the new machiavelli-第72章

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

ideas。　。　。　。



In　the　end　I　made　some　very　rapid　decisions；　but　for　nearly　two　

years　I　was　hesitating。　　Hesitations　were　inevitable　in　such　a　

matter。　　I　was　not　dealing　with　any　simple　question　of　principle；　

but　with　elusive　and　fluctuating　estimates　of　the　trend　of　diverse　

forces　and　of　the　nature　of　my　own　powers。　　All　through　that　period　

I　was　asking　over　and　over　again：　how　far　are　these　Confederates　

mere　dreamers？　　How　farand　this　was　more　vitalare　they　rendering　

lip…service　to　social　organisations？　　Is　it　true　they　desire　war　

because　it　confirms　the　ascendency　of　their　class？　　How　far　can　

Conservatism　be　induced　to　plan　and　construct　before　it　resists　the　

thrust　towards　change。　　Is　it　really　in　bulk　anything　more　than　a　

mass　of　prejudice　and　conceit；　cynical　indulgence；　and　a　hard　

suspicion　of　and　hostility　to　the　expropriated　classes　in　the　

community？



That　is　a　research　which　yields　no　statistics；　an　enquiry　like　

asking　what　is　the　ruling　colour　of　a　chameleon。　　The　shadowy　answer　

varied　with　my　health；　varied　with　my　mood　and　the　conduct　of　the　

people　I　was　watching。　　How　fine　can　people　be？　　How　generous？not　

incidentally；　but　all　round？　　How　far　can　you　educate　sons　beyond　

the　outlook　of　their　fathers；　and　how　far　lift　a　rich；　proud；　self…

indulgent　class　above　the　protests　of　its　business　agents　and　

solicitors　and　its　own　habits　and　vanity？　　Is　chivalry　in　a　class　

possible？was　it　ever；　indeed；　or　will　it　ever　indeed　be　possible？　　

Is　the　progress　that　seems　attainable　in　certain　directions　worth　

the　retrogression　that　may　be　its　price？







4





It　was　to　the　Pentagram　Circle　that　I　first　broached　the　new　

conceptions　that　were　developing　in　my　mind。　　I　count　the　evening　of　

my　paper　the　beginning　of　the　movement　that　created　the　BLUE　WEEKLY　

and　our　wing　of　the　present　New　Tory　party。　　I　do　that　without　any　

excessive　egotism；　because　my　essay　was　no　solitary　man's　

production；　it　was　my　reaction　to　forces　that　had　come　to　me　very　

large　through　my　fellow…members；　its　quick　reception　by　them　showed　

that　I　was；　so　to　speak；　merely　the　first　of　the　chestnuts　to　pop。　　

The　atmospheric　quality　of　the　evening　stands　out　very　vividly　in　my　

memory。　　The　night；　I　remember；　was　warmly　foggy　when　after　midnight　

we　went　to　finish　our　talk　at　my　house。



We　had　recently　changed　the　rules　of　the　club　to　admit　visitors；　and　

so　it　happened　that　I　had　brought　Britten；　and　Crupp　introduced　

Arnold　Shoesmith；　my　former　schoolfellow　at　City　Merchants；　and　now　

the　wealthy　successor　of　his　father　and　elder　brother。　　I　remember　

his　heavy；　inexpressively　handsome　face　lighting　to　his　rare　smile　

at　the　sight　of　me；　and　how　little　I　dreamt　of　the　tragic　

entanglement　that　was　destined　to　involve　us　both。　　Gane　was　

present；　and　Esmeer；　a　newly…added　member；　but　I　think　Bailey　was　

absent。　　Either　he　was　absent；　or　he　said　something　so　entirely　

characteristic　and　undistinguished　that　it　has　left　no　impression　on　

my　mind。



I　had　broken　a　little　from　the　traditions　of　the　club　even　in　my　

title；　which　was　deliberately　a　challenge　to　the　liberal　idea：　it　

was；　〃The　World　Exists　for　Exceptional　People。〃　　It　is　not　the　title　

I　should　choose　nowfor　since　that　time　I　have　got　my　phrase　of　

〃mental　hinterlander〃　into　journalistic　use。　　I　should　say　now；　〃The　

World　Exists　for　Mental　Hinterland。〃



The　notes　I　made　of　that　opening　have　long　since　vanished　with　a　

thousand　other　papers；　but　some　odd　chance　has　preserved　and　brought　

with　me　to　Italy　the　menu　for　the　evening；　its　back　black　with　the　

scrawled　notes　I　made　of　the　discussion　for　my　reply。　　I　found　it　

the　other　day　among　some　letters　from　Margaret　and　a　copy　of　the　

1909　Report　of　the　Poor　Law　Commission；　also　rich　with　pencilled　

marginalia。



My　opening　was　a　criticism　of　the　democratic　idea　and　method；　upon　

