a　great　virtue；　the　inculcation　of　which　must　be　constantly　kept　in　view　by　all　those　who　are　attempting　to　〃educate　and　save　the　people。　　It　is　not　in　any　sense　a　specific　for　the　salvation　of　the　lapsed　and　the　lost。　　Even　among　the　most　wretched　of　the　very　poor；　a　man　must　have　an　object　and　a　hope　before　he　will　save　a　halfpenny。　　〃Let　us　eat　and　drink；　for　to…morrow　we　perish；〃　sums　up　the　philosophy　of　those　who　have　no　hope。　In　the　thriftiness　of　the　French　peasant　we　see　that　the　temptation　of　eating　and　drinking　is　capable　of　being　resolutely　subordinated　to　the　superior　claims　of　the　accumulation　of　a　dowry　for　the　daughter；　or　for　the　acquisition　of　a　little　more　land　for　the　son。

Of　the　schemes　of　those　who　propose　to　bring　in　a　new　heaven　and　a　new　earth　by　a　more　scientific　distribution　of　the　pieces　of　gold　and　silver　in　the　trouser　pockets　of　mankind；　I　need　not　say　anything　here。　They　may　be　good　or　they　may　not。　　I　say　nothing　against　any　short　cut　to　the　Millennium　that　is　compatible　with　the　Ten　Commandments。　I　intensely　sympathise　with　the　aspirations　that　lie　behind　all　these　Socialist　dreams。　　But　whether　it　is　Henry　George's　Single　Tax　on　Land　Values；　or　Edward　Bellamy's　Nationalism；　or　the　more　elaborate　schemes　of　the　Collectivists；　my　attitude　towards　them　all　is　the　same。　What　these　good　people　want　to　do；　I　also　want　to　do。　　But　I　am　a　practical　man；　dealing　with　the　actualities　of　to…day。　　I　have　no　preconceived　theories；　and　I　flatter　myself　I　am　singularly　free　from　prejudices。　　I　am　ready　to　sit　at　the　feet　of　any　who　will　show　me　any　good。　　I　keep　my　mind　open　on　all　these　subjects；　and　am　quite　prepared　to　hail　with　open　arms　any　Utopia　that　is　offered　me。　　But　it　must　be　within　range　of　my　finger…tips。　　It　is　of　no　use　to　me　if　it　is　in　the　clouds。　　Cheques　on　the　Bank　of　Futurity　I　accept　gladly　enough　as　a　free　gift；　but　I　can　hardly　be　expected　to　take　them　as　if　they　were　current　coin；　or　to　try　to　cash　them　at　the　Bank　of　England。

It　may　be　that　nothing　will　be　put　permanently　right　until　everything　has　been　turned　upside　down。　　There　are　certainly　so　many　things　that　need　transforming；　beginning　with　the　heart　of　each　individual　man　and　woman；　that　I　do　not　quarrel　with　any　Visionary　when　in　his　intense　longing　for　the　amelioration　of　the　condition　of　mankind　he　lays　down　his　theories　as　to　the　necessity　for　radical　change；　however　impracticable　they　may　appear　to　me。　　But　this　is　the　question。　Here　at　our　Shelters　last　night　were　a　thousand　hungry；　workless　people。　　I　want　to　know　what　to　do　with　them？　　Here　is　John　Jones；　a　stout　stalwart　labourer　in　rags；　who　has　not　had　one　square　meal　for　a　month；　who　has　been　hunting　for　work　that　will　enable　him　to　keep　body　and　soul　together；　and　hunting　in　vain。　　There　he　is　in　his　hungry　raggedness；　asking　for　work　that　he　may　live；　and　not　die　of　sheer　starvation　in　the　midst　of　the　wealthiest　city　in　the　world。　What　is　to　be　done　with　John　Jones？

