war and the future-第4节

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composite　and　complex；　but　if　we　personify　it　at　all　it　is
something　more　like　General　Joffre　than　any　other　single　human
figure　I　can　think　of　or　imagine。

If　I　were　to　set　a　frontispiece　to　a　book　about　this　War　I　would
make　General　Joffre　the　frontispiece。


4

As　we　swung　back　along　the　dusty　road　to　Paris　at　a　pace　of　fifty
miles　an　hour　and　upwards；　driven　by　a　helmeted　driver　with　an
aquiline　profile　fit　to　go　upon　a　coin；　whose　merits　were　a
little　flawed　by　a　childish　and　dangerous　ambition　to　run　over
every　cat　he　saw　upon　the　road；　I　talked　to　de　Tessin　about　this
big　blue…coated　figure　of　Joffre；　which　is　not　so　much　a　figure
as　a　great　generalisation　of　certain　hitherto　rather　obscured
French　qualities；　and　of　the　impression　he　had　made　upon　me。　　And
from　that　I　went　on　to　talk　about　the　Super　Man；　for　this
encounter　had　suddenly　crystallised　out　a　set　of　realisations
that　had　been　for　some　time　latent　in　my　mind。

How　much　of　what　follows　I　said　to　de　Tessin　at　the　time　I　do　not
clearly　remember；　but　this　is　what　I　had　in　mind。

The　idea　of　the　superman　is　an　idea　that　has　been　developed　by
various　people　ignorant　of　biology　and　unaccustomed　to　biological
ways　of　thinking。　　It　is　an　obvious　idea　that　follows　in　the
course　of　half　an　hour　or　so　upon　one's　realisation　of　the
significance　of　Darwinism。　　If　man　has　evolved　from　something
different；　he　must　now　be　evolving　onward　into　something　sur…
human。　　The　species　in　the　future　will　be　different　from　the
species　of　the　past。　　So　far　at　least　our　Nietzsches　and　Shaws
and　so　on　went　right。

But　being　ignorant　of　the　elementary　biological　proposition　that
modification　of　a　species　means　really　a　secular　change　in　its
average；　they　jumped　to　a　conclusionto　which　the　late　Lord
Salisbury　also　jumped　years　ago　at　a　very　memorable　British
Association　meetingthat　a　species　is　modified　by　the　sudden
appearance　of　eccentric　individuals　here　and　there　in　the　general
mass　who　interbreedpreferentially。　　Helped　by　a　streak　of　antic
egotism　in　themselves；　they　conceived　of　the　superman　as　a
posturing　personage；　misunderstood　by　the　vulgar；　fantastic；
wonderful。　　But　the　antic　Personage；　the　thing　I　have　called　the
Effigy；　is　not　new　but　old；　the　oldest　thing　in　history；　the
departing　thing。　　It　depends　not　upon　the　advance　of　the　species
but　upon　the　uncritical　hero…worship　of　the　crowd。　　You　may　see
the　monster　drawn　twenty　times　the　size　of　common　men　upon　the
oldest　monuments　of　Egypt　and　Assyria。　　The　true　superman　comes
not　as　the　tremendous　personal　entry　of　a　star；　but　in　the　less
dramatic　form　of　a　general　increase　of　goodwill　and　skill　and
common　sense。　　A　species　rises　not　by　thrusting　up　peaks　but　by
the　brimming　up　as　a　flood　does。　　The　coming　of　the　superman
means　not　an　epidemic　of　personages　but　the　disappearance　of　the
Personage　in　the　universal　ascent。　　That　is　the　point　overlooked
by　the　megalomaniac　school　of　Nietzsche　and　Shaw。

And　it　is　the　peculiarity　of　this　war；　it　is　the　most　reassuring
evidence　that　a　great　increase　in　general　ability　and　critical
ability　has　been　going　on　throughout　the　last　century；　that　no
isolated　great　personages　have　emerged。　　Never　has　there　been　so
much　ability；　invention；　inspiration；　leadership；　but　the　very
abundance　of　good　qualities　has　prevented　our　focusing　upon　those
of　any　one　individual。　　We　all　play　our　part　in　the　realisation
of　God's　sanity　in　the　world；　but；　as　the　strange；　dramatic　end
of　Lord　Kitchener　has　served　to　remind　us；　there　is　no　single
individual　of　all　the　allied　nations　whose　death　can　materially
affect　the　great　destinies　of　this　war。

In　the　last　few　years　I　have　developed　a　religious　belief　that
has　become　now　to　me　as　real　as　any　commonplace　fact。　　I　think
that　mankind　is　still　as　it　were　collectively　dreaming　and　hardly
more　awakened　to　reality　than　a　very　young　child。　　It　has　these
dreams　that　we　express　by　the　flags　of　nationalities　and　by
strange　loyalties　and　by　irrational　creeds　and　ceremonies；　and
its　dreams　at　times　become　such　nightmares　as　this　war。　　But　the
time　draws　near　when　mankind　will　awake　and　the　dreams　will　fade
away；　and　then　there　will　be　no　nationality　in　all　the　world　but
humanity；　and　no　kind；　no　emperor；　nor　leader　but　the　one　God　of
mankind。　　This　is　my　faith。　　I　am　as　certain　of　this　as　I　was　in
1900　that　men　would　presently　fly。　　To　me　it　is　as　if　it　must　be
so。

