第5章

类别:其他 作者:G.K.Chesterton字数:17918更新时间:19/01/05 10:00:49
VII THEMODERNSURRENDEROFWOMAN ButinthiscornercalledEngland,atthisendofthecentury,therehashappenedastrangeandstartlingthing。Openlyandtoallappearance,thisancestralconflicthassilentlyandabruptlyended; oneofthetwosexeshassuddenlysurrenderedtotheother。 Bythebeginningofthetwentiethcentury,withinthelastfewyears,thewomanhasinpublicsurrenderedtotheman。 Shehasseriouslyandofficiallyownedthatthemanhasbeenrightallalong;thatthepublichouse(orParliament)isreallymoreimportantthantheprivatehouse;thatpoliticsarenot(aswomanhadalwaysmaintained)anexcuseforpotsofbeer,butareasacredsolemnitytowhichnewfemaleworshipersmaykneel; thatthetalkativepatriotsinthetavernarenotonlyadmirablebutenviable;thattalkisnotawasteoftime,andtherefore(asaconsequence,surely)thattavernsarenotawasteofmoney。 Allwemenhadgrownusedtoourwivesandmothers,andgrandmothers,andgreatauntsallpouringachorusofcontemptuponourhobbiesofsport,drinkandpartypolitics。 AndnowcomesMissPankhurstwithtearsinhereyes,owningthatallthewomenwerewrongandallthemenwereright; humblyimploringtobeadmittedintosomuchasanoutercourt,fromwhichshemaycatchaglimpseofthosemasculinemeritswhichhererringsistershadsothoughtlesslyscorned。 Nowthisdevelopmentnaturallyperturbsandevenparalyzesus。 Males,likefemales,inthecourseofthatoldfightbetweenthepublicandprivatehouse,hadindulgedinoverstatementandextravagance,feelingthattheymustkeepuptheirendofthesee-saw。WetoldourwivesthatParliamenthadsatlateonmostessentialbusiness; butitnevercrossedourmindsthatourwiveswouldbelieveit。 Wesaidthateveryonemusthaveavoteinthecountry;similarlyourwivessaidthatnoonemusthaveapipeinthedrawingroom。 Inbothcasestheideawasthesame。\"Itdoesnotmattermuch,butifyouletthosethingsslidethereischaos。\"WesaidthatLordHugginsorMr。Bugginswasabsolutelynecessarytothecountry。 Weknewquitewellthatnothingisnecessarytothecountryexceptthatthemenshouldbemenandthewomenwomen。 Weknewthis;wethoughtthewomenknewitevenmoreclearly; andwethoughtthewomenwouldsayit。Suddenly,withoutwarning,thewomenhavebeguntosayallthenonsensethatweourselveshardlybelievedwhenwesaidit。Thesolemnityofpolitics; thenecessityofvotes;thenecessityofHuggins;thenecessityofBuggins;alltheseflowinapellucidstreamfromthelipsofallthesuffragettespeakers。Isupposeineveryfight,howeverold,onehasavagueaspirationtoconquer;butweneverwantedtoconquerwomensocompletelyasthis。Weonlyexpectedthattheymightleaveusalittlemoremarginforournonsense; weneverexpectedthattheywouldacceptitseriouslyassense。 ThereforeIamallatseaabouttheexistingsituation; Iscarcelyknowwhethertoberelievedorenragedbythissubstitutionofthefeebleplatformlecturefortheforciblecurtain-lecture。IamlostwithoutthetrenchantandcandidMrs。Caudle。IreallydonotknowwhattodowiththeprostrateandpenitentMissPankhurst。Thissurrenderofthemodemwomanhastakenusallsomuchbysurprisethatitisdesirabletopauseamoment,andcollectourwitsaboutwhatsheisreallysaying。 AsIhavealreadyremarked,thereisoneverysimpleanswertoallthis; thesearenotthemodernwomen,butaboutoneintwothousandofthemodernwomen。Thisfactisimportanttoademocrat; butitisofverylittleimportancetothetypicallymodernmind。 Boththecharacteristicmodernpartiesbelievedinagovernmentbythefew;theonlydifferenceiswhetheritistheConservativefeworProgressivefew。Itmightbeput,somewhatcoarselyperhaps,bysayingthatonebelievesinanyminoritythatisrichandtheotherinanyminoritythatismad。Butinthisstateofthingsthedemocraticargumentobviouslyfallsoutforthemoment;andweareboundtotaketheprominentminority,merelybecauseitisprominent。 Letuseliminatealtogetherfromourmindsthethousandsofwomenwhodetestthiscause,andthemillionsofwomenwhohavehardlyheardofit。 LetusconcedethattheEnglishpeopleitselfisnotandwillnotbeforaverylongtimewithinthesphereofpracticalpolitics。 Letusconfineourselvestosayingthattheseparticularwomenwantavoteandtoaskingthemselveswhatavoteis。Ifweasktheseladiesourselveswhatavoteis,weshallgetaveryvaguereply。 Itistheonlyquestion,asarule,forwhichtheyarenotprepared。 Forthetruthisthattheygomainlybyprecedent;bythemerefactthatmenhavevotesalready。Sofarfrombeingamutinousmovement,itisreallyaveryConservativeone;itisinthenarrowestrutoftheBritishConstitution。