the secret places of the heart-第14章

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　are　inexhaustible　that　you　can　muddle　about　with　oil　anyhow。　。　。　。　Optimism　of　knaves　and　imbeciles。　。　。　。　They　don't　want　to　be　pulled　up　by　any　sane　considerations。　。　。　。〃　For　some　moments　he　kept　silenceas　if　in　unspeakable　commination。　〃Here　I　am　with　some　clearness　of　visionmy　only　gift；　not　very　clever；　with　a　natural　bad　temper；　and　a　strong　sexual　bias；　doing　what　I　can　to　get　a　broader　handling　of　the　fuel　questionas　a　common　interest　for　all　mankind。　And　I　find　myself　up　against　a　lot　of　men；　subtle　men；　sharp　men；　obstinate　men；　prejudiced　men；　able　to　get　round　me；　able　to　get　over　me；　able　to　blockade　me。　。　。　。　Clever　menyes；　and　all　of　them　ultimately　damnedoh！　utterly　damnedfools。　Coal　owners　who　think　only　of　themselves；　solicitors　who　think　backwards；　politicians　who　think　like　a　game　of　cat's…　cradle；　not　a　gleam　of　generosity　not　a　gleam。〃　〃What　particularly　are　you　working　for？〃　asked　the　doctor。　〃I　want　to　get　the　whole　business　of　the　world's　fuel　discussed　and　reported　upon　as　one　affair　so　that　some　day　it　may　be　handled　as　one　affair　in　the　general　interest。〃　〃The　world；　did　you　say？　You　meant　the　empire？〃　〃No；　the　world。　It　is　all　one　system　now。　You　can't　work　it　in　bits。　I　want　to　call　in　foreign　representatives　from　the　beginning。〃　〃Advisoryconsultative？〃　〃No。　With　powers。　These　things　interlock　now　internationally　both　through　labour　and　finance。　The　sooner　we　scrap　this　nonsense　about　an　autonomous　British　Empire　complete　in　itself；　contra　mundum；　the　better　for　us。　A　world　control　is　fifty　years　overdue。　Hence　these　disorders。　〃　〃Stillit's　rather　a　difficult　proposition；　as　things　are。〃　〃Oh；　Lord！　don't　I　know　it's　difficult！〃　cried　Sir　Richmond　in　the　tone　of　one　who　swears。　〃Don't　I　know　that　perhaps　it's　impossible！　But　it's　the　only　way　to　do　it。　Therefore；　I　say；　let's　try　to　get　it　done。　And　everybody　says；　difficult；　difficult；　and　nobody　lifts　a　finger　to　try。　And　the　only　real　difficulty　is　that　everybody　for　one　reason　or　another　says　that　it's　difficult。　It's　against　human　nature。　Granted！　Every　decent　thing　is。　It's　socialism。　Who　cares？　Along　this　line　of　comprehensive　scientific　control　the　world　has　to　go　or　it　will　retrogress；　it　will　muddle　and　rot。　。　。　。〃　〃I　agree；〃　said　Dr。　Martineau。　〃So　I　want　a　report　to　admit　that　distinctly。　I　want　it　to　go　further　than　that。　I　want　to　get　the　beginnings；　the　germ；　of　a　world　administration。　I　want　to　set　up　a　permanent　world　commission　of　scientific　men　and　economistswith　powers；　just　as　considerable　powers　as　I　can　give　themthey'll　be　feeble　powers　at　the　bestbut　still　some　sort　of　SAY　in　the　whole　fuel　supply　of　the　world。　A　saythat　may　grow　at　last　to　a　control。　A　right　to　collect　reports　and　receive　accounts　for　example；　to　begin　with。　And　then　the　right　to　make　recommendations。　。　。　。　You　see？　。　。　。　No；　the　international　part　is　not　the　most　difficult　part　of　it。　But　my　beastly　owners　and　their　beastly　lawyers　won't　relinquish　a　scrap　of　what　they　call　their　freedom　of　action。　And　my　labour　men；　because　I'm　a　fairly　big　coal　owner　myself；　sit　and　watch　and　suspect　me；　too　stupid　to　grasp　what　I　am　driving　at　and　too　incompetent　to　get　out　a　scheme　of　their　own。　They　want　a　world　control　on　scientific　lines　even　less　than　the　owners。　They　try　to　think　that　fuel　production　can　carry　an　unlimited　wages　bill　and　the　owners　try　to　think　that　it　can　pay　unlimited　profits；　and　when　I　say；　'This　business　is　something　more　than　a　scramble　for　profits　and　wages；　it's　a　service　and　a　common　interest；'　they　stare　at　me〃　Sir　Richmond　was　at　a　loss　for　an　image。　〃Like　a　committee　in　a　thieves'　kitchen　when　someone　has　casually　mentioned　the　law。〃　〃But　will　you　ever　get　your　Permanent　Commission？〃　〃It　can　be　done。　If　I　can　stick　it　out。〃　〃But　with　the　whole　Committee　against　you！〃　〃The　curious　thing　is　that　the　whole　Committee　isn't　against　me。　Every　individual　is　。　。　。　。〃　Sir　Richmond　found　it　difficult　to　express。　〃The　psychology　of　my　Committee　ought　to　interest　you。　。　。　。　It　is　probably　a　fair　sample　of　the　way　all　sorts　of　things　are　going　nowadays。　