the new machiavelli-第79章

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the　Tories　and　peers　and　rich　people　are　to　blame　for　social　

injustice　as　we　have　it　to…day？　　Do　you　really　see　politics　as　a　

struggle　of　light　on　the　Liberal　side　against　darkness　on　the　Tory？〃



〃They　MUST　know；〃　said　Margaret。



I　found　myself　questioning　that。　　I　see　now　that　to　Margaret　it　must　

have　seemed　the　perversest　carping　against　manifest　things；　but　at　

the　time　I　was　concentrated　simply　upon　the　elucidation　of　her　view　

and　my　own；　I　wanted　to　get　at　her　conception　in　the　sharpest；　

hardest　lines　that　were　possible。　　It　was　perfectly　clear　that　she　

saw　Toryism　as　the　diabolical　element　in　affairs。　　The　thing　showed　

in　its　hopeless　untruth　all　the　clearer　for　the　fine；　clean　emotion　

with　which　she　gave　it　out　to　me。　　My　sleeping　peer　in　the　library　

at　Stamford　Court　and　Evesham　talking　luminously　behind　the　

Hartstein　flowers　embodied　the　devil；　and　my　replete　citizen　sucking　

at　his　cigar　in　the　National　Liberal　Club；　Willie　Crampton　

discussing　the　care　and　management　of　the　stomach　over　a　specially　

hygienic　lemonade；　and　Dr。　Tumpany　in　his　aggressive　frock…coat　

pegging　out　a　sort　of　copyright　in　Socialism；　were　the　centre　and　

wings　of　the　angelic　side。　　It　was　nonsense。　　But　how　was　I　to　put　

the　truth　to　her？



〃I　don't　see　things　at　all　as　you　do；〃　I　said。　　〃I　don't　see　things　

in　the　same　way。〃



〃Think　of　the　poor；〃　said　Margaret；　going　off　at　a　tangent。



〃Think　of　every　one；〃　I　said。　　〃We　Liberals　have　done　more　mischief　

through　well…intentioned　benevolence　than　all　the　selfishness　in　the　

world　could　have　done。　　We　built　up　the　liquor　interest。〃



〃WE！〃　cried　Margaret。　　〃How　can　you　say　that？　　It's　against　us。〃



〃Naturally。　　But　we　made　it　a　monopoly　in　our　clumsy　efforts　to　

prevent　people　drinking　what　they　liked；　because　it　interfered　with　

industrial　regularity〃



〃Oh！〃　cried　Margaret；　stung；　and　I　could　see　she　thought　I　was　

talking　mere　wickedness。



〃That's　it；〃　I　said。



〃But　would　you　have　people　drink　whatever　they　pleased？〃



〃Certainly。　　What　right　have　I　to　dictate　to　other　men　and　women？〃



〃But　think　of　the　children！〃



〃Ah！　there　you　have　the　folly　of　modern　Liberalism；　its　half…

cunning；　half…silly　way　of　getting　at　everything　in　a　roundabout　

fashion。　　If　neglecting　children　is　an　offence；　and　it　IS　an　

offence；　then　deal　with　it　as　such；　but　don't　go　badgering　and　

restricting　people　who　sell　something　that　may　possibly　in　some　

cases　lead　to　a　neglect　of　children。　　If　drunkenness　is　an　offence；　

punish　it；　but　don't　punish　a　man　for　selling　honest　drink　that　

perhaps　after　all　won't　make　any　one　drunk　at　all。　　Don't　intensify　

the　viciousness　of　the　public…house　by　assuming　the　place　isn't　fit　

for　women　and　children。　　That's　either　spite　or　folly。　　Make　the　

public…house　FIT　for　women　and　children。　　Make　it　a　real　public…

house。　　If　we　Liberals　go　on　as　we　are　going；　we　shall　presently　

want　to　stop　the　sale　of　ink　and　paper　because　those　things　tempt　

men　to　forgery。　　We　do　already　threaten　the　privacy　of　the　post　

because　of　betting　tout's　letters。　　The　drift　of　all　that　kind　of　

thing　is　narrow；　unimaginative；　mischievous；　stupid。　。　。　。〃



I　stopped　short　and　walked　to　the　window　and　surveyed　a　pretty　

fountain；　facsimile　of　one　in　Verona；　amidst　trim…cut　borderings　of　

yew。　　Beyond；　and　seen　between　the　stems　of　ilex　trees；　was　a　great　

blaze　of　yellow　flowers。　。　。　。



〃But　prevention；〃　I　heard　Margaret　behind　me；　〃is　the　essence　of　our　

work。〃



I　turned。　　〃There's　no　prevention　but　education。　　There's　no　

antiseptics　in　life　but　love　and　fine　thinking。　　Make　people　fine；　

make　fine　people。　　Don't　be　afraid。　　These　Tory　leaders　are　better　

people　individually　than　the　average；　why　cast　them　for　the　villains　

of　the　piece？　　The　real　villain　in　the　piecein　the　whole　human　

dramais　the　muddle…headedness；　and　it　matters　very　little　if　it's　