Letustakealittlewiderandfreersweepofthoughtandaskourselveswhatistheultimatepointandmeaningofthisoddbusinesscalledvoting。 *** VIII THEBRANDOFTHEFLEUR-DE-LIS Seeminglyfromthedawnofmanallnationshavehadgovernments; andallnationshavebeenashamedofthem。Nothingismoreopenlyfallaciousthantofancythatinruderorsimpleragesruling,judgingandpunishingappearedperfectlyinnocentanddignified。 ThesethingswerealwaysregardedasthepenaltiesoftheFall; aspartofthehumiliationofmankind,asbadinthemselves。 Thatthekingcandonowrongwasneveranythingbutalegalfiction; anditisalegalfictionstill。ThedoctrineofDivineRightwasnotapieceofidealism,butratherapieceofrealism,apracticalwayofrulingamidtheruinofhumanity;averypragmatistpieceoffaith。 Thereligiousbasisofgovernmentwasnotsomuchthatpeopleputtheirtrustinprinces,asthattheydidnotputtheirtrustinanychildofman。Itwassowithalltheuglyinstitutionswhichdisfigurehumanhistory。Tortureandslaverywerenevertalkedofasgoodthings;theywerealwaystalkedofasnecessaryevils。 Apaganspokeofonemanowningtenslavesjustasamodernbusinessmanspeaksofonemerchantsackingtenclerks:\"It\'sveryhorrible; buthowelsecansocietybeconducted?\"Amediaevalscholasticregardedthepossibilityofamanbeingburnedtodeathjustasamodernbusinessmanregardsthepossibilityofamanbeingstarvedtodeath: \"Itisashockingtorture;butcanyouorganizeapainlessworld?\" Itispossiblethatafuturesocietymayfindawayofdoingwithoutthequestionbyhungeraswehavedonewithoutthequestionbyfire。 Itisequallypossible,forthematterofthat,thatafuturesocietymayreestablishlegaltorturewiththewholeapparatusofrackandfagot。 Themostmodernofcountries,America,hasintroducedwithavaguesavorofscience,amethodwhichitcalls\"thethirddegree。\" Thisissimplytheextortionofsecretsbynervousfatigue; whichissurelyuncommonlyclosetotheirextortionbybodilypain。 AndthisislegalandscientificinAmerica。AmateurordinaryAmerica,ofcourse,simplyburnspeoplealiveinbroaddaylight,astheydidintheReformationWars。Butthoughsomepunishmentsaremoreinhumanthanothersthereisnosuchthingashumanepunishment。 Aslongasnineteenmenclaimtherightinanysenseorshapetotakeholdofthetwentiethmanandmakehimevenmildlyuncomfortable,solongthewholeproceedingmustbeahumiliatingoneforallconcerned。 Andtheproofofhowpoignantlymenhavealwaysfeltthisliesinthefactthattheheadsmanandthehangman,thejailorsandthetorturers,werealwaysregardednotmerelywithfearbutwithcontempt; whileallkindsofcarelesssmiters,bankruptknightsandswashbucklersandoutlaws,wereregardedwithindulgenceorevenadmiration。Tokillamanlawlesslywaspardoned。Tokillamanlawfullywasunpardonable。 Themostbare-facedduelistmightalmostbrandishhisweapon。 Buttheexecutionerwasalwaysmasked。 Thisisthefirstessentialelementingovernment,coercion;anecessarybutnotanobleelement。Imayremarkinpassingthatwhenpeoplesaythatgovernmentrestsonforcetheygiveanadmirableinstanceofthefoggyandmuddledcynicismofmodernity。Governmentdoesnotrestonforce。Governmentisforce;itrestsonconsentoraconceptionofjustice。Akingoracommunityholdingacertainthingtobeabnormal,evil,usesthegeneralstrengthtocrushitout; thestrengthishistool,butthebeliefishisonlysanction。 Youmightaswellsaythatglassistherealreasonfortelescopes。 Butarisingfromwhateverreasontheactofgovernmentiscoerciveandisburdenedwithallthecoarseandpainfulqualitiesofcoercion。 Andifanyoneaskswhatistheuseofinsistingontheuglinessofthistaskofstateviolencesinceallmankindiscondemnedtoemployit,Ihaveasimpleanswertothat。Itwouldbeuselesstoinsistonitifallhumanitywerecondemnedtoit。 ButitisnotirrelevanttoinsistonitsuglinesssolongashalfofhumanityiskeptoutofitAllgovernmenttheniscoercive;wehappentohavecreatedagovernmentwhichisnotonlycoercive;butcollective。 Thereareonlytwokindsofgovernment,asIhavealreadysaid,thedespoticandthedemocratic。Aristocracyisnotagovernment,itisariot;thatmosteffectivekindofriot,ariotoftherich。Themostintelligentapologistsofaristocracy,sophistslikeBurkeandNietzsche,haveneverclaimedforaristocracyanyvirtuesbutthevirtuesofariot,theaccidentalvirtues,courage,varietyandadventure。 Thereisnocaseanywhereofaristocracyhavingestablishedauniversalandapplicableorder,asdespotsanddemocracieshaveoftendone; asthelastCaesarscreatedtheRomanlaw,asthelastJacobinscreatedtheCodeNapoleon。Withthefirstoftheseelementaryformsofgovernment,thatofthekingorchieftain,wearenotinthismatterofthesexesimmediatelyconcerned。