tea-table talk-第13章

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ught　round　to　you　in　a　travelling　oven。　　You　subscribe　for　your　valet　or　your　lady's　maid。　　Very　soon　the　private　establishment；　with　its　staff　of　unorganised；　quarrelling　servants；　of　necessity　either　over　or　underworked；　will　be　as　extinct　as　the　lake　dwelling　or　the　sandstone　cave。〃

〃I　hope；〃　said　the　Woman　of　the　World；　〃that　I　may　live　to　see　it。〃

〃In　all　probability；〃　replied　the　Minor　Poet；　〃you　will。　　I　would　I　could　feel　as　hopeful　for　myself。〃

〃If　your　prophecy　be　likely　of　fulfilment；〃　remarked　the　Philosopher；　〃I　console　myself　with　the　reflection　that　I　am　the　oldest　of　the　party。　　Myself；　I　never　read　these　full　and　exhaustive　reports　of　the　next　century　without　revelling　in　the　reflection　that　before　they　can　be　achieved　I　shall　be　dead　and　buried。　　It　may　be　a　selfish　attitude；　but　I　should　be　quite　unable　to　face　any　of　the　machine…made　futures　our　growing　guild　of　seers　prognosticate。　　You　appear　to　me；　most　of　you；　to　ignore　a　somewhat　important　considerationnamely；　that　mankind　is　alive。　　You　work　out　your　answers　as　if　he　were　a　sum　in　rule…of…three：　　'If　man　in　so　many　thousands　of　years　has　done　so　much　in　such　a　direction　at　this　or　that　rate　of　speed；　what　will　he　be　doing？'　and　so　on。　　You　forget　he　is　swayed　by　impulses　that　can　enter　into　no　calculationdrawn　hither　and　thither　by　powers　that　can　never　be　represented　in　your　algebra。　　In　one　generation　Christianity　reduced　Plato's　republic　to　an　absurdity。　　The　printing…press　has　upset　the　unanswerable　conclusions　of　Machiavelli。〃

〃I　disagree　with　you；〃　said　the　Minor　Poet。

〃The　fact　does　not　convince　me　of　my　error；〃　retorted　the　Philosopher。

〃Christianity；〃　continued　the　Minor　Poet；　〃gave　merely　an　added　force　to　impulses　the　germs　of　which　were　present　in　the　infant　race。　　The　printing…press；　teaching　us　to　think　in　communities；　has　nonplussed　to　a　certain　extent　the　aims　of　the　individual　as　opposed　to　those　of　humanity。　　Without　prejudice；　without　sentiment；　cast　your　eye　back　over　the　panorama　of　the　human　race。　　What　is　the　picture　that　presents　itself？　　Scattered　here　and　there　over　the　wild；　voiceless　desert；　first　the　holes　and　caves；　next　the　rude…　built　huts；　the　wigwams；　the　lake　dwellings　of　primitive　man。　Lonely；　solitary；　followed　by　his　dam　and　brood；　he　creeps　through　the　tall　grass；　ever　with　watchful；　terror…haunted　eyes；　satisfies　his　few　desires；　communicates；　by　means　of　a　few　grunts　and　signs；　his　tiny　store　of　knowledge　to　his　offspring；　then；　crawling　beneath　a　stone；　or　into　some　tangled　corner　of　the　jungle；　dies　and　disappears。　　We　look　again。　　A　thousand　centuries　have　flashed　and　faded。　　The　surface　of　the　earth　is　flecked　with　strange　quivering　patches：　　here；　where　the　sun　shines　on　the　wood　and　sea；　close　together；　almost　touching　one　another；　there；　among　the　shadows；　far　apart。　　The　Tribe　has　formed　itself。　　The　whole　tiny　mass　moves　forward；　halts；　runs　backwards；　stirred　always　by　one　common　impulse。　　Man　has　learnt　the　secret　of　combination；　of　mutual　help。　The　City　rises。　　From　its　stone　centre　spreads　its　power；　the　Nation　leaps　to　life；　civilisation　springs　from　leisure；　no　longer　is　each　man's　life　devoted　to　his　mere　animal　necessities。　　The　artificer；　the　thinkerhis　fellows　shall　protect　him。　　Socrates　dreams；　Phidias　carves　the　marble；　while　Pericles　maintains　the　law　and　Leonidas　holds　the　Barbarian　at　bay。　　Europe　annexes　piece　by　piece　the　dark　places　of　the　earth；　gives　to　them　her　laws。　　The　Empire　swallows　the　small　State；　Russia　stretches　her　arm　round　Asia。　　In　London　we　toast　the　union　of　the　English…speaking　peoples；　in　Berlin　and　Vienna　we　rub　a　salamander　to　the　deutscher　Bund；　in　Paris　we　whisper　of　a　communion　of　the　Latin　races。　　In　great　things　so　in　small。　　The　stores；　the　huge　Emporium　displaces　the　small　shopkeeper；　the　Trust　amalgamates　a　hundred　firms；　the　Union　speaks　for　the　worker。　　The　limits　of　country；　of　language；　are　found　too　narrow　for　the　new　Ideas。　　German；　American；　or　Englishlet　what　yard　of　coloured　cotton　you　choose　float　from　the　mizzenmast；　the　business　of　the　human　race　is　their　captain。　　One　hundred　and　fifty　years　ago　old　Sam　Johnson　waited　in　a　patron's　anteroom；　today　the　entire　world　invites　him　to　growl　his　table　talk　the　while　it　takes　its　dish　of　tea。　　The　poet；　the　novelist；　speak　in　twenty　languages。　Nationalityit　is　the　County　Council　of　the　future。　　The　world's　high　roads　run　turnpike…free　from　pole　to　pole。　　One　would　be　blind　not　to　see　the　goal　towards　which　we　are　rushing。　　At　the　outside　it　is　but　a　generation　or　two　off。　　It　is　one　huge　murmuring　Hiveone　universal　Hive　just　the　size　of　the　round　earth。　　The　bees　have　been　before　us；　they　have　solved　the　riddle　towards　which　we　in　darkness　have　been　groping。