lines　such　as　I　have　already　sufficiently　indicated　in　the　preceding　

sections。　　I　remember　how　old　Dayton　fretted　in　his　chair；　and　

tushed　and　pished　at　that；　even　as　I　gave　it；　and　afterwards　we　were　

treated　to　one　of　his　platitudinous　harangues；　he　sitting　back　in　

his　chair　with　that　small　obstinate　eye　of　his　fixed　on　the　ceiling；　

and　a　sort　of　cadaverous　glow　upon　his　face；　repeatingquite　

regardless　of　all　my　reasoning　and　all　that　had　been　said　by　others　

in　the　debatethe　sacred　empty　phrases　that　were　his　soul's　refuge　

from　reality。　　〃You　may　think　it　very　clever；〃　he　said　with　a　nod　of　

his　head　to　mark　his　sense　of　his　point；　〃not　to　Trust　in　the　

People。　　I　do。〃　　And　so　on。　　Nothing　in　his　life　or　work　had　ever　

shown　that　he　did　trust　in　the　people；　but　that　was　beside　the　mark。　　

He　was　the　party　Liberal；　and　these　were　the　party　incantations。



After　my　preliminary　attack　on　vague　democracy　I　went　on　to　show　

that　all　human　life　was　virtually　aristocratic；　people　must　either　

recognise　aristocracy　in　general　or　else　follow　leaders；　which　is　

aristocracy　in　particular；　and　so　I　came　to　my　point　that　the　

reality　of　human　progress　lay　necessarily　through　the　establishment　

of　freedoms　for　the　human　best　and　a　collective　receptivity　and　

understanding。　　There　was　a　disgusted　grunt　from　Dayton；　〃Superman　

rubbishNietzsche。　　Shaw！　　Ugh！〃　　I　sailed　on　over　him　to　my　next　

propositions。　　The　prime　essential　in　a　progressive　civilisation　was　

the　establishment　of　a　more　effective　selective　process　for　the　

privilege　of　higher　education；　and　the　very　highest　educational　

opportunity　for　the　educable。　　We　were　too　apt　to　patronise　

scholarship　winners；　as　though　a　scholarship　was　toffee　given　as　a　

reward　for　virtue。　　It　wasn't　any　reward　at　all；　it　was　an　

invitation　to　capacity。　　We　had　no　more　right　to　drag　in　virtue；　or　

any　merit　but　quality；　than　we　had　to　involve　it　in　a　search　for　the　

tallest　man。　　We　didn't　want　a　mere　process　for　the　selection　of　

good　as　distinguished　from　gifted　and　able　boys〃No；　you　DON'T；〃　

from　Daytonwe　wanted　all　the　brilliant　stuff　in　the　world　

concentrated　upon　the　development　of　the　world。　　Just　to　exasperate　

Dayton　further　I　put　in　a　plea　for　gifts　as　against　character　in　

educational；　artistic；　and　legislative　work。　　〃Good　teaching；〃　I　

said；　〃is　better　than　good　conduct。　　We　are　becoming　idiotic　about　

character。〃



Dayton　was　too　moved　to　speak。　　He　slewed　round　upon　me　an　eye　of　

agonised　aversion。



I　expatiated　on　the　small　proportion　of　the　available　ability　that　

is　really　serving　humanity　to…day。　　〃I　suppose　to…day　all　the　

thought；　all　the　art；　all　the　increments　of　knowledge　that　matter；　

are　supplied　so　far　as　the　English…speaking　community　is　concerned　

byhow　many？by　three　or　four　thousand　individuals。　　（'Less；'　said　

Thorns。）　　To　be　more　precise；　by　the　mental　hinterlands　of　three　or　

four　thousand　individuals。　　We　who　know　some　of　the　band　entertain　

no　illusions　as　to　their　innate　rarity。　　We　know　that　they　are　just　

the　few　out　of　many；　the　few　who　got　in　our　world　of　chance　and　

confusion；　the　timely　stimulus；　the　apt　suggestion　at　the　fortunate　

moment；　the　needed　training；　the　leisure。　　The　rest　are　lost　in　the　

crowd；　fail　through　the　defects　of　their　qualities；　become　

commonplace　workmen　and　second…rate　professional　men；　marry　

commonplace　wives；　are　as　much　waste　as　the　driftage　of　superfluous　

pollen　in　a　pine　forest　is　waste。〃



〃Decent　honest　lives！〃　said　Dayton　to　his　bread…crumbs；　with　his　

chin　in　his　necktie。　　〃WASTE！〃



〃And　the　people　who　do　get　what　we　call　opportunity　get　it　usually　

in　extremely　limited　and　cramping　forms。　　No　man　lives　a　life　of　

intellectual　productivity　alone；　he　needs　not　only　material　and　

opportunity；　but　helpers；　resonators。　　Round　and　about　what　I　might　

call　the　REAL　men；　you　want　the　sympathetic　cooperators；　who　help　by　

understanding。　　It　isn't　that　ourSALT　of　three　or　four　th