Weshallreturntoitlaterwhenweremarkhowdifferentlymankindhasdealtwithfemaleclaimsinthedespoticasagainstthedemocraticfield。 Butforthemomenttheessentialpointisthatinself-governingcountriesthiscoercionofcriminalsisacollectivecoercion。 Theabnormalpersonistheoreticallythumpedbyamillionfistsandkickedbyamillionfeet。Ifamanisfloggedweallfloggedhim;ifamanishanged,weallhangedhim。 Thatistheonlypossiblemeaningofdemocracy,whichcangiveanymeaningtothefirsttwosyllablesandalsotothelasttwo。 Inthissenseeachcitizenhasthehighresponsibilityofarioter。 Everystatuteisadeclarationofwar,tobebackedbyarms。 Everytribunalisarevolutionarytribunal。Inarepublicallpunishmentisassacredandsolemnaslynching。 *** IX SINCERITYANDTHEGALLOWS When,therefore,itissaidthatthetraditionagainstFemaleSuffragekeepswomenoutofactivity,socialinfluenceandcitizenship,letusalittlemoresoberlyandstrictlyaskourselveswhatitactuallydoeskeepheroutof。Itdoesdefinitelykeepheroutofthecollectiveactofcoercion;theactofpunishmentbyamob。 Thehumantraditiondoessaythat,iftwentymenhangamanfromatreeorlamp-post,theyshallbetwentymenandnotwomen。 NowIdonotthinkanyreasonableSuffragistwilldenythatexclusionfromthisfunction,tosaytheleastofit,mightbemaintainedtobeaprotectionaswellasaveto。 NocandidpersonwillwhollydismissthepropositionthattheideaofhavingaLordChancellorbutnotaLadyChancellormayatleastbeconnectedwiththeideaofhavingaheadsmanbutnotaheadswoman,ahangmanbutnotahangwoman。Norwillitbeadequatetoanswer(asissooftenansweredtothiscontention)thatinmoderncivilizationwomenwouldnotreallyberequiredtocapture,tosentence,ortoslay;thatallthisisdoneindirectly,thatspecialistskillourcriminalsastheykillourcattle。 Tourgethisisnottourgetherealityofthevote,buttourgeitsunreality。Democracywasmeanttobeamoredirectwayofruling,notamoreindirectway;andifwedonotfeelthatwearealljailers,somuchtheworseforus,andfortheprisoners。 Ifitisreallyanunwomanlythingtolockuparobberoratyrant,itoughttobenosofteningofthesituationthatthewomandoesnotfeelasifsheweredoingthethingthatshecertainlyisdoing。Itisbadenoughthatmencanonlyassociateonpaperwhocouldonceassociateinthestreet; itisbadenoughthatmenhavemadeavoteverymuchofafiction。 Itismuchworsethatagreatclassshouldclaimthevotebecauseitisafiction,whowouldbesickenedbyitifitwereafact。 Ifvotesforwomendonotmeanmobsforwomentheydonotmeanwhattheyweremeanttomean。Awomancanmakeacrossonapaperaswellasaman;achildcoulddoitaswellasawoman; andachimpanzeeafterafewlessonscoulddoitaswellasachild。 Butnobodyoughttoregarditmerelyasmakingacrossonpaper; everyoneoughttoregarditaswhatitultimatelyis,brandingthefleur-de-lis,markingthebroadarrow,signingthedeathwarrant。 Bothmenandwomenoughttofacemorefullythethingstheydoorcausetobedone;facethemorleaveoffdoingthem。 Onthatdisastrousdaywhenpublicexecutionswereabolished,privateexecutionswererenewedandratified,perhapsforever。 Thingsgrosslyunsuitedtothemoralsentimentofasocietycannotbesafelydoneinbroaddaylight;butIseenoreasonwhyweshouldnotstillberoastinghereticsalive,inaprivateroom。 Itisverylikely(tospeakinthemannerfoolishlycalledIrish) thatiftherewerepublicexecutionstherewouldbenoexecutions。 Theoldopen-airpunishments,thepilloryandthegibbet,atleastfixedresponsibilityuponthelaw;andinactualpracticetheygavethemobanopportunityofthrowingrosesaswellasrotteneggs; ofcrying\"Hosannah\"aswellas\"Crucify。\"ButIdonotlikethepublicexecutionerbeingturnedintotheprivateexecutioner。 Ithinkitisacrookedoriental,sinistersortofbusiness,andsmellsoftheharemandthedivanratherthanoftheforumandthemarketplace。Inmoderntimestheofficialhaslostallthesocialhonoranddignityofthecommonhangman。 Heisonlythebearerofthebowstring。 Here,however,Isuggestapleaforabrutalpublicityonlyinordertoemphasizethefactthatitisthisbrutalpublicityandnothingelsefromwhichwomenhavebeenexcluded。 Ialsosayittoemphasizethefactthatthemeremodernveilingofthebrutalitydoesnotmakethesituationdifferent,unlessweopenlysaythatwearegivingthesuffrage,notonlybecauseitispowerbutbecauseitisnot,orinotherwords,thatwomenarenotsomuchtovoteastoplayvoting。 Nosuffragist,Isuppose,willtakeupthatposition;andafewsuffragistswillwhollydenythatthishumannecessityofpainsandpenaltiesisanugly,humiliatingbusiness,andthatgoodmotivesaswellasbadmayhavehelpedtokeepwomenoutofit。 