heartbreak house-第4节

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the　licence　suddenly　accorded　to　our　vilest　passions　and　most
abject　terrors。　Ever　since　Thucydides　wrote　his　history；　it　has
been　on　record　that　when　the　angel　of　death　sounds　his　trumpet
the　pretences　of　civilization　are　blown　from　men's　heads　into　the
mud　like　hats　in　a　gust　of　wind。　But　when　this　scripture　was
fulfilled　among　us；　the　shock　was　not　the　less　appalling　because
a　few　students　of　Greek　history　were　not　surprised　by　it。　Indeed
these　students　threw　themselves　into　the　orgy　as　shamelessly　as
the　illiterate。　The　Christian　priest；　joining　in　the　war　dance
without　even　throwing　off　his　cassock　first；　and　the　respectable
school　governor　expelling　the　German　professor　with　insult　and
bodily　violence；　and　declaring　that　no　English　child　should
ever　again　be　taught　the　language　of　Luther　and　Goethe；　were　kept
in　countenance　by　the　most　impudent　repudiations　of　every　decency
of　civilization　and　every　lesson　of　political　experience　on　the
part　of　the　very　persons　who；　as　university　professors；
historians；　philosophers；　and　men　of　science；　were　the　accredited
custodians　of　culture。　It　was　crudely　natural；　and　perhaps
necessary　for　recruiting　purposes；　that　German　militarism　and
German　dynastic　ambition　should　be　painted　by　journalists　and
recruiters　in　black　and　red　as　European　dangers　（as　in　fact　they
are）；　leaving　it　to　be　inferred　that　our　own　militarism　and　our
own　political　constitution　are　millennially　democratic　（which
they　certainly　are　not）；　but　when　it　came　to　frantic
denunciations　of　German　chemistry；　German　biology；　German　poetry；
German　music；　German　literature；　German　philosophy；　and　even
German　engineering；　as　malignant　abominations　standing　towards
British　and　French　chemistry　and　so　forth　in　the　relation　of
heaven　to　hell；　it　was　clear　that　the　utterers　of　such　barbarous
ravings　had　never　really　understood　or　cared　for　the　arts　and
sciences　they　professed　and　were　profaning；　and　were　only　the
appallingly　degenerate　descendants　of　the　men　of　the　seventeenth
and　eighteenth　centuries　who；　recognizing　no　national　frontiers
in　the　great　realm　of　the　human　mind；　kept　the　European　comity　of
that　realm　loftily　and　even　ostentatiously　above　the　rancors　of
the　battle…field。　Tearing　the　Garter　from　the　Kaiser's　leg；
striking　the　German　dukes　from　the　roll　of　our　peerage；　changing
the　King's　illustrious　and　historically　appropriate　surname　（for
the　war　was　the　old　war　of　Guelph　against　Ghibelline；　with　the
Kaiser　as　Arch…Ghibelline）　to　that　of　a　traditionless　locality。
One　felt　that　the　figure　of　St。　George　and　the　Dragon　on　our
coinage　should　be　replaced　by　that　of　the　soldier　driving　his
spear　through　Archimedes。　But　by　that　time　there　was　no　coinage：
only　paper　money　in　which　ten　shillings　called　itself　a　pound　as
confidently　as　the　people　who　were　disgracing　their　country
called　themselves　patriots。



The　Sufferings　of　the　Sane

The　mental　distress　of　living　amid　the　obscene　din　of　all　these
carmagnoles　and　corobberies　was　not　the　only　burden　that　lay　on
sane　people　during　the　war。　There　was　also　the　emotional　strain；
complicated　by　the　offended　economic　sense；　produced　by　the
casualty　lists。　The　stupid；　the　selfish；　the　narrow…minded；　the
callous　and　unimaginative　were　spared　a　great　deal。　〃Blood　and
destruction　shall　be　so　in　use　that　mothers　shall　but　smile　when
they　behold　their　infantes　quartered　by　the　hands　of　war；〃　was　a
Shakespearean　prophecy　that　very　nearly　came　true；　for　when
nearly　every　house　had　a　slaughtered　son　to　mourn；　we　should　all
have　gone　quite　out　of　our　senses　if　we　had　taken　our　own　and　our
friend's　bereavements　at　their　peace　value。　It　became　necessary
to　give　them　a　false　value；　to　proclaim　the　young　life　worthily
and　gloriously　sacrificed　to　redeem　the　liberty　of　mankind；
instead　of　to　expiate　the　heedlessness　and　folly　of　their
fathers；　and　expiate　it　in　vain。　We　had　even　to　assume　that　the
parents　and　not　the　children　had　made　the　sacrifice；　until　at
last　the　comic　papers　were　driven　to　satirize　fat　old　men；
sitting　comfortably　in　club　chairs；　and　boasting　of　the　sons　they
had　〃given〃　to　their　country。

