war and the future-第31章

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are　produced　to　establish　the　truth　that　Germany；　though　still
largely　wicked　and　impenitent；　is　being　slowly　and　conclusively
beaten　by　the　sanity；　courage　and　persistence　of　the　Allied
common　men；　then　the　Genteel　Whig　retorts　with　his　last　defensive
absurdity。　　He　invents　a　national　psychology　for　Germany。
Germany；　he　invents；　loves　us　and　wants　to　be　our　dearest　friend。
Germany　has　always　loved　us。　　The　Germans　are　a　loving；　unenvious
people。　　They　have　been　a　little　misleadbut　nice　people　do　not
insist　upon　that　fact。　　But　beware　of　beating　Germany；　beware　of
humiliating　Germany；　then　indeed　trouble　will　come。　　Germany　will
begin　to　dislike　us。　　She　will　plan　a　revenge。　　Turning　aside
from　her　erstwhile　innocent　career；　she　may　even　think　of　hate。
What　are　our　obligations　to　France；　Italy；　Serbia　and　Russia；
what　is　the　happiness　of　a　few　thousands　of　the　Herero；　a　few
millions　of　the　Belgianswhose　numbers　moreover　are　constantly
diminishingwhen　we　might　weigh　them　against　the　danger；　the
most　terrible　danger；　of　incurring　/permanent　German
hostility？。。。/

A　Frenchman　I　talked　to　knew　better　than　that。　　〃What　will　happen
to　Germany；〃　I　asked；　〃if　we　are　able　to　do　so　to　her　and　so；
would　she　take　to　dreams　of　a　/Revanche？/〃

〃She　will　take　to　Anglomania；〃　he　said；　and　added　after　a　flash
of　reflection；　〃In　the　long　run　it　will　be　the　worse　for　you。〃


III。　THE　RELIGIOUS　REVIVAL


1

One　of　the　indisputable　things　about　the　war；　so　far　as　Britain
and　France　goand　I　have　reason　to　believe　that　on　a　lesser
scale　things　are　similar　in　Italyis　that　it　has　produced　a　very
great　volume　of　religious　thought　and　feeling。　　About　Russia　in
these　matters　we　hear　but　little　at　the　present　time；　but　one
guesses　at　parallelism。　　People　habitually　religious　have　been
stirred　to　new　depths　of　reality　and　sincerity；　and　people　are
thinking　of　religion　who　never　thought　of　religion　before。　　But
as　I　have　already　pointed　out；　thinking　and　feeling　about　a
matter　is　of　no　permanent　value　unless　something　is　/thought
out/；　unless　there　is　a　change　of　boundary　or　relationship；
and　it　an　altogether　different　question　to　ask　whether　any
definite　change　is　resulting　from　this　universal　ferment。　　If　it
is　not　doing　so；　then　the　sleeper　merely　dreams　a　dream　that　he
will　forget　again。。。。

Now　in　no　sort　of　general　popular　mental　activity　is　there　so
much　froth　and　waste　as　in　religious　excitements。　　This　has　been
the　case　in　all　periods　of　religious　revival。　　The　number　who　are
rather　impressed；　who　for　a　few　days　or　weeks　take　to　reading
their　Bibles　or　going　to　a　new　place　of　worship　or　praying　or
fasting　or　being　kind　and　unselfish；　is　always　enormous　in
relation　to　the　people　whose　lives　are　permanently　changed。　　The
effort　needed　if　a　contemporary　is　to　blow　off　the　froth；　is
always　very　considerable。

Among　the　froth　that　I　would　blow　off　is　I　think　most　of　the
tremendous　efforts　being　made　in　England　by　the　Anglican　church
to　attract　favourable　attention　to　itself　/apropos/
of　the　war。　　I　came　back　from　my　visit　to　the　Somme　battlefields
to　find　the　sylvan　peace　of　Essex　invaded　by　a　number　of　ladies
in　blue　dresses　adorned　with　large　white　crosses；　who；　regardless
of　the　present　shortage　of　nurses；　were　visiting　every　home　in
the　place　on　some　mission　of　invitation　whose　details　remained
obscure。　　So　far　as　I　was　able　to　elucidate　this　project；　it　was
in　the　nature　of　a　magic　incantation；　a　satisfactory　end　of　the
war　was　to　be　brought　about　by　convergent　prayer　and　religious
assiduities。　　The　mission　was　shy　of　dealing　with　me　personally；
although　as　a　lapsed　communicant　I　should　have　thought　myself　a
particularly　hopeful　field　for　Anglican　effort；　and　it　came　to　my
wife　and　myself　merely　for　our　permission　and　countenance　in　an
appeal　to　our　domestic　servants。　　My　wife　consulted　the
household；　it　seemed　very　anxious　to　escape　from　that　appeal；　and
as　I　respect　Christianity　sufficiently　to　detest　the
identification　of　its　services　with　magic　processes；　the　mission
retiredcivilly　repulsed。　　But　the　incident　aroused　an　uneasy
curiosity　in　my　mind　with　regard　to　the　general　trend　of　Anglican
teaching　and　Anglican　activities　at　the　present　time。　　The　trend
of　my　enquiries　is　to　discover　the　church　much　more　incoherent
and　much　less　religiousin　any　decent　sense　of　the　wordthan　I
had　supposed　it　to　be。