MorethanonceIhaveremarkedinthesepagesthatfemalelimitationsmaybethelimitsofatempleaswellasofaprison,thedisabilitiesofapriestandnotofapariah。 Inotedit,Ithink,inthecaseofthepontificalfemininedress。 Inthesamewayitisnotevidentlyirrational,ifmendecidedthatawoman,likeapriest,mustnotbeashedderofblood。 *** X THEHIGHERANARCHY Butthereisafurtherfact;forgottenalsobecausewemodernsforgetthatthereisafemalepointofview。 Thewoman\'swisdomstandspartly,notonlyforawholesomehesitationaboutpunishment,butevenforawholesomehesitationaboutabsoluterules。TherewassomethingfeminineandperverselytrueinthatphraseofWilde\'s,thatpeopleshouldnotbetreatedastherule,butallofthemasexceptions。 Madebyamantheremarkwasalittleeffeminate;forWildedidlackthemasculinepowerofdogmaandofdemocraticcooperation。 Butifawomanhadsaidititwouldhavebeensimplytrue; awomandoestreateachpersonasapeculiarperson。 Inotherwords,shestandsforAnarchy;averyancientandarguablephilosophy;notanarchyinthesenseofhavingnocustomsinone\'slife(whichisinconceivable),butanarchyinthesenseofhavingnorulesforone\'smind。 Toher,almostcertainly,aredueallthoseworkingtraditionsthatcannotbefoundinbooks,especiallythoseofeducation; itwasshewhofirstgaveachildastuffedstockingforbeinggoodorstoodhiminthecornerforbeingnaughty。 Thisunclassifiedknowledgeissometimescalledruleofthumbandsometimesmotherwit。Thelastphrasesuggeststhewholetruth,fornoneevercalleditfatherwit。 Nowanarchyisonlytactwhenitworksbadly。Tactisonlyanarchywhenitworkswell。Andweoughttorealizethatinonehalfoftheworld——theprivatehouse——itdoesworkwell。Wemodernmenareperpetuallyforgettingthatthecaseforclearrulesandcrudepenaltiesisnotself-evident,thatthereisagreatdealtobesaidforthebenevolentlawlessnessoftheautocrat,especiallyonasmallscale;inshort,thatgovernmentisonlyonesideoflife。 TheotherhalfiscalledSociety,inwhichwomenareadmittedlydominant。 Andtheyhavealwaysbeenreadytomaintainthattheirkingdomisbettergovernedthanours,because(inthelogicalandlegalsense) itisnotgovernedatall。\"Wheneveryouhavearealdifficulty,\" theysay,\"whenaboyisbumptiousoranauntisstingy,whenasillygirlwillmarrysomebody,orawickedmanwon\'tmarrysomebody,allyourlumberingRomanLawandBritishConstitutioncometoastandstill。 Asnubfromaduchessoraslangingfromafish-wifearemuchmorelikelytoputthingsstraight。\"So,atleast,rangtheancientfemalechallengedowntheagesuntiltherecentfemalecapitulation。 SostreamedtheredstandardofthehigheranarchyuntilMissPankhursthoistedthewhiteflag。 Itmustberememberedthatthemodernworldhasdonedeeptreasontotheeternalintellectbybelievingintheswingofthependulum。 Amanmustbedeadbeforeheswings。Ithassubstitutedanideaoffatalisticalternationforthemediaevalfreedomofthesoulseekingtruth。Allmodernthinkersarereactionaries;fortheirthoughtisalwaysareactionfromwhatwentbefore。Whenyoumeetamodernmanheisalwayscomingfromaplace,notgoingtoit。 Thus,mankindhasinnearlyallplacesandperiodsseenthatthereisasoulandabodyasplainlyasthatthereisasunandmoon。 ButbecauseanarrowProtestantsectcalledMaterialistsdeclaredforashorttimethattherewasnosoul,anothernarrowProtestantsectcalledChristianScienceisnowmaintainingthatthereisnobody。 NowjustinthesamewaytheunreasonableneglectofgovernmentbytheManchesterSchoolhasproduced,notareasonableregardforgovernment,butanunreasonableneglectofeverythingelse。 Sothattohearpeopletalkto-dayonewouldfancythateveryimportanthumanfunctionmustbeorganizedandavengedbylaw; thatalleducationmustbestateeducation,andallemploymentstateemployment;thateverybodyandeverythingmustbebroughttothefootoftheaugustandprehistoricgibbet。 Butasomewhatmoreliberalandsympatheticexaminationofmankindwillconvinceusthatthecrossisevenolderthanthegibbet,thatvoluntarysufferingwasbeforeandindependentofcompulsory; andinshortthatinmostimportantmattersamanhasalwaysbeenfreetoruinhimselfifhechose。Thehugefundamentalfunctionuponwhichallanthropologyturns,thatofsexandchildbirth,hasneverbeeninsidethepoliticalstate,butalwaysoutsideofit。 Thestateconcerneditselfwiththetrivialquestionofkillingpeople,butwiselyleftalonethewholebusinessofgettingthemborn。 AEugenistmightindeedplausiblysaythatthegovernmentisanabsent-mindedandinconsistentpersonwhooccupieshimselfwithprovidingfortheoldageofpeoplewhohaveneverbeeninfants。 