the new machiavelli-第30章

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and　down　to　Antronapiano。



And　our　thoughts　were　as　comprehensive　as　our　impressions。　　

Willersley's　mind　abounded　in　historical　matter；　he　had　an　

inaccurate　abundant　habit　of　topographical　reference；　he　made　me　see　

and　trace　and　see　again　the　Roman　Empire　sweep　up　these　winding　

valleys；　and　the　coming　of　the　first　great　Peace　among　the　warring　

tribes　of　men。　。　。　。



In　the　retrospect　each　of　us　seems　to　have　been　talking　about　our　

outlook　almost　continually。　　Each　of　us；　you　see；　was　full　of　the　

same　question；　very　near　and　altogether　predominant　to　us；　the　

question：　〃What　am　I　going　to　do　with　my　life？〃　　He　saw　it　almost　as　

importantly　as　I；　but　from　a　different　angle；　because　his　choice　was　

largely　made　and　mine　still　hung　in　the　balance。



〃I　feel　we　might　do　so　many　things；〃　I　said；　〃and　everything　that　

calls　one；　calls　one　away　from　something　else。〃



Willersley　agreed　without　any　modest　disavowals。



〃We　have　got　to　think　out；〃　he　said；　〃just　what　we　are　and　what　we　

are　up　to。　　We've　got　to　do　that　now。　　And　thenit's　one　of　those　

questions　it　is　inadvisable　to　reopen　subsequently。〃



He　beamed　at　me　through　his　glasses。　　The　sententious　use　of　long　

words　was　a　playful　habit　with　him；　that　and　a　slight　deliberate　

humour；　habits　occasional　Extension　Lecturing　was　doing　very　much　to　

intensify。



〃You've　made　your　decision？〃



He　nodded　with　a　peculiar　forward　movement　of　his　head。



〃How　would　you　put　it？〃



〃Social　Serviceeducation。　　Whatever　else　matters　or　doesn't　

matter；　it　seems　to　me　there　is　one　thing　we　MUST　have　and　increase；　

and　that　is　the　number　of　people　who　can　think　a　littleand　have　〃

he　beamed　again〃　an　adequate　sense　of　causation。〃



〃You're　sure　it's　worth　while。〃



〃For　mecertainly。　　I　don't　discuss　that　any　more。〃



〃I　don't　limit　myself　too　narrowly；〃　he　added。　　〃After　all；　the　work　

is　all　one。　　We　who　know；　we　who　feel；　are　building　the　great　modern　

state；　joining　wall　to　wall　and　way　to　way；　the　new　great　England　

rising　out　of　the　decaying　old　。　。　。　we　are　the　real　statesmenI　

like　that　use　of　'statesmen。'。　。　。〃



〃Yes；〃　I　said　with　many　doubts。　　〃Yes；　of　course。　。　。　。〃



Willersley　is　middle…aged　now；　with　silver　in　his　hair　and　a　

deepening　benevolence　in　his　always　amiable　face；　and　he　has　very　

fairly　kept　his　word。　　He　has　lived　for　social　service　and　to　do　

vast　masses　of　useful；　undistinguished；　fertilising　work。　　Think　of　

the　days　of　arid　administrative　plodding　and　of　contention　still　

more　arid　and　unrewarded；　that　he　must　have　spent！　　His　little　

affectations　of　gesture　and　manner；　imitative　affectations　for　the　

most　part；　have　increased；　and　the　humorous　beam　and　the　humorous　

intonations　have　become　a　thing　he　puts　on　every　morning　like　an　old　

coat。　　His　devotion　is　mingled　with　a　considerable　whimsicality；　and　

they　say　he　is　easily　flattered　by　subordinates　and　easily　offended　

into　opposition　by　colleagues；　he　has　made　mistakes　at　times　and　

followed　wrong　courses；　still　there　he　is；　a　flat　contradiction　to　

all　the　ordinary　doctrine　of　motives；　a　man　who　has　foregone　any　

chances　of　wealth　and　profit；　foregone　any　easier　paths　to　

distinction；　foregone　marriage　and　parentage；　in　order　to　serve　the　

community。　　He　does　it　without　any　fee　or　reward　except　his　personal　

self…satisfaction　in　doing　this　work；　and　he　does　it　without　any　

hope　of　future　joys　and　punishments；　for　he　is　an　implacable　

Rationalist。　　No　doubt　he　idealises　himself　a　little；　and　dreams　of　

recognition。　　No　doubt　he　gets　his　pleasure　from　a　sense　of　power；　

from　the　spending　and　husbanding　of　large　sums　of　public　money；　and　

from　the　inevitable　proprietorship　he　must　feel　in　the　fair；　fine；　

well…ordered　schools　he　has　done　so　much　to　develop。　　〃But　for　me；〃　

he　can　say；　〃there　would　have　been　a　Job　about　those　diagrams；　and　

that　subject　or　this　would　have　been　less　ably　taught。〃　。　。　。



