mark twain, a biography, 1907-1910-第54节

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Is　it　an　army　of　volunteers　who　have　enlisted　for　the　war；　and　may
righteously　be　shot　if　they　leave　before　the　war　is　finished？　　No；　it　is
not　even　an　army　in　that　sense。　　Those　fine　military　terms　are　high…
sounding；　empty　lies；　and　are　no　more　rationally　applicable　to　a
political　party　than　they　would　be　to　an　oyster…bed。　　The　volunteer
soldier　comes　to　the　recruiting　office　and　strips　himself　and　proves　that
he　is　so　many　feet　high；　and　has　sufficiently　good　teeth；　and　no　fingers
gone；　and　is　sufficiently　sound　in　body　generally；　he　is　accepted；　but
not　until　he　has　sworn　a　deep　oath　or　made　other　solemn　form　of　promise
to　march　under；　that　flag　until　that　war　is　done　or　his　term　of
enlistment　completed。　　What　is　the　process　when　a　voter　joins　a　party？　
Must　he　prove　that　he　is　sound　in　any　way；　mind　or　body？　　Must　he　prove
that　he　knows　anythingis　capable　of　anythingwhatever？　　Does　he　take
an　oath　or　make　a　promise　of　any　sort？or　doesn't　he　leave　himself
entirely　free？　　If　he　were　informed　by　the　political　boss　that　if　he
join；　it　must　be　forever；　that　he　must　be　that　party's　chattel　and　wear
its　brass　collar　the　rest　of　his　dayswould　not　that　insult　him？　　It
goes　without　saying。　　He　would　say　some　rude；　unprintable　thing；　and　turn
his　back　on　that　preposterous　organization。　　But　the　political　boss　puts
no　conditions　upon　him　at　all；　and　this　volunteer　makes　no　promises；
enlists　for　no　stated　term。　　He　has　in　no　sense　become　a　part　of　an　army；
he　is　in　no　way　restrained　of　his　freedom。　　Yet　he　will　presently　find
that　his　bosses　and　his　newspapers　have　assumed　just　the　reverse　of　that：
that　they　have　blandly　arrogated　to　themselves　an　ironclad　military
authority　over　him；　and　within　twelve　months；　if　he　is　an　average　man；　he
will　have　surrendered　his　liberty；　and　will　actually　be　silly　enough　to
believe　that　he　cannot　leave　that　party；　for　any　cause　whatever；　without
being　a　shameful　traitor；　a　deserter；　a　legitimately　dishonored　man。

There　you　have　the　just　measure　of　that　freedom　of　conscience；　freedom　of
opinion；　freedom　of　speech　and　action　which　we　hear　so　much　inflated
foolishness　about　as　being　the　precious　possession　of　the　republic。　
Whereas；　in　truth；　the　surest　way　for　a　man　to　make　of　himself　a　target
for　almost　universal　scorn；　obloquy；　slander；　and　insult　is　to　stop
twaddling　about　these　priceless　independencies　and　attempt　to　exercise
one　of　them。　　If　he　is　a　preacher　half　his　congregation　will　clamor　for
his　expulsionand　will　expel　him；　except　they　find　it　will　injure　real
estate　in　the　neighborhood；　if　he　is　a　doctor　his　own　dead　will　turn
against　him。

I　repeat　that　the　new　party…member　who　supposed　himself　independent　will
presently　find　that　the　party　have　somehow　got　a　mortgage　on　his　soul；
and　that　within　a　year　he　will　recognize　the　mortgage；　deliver　up　his
liberty；　and　actually　believe　he　cannot　retire　from　that　party　from　any
motive　howsoever　high　and　right　in　his　own　eyes　without　shame　and
dishonor。

Is　it　possible　for　human　wickedness　to　invent　a　doctrine　more　infernal
and　poisonous　than　this？　　Is　there　imaginable　a　baser　servitude　than　it
imposes？　　What　slave　is　so　degraded　as　the　slave　that　is　proud　that　he　is
a　slave？　　What　is　the　essential　difference　between　a　lifelong　democrat
and　any　other　kind　of　lifelong　slave？　　Is　it　less　humiliating　to　dance　to
the　lash　of　one　master　than　another？

This　infamous　doctrine　of　allegiance　to　party　plays　directly　into　the
hands　of　politicians　of　the　baser　sortand　doubtless　for　that　it　was
borrowedor　stolenfrom　the　monarchial　system。　　It　enables　them　to
foist　upon　the　country　officials　whom　no　self…respecting　man　would　vote
for　if　he　could　but　come　to　understand　that　loyalty　to　himself　is　his
first　and　highest　duty；　not　loyalty　to　any　party　name。

Shall　you　say　the　best　good　of　the　country　demands　allegiance　to　party？　
Shall　you　also　say　that　it　demands　that　a　man　kick　his　truth　and　his
conscience　into　the　gutter　and　become　a　mouthing　lunatic　besides？　　Oh　no；
you　say；　it　does　not　demand　that。　　But　what　if　it　produce　that　in　spite
of　you？　　There　is　no　obligation　upon　a　man　to　do　things　which　he　ought
not　to　do　when　drunk；　but　most　men　will　do　them　just　the　same；　and　so　we
hear　no　arguments　about　obligations　in　the　matterwe　only　hear　men
warned　to　avoid　the　habit　of　drinking；　get　rid　of　the　thing　that　can
betray　men　into　such　things。