IwillnotdealhereinanydetailwiththefactthatsomeEugenistshaveinourtimemadethemaniacalanswerthatthepoliceoughttocontrolmarriageandbirthastheycontrollaboranddeath。 Exceptforthisinhumanhandful(withwhomIregrettosayIshallhavetodealwithlater)alltheEugenistsIknowdividethemselvesintotwosections:ingeniouspeoplewhooncemeantthis,andratherbewilderedpeoplewhosweartheynevermeantit——noranythingelse。 Butifitbeconceded(byabreezierestimateofmen)thattheydomostlydesiremarriagetoremainfreefromgovernment,itdoesnotfollowthattheydesireittoremainfreefromeverything。Ifmandoesnotcontrolthemarriagemarketbylaw,isitcontrolledatall? Surelytheanswerisbroadlythatmandoesnotcontrolthemarriagemarketbylaw,butthewomandoescontrolitbysympathyandprejudice。 Therewasuntillatelyalawforbiddingamantomarryhisdeceasedwife\'ssister;yetthethinghappenedconstantly。Therewasnolawforbiddingamantomarryhisdeceasedwife\'sscullery-maid;yetitdidnothappennearlysooften。Itdidnothappenbecausethemarriagemarketismanagedinthespiritandbytheauthorityofwomen; andwomenaregenerallyconservativewhereclassesareconcerned。 Itisthesamewiththatsystemofexclusivenessbywhichladieshavesooftencontrived(asbyaprocessofelimination) topreventmarriagesthattheydidnotwantandevensometimesprocurethosetheydid。Thereisnoneedofthebroadarrowandthefleur-delis,theturnkey\'schainsorthehangman\'shalter。 Youneednotstrangleamanifyoucansilencehim。Thebrandedshoulderislesseffectiveandfinalthanthecoldshoulder; andyouneednottroubletolockamaninwhenyoucanlockhimout。 Thesame,ofcourse,istrueofthecolossalarchitecturewhichwecallinfanteducation:anarchitecturerearedwhollybywomen。 Nothingcaneverovercomethatoneenormoussexsuperiority,thateventhemalechildisbornclosertohismotherthantohisfather。 Noone,staringatthatfrightfulfemaleprivilege,canquitebelieveintheequalityofthesexes。Hereandtherewereadofagirlbroughtuplikeatom-boy;buteveryboyisbroughtuplikeatamegirl。Thefleshandspiritoffemininitysurroundhimfromthefirstlikethefourwallsofahouse;andeventhevaguestormostbrutalmanhasbeenwomanizedbybeingborn。 Manthatisbornofawomanhasshortdaysandfullofmisery; butnobodycanpicturetheobscenityandbestialtragedythatwouldbelongtosuchamonsterasmanthatwasbornofaman。 *** XI THEQUEENANDTHESUFFRAGETTES But,indeed,withthiseducationalmatterImustofnecessityembroilmyselflater。Thefourthsectionofdiscussionissupposedtobeaboutthechild,butIthinkitwillbemostlyaboutthemother。 InthisplaceIhavesystematicallyinsistedonthelargepartoflifethatisgoverned,notbymanwithhisvote,butbywomanwithhervoice,ormoreoften,withherhorriblesilence。 Onlyonethingremainstobeadded。Inasprawlingandexplanatorystylehasbeentracedouttheideathatgovernmentisultimatelycoercion,thatcoercionmustmeancolddefinitionsaswellascruelconsequences,andthatthereforethereissomethingtobesaidfortheoldhumanhabitofkeepingone-halfofhumanityoutofsoharshanddirtyabusiness。 Butthecaseisstrongerstill。 Votingisnotonlycoercion,butcollectivecoercion。 IthinkQueenVictoriawouldhavebeenyetmorepopularandsatisfyingifshehadneversignedadeathwarrant。IthinkQueenElizabethwouldhavestoodoutasmoresolidandsplendidinhistoryifshehadnotearned(amongthosewhohappentoknowherhistory) thenicknameofBloodyBess。Ithink,inshort,thatthegreathistoricwomanismoreherselfwhensheispersuasiveratherthancoercive。 ButIfeelallmankindbehindmewhenIsaythatifawomanhasthispoweritshouldbedespoticpower——notdemocraticpower。 ThereisamuchstrongerhistoricargumentforgivingMissPankhurstathronethanforgivingheravote。Shemighthaveacrown,oratleastacoronet,likesomanyofhersupporters; fortheseoldpowersarepurelypersonalandthereforefemale。 MissPankhurstasadespotmightbeasvirtuousasQueenVictoria,andshecertainlywouldfinditdifficulttobeaswickedasQueenBess,butthepointisthat,goodorbad,shewouldbeirresponsible—— shewouldnotbegovernedbyaruleandbyaruler。 Thereareonlytwowaysofgoverning:byaruleandbyaruler。 Anditisseriouslytruetosayofawoman,ineducationanddomesticity,thatthefreedomoftheautocratappearstobenecessarytoher。 Sheisneverresponsibleuntilsheisirresponsible。 Incasethissoundslikeanidlecontradiction,Iconfidentlyappealtothecoldfactsofhistory。Almosteverydespoticoroligarchicstatehasadmittedwomentoitsprivileges。 ScarcelyonedemocraticstatehaseveradmittedthemtoitsrightsThereasonisverysimple:thatsomethingfemaleisendangeredmuchmorebytheviolenceofthecrowd。