No　one　grudged　these　anodynes　to　acute　personal　grief；　but　they
only　embittered　those　who　knew　that　the　young　men　were　having
their　teeth　set　on　edge　because　their　parents　had　eaten　sour
political　grapes。　Then　think　of　the　young　men　themselves！　Many　of
them　had　no　illusions　about　the　policy　that　led　to　the　war：　they
went　clear…sighted　to　a　horribly　repugnant　duty。　Men　essentially
gentle　and　essentially　wise；　with　really　valuable　work　in　hand；
laid　it　down　voluntarily　and　spent　months　forming　fours　in　the
barrack　yard；　and　stabbing　sacks　of　straw　in　the　public　eye；　so
that　they　might　go　out　to　kill　and　maim　men　as　gentle　as
themselves。　These　men；　who　were　perhaps；　as　a　class；　our　most
efficient　soldiers　（Frederick　Keeling；　for　example）；　were　not
duped　for　a　moment　by　the　hypocritical　melodrama　that　consoled
and　stimulated　the　others。　They　left　their　creative　work　to
drudge　at　destruction；　exactly　as　they　would　have　left　it　to　take
their　turn　at　the　pumps　in　a　sinking　ship。　They　did　not；　like
some　of　the　conscientious　objectors；　hold　back　because　the　ship
had　been　neglected　by　its　officers　and　scuttled　by　its　wreckers。
The　ship　had　to　be　saved；　even　if　Newton　had　to　leave　his
fluxions　and　Michael　Angelo　his　marbles　to　save　it；　so　they　threw
away　the　tools　of　their　beneficent　and　ennobling　trades；　and　took
up　the　blood…stained　bayonet　and　the　murderous　bomb；　forcing
themselves　to　pervert　their　divine　instinct　for　perfect　artistic
execution　to　the　effective　handling　of　these　diabolical　things；
and　their　economic　faculty　for　organization　to　the　contriving　of
ruin　and　slaughter。　For　it　gave　an　ironic　edge　to　their　tragedy
that　the　very　talents　they　were　forced　to　prostitute　made　the
prostitution　not　only　effective；　but　even　interesting；　so　that
some　of　them　were　rapidly　promoted；　and　found　themselves　actually
becoming　artists　in　wax；　with　a　growing　relish　for　it；　like
Napoleon　and　all　the　other　scourges　of　mankind；　in　spite　of
themselves。　For　many　of　them　there　was　not　even　this　consolation。
They　〃stuck　it；〃　and　hated　it；　to　the　end。



Evil　in　the　Throne　of　Good

This　distress　of　the　gentle　was　so　acute　that　those　who　shared　it
in　civil　life；　without　having　to　shed　blood　with　their　own　hands；
or　witness　destruction　with　their　own　eyes；　hardly　care　to
obtrude　their　own　woes。　Nevertheless；　even　when　sitting　at　home
in　safety；　it　was　not　easy　for　those　who　had　to　write　and　speak
about　the　war　to　throw　away　their　highest　conscience；　and
deliberately　work　to　a　standard　of　inevitable　evil　instead　of　to
the　ideal　of　life　more　abundant。　I　can　answer　for　at　least　one
person　who　found　the　change　from　the　wisdom　of　Jesus　and　St。
Francis　to　the　morals　of　Richard　III　and　the　madness　of　Don
Quixote　extremely　irksome。　But　that　change　had　to　be　made；　and　we
are　all　the　worse　for　it；　except　those　for　whom　it　was　not　really
a　change　at　all；　but　only　a　relief　from　hypocrisy。

Think；　too；　of　those　who；　though　they　had　neither　to　write　nor　to
fight；　and　had　no　children　of　their　own　to　lose；　yet　knew　the
inestimable　loss　to　the　world　of　four　years　of　the　life　of　a
generation　wasted　on　destruction。　Hardly　one　of　the　epoch…making
works　of　the　human　mind　might　not　have　been　aborted　or　destroyed
by　taking　their　authors　away　from　their　natural　work　for　four
critical　years。　Not　only　were　Shakespeares　and　Platos　being
killed　outright；　but　many　of　the　best　harvests　of　the　survivors
had　to　be　sown　in　the　barren　soil　of　the　trenches。　And　this　was
no　mere　British　consideration。　To　the　truly　civilized　man；　to　the
good　European；　the　slaughter　of　the　German　youth　was　as
disastrous　as　the　slaughter　of　the　English。　Fools　exulted　in
〃German　losses。〃　They　were　our　losses　as　well。　Imagine　exulting
in　the　death　of　Beethoven　because　Bill　Sykes　dealt　him　his　death
blow！



Straining　at　the　Gnat　and　swallowing　the　Camel

But　most　people　could　not　comprehend　these　sorrows。　There　was　a
frivolous　exultation　in　death　for　its　own　sake；　which　was　at
bottom　an　inability　to　realize　that　the　deaths　were　real　deaths
and　not　stage　ones。　Again　and　again；　when　an　air　raider　dropped　a
bomb　which　tore　a　child　and　its　mother　limb　from　limb；　the　people
who　saw　it；　though　they　had　been　reading　with　great　cheerfulness
of　thousands　of　such　happenings　day　after　day　in　their
newspapers；　suddenly　burst　into　furious　imprecations　on　〃the
Huns〃　as　murderers；　and　shrieked　for　savage　and　satisfying
vengeance。　At　such　moments　it　became　clear　that　the　deaths　they
had　not　seen　meant　no　more　to　them　than　the　mimic　death　of　the
cinema　screen。　Sometimes　it　was　not　necessary　that　death　should
be　actually　witnessed：　it　had　only　to　take　place　under
circumstances　of　sufficient　novelty　and　proximity　to　bring　it
home　almost　as　sensationally　and　effectively　as　if　it　had　been
actually　visible。

For　example；　in　the　spring　of　1915　there　was　an　appalling
slaughter　of　our　young　soldiers　at　Neuve　Chapelle　and　at　the
Gallipoli　landing。　I　will　not　go　so　far　as　to　say　that　our
civilians　were　delighted　to　have　such　exciting　news　to　re