XI
THESCHOOLFORHYPOCRITES
Thesearethefalseaccusations;theaccusationofclassicism,theaccusationofcruelty,andtheaccusationofanexclusivenessbasedonperfectionofpedigree。Englishpublic-schoolboysarenotpedants,theyarenottorturers;andtheyarenot,inthevastmajorityofcases,peoplefiercelyproudoftheirancestry,orevenpeoplewithanyancestrytobeproudof。Theyaretaughttobecourteous,tobegoodtempered,tobebraveinabodilysense,tobecleaninabodilysense;
theyaregenerallykindtoanimals,generallyciviltoservants,andtoanyoneinanysensetheirequal,thejolliestcompanionsonearth。
Istherethenanythingwronginthepublic-schoolideal?
Ithinkweallfeelthereissomethingverywronginit,butablindingnetworkofnewspaperphraseologyobscuresandentanglesus;sothatitishardtotracetoitsbeginning,beyondallwordsandphrases。
thefaultsinthisgreatEnglishachievement。
Surely,whenallissaid,theultimateobjectiontotheEnglishpublicschoolisitsutterlyblatantandindecentdisregardofthedutyoftellingthetruth。IknowtheredoesstilllingeramongmaidenladiesinremotecountryhousesanotionthatEnglishschoolboysaretaughttotellthetruth,butitcannotbemaintainedseriouslyforamoment。Veryoccasionally,veryvaguely,Englishschoolboysaretoldnottotelllies,whichisatotallydifferentthing。Imaysilentlysupportalltheobscenefictionsandforgeriesintheuniverse,withoutoncetellingalie。Imaywearanotherman\'scoat,stealanotherman\'swit,apostatizetoanotherman\'screed,orpoisonanotherman\'scoffee,allwithoutevertellingalie。
ButnoEnglishschool-boyisevertaughttotellthetruth,fortheverysimplereasonthatheisnevertaughttodesirethetruth。
Fromtheveryfirstheistaughttobetotallycarelessaboutwhetherafactisafact;heistaughttocareonlywhetherthefactcanbeusedonhis\"side\"whenheisengagedin\"playingthegame。\"
HetakessidesinhisUniondebatingsocietytosettlewhetherCharlesIoughttohavebeenkilled,withthesamesolemnandpompousfrivolitywithwhichhetakessidesinthecricketfieldtodecidewhetherRugbyorWestminstershallwin。
Heisneverallowedtoadmittheabstractnotionofthetruth,thatthematchisamatterofwhatmayhappen,butthatCharlesI
isamatterofwhatdidhappen——ordidnot。HeisLiberalorToryatthegeneralelectionexactlyasheisOxfordorCambridgeattheboatrace。Heknowsthatsportdealswiththeunknown;
hehasnotevenanotionthatpoliticsshoulddealwiththeknown。
Ifanyonereallydoubtsthisself-evidentproposition,thatthepublicschoolsdefinitelydiscouragetheloveoftruth,thereisonefactwhichIshouldthinkwouldsettlehim。
EnglandisthecountryofthePartySystem,andithasalwaysbeenchieflyrunbypublic-schoolmen。IsthereanyoneoutofHanwellwhowillmaintainthatthePartySystem,whateveritsconveniencesorinconveniences,couldhavebeencreatedbypeopleparticularlyfondoftruth?
TheveryEnglishhappinessonthispointisitselfahypocrisy。
Whenamanreallytellsthetruth,thefirsttruthhetellsisthathehimselfisaliar。Davidsaidinhishaste,thatis,inhishonesty,thatallmenareliars。Itwasafterwards,insomeleisurelyofficialexplanation,thathesaidtheKingsofIsraelatleasttoldthetruth。
WhenLordCurzonwasViceroyhedeliveredamorallecturetotheIndiansontheirreputedindifferencetoveracity,toactualityandintellectualhonor。Agreatmanypeopleindignantlydiscussedwhetherorientalsdeservedtoreceivethisrebuke;whetherIndianswereindeedinapositiontoreceivesuchsevereadmonition。
Nooneseemedtoask,asIshouldventuretoask,whetherLordCurzonwasinapositiontogiveit。Heisanordinarypartypolitician;apartypoliticianmeansapoliticianwhomighthavebelongedtoeitherparty。
Beingsuchaperson,hemustagainandagain,ateverytwistandturnofpartystrategy,eitherhavedeceivedothersorgrosslydeceivedhimself。
IdonotknowtheEast;nordoIlikewhatIknow。IamquitereadytobelievethatwhenLordCurzonwentouthefoundaveryfalseatmosphere。
IonlysayitmusthavebeensomethingstartlinglyandchokinglyfalseifitwasfalserthanthatEnglishatmospherefromwhichhecame。
TheEnglishParliamentactuallycaresforeverythingexceptveracity。
Thepublic-schoolmaniskind,courageous,polite,clean,companionable;
but,inthemostawfulsenseofthewords,thetruthisnotinhim。
ThisweaknessofuntruthfulnessintheEnglishpublicschools,intheEnglishpoliticalsystem,andtosomeextentintheEnglishcharacter,isaweaknesswhichnecessarilyproducesacuriouscropofsuperstitions,oflyinglegends,ofevidentdelusionsclungtothroughlowspiritualself-indulgence。Therearesomanyofthesepublic-schoolsuperstitionsthatIhavehereonlyspaceforoneofthem,whichmaybecalledthesuperstitionofsoap。
ItappearstohavebeensharedbytheablutionaryPharisees,whoresembledtheEnglishpublic-schoolaristocratsinsomanyrespects:intheircareaboutclubrulesandtraditions,intheiroffensiveoptimismattheexpenseofotherpeople,andaboveallintheirunimaginativeploddingpatriotismintheworstinterestsoftheircountry。Nowtheoldhumancommonsenseaboutwashingisthatitisagreatpleasure。
Water(appliedexternally)isasplendidthing,likewine。
Sybaritesbatheinwine,andNonconformistsdrinkwater;
butwearenotconcernedwiththesefranticexceptions。
Washingbeingapleasure,itstandstoreasonthatrichpeoplecanafforditmorethanpoorpeople,andaslongasthiswasrecognizedallwaswell;anditwasveryrightthatrichpeopleshouldofferbathstopoorpeople,astheymightofferanyotheragreeablething——
adrinkoradonkeyride。Butonedreadfulday,somewhereaboutthemiddleofthenineteenthcentury,somebodydiscovered(somebodyprettywelloff)thetwogreatmoderntruths,thatwashingisavirtueintherichandthereforeadutyinthepoor。Foradutyisavirtuethatonecan\'tdo。
Andavirtueisgenerallyadutythatonecandoquiteeasily;
likethebodilycleanlinessoftheupperclasses。
Butinthepublic-schooltraditionofpubliclife,soaphasbecomecreditablesimplybecauseitispleasant。BathsarerepresentedasapartofthedecayoftheRomanEmpire;butthesamebathsarerepresentedaspartoftheenergyandrejuvenationoftheBritishEmpire。Therearedistinguishedpublicschoolmen,bishops,dons,headmasters,andhighpoliticians,who,inthecourseoftheeulogieswhichfromtimetotimetheypassuponthemselves,haveactuallyidentifiedphysicalcleanlinesswithmoralpurity。
Theysay(ifIrememberrightly)thatapublic-schoolmaniscleaninsideandout。Asifeveryonedidnotknowthatwhilesaintscanaffordtobedirty,seducershavetobeclean。
Asifeveryonedidnotknowthattheharlotmustbeclean,becauseitisherbusinesstocaptivate,whilethegoodwifemaybedirty,becauseitisherbusinesstoclean。
AsifwedidnotallknowthatwheneverGod\'sthundercracksaboveus,itisverylikelyindeedtofindthesimplestmaninamuckcartandthemostcomplexblackguardinabath。
Thereareotherinstances,ofcourse,ofthisoilytrickofturningthepleasuresofagentlemanintothevirtuesofanAnglo-Saxon。Sport,likesoap,isanadmirablething,but,likesoap,itisanagreeablething。Anditdoesnotsumupallmortalmeritstobeasportsmanplayingthegameinaworldwhereitissooftennecessarytobeaworkmandoingthework。
Byallmeansletagentlemancongratulatehimselfthathehasnotlosthisnaturalloveofpleasure,asagainsttheblase,andunchildlike。Butwhenonehasthechildlikejoyitisbesttohavealsothechildlikeunconsciousness;andIdonotthinkweshouldhavespecialaffectionforthelittleboywhoeverlastinglyexplainedthatitwashisdutytoplayHideandSeekandoneofhisfamilyvirtuestobeprominentinPussintheCorner。
