the new machiavelli-第6章

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his　head　and　presently　a　pipe　sometimes　between　his　teeth　and　

sometimes　in　his　gesticulating　hand；　as　he　became　diverted　by　his　

talk　from　his　original　exasperation。　。　。　。



This　particular　afternoon　is　no　doubt　mixed　up　in　my　memory　with　

many　other　afternoons；　all　sorts　of　things　my　father　said　and　did　at　

different　times　have　got　themselves　referred　to　it；　it　filled　me　at　

the　time　with　a　great　unprecedented　sense　of　fellowship　and　it　has　

become　the　symbol　now　for　all　our　intercourse　together。　　If　I　didn't　

understand　the　things　he　said；　I　did　the　mood　he　was　in。　　He　gave　me　

two　very　broad　ideas　in　that　talk　and　the　talks　I　have　mingled　with　

it；　he　gave　them　to　me　very　clearly　and　they　have　remained　

fundamental　in　my　mind；　one　a　sense　of　the　extraordinary　confusion　

and　waste　and　planlessness　of　the　human　life　that　went　on　all　about　

us；　and　the　other　of　a　great　ideal　of　order　and　economy　which　he　

called　variously　Science　and　Civilisation；　and　which；　though　I　do　

not　remember　that　he　ever　used　that　word；　I　suppose　many　people　

nowadays　would　identify　with　Socialism；as　the　Fabians　expound　it。



He　was　not　very　definite　about　this　Science；　you　must　understand；　

but　he　seemed　always　to　be　waving　his　hand　towards　it；just　as　his　

contemporary　Tennyson　seems　always　to　be　doinghe　belonged　to　his　

age　and　mostly　his　talk　was　destructive　of　the　limited　beliefs　of　

his　time；　he　led　me　to　infer　rather　than　actually　told　me　that　this　

Science　was　coming；　a　spirit　of　light　and　order；　to　the　rescue　of　a　

world　groaning　and　travailing　in　muddle　for　the　want　of　it。　。　。　。





5



When　I　think　of　Bromstead　nowadays　I　find　it　inseparably　bound　up　

with　the　disorders　of　my　father's　gardening；　and　the　odd　patchings　

and　paintings　that　disfigured　his　houses。　　It　was　all　of　a　piece　

with　that。



Let　me　try　and　give　something　of　the　quality　of　Bromstead　and　

something　of　its　history。　　It　is　the　quality　and　history　of　a　

thousand　places　round　and　about　London；　and　round　and　about　the　

other　great　centres　of　population　in　the　world。　　Indeed　it　is　in　a　

measure　the　quality　of　the　whole　of　this　modern　world　from　which　we　

who　have　the　statesman's　passion　struggle　to　evolve；　and　dream　still　

of　evolving　order。



First；　then；　you　must　think　of　Bromstead　a　hundred　and　fifty　years　

ago；　as　a　narrow　irregular　little　street　of　thatched　houses　strung　

out　on　the　London　and　Dover　Road；　a　little　mellow　sample　unit　of　a　

social　order　that　had　a　kind　of　completeness；　at　its　level；　of　its　

own。　　At　that　time　its　population　numbered　a　little　under　two　

thousand　people；　mostly　engaged　in　agricultural　work　or　in　trades　

serving　agriculture。　　There　was　a　blacksmith；　a　saddler；　a　chemist；　

a　doctor；　a　barber；　a　linen…draper　（who　brewed　his　own　beer）；　a　

veterinary　surgeon；　a　hardware　shop；　and　two　capacious　inns。　　Round　

and　about　it　were　a　number　of　pleasant　gentlemen's　seats；　whose　

owners　went　frequently　to　London　town　in　their　coaches　along　the　

very　tolerable　high…road。　　The　church　was　big　enough　to　hold　the　

whole　population；　were　people　minded　to　go　to　church；　and　indeed　a　

large　proportion　did　go；　and　all　who　married　were　married　in　it；　and　

everybody；　to　begin　with；　was　christened　at　its　font　and　buried　at　

last　in　its　yew…shaded　graveyard。　　Everybody　knew　everybody　in　the　

place。　　It　was；　in　fact；　a　definite　place　and　a　real　human　community　

in　those　days。　　There　was　a　pleasant　old　market…house　in　the　middle　

of　the　town　with　a　weekly　market；　and　an　annual　fair　at　which　much　

cheerful　merry　making　and　homely　intoxication　occurred；　there　was　a　

pack　of　hounds　which　hunted　within　five　miles　of　London　Bridge；　and　

