the new machiavelli-第62节

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theories；　that　my　political　life　didn't　in　some　way　comprehend　more　

than　itself；　that　rather　perplexingly　I　was　missing　the　thing　I　was　

seeking。　　Britten's　footnotes　to　Altiora's　self…assertions；　her　fits　

of　energetic　planning；　her　quarrels　and　rallies　and　vanities；　his　

illuminating　attacks　on　Cramptonism　and　the　heavy…spirited　

triviality　of　such　Liberalism　as　the　Children's　Charter；　served　to　

point　my　way　to　my　present　conclusions。　　I　had　been　trying　to　deal　

all　along　with　human　progress　as　something　immediate　in　life；　

something　to　be　immediately　attacked　by　political　parties　and　groups　

pointing　primarily　to　that　end。　　I　now　began　to　see　that　just　as　in　

my　own　being　there　was　the　rather　shallow；　rather　vulgar；　self…

seeking　careerist；　who　wore　an　admirable　silk　hat　and　bustled　self…

consciously　through　the　lobby；　and　a　much　greater　and　indefinitely　

growing　unpublished　personality　behind　himmy　hinterland；　I　have　

called　itso　in　human　affairs　generally　the　permanent　reality　is　

also　a　hinterland；　which　is　never　really　immediate；　which　draws　

continually　upon　human　experience　and　influences　human　action　more　

and　more；　but　which　is　itself　never　the　actual　player　upon　the　

stage。　　It　is　the　unseen　dramatist　who　never　takes　a　call。　　Now　it　

was　just　through　the　fact　that　our　group　about　the　Baileys　didn't　

understand　this；　that　with　a　sort　of　frantic　energy　they　were　trying　

to　develop　that　sham　expert　officialdom　of　theirs　to　plan；　regulate；　

and　direct　the　affairs　of　humanity；　that　the　perplexing　note　of　

silliness　and　shallowness　that　I　had　always　felt　and　felt　now　most　

acutely　under　Britten's　gibes；　came　in。　　They　were　neglecting　human　

life　altogether　in　social　organisation。



In　the　development　of　intellectual　modesty　lies　the　growth　of　

statesmanship。　　It　has　been　the　chronic　mistake　of　statecraft　and　

all　organising　spirits　to　attempt　immediately　to　scheme　and　arrange　

and　achieve。　　Priests；　schools　of　thought；　political　schemers；　

leaders　of　men；　have　always　slipped　into　the　error　of　assuming　that　

they　can　think　out　the　wholeor　at　any　rate　completely　think　out　

definite　partsof　the　purpose　and　future　of　man；　clearly　and　

finally；　they　have　set　themselves　to　legislate　and　construct　on　that　

assumption；　and；　experiencing　the　perplexing　obduracy　and　evasions　

of　reality；　they　have　taken　to　dogma；　persecution；　training；　

pruning；　secretive　education；　and　all　the　stupidities　of　self…

sufficient　energy。　　In　the　passion　of　their　good　intentions　they　

have　not　hesitated　to　conceal　fact；　suppress　thought；　crush　

disturbing　initiatives　and　apparently　detrimental　desires。　　And　so　

it　is　blunderingly　and　wastefully；　destroying　with　the　making；　that　

any　extension　of　social　organisation　is　at　present　achieved。



Directly；　however；　this　idea　of　an　emancipation　from　immediacy　is　

grasped；　directly　the　dominating　importance　of　this　critical；　less　

personal；　mental　hinterland　in　the　individual　and　of　the　collective　

mind　in　the　race　is　understood；　the　whole　problem　of　the　statesman　

and　his　attitude　towards　politics　gain　a　new　significance；　and　

becomes　accessible　to　a　new　series　of　solutions。　　He　wants　no　longer　

to　〃fix　up；〃　as　people　say；　human　affairs；　but　to　devote　his　forces　

to　the　development　of　that　needed　intellectual　life　without　which　

all　his　shallow　attempts　at　fixing　up　are　futile。　　He　ceases　to　

build　on　the　sands；　and　sets　himself　to　gather　foundations。



You　see；　I　began　in　my　teens　by　wanting　to　plan　and　build　cities　and　

harbours　for　mankind；　I　ended　in　the　middle　thirties　by　desiring　

only　to　serve　and　increase　a　general　process　of　thought；　a　process　

fearless；　critical；　real…spirited；　that　would　in　its　own　time　give　

cities；　harbours；　air；　happiness；　everything　at　a　scale　and　quality　

and　in　a　light　altogether　beyond　the　match…striking　imaginations　of　

a　contemporary　mind。　　I　wanted　freedom　of　speech　and　suggestion；　

vigour　of　thought；　and　the　cultivation　of　that　impulse　of　veracity　

that　lurks　more　or　less　discouraged　in　every　man。　　With　that　I　felt　

there　must　go　an　emotion。　　I　hit　upon　a　phrase　that　became　at　last　

something　of　a　refrain　in　my　speech　and　writings；　to　convey　the　

spirit　that　I　felt　was　at　the　very　heart　of　real　human　progress

love　and　fine　thinking。



（I　suppose　that　nowadays　no　newspaper　in　England　gets　through　a　week　

without　the　repetition　of　that　phrase。）



