the new machiavelli-第69章

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moneylender；　the　Nonconformist　as　against　the　Churchman；　the　small　

employer　as　against　the　demoralising　hospitable　publican；　the　man　

without　introductions　and　broad　connections　against　the　man　who　has　

these　things。　　It　is　the　party　of　the　many　small　men　against　the　

fewer　prevailing　men。　　It　has　no　more　essential　reason　for　loving　

the　Collectivist　state　than　the　Conservatives；　the　small　dealer　is　

doomed　to　absorption　in　that　just　as　much　as　the　large　owner；　but　it　

resorts　to　the　state　against　its　antagonists　as　in　the　middle　ages　

common　men　pitted　themselves　against　the　barons　by　siding　with　the　

king。　　The　Liberal　Party　is　the　party　against　〃class　privilege〃　

because　it　represents　no　class　advantages；　but　it　is　also　the　party　

that　is　on　the　whole　most　set　against　Collective　control　because　it　

represents　no　established　responsilibity。　　It　is　constructive　only　

so　far　as　its　antagonism　to　the　great　owner　is　more　powerful　than　

its　jealousy　of　the　state。　　It　organises　only　because　organisation　

is　forced　upon　it　by　the　organisation　of　its　adversaries。　　It　lapses　

in　and　out　of　alliance　with　Labour　as　it　sways　between　hostility　to　

wealth　and　hostility　to　public　expenditure。　。　。　。



Every　modern　European　state　will　have　in　some　form　or　other　these　

three　parties：　the　resistent；　militant；　authoritative；　dull；　and　

unsympathetic　party　of　establishment　and　success；　the　rich　party；　

the　confused；　sentimental；　spasmodic；　numerous　party　of　the　small；　

struggling；　various；　undisciplined　men；　the　poor　man's　party；　and　a　

third　party　sometimes　detaching　itself　from　the　second　and　sometimes　

reuniting　with　it；　the　party　of　the　altogether　expropriated　masses；　

the　proletarians；　Labour。　　Change　Conservative　and　Liberal　to　

Republican　and　Democrat；　for　example；　and　you　have　the　conditions　in　

the　United　States。　　The　Crown　or　a　dethroned　dynasty；　the　

Established　Church　or　a　dispossessed　church；　nationalist　secessions；　

the　personalities　of　party　leaders；　may　break　up；　complicate；　and　

confuse　the　self…expression　of　these　three　necessary　divisions　in　

the　modern　social　drama；　the　analyst　will　make　them　out　none　the　

less　for　that。　。　。　。



And　then　I　came　back　as　if　I　came　back　to　a　refrain；the　ideas　go　

onas　though　we　are　all　no　more　than　little　cells　and　corpuscles　in　

some　great　brain　beyond　our　understanding。　。　。　。



So　it　was　I　sat　and　thought　my　problem　out。　。　。　。　　I　still　remember　

my　satisfaction　at　seeing　things　plainly　at　last。　　It　was　like　

clouds　dispersing　to　show　the　sky。　　Constructive　ideas；　of　course；　

couldn't　hold　a　party　together　alone；　〃interests　and　habits；　not　

ideas；〃　I　had　that　now；　and　so　the　great　constructive　scheme　of　

Socialism；　invading　and　inspiring　all　parties；　was　necessarily　

claimed　only　by　this　collection　of　odds　and　ends；　this　residuum　of　

disconnected　and　exceptional　people。　　This　was　true　not　only　of　the　

Socialist　idea；　but　of　the　scientific　idea；　the　idea　of　veracityof　

human　confidence　in　humanityof　all　that　mattered　in　human　life　

outside　the　life　of　individuals。　。　。　。　　The　only　real　party　that　

would　ever　profess　Socialism　was　the　Labour　Party；　and　that　in　the　

entirely　one…sided　form　of　an　irresponsible　and　non…constructive　

attack　on　property。　　Socialism　in　that　mutilated　form；　the　teeth　and　

claws　without　the　eyes　and　brain；　I　wanted　as　little　as　I　wanted　

anything　in　the　world。



Perfectly　clear　it　was；　perfectly　clear；　and　why　hadn't　I　seen　it　

before？　。　。　。　　I　looked　at　my　watch；　and　it　was　half…past　two。



I　yawned；　stretched；　got　up　and　went　to　bed。







9





My　ideas　about　statecraft　have　passed　through　three　main　phases　to　

the　final　convictions　that　remain。　　There　was　the　first　immediacy　of　

my　dream　of　ports　and　harbours　and　cities；　railways；　roads；　and　

administered　territoriesthe　vision　I　had　seen　in　the　haze　from　

that　little　church　above　Locarno。　　Slowly　that　had　passed　into　a　