The　Old　Maid　shuddered　visibly。　　〃What　a　terrible　idea！〃　she　said。

〃To　us；〃　replied　the　Minor　Poet；　〃not　to　those　who　will　come　after　us。　　The　child　dreads　manhood。　　To　Abraham；　roaming　the　world　with　his　flocks；　the　life　of　your　modern　City　man；　chained　to　his　office　from　ten　to　four；　would　have　seemed　little　better　than　penal　servitude。〃

〃My　sympathies　are　with　the　Abrahamitical　ideal；〃　observed　the　Philosopher。

〃Mine　also；〃　agreed　the　Minor　Poet。　　〃But　neither　you　nor　I　represent　the　tendency　of　the　age。　　We　are　its　curiosities。　　We；　and　such　as　we；　serve　as　the　brake　regulating　the　rate　of　progress。　　The　genius　of　species　shows　itself　moving　in　the　direction　of　the　organised　communityall　life　welded　together；　controlled　by　one　central　idea。　　The　individual　worker　is　drawn　into　the　factory。　Chippendale　today　would　have　been　employed　sketching　designs；　the　chair　would　have　been　put　together　by　fifty　workers；　each　one　trained　to　perfection　in　his　own　particular　department。　　Why　does　the　hotel；　with　its　five　hundred　servants；　its　catering　for　three　thousand　mouths；　work　smoothly；　while　the　desirable　family　residence；　with　its　two　or　three　domestics；　remains　the　scene　of　waste；　confusion；　and　dispute？　　We　are　losing　the　talent　of　living　alone；　the　instinct　of　living　in　communities　is　driving　it　out。〃

〃So　much　the　worse　for　the　community；〃　was　the　comment　of　the　Philosopher。　　〃Man；　as　Ibsen　has　said；　will　always　be　at　his　greatest　when　he　stands　alone。　　To　return　to　our　friend　Abraham；　surely　he；　wandering　in　the　wilderness；　talking　with　his　God；　was　nearer　the　ideal　than　the　modern　citizen；　thinking　with　his　morning　paper；　applauding　silly　shibboleths　from　a　theatre　pit；　guffawing　at　coarse　jests；　one　of　a　music…hall　crowd？　　In　the　community　it　is　the　lowest　always　leads。　　You　spoke　just　now　of　all　the　world　inviting　Samuel　Johnson　to　its　dish　of　tea。　　How　many　read　him　as　compared　to　the　number　of　subscribers　to　the　Ha'penny　Joker？　　This　'thinking　in　communities；'　as　it　is　termed；　to　what　does　it　lead？　　To　mafficking　and　Dreyfus　scandals。　　What　crowd　ever　evolved　a　noble　idea？　　If　Socrates　and　Galileo；　Confucius　and　Christ　had　'thought　in　communities；'　the　world　would　indeed　be　the　ant…hill　you　appear　to　regard　as　its　destiny。〃

〃In　balancing　the　books　of　life　one　must　have　regard　to　both　sides　of　the　ledger；〃　responded　the　Minor　Poet。　　〃A　crowd；　I　admit；　of　itself　creates　nothing；　on　the　other　hand；　it　receives　ideals　into　its　bosom　and　gives　them　needful　shelter。　　It　responds　more　readily　to　good　than　to　evil。　　What　greater　stronghold　of　virtue　than　your　sixpenny　gallery？　　Your　burglar；　arrived　fresh　from　jumping　on　his　mother；　finds　himself　applauding　with　the　rest　stirring　appeals　to　the　inborn　chivalry　of　man。　　Suggestion　that　it　was　right　or　proper　under　any　circumstances　to　jump　upon　one's　mother　he　would　at　such　moment　reject　with　horror。　　'Thinking　in　communities'　is　good　for　him。　　The　hooligan；　whose　patriotism　finds　expression　in　squirting　dirty　water　into　the　face　of　his　coster　sweetheart：　　the　boulevardiere；　primed　with　absinth；　shouting　'Conspuez　les　Juifs！'　the　motive　force　stirring　them　in　its　origin　was　an　ideal。　　Even　into　making　a　fool　of　itself；　a　crowd　can　be　moved　only　by　incitement　of　its　finer　instincts。　　The　service　of　Prometheus　to　mankind　must　not　be　judged　by　the　statistics　of　the　insurance　office。　　The　world　as　a　whole　has　gained　by　community；　will　attain　its　goal　only　through　community。　　F