Inshort,onePankhurstisanexception,butathousandPankhurstsareanightmare,aBacchicorgie,aWitchesSabbath。Forinalllegendsmenhavethoughtofwomenassublimeseparatelybuthorribleinaherd。 *** XII THEMODERNSLAVE NowIhaveonlytakenthetestcaseofFemaleSuffragebecauseitistopicalandconcrete;itisnotofgreatmomentformeasapoliticalproposal。Icanquiteimagineanyonesubstantiallyagreeingwithmyviewofwomanasuniversalistandautocratinalimitedarea;andstillthinkingthatshewouldbenonetheworseforaballotpaper。Therealquestioniswhetherthisoldidealofwomanasthegreatamateurisadmittedornot。 Therearemanymodernthingswhichthreatenitmuchmorethansuffragism;notablytheincreaseofself-supportingwomen,eveninthemostsevereorthemostsqualidemployments。 Iftherebesomethingagainstnatureintheideaofahordeofwildwomengoverning,thereissomethingtrulyintolerableintheideaofaherdoftamewomenbeinggoverned。 Andthereareelementsinhumanpsychologythatmakethissituationparticularlypoignantorignominous。 Theuglyexactitudesofbusiness,thebellsandclocksthefixedhoursandrigiddepartments,wereallmeantforthemale: who,asarule,canonlydoonethingandcanonlywiththegreatestdifficultybeinducedtodothat。Ifclerksdonottrytoshirktheirwork,ourwholegreatcommercialsystembreaksdown。 Itisbreakingdown,undertheinroadofwomenwhoareadoptingtheunprecedentedandimpossiblecourseoftakingthesystemseriouslyanddoingitwell。Theirveryefficiencyisthedefinitionoftheirslavery。Itisgenerallyaverybadsignwhenoneistrustedverymuchbyone\'semployers。 Andiftheevasiveclerkshavealookofbeingblackguards,theearnestladiesareoftensomethingverylikeblacklegs。 Butthemoreimmediatepointisthatthemodernworkingwomanbearsadoubleburden,forsheenduresboththegrindingofficialismofthenewofficeandthedistractingscrupulosityoftheoldhome。 Fewmenunderstandwhatconscientiousnessis。Theyunderstandduty,whichgenerallymeansoneduty;butconscientiousnessisthedutyoftheuniversalist。Itislimitedbynoworkdaysorholidays;itisalawless,limitless,devouringdecorum。 Ifwomenaretobesubjectedtothedullruleofcommerce,wemustfindsomewayofemancipatingthemfromthewildruleofconscience。ButIratherfancyyouwillfinditeasiertoleavetheconscienceandknockoffthecommerce。 Asitis,themodernclerkorsecretaryexhaustsherselftoputonethingstraightintheledgerandthengoeshometoputeverythingstraightinthehouse。 Thiscondition(describedbysomeasemancipated)isatleastthereverseofmyideal。Iwouldgivewoman,notmorerights,butmoreprivileges。Insteadofsendinghertoseeksuchfreedomasnotoriouslyprevailsinbanksandfactories,Iwoulddesignspeciallyahouseinwhichshecanbefree。 Andwiththatwecometothelastpointofall;thepointatwhichwecanperceivetheneedsofwomen,liketherightsofmen,stoppedandfalsifiedbysomethingwhichitistheobjectofthisbooktoexpose。 TheFeminist(whichmeans,Ithink,onewhodislikesthechieffemininecharacteristics)hasheardmyloosemonologue,burstingallthetimewithonepent-upprotest。 Atthispointhewillbreakoutandsay,\"Butwhatarewetodo? Thereismoderncommerceanditsclerks;thereisthemodernfamilywithitsunmarrieddaughters;specialismisexpectedeverywhere; femalethriftandconscientiousnessaredemandedandsupplied。 Whatdoesitmatterwhetherweshouldintheabstractprefertheoldhumanandhousekeepingwoman;wemightprefertheGardenofEden。Butsincewomenhavetradestheyoughttohavetradesunions。 Sincewomenworkinfactories,theyoughttovoteonfactory-acts。Iftheyareunmarriedtheymustbecommercial;iftheyarecommercialtheymustbepolitical。Wemusthavenewrulesforanewworld—— evenifitbenotabetterone。\"IsaidtoaFeministonce: \"Thequestionisnotwhetherwomenaregoodenoughforvotes: itiswhethervotesaregoodenoughforwomen。\"Heonlyanswered: \"Ah,yougoandsaythattothewomenchain-makersonCradleyHeath。\" NowthisistheattitudewhichIattack。ItisthehugeheresyofPrecedent。Itistheviewthatbecausewehavegotintoamesswemustgrowmessiertosuitit;thatbecausewehavetakenawrongturnsometimeagowemustgoforwardandnotbackwards; thatbecausewehavelostourwaywemustloseourmapalso; andbecausewehavemissedourideal,wemustforgetit。 \"Therearenumbersofexcellentpeoplewhodonotthinkvotesunfeminine; andtheremaybeenthusiastsforourbeautifulmodernindustrywhodonotthinkfactoriesunfeminine。Butifthesethingsareunfeminineitisnoanswertosaythattheyfitintoeachother。 