the man versus the state-第20节

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d　on　without　violence　among　individuals　in　their　own　society；　they　contemplate　with　contented　equanimity　such　evils　in　their　intense　and　wholesale　forms；　when　inflicted　by　fire　and　sword　on　entire　communities。　Not　worthy　of　much　respect　then；　as　it　seems　to　me；　is　this　generous　consideration　of　the　inferior　at　home　which　is　accompanied　by　unscrupulous　sacrifice　of　the　inferior　abroad。　　　　　　Still　less　respectable　appears　this　extreme　concern　for　those　of　our　own　blood　which　goes　along　with　utter　unconcern　for　those　of　other　blood；　when　we　observe　its　methods。　Did　it　prompt　personal　effort　to　relieve　the　suffering；　it　would　rightly　receive　approving　recognition。　Were　the　many　who　express　this　cheap　pity　like　the　few　who　patiently；　week　after　week　and　year　after　year；　devote　large　parts　of　their　time　to　helping　and　encouraging；　and　occasionally　amusing；　those　who；　in　some　cases　by　ill…fortune　and　in　other　cases　by　incapacity　or　misconduct；　are　brought　to　lives　of　hardship；　they　would　be　worthy　of　unqualified　admiration。　The　more　there　are　of　men　and　women　who　help　the　poor　to　help　themselves　　the　more　there　are　of　those　whose　sympathy　is　exhibited　directly　and　not　by　proxy；　the　more　we　may　rejoice。　But　the　mense　majority　of　the　persons　who　wish　to　mitigate　by　law　the　miseries　of　the　unsuccessful　and　the　reckless；　propose　to　do　this　in　small　measure　at　their　own　cost　and　mainly　at　the　cost　of　others　　sometimes　with　their　assent　but　mostly　without。　More　than　this　is　true；　for　those　who　are　to　be　forced　to　do　so　much　for　the　distressed；　often　equally　or　more　require　something　doing　for　them。　The　deserving　poor　are　among　those　who　are　burdened　to　pay　the　costs　of　caring　for　the　undeserving　poor。　As；　under　the　old　Poor　Law；　the　diligent　and　provident　labourer　had　to　pay　that　the　good…for…nothings　might　not　suffer；　until　frequently　under　this　extra　burden　he　broke　down　and　himself　took　refuge　in　the　workhouse　　as；　at　present；　it　is　admitted　that　the　total　rates　levied　in　large　towns　for　all　public　purposes；　have　now　reached　such　a　height　that　they　〃cannot　be　exceeded　without　inflicting　great　hardship　on　the　small　shopkeepers　and　artisans；　who　already　find　it　difficult　enough　to　keep　themselves　free　from　the　pauper　taint；〃（26*）　so　in　all　cases；　the　policy　is　one　which　intensifies　the　pains　of　those　most　deserving　of　pity；　that　the　pains　of　those　least　deserving　of　pity　may　be　mitigated。　In　short；　men　who　are　so　sympathetic　that　they　cannot　allow　the　struggle　for　existence　to　bring　on　the　unworthy　the　sufferings　consequent　on　their　incapacity　or　misconduct；　are　so　unsympathetic　that　they　can；　without　hesitation；　make　the　struggle　for　existence　harder　for　the　worthy；　and　inflict　on　them　and　their　children　artificial　evils　in　addition　to　the　natural　evils　they　have　to　bear！　

