war and the future-第5章
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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 into any statement about that。
He left the question with his admission of its extreme complexity。
He went on to talk of the strange contrasts of war； of such
things as the indifference of the birds to gunfire and
desolation。 One day on the Carso he had been near the newly
captured Austrian trenches； and suddenly from amidst a scattered
mass of Austrian bodies a quail had risen。 that had struck him
as odd； and so too had the sight of a pack of cards and a wine
flask on some newly…made graves。 The ordinary life was a very
/obstinate/ thing。。。。
He talked of the courage of modern men。 He was astonished at the
quickness with which they came to disregard shrapnel。 And they
were so quietly enduring when they were wounded。 He had seen a
lot of the wounded； and he had expected much groaning and crying
out。 But unless a man is hit in the head and goes mad he does
not groan or scream！ They are just brave。 If you ask them how
they feel it is always one of two things： either they say quietly
that they are very bad or else they say there is nothing the
matter。。。。
He spoke as if these were mere chance observations； but everyone
tells me that nearly every day the king is at the front and often
under fire。 He has taken more risks in a week than the Potsdam
War Lord has taken since the war began。 He keeps himself acutely
informed upon every aspect of the war。 He was a little inclined
to fatalism； he confessed。 There were two stories current of two
families of four sons； in each three had been killed and in each
there was an attempt to put the fourth in a place of comparative
safety。 In one case a general took the fourth son in as an
attendant and embarked upon a ship that was immediately
torpedoed； in the other the fourth son was killed by accident
while he was helping to carry dinner in a rest camp。 From those
stories we came to the question whether the uneducated Italians
were more superstitious than the uneducated English； the king
thought they were much less so。 That struck me as a novel idea。
But then he thought that English rural people believe in witches
and fairies。
I have given enough of this talk to show the quality of this king
of the new dispensation。 It was； you see； the sort of easy talk
one might hear from fine…minded people anywhere。 When we had
done talking he came to the door of the study with me and shook
hands and went back to his deskwith that gesture of return to
work which is very familiar and sympathetic to a writer； and with
no gesture of regality at all。
Just to complete this impression let me repeat a pleasant story
about this king and our Prince of Wales； who recently visited the
Italian front。 The Prince is a source of anxiety on these
visits； he has a very strong and very creditable desire to share
the ordinary risks of war。 He is keenly interested； and
unobtrusively bent upon getting as near the fighting as line as
possible。 But the King of Italy was firm upon keeping him out of
anything more than the most incidental danger。 〃We don't want
any historical incidents here；〃 he said。 I think that might well
become an historical phrase。 For the life of the Effigy is a
series of historical incidents。
6
Manifestly one might continue to multiply portraits of fine
people working upon this great task of breaking and ending the
German aggression； the German legend； the German effigy； and the
effigy business generally； the thesis being that the Allies have
no effigy。 One might fill a thick volume with pictures of men up
the scale and down working loyally and devotedly upon the war； to
make this point clear that the essential king and the essential
loyalty of our side is the commonsense of mankind。
There comes into my head as a picture at the other extreme of
this series； a memory of certain trenches I visited on my last
day in France。 They were trenches on an offensive front； they
were not those architectural triumphs； those homes from home；
that grow to perfection upon the less active sections of the
great line。 They h