Anothersuchirritatinghypocrisyistheoligarchicattitudetowardsmendicityasagainstorganizedcharity。Hereagain,asinthecaseofcleanlinessandofathletics,theattitudewouldbeperfectlyhumanandintelligibleifitwerenotmaintainedasamerit。
Justastheobviousthingaboutsoapisthatitisaconvenience,sotheobviousthingaboutbeggarsisthattheyareaninconvenience。
Therichwoulddeserveverylittleblameiftheysimplysaidthattheyneverdealtdirectlywithbeggars,becauseinmodernurbancivilizationitisimpossibletodealdirectlywithbeggars;
orifnotimpossible,atleastverydifficult。Butthesepeopledonotrefusemoneytobeggarsonthegroundthatsuchcharityisdifficult。
Theyrefuseitonthegrosslyhypocriticalgroundthatsuchcharityiseasy。Theysay,withthemostgrotesquegravity,\"Anyonecanputhishandinhispocketandgiveapoormanapenny;
butwe,philanthropists,gohomeandbroodandtravailoverthepoorman\'stroublesuntilwehavediscoveredexactlywhatjail,reformatory,workhouse,orlunaticasylumitwillreallybebestforhimtogoto。\"Thisisallsheerlying。
Theydonotbroodaboutthemanwhentheygethome,andiftheydiditwouldnotaltertheoriginalfactthattheirmotivefordiscouragingbeggarsistheperfectlyrationalonethatbeggarsareabother。Amanmayeasilybeforgivenfornotdoingthisorthatincidentalactofcharity,especiallywhenthequestionisasgenuinelydifficultasisthecaseofmendicity。
ButthereissomethingquitepestilentlyPecksniffianaboutshrinkingfromahardtaskonthepleathatitisnothardenough。
Ifanymanwillreallytrytalkingtothetenbeggarswhocometohisdoorhewillsoonfindoutwhetheritisreallysomucheasierthanthelaborofwritingacheckforahospital。
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XII
THESTALENESSOFTHENEWSCHOOLS
Forthisdeepanddisablingreasontherefore,itscynicalandabandonedindifferencetothetruth,theEnglishpublicschooldoesnotprovideuswiththeidealthatwerequire。
Wecanonlyaskitsmoderncriticstorememberthatrightorwrongthethingcanbedone;thefactoryisworking,thewheelsaregoingaround,thegentlemenarebeingproduced,withtheirsoap,cricketandorganizedcharityallcomplete。
Andinthis,aswehavesaidbefore,thepublicschoolreallyhasanadvantageoveralltheothereducationalschemesofourtime。
Youcanpickoutapublic-schoolmaninanyofthemanycompaniesintowhichtheystray,fromaChineseopiumdentoaGermanJewishdinner-party。ButIdoubtifyoucouldtellwhichlittlematchgirlhadbeenbroughtupbyundenominationalreligionandwhichbyseculareducation。
ThegreatEnglisharistocracywhichhasruledussincetheReformationisreally,inthissense,amodeltothemoderns。
Itdidhaveanideal,andthereforeithasproducedareality。
Wemayrepeatherethatthesepagesproposemainlytoshowonething:
thatprogressoughttobebasedonprinciple,whileourmodernprogressismostlybasedonprecedent。Wego,notbywhatmaybeaffirmedintheory,butbywhathasbeenalreadyadmittedinpractice。
ThatiswhytheJacobitesarethelastToriesinhistorywithwhomahigh-spiritedpersoncanhavemuchsympathy。
Theywantedaspecificthing;theywerereadytogoforwardforit,andsotheywerealsoreadytogobackforit。
ButmodernTorieshaveonlythedullnessofdefendingsituationsthattheyhadnottheexcitementofcreating。
Revolutionistsmakeareform,Conservativesonlyconservethereform。
Theyneverreformthereform,whichisoftenverymuchwanted。
Justastherivalryofarmamentsisonlyasortofsulkyplagiarism,sotherivalryofpartiesisonlyasortofsulkyinheritance。
Menhavevotes,sowomenmustsoonhavevotes;poorchildrenaretaughtbyforce,sotheymustsoonbefedbyforce;
thepoliceshutpublichousesbytwelveo\'clock,sosoontheymustshutthembyeleveno\'clock;childrenstopatschooltilltheyarefourteen,sosoontheywillstoptilltheyareforty。
Nogleamofreason,nomomentaryreturntofirstprinciples,noabstractaskingofanyobviousquestion,caninterruptthismadandmonotonousgallopofmereprogressbyprecedent。
Itisagoodwaytopreventrealrevolution。
Bythislogicofevents,theRadicalgetsasmuchintoarutastheConservative。Wemeetonehoaryoldlunaticwhosayshisgrandfathertoldhimtostandbyonestile。
Wemeetanotherhoaryoldlunaticwhosayshisgrandfathertoldhimonlytowalkalongonelane。
Isaywemayrepeatherethisprimarypartoftheargument,becausewehavejustnowcometotheplacewhereitismoststartlinglyandstronglyshown。Thefinalproofthatourelementaryschoolshavenodefiniteidealoftheirownisthefactthattheysoopenlyimitatetheidealsofthepublicschools。
IntheelementaryschoolswehavealltheethicalprejudicesandexaggerationsofEtonandHarrowcarefullycopiedforpeopletowhomtheydonotevenroughlyapply。
Wehavethesamewildlydisproportionatedoctrineoftheeffectofphysicalcleanlinessonmoralcharacter。
Educatorsandeducationalpoliticiansdeclare,amidwarmcheers,thatcleanlinessisfarmoreimportantthanallthesquabblesaboutmoralandreligioustraining。Itwouldreallyseemthatsolongasalittleboywasheshishandsitdoesnotmatterwhetherheiswashingoffhismother\'sjamorhisbrother\'sgore。
Wehavethesamegrosslyinsincerepretensethatsportalwaysencouragesasenseofhonor,whenweknowthatitoftenruinsit。
Aboveall,wehavethesamegreatupperclassassumptionthatthingsaredonebestbylargeinstitutionshandlinglargesumsofmoneyandorderingeverybodyabout;andthattrivialandimpulsivecharityisinsomewaycontemptible。
AsMr。Blatchfordsays,\"Theworlddoesnotwantpiety,butsoap——
andSocialism。\"Pietyisoneofthepopularvirtues,whereassoapandSocialismaretwohobbiesoftheuppermiddleclass。
These\"healthy\"ideals,astheyarecalled,whichourpoliticiansandschoolmastershaveborrowedfromthearistocraticschoolsandappliedtothedemocratic,arebynomeansparticularlyappropriatetoanimpoverisheddemocracy。Avagueadmirationfororganizedgovernmentandavaguedistrustofindividualaidcannotbemadetofitinatallintothelivesofpeopleamongwhomkindnessmeanslendingasaucepanandhonormeanskeepingoutoftheworkhouse。
Itresolvesitselfeitherintodiscouragingthatsystemofpromptandpatchworkgenerositywhichisadailygloryofthepoor,orelseintohazyadvicetopeoplewhohavenomoneynottogiveitrecklesslyaway。Noristheexaggeratedgloryofathletics,defensibleenoughindealingwiththerichwho,iftheydidnotrompandrace,wouldeatanddrinkunwholesomely,byanymeanssomuchtothepointwhenappliedtopeople,mostofwhomwilltakeagreatdealofexerciseanyhow,withspadeorhammer,pickaxorsaw。
Andforthethirdcase,ofwashing,itisobviousthatthesamesortofrhetoricaboutcorporealdaintinesswhichispropertoanornamentalclasscannot,merelyasitstands,beapplicabletoadustman。
Agentlemanisexpectedtobesubstantiallyspotlessallthetime。
Butitisnomorediscreditableforascavengertobedirtythanforadeep-seadivertobewet。AsweepisnomoredisgracedwhenheiscoveredwithsootthanMichaelAngelowhenheiscoveredwithclay,orBayardwhenheiscoveredwithblood。Norhavetheseextendersofthepublic-schooltraditiondoneorsuggestedanythingbywayofasubstituteforthepresentsnobbishsystemwhichmakescleanlinessalmostimpossibletothepoor;Imeanthegeneralritualoflinenandthewearingofthecast-offclothesoftherich。Onemanmovesintoanotherman\'sclothesashemovesintoanotherman\'shouse。