The　individualist　tells　me　that　the　free　play　of　the　Natural　Laws　governing　the　struggle　for　existence　will　result　in　the　Survival　of　the　Fittest；　and　that　in　the　course　of　a　few　ages；　more　or　less；　a　much　nobler　type　will　be　evolved。　　But　meanwhile　what　is　to　become　of　John　Jones？　　The　Socialist　tells　me　that　the　great　Social　Revolution　is　looming　large　on　the　horizon。　　In　the　good　time　coming；　when　wealth　will　be　re…distributed　and　private　property　abolished；　all　stomachs　will　be　filled　and　there　will　be　no　more　John　Jones'　impatiently　clamouring　for　opportunity　to　work　that　they　may　not　die。　　It　may　be　so；　but　in　the　meantime　here　is　John　Jones　growing　more　impatient　than　ever　because　hungrier；　who　wonders　if　he　is　to　wait　for　a　dinner　until　the　Social　Revolution　has　arrived。　　What　are　we　to　do　with　John　Jones？　That　is　the　question。　　And　to　the　solution　of　that　question　none　of　the　Utopians　give　me　much　help。　　For　practical　purposes　these　dreamers　fall　under　the　condemnation　they　lavish　so　freely　upon　the　conventional　religious　people　who　relieve　themselves　of　all　anxiety　for　the　welfare　of　the　poor　by　saying　that　in　the　next　world　all　will　be　put　right。　This　religious　cant；　which　rids　itself　of　all　the　importunity　of　suffering　humanity　by　drawing　unnegotiable　bills　payable　on　the　other　side　of　the　grave；　is　not　more　impracticable　than　the　Socialistic　clap…trap　which　postpones　all　redress　of　human　suffering　until　after　the　general　overturn。　　Both　take　refuge　in　the　Future　to　escape　a　solution　of　the　problems　of　the　Present；　and　it　matters　little　to　the　sufferers　whether　the　Future　is　on　this　side　of　the　grave　or　the　other。　Both　are；　for　them；　equally　out　of　reach。

When　the　sky　falls　we　shall　catch　larks。　　No　doubt。　But　in　the　meantime？

It　is　the　meantimethat　is　the　only　time　in　which　we　have　to　work。　It　is　in　the　meantime　that　the　people　must　be　fed；　that　their　life's　work　must　be　done　or　left　undone　for　ever。　　Nothing　that　I　have　to　propose　in　this　book；　or　that　I　propose　to　do　by　my　Scheme；　will　in　the　least　prevent　the　coming　of　any　of　the　Utopias。　　I　leave　the　limitless　infinite　of　the　Future　to　the　Utopians。　　They　may　build　there　as　they　please。　　As　for　me；　it　is　indispensable　that　whatever　I　do　is　founded　on　existing　fact；　and　provides　a　present　help　for　the　actual　need。

There　is　only　one　class　or　men　who　have　cause　to　oppose　the　proposals　which　I　am　about　to　set　forth。　　That　is　those；　if　such　there　be；　who　are　determined　to　bring　about　by　any　and　every　means　a　bloody　and　violent　overturn　of　all　existing　institutions。　　They　will　oppose　the　Scheme；　and　they　will　act　logically　in　so　doing。　　For　the　only　hope　of　those　who　are　the　artificers　of　Revolution　is　the　mass　of　seething　discontent　and　misery　that　lies　in　the　heart　of　the　social　system。　Honestly　believing　that　things　must　get　worse　before　they　get　better；　they　build　all　their　hopes　upon　the　general　overturn；　and　they　resent　as　an　indefinite　postponement　of　the　realisation　of　their　dreams　any　attempt　at　a　reduction　of　human　misery。

The　Army　of　the　Revolution　is　recruited　by　the　Soldiers　of　Despair。　Therefore；　down　with　any　Scheme　which　gives　men　Hope。　　In　so　far　as　it　succeeds　it　curtails　our　recruiting　ground　and　reinforces　the　ranks　of　our　Enemies。　　Such　opposition　is　to　be　counted　upon；　and　to　be　utilised　as　the　best　of　all　tributes　to　the　value　of　our　work。　　Those　who　thus　count　upon　violence　and　bloodshed　are　too　few　to　hinder；　and　their　opposition　will　merely　add　to　the　momentum　with　which　I　hope　and　believe　this　Scheme　will　ultimately　be　enabled　to　surmount　all　dissent；　and　achieve；　with　the　blessing　of　God；　that　measure　of　success　with　which　I　verily　believe　it　to　be　charged。



PART　2。DELIVERANCE。

CHAPTER　1。　　A　STUPENDOUS　UNDERTAKING。

Such；　then；　is　a　brief　and　hurried　survey　of　Darkest　England；　and　those　who　have　been　in　the　depths　of　the　enchanted　forest　in　which　wander　the　tribes　of　the　despairing　Lost　will　be　the　first　to　admit　that　I　have　in　no　way　exaggerated　its　horrors；　while　most　will　assert　that　I　have　under…estimated　the　number　of　its　denizens。　　I　have；　indeed；　very　scrupulously　striven　to　keep　my　estimates　of　the　extent　of　the　evil　within　the　lines　of　sobriety。　　Nothing　in　such　an　enterprise　as　that　on　which　I　am　entering　could　worse　befall　me　than　to　come　under　the　reproach　of　sensationalism　or　exaggeration。　　Most　of　the　evidence　upon　which　I　have　relied　is　taken　direct　from　the　official