the new machiavelli-第62章

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to　prison。　　I　had　been　dining　at　the　Barham's；　and　Lord　Barham　and　I　

came　down　from　the　direction　of　St。　James's　Park　into　a　crowd　and　a　

confusion　outside　the　Caxton　Hall。　　We　found　ourselves　drifting　with　

an　immense　multitude　towards　Parliament　Square　and　parallel　with　a　

silent；　close…packed　column　of　girls　and　women；　for　the　most　part　

white…faced　and　intent。　　I　still　remember　the　effect　of　their　faces　

upon　me。　　It　was　quite　different　from　the　general　effect　of　staring　

about　and　divided　attention　one　gets　in　a　political　procession　of　

men。　　There　was　an　expression　of　heroic　tension。



There　had　been　a　pretty　deliberate　appeal　on　the　part　of　the　women's　

organisers　to　the　Unemployed；　who　had　been　demonstrating　throughout　

that　winter；　to　join　forces　with　the　movement；　and　the　result　was　

shown　in　the　quality　of　the　crowd　upon　the　pavement。　　It　was　an　

ugly；　dangerous…looking　crowd；　but　as　yet　good…tempered　and　

sympathetic。　　When　at　last　we　got　within　sight　of　the　House　the　

square　was　a　seething　seat　of　excited　people；　and　the　array　of　

police　on　horse　and　on　foot　might　have　been　assembled　for　a　

revolutionary　outbreak。　　There　were　dense　masses　of　people　up　

Whitehall；　and　right　on　to　Westminster　Bridge。　　The　scuffle　that　

ended　in　the　arrests　was　the　poorest　explosion　to　follow　such　

stupendous　preparations。　。　。　。







3





Later　on　in　that　year　the　women　began　a　new　attack。　　Day　and　night；　

and　all　through　the　long　nights　of　the　Budget　sittings；　at　all　the　

piers　of　the　gates　of　New　Palace　Yard　and　at　St。　Stephen's　Porch；　

stood　women　pickets；　and　watched　us　silently　and　reproachfully　as　we　

went　to　and　fro。　　They　were　women　of　all　sorts；　though；　of　course；　

the　independent　worker…class　predominated。　　There　were　grey…headed　

old　ladies　standing　there；　sturdily　charming　in　the　rain；　battered…

looking；　ambiguous　women；　with　something　of　the　desperate　bitterness　

of　battered　women　showing　in　their　eyes；　north…country　factory　

girls；　cheaply…dressed　suburban　women；　trim；　comfortable　mothers　of　

families；　valiant…eyed　girl　graduates　and　undergraduates；　lank；　

hungry…looking　creatures；　who　stirred　one's　imagination；　one　very　

dainty　little　woman　in　deep　mourning；　I　recall；　grave　and　steadfast；　

with　eyes　fixed　on　distant　things。　　Some　of　those　women　looked　

defiant；　some　timidly　aggressive；　some　full　of　the　stir　of　

adventure；　some　drooping　with　cold　and　fatigue。　　The　supply　never　

ceased。　　I　had　a　mortal　fear　that　somehow　the　supply　might　halt　or　

cease。　　I　found　that　continual　siege　of　the　legislature　

extraordinarily　impressiveinfinitely　more　impressive　than　the　

feeble…forcible　〃ragging〃　of　the　more　militant　section。　　I　thought　

of　the　appeal　that　must　be　going　through　the　country；　summoning　the　

women　from　countless　scattered　homes；　rooms；　colleges；　to　

Westminster。



I　remember　too　the　petty　little　difficulty　I　felt　whether　I　should　

ignore　these　pickets　altogether；　or　lift　a　hat　as　I　hurried　past　

with　averted　eyes；　or　look　them　in　the　face　as　I　did　so。　　Towards　

the　end　the　House　evoked　an　etiquette　of　salutation。







4





There　was　a　tendency；　even　on　the　part　of　its　sympathisers；　to　treat　

the　whole　suffrage　agitation　as　if　it　were　a　disconnected　issue；　

irrelevant　to　all　other　broad　developments　of　social　and　political　

life。　　We　struggled；　all　of　us；　to　ignore　the　indicating　finger　it　

thrust　out　before　us。　　〃Your　schemes；　for　all　their　bigness；〃　it　

insisted　to　our　reluctant；　averted　minds；　〃still　don't　go　down　to　

the　essential　things。　。　。　。〃



We　have　to　go　deeper；　or　our　inadequate　children's　insufficient　

children　will　starve　amidst　harvests　of　earless　futility。　　That　

conservatism　which　works　in　every　class　to　preserve　in　its　

essentials　the　habitual　daily　life　is　all　against　a　profounder　

treatment　of　political　issues。　　The　politician；　almost　as　absurdly　

as　the　philosopher；　tends　constantly；　in　spite　of　magnificent　

preludes；　vast　intimations；　to　specialise　himself　out　of　the　reality　

he　has　so　stupendously　summonedhe　bolts　back　to　littleness。　　The　

world　has　to　be　moulded　anew；　he　continues　to　admit；　but　without；　he　

adds；　any　risk　of　upsetting　his　week…end　visits；　his　morning　cup　of　

tea。　。　。　。



The　discussion　of　the　relations　of　men　and　women　disturbs　every　one。　　

It　reacts　upon　the　private　life　of　every　one　who　attempts　it。　　And　

