the new machiavelli-第73节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



wealthy　to　become　a　malcontent　element　in　your　state。　　You　have　

taxed　and　controlled　the　brewer　and　the　publican　until　the　outraged　

Liquor　Interest　has　become　a　national　danger。　　You　now　propose　to　do　

the　same　thing　on　a　larger　scale。　　You　turn　a　class　which　has　many　

fine　and　truly　aristocratic　traditions　towards　revolt；　and　there　is　

nothing　in　these　or　any　other　of　your　proposals　that　shows　any　sense　

of　the　need　for　leadership　to　replace　these　traditional　leaders　you　

are　ousting。　　This　was　the　substance　of　my　case；　and　I　hammered　at　

it　not　only　in　the　House；　but　in　the　press。　。　。　。



The　Kinghampstead　division　remained　for　some　time　insensitive　to　my　

defection。



Then　it　woke　up　suddenly；　and　began；　in　the　columns　of　the　

KINGSHAMPSTEAD　GUARDIAN；　an　indignant；　confused　outcry。　　I　was　

treated　to　an　open　letter；　signed　Junius　Secundus；〃　and　I　replied　in　

provocative　terms。　　There　were　two　thinly　attended　public　meetings　

at　different　ends　of　the　constituency；　and　then　I　had　a　

correspondence　with　my　old　friend　Parvill；　the　photographer；　which　

ended　in　my　seeing　a　deputation。



My　impression　is　that　it　consisted　of　about　eighteen　or　twenty　

people。　　They　had　had　to　come　upstairs　to　me　and　they　were　

manifestly　full　of　indignation　and　a　little　short　of　breath。　　There　

was　Parvill　himself；　J。P。；　dressed　wholly　in　blackI　think　to　mark　

his　sense　of　the　occasionand　curiously　suggestive　in　his　respect　

for　my　character　and　his　concern　for　the　honourableness　of　the　

KINGHAMPSTEAD　GUARDIAN　editor；　of　Mark　Antony　at　the　funeral　of　

Cesar。　　There　was　Mrs。　Bulger；　also　in　mourning；　she　had　never　

abandoned　the　widow's　streamers　since　the　death　of　her　husband　ten　

years　ago；　and　her　loyalty　to　Liberalism　of　the　severest　type　was　

part　as　it　were　of　her　weeds。　　There　was　a　nephew　of　Sir　Roderick　

Newton；　a　bright　young　Hebrew　of　the　graver　type；　and　a　couple　of　

dissenting　ministers　in　high　collars　and　hats　that　stopped　halfway　

between　the　bowler　of　this　world　and　the　shovel…hat　of　heaven。　　

There　was　also　a　young　solicitor　from　Lurky　done　in　the　horsey　

style；　and　there　was　a　very　little　nervous　man　with　a　high　brow　and　

a　face　contracting　below　as　though　the　jawbones　and　teeth　had　been　

taken　out　and　the　features　compressed。　　The　rest　of　the　deputation；　

which　included　two　other　public…spirited　ladies　and　several　

ministers　of　religion；　might　have　been　raked　out　of　any　omnibus　

going　Strandward　during　the　May　meetings。　　They　thrust　Parvill　

forward　as　spokesman；　and　manifested　a　strong　disposition　to　say　

〃Hear；　hear！〃　to　his　more　strenuous　protests　provided　my　eye　wasn't　

upon　them　at　the　time。



I　regarded　this　appalling　deputation　as　Parvill's　apologetic　but　

quite　definite　utterances　drew　to　an　end。　　I　had　a　moment　of　vision。　　

Behind　them　I　saw　the　wonderful　array　of　skeleton　forces　that　stand　

for　public　opinion；　that　are　as　much　public　opinion　as　exists　indeed　

at　the　present　time。　　The　whole　process　of　politics　which　bulks　so　

solidly　in　history　seemed　for　that　clairvoyant　instant　but　a　froth　

of　petty　motives　above　abysms　of　indifference。　。　。　。



Some　one　had　finished。　　I　perceived　I　had　to　speak。



〃Very　well；〃　I　said；　〃I　won't　keep　you　long　in　replying。　　I'll　

resign　if　there　isn't　a　dissolution　before　next　February；　and　if　

there　is　I　shan't　stand　again。　　You　don't　want　the　bother　and　

expense　of　a　bye…election　（approving　murmurs）　if　it　can　be　avoided。　　

But　I　may　tell　you　plainly　now　that　I　don't　think　it　will　be　

necessary　for　me　to　resign；　and　the　sooner　you　find　my　successor　the　

better　for　the　party。　　The　Lords　are　in　a　corner；　they've　got　to　

fight　now　or　never；　and　I　think　they　will　throw　out　the　Budget。　　

Then　they　will　go　on　fighting。　　It　is　a　fight　that　will　last　for　

years。　　They　have　a　sort　of　social　discipline；　and　you　haven't。　　You　

Liberals　will　find　yourselves　with　a　country　behind　you；　vaguely　

indignant　perhaps；　but　totally　unprepared　with　any　ideas　whatever　in　

the　matter；　face　to　face　with　the　problem　of　bringing　the　British　

constitution　up…to…date。　　Anything　may　happen；　provided　only　that　it　

is　sufficiently　absurd。　　If　the　King　backs　the　Lordsand　I　don't　

see　why　he　shouldn'tyou　have　no　Republican　movement　whatever　to　

fall　back　upon。　　You　lost　it　during　the　Era　of　Good　Taste。　　The　

country；　I　say；　is　destitute　of　ideas；　and　you　have　no　ideas　to　give　

