the altruist in politics-第1节

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The　Altruist　in　Politics







by　Benjamin　Cardozo























There　comes　not　seldom　a　crisis　in　the　life　of　men；　of　nations；



and　of　worlds；　when　the　old　forms　seem　ready　to　decay；　and　the



old　rules　of　action　have　lost　their　binding　force。　　The　evils　of



existing　systems　obscure　the　blessings　that　attend　them；　and；



where　reform　is　needed；　the　cry　is　raised　for　subversion。　　The



cause　of　such　phenomena　is　not　far　to　seek。　　〃It　used　to　appear



to　me；〃　writes　Count　Tolstoi；　in　a　significant　passage；　〃it　used



to　appear　to　me　that　the　small　number　of　cultivated；　rich　and



idle　men；　of　whom　I　was　one；　composed　the　whole　of　humanity；　and



that　the　millions　and　millions　of　other　men　who　had　lived　and　are



still　living　were　not　in　reality　men　at　all。〃　　It　is　this　spirit…



the　spirit　that　sees　the　whole　of　humanity　in　the　few；　and　throws



into　the　background　the　millions　and　millions　of　other　men…it　is



this　spirit　that　has　aroused　the　antagonism　of　reformers；　and



made　the　decay　of　the　old　forms；　the　rupture　of　the　old



restrictions；　the　ideal　of　them　and　of　their　followers。　　When



wealth　and　poverty　meet　each　other　face　to　face；　the　one　the



master　and　the　other　the　dependent；　the　one　exalted　and　the　other



debased；　it　is　perhaps　hardly　matter　for　surprise　that　the



dependent　and　debased　and　powerless　faction；　in　envy　of　their



opponents'　supremacy；　should　demand；　not　simple　reform；　but



absolute　community　and　equality　of　wealth。　　That　cry　for



communism　is　no　new　one　in　the　history　of　mankind。　　Thousands　of



years　ago　it　was　heard　and　acted　on；　and；　in　the　lapse　of



centuries；　its　reverberations　have　but　swelled　in　volume。　　Again



and　again；　the　altruist　has　arisen　in　politics；　has　bidden　us



share　with　others　the　product　of　our　toil；　and　has　proclaimed　the



communistic　dogma　as　the　panacea　for　our　social　ills。　　So　today；



amid　the　buried　hopes　and　buried　projects　of　the　past；　the



doctrine　of　communism　still　lives　in　the　minds　of　men。　　Under



stress　of　misfortune；　or　in　dread　of　tyranny；　it　is　still



preached　in　modern　times　as　Plato　preached　it　in　the　world　of　the



Greeks。







Yet　it　is　indeed　doubtful　whether；　in　the　history　of　mankind；　a



doctrine　was　ever　taught　more　impracticable　or　more　false　to　the



principles　it　professes　than　this　very　doctrine　of　communism。　　In



a　world　where　self…interest　is　avowedly　the　ruling　motive；　it



seeks　to　establish　at　once　an　all…reaching　and　all…controlling



altruism。　　In　a　world　where　every　man　is　pushing　and　fighting　to



outstrip　his　fellows；　it　would　make　him　toil　with　like　vigor　for



their　common　welfare。　　In　a　world　where　a　man's　activity　is



measured　by　the　nearness　of　reward；　it　would　hold　up　a



prospective　recompense　as　an　equal　stimulant　to　labor。　　〃The　more



bitterly　we　feel；〃　writes　George　Eliot；　〃the　more　bitterly　we



feel　the　folly；　ignorance；　neglect；　or　self…seeking　of　those　who



at　different　times　have　wielded　power；　the　stronger　is　the



obligation　we　lay　on　ourselves　to　beware　lest　we　also；　by　a　too



hasty　wresting　of　measures　which　seem　to　promise　immediate



relief；　make　a　worse　time　of　it　for　our　own　generation；　and　leave



a　bad　inheritance　for　our　children。〃　　In　the　future；　when　the



remoteness　of　his　reward　shall　have　weakened　the　laborer's　zeal；



we　shall　be　able　to　judge　more　fairly　of　the　blessings　that　the



communist　offers。　　Instead　of　the　present　world；　where　some　at



least　are　well…to…do　and　happy；　the　communist　holds　before　us　a



world　where　all　alike　are　poor。　　For　the　activity；　the　push；　the



vigor　of　our　modern　life；　his　substitute　is　a　life　aimless　and



unbroken。　　And　so　we　have　to　say　to　communists　what　George　Eliot



might　have　said：　Be　not　blinded　by　the　passions　of　the　moment；



but　when　you　prate　about　your　own　wrongs　and　the　sufferings　of



your　offspring；　take　heed　lest　in　the　long　run　you　make　a　worse



time　of　it　for　your　own　generation；　and　leave　a　bad　inheritance



for　your　children。







Little　thought　has　been　taken　by　these　altruistic　reformers　for



the　application　of　the　doctrines　they　uphold。　　To　the　question



how　one　kind　of　labor　can　be　measured　against　another；　how　the



labor　of　the　artisan　can　be　measured　against　the　labor　of　the



artist；　how　the　labor　of　the　strong　can　be　measured　against　the



labor　of　the　weak；　the　communists　can　give　no　answer。　　Absorbed；