at　any　particular　time　only　a　small　minority　have　a　personal　

interest　in　changing　the　established　state　of　affairs。　　Habit　and　

interest　are　in　a　constantly　recruited　majority　against　conscious　

change　and　adjustment　in　these　matters。　　Drift　rules　us。　　The　great　

mass　of　people；　and　an　overwhelming　proportion　of　influential　

people；　are　people　who　have　banished　their　dreams　and　made　their　

compromise。　　Wonderful　and　beautiful　possibilities　are　no　longer　to　

be　thought　about。　　They　have　given　up　any　aspirations　for　intense　

love；　their　splendid　offspring；　for　keen　delights；　have　accepted　a　

cultivated　kindliness　and　an　uncritical　sense　of　righteousness　as　

their　compensation。　　It's　a　settled　affair　with　them；　a　settled；　

dangerous　affair。　　Most　of　them　fear；　and　many　hate；　the　slightest　

reminder　of　those　abandoned　dreams。　　As　Dayton　once　said　to　the　

Pentagram　Circle；　when　we　were　discussing　the　problem　of　a　universal　

marriage　and　divorce　law　throughout　the　Empire；　〃I　am　for　leaving　

all　these　things　alone。〃　　And　then；　with　a　groan　in　his　voice；　

〃Leave　them　alone！　　Leave　them　all　alone！〃



That　was　his　whole　speech　for　the　evening；　in　a　note　of　suppressed　

passion；　and　presently；　against　all　our　etiquette；　he　got　up　and　

went　out。



For　some　years　after　my　marriage；　I　too　was　for　leaving　them　alone。　　

I　developed　a　dread　and　dislike　for　romance；　for　emotional　music；　

for　the　human　figure　in　artturning　my　heart　to　landscape。　　I　

wanted　to　sneer　at　lovers　and　their　ecstasies；　and　was　uncomfortable　

until　I　found　the　effective　sneer。　　In　matters　of　private　morals　

these　were　my　most　uncharitable　years。　　I　didn't　want　to　think　of　

these　things　any　more　for　ever。　　I　hated　the　people　whose　talk　or　

practice　showed　they　were　not　of　my　opinion。　　I　wanted　to　believe　

that　their　views　were　immoral　and　objectionable　and　contemptible；　

because　I　had　decided　to　treat　them　as　at　that　level。　　I　was；　in　

fact；　falling　into　the　attitude　of　the　normal　decent　man。



And　yet　one　cannot　help　thinking！　　The　sensible　moralised　man　finds　

it　hard　to　escape　the　stream　of　suggestion　that　there　are　still　

dreams　beyond　these　commonplace　acquiescences；the　appeal　of　beauty　

suddenly　shining　upon　one；　the　mothlike　stirrings　of　serene　summer　

nights；　the　sweetness　of　distant　music。　。　。　。



It　is　one　of　the　paradoxical　factors　in　our　public　life　at　the　

present　time；　which　penalises　abandonment　to　love　so　abundantly　and　

so　heavily；　that　power；　influence　and　control　fall　largely　to　

unencumbered　people　and　sterile　people　and　people　who　have　married　

for　passionless　purposes；　people　whose　very　deficiency　in　feeling　

has　left　them　free　to　follow　ambition；　people　beautyblind；　who　don't　

understand　what　it　is　to　fall　in　love；　what　it　is　to　desire　children　

or　have　them；　what　it　is　to　feel　in　their　blood　and　bodies　the　

supreme　claim　of　good　births　and　selective　births　above　all　other　

affairs　in　life；　people　almost　of　necessity　averse　from　this　most　

fundamental　aspect　of　existence。　。　。　。







5





It　wasn't；　however；　my　deepening　sympathy　with　and　understanding　of　

the　position　of　women　in　general；　or　the　change　in　my　ideas　about　

all　these　intimate　things　my　fast　friendship　with　Isabel　was　

bringing　about；　that　led　me　to　the　heretical　views　I　have　in　the　

last　five　years　dragged　from　the　region　of　academic　and　timid　

discussion　into　the　field　of　practical　politics。　　Those　influences；　

no　doubt；　have　converged　to　the　same　end；　and　given　me　a　powerful　

emotional　push　upon　my　road；　but　it　was　a　broader　and　colder　view　of　

things　that　first　determined　me　in　my　attempt　to　graft　the　Endowment　

of　Motherhood　in　some　form　or　other　upon　British　Imperialism。　　Now　

that　I　am　exiled　from　the　political　world；　it　is　possible　to　

estimate　just　how　effectually　that　grafting　has　been　done。



I　have　explained　how　the　ideas　of　a　trained　aristocracy　and　a　

universal　education　grew　to　paramount　importance　in　my　political　

scheme。　　It　is　but　a　short　step　from　this　to　the　question　of　the　

quantity　and　quality　of　births　in　the　community；　and　from　that　again　

to　these　forbidden　and　fear…beset　topics　of　marriage；　divorce；　and　

the　family　organisation。　　A　sporadic　discussion　of　these　aspects　had　

been　going　on　for　years；　a　Eugenic　society　existed；　and　articles　on　

the　Falling　Birth　Rate；　and　the　Rapid　Multiplication　of　the　Unfit　

were　staples　of　the　monthly　magazines。　　But　beyond　an　intermittent　

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。　。　。