the new machiavelli-第71章

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them。　　Was　I　not　altogether　out　of　my　element　as　an　Anti…？　　Weren't　

there　big　bold　qualities　about　these　people　that　common　men　lack；　

and　the　possibility　of　far　more　splendid　dreams？　　Were　they　really　

the　obstacles；　might　they　not　be　rather　the　vehicles　of　the　possible　

new　braveries　of　life？







2





The　faults　of　the　Imperialist　movement　were　obvious　enough。　　The　

conception　of　the　Boer　War　had　been　clumsy　and　puerile；　the　costly　

errors　of　that　struggle　appalling；　and　the　subsequent　campaign　of　

Mr。　Chamberlain　for　Tariff　Reform　seemed　calculated　to　combine　the　

financial　adventurers　of　the　Empire　in　one　vast　conspiracy　against　

the　consumer。　　The　cant　of　Imperialism　was　easy　to　learn　and　use；　it　

was　speedily　adopted　by　all　sorts　of　base　enterprises　and　turned　to　

all　sorts　of　base　ends。　　But　a　big　child　is　permitted　big　mischief；　

and　my　mind　was　now　continually　returning　to　the　persuasion　that　

after　all　in　some　development　of　the　idea　of　Imperial　patriotism　

might　be　found　that　wide；　rough；　politically　acceptable　expression　

of　a　constructive　dream　capable　of　sustaining　a　great　educational　

and　philosophical　movement　such　as　no　formula　of　Liberalism　

supplied。　　The　fact　that　it　readily　took　vulgar　forms　only　witnessed　

to　its　strong　popular　appeal。　　Mixed　in　with　the　noisiness　and　

humbug　of　the　movement　there　appeared　a　real　regard　for　social　

efficiency；　a　real　spirit　of　animation　and　enterprise。　　There　

suddenly　appeared　in　my　worldI　saw　them　first；　I　think；　in　1908a　

new　sort　of　little　boy；　a　most　agreeable　development　of　the　

slouching；　cunning；　cigarette…smoking；　town…bred　youngster；　a　small　

boy　in　a　khaki　hat；　and　with　bare　knees　and　athletic　bearing；　

earnestly　engaged　in　wholesome　and　invigorating　games　up　to　and　

occasionally　a　little　beyond　his　strengththe　Boy　Scout。　　I　liked　

the　Boy　Scout；　and　I　find　it　difficult　to　express　how　much　it　

mattered　to　me；　with　my　growing　bias　in　favour　of　deliberate　

national　training；　that　Liberalism　hadn't　been　able　to　produce；　and　

had　indeed　never　attempted　to　produce；　anything　of　this　kind。







3





In　those　days　there　existed　a　dining　club　calledthere　was　some　

lost　allusion　to　the　exorcism　of　party　feeling　in　its　titlethe　

Pentagram　Circle。　　It　included　Bailey　and　Dayton　and　myself；　Sir　

Herbert　Thorns；　Lord　Charles　Kindling；　Minns　the　poet；　Gerbault　the　

big　railway　man；　Lord　Gane；　fresh　from　the　settlement　of　Framboya；　

and　Rumbold；　who　later　became　Home　Secretary　and　left　us。　　We　were　

men　of　all　parties　and　very　various　experiences；　and　our　object　was　

to　discuss　the　welfare　of　the　Empire　in　a　disinterested　spirit。　　We　

dined　monthly　at　the　Mermaid　in　Westminster；　and　for　a　couple　of　

years　we　kept　up　an　average　attendance　of　ten　out　of　fourteen。　　The　

dinner…time　was　given　up　to　desultory　conversation；　and　it　is　odd　

how　warm　and　good　the　social　atmosphere　of　that　little　gathering　

became　as　time　went　on；　then　over　the　dessert；　so　soon　as　the　

waiters　had　swept　away　the　crumbs　and　ceased　to　fret　us；　one　of　us　

would　open　with　perhaps　fifteen　or　twenty　minutes'　exposition　of　

some　specially　prepared　question；　and　after　him　we　would　deliver　

ourselves　in　turn；　each　for　three　or　four　minutes。　　When　every　one　

present　had　spoken　once　talk　became　general　again；　and　it　was　rare　

we　emerged　upon　Hendon　Street　before　midnight。　　Sometimes；　as　my　

house　was　conveniently　near；　a　knot　of　men　would　come　home　with　me　

and　go　on　talking　and　smoking　in　my　dining…room　until　two　or　three。　　

We　had　Fred　Neal；　that　wild　Irish　journalist；　among　us　towards　the　

end；　and　his　stupendous　flow　of　words　materially　prolonged　our　

closing　discussions　and　made　our　continuance　impossible。



I　learned　very　much　and　very　many　things　at　those　dinners；　but　more　

particularly　did　I　become　familiarised　with　the　habits　of　mind　of　

such　men　as　Neal；　Crupp；　Gane；　and　the　one　or　two　other　New　