It's　curious。　。　。　。　There　is　not　a　man　on　that　Committee　who　is　quite　comfortable　within　himself　about　the　particular　individual　end　he　is　there　to　serve。　It's　there　I　get　them。　They　pursue　their　own　ends　bitterly　and　obstinately　I　admit；　but　they　are　bitter　and　obstinate　because　they　pursue　them　against　an　internal　oppositionwhich　is　on　my　side。　They　are　terrified　to　think；　if　once　they　stopped　fighting　me；　how　far　they　might　not　have　to　go　with　me。〃　〃A　suppressed　world　conscience　in　fact。　This　marches　very　closely　with　my　own　ideas。〃　〃A　world　conscience？　World　conscience？　I　don't　know。　But　I　do　know　that　there　is　this　drive　in　nearly　every　member　of　the　Committee；　some　drive　anyhow；　towards　the　decent　thing。　It　is　the　same　drive　that　drives　me。　But　I　am　the　most　driven。　It　has　turned　me　round。　It　hasn't　turned　them。　I　go　East　and　they　go　West。　And　they　don't　want　to　be　turned　round。　Tremendously；　they　don't。〃　〃Creative　undertow；〃　said　Dr。　Martineau；　making　notes；　as　it　were。　〃An　increasing　force　in　modern　life。　In　the　psychology　of　a　new　age　strengthened　by　educationit　may　play　a　directive　part。〃　〃They　fight　every　little　point。　But；　you　see；　because　of　this　creative　undertowif　you　like　to　call　it　thatwe　do　get　along。　I　am　leader　or　whipper…in；　it　is　hard　to　say　which；　of　a　bolting　flock。　。　。　。I　believe　they　will　report　for　a　permanent　world　commission；　I　believe　I　have　got　them　up　to　that；　but　they　will　want　to　make　it　a　bureau　of　this　League　of　Nations；　and　I　have　the　profoundest　distrust　of　this　League　of　Nations。　It　may　turn　out　to　be　a　sort　of　side…　tracking　arrangement　for　all　sorts　of　important　world　issues。　And　they　will　find　they　have　to　report　for　some　sort　of　control。　But　there　again　they　will　shy。　They　will　report　for　it　and　then　they　will　do　their　utmost　to　whittle　it　down　again。　They　will　refuse　it　the　most　reasonable　powers。　They　will　alter　the　composition　of　the　Committee　so　as　to　make　it　innocuous。〃　〃How？〃　〃Get　rid　of　the　independent　scientific　men；　load　it　up　so　far　as　Britain　is　concerned　with　muck　of　the　colonial　politician　type　and　tame　labour　representatives；　balance　with　shady　new　adventurer　millionaires；　get　in　still　shadier　stuff　from　abroad；　let　these　gentry　appoint　their　own　tame　experts　after　their　own　hearts；experts　who　will　make　merely　advisory　reports；　which　will　not　be　published。　。　。　。〃　〃They　want　in　fact　to　keep　the　old　system　going　under　the　cloak　of　YOUR　Committee；　reduced　to　a　cloak　and　nothing　more？〃　〃That　is　what　it　amounts　to。　They　want　to　have　the　air　of　doing　rightindeed　they　do　want　to　have　the　FEEL　of　doing　rightand　still　leave　things　just　exactly　what　they　were　before。　And　as　I　suffer　under　the　misfortune　of　seeing　the　thing　rather　more　clearly；　I　have　to　shepherd　the　conscience　of　the　whole　Committee。　。　。　。　But　there　is　a　conscience　there。　If　I　can　hold　out　myself；　I　can　hold　the　Committee。〃　He　turned　appealingly　to　the　doctor。　〃Why　should　I　have　to　be　the　conscience　of　that　damned　Committee？　Why　should　I　do　this　exhausting　inhuman　job？　。　。　。　。　In　their　hearts　these　others　know。　。　。　。　Only　they　won't　know。　。　。　。　Why　should　it　fall　on　me？〃　〃You　have　to　go　through　with　it；〃　said　Dr。　Martineau。　〃I　have　to　go　through　with　it；　but　it's　a　hell　of　utterly　inglorious　squabbling。　They　bait　me。　They　have　been　fighting　the　same　fight　within　themselves　that　they　fight　with　me。　They　know　exactly　where　I　am；　that　I　too　am　doing　my　job　against　internal　friction。　The　one　thing　before　all　others　that　they　want　to　do　is　to　bring　me　down　off　my　moral　high　horse。　And　I　loathe　the　high　horse。　I　am　in　a　position　of　special　moral　superiority　to　men　who　are　on　the　whole　as　good　men　as　I　am　or　better。　That　shows　all　the　time。　You　see　the　sort　of　man　I　am。　I've　a　broad　streak　of　personal　vanity。　I　fag　easily。　I'm　short…tempered。　I've　other　things；　as　you　perceive。　When　I　fag　I　become　obtuse；　I　repeat　and　bore；　I　get　viciously　ill…tempered；　I　suffer　from　an　intolerable　sense　of　ill　usage。　Then　that　ass；　Wagstaffe；　who　ought　to　be　working　with　me　steadily；　sees　his　chance　to　be　pleasantly　witty。　He　gets　a　laugh　round　the　table　at　my　expense。　Young　Dent；　the　more　intelligent　of　the　labour