Nowonderthatoureducationistsarenothorrifiedatamanpickingupthearistocrat\'ssecond-handtrousers,whentheythemselveshaveonlytakenupthearistocrat\'ssecond-handideas。
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XIII
THEOUTLAWEDPARENT
Thereisonethingatleastofwhichthereisneversomuchasawhisperinsidethepopularschools;andthatistheopinionofthepeopleTheonlypersonswhoseemtohavenothingtodowiththeeducationofthechildrenaretheparents。
YettheEnglishpoorhaveverydefinitetraditionsinmanyways。
Theyarehiddenunderembarrassmentandirony;andthosepsychologistswhohavedisentangledthemtalkofthemasverystrange,barbaricandsecretivethingsBut,asamatteroffact,thetraditionsofthepooraremostlysimplythetraditionsofhumanity,athingwhichmanyofushavenotseenforsometime。
Forinstance,workingmenhaveatraditionthatifoneistalkingaboutavilethingitisbettertotalkofitincoarselanguage;
oneisthelesslikelytobeseducedintoexcusingit。
Butmankindhadthistraditionalso,untilthePuritansandtheirchildren,theIbsenites,startedtheoppositeidea,thatitdoesnotmatterwhatyousaysolongasyousayitwithlongwordsandalongface。Oragain,theeducatedclasseshavetabooedmostjestingaboutpersonalappearance;
butindoingthistheytaboonotonlythehumoroftheslums,butmorethanhalfthehealthyliteratureoftheworld;theyputpolitenose-bagsonthenosesofPunchandBardolph,StigginsandCyranodeBergerac。Again,theeducatedclasseshaveadoptedahideousandheathencustomofconsideringdeathastoodreadfultotalkabout,andlettingitremainasecretforeachperson,likesomeprivatemalformation。Thepoor,onthecontrary,makeagreatgossipanddisplayaboutbereavement;andtheyareright。Theyhaveholdofatruthofpsychologywhichisatthebackofallthefuneralcustomsofthechildrenofmen。
Thewaytolessensorrowistomakealotofit。Thewaytoendureapainfulcrisisistoinsistverymuchthatitisacrisis;
topermitpeoplewhomustfeelsadatleasttofeelimportant。
Inthisthepooraresimplythepriestsoftheuniversalcivilization;
andintheirstuffyfeastsandsolemnchatteringthereisthesmellofthebakedmeatsofHamletandthedustandechoofthefuneralgamesofPatroclus。
Thethingsphilanthropistsbarelyexcuse(ordonotexcuse)
inthelifeofthelaboringclassesaresimplythethingswehavetoexcuseinallthegreatestmonumentsofman。ItmaybethatthelaborerisasgrossasShakespeareorasgarrulousasHomer;
thatifheisreligioushetalksnearlyasmuchabouthellasDante;
thatifheisworldlyhetalksnearlyasmuchaboutdrinkasDickens。NoristhepoormanwithouthistoricsupportifhethinkslessofthatceremonialwashingwhichChristdismissed,andrathermoreofthatceremonialdrinkingwhichChristspeciallysanctified。
Theonlydifferencebetweenthepoormanofto-dayandthesaintsandheroesofhistoryisthatwhichinallclassesseparatesthecommonmanwhocanfeelthingsfromthegreatmanwhocanexpressthem。
Whathefeelsismerelytheheritageofman。Nownobodyexpectsofcoursethatthecabmenandcoal-heaverscanbecompleteinstructorsoftheirchildrenanymorethanthesquiresandcolonelsandteamerchantsarecompleteinstructorsoftheirchildren。
Theremustbeaneducationalspecialistinlocoparentis。
ButthemasteratHarrowisinlocoparentis;themasterinHoxtonisrathercontraparentem。Thevaguepoliticsofthesquire,thevaguervirtuesofthecolonel,thesoulandspiritualyearningsofateamerchant,are,inveritablepractice,conveyedtothechildrenofthesepeopleattheEnglishpublicschools。
ButIwishheretoaskaveryplainandemphaticquestion。
Cananyonealiveevenpretendtopointoutanywayinwhichthesespecialvirtuesandtraditionsofthepoorarereproducedintheeducationofthepoor?Idonotwishthecoster\'sironytoappealascoarselyintheschoolasitdoesinthetaproom;butdoesitappearatall?
Isthechildtaughttosympathizeatallwithhisfather\'sadmirablecheerfulnessandslang?Idonotexpectthepathetic,eagerpietasofthemother,withherfuneralclothesandfuneralbakedmeats,tobeexactlyimitatedintheeducationalsystem;
buthasitanyinfluenceatallontheeducationalsystem?
Doesanyelementaryschoolmasteraccorditevenaninstant\'sconsiderationorrespect?IdonotexpecttheschoolmastertohatehospitalsandC。O。S。centerssomuchastheschoolboy\'sfather;
butdoeshehatethematall?Doeshesympathizeintheleastwiththepoorman\'spointofhonoragainstofficialinstitutions?
Isitnotquitecertainthattheordinaryelementaryschoolmasterwillthinkitnotmerelynaturalbutsimplyconscientioustoeradicatealltheseruggedlegendsofalaboriouspeople,andonprincipletopreachsoapandSocialismagainstbeerandliberty?
Inthelowerclassestheschoolmasterdoesnotworkfortheparent,butagainsttheparent。Moderneducationmeanshandingdownthecustomsoftheminority,androotingoutthecustomsofthemajority。
InsteadoftheirChristlikecharity,theirShakespeareanlaughterandtheirhighHomericreverenceforthedead,thepoorhaveimposedonthemmerepedanticcopiesoftheprejudicesoftheremoterich。
Theymustthinkabathroomanecessitybecausetotheluckyitisaluxury;theymustswingSwedishclubsbecausetheirmastersareafraidofEnglishcudgels;andtheymustgetovertheirprejudiceagainstbeingfedbytheparish,becausearistocratsfeelnoshameaboutbeingfedbythenation。
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XIV
FOLLYANDFEMALEEDUCATION
Itisthesameinthecaseofgirls。IamoftensolemnlyaskedwhatIthinkofthenewideasaboutfemaleeducation。
Buttherearenonewideasaboutfemaleeducation。
Thereisnot,thereneverhasbeen,eventhevestigeofanewidea。
Alltheeducationalreformersdidwastoaskwhatwasbeingdonetoboysandthengoanddoittogirls;justastheyaskedwhatwasbeingtaughttoyoungsquiresandthentaughtittoyoungchimneysweeps。
Whattheycallnewideasareveryoldideasinthewrongplace。
Boysplayfootball,whyshouldn\'tgirlsplayfootball;
boyshaveschoolcolors,whyshouldn\'tgirlshaveschool-colors;
boysgoinhundredstoday-schools,whyshouldn\'tgirlsgoinhundredstoday-schools;boysgotoOxford,whyshouldn\'tgirlsgotoOxford——inshort,boysgrowmustaches,whyshouldn\'tgirlsgrowmustaches——thatisabouttheirnotionofanewidea。
Thereisnobrain-workinthethingatall;norootqueryofwhatsexis,ofwhetheritaltersthisorthat,andwhy,anymorethanthereisanyimaginativegripofthehumorandheartofthepopulaceinthepopulareducation。
Thereisnothingbutplodding,elaborate,elephantineimitation。
Andjustasinthecaseofelementaryteaching,thecasesareofacoldandrecklessinappropriateness。Evenasavagecouldseethatbodilythings,atleast,whicharegoodforamanareverylikelytobebadforawoman。Yetthereisnoboy\'sgame,howeverbrutal,whichthesemildlunaticshavenotpromotedamonggirls。
Totakeastrongercase,theygivegirlsveryheavyhome-work;
neverreflectingthatallgirlshavehome-workalreadyintheirhomes。Itisallapartofthesamesillysubjugation;
theremustbeahardstick-upcollarroundtheneckofawoman,becauseitisalreadyanuisanceroundtheneckofaman。
ThoughaSaxonserf,ifheworethatcollarofcardboard,wouldaskforhiscollarofbrass。
Itwillthenbeanswered,notwithoutasneer,\"Andwhatwouldyouprefer?WouldyougobacktotheelegantearlyVictorianfemale,withringletsandsmelling-bottle,doingalittleinwatercolors,dabblingalittleinItalian,playingalittleontheharp,writinginvulgaralbumsandpaintingonsenselessscreens?
