the research magnificent-第62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！


　that　passes　out　of　human　experience；　the　tyranny　of　the　strong　man　over　men。　　Essen　comes；　the　new　thing；　the　tyranny　of　the　strong　machine。　。　。　。　〃Science　is　either　slave　or　master。　　These　peopleI　mean　the　German　people　and　militarist　people　generallyhave　no　real　mastery　over　the　scientific　and　economic　forces　on　which　they　seem　to　ren；　and　the　policeman　had　just　clubbed　an　unfortunate　youth　over　the　head　with　the　heavily　loaded　wooden　club　which　is　the　normal　instrument　of　Haytien　discipline。　　His　blow　was　a　repartee；　part　of　a　triangular　altercation　in　which　a　large；　voluble；　mahogany…coloured　lady　whose　head　was　tied　up　in　a　blue　handkerchief　played　a　conspicuous　part；　but　it　seemed　to　Benham　an　entirely　unjustifiable　blow。　He　allowed　an　indignation　with　negro　policemen　in　general　that　had　been　gathering　from　the　very　moment　of　his　arrival　at　Port…au…Prince　to　carry　him　away。　　He　advanced　with　the　kind　of　shout　one　would　hurl　at　a　dog；　and　smote　the　policeman　to　the　earth　with　the　stout　stick　that　the　peculiar　social　atmosphere　of　Hayti　had　disposed　him　to　carry。　　By　the　local　standard　his　blow　was　probably　a　trivial　one；　but　the　moral　effect　of　his　indignant　pallor　and　a　sort　of　rearing　tallness　about　him　on　these　occasions　was　always　very　considerable。　　Unhappily　these　characteristics　could　have　no　effect　on　a　second　negro　policeman　who　was　approaching　the　affray　from　behind；　and　he　felled　Benham　by　a　blow　on　the　shoulder　that　was　meant　for　the　head；　and　with　the　assistance　of　his　colleague　overpowered　him；　while　the　youth　and　the　woman　vanished。　The　two　officials　dragged　Benham　in　a　state　of　vehement　protest　to　the　lock…up；　and　only　there；　in　the　light　of　a　superior　officer's　superior　knowledge；　did　they　begin　to　realize　the　grave　fact　of　his　British　citizenship。　The　memory　of　the　destruction　of　the　Haytien　fleet　by　a　German　gunboat　was　still　vivid　in　Port…au…Prince；　and　to　that　Benham　owed　it　that　in　spite　of　his　blank　refusal　to　compensate　the　man　he　had　knocked　over；　he　was　after　two　days　of　anger；　two　days　of　extreme　insanitary　experience；　and　much　meditation　upon　his　unphilosophical　hastiness；　released。　Quite　a　number　of　trivial　incidents　of　a　kindred　sort　diversified　his　enquiries　into　Indian　conditions。　　They　too　turned　for　the　most　part　on　his　facile　exasperation　at　any　defiance　of　his　deep…felt　desire　for　human　brotherhood。　　At　last　indeed　came　an　affair　that　refused　ultimately　to　remain　trivial；　and　tangled　him　up　in　a　coil　that　invoked　newspaper　articles　and　heated　controversies。　The　effect　of　India　upon　Benham's　mind　was　a　peculiar　mixture　of　attraction　and　irritation。　　He　was　attracted　by　the　Hindu　spirit　of　intellectualism　and　the　Hindu　repudiation　of　brutality；　and　he　was　infuriated　by　the　spirit　of　caste　that　cuts　the　great　world　of　India　into　a　thousand　futile　little　worlds；　all　aloof　and　hostile　one　to　the　other。　　〃I　came　to　see　India；〃　he　wrote；　〃and　there　is　no　India。　There　is　a　great　number　of　Indias；　and　each　goes　about　with　its　chin　in　the　air；　quietly　scorning　everybody　else。