virtuous…minded　or　wicked。　　I　want　to　get　at　muddle…headedness。　　If　

I　could　do　that　I　could　let　all　that　you　call　wickedness　in　the　

world　run　about　and　do　what　it　jolly　well　pleased。　　It　would　matter　

about　as　much　as　a　slightly　neglected　dogin　an　otherwise　well…

managed　home。〃



My　thoughts　had　run　away　with　me。



〃I　can't　understand　you；〃　said　Margaret；　in　the　profoundest　

distress。　　〃I　can't　understand　how　it　is　you　are　coming　to　see　

things　like　this。〃







10





The　moods　of　a　thinking　man　in　politics　are　curiously　evasive　and　

difficult　to　describe。　　Neither　the　public　nor　the　historian　will　

permit　the　statesman　moods。　　He　has　from　the　first　to　assume　he　has　

an　Aim；　a　definite　Aim；　and　to　pretend　to　an　absolute　consistency　

with　that。　　Those　subtle　questionings　about　the　very　fundamentals　of　

life　which　plague　us　all　so　relentlessly　nowadays　are　supposed　to　be　

silenced。　　He　lifts　his　chin　and　pursues　his　Aim　explicitly　in　the　

sight　of　all　men。　　Those　who　have　no　real　political　experience　can　

scarcely　imagine　the　immense　mental　and　moral　strain　there　is　

between　one's　everyday　acts　and　utterances　on　the　one　hand　and　the　

〃thinking…out〃　process　on　the　other。　　It　is　perplexingly　difficult　

to　keep　in　your　mind；　fixed　and　firm；　a　scheme　essentially　complex；　

to　keep　balancing　a　swaying　possibility　while　at　the　same　time　under　

jealous；　hostile；　and　stupid　observation　you　tread　your　part　in　the　

platitudinous；　quarrelsome；　ill…presented　march　of　affairs。　。　。　。



The　most　impossible　of　all　autobiographies　is　an　intellectual　

autobiography。　　I　have　thrown　together　in　the　crudest　way　the　

elements　of　the　problem　I　struggled　with；　but　I　can　give　no　record　

of　the　subtle　details；　I　can　tell　nothing　of　the　long　vacillations　

between　Protean　values；　the　talks　and　re…talks；　the　meditations；　the　

bleak　lucidities　of　sleepless　nights。　。　。　。



And　yet　these　things　I　have　struggled　with　must　be　thought　out；　and；　

to　begin　with；　they　must　be　thought　out　in　this　muddled；　

experimenting　way。　　To　go　into　a　study　to　think　about　statecraft　is　

to　turn　your　back　on　the　realities　you　are　constantly　needing　to　

feel　and　test　and　sound　if　your　thinking　is　to　remain　vital；　to　

choose　an　aim　and　pursue　it　in　despite　of　all　subsequent　

questionings　is　to　bury　the　talent　of　your　mind。　　It　is　no　use　

dealing　with　the　intricate　as　though　it　were　simple；　to　leap　

haphazard　at　the　first　course　of　action　that　presents　itself；　the　

whole　world　of　politicians　is　far　too　like　a　man　who　snatches　a　

poker　to　a　failing　watch。　　It　is　easy　to　say　he　wants　to　〃get　

something　done；〃　but　the　only　sane　thing　to　do　for　the　moment　is　to　

put　aside　that　poker　and　take　thought　and　get　a　better　implement。　。　。　。



One　of　the　results　of　these　fundamental　preoccupations　of　mine　was　a　

curious　irritability　towards　Margaret　that　I　found　difficult　to　

conceal。　　It　was　one　of　the　incidental　cruelties　of　our　position　

that　this　should　happen。　　I　was　in　such　doubt　myself；　that　I　had　no　

power　to　phrase　things　for　her　in　a　form　she　could　use。　　Hitherto　I　

had　stage…managed　our　〃serious〃　conversations。　　Now　I　was　too　much　

in　earnest　and　too　uncertain　to　go　on　doing　this。　　I　avoided　talk　

with　her。　　Her　serene；　sustained　confidence　in　vague　formulae　and　

sentimental　aspirations　exasperated　me；　her　want　of　sympathetic　

apprehension　made　my　few　efforts　to　indicate　my　changing　attitudes　

distressing　and　futile。　　It　wasn't　that　I　was　always　thinking　right；　

and　that　she　was　always　saying　wrong。　　It　was　that　I　was　struggling　

to　get　hold　of　a　difficult　thing　that　was；　at　any　rate；　half　true；　I　

could　not　gauge　how　true；　and　that　Margaret's　habitual　phrasing　

ignored　these　elusive　elements　of　truth；　and　without　premeditation　

fitted　into　the　weaknesses　of　my　new　intimations；　as　though　they　had　

nothing　but　weaknesses。　　It　was；　for　example；　obvious　that　these　big　

people；　who　were　the　backbone　of　Imperialism　and　Conservatism；　were　

temperamentally　lax；　much　more　indolent；