more　elaborate　legislative　constructiveness；　which　had　led　to　my　

uneasy　association　with　the　Baileys　and　the　professedly　constructive　

Young　Liberals。　　To　get　that　ordered　life　I　had　realised　the　need　of　

organisation；　knowledge；　expertness；　a　wide　movement　of　co…ordinated　

methods。　　On　the　individual　side　I　thought　that　a　life　of　urgent　

industry；　temperance；　and　close　attention　was　indicated　by　my　

perception　of　these　ends。　　I　married　Margaret　and　set　to　work。　　But　

something　in　my　mind　refused　from　the　outset　to　accept　these　

determinations　as　final。　　There　was　always　a　doubt　lurking　below；　

always　a　faint　resentment；　a　protesting　criticism；　a　feeling　of　

vitally　important　omissions。



I　arrived　at　last　at　the　clear　realisation　that　my　political　

associates；　and　I　in　my　association　with　them；　were　oddly　narrow；　

priggish；　and　unreal；　that　the　Socialists　with　whom　we　were　

attempting　co…operation　were　preposterously　irrelevant　to　their　own　

theories；　that　my　political　life　didn't　in　some　way　comprehend　more　

than　itself；　that　rather　perplexingly　I　was　missing　the　thing　I　was　

seeking。　　Britten's　footnotes　to　Altiora's　self…assertions；　her　fits　

of　energetic　planning；　her　quarrels　and　rallies　and　vanities；　his　

illuminating　attacks　on　Cramptonism　and　the　heavy…spirited　

triviality　of　such　Liberalism　as　the　Children's　Charter；　served　to　

point　my　way　to　my　present　conclusions。　　I　had　been　trying　to　deal　

all　along　with　human　progress　as　something　immediate　in　life；　

something　to　be　immediately　attacked　by　political　parties　and　groups　

pointing　primarily　to　that　end。　　I　now　began　to　see　that　just　as　in　

my　own　being　there　was　the　rather　shallow；　rather　vulgar；　self…

seeking　careerist；　who　wore　an　admirable　silk　hat　and　bustled　self…

consciously　through　the　lobby；　and　a　much　greater　and　indefinitely　

growing　unpublished　personality　behind　himmy　hinterland；　I　have　

called　itso　in　human　affairs　generally　the　permanent　reality　is　

also　a　hinterland；　which　is　never　really　immediate；　which　draws　

continually　upon　human　experience　and　influences　human　action　more　

and　more；　but　which　is　itself　never　the　actual　player　upon　the　

stage。　　It　is　the　unseen　dramatist　who　never　takes　a　call。　　Now　it　

was　just　through　the　fact　that　our　group　about　the　Baileys　didn't　

understand　this；　that　with　a　sort　of　frantic　energy　they　were　trying　

to　develop　that　sham　expert　officialdom　of　theirs　to　plan；　regulate；　

and　direct　the　affairs　of　humanity；　that　the　perplexing　note　of　

silliness　and　shallowness　that　I　had　always　felt　and　felt　now　most　

acutely　under　Britten's　gibes；　came　in。　　They　were　neglecting　human　

life　altogether　in　social　organisation。



In　the　development　of　intellectual　modesty　lies　the　growth　of　

statesmanship。　　It　has　been　the　chronic　mistake　of　statecraft　and　

all　organising　spirits　to　attempt　immediately　to　scheme　and　arrange　

and　achieve。　　Priests；　schools　of　thought；　political　schemers；　

leaders　of　men；　have　always　slipped　into　the　error　of　assuming　that　

they　can　think　out　the　wholeor　at　any　rate　completely　think　out　

definite　partsof　the　purpose　and　future　of　man；　clearly　and　

finally；　they　have　set　themselves　to　legislate　and　construct　on　that　

assumption；　and；　experiencing　the　perplexing　obduracy　and　evasions　

of　reality；　they　have　taken　to　dogma；　persecution；　training；　

pruning；　secretive　education；　and　all　the　stupidities　of　self…

sufficient　energy。　　In　the　passion　of　their　good　intentions　they　

have　not　hesitated　to　conceal　fact；　suppress　thought；　crush　

disturbing　initiatives　and　apparently　detrimental　desires。　　And　so　

it　is　blunderingly　and　wastefully；　destroying　with　the　making；　that　

any　extension　of　social　organisation　is　at　present　achieved。



Directly；　however；　this　idea　of　an　emancipation　from　immediacy　is　

grasped；　directly　the　dominating　importance　of　this　critical；　less　

personal；　mental　hinterland　in　the　individual　and　of　the　collective　

mind　in　the　race　is　understood；　the　whole　problem　of　the　statesman