〃　His　Indian　adventures　and　his　great　public　controversy　on　caste　began　with　a　tremendous　row　with　an　Indian　civil　servant　who　had　turned　an　Indian　gentleman　out　of　his　first…class　compartment；　and　culminated　in　a　disgraceful　fracas　with　a　squatting　brown　holiness　at　Benares；　who　had　thrown　aside　his　little　brass　bowlful　of　dinner　because　Benham's　shadow　had　fallen　upon　it。　〃You　unendurable　snob！〃　said　Benham；　and　then　lapsing　into　the　forceful　and　inadvisable：　〃By　Heaven；　you　SHALL　eat　it！　。　。　。〃

8

Benham's　detestation　of　human　divisions　and　hostilities　was　so　deep　in　his　character　as　to　seem　almost　instinctive。　　But　he　had　too　a　very　clear　reason　for　his　hostility　to　all　these　amazing　breaks　in　human　continuity　in　his　sense　of　the　gathering　dangers　they　now　involve。　　They　had　always；　he　was　convinced；　meant　conflict；　hatred；　misery　and　the　destruction　of　human　dignity；　but　the　new　conditions　of　life　that　have　been　brought　about　by　modern　science　were　making　them　far　more　dangerous　than　they　had　ever　been　before。　　He　believed　that　the　evil　and　horror　of　war　was　becoming　more　and　more　tremendous　with　every　decade；　and　that　the　free　play　of　national　prejudice　and　that　stupid　filching　ambitiousness　that　seems　to　be　inseparable　from　monarchy；　were　bound　to　precipitate　catastrophe；　unless　a　real　international　aristocracy　could　be　brought　into　being　to　prevent　it。　In　the　drawer　full　of　papers　labelled　〃Politics；〃　White　found　a　paper　called　〃The　Metal　Beast。〃　　It　showed　that　for　a　time　Benham　had　been　greatly　obsessed　by　the　thought　of　the　armaments　that　were　in　those　days　piling　up　in　every　country　in　Europe。　　He　had　gone　to　Essen；　and　at　Essen　he　had　met　a　German　who　had　boasted　of　Zeppelins　and　the　great　guns　that　were　presently　to　smash　the　effete　British　fleet　and　open　the　Imperial　way　to　London。　〃I　could　not　sleep；〃　he　wrote；　〃on　account　of　this　man　and　his　talk　and　the　streak　of　hatred　in　his　talk。　　He　distressed　me　not　because　he　seemed　exceptional；　but　because　he　seemed　ordinary。　　I　realized　that　he　was　more　human　than　I　was；　and　that　only　killing　and　killing　could　come　out　of　such　humanity。　　I　thought　of　the　great　ugly　guns　I　had　seen；　and　of　the　still　greater　guns　he　had　talked　about；　and　how　gloatingly　he　thought　of　the　destruction　they　could　do。　　I　felt　as　I　used　to　feel　about　that　infernal　stallion　that　had　killed　a　man　with　its　teeth　and　feet；　a　despairing　fear；　a　sense　of　monstrosity　in　life。　　And　this　creature　who　had　so　disturbed　me　was　only　a　beastly　snuffy　little　man　in　an　ill…fitting　frock…coat；　who　laid　his　knife　and　fork　by　their　tips　on　the　edge　of　his　plate；　and　picked　his　teeth　with　gusto　and　breathed　into　my　face　as　he　talked　to　me。　　The　commoneside。　　The　monster　of　steel　and　iron　carries　Kaiser　and　Germany　and　all　Europe　captive。　　It　has　persuaded　them　to　mount　upon　its　back　and　now　they　must　follow　the　logic　of　its　path。　　Whither？　。　。　。　　Only　kingship　will　ever　master　that　beast　of　steel　which　has　got　loose　into　the　world。　　Nothing　but　the　sense　of　unconquerable　kingship　in　us　all　will　ever　dare　withstand　it。　。　。　。　　