And　here　we　are　brought　round　to　our　original　topic　　the　sins　of　legislators。　Here　there　comes　clearly　before　us　the　commonest　of　the　transgressions　which　rulers　commit　　a　transgression　so　common；　and　so　sanctified　by　custom；　that　no　one　imagines　it　to　be　a　transgression。　Here　we　see　that；　as　indicated　at　the　outset；　Government；　begotten　of　aggression　and　by　aggression；　ever　continues　to　betray　its　original　nature　by　its　aggressiveness；　and　that　even　what　on　its　nearer　face　seems　beneficence　only；　shows；　on　its　remoter　face；　not　a　little　maleficence　　kindness　at　the　cost　of　cruelty。　For　is　it　not　cruel　to　increase　the　sufferings　of　the　better　that　the　sufferings　of　the　worse　may　be　decreased？　　　　　　It　is；　indeed；　marvellous　how　readily　we　let　ourselves　be　deceived　by　words　and　phrases　which　suggest　one　aspect　of　the　facts　while　leaving　the　opposite　aspect　unsuggested。　A　good　frustration　of　this；　and　one　germane　to　the　mediate　question；　is　seen　in　the　use　of　the　words　〃protection〃　and　〃protectionist〃　by　the　antagonists　of　free　trade；　and　in　the　tacit　admission　of　its　propriety　by　free…traders。　While　the　one　party　has　habitually　ignored；　the　other　party　has　habitually　failed　to　emphasize；　the　truth　that　this　so…called　protection　always　involves　aggression；　and　that　the　name　aggressionist　ought　to　be　substituted　for　the　name　protectionist。　For　nothing　can　be　more　certain　than　that　if；　to　maintain　A's　profit；　B　is　forbidden　to　buy　of　C；　or　is　fined　to　the　extent　of　the　duty　if　he　buys　of　C；　B　is　aggressed　upon　that　A　may　be　〃protected。〃　Nay；　〃aggressionists〃　is　a　title　doubly　more　applicable　to　the　anti…free…traders　than　is　the　euphemistic　title　〃protectionists；〃　since；　that　one　producer　may　gain；　ten　consumers　are　fleeced。　　　　　　Now　just　the　like　confusion　of　ideas；　caused　by　looking　at　one　face　only　of　the　transaction；　may　be　traced　throughout　all　the　legislation　which　forcibly　takes　the　property　of　this　man　for　the　purpose　of　giving　gratis　benefits　to　that　man。　Habitually　when　one　of　the　numerous　measures　thus　characterized　is　discussed；　the　dominant　thought　is　concerning　the　pitiable　Jones　who　is　to　be　protected　against　some　evil；　while　no　thought　is　given　to　the　hard…working　Brown　who　is　aggressed　upon；　often　much　more　to　be　pitied。　Money　is　exacted　（either　directly　or　through　raised　rent）　from　the　huckster　who　only　by　extreme　pinching　can　pay　her　way；　from　the　mason　thrown　out　of　work　by　a　strike；　from　the　mechanic　whose　savings　are　melting　away　during　an　illness；　from　the　widow　who　washes　or　sews　from　dawn　to　dark　to　feed　her　fatherless　little　ones；　and　all　that　the　dissolute　may　be　saved　from　hunger；　that　the　children　of　less　impoverished　neighbours　may　have　cheap　lessons；　and　that　various　people；　mostly　better　off；　may　read　newspapers　and　novels　for　nothing！　The　error　of　nomenclature　is；　in　one　respect；　more　misleading　than　that　which　allows　aggressionists　to　be　called　protectionists；　for；　as　just　shown；　protection　of　the　vicious　poor　involves　aggression　on　the　virtuous　poor。　Doubtless　it　is　true　that　the　greater　part　of　the　money　exacted　comes　from　those　who　are　relatively　well…off。　But　this　is　no　consolation　to　the　ill…off　from　whom　the　rest　is　exacted。　Nay；　if　the　comparison　be　made　between　the　pressures　borne　by　the　two　classes　respectively；　it　becomes　manifest　that　the　case　is　even　worse　than　at　first　appears；　for　while　to　the　well…off　the　exaction　means　loss　of　luxuries；　to　the　ill…off　it　means　loss　of　necessaries。　　　　　　And　now　see　the　Nemesis　which　is　threatening　to　follow　this　chronic　sin　of　legislators。　They　and　their　class；　in　common　with　all　owners　of　property；　are　in　danger　of　suffering　from　a　sweeping　application　of　that　general　principle　practically　asserted　by　each　of　these　confiscating　Acts　of　Parliament。　For　what　is　the　tacit　assumption　on　which　such　Acts　proceed？　It　is　the　assumption　that　no　man　has　any　claim　to　his　property；　not　even　to　that　which　he　has　earned　by　the　sweat　of　his　brow；　save　by　permission　of　the　community；　and　that　the　community　may　cancel　the　claim　to　any　extent　it　thinks　fit。　No　defence　can　be　made　for　this　appropriation　of　A's　possessions　for　the　benefit　of　B；　save　one　which　sets　out　with　the　postulate　that　society　as　a　whole　has　an　absolute　right　over　the　possessions　of　each　member。　And　now　this　doctrine；　which　has　been　tacitly　assumed；　is　being　openly　proclaimed。　Mr　George　and　his　friends；　Mr　Hyndman　and　his　supporters；　are　pushing　the　theory　to　its　logical　issue。　They　have　been　instructed　by　examples；　yearly　increasing　in　number；　that　the　individual　has　no　rights　but　what　the　community　may　equitably　override；　and　they　are　now　saying　　〃It　shall　go　hard　but　we　will　better　the　instruction；〃　and　over…ride　individual　rights　altogether。　

Legislative　misdeeds　of　the　classes　above　indicated　are　in　large　measure　explained；　and　reprobation　of　them　mitigated；　when　we　look　at　the　matter　from　afar　off。　They　have　their　root　in　the　error　that　society　is　a　manufacture；　whereas　it　is　a　growth。　Neither　the　culture　of　past　times　nor　the　culture　of　the　present　time；　has　given　to　any　considerable　number　of　people　a　scientific　conception　of　a　society　　a　conception　of　it　as　having　a　natural　structure　in　which　all　its　institutions；　governmental；　religious；　industrial；　commercial；　etc。；　etc。；　are　interdependently　bound　　a　structure　which　is　in　a　sense　organic。　Or　if　such　a　conception　is　nominally　entertained；　it　is　not　entertained　in　such　way　as　to　be　operative　on　conduct。　Contrariwise；　incorporated　humanity　is　very　commonly　thought　of　as　though　it　were　like　so　much　dough　which　the　cook　can　mould　as　she　pleases　into　pie…crust；　or　puff；　or　tartlet。　The　communist　shows　us　unmistakably　that　he　thinks　of　the　body　politic　as　admitting　of　being　shaped　thus　or　thus　at　will；　and　the　tacit　implication　of　many　Acts　of　Parliament　is　that　aggregated　men；　twisted　into　this　or　that　arrangement；　will　remain　as　intended。　　　　　　It　may　indeed　be　said　that　even　irrespective　of　this　erroneous　conception　of　a　society　as　a　plastic　mass　instead　of　as　an　organized　body；　facts　forced　on　his　attention　hour　by　hour　should　make　every　one　sceptical　as　to　the　success　of　this　or　that　proposed　way　of　changing　a　people's　actions。　Alike　to　the　citizen　and　to　the　legislator；　home　experiences　daily　supply　proofs　that　the　conduct　of　human　beings　baulks　calculation。　He　has　given　up　the　thought　of　managing　his　wife　and　lets　her　manage　him。　Children　on　whom　he　has　tried　now　reprimand；　now　punish