the research magnificent-第63节

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eir　fill。　。　。　。　〃How　can　we　ever　begin　over　again？〃　said　White；　and　sat　for　a　long　time　staring　gloomily　into　the　fire；　forgetting　forgetting；　forgetting　too　that　men　who　are　tired　and　weary　die；　and　that　new　men　are　born　to　succeed　them。　。　。　。　〃We　have　to　begin　over　again；〃　said　White　at　last；　and　took　up　Benham's　papers　where　he　had　laid　them　down。　。　。　。

9

One　considerable　section　of　Benham's　treatment　of　the　Fourth　Limitation　was　devoted　to　what　he　called　the　Prejudices　of　Social　Position。　　This　section　alone　was　manifestly　expanding　into　a　large　treatise　upon　the　psychology　of　economic　organization。　。　。　。　It　was　only　very　slowly　that　he　had　come　to　realize　the　important　part　played　by　economic　and　class　hostilities　in　the　disordering　of　human　affairs。　　This　was　a　very　natural　result　of　his　peculiar　social　circumstances。　　Most　people　born　to　wealth　and　ease　take　the　established　industrial　system　as　the　natural　method　in　human　affairs；　it　is　only　very　reluctantly　and　by　real　feats　of　sympathy　and　disinterestedness　that　they　can　be　brought　to　realize　that　it　is　natural　only　in　the　sense　that　it　has　grown　up　and　come　about；　and　necessary　only　because　nobody　is　strong　and　clever　enough　to　rearrange　it。　　Their　experience　of　it　is　a　satisfactory　experience。　On　the　other　hand；　the　better　off　one　is；　the　wider　is　one's　outlook　and　the　more　alert　one　is　to　see　the　risks　and　dangers　of　international　dissensions。　　Travel　and　talk　to　foreigners　open　one's　eyes　to　aggressive　possibilities；　history　and　its　warnings　become　conceivable。　　It　is　in　the　nature　of　things　that　socialists　and　labour　parties　should　minimize　international　obligations　and　necessities；　and　equally　so　that　autocracies　and　aristocracies　and　plutocracies　should　be　negligent　of　and　impatient　about　social　reform。　But　Benham　did　come　to　realize　this　broader　conflict　between　worker　and　director；　between　poor　man　and　possessor；　between　resentful　humanity　and　enterprise；　between　unwilling　toil　and　unearned　opportunity。　　It　is　a　far　profounder　and　subtler　conflict　than　any　other　in　human　affairs。　　〃I　can　foresee　a　time；〃　he　wrote；　〃when　the　greater　national　and　racial　hatreds　may　all　be　so　weakened　as　to　be　no　longer　a　considerable　source　of　human　limitation　and　misery；　when　the　suspicions　of　complexion　and　language　and　social　habit　are　allayed；　and　when　the　element　of　hatred　and　aggression　may　be　clean　washed　out　of　most　religious　cults；　but　I　do　not　begin　to　imagine　a　time；　because　I　cannot　imagine　a　method；　when　there　will　not　be　great　friction　between　those　who　employ；　those　who　direct　collective　action；　and　those　whose　part　it　is　to　be　the　rank　and　file　in　industrialism。　　This；　I　know；　is　a　limitation　upon　my　confidence　due　very　largely　to　the　restricted　nature　of　my　knowledge　of　this　sort　of　organization。　　Very　probably　resentment　and　suspicion　in　the　mass　and　self…seeking　and　dishonesty　in　the　fortunate　few　are　not　so　deeply　seated；　so　necessary　as　they　seem　to　be；　and　if　men　can　be　cheerfully　obedient　and　modestly　directive　in　war　time；　there　is　no　reason　why　ultimately　they　should　not　be　so　in　the　business　of　peace。　　But　I　do　not　understand　the　elements　of　the　methods　by　which　this　state　of　affairs　can　be　brought　about。　〃If　I　were　to　confess　this　much　to　an　intelligent　working　man　I　know　that　at　once　he　would　answer　‘Socialism；'　but　Socialism　is　no　more　a　solution　of　this　problem　than　eating　is　a　solution　when　one　is　lost　in　the　wilderness　and　hungry。　　Of　course　everybody　with　any　intelligence　wants　Socialism；　everybody；　that　is　to　say；　wants　to　see　all　human　efforts　directed　to　the　common　good　and　a　common　end；　but　brought　face　to　face　with　practical　problems　Socialism　betrays　a　vast　insufficiency　of　practical　suggestions。　　I　do　not　say　that　Socialism　would　not　work；　but　I　do　say　that　so　far　Socialists　have　failed　to　convince　me　that　they　could　work　it。　　The　substitution　of　a　stupid　official　for　a　greedy　proprietor　may　mean　a　vanished　dividend；　a　limited　output　and　no　other　human　advantage　whatever。　Socialism　is　in　itself　a　mere　eloquent　gesture；　inspiring；　encouraging；　perhaps；　but　beyond　that　not　very　helpful；　towards　the　vast　problem　of　moral　and　material　adjustment　before　the　race。　　That　problem　is　incurably　miscellaneous　and　intricate；　and　only　by　great　multitudes　of　generous　workers；　one　working　at　this　point　and　one　at　that；　secretly　devoted　knights　of　humanity；　hidden　and　dispersed　kings；　unaware　of　one　another；　doubting　each　his　right　to　count　himself　among　those　who　do　these　kingly　services；　is　this　elaborate　rightening　of　work　and　guidance　to　be　done。〃　So　from　these　most　fundamental　social　difficulties　he　came　back　to　his　panacea。　　All　paths　and　all　enquiries　led　him　back　to　his　conception　of　aristocracy；　conscious；　self…disciplined；　devoted；　self…examining　yet　secret；　making　no　personal　nor　class　pretences；　as　the　supreme　need　not　only　of　the　individual　but　the　world。