Doyoupreferthat?\"TowhichIanswer,\"Emphatically,yes。\"
Isolidlypreferittothenewfemaleeducation,forthisreason,thatIcanseeinitanintellectualdesign,whilethereisnoneintheother。Iambynomeanssurethateveninpointofpracticalfactthatelegantfemalewouldnothavebeenmorethanamatchformostoftheinelegantfemales。
IfancyJaneAustenwasstronger,sharperandshrewderthanCharlotteBronte;Iamquitecertainshewasstronger,sharperandshrewderthanGeorgeEliot。Shecoulddoonethingneitherofthemcoulddo:shecouldcoollyandsensiblydescribeaman。
IamnotsurethattheoldgreatladywhocouldonlysmatterItalianwasnotmorevigorousthanthenewgreatladywhocanonlystammerAmerican;noramIcertainthatthebygoneduchesseswhowerescarcelysuccessfulwhentheypaintedMelroseAbbey,weresomuchmoreweak-mindedthanthemodernduchesseswhopaintonlytheirownfaces,andarebadatthat。
Butthatisnotthepoint。Whatwasthetheory,whatwastheidea,intheirold,weakwater-colorsandtheirshakyItalian?Theideawasthesamewhichinaruderrankexpresseditselfinhome-madewinesandhereditaryrecipes;andwhichstill,inathousandunexpectedways,canbefoundclingingtothewomenofthepoor。
ItwastheideaIurgedinthesecondpartofthisbook:
thattheworldmustkeeponegreatamateur,lestweallbecomeartistsandperish。Somebodymustrenounceallspecialistconquests,thatshemayconqueralltheconquerors。Thatshemaybeaqueenoflife,shemustnotbeaprivatesoldierinit。IdonotthinktheelegantfemalewithherbadItalianwasaperfectproduct,anymorethanIthinktheslumwomantalkingginandfuneralsisaperfectproduct;alas!therearefewperfectproducts。
Buttheycomefromacomprehensibleidea;andthenewwomancomesfromnothingandnowhere。Itisrighttohaveanideal,itisrighttohavetherightideal,andthesetwohavetherightideal。
TheslummotherwithherfuneralsisthedegeneratedaughterofAntigone,theobstinatepriestessofthehouseholdgods。
TheladytalkingbadItalianwasthedecayedtenthcousinofPortia,thegreatandgoldenItalianlady,theRenascenceamateuroflife,whocouldbeabarristerbecauseshecouldbeanything。
Sunkenandneglectedintheseaofmodernmonotonyandimitation,thetypesholdtightlytotheiroriginaltruths。Antigone,ugly,dirtyandoftendrunken,willstillburyherfather。
Theelegantfemale,vapidandfadingawaytonothing,stillfeelsfaintlythefundamentaldifferencebetweenherselfandherhusband:
thathemustbeSomethingintheCity,thatshemaybeeverythinginthecountry。
TherewasatimewhenyouandIandallofuswereallveryclosetoGod;
sothatevennowthecolorofapebble(orapaint),thesmellofaflower(orafirework),comestoourheartswithakindofauthorityandcertainty;asiftheywerefragmentsofamuddledmessage,orfeaturesofaforgottenface。Topourthatfierysimplicityuponthewholeoflifeistheonlyrealaimofeducation;
andclosesttothechildcomesthewoman——sheunderstands。
Tosaywhatsheunderstandsisbeyondme;saveonlythis,thatitisnotasolemnity。Ratheritisatoweringlevity,anuproariousamateurishnessoftheuniverse,suchaswefeltwhenwewerelittle,andwouldassoonsingasgarden,assoonpaintasrun。Tosmatterthetonguesofmenandangels,todabbleinthedreadfulsciences,tojugglewithpillarsandpyramidsandtossuptheplanetslikeballs,thisisthatinneraudacityandindifferencewhichthehumansoul,likeaconjurercatchingoranges,mustkeepupforever。
Thisisthatinsanelyfrivolousthingwecallsanity。
Andtheelegantfemale,droopingherringletsoverherwater-colors,knewitandactedonit。Shewasjugglingwithfranticandflamingsuns。
Shewasmaintainingtheboldequilibriumofinferioritieswhichisthemostmysteriousofsuperioritiesandperhapsthemostunattainable。
Shewasmaintainingtheprimetruthofwoman,theuniversalmother:
thatifathingisworthdoing,itisworthdoingbadly。
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PARTFIVE
THEHOMEOFMAN
***
I
THEEMPIREOFTHEINSECT
AcultivatedConservativefriendofmineonceexhibitedgreatdistressbecauseinagaymomentIoncecalledEdmundBurkeanatheist。Ineedscarcelysaythattheremarklackedsomethingofbiographicalprecision;itwasmeantto。
Burkewascertainlynotanatheistinhisconsciouscosmictheory,thoughhehadnotaspecialandflamingfaithinGod,likeRobespierre。Nevertheless,theremarkhadreferencetoatruthwhichitishererelevanttorepeat。ImeanthatinthequarrelovertheFrenchRevolution,Burkedidstandfortheatheisticattitudeandmodeofargument,asRobespierrestoodforthetheistic。
TheRevolutionappealedtotheideaofanabstractandeternaljustice,beyondalllocalcustomorconvenience。
IftherearecommandsofGod,thentheremustberightsofman。
HereBurkemadehisbrilliantdiversion;hedidnotattacktheRobespierredoctrinewiththeoldmediaevaldoctrineofjusdivinum(which,liketheRobespierredoctrine,wastheistic),heattackeditwiththemodernargumentofscientificrelativity;
inshort,theargumentofevolution。Hesuggestedthathumanitywaseverywheremoldedbyorfittedtoitsenvironmentandinstitutions;infact,thateachpeoplepracticallygot,notonlythetyrantitdeserved,butthetyrantitoughttohave。
\"Iknownothingoftherightsofmen,\"hesaid,\"butIknowsomethingoftherightsofEnglishmen。\"Thereyouhavetheessentialatheist。
Hisargumentisthatwehavegotsomeprotectionbynaturalaccidentandgrowth;andwhyshouldweprofesstothinkbeyondit,foralltheworldasifweweretheimagesofGod!WearebornunderaHouseofLords,asbirdsunderahouseofleaves;
weliveunderamonarchyasniggersliveunderatropicsun;
itisnottheirfaultiftheyareslaves,anditisnotoursifwearesnobs。Thus,longbeforeDarwinstruckhisgreatblowatdemocracy,theessentialoftheDarwinianargumenthadbeenalreadyurgedagainsttheFrenchRevolution。Man,saidBurkeineffect,mustadapthimselftoeverything,likeananimal;
hemustnottrytoaltereverything,likeanangel。
Thelastweakcryofthepious,pretty,half-artificialoptimismanddeismoftheeighteenthcenturycarneinthevoiceofSterne,saying,\"Godtempersthewindtotheshornlamb。\"
AndBurke,theironevolutionist,essentiallyanswered,\"No;Godtemperstheshornlambtothewind。\"Itisthelambthathastoadapthimself。Thatis,heeitherdiesorbecomesaparticularkindoflambwholikesstandinginadraught。
ThesubconsciouspopularinstinctagainstDarwinismwasnotamereoffenseatthegrotesquenotionofvisitingone\'sgrandfatherinacageintheRegent\'sPark。Mengoinfordrink,practicaljokesandmanyothergrotesquethings;theydonotmuchmindmakingbeastsofthemselves,andwouldnotmuchmindhavingbeastsmadeoftheirforefathers。
Therealinstinctwasmuchdeeperandmuchmorevaluable。
Itwasthis:thatwhenonceonebeginstothinkofmanasashiftingandalterablething,itisalwayseasyforthestrongandcraftytotwisthimintonewshapesforallkindsofunnaturalpurposes。
thepopularinstinctseesinsuchdevelopmentsthepossibilityofbacksbowedandhunch-backedfortheirburden,orlimbstwistedfortheirtask。Ithasaverywell-groundedguessthatwhateverisdoneswiftlyandsystematicallywillmostlybedonebeasuccessfulclassandalmostsolelyintheirinterests。
Ithasthereforeavisionofinhumanhybridsandhalf-humanexperimentsmuchinthestyleofMr。Wells\'s\"IslandofDr。Moreau。\"Therichmanmaycometobreedingatribeofdwarfstobehisjockeys,andatribeofgiantstobehishall-porters。Groomsmightbebornbow-leggedandtailorsborncross-legged;perfumersmighthavelong,largenosesandacrouchingattitude,likehoundsofscent;
andprofessionalwine-tastersmighthavethehorribleexpressionofonetastingwinestampedupontheirfacesasinfants。
Whateverwildimageoneemploysitcannotkeeppacewiththepanicofthehumanfancy,whenonceitsupposesthatthefixedtypecalledmancouldbechanged。Ifsomemillionairewantedarms,someportermustgrowtenarmslikeanoctopus;ifhewantslegs,somemessenger-boymustgowithahundredtrottinglegslikeacentipede。
Inthedistortedmirrorofhypothesis,thatis,oftheunknown,mencandimlyseesuchmonstrousandevilshapes;menrunalltoeye,oralltofingers,withnothingleftbutonenostriloroneear。