So　that　to　me　this　extraordinary　refusal　of　the　allied　nations
under　conditions　that　have　always　hitherto　produced　a　Great　Man
to　produce　anything　of　the　sort；　anything　that　can　be　used　as　an
effigy　and　carried　about　for　the　crowd　to　follow；　is　a　fact　of
extreme　significance　and　encouragement。　　It　seems　to　me　that　the
twilight　of　the　half　gods　must　have　come；　that　we　have　reached
the　end　of　the　age　when　men　needed　a　Personal　Figure　about　which
they　could　rally。　　The　Kaiser　is　perhaps　the　last　of　that　long
series　of　crowned　and　cloaked　and　semi…divine　personages　which
has　included　Caesar　and　Alexander　and　Napoleon　the　First
and　Third。　　In　the　light　of　the　new　time　we　see　the　emperor…god
for　the　guy　he　is。　　In　the　August　of　1914　he　set　himself　up　to　be
the　paramount　Lord　of　the　World；　and　it　will　seem　to　the
historian　to　come；　who　will　know　our　dates　so　well　and　our
feelings；　our　fatigues　and　efforts　so　little；　it　will　seem　a
short　period　from　that　day　to　this；　when　the　great　figure　already
sways　and　staggers　towards　the　bonfire。


5

I　had　the　experience　of　meeting　a　contemporary　king　upon　this
journey。　　He　was　the　first　king　I　had　ever　met。　　The　Potsdam
figurewith　perhaps　some　local　exceptions　behind　the　Gold　Coast
is；　with　its　collection　of　uniforms　and　its　pomps　and　splendours；
the　purest　survival　of　the　old　tradition　of　divine　monarchy　now
that　the　Emperor　at　Pekin　has　followed　the　Shogun　into　the
shadows。　　The　modern　type　of　king　shows　a　disposition　to　intimate
at　the　outset　that　he　cannot　help　it；　and　to　justify　or　at　any
rate　utilise　his　exceptional　position　by　sound　hard　work。　　It　is
an　age　of　working　kings；　with　the　manners　of　private　gentlemen。
The　King　of　Italy　for　example　is　far　more　accessible　than　was　the
late　Pierpont　Morgan　or　the　late　Cecil　Rhodes；　and　he　seems　to
keep　a　smaller　court。

I　went　to　see　him　from　Udine。　　He　occupied　a　moderate…sized
country　villa　about　half　an　hour　by　automobile　from　headquarters。
I　went　over　with　General　Radcliffe；　we　drove　through　the　gates　of
the　villa　past　a　single　sentinel　in　an　ordinary　infantry　uniform；
up　to　the　door　of　the　house；　and　the　number　of　guards；　servants；
attendants；　officials；　secretaries；　ministers　and　the　like　that　I
saw　in　that　house　wereI　counted　very　carefullyfour。
Downstairs　were　three　people；　a　tall　soldier　of　the　bodyguard　in
grey；　an　A。D。C。；　Captain　Moreno；　and　Col。　Matteoli；　the　minister
of　the　household。　　I　went　upstairs　to　a　drawing…room　of　much　the
same　easy　and　generalised　character　as　the　one　in　which　I　had　met
General　Joffre　a　few　days　before。　　I　gave　my　hat　to　a　second
bodyguard；　and　as　I　did　so　a　pleasantly　smiling　man　appeared　at
the　door　of　the　study　whom　I　thought　at　first　must　be　some
minister　in　attendance。　　I　did　not　recognise　him　instantly
because　on　the　stamps　and　coins　he　is　always　in　profile。　　He
began　to　talk　in　excellent　English　about　my　journey；　and　I
replied；　and　so　talking　we　went　into　the　study　from　which　he　had
emerged。　　Then　I　realised　I　was　talking　to　the　king。

Addicted　as　I　am　to　the　cinematograph；　in　which　the　standard　of
study　furniture　is　particularly　rich　and　high；　I　found　something
very　cooling　and　simple　and　refreshing　in　the　sight　of　the　king's
study　furniture。　　He　sat　down　with　me　at　a　little　useful　writing
table；　and　after　asking　me　what　I　had　seen　in　Italy　and　hearing
what　I　had　seen　and　what　I　was　to　see；　he　went　on　talking；　very
good　talk　indeed。

I　suppose　I　did　a　little　exceed　the　established　tradition　of
courts　by　asking　several　questions　and　trying　to　get　him　to　talk
upon　certain　points　as　to　which　I　was　curious；　but　I　perceived
that　he　had　had　to　carry　on　at　least　so　much　of　the　regal
tradition　as　to　control　the　conversation。　　He　was；　however；
entirely　un…posed。　　His　talk　reminded　me　somehow　of　Maurice
Baring's　books；　it　had　just　the　same　quick；　positive
understanding。　　And　he　had　just　the　same　detachment　from　the　war
as　the　French　generals。　　He　spoke　of　itas　one　might　speak　of　an
inundation。　　And　of　its　difficulties　and　perplexities。

Here　on　the　Adriatic　side　there　were　political　entanglements　that
by　comparison　made　our　western　after…the…war　problems　plain
sailing。　　He　talked　of　the　game　of　spellicans　among　the　Balkan
nationalities。　　How　was　that　difficulty　to　be　met？　　In　Macedonia
there　were　Turkish　villages　that　were　Christian　and　Bulgarians
that　were　Moslem。　　There　were　families　that　changed　the
termination　of　their　names　from　/ski/　to　/off/　as
Serbian　or　Bulgarian　prevailed。　　I　remarked　that　that　showed　a
certain　passion　for　peace；　and　that　much　of　the　mischief　might　be
due　to　the　propaganda　of　the　great　Powers。　　I　have　a　prejudice
against　that　blessed　Whig　〃principle　of　nationality；〃　but　the
King　of　Italy　was　not　to　be　drawn　in