the new machiavelli-第74章

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emerges。　　Whatever　accidents　happen；　our　civilisation　needs；　and　

almost　consciously　needs；　a　culture　of　fine　creative　minds；　and　all　

the　necessary　tolerances；　opennesses；　considerations；　that　march　

with　that。　　For　my　own　part；　I　think　that　is　the　Most　Vital　Thing。　　

Build　your　ship　of　state　as　you　will；　get　your　men　as　you　will；　I　

concentrate　on　what　is　clearly　the　affair　of　my　sort　of　man；I　want　

to　ensure　the　quality　of　the　quarter　deck。〃



〃Hear；　hear！〃　said　Shoesmith；　suddenlyhis　first　remark　for　a　long　

time。　　〃A　first…rate　figure；〃　said　Shoesmith；　gripping　it。



〃Our　danger　is　in　missing　that；〃　I　went　on。　　〃Muddle　isn't　ended　by　

transferring　power　from　the　muddle…headed　few　to　the　muddle…headed　

many；　and　then　cheating　the　many　out　of　it　again　in　the　interests　of　

a　bureaucracy　of　sham　experts。　　But　that　seems　the　limit　of　the　

liberal　imagination。　　There　is　no　real　progress　in　a　country；　except　

a　rise　in　the　level　of　its　free　intellectual　activity。　　All　other　

progress　is　secondary　and　dependant。　　If　you　take　on　Bailey's　dreams　

of　efficient　machinery　and　a　sort　of　fanatical　discipline　with　no　

free…moving　brains　behind　it；　confused　ugliness　becomes　rigid　

ugliness；that's　all。　　No　doubt　things　are　moving　from　looseness　to　

discipline；　and　from　irresponsible　controls　to　organised　controls

and　also　and　rather　contrariwise　everything　is　becoming　as　people　

say；　democratised；　but　all　the　more　need　in　that；　for　an　ark　in　

which　the　living　element　may　be　saved。〃



〃Hear；　hear！〃　said　Shoesmith；　faint　but　pursuing。



It　must　have　been　in　my　house　afterwards　that　Shoesmith　became　

noticeable。　　He　seemed　trying　to　say　something　vague　and　difficult　

that　he　didn't　get　said　at　all　on　that　occasion。　　〃We　could　do　

immense　things　with　a　weekly；〃　he　repeated；　echoing　Neal；　I　think。　　

And　there　he　left　off　and　became　a　mute　expressiveness；　and　it　was　

only　afterwards；　when　I　was　in　bed；　that　I　saw　we　had　our　capitalist　

in　our　hands。　。　。　。



We　parted　that　night　on　my　doorstep　in　a　tremendous　glowbut　in　

that　sort　of　glow　one　doesn't　act　upon　without　much　reconsideration；　

and　it　was　some　months　before　I　made　my　decision　to　follow　up　the　

indications　of　that　opening　talk。







5





I　find　my　thoughts　lingering　about　the　Pentagram　Circle。　　In　my　

developments　it　played　a　large　part；　not　so　much　by　starting　new　

trains　of　thought　as　by　confirming　the　practicability　of　things　I　

had　already　hesitatingly　entertained。　　Discussion　with　these　other　

men　so　prominently　involved　in　current　affairs　endorsed　views　that　

otherwise　would　have　seemed　only　a　little　less　remote　from　actuality　

than　the　guardians　of　Plato　or　the　labour　laws　of　More。　　Among　other　

questions　that　were　never　very　distant　from　our　discussions；　that　

came　apt　to　every　topic；　was　the　true　significance　of　democracy；　

Tariff　Reform　as　a　method　of　international　hostility；　and　the　

imminence　of　war。　　On　the　first　issue　I　can　still　recall　little　

Bailey；　glib　and　winking；　explaining　that　democracy　was　really　just　

a　dodge　for　getting　assent　to　the　ordinances　of　the　expert　official　

by　means　of　the　polling　booth。　　〃If　they　don't　like　things；〃　said　

he；　〃they　can　vote　for　the　opposition　candidate　and　see　what　happens　

thenand　that；　you　see；　is　why　we　don't　want　proportional　

representation　to　let　in　the　wild　men。〃　　I　opened　my　eyesthe　lids　

had　dropped　for　a　moment　under　the　caress　of　those　smooth　soundsto　

see　if　Bailey's　artful　forefinger　wasn't　at　the　side　of　his　

predominant　nose。



The　international　situation　exercised　us　greatly。　　Our　meetings　were　

pervaded　by　the　feeling　that　all　things　moved　towards　a　day　of　

reckoning　with　Germany；　and　I　was　largely　instrumental　in　keeping　up　

the　suggestion　that　India　was　in　a　state　of　unstable　equilibrium；　

that　sooner　or　later　something　must　happen　theresomething　very　

serious　to　our　Empire。　　Dayton　frankly　detested　these　topics。　　He　