as　they　are；　in　the　principle　of　equality；　they　have　still



forgotten　the　equality　of　work　in　the　equality　of　pay；　they　have



forgotten　that　reward；　to　be　really　equal；　must　be　proportionate



to　effort；　and　they　and　all　socialists　have　forgotten　that　we



cannot　make　an　arithmetic　of　human　thought　and　feeling；　and　that



for　all　our　crude　attempts　to　balance　recompense　against　toil；



for　all　our　crude　attempts　to　determine　the　relative　severity　of



different　kinds　of　toil；　for　all　our　crude　attempts　to　determine



the　relative　strain　on　different　persons　of　the　same　kind　of



toil；　yet　not　only　will　the　ratio；　dealing；　as　it　does；　with　our



subjective　feelings；　be　a　blundering　one；　but　a　system　based　upon



it　will　involve　inequalities　greater；　because　more　insidious；



than　those　of　the　present　system　it　would　discard。







Instances；　indeed；　are　not　wanting　to　substantiate　the　claim　that



communism；　by　unduly　exalting　our　altruistic　impulses；　proceeds



upon　a　false　psychological　basis。　　Yet　if　an　instance　is　to　be



chosen；　it　would　be　hard　to　find　one　more　suggestive　than　that



afforded　by　the　efforts　of　Robert　Owen。　　The　year　1824　saw　the



rise　of　Owen's　little　community　of　New　Harmony；　and　the　year　of



1828　saw　the　community's　final　disruption。　　Individuals　had



appropriated　to　themselves　the　property　designed　for　all；　and



even　Owen；　who　had　given　to　the　enterprise　his　money　and　his



life；　was　obliged　to　admit　that　men　were　not　yet　fitted　for　the



communistic　stage；　and　that　the　moment　of　transition　from



individualism　to　communism　had　not　yet　arrived。　　Men　trained



under　the　old　system；　with　its　eager　rivalry；　its　selfish



interests；　could　not　quite　yet　enter　into　the　spirit　of　self…



renunciation　that　communism　demands。　　And　Owen；　therefore；　was



led　to　put　his　trust　in　education　as　the　great　moulder　of　the



minds　of　men。　　Through　this　agency；　he　hoped；　the　eager　rivalry；



the　selfish　interests；　the　sordid　love　of　gain；　might　be　lost　in



higher；　purer；　more　disinterested　ends；　and；　animated　by　that



hope…the　hope　that　in　the　fullness　of　time　another　New　Harmony；



free　from　contention　and　the　disappointments　of　the　old　one；



might　serve　to　immortalize　his　name…animated　by　that　hope；　Owen



passed　the　last　thirty　years　of　his　life；　and　with　that　hope



still　before　his　eyes　he　died。







But　years　now　have　passed　since　Owen　lived；　the　second　New



Harmony　has　not　yet　been　seen；　the　so…called　rational　system　of



education　has　not　yet　transformed　the　impulses　or　the　aims　of



men；　and　the　communist　of　today；　with　a　history　of　two　thousand



years　of　failure　behind　him；　in　the　same　pathetic　confidence



still　looks　for　the　realization　of　his　dreams　to　the　communism　of



the　future。







And　yet；　granting　that　communism　were　practicable；　granting　that



Owen's　hopes　had　some　prospect　of　fulfillment；　the　doctrine　still



embodies　evils　that　must　make　it　forever　inexpedient。　　The



readers　of　Mr。　Matthew　Arnold's　works　must　have　noticed　the



emphasis　with　which　he　dwells　on　the　instinct　of　expansion　as　a



factor　in　human　progress。　　It　is　the　refutation　alike　of



communism　and　socialism　that　they　thwart　the　instinct　of



expansion；　that　they　substitute　for　individual　energy　the　energy



of　the　government；　that　they　substitute　for　human　personality　the



blind；　mechanical　power　of　the　State。　　The　one　system；　as　the



other；　marks　the　end　of　individualism。　　The　one　system；　as　the



other；　would　make　each　man　the　image　of　his　neighbor。　　The　one



system；　as　the　other；　would　hold　back　the　progressive；　and；　by



uniformity　of　reward；　gain　uniformity　of　type。







I　can　look　forward　to　no　blissful　prospect　for　a　race　of　men



that；　under　the　dominion　of　the　State；　at　the　cost　of　all　freedom



of　action；　at　the　cost；　indeed；　of　their　own　true　selves；　shall



enjoy；　if　one　will；　a　fair　abundance　of　the　material　blessings　of



life。　　Some　Matthew　Arnold　of　the　future　would　inevitably　say　of



them　in　phase　like　that　applied　to　the　Puritans　of　old：　〃They



entered　the　prison　of　socialism　and　had　the　key　turned　upon　their



spirit　there　for　hundreds　of　years。〃　　Into　that　prison　of



socialism；　with　broken　enterprise　and　broken　energy；　as　serfs



under　the　mastery　of　the　State；　while　human　personality　is



preferred　to　unreasoning　mechanism；　mankind　must　hesitate　to



step。　　When　they　shall　once　have　entered　within　it；　when　the　key



shall　have　been　turn