Thatisthenightmarewithwhichthemerenotionofadaptationthreatensus。Thatisthenightmarethatisnotsoveryfarfromthereality。
Itwillbesaidthatnotthewildestevolutionistreallyasksthatweshouldbecomeinanywayunhumanorcopyanyotheranimal。
Pardonme,thatisexactlywhatnotmerelythewildestevolutionistsurge,butsomeofthetamestevolutioniststoo。
Therehasrisenhighinrecenthistoryanimportantcultuswhichbidsfairtobethereligionofthefuture——whichmeansthereligionofthosefewweak-mindedpeoplewholiveinthefuture。Itistypicalofourtimethatithastolookforitsgodthroughamicroscope;
andourtimehasmarkedadefiniteadorationoftheinsect。
Likemostthingswecallnew,ofcourse,itisnotatallnewasanidea;
itisonlynewasanidolatry。VirgiltakesbeesseriouslybutIdoubtifhewouldhavekeptbeesascarefullyashewroteaboutthem。Thewisekingtoldthesluggardtowatchtheant,acharmingoccupation——forasluggard。Butinourowntimehasappearedaverydifferenttone,andmorethanonegreatman,aswellasnumberlessintelligentmen,haveinourtimeseriouslysuggestedthatweshouldstudytheinsectbecausewearehisinferiors。
Theoldmoralistsmerelytookthevirtuesofmananddistributedthemquitedecorativelyandarbitrarilyamongtheanimals。
Theantwasanalmostheraldicsymbolofindustry,asthelionwasofcourage,or,forthematterofthat,thepelicanofcharity。
Butifthemediaevalshadbeenconvincedthatalionwasnotcourageous,theywouldhavedroppedthelionandkeptthecourage;ifthepelicanisnotcharitable,theywouldsay,somuchtheworseforthepelican。
Theoldmoralists,Isay,permittedtheanttoenforceandtypifyman\'smorality;theyneverallowedtheanttoupsetit。
Theyusedtheantforindustryasthelarkforpunctuality;
theylookedupattheflappingbirdsanddownatthecrawlinginsectsforahomelylesson。Butwehavelivedtoseeasectthatdoesnotlookdownattheinsects,butlooksupattheinsects,thatasksusessentiallytobowdownandworshipbeetles,likeancientEgyptians。
MauriceMaeterlinckisamanofunmistakablegenius,andgeniusalwayscarriesamagnifyingglass。Intheterriblecrystalofhislenswehaveseenthebeesnotasalittleyellowswarm,butratheringoldenarmiesandhierarchiesofwarriorsandqueens。
Imaginationperpetuallypeersandcreepsfurtherdowntheavenuesandvistasinthetubesofscience,andonefancieseveryfranticreversalofproportions;theearwigstridingacrosstheechoingplainlikeanelephant,orthegrasshoppercomingroaringaboveourroofslikeavastaeroplane,asheleapsfromHertfordshiretoSurrey。Oneseemstoenterinadreamatempleofenormousentomology,whosearchitectureisbasedonsomethingwilderthanarmsorbackbones;inwhichtheribbedcolumnshavethehalf-crawlinglookofdimandmonstrouscaterpillars;
orthedomeisastarryspiderhunghorriblyinthevoid。
Thereisoneofthemodernworksofengineeringthatgivesonesomethingofthisnamelessfearoftheexaggerationsofanunderworld;
andthatisthecuriouscurvedarchitectureoftheundergroundrailway,commonlycalledtheTwopennyTube。Thosesquatarchways,withoutanyuprightlineorpillar,lookasiftheyhadbeentunneledbyhugewormswhohaveneverlearnedtolifttheirheadsItistheveryundergroundpalaceoftheSerpent,thespiritofchangingshapeandcolor,thatistheenemyofman。
ButitisnotmerelybysuchstrangeaestheticsuggestionsthatwriterslikeMaeterlinckhaveinfluencedusinthematter;
thereisalsoanethicalsidetothebusiness。
TheupshotofM。Maeterlinck\'sbookonbeesisanadmiration,onemightalsosayanenvy,oftheircollectivespirituality;
ofthefactthattheyliveonlyforsomethingwhichhecallstheSouloftheHive。Andthisadmirationforthecommunalmoralityofinsectsisexpressedinmanyothermodernwritersinvariousquartersandshapes;inMr。BenjaminKidd\'stheoryoflivingonlyfortheevolutionaryfutureofourrace,andinthegreatinterestofsomeSocialistsinants,whichtheygenerallyprefertobees,Isuppose,becausetheyarenotsobrightlycolored。
NotleastamongthehundredevidencesofthisvagueinsectolatryarethefloodsofflatterypouredbymodernpeopleonthatenergeticnationoftheFarEastofwhichithasbeensaidthat\"Patriotismisitsonlyreligion\";or,inotherwords,thatitlivesonlyfortheSouloftheHive。WhenatlongintervalsofthecenturiesChristendomgrowsweak,morbidorskeptical,andmysteriousAsiabeginstomoveagainstusherdimpopulationsandtopourthemwestwardlikeadarkmovementofmatter,insuchcasesithasbeenverycommontocomparetheinvasiontoaplagueofliceorincessantarmiesoflocusts。
TheEasternarmieswereindeedlikeinsects;intheirblind,busydestructiveness,intheirblacknihilismofpersonaloutlook,intheirhatefulindifferencetoindividuallifeandlove,intheirbasebeliefinmerenumbers,intheirpessimisticcourageandtheiratheisticpatriotism,theridersandraidersoftheEastareindeedlikeallthecreepingthingsoftheearth。
Butneverbefore,Ithink,haveChristianscalledaTurkalocustandmeantitasacompliment。Nowforthefirsttimeweworshipaswellasfear;andtracewithadorationthatenormousformadvancingvastandvagueoutofAsia,faintlydiscernibleamidthemysticcloudsofwingedcreatureshungoverthewastedlands,throngingtheskieslikethunderanddiscoloringtheskieslikerain;Beelzebub,theLordofFlies。
InresistingthishorribletheoryoftheSouloftheHive,weofChristendomstandnotforourselves,butforallhumanity;
fortheessentialanddistinctivehumanideathatonegoodandhappymanisanendinhimself,thatasoulisworthsaving。
Nay,forthosewholikesuchbiologicalfanciesitmightwellbesaidthatwestandaschiefsandchampionsofawholesectionofnature,princesofthehousewhosecognizanceisthebackbone,standingforthemilkoftheindividualmotherandthecourageofthewanderingcub,representingthepatheticchivalryofthedog,thehumorandperversityofcats,theaffectionofthetranquilhorse,thelonelinessofthelion。Itismoretothepoint,however,tourgethatthismereglorificationofsocietyasitisinthesocialinsectsisatransformationandadissolutioninoneoftheoutlineswhichhavebeenspeciallythesymbolsofman。
Inthecloudandconfusionofthefliesandbeesisgrowingfainterandfainter,asisfinallydisappearing,theideaofthehumanfamily。
Thehivehasbecomelargerthanthehouse,thebeesaredestroyingtheircaptors;whatthelocusthathleft,thecaterpillarhatheaten;
andthelittlehouseandgardenofourfriendJonesisinabadway。
***
II
THEFALLACYOFTHEUMBRELLASTAND
WhenLordMorleysaidthattheHouseofLordsmustbeeithermendedorended,heusedaphrasewhichhascausedsomeconfusion;
becauseitmightseemtosuggestthatmendingandendingaresomewhatsimilarthings。Iwishspeciallytoinsistonthefactthatmendingandendingareoppositethings。Youmendathingbecauseyoulikeit;
youendathingbecauseyoudon\'t。Tomendistostrengthen。
I,forinstance,disbelieveinoligarchy;solwouldnomoremendtheHouseofLordsthanIwouldmendathumbscrew。Ontheotherhand,Idobelieveinthefamily;thereforeIwouldmendthefamilyasIwouldmendachair;andIwillneverdenyforamomentthatthemodernfamilyisachairthatwantsmending。Butherecomesintheessentialpointaboutthemassofmodernadvancedsociologists。
Herearetwoinstitutionsthathavealwaysbeenfundamentalwithmankind,thefamilyandthestate。Anarchists,Ibelieve,disbelieveinboth。
ItisquiteunfairtosaythatSocialistsbelieveinthestate,butdonotbelieveinthefamily;thousandsofSocialistsbelievemoreinthefamilythananyTory。Butitistruetosaythatwhileanarchistswouldendboth,Socialistsarespeciallyengagedinmending(thatis,strengtheningandrenewing)thestate;andtheyarenotspeciallyengagedinstrengtheningandrenewingthefamily。
Theyarenotdoinganythingtodefinethefunctionsoffather,mother,andchild,assuch;theyarenottighteningthemachineupagain;
theyarenotblackeninginagainthefadinglinesoftheolddrawing。
Withthestatetheyaredoingthis;theyaresharpeningitsmachinery,theyareblackeninginitsblackdogmaticlines,theyaremakingmeregovernmentineverywaystrongerandinsomewaysharsherthanbefore。
