the new machiavelli-第86章

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scolding　of　prosperous　childless　people　in　generalone　never　

addressed　them　in　particularnothing　was　done　towards　arresting　

those　adverse　processes。　　Almost　against　my　natural　inclination；　I　

found　myself　forced　to　go　into　these　things。　　I　came　to　the　

conclusion　that　under　modern　conditions　the　isolated　private　family；　

based　on　the　existing　marriage　contract；　was　failing　in　its　work。　　

It　wasn't　producing　enough　children；　and　children　good　enough　and　

well　trained　enough　for　the　demands　of　the　developing　civilised　

state。　　Our　civilisation　was　growing　outwardly；　and　decaying　in　its　

intimate　substance；　and　unless　it　was　presently　to　collapse；　some　

very　extensive　and　courageous　reorganisation　was　needed。　　The　old　

haphazard　system　of　pairing；　qualified　more　and　more　by　worldly　

discretions；　no　longer　secures　a　young　population　numerous　enough　or　

good　enough　for　the　growing　needs　and　possibilities　of　our　Empire。　　

Statecraft　sits　weaving　splendid　garments；　no　doubt；　but　with　a　

puny；　ugly；　insufficient　baby　in　the　cradle。



No　one　so　far　has　dared　to　take　up　this　problem　as　a　present　

question　for　statecraft；　but　it　comes　unheralded；　unadvocated；　and　

sits　at　every　legislative　board。　　Every　improvement　is　provisional　

except　the　improvement　of　the　race；　and　it　became　more　and　more　

doubtful　to　me　if　we　were　improving　the　race　at　all！　　Splendid　and　

beautiful　and　courageous　people　must　come　together　and　have　

children；　women　with　their　fine　senses　and　glorious　devotion　must　be　

freed　from　the　net　that　compels　them　to　be　celibate；　compels　them　to　

be　childless　and　useless；　or　to　bear　children　ignobly　to　men　whom　

need　and　ignorance　and　the　treacherous　pressure　of　circumstances　

have　forced　upon　them。　　We　all　know　that；　and　so　few　dare　even　to　

whisper　it　for　fear　that　they　should　seem；　in　seeking　to　save　the　

family；　to　threaten　its　existence。　　It　is　as　if　a　party　of　pigmies　

in　a　not　too　capacious　room　had　been　joined　by　a　carnivorous　giant

and　decided　to　go　on　living　happily　by　cutting　him　dead。　。　。　。



The　problem　the　developing　civilised　state　has　to　solve　is　how　it　

can　get　the　best　possible　increase　under　the　best　possible　

conditions。　　I　became　more　and　more　convinced　that　the　independent　

family　unit　of　to…day；　in　which　the　man　is　master　of　the　wife　and　

owner　of　the　children；　in　which　all　are　dependent　upon　him；　

subordinated　to　his　enterprises　and　liable　to　follow　his　fortunes　up　

or　down；　does　not　supply　anything　like　the　best　conceivable　

conditions。　　We　want　to　modernise　the　family　footing　altogether。　　An　

enormous　premium　both　in　pleasure　and　competitive　efficiency　is　put　

upon　voluntary　childlessness；　and　enormous　inducements　are　held　out　

to　women　to　subordinate　instinctive　and　selective　preferences　to　

social　and　material　considerations。



The　practical　reaction　of　modern　conditions　upon　the　old　tradition　

of　the　family　is　this：　that　beneath　the　pretence　that　nothing　is　

changing；　secretly　and　with　all　the　unwholesomeness　of　secrecy　

everything　is　changed。　　Offspring　fall　away；　the　birth　rate　falls　

and　falls　most　among　just　the　most　efficient　and　active　and　best　

adapted　classes　in　the　community。　　The　species　is　recruited　from　

among　its　failures　and　from　among　less　civilised　aliens。　　

Contemporary　civilisations　are　in　effect　burning　the　best　of　their　

possible　babies　in　the　furnaces　that　run　the　machinery。　　In　the　

United　States　the　native　Anglo…American　strain　has　scarcely　

increased　at　all　since　1830；　and　in　most　Western　European　countries　

the　same　is　probably　true　of　the　ablest　and　most　energetic　elements　

in　the　community。　　The　women　of　these　classes　still　remain　legally　

and　practically　dependent　and　protected；　with　the　only　natural　

excuse　for　their　dependence　gone。　。　。　。



The　modern　world　becomes　an　immense　spectacle　of　unsatisfactory　

groupings；　here　childless　couples　bored　to　death　in　the　hopeless　

