the new machiavelli-第75节

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Until　this　estrangement　and　the　rapid　and　uncontrollable　development　

of　my　relations　with　Isabel　which　chanced　to　follow　it；　I　seemed　to　

have　solved　the　problem　of　women　by　marriage　and　disregard。　　I　

thought　these　things　were　over。　　I　went　about　my　career　with　

Margaret　beside　me；　her　brow　slightly　knit；　her　manner　faintly　

strenuous；　helping；　helping；　and　if　we　had　not　altogether　abolished　

sex　we　had　at　least　so　circumscribed　and　isolated　it　that　it　would　

not　have　affected　the　general　tenor　of　our　lives　in　the　slightest　

degree　if　we　had。



And　then；　clothing　itself　more　and　more　in　the　form　of　Isabel　and　

her　problems；　this　old；　this　fundamental　obsession　of　my　life　

returned。　　The　thing　stole　upon　my　mind　so　that　I　was　unaware　of　its　

invasion　and　how　it　was　changing　our　long　intimacy。　　I　have　already　

compared　the　lot　of　the　modern　publicist　to　Machiavelli　writing　in　

his　study；　in　his　day　women　and　sex　were　as　disregarded　in　these　

high　affairs　as；　let　us　say；　the　chemistry　of　air　or　the　will　of　the　

beasts　in　the　fields；　in　ours　the　case　has　altogether　changed；　and　

woman　has　come　now　to　stand　beside　the　tall　candles；　half　in　the　

light；　half　in　the　mystery　of　the　shadows；　besetting；　interrupting；　

demanding　unrelentingly　an　altogether　unprecedented　attention。　　I　

feel　that　in　these　matters　my　life　has　been　almost　typical　of　my　

time。　　Woman　insists　upon　her　presence。　　She　is　no　longer　a　mere　

physical　need；　an　aesthetic　bye…play；　a　sentimental　background；　she　

is　a　moral　and　intellectual　necessity　in　a　man's　life。　　She　comes　to　

the　politician　and　demands；　Is　she　a　child　or　a　citizen？　　Is　she　a　

thing　or　a　soul？　　She　comes　to　the　individual　man；　as　she　came　to　me　

and　asks；　Is　she　a　cherished　weakling　or　an　equal　mate；　an　

unavoidable　helper？　　Is　she　to　be　tried　and　trusted　or　guarded　and　

controlled；　bond　or　free？　　For　if　she　is　a　mate；　one　must　at　once　

trust　more　and　exact　more；　exacting　toil；　courage；　and　the　hardest；　

most　necessary　thing　of　all；　the　clearest；　most　shameless；　

explicitness　of　understanding。　。　。　。







2





In　all　my　earlier　imaginings　of　statecraft　I　had　tacitly　assumed　

either　that　the　relations　of　the　sexes　were　all　right　or　that　anyhow　

they　didn't　concern　the　state。　　It　was　a　matter　they；　whoever　〃they〃　

were；　had　to　settle　among　themselves。　　That　sort　of　disregard　was　

possible　then。　　But　even　before　1906　there　were　endless　intimations　

that　the　dams　holding　back　great　reservoirs　of　discussion　were　

crumbling。　　We　political　schemers　were　ploughing　wider　than　any　one　

had　ploughed　before　in　the　field　of　social　reconstruction。　　We　had　

also；　we　realised；　to　plough　deeper。　　We　had　to　plough　down　at　last　

to　the　passionate　elements　of　sexual　relationship　and　examine　and　

decide　upon　them。



The　signs　multiplied。　　In　a　year　or　so　half　the　police　of　the　

metropolis　were　scarce　sufficient　to　protect　the　House　from　one　

clamorous　aspect　of　the　new　problem。　　The　members　went　about　

Westminster　with　an　odd；　new　sense　of　being　beset。　　A　good　

proportion　of　us　kept　up　the　pretence　that　the　Vote　for　Women　was　an　

isolated　fad；　and　the　agitation　an　epidemic　madness　that　would　

presently　pass。　　But　it　was　manifest　to　any　one　who　sought　more　than　

comfort　in　the　matter　that　the　streams　of　women　and　sympathisers　and　

money　forthcoming　marked　far　deeper　and　wider　things　than　an　idle　

fancy　for　the　franchise。　　The　existing　laws　and　conventions　of　

relationship　between　Man　and　Woman　were　just　as　unsatisfactory　a　

disorder　as　anything　else　in　our　tumbled　confusion　of　a　world；　and　

that　also　was　coming　to　bear　upon　statecraft。



My　first　parliament　was　the　parliament　of　the　Suffragettes。　　I　don't　

propose　to　tell　here　of　that　amazing　campaign；　with　its　absurdities　

and　follies；　its　courage　and　devotion。　　There　were　aspects　of　that　

unquenchable　agitation　that　were　absolutely　heroic　and　aspects　that　

were　absolutely　pitiful。　　It　was　unreasonable；　unwise；　and；　except　

for　its　one　central　insistence；　astonishingly　incoherent。　　It　was　

amazingly　effective。　　The　very　incoherence　of　the　demand　witnessed；　

I　think；　to　the　forces　that　lay　behind　it。　　It　wasn't　a　simple　

argument　based　on　a　simple　assumption；　it　was　the　first　crude　

expression　of　a　great　mass　and　mingling　of　convergent　feelings；　of　a　

widespread；　confused　persuasion　among　modern　educated　women　that　the　