the　local　gentry　would　occasionally　enliven　the　place　with　valiant　

cricket　matches　for　a　hundred　guineas　a　side；　to　the　vast　excitement　

of　the　entire　population。　　It　was　very　much　the　same　sort　of　place　

that　it　had　been　for　three　or　four　centuries。　　A　Bromstead　Rip　van　

Winkle　from　1550　returning　in　1750　would　have　found　most　of　the　old　

houses　still　as　he　had　known　them；　the　same　trades　a　little　improved　

and　differentiated　one　from　the　other；　the　same　roads　rather　more　

carefully　tended；　the　Inns　not　very　much　altered；　the　ancient　

familiar　market…house。　　The　occasional　wheeled　traffic　would　have　

struck　him　as　the　most　remarkable　difference；　next　perhaps　to　the　

swaggering　painted　stone　monuments　instead　of　brasses　and　the　

protestant　severity　of　the　communion…table　in　the　parish　church；

both　from　the　material　point　of　view　very　little　things。　　A　Rip　van　

Winkle　from　1350；　again；　would　have　noticed　scarcely　greater　

changes；　fewer　clergy；　more　people；　and　particularly　more　people　of　

the　middling　sort；　the　glass　in　the　windows　of　many　of　the　houses；　

the　stylish　chimneys　springing　up　everywhere　would　have　impressed　

him；　and　suchlike　details。　　The　place　would　have　had　the　same　

boundaries；　the　same　broad　essential　features；　would　have　been　still　

itself　in　the　way　that　a　man　is　still　himself　after　he　has　〃filled　

out〃　a　little　and　grown　a　longer　beard　and　changed　his　clothes。



But　after　1750　something　got　hold　of　the　world；　something　that　was　

destined　to　alter　the　scale　of　every　human　affair。



That　something　was　machinery　and　a　vague　energetic　disposition　to　

improve　material　things。　　In　another　part　of　England　ingenious　

people　were　beginning　to　use　coal　in　smelting　iron；　and　were　

producing　metal　in　abundance　and　metal　castings　in　sizes　that　had　

hitherto　been　unattainable。　　Without　warning　or　preparation；　

increment　involving　countless　possibilities　of　further　increment　was　

coming　to　the　strength　of　horses　and　men。　　　〃Power；〃　all　

unsuspected；　was　flowing　like　a　drug　into　the　veins　of　the　social　

body。



Nobody　seems　to　have　perceived　this　coming　of　power；　and　nobody　had　

calculated　its　probable　consequences。　　Suddenly；　almost　

inadvertently；　people　found　themselves　doing　things　that　would　have　

amazed　their　ancestors。　　They　began　to　construct　wheeled　vehicles　

much　more　easily　and　cheaply　than　they　had　ever　done　before；　to　make　

up　roads　and　move　things　about　that　had　formerly　been　esteemed　too　

heavy　for　locomotion；　to　join　woodwork　with　iron　nails　instead　of　

wooden　pegs；　to　achieve　all　sorts　of　mechanical　possibilities；　to　

trade　more　freely　and　manufacture　on　a　larger　scale；　to　send　goods　

abroad　in　a　wholesale　and　systematic　way；　to　bring　back　commodities　

from　overseas；　not　simply　spices　and　fine　commodities；　but　goods　in　

bulk。　　The　new　influence　spread　to　agriculture；　iron　appliances　

replaced　wooden；　breeding　of　stock　became　systematic；　paper…making　

and　printing　increased　and　cheapened。　　Roofs　of　slate　and　tile　

appeared　amidst　and　presently　prevailed　over　the　original　Bromstead　

thatch；　the　huge　space　of　Common　to　the　south　was　extensively　

enclosed；　and　what　had　been　an　ill…defined　horse…track　to　Dover；　

only　passable　by　adventurous　coaches　in　dry　weather；　became　the　

Dover　Road；　and　was　presently　the　route　first　of　one　and　then　of　

several　daily　coaches。　　The　High　Street　was　discovered　to　be　too　

tortuous　for　these　awakening　energies；　and　a　new　road　cut　off　its　

worst　contortions。　　Residential　villas　appeared　occupied　by　retired　

tradesmen　and　widows；　who　esteemed　the　place　healthy；　and　by　others　

of　a　strange　new　unoccupied　class　of　people　who　had　money　invested　

in　joint…stock　enterprises。　　First　one　and　then　several　boys'　

