the new machiavelli-第63章

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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　State　as　a　generously　rewarded　public　duty　and　service；　

choosing　their　husbands　freely　and　discerningly；　and　in　no　way　

enslaved　by　or　subordinated　to　the　men　they　have　chosen。　　The　social　

consciousness　of　women　seems　to　me　an　unworked；　an　almost　untouched　

mine　of　wealth　for　the　constructive　purpose　of　the　world。　　I　want　to　

change　the　respective　values　of　the　family　group　altogether；　and　

make　the　home　indeed　the　women's　kingdom　and　the　mother　the　owner　

and　responsible　guardian　of　her　children。



It　is　no　use　pretending　that　this　is　not　novel　and　revolutionary；　it　

is。　　The　Endowment　of　Motherhood　implies　a　new　method　of　social　

organization；　a　rearrangement　of　the　social　unit；　untried　in　human　

expericnceas　untried　as　electric　traction　was　or　flying　in　1800。　　

Of　course；　it　may　work　out　to　modify　men's　ideas　of　marriage　

profoundly。　　To　me　that　is　a　secondary　consideration。　　I　do　not　

believe　that　particular　assertion　myself；　because　I　am　convinced　

that　a　practical　monogamy　is　a　psychological　necessity　to　the　mass　

of　civilised　people。　　But　even　if　I　did　believe　it　I　should　still　

keep　to　my　present　line；　because　it　is　the　only　line　that　will　

prevent　a　highly　organised　civilisation　from　ending　in　biological　

decay。　　The　public　Endowment　of　Motherhood　is　the　only　possible　way　

which　will　ensure　the　permanently　developing　civilised　state　at　

which　all　constructive　minds　are　aiming。　　A　point　is　reached　in　the　

life…history　of　a　civilisation　when　either　this　reconstruction　must　

be　effected　or　the　quality　and　MORALE　of　the　population　prove　

insufficient　for　the　needs　of　the　developing　organisation。　　It　is　

not　so　much　moral　decadence　that　will　destroy　us　as　moral　

inadaptability。　　The　old　code　fails　under　the　new　needs。　　The　only　

alternative　to　this　profound　reconstruction　is　a　decay　in　human　

quality　and　social　collapse。　　Either　this　unprecedented　

rearrangement　must　be　achieved　by　our　civilisation；　or　it　must　

presently　come　upon　a　phase　of　disorder　and　crumble　and　perish；　as　

Rome　perished；　as　France　declines；　as　the　strain　of　the　Pilgrim　

Fathers　dwindles　out　of　America。　　Whatever　hope　there　may　be　in　the　

attempt　therefore；　there　is　no　alternative　to　the　attempt。







6





I　wanted　political　success　now　dearly　enough；　but　not　at　the　price　

of　constructive　realities。　　These　questions　were　no　doubt　

monstrously　dangerous　in　the　political　world；　there　wasn't　a　

politician　alive　who　didn't　look　scared　at　the　mention　of　〃The　

Family；〃　but　if　raising　these　issues　were　essential　to　the　social　

reconstructions　on　which　my　life　was　set；　that　did　not　matter。　　It　

only　implied　that　I　should　take　them　up　with　deliberate　caution。　　

There　was　no　release　because　of　risk　or　difficulty。



The　question　of　whether　I　should　commit　myself　to　some　open　project　

in　this　direction　was　going　on　in　my　mind　concurrently　with　my　

speculations　about　a　change　of　party；　like　bass　and　treble　in　a　

complex　piece　of　music。　　The　two　drew　to　a　conclusion　together。　　I　

would　not　only　go　over　to　Imperialism；　but　I　would　attempt　to　

biologise　Imperialism。



I　thought　at　first　that　I　was　undertaking　a　monstrous　uphill　task。　　

But　as　I　came　to　look　into　the　possibilities　of　the　matter；　a　strong　

persuasion　grew　up　in　my　mind　that　this　panic　fear　of　legislative　

proposals　affecting　the　family　basis　was　excessive；　that　things　were　

much　riper　for　development　in　this　direction　than　old…experienced　

people　out　of　touch　with　the　younger　generation　imagined；　that　to　

phrase　the　thing　in　a　parliamentary　fashion；　〃something　might　be　

done　in　the　constituencies〃　with　the　Endowment　of　Motherhood　

forthwith；　provided　only　that　it　was　made　perfectly　clear　that　

anything　a　sane　person　could　possibly　intend　by　〃morality〃　was　left　

untouched　by　these　proposals。



I　went　to　work　very　carefully。　　I　got　Roper　of　the　DAILY　TELEPHONE　

and　Burkett　of　the　DIAL　to　try　over　a　silly…season　discussion　of　

State　Help　for　Mothers；　and　I　put　a　series　of　articles　on　eugenics；　

upon　the　fall　in　the　birth…rate；　and　similar　topics　in　the　BLUE　

WEEKLY；　leading　up　to　a　tentative　and　generalised　advocacy　of　the　

public　endowment　of　the　nation's　children。　　I　was　more　and　more　

struck　by　the　acceptance　won　by　a　sober　and　restrained　presentation　

of　this　suggestion。



And　then；　in　the　fourth　year　of　the　BLUE　WEEKLY'S　career；　came　the　

Handitch　election；　and　I　was　forced　by　the　clamour　of　my　antagonist；　

and　very　willingly　forced；　to　put　my　convictions　to　the　test。　　I　

returned　triumphantly　to　Westminster　with　the　Public　Endowment　of　

Motherhood　as　part　of　my　open　profession　and　with　the　full　approval　

of　the　party　press。　　Applauding　benches　of　Imperialists　cheered　me　

on　my　way　to　the　table　between　the　whips。



That　second　time　I　took　the　oath　I　was　not　one　of　a　crowd　of　new　

members；　but　salient；