10

It　was　the　Labour　trouble　in　the　Transvaal　which　had　brought　the　two　schoolfellows　together　again。　　White　had　been　on　his　way　to　Zimbabwe。　　An　emotional　disturbance　of　unusual　intensity　had　driven　him　to　seek　consolations　in　strange　scenery　and　mysterious　desolations。　　It　was　as　if　Zimbabwe　called　to　him。　　Benham　had　come　to　South　Africa　to　see　into　the　question　of　Indian　immigration；　and　he　was　now　on　his　way　to　meet　Amanda　in　London。　　Neither　man　had　given　much　heed　to　the　gathering　social　conflict　on　the　Rand　until　the　storm　burst　about　them。　　There　had　been　a　few　paragraphs　in　the　papers　about　a　dispute　upon　a　point　of　labour　etiquette；　a　question　of　the　recognition　of　Trade　Union　officials；　a　thing　that　impressed　them　both　as　technical；　and　then　suddenly　a　long　incubated　quarrel　flared　out　in　rioting　and　violence；　the　burning　of　houses　and　furniture；　attacks　on　mines；　attempts　to　dynamite　trains。　　White　stayed　in　Johannesburg　because　he　did　not　want　to　be　stranded　up　country　by　the　railway　strike　that　was　among　the　possibilities　of　the　situation。　　Benham　stayed　because　he　was　going　to　London　very　reluctantly；　and　he　was　glad　of　this　justification　for　a　few　days'　delay。　　The　two　men　found　themselves　occupying　adjacent　tables　in　the　Sherborough　Hotel；　and　White　was　the　first　to　recognize　the　other。　　They　came　together　with　a　warmth　and　readiness　of　intimacy　that　neither　would　have　displayed　in　London。　White　had　not　seen　Benham　since　the　social　days　of　Amanda　at　Lancaster　Gate；　and　he　was　astonished　at　the　change　a　few　years　had　made　in　him。　　The　peculiar　contrast　of　his　pallor　and　his　dark　hair　had　become　more　marked；　his　skin　was　deader；　his　features　seemed　more　prominent　and　his　expression　intenser。　　His　eyes　were　very　bright　and　more　sunken　under　his　brows。　　He　had　suffered　from　yellow　fever　in　the　West　Indies；　and　these　it　seemed　were　the　marks　left　by　that　illness。　　And　he　was　much　more　detached　from　the　people　about　him；　less　attentive　to　the　small　incidents　of　life；　more　occupied　with　inner　things。　　He　greeted　White　with　a　confidence　that　White　was　one　day　to　remember　as　pathetic。　〃It　is　good　to　meet　an　old　friend；〃　Benham　said。　　〃I　have　lost　friends。　　And　I　do　not　make　fresh　ones。　　I　go　about　too　much　by　myself；　and　I　do　not　follow　the　same　tracks　that　other　people　are　following。　。　。　。〃　What　track　was　he　following？　　It　was　now　that　White　first　heard　of　the　Research　Magnificent。　　He　wanted　to　know　what　Benham　was　doing；　and　Benham　after　some　partial　and　unsatisfactory　explanation　of　his　interest　in　insurgent　Hindoos；　embarked　upon　larger　expositions。　〃It　is；　of　course；　a　part　of　something　else；〃　he　amplified。　　He　was　writing　a　book；　〃an　enormous　sort　of　book。〃　　He　laughed　with　a　touch　of　shyness。　　It　was　about　〃everything；〃　about　how　to　live　and　how　not　to　live。　　And　〃aristocracy；　and　all　sorts　of　things。〃　　White　was　always　curious　about　other　people's　books。　　Benham　became　earnest　and　more　explicit　under　encouragement；　and　to　talk　about　his　book　was　soon　to　talk　about　himself。　　In　various　ways；　intentionally　and　inadvertently；　he　told　White　much。　　These　chance　encounters；　these　intimacies　of　the　train　and　hotel；　will　lead　men　at　times　to　a　stark　frankness　of　statement　they　would　never　permit　themselves　with　habitual　friends。　About　the　Johannesburg　labour　trouble　they　talked　very　little；　considering　how　insistent　it　was　becoming。　　But　the　wide　propositions　of　the　Research　Magnificent；　with　its　large　indifference　to　immediate　occurrences；　its　vast　patience；　its　tremendous　expectations；　contrasted　very　sharply　in　White's　memory　with　the　bitterness；　narrowness　and　resentment　of　the　events　about　them。　　For　him　the　thought　of　that　first　discussion　of　this　vast　inchoate　book　into　which　Benham's　life　was　flowering；　and　which　he　was　ultimately　to　summarize；　trailed　with　it　a　fringe　of　vivid　little　pictures；　pictures　of　crowds　of　men　hurrying　on　bicycles　and　afoot　under　a　lowering　twilight　sky　towards　murmuring　centres　of　disorder；　of　startling　flares　seen　suddenly　afar　off；　of　the　muffled　galloping　of　troops　through　the　broad　dusty　street　in　the　night；　of　groups　of　men　standing　and　watching　down　straight　broad　roads；　roads　that　ended　in　groups　of　chimneys　and　squat　buildings　of　corrugated　iron。　　And　once　there　was　a　marching　body　of　white　men　in　the　foreground　and　a　complicated　wire　f