Whiletheyleavethehomeinruins,theyrestorethehive,especiallythestings。Indeed,someschemesoflaborandPoorLawreformrecentlyadvancedbydistinguishedSocialists,amounttolittlemorethanputtingthelargestnumberofpeopleinthedespoticpowerofMr。Bumble。Apparently,progressmeansbeingmovedon——
bythepolice。
Thepointitismypurposetourgemightperhapsbesuggestedthus:
thatSocialistsandmostsocialreformersoftheircolorarevividlyconsciousofthelinebetweenthekindofthingsthatbelongtothestateandthekindofthingsthatbelongtomerechaosoruncoerciblenature;
theymayforcechildrentogotoschoolbeforethesunrises,buttheywillnottrytoforcethesuntorise;theywillnot,likeCanute,banishthesea,butonlythesea-bathers。Butinsidetheoutlineofthestatetheirlinesareconfused,andentitiesmeltintoeachother。
Theyhavenofirminstinctivesenseofonethingbeinginitsnatureprivateandanotherpublic,ofonethingbeingnecessarilybondandanotherfree。Thatiswhypiecebypiece,andquitesilently,personallibertyisbeingstolenfromEnglishmen,aspersonallandhasbeensilentlystoleneversincethesixteenthcentury。
Icanonlyputitsufficientlycurtlyinacarelesssimile。
ASocialistmeansamanwhothinksawalking-sticklikeanumbrellabecausetheybothgointotheumbrella-stand。
Yettheyareasdifferentasabattle-axandabootjack。
Theessentialideaofanumbrellaisbreadthandprotection。
Theessentialideaofastickisslendernessand,partly,attack。
Thestickisthesword,theumbrellaistheshield,butitisashieldagainstanotherandmorenamelessenemy——
thehostilebutanonymousuniverse。Moreproperly,therefore,theumbrellaistheroof;itisakindofcollapsiblehouse。
Butthevitaldifferencegoesfardeeperthanthis;itbranchesoffintotwokingdomsofman\'smind,withachasmbetween。
Forthepointisthis:thattheumbrellaisashieldagainstanenemysoactualastobeamerenuisance;
whereasthestickisaswordagainstenemiessoentirelyimaginaryastobeapurepleasure。Thestickisnotmerelyasword,butacourtsword;itisathingofpurelyceremonialswagger。
Onecannotexpresstheemotioninanywayexceptbysayingthatamanfeelsmorelikeamanwithastickinhishand,justashefeelsmorelikeamanwithaswordathisside。
Butnobodyeverhadanyswellingsentimentsaboutanumbrella;
itisaconvenience,likeadoorscraper。Anumbrellaisanecessaryevil。Awalking-stickisaquiteunnecessarygood。
This,Ifancy,istherealexplanationoftheperpetuallosingofumbrellas;onedoesnothearofpeoplelosingwalkingsticks。
Forawalking-stickisapleasure,apieceofrealpersonalproperty;itismissedevenwhenitisnotneeded。
Whenmyrighthandforgetsitsstickmayitforgetitscunning。
Butanybodymayforgetanumbrella,asanybodymightforgetashedthathehasstoodupinoutoftherain。
Anybodycanforgetanecessarything。
IfImightpursuethefigureofspeech,ImightbrieflysaythatthewholeCollectivisterrorconsistsinsayingthatbecausetwomencanshareanumbrella,thereforetwomencanshareawalking-stick。Umbrellasmightpossiblybereplacedbysomekindofcommonawningscoveringcertainstreetsfromparticularshowers。
Butthereisnothingbutnonsenseinthenotionofswingingacommunalstick;itisasifonespokeoftwirlingacommunalmustache。
Itwillbesaidthatthisisafrankfantasiaandthatnosociologistssuggestsuchfollies。Pardonmeiftheydo。Iwillgiveapreciseparalleltothecaseofconfusionofsticksandumbrellas,aparallelfromaperpetuallyreiteratedsuggestionofreform。
AtleastsixtySocialistsoutofahundred,whentheyhavespokenofcommonlaundries,willgoonatoncetospeakofcommonkitchens。
ThisisjustasmechanicalandunintelligentasthefancifulcaseIhavequoted。Sticksandumbrellasarebothstiffrodsthatgointoholesinastandinthehall。Kitchensandwashhousesarebothlargeroomsfullofheatanddampandsteam。
Butthesoulandfunctionofthetwothingsareutterlyopposite。
Thereisonlyonewayofwashingashirt;thatis,thereisonlyonerightway。Thereisnotasteandfancyintatteredshirts。
Nobodysays,\"Tompkinslikesfiveholesinhisshirt,butI
mustsay,givemethegoodoldfourholes。\"Nobodysays,\"Thiswasherwomanripsuptheleftlegofmypyjamas;nowifthereisonethingIinsistonitistherightlegrippedup。\"
Theidealwashingissimplytosendathingbackwashed。
Butitisbynomeanstruethattheidealcookingissimplytosendathingbackcooked。Cookingisanart;ithasinitpersonality,andevenperversity,forthedefinitionofanartisthatwhichmustbepersonalandmaybeperverse。
Iknowaman,nototherwisedainty,whocannottouchcommonsausagesunlesstheyarealmostburnedtoacoal。
Hewantshissausagesfriedtorags,yethedoesnotinsistonhisshirtsbeingboiledtorags。Idonotsaythatsuchpointsofculinarydelicacyareofhighimportance。
Idonotsaythatthecommunalidealmustgivewaytothem。
WhatIsayisthatthecommunalidealisnotconsciousoftheirexistence,andthereforegoeswrongfromtheverystart,mixingawhollypublicthingwithahighlyindividualone。
Perhapsweoughttoacceptcommunalkitchensinthesocialcrisis,justasweshouldacceptcommunalcat\'s-meatinasiege。
ButtheculturedSocialist,quiteathisease,bynomeansinasiege,talksaboutcommunalkitchensasiftheywerethesamekindofthingascommunallaundries。
Thisshowsatthestartthathemisunderstandshumannature。
Itisasdifferentasthreemensingingthesamechorusfromthreemenplayingthreetunesonthesamepiano。
III
THEDREADFULDUTYOFGUDGE
InthequarrelearlieralludedtobetweentheenergeticProgressiveandtheobstinateConservative(or,totalkatendererlanguage,betweenHudgeandGudge),thestateofcross-purposesisatthepresentmomentacute。TheTorysayshewantstopreservefamilylifeinCindertown;theSocialistveryreasonablypointsouttohimthatinCindertownatpresentthereisn\'tanyfamilylifetopreserve。
ButHudge,theSocialist,inhisturn,ishighlyvagueandmysteriousaboutwhetherhewouldpreservethefamilylifeiftherewereany;
orwhetherhewilltrytorestoreitwhereithasdisappeared。
Itisallveryconfusing。TheTorysometimestalksasifhewantedtotightenthedomesticbondsthatdonotexist;theSocialistasifhewantedtoloosenthebondsthatdonotbindanybody。
Thequestionweallwanttoaskofbothofthemistheoriginalidealquestion,\"Doyouwanttokeepthefamilyatall?\"IfHudge,theSocialist,doeswantthefamilyhemustbepreparedforthenaturalrestraints,distinctionsanddivisionsoflaborinthefamily。
Hemustbracehimselfuptobeartheideaofthewomanhavingapreferencefortheprivatehouseandamanforthepublichouse。
Hemustmanagetoenduresomehowtheideaofawomanbeingwomanly,whichdoesnotmeansoftandyielding,buthandy,thrifty,ratherhard,andveryhumorous。Hemustconfrontwithoutaquiverthenotionofachildwhoshallbechildish,thatis,fullofenergy,butwithoutanideaofindependence;fundamentallyaseagerforauthorityasforinformationandbutter-scotch。Ifaman,awomanandachildlivetogetheranymoreinfreeandsovereignhouseholds,theseancientrelationswillrecur;andHudgemustputupwithit。
Hecanonlyavoiditbydestroyingthefamily,drivingbothsexesintosexlesshivesandhordes,andbringingupallchildrenasthechildrenofthestate——likeOliverTwist。ButifthesesternwordsmustbeaddressedtoHudge,neithershallGudgeescapeasomewhatsevereadmonition。
FortheplaintruthtobetoldprettysharplytotheToryisthis,thatifhewantsthefamilytoremain,ifhewantstobestrongenoughtoresisttherendingforcesofouressentiallysavagecommerce,hemustmakesomeverybigsacrificesandtrytoequalizeproperty。
TheoverwhelmingmassoftheEnglishpeopleatthisparticularinstantaresimplytoopoortobedomestic。Theyareasdomesticastheycanmanage;theyaremuchmoredomesticthanthegoverningclass;
buttheycannotgetwhatgoodtherewasoriginallymeanttobeinthisinstitution,simplybecausetheyhavenotgotenoughmoney。
Themanoughttostandforacertainmagnanimity,quitelawfullyexpressedinthrowingmoneyaway:butifundergivencircumstanceshecanonlydoitbythrowingtheweek\'sfoodaway,thenheisnotmagnanimous,butmean。Thewomanoughttostandforacertainwisdomwhichiswellexpressedinvaluingthingsrightlyandguardingmoneysensibly;
buthowisshetoguardmoneyifthereisnomoneytoguard?
