the new machiavelli-第60节

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hair；　who　was　candidate　for　some　North　Country　constituency。　　We　

discussed　the　political　outlook；　and；　like　so　many　Socialists　at　

that　time；　he　was　full　of　vague　threatenings　against　the　Liberal　

party。　　I　was　struck　by　a　thing　in　him　that　I　had　already　observed　

less　vividly　in　many　others　of　these　Socialist　leaders；　and　which　

gave　me　at　last　a　clue　to　the　whole　business。　　He　behaved　exactly　

like　a　man　in　possession　of　valuable　patent　rights；　who　wants　to　be　

dealt　with。　　He　had　an　air　of　having　a　corner　in　ideas。　　Then　it　

flashed　into　my　head　that　the　whole　Socialist　movement　was　an　

attempted　corner　in　ideas。　。　。　。







8





Late　that　night　I　found　myself　alone　with　Margaret　amid　the　debris　

of　the　gathering。



I　sat　before　the　fire；　hands　in　pockets；　and　Margaret；　looking　white　

and　weary；　came　and　leant　upon　the　mantel。



〃Oh；　Lord！〃　said　Margaret。



I　agreed。　　Then　I　resumed　my　meditation。



〃Ideas；〃　I　said；　〃count　for　more　than　I　thought　in　the　world。〃



Margaret　regarded　me　with　that　neutral　expression　behind　which　she　

was　accustomed　to　wait　for　clues。



〃When　you　think　of　the　height　and　depth　and　importance　and　wisdom　of　

the　Socialist　ideas；　and　see　the　men　who　are　running　them；〃　I　

explained。　。　。　。　　〃A　big　system　of　ideas　like　Socialism　grows　up　out　

of　the　obvious　common　sense　of　our　present　conditions。　　It's　as　

impersonal　as　science。　　All　these　menThey've　given　nothing　to　it。　　

They're　just　people　who　have　pegged　out　claims　upon　a　big　

intellectual　No…Man's…Landand　don't　feel　quite　sure　of　the　law。　　

There's　a　sort　of　quarrelsome　uneasiness。　。　。　。　　If　we　professed　

Socialism　do　you　think　they'd　welcome　us？　　Not　a　man　of　them！　　

They'd　feel　it　was　burglary。　。　。　。〃　



〃Yes；〃　said　Margaret；　looking　into　the　fire。　　〃That　is　just　what　I　

felt　about　them　all　the　evening。　。　。　。　　Particularly　Dr。　Tumpany。〃



〃We　mustn't　confuse　Socialism　with　the　Socialists；　I　said；　〃that's　

the　moral　of　it。　　I　suppose　if　God　were　to　find　He　had　made　a　

mistake　in　dates　or　something；　and　went　back　and　annihilated　

everybody　from　Owen　onwards　who　was　in　any　way　known　as　a　Socialist　

leader　or　teacher；　Socialism　would　be　exactly　where　it　is　and　what　

it　is　to…daya　growing　realisation　of　constructive　needs　in　every　

man's　mind；　and　a　little　corner　in　party　politics。　　So；　I　suppose；　

it　will　always　be。　。　。　。　　But　they　WERE　a　damned　lot；　Margaret！〃



I　looked　up　at　the　little　noise　she　made。　　〃TWICE！〃　she　said；　

smiling　indulgently；　〃to…day！〃　　（Even　the　smile　was　Altiora's。）



I　returned　to　my　thoughts。　　They　WERE　a　damned　human　lot。　　It　was　an　

excellent　word　in　that　connection。　。　。　。



But　the　ideas　marched　on；　the　ideas　marched　on；　just　as　though　men's　

brains　were　no　more　than　stepping…stones；　just　as　though　some　great　

brain　in　which　we　are　all　little　cells　and　corpuscles　was　thinking　

them！　。　。　。



〃I　don't　think　there　is　a　man　among　them　who　makes　me　feel　he　is　

trustworthy；〃　said　Margaret；　〃unless　it　is　Featherstonehaugh。〃



I　sat　taking　in　this　proposition。



〃They'll　never　help　us；　I　feel；〃　said　Margaret。



〃Us？〃



〃The　Liberals。〃



〃Oh；　damn　the　Liberals！〃　I　said。　　〃They'll　never　even　help　

themselves。〃



〃I　don't　think　I　could　possibly　get　on　with　any　of　those　people；〃　

said　Margaret；　after　a　pause。



She　remained　for　a　time　looking　down　at　me　and；　I　could　feel；　

perplexed　by　me；　but　I　wanted　to　go　on　with　my　thinking；　and　so　I　

did　not　look　up；　and　presently　she　stooped　to　my　forehead　and　kissed　

me　and　went　rustling　softly　to　her　room。



I　remained　in　my　study　for　a　long　time　with　my　thoughts　

crystallising　out。　。　。　。



It　was　then；　I　think；　that　I　first　apprehended　clearly　how　that　

opposition　to　which　I　have　already　alluded　of　the　immediate　life　and　

the　mental　hinterland　of　a　man；　can　be　applied　to　public　and　social　

affairs。　　The　ideas　go　onand　no　person　or　party　succeeds　in　

embodying　them。　　The　reality　of　human　progress　never　comes　to　the　

surface；　it　is　a　power　in　the　deeps；　an　undertow。　　It　goes　on　in　

silence　while　men　think；　in　studies　where　they　write　self…

forgetfully；　in　laboratories　under　the　urgency　of　an　impersonal　

curiosity；　in　the　rare　illumination　of　honest　talk；　in　moments　of　

emotional　insight；　in　thoughtful　reading；　but　not　in　everyday　

affairs。　　Everyday　affairs　and　whatever　is　made　an　everyday　affair；　

are　transactions　of　the　ostensible　self；　the　being　of　habits；　