conditions　of　their　relations　with　men　were　oppressive；　ugly；　

dishonouring；　and　had　to　be　altered。　　They　had　not　merely　adopted　

the　Vote　as　a　symbol　of　equality；　it　was　fairly　manifest　to　me　that；　

given　it；　they　meant　to　use　it；　and　to　use　it　perhaps　even　

vindictively　and　blindly；　as　a　weapon　against　many　things　they　had　

every　reason　to　hate。　。　。　。



I　remember；　with　exceptional　vividness；　that　great　night　early　in　

the　session　of　1909；　whenI　think　it　wasfifty　or　sixty　women　went　

to　prison。　　I　had　been　dining　at　the　Barham's；　and　Lord　Barham　and　I　

came　down　from　the　direction　of　St。　James's　Park　into　a　crowd　and　a　

confusion　outside　the　Caxton　Hall。　　We　found　ourselves　drifting　with　

an　immense　multitude　towards　Parliament　Square　and　parallel　with　a　

silent；　close…packed　column　of　girls　and　women；　for　the　most　part　

white…faced　and　intent。　　I　still　remember　the　effect　of　their　faces　

upon　me。　　It　was　quite　different　from　the　general　effect　of　staring　

about　and　divided　attention　one　gets　in　a　political　procession　of　

men。　　There　was　an　expression　of　heroic　tension。



There　had　been　a　pretty　deliberate　appeal　on　the　part　of　the　women's　

organisers　to　the　Unemployed；　who　had　been　demonstrating　throughout　

that　winter；　to　join　forces　with　the　movement；　and　the　result　was　

shown　in　the　quality　of　the　crowd　upon　the　pavement。　　It　was　an　

ugly；　dangerous…looking　crowd；　but　as　yet　good…tempered　and　

sympathetic。　　When　at　last　we　got　within　sight　of　the　House　the　

square　was　a　seething　seat　of　excited　people；　and　the　array　of　

police　on　horse　and　on　foot　might　have　been　assembled　for　a　

revolutionary　outbreak。　　There　were　dense　masses　of　people　up　

Whitehall；　and　right　on　to　Westminster　Bridge。　　The　scuffle　that　

ended　in　the　arrests　was　the　poorest　explosion　to　follow　such　

stupendous　preparations。　。　。　。







3





Later　on　in　that　year　the　women　began　a　new　attack。　　Day　and　night；　

and　all　through　the　long　nights　of　the　Budget　sittings；　at　all　the　

piers　of　the　gates　of　New　Palace　Yard　and　at　St。　Stephen's　Porch；　

stood　women　pickets；　and　watched　us　silently　and　reproachfully　as　we　

went　to　and　fro。　　They　were　women　of　all　sorts；　though；　of　course；　

the　independent　worker…class　predominated。　　There　were　grey…headed　

old　ladies　standing　there；　sturdily　charming　in　the　rain；　battered…

looking；　ambiguous　women；　with　something　of　the　desperate　bitterness　

of　battered　women　showing　in　their　eyes；　north…country　factory　

girls；　cheaply…dressed　suburban　women；　trim；　comfortable　mothers　of　

families；　valiant…eyed　girl　graduates　and　undergraduates；　lank；　

hungry…looking　creatures；　who　stirred　one's　imagination；　one　very　

dainty　little　woman　in　deep　mourning；　I　recall；　grave　and　steadfast；　

with　eyes　fixed　on　distant　things。　　Some　of　those　women　looked　

defiant；　some　timidly　aggressive；　some　full　of　the　stir　of　

adventure；　some　drooping　with　cold　and　fatigue。　　The　supply　never　

ceased。　　I　had　a　mortal　fear　that　somehow　the　supply　might　halt　or　

cease。　　I　found　that　continual　siege　of　the　legislature　

extraordinarily　impressiveinfinitely　more　impressive　than　the　

feeble…forcible　〃ragging〃　of　the　more　militant　section。　　I　thought　

of　the　appeal　that　must　be　going　through　the　country；　summoning　the　

women　from　countless　scattered　homes；　rooms；　colleges；　to　

Westminster。



I　remember　too　the　petty　little　difficulty　I　felt　whether　I　should　

ignore　these　pickets　altogether；　or　lift　a　hat　as　I　hurried　past　

with　averted　eyes；　or　look　them　in　the　face　as　I　did　so。　　Towards　

the　end　the　House　evoked　an　etiquette　of　salutation。







4





There　was　a　tendency；　even　on　the　part　of　its　sympathisers；　to　treat　

the　whole　suffrage　agitation　as　if　it　were　a　disconnected　issue；　

irrelevant　to　all　other　broad　developments　of　social　and　political　

life。　　We　struggled；　all　of　us；　to　ignore　the　indicating　finger　it　

thrust　out　before　us。　　〃Your　schemes；　for　all　their　bigness；〃　it　

insisted　to　our　reluctant；　averted　minds；　〃still　don't　go　down　to　

the　essential　things。　。　。　。〃



We　have　to　go　deeper；　or　our　inadequate　children's　insufficient　

children　will　starve　amidst　harvests　of　earless　futility。　　That　

conservatism　which　works　in　every　class　to　preserve　in　its　

essentials　the　habitual　daily　life　is　all　against　a　profounder　

treatment　of　political　issues。　　The　politician；　almost　as　absurdly　

as　the　philosopher；　tends　constantly；　in　spite　of　magnificent　

preludes；　vast　intimations；　to　specialise　himself　out　of　the　reality　

he　has