effort　to　sustain　an　incessant　honeymoon；　here　homes　in　which　a　

solitary　child　grows　unsocially；　here　small　two　or　three…child　homes　

that　do　no　more　than　continue　the　culture　of　the　parents　at　a　great　

social　cost；　here　numbers　of　unhappy　educated　but　childless　married　

women；　here　careless；　decivilised　fecund　homes；　here　orphanages　and　

asylums　for　the　heedlessly　begotten。　　It　is　just　the　disorderly　

proliferation　of　Bromstead　over　again；　in　lives　instead　of　in　

houses。



What　is　the　good；　what　is　the　common　sense；　of　rectifying　

boundaries；　pushing　research　and　discovery；　building　cities；　

improving　all　the　facilities　of　life；　making　great　fleets；　waging　

wars；　while　this　aimless　decadence　remains　the　quality　of　the　

biological　outlook？　。　。　。



It　is　difficult　now　to　trace　how　I　changed　from　my　early　aversion　

until　I　faced　this　mass　of　problems。　　But　so　far　back　as　1910　I　had　

it　clear　in　my　mind　that　I　would　rather　fail　utterly　than　

participate　in　all　the　surrenders　of　mind　and　body　that　are　implied　

in　Dayton's　snarl　of　〃Leave　it　alone；　leave　it　all　alone！〃　　Marriage　

and　the　begetting　and　care　of　children；　is　the　very　ground　substance　

in　the　life　of　the　community。　　In　a　world　in　which　everything　

changes；　in　which　fresh　methods；　fresh　adjustments　and　fresh　ideas　

perpetually　renew　the　circumstances　of　life；　it　is　preposterous　that　

we　should　not　even　examine　into　these　matters；　should　rest　content　

to　be　ruled　by　the　uncriticised　traditions　of　a　barbaric　age。



Now；　it　seems　to　me　that　the　solution　of　this　problem　is　also　the　

solution　of　the　woman's　individual　problem。　　The　two　go　together；　

are　right　and　left　of　one　question。　　The　only　conceivable　way　out　

from　our　IMPASSE　lies　in　the　recognition　of　parentage；　that　is　to　

say　of　adequate　mothering；　as　no　longer　a　chance　product　of　

individual　passions　but　a　service　rendered　to　the　State。　　Women　must　

become　less　and　less　subordinated　to　individual　men；　since　this　

works　out　in　a　more　or　less　complete　limitation；　waste；　and　

sterilisation　of　their　essentially　social　function；　they　must　become　

more　and　more　subordinated　as　individually　independent　citizens　to　

the　collective　purpose。　　Or；　to　express　the　thing　by　a　familiar　

phrase；　the　highly　organised；　scientific　state　we　desire　must；　if　it　

is　to　exist　at　all；　base　itself　not　upon　the　irresponsible　man…ruled　

family；　but　upon　the　matriarchal　family；　the　citizen…ship　and　

freedom　of　women　and　the　public　endowment　of　motherhood。



After　two　generations　of　confused　and　experimental　revolt　it　grows　

clear　to　modern　women　that　a　conscious；　deliberate　motherhood　and　

mothering　is　their　special　function　in　the　State；　and　that　a　

personal　subordination　to　an　individual　man　with　an　unlimited　power　

of　control　over　this　intimate　and　supreme　duty　is　a　degradation。　　No　

contemporary　woman　of　education　put　to　the　test　is　willing　to　

recognise　any　claim　a　man　can　make　upon　her　but　the　claim　of　her　

freely…given　devotion　to　him。　　She　wants　the　reality　of　her　choice　

and　she　means　〃family〃　while　a　man　too　often　means　only　possession。　　

This　alters　the　spirit　of　the　family　relationships　fundamentally。　　

Their　form　remains　just　what　it　was　when　woman　was　esteemed　a　

pretty；　desirable；　and　incidentally　a　child…producing；　chattel。　　

Against　these　time…honoured　ideas　the　new　spirit　of　womanhood　

struggles　in　shame；　astonishment；　bitterness；　and　tears。　。　。　。



I　confess　myself　altogether　feminist。　　I　have　no　doubts　in　the　

matter。　　I　want　this　coddling　and　browbeating　of　women　to　cease。　　I　

want　to　see　women　come　in；　free　and　fearless；　to　a　full　

participation　in　the　collective　purpose　of　mankind。　　Women；　I　am　

convinced；　are　as　fine　as　men；　they　can　be　as　wise　as　men；　they　are　

capable　of　far　greater　devotion　than　men。　　I　want　to　see　them　

citizens；　with　a　marriage　law　framed　primarily　for　them　and　for　

their　protection　and　the　good　of　the　race；　and　not　for　men's　

satisfactions。　　I　want　to　see　them　bearing　and　rearing　good　children　

in　the