Men　must　be　kingly　aristocrats　it　isn't　MAY　be　now；　it　is　MUST　beor；　these　confederated　metals；　these　things　of　chemistry　and　metallurgy；　these　explosives　and　mechanisms；　will　trample　the　blood　and　life　out　of　our　race　into　mere　red…streaked　froth　and　filth。　。　。　。〃　Then　he　turned　to　the　question　of　this　metallic　beast's　release。　Would　it　ever　be　given　blood？　〃Men　of　my　generation　have　been　brought　up　in　this　threat　of　a　great　war　that　never　comes；　for　forty　years　we　have　had　it；　so　that　it　is　with　a　note　of　incredulity　that　one　tells　oneself；　〃After　all　this　war　may　happen。　　But　can　it　happen？〃　He　proceeded　to　speculate　upon　the　probability　whether　a　great　war　would　ever　devastate　western　Europe　again；　and　it　was　very　evident　to　White　that　he　wanted　very　much　to　persuade　himself　against　that　idea。　　It　was　too　disagreeable　for　him　to　think　it　probable。　　The　paper　was　dated　1910。　　It　was　in　October；　1914；　that　White；　who　was　still　working　upon　the　laborious　uncertain　account　of　Benham's　life　and　thought　he　has　recently　published；　read　what　Benham　had　written。　Benham　concluded　that　the　common…sense　of　the　world　would　hold　up　this　danger　until　reason　could　get　〃to　the　head　of　things。〃　〃There　are　already　mighty　forces　in　Germany；〃　Benham　wrote；　〃that　will　struggle　very　powerfully　to　avoid　a　war。　　And　these　forces　increase。　　Behind　the　coarseness　and　the　threatenings；　the　melodrama　and　the　display　of　the　vulgarer　sort　there　arises　a　great　and　noble　people。　。　。　。　　I　have　talked　with　Germans　of　the　better　kind。　。　。　。　You　cannot　have　a　whole　nation　of　Christophes。　。　。　。　　There　also　the　true　knighthood　discovers　itself。　。　。　。　　I　do　not　believe　this　war　will　overtake　us。〃　〃WELL！〃　said　White。　〃I　must　go　back　to　Germany　and　understand　Germany　better；〃　the　notes　went　on。　But　other　things　were　to　hold　Benham　back　from　that　resolve。　　Other　things　were　to　hold　many　men　back　from　similar　resolves　until　it　was　too　late　for　them。　。　。　。　〃It　is　preposterous　that　these　monstrous　dangers　should　lower　over　Europe；　because　a　certain　threatening　vanity　has　crept　into　the　blood　of　a　people；　because　a　few　crude　ideas　go　inadequately　controlled。　。　。　。　　Does　no　one　see　what　that　metallic　beast　will　do　if　they　once　let　it　loose？　　It　will　trample　cities；　it　will　devour　nations。　。　。　。〃　White　read　this　on　the　9th　of　October；　1914。　　One　crumpled　evening　paper　at　his　feet　proclaimed　in　startled　headlines：　〃Rain　of　Incendiary　Shells。　　Antwerp　Ablaze。〃　　Another　declared　untruthfully　but　impressively：　〃Six　Zeppelins　drop　Bombs　over　the　Doomed　City。〃　He　had　bought　all　the　evening　papers；　and　had　read　and　re…read　them　and　turned　up　maps　and　worried　over　strategic　problems　for　which　he　had　no　data　at　allas　every　one　did　at　that　timebefore　he　was　able　to　go　on　with　Benham's　manuscripts。　These　pacific　reassurances　seemed　to　White's　war…troubled　mind　like　finding　a　flattened　and　faded　flower；　a　girl's　love　token；　between　the　pages　of　some　torn　and　scorched　and　blood…stained　book　picked　out　from　a　heap　of　loot　after　rapine　and　murder　had　had　their　fill。　。　。　。　〃How　can　we　ever　begin　over　again？〃　said　White；　and　sat　for　a　long　time　staring　gloo