boarding…schools　came；　drawing　their　pupils　from　London；my　

grandfather's　was　one　of　these。　　London；　twelve　miles　to　the　north…

west；　was　making　itself　felt　more　and　more。



But　this　was　only　the　beginning　of　the　growth　period；　the　first　

trickle　of　the　coming　flood　of　mechanical　power。　　Away　in　the　north　

they　were　casting　iron　in　bigger　and　bigger　forms；　working　their　way　

to　the　production　of　steel　on　a　large　scale；　applying　power　in　

factories。　　Bromstead　had　almost　doubted　in　size　again　long　before　

the　railway　came；　there　was　hardly　any　thatch　left　in　the　High　

Street；　but　instead　were　houses　with　handsome　brass…knockered　front　

doors　and　several　windows；　and　shops　with　shop…fronts　all　of　square　

glass　panes；　and　the　place　was　lighted　publicly　now　by　oil　lamps

previously　only　one　flickering　lamp　outside　each　of　the　coaching　

inns　had　broken　the　nocturnal　darkness。　　And　there　was　talk；　it　long　

remained　talk；of　gas。　　The　gasworks　came　in　1834；　and　about　that　

date　my　father's　three　houses　must　have　been　built　convenient　for　

the　London　Road。　　They　mark　nearly　the　beginning　of　the　real　

suburban　quality；　they　were　let　at　first　to　City　people　still　

engaged　in　business。



And　then　hard　on　the　gasworks　had　come　the　railway　and　cheap　coal；　

there　was　a　wild　outbreak　of　brickfields　upon　the　claylands　to　the　

east；　and　the　Great　Growth　had　begun　in　earnest。　　The　agricultural　

placidities　that　had　formerly　come　to　the　very　borders　of　the　High　

Street　were　broken　up　north；　west　and　south；　by　new　roads。　　This　

enterprising　person　and　then　that　began　to　〃run　up〃　houses；　

irrespective　of　every　other　enterprising　person　who　was　doing　the　

same　thing。　　A　Local　Board　came　into　existence；　and　with　much　

hesitation　and　penny…wise　economy　inaugurated　drainage　works。　　Rates　

became　a　common　topic；　a　fact　of　accumulating　importance。　　Several　

chapels　of　zinc　and　iron　appeared；　and　also　a　white　new　church　in　

commercial　Gothic　upon　the　common；　and　another　of　red　brick　in　the　

residential　district　out　beyond　the　brickfields　towards　Chessington。



The　population　doubled　again　and　doubled　again；　and　became　

particularly　teeming　in　the　prolific　〃working…class〃　district　about　

the　deep…rutted；　muddy；　coal…blackened　roads　between　the　gasworks；　

Blodgett's　laundries；　and　the　railway　goods…yard。　　Weekly　

properties；　that　is　to　say　small　houses　built　by　small　property　

owners　and　let　by　the　week；　sprang　up　also　in　the　Cage　Fields；　and　

presently　extended　right　up　the　London　Road。　　A　single　national　

school　in　an　inconvenient　situation　set　itself　inadequately　to　

collect　subscriptions　and　teach　the　swarming；　sniffing；　grimy　

offspring　of　this　dingy　new　population　to　read。　　The　villages　of　

Beckington；　which　used　to　be　three　miles　to　the　west；　and　Blamely　

four　miles　to　the　east　of　Bromstead；　were　experiencing　similar　

distensions　and　proliferations；　and　grew　out　to　meet　us。　　All　effect　

of　locality　or　community　had　gone　from　these　places　long　before　I　

was　born；　hardly　any　one　knew　any　one；　there　was　no　general　meeting　

place　any　more；　the　old　fairs　were　just　common　nuisances　haunted　by　

gypsies；　van　showmen；　Cheap　Jacks　and　London　roughs；　the　churches　

were　incapable　of　a　quarter　of　the　population。　　One　or　two　local　

papers　of　shameless　veniality　reported　the　proceedings　of　the　local　

Bench　and　the　local　Board；　compelled　tradesmen　who　were　interested　

in　these　affairs　to　advertise；　used　the　epithet　〃Bromstedian〃　as　one　

e