按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
emerges。 Whatever accidents happen； our civilisation needs； and
almost consciously needs； a culture of fine creative minds； and all
the necessary tolerances； opennesses； considerations； that march
with that。 For my own part； I think that is the Most Vital Thing。
Build your ship of state as you will； get your men as you will； I
concentrate on what is clearly the affair of my sort of man；I want
to ensure the quality of the quarter deck。〃
〃Hear； hear！〃 said Shoesmith； suddenlyhis first remark for a long
time。 〃A first…rate figure；〃 said Shoesmith； gripping it。
〃Our danger is in missing that；〃 I went on。 〃Muddle isn't ended by
transferring power from the muddle…headed few to the muddle…headed
many； and then cheating the many out of it again in the interests of
a bureaucracy of sham experts。 But that seems the limit of the
liberal imagination。 There is no real progress in a country； except
a rise in the level of its free intellectual activity。 All other
progress is secondary and dependant。 If you take on Bailey's dreams
of efficient machinery and a sort of fanatical discipline with no
free…moving brains behind it； confused ugliness becomes rigid
ugliness；that's all。 No doubt things are moving from looseness to
discipline； and from irresponsible controls to organised controls
and also and rather contrariwise everything is becoming as people
say； democratised； but all the more need in that； for an ark in
which the living element may be saved。〃
〃Hear； hear！〃 said Shoesmith； faint but pursuing。
It must have been in my house afterwards that Shoesmith became
noticeable。 He seemed trying to say something vague and difficult
that he didn't get said at all on that occasion。 〃We could do
immense things with a weekly；〃 he repeated； echoing Neal； I think。
And there he left off and became a mute expressiveness； and it was
only afterwards； when I was in bed； that I saw we had our capitalist
in our hands。 。 。 。
We parted that night on my doorstep in a tremendous glowbut in
that sort of glow one doesn't act upon without much reconsideration；
and it was some months before I made my decision to follow up the
indications of that opening talk。
5
I find my thoughts lingering about the Pentagram Circle。 In my
developments it played a large part； not so much by starting new
trains of thought as by confirming the practicability of things I
had already hesitatingly entertained。 Discussion with these other
men so prominently involved in current affairs endorsed views that
otherwise would have seemed only a little less remote from actuality
than the guardians of Plato or the labour laws of More。 Among other
questions that were never very distant from our discussions； that
came apt to every topic； was the true significance of democracy；
Tariff Reform as a method of international hostility； and the
imminence of war。 On the first issue I can still recall little
Bailey； glib and winking； explaining that democracy was really just
a dodge for getting assent to the ordinances of the expert official
by means of the polling booth。 〃If they don't like things；〃 said
he； 〃they can vote for the opposition candidate and see what happens
thenand that； you see； is why we don't want proportional
representation to let in the wild men。〃 I opened my eyesthe lids
had dropped for a moment under the caress of those smooth soundsto
see if Bailey's artful forefinger wasn't at the side of his
predominant nose。
The international situation exercised us greatly。 Our meetings were
pervaded by the feeling that all things moved towards a day of
reckoning with Germany； and I was largely instrumental in keeping up
the suggestion that India was in a state of unstable equilibrium；
that sooner or later something must happen theresomething very
serious to our Empire。 Dayton frankly detested these topics。 He
was full of that old Middle Victorian persuasion that whatever is
inconvenient or disagreeable to the English mind could be
annihilated by not thinking about it。 He used to sit low in his
chair and look mulish。 〃Militarism；〃 he would declare in a tone of
the utmost moral fervour； is a curse。 It's an unmitigated curse。〃
Then he would cough shortly and twitch his head back and frown； and
seem astonished beyond measure that after this conclusive statement
we could still go on talking of war。
All our Imperialists were obsessed by the thought of international
conflict； and their influence revived for a time those uneasinesses
that had been aroused in me for the first time by my continental
journey with Willersley and by Meredith's 〃One of Our Conquerors。〃
That quite justifiable dread of a punishment for all the slackness；
mental dishonesty； presumption； mercenary respectability and
sentimentalised commercialism of the Victorian period； at the hands
of the better organised； more vigorous； and now far more highly
civilised peoples of Central Europe； seemed to me to have both a
good and bad series of consequences。 It seemed the only thing
capable of bracing English minds to education； sustained
constructive effort and research； but on the other hand it produced
the quality of a panic； hasty preparation； impatience of thought； a
wasteful and sometimes quite futile immediacy。 In 1909； for
example； there was a vast clamour for eight additional Dreadnoughts
〃We want eight
And we won't wait；〃
but no clamour at all about our national waste of inventive talent；
our mean standard of intellectual attainment； our disingenuous
criticism； and the consequent failure to distinguish men of the
quality needed to carry on the modern type of war。 Almost
universally we have the wrong men in our places of responsibility
and the right men in no place at all； almost universally we have
poorly qualified； hesitating； and resentful subordinates； because
our criticism is worthless and； so habitually as to be now almost
unconsciously； dishonest。 Germany is beating England in every
matter upon which competition is possible； because she attended
sedulously to her collective mind for sixty pregnant years； because
in spite of tremendous defects she is still far more anxious for
quality in achievement than we are。 I remember saying that in my
paper。 From that； I remember； I went on to an image that had
flashed into my mind。 〃The British Empire；〃 I said； 〃is like some
of those early vertebrated monsters； the Brontosaurus and the
Atlantosaurus and such…like； it sacrifices intellect to character；
its backbone； that is to say；especially in the visceral regionis
bigger than its cranium。 It's no accident that things are so。
We've worked for backbone。 We brag about backbone； and if the
joints are anchylosed so much the better。 We're still but only half
awake to our error。 You can't change that suddenly。〃
〃Turn it round and make it go backwards；〃 interjected Thorns。
〃It's trying to do that；〃 I said； 〃in places。〃
And afterwards Crupp declared I had begotten a nightmare which
haunted him of nights； he was trying desperately and belatedly to
blow a brain as one blows soap…bubbles on such a mezoroic saurian as
I had conjured up； while the clumsy monster's fate； all teeth and
brains； crept nearer and nearer。 。 。 。
I've grown； I think； since those days out of the urgency of that
apprehension。 I still think a European war； and conceivably a very
humiliating war for England； may occur at no very distant date； but
I do not think there is any such heroic quality in our governing
class as will make that war catastrophic。 The prevailing spirit in
English lifeit is one of the essential secrets of our imperial
enduranceis one of underbred aggression in prosperity and
diplomatic compromise in moments of danger； we bully haughtily where
we can and assimilate whe