heartbreak house-第6章

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！


was　comic。　A　wounded　man；　entitled　to　his　discharge；　would　return
to　the　trenches　with　a　grim　determination　to　find　the　Hun　who　had
wounded　him　and　pay　him　out　for　it。

It　is　impossible　to　estimate　what　proportion　of　us；　in　khaki　or
out　of　it；　grasped　the　war　and　its　political　antecedents　as　a
whole　in　the　light　of　any　philosophy　of　history　or　knowledge　of
what　war　is。　I　doubt　whether　it　was　as　high　as　our　proportion　of
higher　mathematicians。　But　there　can　be　no　doubt　that　it　was
prodigiously　outnumbered　by　the　comparatively　ignorant　and
childish。　Remember　that　these　people　had　to　be　stimulated　to　make
the　sacrifices　demanded　by　the　war；　and　that　this　could　not　be
done　by　appeals　to　a　knowledge　which　they　did　not　possess；　and　a
comprehension　of　which　they　were　incapable。　When　the　armistice　at
last　set　me　free　to　tell　the　truth　about　the　war　at　the　following
general　election；　a　soldier　said　to　a　candidate　whom　I　was
supporting；　〃If　I　had　known　all　that　in　1914；　they　would　never
have　got　me　into　khaki。〃　And　that；　of　course；　was　precisely　why
it　had　been　necessary　to　stuff　him　with　a　romance　that　any
diplomatist　would　have　laughed　at。　Thus　the　natural　confusion　of
ignorance　was　increased　by　a　deliberately　propagated　confusion　of
nursery　bogey　stories　and　melodramatic　nonsense；　which　at　last
overreached　itself　and　made　it　impossible　to　stop　the　war　before
we　had　not　only　achieved　the　triumph　of　vanquishing　the　German
army　and　thereby　overthrowing　its　militarist　monarchy；　but　made
the　very　serious　mistake　of　ruining　the　centre　of　Europe；　a　thing
that　no　sane　European　State　could　afford　to　do。



The　Dumb　Capables　and　the　Noisy　Incapables

Confronted　with　this　picture　of　insensate　delusion　and　folly；　the
critical　reader　will　immediately　counterplead　that　England　all
this　time　was　conducting　a　war　which　involved　the　organization　of
several　millions　of　fighting　men　and　of　the　workers　who　were
supplying　them　with　provisions；　munitions；　and　transport；　and
that　this　could　not　have　been　done　by　a　mob　of　hysterical
ranters。　This　is　fortunately　true。　To　pass　from　the　newspaper
offices　and　political　platforms　and　club　fenders　and　suburban
drawing…rooms　to　the　Army　and　the　munition　factories　was　to　pass
from　Bedlam　to　the　busiest　and　sanest　of　workaday　worlds。　It　was
to　rediscover　England；　and　find　solid　ground　for　the　faith　of
those　who　still　believed　in　her。　But　a　necessary　condition　of
this　efficiency　was　that　those　who　were　efficient　should　give　all
their　time　to　their　business　and　leave　the　rabble　raving　to　its
heart's　content。　Indeed　the　raving　was　useful　to　the　efficient；
because；　as　it　was　always　wide　of　the　mark；　it　often　distracted
attention　very　conveniently　from　operations　that　would　have　been
defeated　or　hindered　by　publicity。　A　precept　which　I　endeavored
vainly　to　popularize　early　in　the　war；　〃If　you　have　anything　to
do　go　and　do　it：　if　not；　for　heaven's　sake　get　out　of　the　way；〃
was　only　half　carried　out。　Certainly　the　capable　people　went　and
did　it；　but　the　incapables　would　by　no　means　get　out　of　the　way：
they　fussed　and　bawled　and　were　only　prevented　from　getting　very
seriously　into　the　way　by　the　blessed　fact　that　they　never　knew
where　the　way　was。　Thus　whilst　all　the　efficiency　of　England　was
silent　and　invisible；　all　its　imbecility　was　deafening　the
heavens　with　its　clamor　and　blotting　out　the　sun　with　its　dust。
It　was　also　unfortunately　intimidating　the　Government　by　its
blusterings　into　using　the　irresistible　powers　of　the　State　to
intimidate　the　sensible　people；　thus　enabling　a　despicable
minority　of　would…be　lynchers　to　set　up　a　reign　of　terror　which
could　at　any　time　have　been　broken　by　a　single　stern　word　from　a
responsible　minister。　But　our　ministers　had　not　that　sort　of
courage：　neither　Heartbreak　House　nor　Horseback　Hall　had　bred　it；
much　less　the　suburbs。　When　matters　at　last　came　to　the　looting
of　shops　by　criminals　under　patriotic　pretexts；　it　was　the　police
force　and　not　the　Government　that　put　its　foot　down。　There　was
even　one　deplorable　moment；　during　the　submarine　scare；　in　which
the　Government　yielded　to　a　childish　cry　for　the　maltreatment　of
naval　prisoners　of　war；　and；　to　our　great　disgrace；　was　forced　by
the　enemy　to　behave　itself。　And　yet　behind　all　this　public
blundering　and　misconduct　and　futile　mischief；　the　effective
England　was　carrying　on　with　the　most　formidable　capacity　and
activity。　The　ostensible　England　was　making　the　empire　sick　with
its　incontinences；　its　ignorances；　its　ferocities；　its　panics；
and　its　endless　and　intolerable　blarings　of　Allied　national
anthems　in　season　and　out。　The　esoteric　England　was　proceeding
irresistibly　to　the　conquest　of　Europe。