it。　　I　don't　see　what　you　will　do。　。　。　。　　For　my　own　part；　I　mean　to　

spend　a　year　or　so　between　a　window　and　my　writingdesk。〃



I　paused。　　〃I　think；　gentlemen；〃　began　Parvill；　〃that　we　hear　all　

this　with　very　great　regret。　。　。　。〃







4





My　estrangement　from　Margaret　stands　in　my　memory　now　as　something　

that　played　itself　out　within　the　four　walls　of　our　house　in　Radnor　

Square；　which　was；　indeed；　confined　to　those　limits。　　I　went　to　and　

fro　between　my　house　and　the　House　of　Commons；　and　the　dining…rooms　

and　clubs　and　offices　in　which　we　were　preparing　our　new　

developments；　in　a　state　of　aggressive　and　energetic　dissociation；　

in　the　nascent　state；　as　a　chemist　would　say。　　I　was　free　now；　and　

greedy　for　fresh　combination。　　I　had　a　tremendous　sense　of　released　

energies。　　I　had　got　back　to　the　sort　of　thing　I　could　do；　and　to　

the　work　that　had　been　shaping　itself　for　so　long　in　my　imagination。　　

Our　purpose　now　was　plain；　bold；　and　extraordinarily　congenial。　　We　

meant　no　less　than　to　organise　a　new　movement　in　English　thought　and　

life；　to　resuscitate　a　Public　Opinion　and　prepare　the　ground　for　a　

revised　and　renovated　ruling　culture。



For　a　time　I　seemed　quite　wonderfully　able　to　do　whatever　I　wanted　

to　do。　　Shoesmith　responded　to　my　first　advances。　　We　decided　to　

create　a　weekly　paper　as　our　nucleus；　and　Crupp　and　I　set　to　work　

forthwith　to　collect　a　group　of　writers　and　speakers；　including　

Esmeer；　Britten；　Lord　Gane；　Neal；　and　one　or　two　younger　men；　which　

should　constitute　a　more　or　less　definite　editorial　council　about　

me；　and　meet　at　a　weekly　lunch　on　Tuesday　to　sustain　our　general　co…

operations。　　We　marked　our　claim　upon　Toryism　even　in　the　colour　of　

our　wrapper；　and　spoke　of　ourselves　collectively　as　the　Blue　

Weeklies。　　But　our　lunches　were　open　to　all　sorts　of　guests；　and　our　

deliberations　were　never　of　a　character　to　control　me　effectively　in　

my　editorial　decisions。　　My　only　influential　councillor　at　first　was　

old　Britten；　who　became　my　sub…editor。　　It　was　curious　how　we　two　

had　picked　up　our　ancient　intimacy　again　and　resumed　the　easy　give　

and　take　of　our　speculative　dreaming　schoolboy　days。



For　a　time　my　life　centred　altogether　upon　this　journalistic　work。　　

Britten　was　an　experienced　journalist；　and　I　had　most　of　the　

necessary　instincts　for　the　business。　　We　meant　to　make　the　paper　

right　and　good　down　to　the　smallest　detail；　and　we　set　ourselves　at　

this　with　extraordinary　zeal。　　It　wasn't　our　intention　to　show　our　

political　motives　too　markedly　at　first；　and　through　all　the　dust　

storm　and　tumult　and　stress　of　the　political　struggle　of　1910；　we　

made　a　little　intellectual　oasis　of　good　art　criticism　and　good　

writing。　　It　was　the　firm　belief　of　nearly　all　of　us　that　the　Lords　

were　destined　to　be　beaten　badly　in　1910；　and　our　game　was　the　

longer　game　of　reconstruction　that　would　begin　when　the　shouting　and　

tumult　of　that　immediate　conflict　were　over。　　Meanwhile　we　had　to　

get　into　touch　with　just　as　many　good　minds　as　possible。



As　we　felt　our　feet；　I　developed　slowly　and　carefully　a　broadly　

conceived　and　consistent　political　attitude。　　As　I　will　explain　

later；　we　were　feminist　from　the　outset；　though　that　caused　

Shoesmith　and　Gane　great　searching　of　heart；　we　developed　Esmeer's　

House　of　Lords　reform　scheme　into　a　general　cult　of　the　aristocratic　

virtues；　and　we　did　much　to　humanise　and　liberalise　the　narrow　

excellencies　of　that　Break…up　of　the　Poor　Law　agitation；　which　had　

been　organised　originally　by　Beatrice　and　Sidney　Webb。　　In　addition；　

without　any　very　definite　explanation　to　any　one　but　Esmeer　and　

Isabel　Rivers；　and　as　if　it　was　quite　a　small　matter；　I　set　myself　

to　secure　a　uniform　philosophical　quality　in　our　columns。



That；　indeed；　was　the　peculiar　virtue　and　characteristic　of　the　BLUE　

WEEKLY。　　I　was　now　very　definitely　convinced　that　much　of　the　

confusion　and　futility　of　contemporary　thought　was　due　to　the　

general　need　of　metaphysical　training。　。　。　。　　The　great　mass　of　

peopleand　not　simply　common　people；　but　people　active　and　

influential　in　intellectual　thingsare　still　quite　untrained　in　the　

methods　of　thought　and　absolutely　innocent　of　any　criticism　of　

method；　it　is　scarcely　a　caricature　to　call　their　thinking　a　crazy　

patchwork；　discontinuous　and　chaotic。　　They　arrive　at　conclusions　by　

a　kind　of　accident；　and　do　not　suspect　any　other　way　may　be　found　to　

their　attainment。　　A　stage　above　this　general　condition　stands　that　

minority　of　people