Organisation　is　the　life　of　material　and　the　death　of　mental　and
spiritual　processes。　　There　could　be　no　more　melancholy
exemplification　of　this　than　the　spectacle　of　the　Anglican　and
Catholic　churches　at　the　present　time；　one　using　the　tragic
stresses　of　war　mainly　for　pew…rent　touting；　and　the　other
paralysed　by　its　Austrian　and　South　German　political　connections
from　any　clear　utterance　upon　the　moral　issues　of　the　war。
Through　the　opening　phases　of　the　war　the　Established　Church　of
England　was　inconspicuous；　this　is　no　longer　the　case；　but　it　may
be　doubted　whether　the　change　is　altogether　to　its　advantage。　　To
me　this　is　a　very　great　disappointment。　　I　have　always　had　a　very
high　opinion　of　the　intellectual　values　of　the　leading　divines　of
both　the　Anglican　and　Catholic　communions。　　The　self…styled
Intelligentsia　of　Great　Britain　is　all　too　prone　to　sneer　at
their　equipment；　but　I　do　not　see　how　any　impartial　person　can
deny　that　Father　Bernard　Vaughn　is　in　mental　energy；　vigour　of
expression；　richness　of　thought　and　variety　of　information　fully
the　equal　of　such　an　influential　lay　publicist　as　Mr。　Horatio
Bottomley。　　One　might　search　for　a　long　time　among　prominent
laymen　to　find　the　equal　of　the　Bishop　of　London。　　Nevertheless
it　is　impossible　to　conceal　the　impression　of　tawdriness　that
this　latter　gentleman's　work　as　head　of　the　National　Mission　has
left　upon　my　mind。　　Attired　in　khaki　he　has　recently　been
preaching　in　the　open　air　to　the　people　of　London　upon　Tower
Hill；　Piccadilly；　and　other　conspicuous　places。　　Obsessed　as　I　am
by　the　humanities；　and　impressed　as　I　have　always　been　by　the
inferiority　of　material　to　moral　facts；　I　would　willingly　have
exchanged　the　sight　of　two　burning　Zeppelins　for　this　spectacle
of　ecclesiastical　fervour。　　But　as　it　is；　I　am　obliged　to　trust
to　newspaper　reports　and　the　descriptions　of　hearers　and　eye…
witnesses。　　They　leave　to　me　but　little　doubt　of　the　regrettable
superficiality　of　the　bishop's　utterances。

We　have　a　multitude　of　people　chastened　by　losses；　ennobled　by　a
common　effort；　needing　support　in　that　effort；　perplexed　by　the
reality　of　evil　and　cruelty；　questioning　and　seeking　after　God。
What　does　the　National　Mission　offer？　　On　Tower　Hill　the　bishop
seems　to　have　been　chiefly　busy　with　a　wrangling　demonstration
that　ten　thousand　a　year　is　none　too　big　a　salary　for　a　man
subject　to　such　demands　and　expenses　as　his　see　involves。　　So　far
from　making　anything　out　of　his　see　he　was；　he　declared；　two
thousand　a　year　to　the　bad。　　Some　day；　when　the　church　has
studied　efficiency；　I　suppose　that　bishops　will　have　the　leisure
to　learn　something　about　the　general　state　of　opinion　and
education　in　their　dioceses。　　The　Bishop　of　London　was　evidently
unaware　of　the　almost　automatic　response　of　the　sharp　socialists
among　his　hearers。　　Their　first　enquiry　would　be　to　learn　how　he
came　by　that　mysterious　extra　two　thousand　a　year　with　which　he
supplemented　his　stipend。　　How　did　he　earn　/that？/　And　if　he
didn't　earn　it…！　　And　secondly；　they　would　probably　have
pointed　out　to　him　that　his　standard　of　housing；　clothing；　diet
and　entertaining　was　probably　a　little　higher　than　theirs。　　It　is
really　no　proof　of　virtuous　purity　that　a　man's　expenditure
exceeds　his　income。　　And　finally　some　other　of　his　hearers　were
left　unsatisfied　by　his　silence　with　regard　to　the　current
proposal　to　pool　all　clerical　stipends　for　the　common　purposes　of
the　church。　　It　is　a　reasonable　proposal；　and　if　bishops　must
dispute　about　stipends　instead　of　preaching　the　kingdom　of　God；
then　they　are　bound　to　face　it。　　The　sooner　they　do　so；　the　more
graceful　will　the　act　be。　　From　these　personal　apologetics　the
bishop　took　up　the　question　of　the　exemption；　at　the　request　of
the　bishops；　of　the　clergy　fro