Thechildoughttolookonhismotherasafountainofnaturalfunandpoetry;buthowcanheunlessthefountain,likeotherfountains,isallowedtoplay?Whatchancehaveanyoftheseancientartsandfunctionsinahousesohideouslytopsy-turvy;ahousewherethewomanisoutworkingandthemanisn\'t;andthechildisforcedbylawtothinkhisschoolmaster\'srequirementsmoreimportantthanhismother\'s?No,GudgeandhisfriendsintheHouseofLordsandtheCarltonClubmustmakeuptheirmindsonthismatter,andthatveryquickly。IftheyarecontenttohaveEnglandturnedintoabeehiveandanant-hill,decoratedhereandtherewithafewfadedbutterfliesplayingatanoldgamecalleddomesticityintheintervalsofthedivorcecourt,thenletthemhavetheirempireofinsects;
theywillfindplentyofSocialistswhowillgiveittothem。
ButiftheywantadomesticEngland,theymust\"shellout,\"
asthephrasegoes,toavastlygreaterextentthananyRadicalpoliticianhasyetdaredtosuggest;theymustendureburdensmuchheavierthantheBudgetandstrokesmuchdeadlierthanthedeathduties;
forthethingtobedoneisnothingmorenorlessthanthedistributionofthegreatfortunesandthegreatestates。WecannowonlyavoidSocialismbyachangeasvastasSocialism。Ifwearetosaveproperty,wemustdistributeproperty,almostassternlyandsweepinglyasdidtheFrenchRevolution。Ifwearetopreservethefamilywemustrevolutionizethenation。
***
IV
ALASTINSTANCE
Andnow,asthisbookisdrawingtoaclose,Iwillwhisperinthereader\'searahorriblesuspicionthathassometimeshauntedme:
thesuspicionthatHudgeandGudgearesecretlyinpartnership。
Thatthequarreltheykeepupinpublicisverymuchofaput-upjob,andthatthewayinwhichtheyperpetuallyplayintoeachother\'shandsisnotaneverlastingcoincidence。Gudge,theplutocrat,wantsananarchicindustrialism;Hudge,theidealist,provideshimwithlyricpraisesofanarchy。Gudgewantswomen-workersbecausetheyarecheaper;
Hudgecallsthewoman\'swork\"freedomtoliveherownlife。\"
Gudgewantssteadyandobedientworkmen,Hudgepreachesteetotalism——
toworkmen,nottoGudge——Gudgewantsatameandtimidpopulationwhowillnevertakearmsagainsttyranny;HudgeprovesfromTolstoithatnobodymusttakearmsagainstanything。Gudgeisnaturallyahealthyandwell-washedgentleman;HudgeearnestlypreachestheperfectionofGudge\'swashingtopeoplewhocan\'tpracticeit。
Aboveall,Gudgerulesbyacoarseandcruelsystemofsackingandsweatingandbi-sexualtoilwhichistotallyinconsistentwiththefreefamilyandwhichisboundtodestroyit;thereforeHudge,stretchingouthisarmstotheuniversewithapropheticsmile,tellsusthatthefamilyissomethingthatweshallsoongloriouslyoutgrow。
IdonotknowwhetherthepartnershipofHudgeandGudgeisconsciousorunconscious。Ionlyknowthatbetweenthemtheystillkeepthecommonmanhomeless。IonlyknowIstillmeetJoneswalkingthestreetsinthegraytwilight,lookingsadlyatthepolesandbarriersandlowredgoblinlanternswhichstillguardthehousewhichisnonethelesshisbecausehehasneverbeeninit。
***
V
CONCLUSION
Here,itmaybesaid,mybookendsjustwhereitoughttobegin。
IhavesaidthatthestrongcentersofmodernEnglishpropertymustswiftlyorslowlybebrokenup,ifeventheideaofpropertyistoremainamongEnglishmen。Therearetwowaysinwhichitcouldbedone,acoldadministrationbyquitedetachedofficials,whichiscalledCollectivism,orapersonaldistribution,soastoproducewhatiscalledPeasantProprietorship。Ithinkthelattersolutionthefinerandmorefullyhuman,becauseitmakeseachmanassomebodyblamedsomebodyforsayingofthePope,asortofsmallgod。Amanonhisownturftasteseternityor,inotherwords,willgivetenminutesmoreworkthanisrequired。
ButIbelieveIamjustifiedinshuttingthedooronthisvistaofargument,insteadofopeningit。ForthisbookisnotdesignedtoprovethecaseforPeasantProprietorship,buttoprovethecaseagainstmodernsageswhoturnreformtoaroutine。
Thewholeofthisbookhasbeenaramblingandelaborateurgingofonepurelyethicalfact。Andifbyanychanceitshouldhappenthattherearestillsomewhodonotquiteseewhatthatpointis,Iwillendwithoneplainparable,whichisnonetheworseforbeingalsoafact。
Alittlewhileagocertaindoctorsandotherpersonspermittedbymodernlawtodictatetotheirshabbierfellow-citizens,sentoutanorderthatalllittlegirlsshouldhavetheirhaircutshort。
Imean,ofcourse,alllittlegirlswhoseparentswerepoor。
Manyveryunhealthyhabitsarecommonamongrichlittlegirls,butitwillbelongbeforeanydoctorsinterfereforciblywiththem。
Now,thecaseforthisparticularinterferencewasthis,thatthepoorarepresseddownfromaboveintosuchstinkingandsuffocatingunderworldsofsqualor,thatpoorpeoplemustnotbeallowedtohavehair,becauseintheircaseitmustmeanliceinthehair。Therefore,thedoctorsproposetoabolishthehair。
Itneverseemstohaveoccurredtothemtoabolishthelice。
Yetitcouldbedone。Asiscommoninmostmoderndiscussionstheunmentionablethingisthepivotofthewholediscussion。
ItisobvioustoanyChristianman(thatis,toanymanwithafreesoul)thatanycoercionappliedtoacabman\'sdaughterought,ifpossible,tobeappliedtoaCabinetMinister\'sdaughter。
Iwillnotaskwhythedoctorsdonot,asamatteroffactapplytheirruletoaCabinetMinister\'sdaughter。
Iwillnotask,becauseIknow。Theydonotbecausetheydarenot。
Butwhatistheexcusetheywouldurge,whatistheplausibleargumenttheywoulduse,forthuscuttingandclippingpoorchildrenandnotrich?Theirargumentwouldbethatthediseaseismorelikelytobeinthehairofpoorpeoplethanofrich。Andwhy?
Becausethepoorchildrenareforced(againstalltheinstinctsofthehighlydomesticworkingclasses)tocrowdtogetherincloseroomsunderawildlyinefficientsystemofpublicinstruction;
andbecauseinoneoutofthefortychildrentheremaybeoffense。
Andwhy?Becausethepoormanissogrounddownbythegreatrentsofthegreatgroundlandlordsthathiswifeoftenhastoworkaswellashe。Thereforeshehasnotimetolookafterthechildren,thereforeoneinfortyofthemisdirty。
Becausetheworkingmanhasthesetwopersonsontopofhim,thelandlordsitting(literally)onhisstomach,andtheschoolmastersitting(literally)onhishead,theworkingmanmustallowhislittlegirl\'shair,firsttobeneglectedfrompoverty,nexttobepoisonedbypromiscuity,and,lastly,tobeabolishedbyhygiene。He,perhaps,wasproudofhislittlegirl\'shair。
Buthedoesnotcount。
Uponthissimpleprinciple(orratherprecedent)thesociologicaldoctordrivesgaylyahead。Whenacrapuloustyrannycrushesmendownintothedirt,sothattheirveryhairisdirty,thescientificcourseisclear。Itwouldbelongandlaborioustocutofftheheadsofthetyrants;itiseasiertocutoffthehairoftheslaves。
Inthesameway,ifitshouldeverhappenthatpoorchildren,screamingwithtoothache,disturbedanyschoolmasterorartisticgentleman,itwouldbeeasytopulloutalltheteethofthepoor;
iftheirnailsweredisgustinglydirty,theirnailscouldbepluckedout;iftheirnoseswereindecentlyblown,theirnosescouldbecutoff。Theappearanceofourhumblerfellow-citizencouldbequitestrikinglysimplifiedbeforewehaddonewithhim。
Butallthisisnotabitwilderthanthebrutefactthatadoctorcanwalkintothehouseofafreeman,whosedaughter\'shairmaybeascleanasspringflowers,andorderhimtocutitoff。
Itneverseemstostrikethesepeoplethatthelessonofliceintheslumsisthewrongnessofslums,notthewrongnessofhair。
Hairis,tosaytheleastofit,arootedthing。Itsenemy(liketheotherinsectsandorientalarmiesofwhomwehavespoken)
sweepuponusbutseldom。Intruth,itisonlybyeternalinstitutionslikehairthatwecantestpassinginstitutionslikeempires。
Ifahouseissobuiltastoknockaman\'sheadoffwhenheentersit,itisbuiltwrong。
Themobcanneverrebelunlessitisconservative,atleastenoughtohaveconservedsomereasonsforrebelling。Itisthemostawfulthoughtinallouranarchy,thatmostoftheancientblowsstruckforfreedomwouldnotbestruckatallto-day,becauseoftheobscurationoftheclean,popularcustomsfromwhichtheycame。