My　convictions　crystallised　more　and　more　definitely　upon　this。　　The　

more　of　love　and　fine　thinking　the　better　for　men；　I　said；　the　less；　

the　worse。　　And　upon　this　fresh　basis　I　set　myself　to　examine　what　I　

as　a　politician　might　do。　　I　perceived　I　was　at　last　finding　an　

adequate　expression　for　all　that　was　in　me；　for　those　forces　that　

had　rebelled　at　the　crude　presentations　of　Bromstead；　at　the　

secrecies　and　suppressions　of　my　youth；　at　the　dull　unrealities　of　

City　Merchants；　at　the　conventions　and　timidities　of　the　Pinky　

Dinkys；　at　the　philosophical　recluse　of　Trinity　and　the　phrases　and　

tradition…worship　of　my　political　associates。　　None　of　these　things　

were　half　alive；　and　I　wanted　life　to　be　intensely　alive　and　awake。　　

I　wanted　thought　like　an　edge　of　steel　and　desire　like　a　flame。　　The　

real　work　before　mankind　now；　I　realised　once　and　for　all；　is　the　

enlargement　of　human　expression；　the　release　and　intensification　of　

human　thought；　the　vivider　utilisation　of　experience　and　the　

invigoration　of　researchand　whatever　one　does　in　human　affairs　has　

or　lacks　value　as　it　helps　or　hinders　that。



With　that　I　had　got　my　problem　clear；　and　the　solution；　so　far　as　I　

was　concerned；　lay　in　finding　out　the　point　in　the　ostensible　life　

of　politics　at　which　I　could　most　subserve　these　ends。　　I　was　still　

against　the　muddles　of　Bromstead；　but　I　had　hunted　them　down　now　to　

their　essential　form。　　The　jerry…built　slums；　the　roads　that　went　

nowhere；　the　tarred　fences；　litigious　notice…boards　and　barbed　wire　

fencing；　the　litter　and　the　heaps　of　dump；　were　only　the　outward　

appearances　whose　ultimate　realities　were　jerry…built　conclusions；　

hasty　purposes；　aimless　habits　of　thought；　and　imbecile　bars　and　

prohibitions　in　the　thoughts　and　souls　of　men。　　How　are　we　through　

politics　to　get　at　that　confusion？



We　want　to　invigorate　and　reinvigorate　education。　　We　want　to　create　

a　sustained　counter　effort　to　the　perpetual　tendency　of　all　

educational　organisations　towards　classicalism；　secondary　issues；　

and　the　evasion　of　life。



We　want　to　stimulate　the　expression　of　life　through　art　and　

literature；　and　its　exploration　through　research。



We　want　to　make　the　best　and　finest　thought　accessible　to　every　one；　

and　more　particularly　to　create　and　sustain　an　enormous　free　

criticism；　without　which　art；　literature；　and　research　alike　

degenerate　into　tradition　or　imposture。



Then　all　the　other　problems　which　are　now　so　insoluble；　destitution；　

disease；　the　difficulty　of　maintaining　international　peace；　the　

scarcely　faced　possibility　of　making　life　generally　and　continually　

beautiful；　becomeEASY。　。　。　。



It　was　clear　to　me　that　the　most　vital　activities　in　which　I　could　

engage　would　be　those　which　most　directly　affected　the　Church；　

public　habits　of　thought；　education；　organised　research；　literature；　

and　the　channels　of　general　discussion。　　I　had　to　ask　myself　how　my　

position　as　Liberal　member　for　Kinghamstead　squared　with　and　

conduced　to　this　essential　work。







CHAPTER　THE　SECOND



SEEKING　ASSOCIATES







1





I　have　told　of　my　gradual　abandonment　of　the　pretensions　and　habits　

of　party　Liberalism。　　In　a　sense　I　was　moving　towards　aristocracy。　　

Regarding　the　development　of　the　social　and　individual　mental　

hinterland　as　the　essential　thing　in　human　progress；　I　passed　on　

very　naturally　to　the　practical　assumption　that　we　wanted　what　I　may　

call　〃hinterlanders。〃　　Of　course　I　do　not　mean　by　aristocracy　the　

changing　unorganised　medley　of　rich　people　and　privileged　people　who　

dominate　the　civilised　world　of　to…day；　but　as　opposed　to　this；　a　

possibility　of　co…ordinating　the　will　of　the　finer　individuals；　by　

habit　and　literature；　into　a　broad　common　aim。　　We　must　have　an　

aristocracynot　of　privilege；　but　of　understanding　and　purposeor　

mankind　will　fail。　　I　find　this　dawning　more　and　more　clearly　when　I　

look　through　my　various　writings　of　the　years　between　1903　and　1910。　　

I　was　already　emerging　to　plain　statements　in　1908。



I　reasoned　after　this　fashion。　　The　line　of　human　improvement　and　

the　expansion　of　human　life　lies　in　the　direction　of　education　and　

finer　initiatives。　　If　humanity　cannot　develop　an　education　far　

beyond　anything　that　is　now　provided；　if　it　cannot　collectively　

invent　devices　and　solve　problems　on　a　much　richer；　broader　scale　

than　it　does　at　the　present　time；　it　cannot　hope　to　achieve　any　very　

much　finer　order　or　any　more　general　happiness　than　it　now　enjo