was　full　of　that　old　Middle　Victorian　persuasion　that　whatever　is　

inconvenient　or　disagreeable　to　the　English　mind　could　be　

annihilated　by　not　thinking　about　it。　　He　used　to　sit　low　in　his　

chair　and　look　mulish。　　〃Militarism；〃　he　would　declare　in　a　tone　of　

the　utmost　moral　fervour；　is　a　curse。　　It's　an　unmitigated　curse。〃　　

Then　he　would　cough　shortly　and　twitch　his　head　back　and　frown；　and　

seem　astonished　beyond　measure　that　after　this　conclusive　statement　

we　could　still　go　on　talking　of　war。



All　our　Imperialists　were　obsessed　by　the　thought　of　international　

conflict；　and　their　influence　revived　for　a　time　those　uneasinesses　

that　had　been　aroused　in　me　for　the　first　time　by　my　continental　

journey　with　Willersley　and　by　Meredith's　〃One　of　Our　Conquerors。〃　　

That　quite　justifiable　dread　of　a　punishment　for　all　the　slackness；　

mental　dishonesty；　presumption；　mercenary　respectability　and　

sentimentalised　commercialism　of　the　Victorian　period；　at　the　hands　

of　the　better　organised；　more　vigorous；　and　now　far　more　highly　

civilised　peoples　of　Central　Europe；　seemed　to　me　to　have　both　a　

good　and　bad　series　of　consequences。　　It　seemed　the　only　thing　

capable　of　bracing　English　minds　to　education；　sustained　

constructive　effort　and　research；　but　on　the　other　hand　it　produced　

the　quality　of　a　panic；　hasty　preparation；　impatience　of　thought；　a　

wasteful　and　sometimes　quite　futile　immediacy。　　In　1909；　for　

example；　there　was　a　vast　clamour　for　eight　additional　Dreadnoughts





　　　　　〃We　want　eight

　　　　　　And　we　won't　wait；〃





but　no　clamour　at　all　about　our　national　waste　of　inventive　talent；　

our　mean　standard　of　intellectual　attainment；　our　disingenuous　

criticism；　and　the　consequent　failure　to　distinguish　men　of　the　

quality　needed　to　carry　on　the　modern　type　of　war。　　Almost　

universally　we　have　the　wrong　men　in　our　places　of　responsibility　

and　the　right　men　in　no　place　at　all；　almost　universally　we　have　

poorly　qualified；　hesitating；　and　resentful　subordinates；　because　

our　criticism　is　worthless　and；　so　habitually　as　to　be　now　almost　

unconsciously；　dishonest。　　Germany　is　beating　England　in　every　

matter　upon　which　competition　is　possible；　because　she　attended　

sedulously　to　her　collective　mind　for　sixty　pregnant　years；　because　

in　spite　of　tremendous　defects　she　is　still　far　more　anxious　for　

quality　in　achievement　than　we　are。　　I　remember　saying　that　in　my　

paper。　　From　that；　I　remember；　I　went　on　to　an　image　that　had　

flashed　into　my　mind。　　〃The　British　Empire；〃　I　said；　〃is　like　some　

of　those　early　vertebrated　monsters；　the　Brontosaurus　and　the　

Atlantosaurus　and　such…like；　it　sacrifices　intellect　to　character；　

its　backbone；　that　is　to　say；especially　in　the　visceral　regionis　

bigger　than　its　cranium。　　It's　no　accident　that　things　are　so。　　

We've　worked　for　backbone。　　We　brag　about　backbone；　and　if　the　

joints　are　anchylosed　so　much　the　better。　　We're　still　but　only　half　

awake　to　our　error。　　You　can't　change　that　suddenly。〃



〃Turn　it　round　and　make　it　go　backwards；〃　interjected　Thorns。



〃It's　trying　to　do　that；〃　I　said；　〃in　places。〃



And　afterwards　Crupp　declared　I　had　begotten　a　nightmare　which　

haunted　him　of　nights；　he　was　trying　desperately　and　belatedly　to　

blow　a　brain　as　one　blows　soap…bubbles　on　such　a　mezoroic　saurian　as　

I　had　conjured　up；　while　the　clumsy　monster's　fate；　all　teeth　and　

brains；　crept　nearer　and　nearer。　。　。　。



I've　grown；　I　think；　since　those　days　out　of　the　urgency　of　that　

apprehension。　　I　still　think　a　European　war；　and　conceivably　a　very　

humiliating　war　for　England；　may　occur　at　no　very　distant　date；　but　

I　do　not　think　there　is　any　such　heroic　quality　in　our　governing　

class　as　will　make　that　war　catastrophic。　　The　prevailing　spirit　in　

English　lifeit　is　one　of　the　essential　secrets　of　our　imperial　

enduranceis　one　of　underbred　aggression　in　prosperity　and　

diplomatic　compromise　in　moments　of　danger；　we　bully　haughtily　where　

we　can　and　assimilate　whe