This　is　a　funny　business　all　around。　　The　same　men　who　enthusiastically
preach　loyal　consistency　to　church　and　party　are　always　ready　and　willing
and　anxious　to　persuade　a　Chinaman　or　an　Indian　or　a　Kanaka　to　desert　his
church　or　a　fellow…American　to　desert　his　party。　　The　man　who　deserts　to
them　is　all　that　is　high　and　pure　and　beautifulapparently；　the　man　who
deserts　from　them　is　all　that　is　foul　and　despicable。　　This　is
Consistencywith　a　capital　C。

With　the　daintiest　and　self…complacentest　sarcasm　the　lifelong　loyalist
scoffs　at　the　Independentor　as　he　calls　him；　with　cutting　irony；　the
Mugwump；　makes　himself　too　killingly　funny　for　anything　in　this　world
about　him。　　Butthe　Mugwump　can　stand　it；　for　there　is　a　great　history
at　his　back；　stretching　down　the　centuries；　and　he　comes　of　a　mighty
ancestry。　　He　knows　that　in　the　whole　history　of　the　race　of　men　no
single　great　and　high　and　beneficent　thing　was　ever　done　for　the　souls
and　bodies；　the　hearts　and　the　brains　of　the　children　of　this　world；　but
a　Mugwump　started　it　and　Mugwumps　carried　it　to　victory：　And　their　names
are　the　stateliest　in　history：　Washington；　Garrison；　Galileo；　Luther；
Christ。　　Loyalty　to　petrified　opinions　never　yet　broke　a　chain　or　freed　a
human　soul　in　this　world…end　never　will。







APPENDIX　S

ORIGINAL　PREFACE　FOR　〃A　CONNECTICUT　YANKEE　IN　KING　ARTHUR'S　COURT〃

（See　Chapter　clxxii）

My　object　has　been　to　group　together　some　of　the　most　odious　laws　which
have　had　vogue　in　the　Christian　countries　within　the　past　eight　or　ten
centuries；　and　illustrate　them　by　the　incidents　of　a　story。

There　was　never　a　time　when　America　applied　the　death…penalty　to　more
than　fourteen　crimes。　　But　England；　within　the　memory　of　men　still
living；　had　in　her　list　of　crimes　223　which　were　punishable　by　death！　
And　yet　from　the　beginning　of　our　existence　down　to　a　time　within　the
memory　of　babes　England　has　distressed　herself　piteously　over　the
ungentleness　of　our　Connecticut　Blue　Laws。　　Those　Blue　Laws　should　have
been　spared　English　criticism　for　two　reasons：

1。　　They　were　so　insipidly　mild；　by　contrast　with　the　bloody　and
atrocious　laws　of　England　of　the　same　period；　as　to　seem　characterless
and　colorless　when　one　brings　them　into　that　awful　presence。

2。　　The　Blue　Laws　never　had　any　existence。　　They　were　the　fancy…work　of
an　English　clergyman；　they　were　never　a　part　of　any　statute…book。　　And
yet　they　could　have　been　made　to　serve　a　useful　and　merciful　purpose；　if
they　had　been　injected　into　the　English　law　the　dilution　would　have　given
to　the　whole　a　less　lurid　aspect；　or；　to　figure　the　effect　in　another
way；　they　would　have　been　coca　mixed　into　vitriol。

I　have　drawn　no　laws　and　no　illustrations　from　the　twin　civilizations　of
hell　and　Russia。　　To　have　entered　into　that　atmosphere　would　have
defeated　my　purpose；　which　was　to　show　a　great　and　genuine　progress　in
Christendom　in　these　few　later　generations　toward　mercifulnessa　wide
and　general　relaxing　of　the　grip　of　the　law。　　Russia　had　to　be　left　out
because　exile　to　Siberia　remains；　and　in　that　single　punishment　is
gathered　together　and　concentrated　all　the　bitter　inventions　of　all　the
black　ages　for　the　infliction　of　suffering　upon　human　beings。　　Exile　for
life　from　one's　hearthstone　and　one's　idolsthis　is　rack；　thumb…screw；
the　water…drop；　fagot　and　stake；　tearing　asunder　by　horses；　flaying
aliveall　these　in　one；　and　not　compact　into　hours；　but　drawn　out　into
years；　each　year　a　century；　and　the　whole　a　mortal　immortality　of　torture
and　despair。　　While　exile　to　Siberia　remains　one　will　be　obliged　to　admit
that　there　is　one　country　in　Christendom　where　the　punishments　of　all　the
ages　are　still　preserved　and　still　inflicted；　that　there　is　one　country
in　Christendom　where　no　advance　has　been　made　toward　modifying　the
medieval　penalties　for　offenses　against　society　and　the　State。






APPENDIX　T

A　TRIBUTE　TO　HENRY　H。　　ROGERS

（See　Chapter　cc　and　earlier）

April　25；　1902。　　I　owe　more　to　Henry　Rogers　than　to　any　other　man　whom　I
have　known。　　He　was　born　in　Fairhaven；　Connecticut；　in　1839；　and　is　my
junior　by　four　years。　　He　was　graduated　from　the　high　school　there　in
1853；　when　he　was　fourteen　years　old；　and　from　that　time　forward　he
earned　his　own　living；　beginning　at　first　as　the　bottom　subordinate　in
the　village　store　with　hard…work　privileges　and　a　low　salary。　　When　he
was　twenty…four　he　went　out　to　the　newly　discovered　petroleum　fields　in
Pennsylvania　and　got　work；　then　returned　home；　with　enough　money　to　pay
passage；　married　a　schoolmate；　and　took　her　to　the　oil　regions。　　He
prospered；　and　by　and　by　established　the　Standard　Oil　Trust　with　Mr。
Rockefeller　and　others；　and　is　still　one　of　its　managers　and　directors。

In　1893　we　fell　together　by　accident　one　evening