The　Practical　Business　Men

》From　the　beginning　the　useless　people　set　up　a　shriek　for
〃practical　business　men。〃　By　this　they　meant　men　who　had　become
rich　by　placing　their　personal　interests　before　those　of　the
country；　and　measuring　the　success　of　every　activity　by　the
pecuniary　profit　it　brought　to　them　and　to　those　on　whom　they
depended　for　their　supplies　of　capital。　The　pitiable　failure　of
some　conspicuous　samples　from　the　first　batch　we　tried　of　these
poor　devils　helped　to　give　the　whole　public　side　of　the　war　an
air　of　monstrous　and　hopeless　farce。　They　proved　not　only　that
they　were　useless　for　public　work；　but　that　in　a　well…ordered
nation　they　would　never　have　been　allowed　to　control　private
enterprise。



How　the　Fools　shouted　the　Wise　Men　down

Thus；　like　a　fertile　country　flooded　with　mud；　England　showed　no
sign　of　her　greatness　in　the　days　when　she　was　putting　forth　all
her　strength　to　save　herself　from　the　worst　consequences　of　her
littleness。　Most　of　the　men　of　action；　occupied　to　the　last　hour
of　their　time　with　urgent　practical　work；　had　to　leave　to　idler
people；　or　to　professional　rhetoricians；　the　presentation　of　the
war　to　the　reason　and　imagination　of　the　country　and　the　world　in
speeches；　poems；　manifestoes；　picture　posters；　and　newspaper
articles。　I　have　had　the　privilege　of　hearing　some　of　our　ablest
commanders　talking　about　their　work；　and　I　have　shared　the　common
lot　of　reading　the　accounts　of　that　work　given　to　the　world　by
the　newspapers。　No　two　experiences　could　be　more　different。　But
in　the　end　the　talkers　obtained　a　dangerous　ascendancy　over　the
rank　and　file　of　the　men　of　action；　for　though　the　great　men　of
action　are　always　inveterate　talkers　and　often　very　clever
writers；　and　therefore　cannot　have　their　minds　formed　for　them　by
others；　the　average　man　of　action；　like　the　average　fighter　with
the　bayonet；　can　give　no　account　of　himself　in　words　even　to
himself；　and　is　apt　to　pick　up　and　accept　what　he　reads　about
himself　and　other　people　in　the　papers；　except　when　the　writer　is
rash　enough　to　commit　himself　on　technical　points。　It　was　not
uncommon　during　the　war　to　hear　a　soldier；　or　a　civilian　engaged
on　war　work；　describing　events　within　his　own　experience　that
reduced　to　utter　absurdity　the　ravings　and　maunderings　of　his
daily　paper；　and　yet　echo　the　opinions　of　that　paper　like　a
parrot。　Thus；　to　escape　from　the　prevailing　confusion　and　folly；
it　was　not　enough　to　seek　the　company　of　the　ordinary　man　of
action：　one　had　to　get　into　contact　with　the　master　spirits。　This
was　a　privilege　which　only　a　handful　of　people　could　enjoy。　For
the　unprivileged　citizen　there　was　no　escape。　To　him　the　whole
country　seemed　mad；　futile；　silly；　incompetent；　with　no　hope　of
victory　except　the　hope　that　the　enemy　might　be　just　as　mad。　Only
by　very　resolute　reflection　and　reasoning　could　he　reassure
himself　that　if　there　was　nothing　more　solid　beneath　their
appalling　appearances　the　war　could　not　possibly　have　gone　on　for
a　single　day　without　a　total　breakdown　of　its　organization。



The　Mad　Election

Happy　were　the　fools　and　the　thoughtless　men　of　action　in　those
days。　The　worst　of　it　was　that　the　fools　　were　very　strongly
represented　in　parliament；　as　fools　not　only　elect　fools；　but　can
persuade　men　of　action　to　elect　them　too。　The　election　that
immediately　followed　the　armistice　was　perhaps　the　maddest　that
has　ever　taken　place。　Soldiers　who　had　done　voluntary　and　heroic
service