Imperialists　who　belonged　to　us。　　They　were　nearly　all　like　Bailey　

Oxford　men；　though　mostly　of　a　younger　generation；　and　they　were　all　

mysteriously　and　inexplicably　advocates　of　Tariff　Reform；　as　if　it　

were　the　principal　instead　of　at　best　a　secondary　aspect　of　

constructive　policy。　　They　seemed　obsessed　by　the　idea　that　streams　

of　trade　could　be　diverted　violently　so　as　to　link　the　parts　of　the　

Empire　by　common　interests；　and　they　were　persuaded；　I　still　think　

mistakenly；　that　Tariff　Reform　would　have　an　immense　popular　appeal。　　

They　were　also　very　keen　on　military　organisation；　and　with　a　

curious　little　martinet　twist　in　their　minds　that　boded　ill　for　that　

side　of　public　liberty。　　So　much　against　them。　　But　they　were　

disposed　to　spend　money　much　more　generously　on　education　and　

research　of　all　sorts　than　our　formless　host　of　Liberals　seemed　

likely　to　do；　and　they　were　altogether　more　accessible　than　the　

Young　Liberals　to　bold；　constructive　ideas　affecting　the　

universities　and　upper　classes。　　The　Liberals　are　abjectly　afraid　of　

the　universities。　　I　found　myself　constantly　falling　into　line　with　

these　men　in　our　discussions；　and　more　and　more　hostile　to　Dayton's　

sentimentalising　evasions　of　definite　schemes　and　Minns'　trust　in　

such　things　as　the　〃Spirit　of　our　People〃　and　the　〃General　Trend　of　

Progress。〃　　It　wasn't　that　I　thought　them　very　much　righter　than　

their　opponents；　I　believe　all　definite　party　〃sides〃　at　any　time　

are　bound　to　be　about　equally　right　and　equally　lop…sided；　but　that　

I　thought　I　could　get　more　out　of　them　and　what　was　more　important　

to　me；　more　out　of　myself　if　I　co…operated　with　them。　　By　1908　I　had　

already　arrived　at　a　point　where　I　could　be　definitely　considering　a　

transfer　of　my　political　allegiance。



These　abstract　questions　are　inseparably　interwoven　with　my　memory　

of　a　shining　long　white　table；　and　our　hock　bottles　and　burgundy　

bottles；　and　bottles　of　Perrier　and　St。　Galmier　and　the　disturbed　

central　trophy　of　dessert；　and　scattered　glasses　and　nut…shells　and　

cigarette…ends　and　menu…cards　used　for　memoranda。　　I　see　old　Dayton　

sitting　back　and　cocking　his　eye　to　the　ceiling　in　a　way　he　had　

while　he　threw　warmth　into　the　ancient　platitudes　of　Liberalism；　and　

Minns　leaning　forward；　and　a　little　like　a　cockatoo　with　a　taste　for　

confidences；　telling　us　in　a　hushed　voice　of　his　faith　in　the　

Destiny　of　Mankind。　　Thorns　lounges；　rolling　his　round　face　and　

round　eyes　from　speaker　to　speaker　and　sounding　the　visible　depths　

of　misery　whenever　Neal　begins。　　Gerbault　and　Gane　were　given　to　

conversation　in　undertones；　and　Bailey　pursued　mysterious　purposes　

in　lisping　whispers。　　It　was　Crupp　attracted　me　most。　　He　had；　as　

people　say；　his　eye　on　me　from　the　beginning。　　He　used　to　speak　at　

me；　and　drifted　into　a　custom　of　coming　home　with　me　very　regularly　

for　an　after…talk。



He　opened　his　heart　to　me。



〃Neither　of　us；〃　he　said；　〃are　dukes；　and　neither　of　us　are　horny…

handed　sons　of　toil。　　We　want　to　get　hold　of　the　handles；　and　to　do　

that；　one　must　go　where　the　power　is；　and　give　it　just　as　

constructive　a　twist　as　we　can。　　That's　MY　Toryism。〃



〃Is　it　Kindling'sor　Gerbault's？〃



〃No。　　But　theirs　is　soft；　and　mine's　hard。　　Mine　will　wear　theirs　

out。　　You　and　I　and　Bailey　are　all　after　the　same　thing；　and　why　

aren't　we　working　together？〃



〃Are　you　a　Confederate？〃　I　asked　suddenly。



〃That's　a　secret　nobody　tells；〃　he　said。



〃What　are　the　Confederates　after？〃



〃Making　aristocracy　work；　I　suppose。　　Just　as；　I　gather；　you　want　to　

do。〃　。　。　。



The　Confederates　were　being　heard　of　at　that　time。　　They　were　at　

once　attractive　and　repellent　to　me；　an　odd　secret　society　whose　

membership　nobody　knew；　pledged；　it　was　said；　to　impose　Tariff　

Reform　and　an　ample　constructive　policy　upon　the　Conservatives。　　In　

the　press；　at　any　rate；　they　had　an　air　of　deliberately　organised　

power。　　I　have　no　doubt　the　rumour　of　them　greatly　influenced　my　

ideas。　。