interests；　usage。　　Temper；　vanity；　hasty　reaction　to　imitation；　

personal　feeling；　are　their　substance。　　No　man　can　abolish　his　

immediate　self　and　specialise　in　the　depths；　if　he　attempt　that；　he　

simply　turns　himself　into　something　a　little　less　than　the　common　

man。　　He　may　have　an　immense　hinterland；　but　that　does　not　absolve　

him　from　a　frontage。　　That　is　the　essential　error　of　the　specialist　

philosopher；　the　specialist　teacher；　the　specialist　publicist。　　They　

repudiate　frontage；　claim　to　be　pure　hinterland。　　That　is　what　

bothered　me　about　Codger；　about　those　various　schoolmasters　who　had　

prepared　me　for　life；　about　the　Baileys　and　their　dream　of　an　

official　ruling　class。　　A　human　being　who　is　a　philosopher　in　the　

first　place；　a　teacher　in　the　first　place；　or　a　statesman　in　the　

first　place；　is　thereby　and　inevitably；　though　he　bring　God…like　

gifts　to　the　pretencea　quack。　　These　are　attempts　to　live　deep…

side　shallow；　inside　out。　　They　produce　merely　a　new　pettiness。　　To　

understand　Socialism；　again；　is　to　gain　a　new　breadth　of　outlook；　to　

join　a　Socialist　organisation　is　to　join　a　narrow　cult　which　is　not　

even　tolerably　serviceable　in　presenting　or　spreading　the　ideas　for　

which　it　stands。　。　。　。



I　perceived　I　had　got　something　quite　fundamental　here。　　It　had　

taken　me　some　years　to　realise　the　true　relation　of　the　great　

constructive　ideas　that　swayed　me　not　only　to　political　parties；　but　

to　myself。　　I　had　been　disposed　to　identify　the　formulae　of　some　one　

party　with　social　construction；　and　to　regard　the　other　as　

necessarily　anti…constructive；　just　as　I　had　been　inclined　to　follow　

the　Baileys　in　the　self…righteousness　of　supposing　myself　to　be　

wholly　constructive。　　But　I　saw　now　that　every　man　of　intellectual　

freedom　and　vigour　is　necessarily　constructive…minded　nowadays；　and　

that　no　man　is　disinterestedly　so。　　Each　one　of　us　repeats　in　

himself　the　conflict　of　the　race　between　the　splendour　of　its　

possibilities　and　its　immediate　associations。　　We　may　be　shaping　

immortal　things；　but　we　must　sleep　and　answer　the　dinner　gong；　and　

have　our　salt　of　flattery　and　self…approval。　　In　politics　a　man　

counts　not　for　what　he　is　in　moments　of　imaginative　expansion；　but　

for　his　common　workaday；　selfish　self；　and　political　parties　are　

held　together　not　by　a　community　of　ultimate　aims；　but　by　the　

stabler　bond　of　an　accustomed　life。　　Everybody　almost　is　for　

progress　in　general；　and　nearly　everybody　is　opposed　to　any　change；　

except　in　so　far　as　gross　increments　are　change；　in　his　particular　

method　of　living　and　behaviour。　　Every　party　stands　essentially　for　

the　interests　and　mental　usages　of　some　definite　class　or　group　of　

classes　in　the　exciting　community；　and　every　party　has　its　

scientific…minded　and　constructive　leading　section；　with　well…

defined　hinterlands　formulating　its　social　functions　in　a　public…

spirited　form；　and　its　superficial…minded　following　confessing　its　

meannesses　and　vanities　and　prejudices。　　No　class　will　abolish　

itself；　materially　alter　its　way　of　life；　or　drastically　reconstruct　

itself；　albeit　no　class　is　indisposed　to　co…operate　in　the　unlimited　

socialisation　of　any　other　class。　　In　that　capacity　for　aggression　

upon　other　classes　lies　the　essential　driving　force　of　modern　

affairs。　　The　instincts；　the　persons；　the　parties；　and　vanities　sway　

and　struggle。　　The　ideas　and　understandings　march　on　and　achieve　

themselves　for　allin　spite　of　every　one。　。　。　。



The　methods　and　traditions　of　British　politics　maintain　the　form　of　

two　great　parties；　with　rider　groups　seeking　to　gain　specific　ends　

in　the　event　of　a　small　Government　majority。　　These　two　main　parties　

are　more　or　less　heterogeneous　in　composition。　　Each；　however；　has　

certain　necessary　characteristics。　　The　Conservative　Party　has　

always　stood　quite　definitely　for　the　established　propertied　

interests。　　The　land…owner；　the　big　lawyer；　the　Established　Church；　

and　latterly　the　huge　private　monopoly　of　the　liquor　trade　which　has　

been　created　by　temperance　legislation；　are　the　essential　

Conservatives。　　Interwoven　now　with　the　native　wealthy　are　the　

families　of　the　great　international　usurers；　and　a　vast　

miscellaneous　mass　of　financial　enterprise。　　Outside　the　range　of　

resistance　implied　by　these　interests；　the　Conservative　Party　has　

always　shown　itself　just　as　constructive　and　collectivist　as　any　

other　party。　　The　great　landowners　have　been　as　well…disposed