The　fact　remains　that　for　him　the　rewards　have　been　adequate；　if　not　

to　content　at　any　rate　to　keep　him　working。　　Of　course　he　covets　the　

notice　of　the　world　he　has　served；　as　a　lover　covets　the　notice　of　

his　mistress。　　Of　course　he　thinks　somewhere；　somewhen；　he　will　get　

credit。　　Only　last　year　I　heard　some　men　talking　of　him；　and　they　

were　noting；　with　little　mean　smiles；　how　he　had　shown　himself　self…

conscious　while　there　was　talk　of　some　honorary　degree…giving　or　

other；　it　would；　I　have　no　doubt；　please　him　greatly　if　his　work　

were　to　flower　into　a　crimson　gown　in　some　Academic　parterre。　　Why　

shouldn't　it？　　But　that　is　incidental　vanity　at　the　worst；　he　goes　

on　anyhow。　　Most　men　don't。



But　we　had　our　walk　twenty　years　and　more　ago　now。　　He　was　oldish　

even　then　as　a　young　man；　just　as　he　is　oldish　still　in　middle　age。　　

Long　may　his　industrious　elderliness　flourish　for　the　good　of　the　

world！　　He　lectured　a　little　in　conversation　then；　he　lectures　more　

now　and　listens　less；　toilsomely　disentangling　what　you　already　

understand；　giving　you　in　detail　the　data　you　know；　these　are　things　

like　callosities　that　come　from　a　man's　work。



Our　long　three　weeks'　talk　comes　back　to　me　as　a　memory　of　ideas　and　

determinations　slowly　growing；　all　mixed　up　with　a　smell　of　wood　

smoke　and　pine　woods　and　huge　precipices　and　remote　gleams　of　snow…

fields　and　the　sound　of　cascading　torrents　rushing　through　deep　

gorges　far　below。　　It　is　mixed；　too；　with　gossips　with　waitresses　

and　fellow　travellers；　with　my　first　essays　in　colloquial　German　and　

Italian；　with　disputes　about　the　way　to　take；　and　other　things　that　

I　will　tell　of　in　another　section。　　But　the　white　passion　of　human　

service　was　our　dominant　theme。　　Not　simply　perhaps　nor　altogether　

unselfishly；　but　quite　honestly；　and　with　at　least　a　frequent　self…

forgetfulness；　did　we　want　to　do　fine　and　noble　things；　to　help　in　

their　developing；　to　lessen　misery；　to　broaden　and　exalt　life。　　It　

is　very　hardperhaps　it　is　impossibleto　present　in　a　page　or　two　

the　substance　and　quality　of　nearly　a　month's　conversation；　

conversation　that　is　casual　and　discursive　in　form；　that　ranges　

carelessly　from　triviality　to　immensity；　and　yet　is　constantly　

resuming　a　constructive　process；　as　workmen　on　a　wall　loiter　and　

jest　and　go　and　come　back；　and　all　the　while　build。



We　got　it　more　and　more　definite　that　the　core　of　our　purpose　

beneath　all　its　varied　aspects　must　needs　be　order　and　discipline。　　

〃Muddle；〃　said　I；　〃is　the　enemy。〃　　That　remains　my　belief　to　this　

day。　　Clearness　and　order；　light　and　foresight；　these　things　I　know　

for　Good。　　It　was　muddle　had　just　given　us　all　the　still　freshly　

painful　disasters　and　humiliations　of　the　war；　muddle　that　gives　us　

the　visibly　sprawling　disorder　of　our　cities　and　industrial　country…

side；　muddle　that　gives　us　the　waste　of　life；　the　limitations；　

wretchedness　and　unemployment　of　the　poor。　　Muddle！　　I　remember　

myself　quoting　Kipling





　　　　〃All　along　o'　dirtiness；　all　along　o'　mess；

　　　　　All　along　o'　doin'　things　rather…more…or…less。〃





〃We　build　the　state；〃　we　said　over　and　over　again。　　〃That　is　what　we　

are　forservants　of　the　new　reorganisation！〃



We　planned　half　in　earnest　and　half　Utopianising；　a　League　of　Social　

Service。



We　talked　of　the　splendid　world　of　men　that　might　grow　out　of　such　

unpaid　and　ill…paid　work　as　we　were　setting　our　faces　to　do。　　We　

spoke　of　the　intricate　difficulties；　the　monstrous　passive　

resistances；　the　hostilities　to　such　a　development　as　we　conceived　

our　work　subserved；　and　we　spoke　with　that　underlying　confidence　in　

the　invincibility　of　the　causes　we　adopted　that　is　natural　to　young　

and　scarcely　tried　men。



We　talked　much　of　the　detailed　life　of　politics　so　far　as　it　was　

known　to　us；　and　there　Willersley　was　more　experienced　and　far　

better　informed　than　I；　we　discussed　possible　combinations　and　

possible　developments；　and　the　chances　of　some　great　con