TheinsultthatbroughtdownthehammerofWatTylermightnowbecalledamedicalexamination。ThatwhichVirginiusloathedandavengedasfoulslaverymightnowbepraisedasfreelove。
ThecrueltauntofFoulon,\"Letthemeatgrass,\"mightnowberepresentedasthedyingcryofanidealisticvegetarian。
Thosegreatscissorsofsciencethatwouldsnipoffthecurlsofthepoorlittleschoolchildrenareceaselesslysnappingcloserandclosertocutoffallthecornersandfringesoftheartsandhonorsofthepoor。Soontheywillbetwistingneckstosuitcleancollars,andhackingfeettofitnewboots。
Itneverseemstostrikethemthatthebodyismorethanraiment;
thattheSabbathwasmadeforman;thatallinstitutionsshallbejudgedanddamnedbywhethertheyhavefittedthenormalfleshandspirit。Itisthetestofpoliticalsanitytokeepyourhead。
Itisthetestofartisticsanitytokeepyourhairon。
Nowthewholeparableandpurposeoftheselastpages,andindeedofallthesepages,isthis:toassertthatwemustinstantlybeginalloveragain,andbeginattheotherend。Ibeginwithalittlegirl\'shair。
ThatIknowisagoodthingatanyrate。Whateverelseisevil,theprideofagoodmotherinthebeautyofherdaughterisgood。
Itisoneofthoseadamantinetendernesseswhicharethetouchstonesofeveryageandrace。Ifotherthingsareagainstit,otherthingsmustgodown。Iflandlordsandlawsandsciencesareagainstit,landlordsandlawsandsciencesmustgodown。Withtheredhairofoneshe-urchininthegutterIwillsetfiretoallmoderncivilization。
Becauseagirlshouldhavelonghair,sheshouldhavecleanhair;
becausesheshouldhavecleanhair,sheshouldnothaveanuncleanhome:
becausesheshouldnothaveanuncleanhome,sheshouldhaveafreeandleisuredmother;becausesheshouldhaveafreemother,sheshouldnothaveanusuriouslandlord;becausethereshouldnotbeanusuriouslandlord,thereshouldbearedistributionofproperty;becausethereshouldbearedistributionofproperty,thereshallbearevolution。
Thatlittleurchinwiththegold-redhair,whomIhavejustwatchedtoddlingpastmyhouse,sheshallnotbeloppedandlamedandaltered;
herhairshallnotbecutshortlikeaconvict\'s;no,allthekingdomsoftheearthshallbehackedaboutandmutilatedtosuither。
Sheisthehumanandsacredimage;allaroundherthesocialfabricshallswayandsplitandfall;thepillarsofsocietyshallbeshaken,andtheroofsofagescomerushingdown,andnotonehairofherheadshallbeharmed。
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THREENOTES
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I
ONFEMALESUFFRAGE
Notwishingtooverloadthislongessaywithtoomanyparentheses,apartfromitsthesisofprogressandprecedent,Iappendherethreenotesonpointsofdetailthatmaypossiblybemisunderstood。
Thefirstreferstothefemalecontroversy。ItmayseemtomanythatIdismisstoocurtlythecontentionthatallwomenshouldhavevotes,evenifmostwomendonotdesirethem。
Itisconstantlysaidinthisconnectionthatmaleshavereceivedthevote(theagriculturallaborersforinstance)
whenonlyaminorityofthemwereinfavorofit。Mr。Galsworthy,oneofthefewfinefightingintellectsofourtime,hastalkedthislanguageinthe\"Nation。\"Now,broadly,Ihaveonlytoanswerhere,aseverywhereinthisbook,thathistoryisnotatobogganslide,butaroadtobereconsideredandevenretraced。
IfwereallyforcedGeneralElectionsuponfreelaborerswhodefinitelydislikedGeneralElections,thenitwasathoroughlyundemocraticthingtodo;ifwearedemocratsweoughttoundoit。
Wewantthewillofthepeople,notthevotesofthepeople;
andtogiveamanavoteagainsthiswillistomakevotingmorevaluablethanthedemocracyitdeclares。
Butthisanalogyisfalse,foraplainandparticularreason。
Manyvotelesswomenregardavoteasunwomanly。
Nobodysaysthatmostvotelessmenregardedavoteasunmanly。
Nobodysaysthatanyvotelessmenregardeditasunmanly。
Notinthestillesthamletorthemoststagnantfencouldyoufindayokeloratrampwhothoughthelosthissexualdignitybybeingpartofapoliticalmob。Ifhedidnotcareaboutavoteitwassolelybecausehedidnotknowaboutavote;hedidnotunderstandthewordanybetterthanBimetallism。Hisopposition,ifitexisted,wasmerelynegative。Hisindifferencetoavotewasreallyindifference。
Butthefemalesentimentagainstthefranchise,whateveritssize,ispositive。Itisnotnegative;itisbynomeansindifferent。
Suchwomenasareopposedtothechangeregardit(rightlyorwrongly)
asunfeminine。Thatis,asinsultingcertainaffirmativetraditionstowhichtheyareattached。Youmaythinksuchaviewprejudiced;
butIviolentlydenythatanydemocrathasarighttooverridesuchprejudices,iftheyarepopularandpositive。ThushewouldnothavearighttomakemillionsofMoslemsvotewithacrossiftheyhadaprejudiceinfavorofvotingwithacrescent。
Unlessthisisadmitted,democracyisafarceweneedscarcelykeepup。
Ifitisadmitted,theSuffragistshavenotmerelytoawakenanindifferent,buttoconvertahostilemajority。
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II
ONCLEANLINESSINEDUCATION
Onre-readingmyprotest,whichIhonestlythinkmuchneeded,againstourheathenidolatryofmereablution,Iseethatitmaypossiblybemisread。IhastentosaythatIthinkwashingamostimportantthingtobetaughtbothtorichandpoor。
Idonotattackthepositivebuttherelativepositionofsoap。
Letitbeinsistedonevenasmuchasnow;butletotherthingsbeinsistedonmuchmore。Iamevenreadytoadmitthatcleanlinessisnexttogodliness;butthemodernswillnotevenadmitgodlinesstobenexttocleanliness。
IntheirtalkaboutThomasBecketandsuchsaintsandheroestheymakesoapmoreimportantthansoul;theyrejectgodlinesswheneveritisnotcleanliness。Ifweresentthisaboutremotesaintsandheroes,weshouldresentitmoreaboutthemanysaintsandheroesoftheslums,whoseuncleanhandscleansetheworld。
Dirtisevilchieflyasevidenceofsloth;butthefactremainsthattheclassesthatwashmostarethosethatworkleast。
Concerningthese,thepracticalcourseissimple;soapshouldbeurgedonthemandadvertisedaswhatitis——aluxury。
Withregardtothepooralsothepracticalcourseisnothardtoharmonizewithourthesis。Ifwewanttogivepoorpeoplesoapwemustsetoutdeliberatelytogivethemluxuries。
Ifwewillnotmakethemrichenoughtobeclean,thenemphaticallywemustdowhatwedidwiththesaints。
Wemustreverencethemforbeingdirty。
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III
ONPEASANTPROPRIETORSHIP
Ihavenotdealtwithanydetailstouchingdistributedownership,oritspossibilityinEngland,forthereasonstatedinthetext。
Thisbookdealswithwhatiswrong,wronginourrootofargumentandeffort。Thiswrongis,Isay,thatwewillgoforwardbecausewedarenotgoback。ThustheSocialistsaysthatpropertyisalreadyconcentratedintoTrustsandStores:
theonlyhopeistoconcentrateitfurtherintheState。Isaytheonlyhopeistounconcentrateit;thatis,torepentandreturn;
theonlystepforwardisthestepbackward。
ButinconnectionwiththisdistributionIhavelaidmyselfopentoanotherpotentialmistake。Inspeakingofasweepingredistribution,Ispeakofdecisionintheaim,notnecessarilyofabruptnessinthemeans。ItisnotatalltoolatetorestoreanapproximatelyrationalstateofEnglishpossessionswithoutanymereconfiscation。
Apolicyofbuyingoutlandlordism,steadilyadoptedinEnglandasithasalreadybeenadoptedinIreland(notablyinMr。Wyndham\'swiseandfruitfulAct),wouldinaveryshorttimereleasethelowerendofthesee-sawandmakethewholeplankswingmorelevel。
Theobjectiontothiscourseisnotatallthatitwouldnotdo,onlythatitwillnotbedone。Ifweleavethingsastheyare,therewillalmostcertainlybeacrashofconfiscation。
Ifwehesitate,weshallsoonhavetohurry。Butifwestartdoingitquicklywehavestilltimetodoitslowly。
Thispoint,however,isnotessentialtomybook。AllIhavetourgebetweenthesetwoboardsisthatIdislikethebigWhiteleyshop,andthatIdislikeSocialismbecauseitwill(accordingtoSocialists)
besolikethatshop。Itisitsfulfilment,notitsreversal。
IdonotobjecttoSocialismbecauseitwillrevolutionizeourcommerce,butbecauseitwillleaveitsohorriblythesame。