Iamnotsatisfiedwiththestatementthatmydaughtermusthaveunwomanlypowersbecauseshehasunwomanlywrongs。 Industrialsootandpoliticalprinter\'sinkaretwoblackswhichdonotmakeawhite。MostoftheFeministswouldprobablyagreewithmethatwomanhoodisundershamefultyrannyintheshopsandmills。 ButIwanttodestroythetyranny。Theywanttodestroywomanhood。 Thatistheonlydifference。 Whetherwecanrecovertheclearvisionofwomanasatowerwithmanywindows,thefixedeternalfemininefromwhichhersons,thespecialists,goforth;whetherwecanpreservethetraditionofacentralthingwhichisevenmorehumanthandemocracyandevenmorepracticalthanpolitics;whether,inword,itispossibletore-establishthefamily,freedfromthefilthycynicismandcrueltyofthecommercialepoch,Ishalldiscussinthelastsectionofthisbook。Butmeanwhiledonottalktomeaboutthepoorchain-makersonCradleyHeath。Iknowallaboutthemandwhattheyaredoing。Theyareengagedinaverywide-spreadandflourishingindustryofthepresentage。 Theyaremakingchains。 *** PARTFOUR EDUCATION:ORTHEMISTAKEABOUTTHECHILD *** I THECALVINISMOFTO-DAY WhenIwrotealittlevolumeonmyfriendMr。BernardShaw,itisneedlesstosaythathereviewedit。InaturallyfelttemptedtoanswerandtocriticisethebookfromthesamedisinterestedandimpartialstandpointfromwhichMr。Shawhadcriticisedthesubjectofit。 Iwasnotwithheldbyanyfeelingthatthejokewasgettingalittleobvious;foranobviousjokeisonlyasuccessfuljoke;itisonlytheunsuccessfulclownswhocomfortthemselveswithbeingsubtle。 TherealreasonwhyIdidnotanswerMr。Shaw\'samusingattackwasthis: thatonesimplephraseinitsurrenderedtomeallthatI haveeverwanted,orcouldwantfromhimtoalleternity。 ItoldMr。Shaw(insubstance)thathewasacharmingandcleverfellow,butacommonCalvinist。Headmittedthatthiswastrue,andthere(sofarasIamconcerned)isanendofthematter。 Hesaidthat,ofcourse,Calvinwasquiterightinholdingthat\"ifonceamanisbornitistoolatetodamnorsavehim。\" Thatisthefundamentalandsubterraneansecret;thatisthelastlieinhell。 ThedifferencebetweenPuritanismandCatholicismisnotaboutwhethersomepriestlywordorgestureissignificantandsacred。 Itisaboutwhetheranywordorgestureissignificantandsacred。 TotheCatholiceveryotherdailyactisdramaticdedicationtotheserviceofgoodorofevil。TotheCalvinistnoactcanhavethatsortofsolemnity,becausethepersondoingithasbeendedicatedfrometernity,andismerelyfillinguphistimeuntilthecrackofdoom。Thedifferenceissomethingsubtlerthanplum-puddingsorprivatetheatricals; thedifferenceisthattoaChristianofmykindthisshortearthlylifeisintenselythrillingandprecious;toaCalvinistlikeMr。Shawitisconfessedlyautomaticanduninteresting。 Tomethesethreescoreyearsandtenarethebattle。 TotheFabianCalvinist(byhisownconfession)theyareonlyalongprocessionofthevictorsinlaurelsandthevanquishedinchains。 Tomeearthlylifeisthedrama;tohimitistheepilogue。 Shaviansthinkabouttheembryo;Spiritualistsabouttheghost; Christiansabouttheman。Itisaswelltohavethesethingsclear。 NowalloursociologyandeugenicsandtherestofitarenotsomuchmaterialistasconfusedlyCalvinist,theyarechieflyoccupiedineducatingthechildbeforeheexists。 Thewholemovementisfullofasingulardepressionaboutwhatonecandowiththepopulace,combinedwithastrangedisembodiedgayetyaboutwhatmaybedonewithposterity。 TheseessentialCalvinistshave,indeed,abolishedsomeofthemoreliberalanduniversalpartsofCalvinism,suchasthebeliefinanintellectualdesignoraneverlastinghappiness。 ButthoughMr。Shawandhisfriendsadmititisasuperstitionthatamanisjudgedafterdeath,theysticktotheircentraldoctrine,thatheisjudgedbeforeheisborn。 InconsequenceofthisatmosphereofCalvinismintheculturedworldofto-day,itisapparentlynecessarytobeginallargumentsoneducationwithsomementionofobstetricsandtheunknownworldoftheprenatal。 AllIshallhavetosay,however,onhereditywillbeverybrief,becauseIshallconfinemyselftowhatisknownaboutit,andthatisverynearlynothing。Itisbynomeansself-evident,butitisacurrentmoderndogma,thatnothingactuallyentersthebodyatbirthexceptalifederivedandcompoundedfromtheparents。ThereisatleastquiteasmuchtobesaidfortheChristiantheorythatanelementcomesfromGod,ortheBuddhisttheorythatsuchanelementcomesfrompreviousexistences。 Butthisisnotareligiouswork,andImustsubmittothoseverynarrowintellectuallimitswhichtheabsenceoftheologyalwaysimposes。 Leavingthesoulononeside,letussupposeforthesakeofargumentthatthehumancharacterinthefirstcasecomeswhollyfromparents; andthenletuscurtlystateourknowledgeratherthanourignorance。 *** II THETRIBALTERROR Popularscience,likethatofMr。Blatchford,isinthismatterasmildasoldwives\'tales。Mr。Blatchford,withcolossalsimplicity,explainedtomillionsofclerksandworkingmenthatthemotherislikeabottleofbluebeadsandthefatherislikeabottleofyellowbeads; andsothechildislikeabottleofmixedbluebeadsandyellow。 Hemightjustaswellhavesaidthatifthefatherhastwolegsandthemotherhastwolegs,thechildwillhavefourlegs。 Obviouslyitisnotaquestionofsimpleadditionorsimpledivisionofanumberofharddetached\"qualities,\"likebeads。 Itisanorganiccrisisandtransformationofthemostmysterioussort; sothateveniftheresultisunavoidable,itwillstillbeunexpected。 Itisnotlikebluebeadsmixedwithyellowbeads;itislikebluemixedwithyellow;theresultofwhichisgreen,atotallynovelanduniqueexperience,anewemotion。Amanmightliveinacompletecosmosofblueandyellow,likethe\"EdinburghReview\";amanmightneverhaveseenanythingbutagoldencornfieldandasapphiresky; andstillhemightneverhavehadsowildafancyasgreen。 Ifyoupaidasovereignforabluebell;ifyouspilledthemustardontheblue-books;ifyoumarriedacanarytoabluebaboon; thereisnothinginanyofthesewildweddingsthatcontainsevenahintofgreen。Greenisnotamentalcombination,likeaddition; itisaphysicalresultlikebirth。So,apartfromthefactthatnobodyeverreallyunderstandsparentsorchildreneither,yetevenifwecouldunderstandtheparents,wecouldnotmakeanyconjectureaboutthechildren。Eachtimetheforceworksinadifferentway; eachtimetheconstituentcolorscombineintoadifferentspectacle。 Agirlmayactuallyinheritheruglinessfromhermother\'sgoodlooks。 Aboymayactuallygethisweaknessfromhisfather\'sstrength。 Evenifweadmititisreallyafate,forusitmustremainafairytale。 Consideredinregardtoitscauses,theCalvinistsandmaterialistsmayberightorwrong;weleavethemtheirdrearydebate。 Butconsideredinregardtoitsresultsthereisnodoubtaboutit。 Thethingisalwaysanewcolor;astrangestar。Everybirthisaslonelyasamiracle。Everychildisasuninvitedasamonstrosity。 Onallsuchsubjectsthereisnoscience,butonlyasortofardentignorance;andnobodyhaseverbeenabletoofferanytheoriesofmoralhereditywhichjustifiedthemselvesintheonlyscientificsense; thatisthatonecouldcalculateonthembeforehand。Therearesixcases,say,ofagrandsonhavingthesametwitchofmouthorviceofcharacterashisgrandfather;orperhapstherearesixteencases,orperhapssixty。Buttherearenottwocases,thereisnotonecase,therearenocasesatall,ofanybodybettinghalfacrownthatthegrandfatherwillhaveagrandsonwiththetwitchorthevice。 Inshort,wedealwithheredityaswedealwithomens,affinitiesandthefulfillmentofdreams。Thethingsdohappen,andwhentheyhappenwerecordthem;butnotevenalunaticeverreckonsonthem。 Indeed,heredity,likedreamsandomens,isabarbaricnotion;thatis,notnecessarilyanuntrue,butadim,gropingandunsystematizednotion。 Acivilizedmanfeelshimselfalittlemorefreefromhisfamily。 BeforeChristianitythesetalesoftribaldoomoccupiedthesavagenorth; andsincetheReformationandtherevoltagainstChristianity(whichisthereligionofacivilizedfreedom)savageryisslowlycreepingbackintheformofrealisticnovelsandproblemplays。 ThecurseofRougon-MacquartisasheathenandsuperstitiousasthecurseofRavenswood;onlynotsowellwritten。Butinthistwilightbarbaricsensethefeelingofaracialfateisnotirrational,andmaybeallowedlikeahundredotherhalfemotionsthatmakelifewhole。 Theonlyessentialoftragedyisthatoneshouldtakeitlightly。 ButevenwhenthebarbariandelugerosetoitshighestinthemaddernovelsofZola(suchasthatcalled\"TheHumanBeast\",agrosslibelonbeastsaswellashumanity),eventhentheapplicationofthehereditaryideatopracticeisavowedlytimidandfumbling。 Thestudentsofheredityaresavagesinthisvitalsense;thattheystarebackatmarvels,buttheydarenotstareforwardtoschemes。 Inpracticenooneismadenoughtolegislateoreducateupondogmasofphysicalinheritance;andeventhelanguageofthethingisrarelyusedexceptforspecialmodernpurposes,suchastheendowmentofresearchortheoppressionofthepoor。 *** III THETRICKSOFENVIRONMENT AfterallthemodernclatterofCalvinism,therefore,itisonlywiththebornchildthatanybodydarestodeal; andthequestionisnoteugenicsbuteducation。Oragain,toadoptthatrathertiresometerminologyofpopularscience,itisnotaquestionofhereditybutofenvironment。 Iwillnotneedlesslycomplicatethisquestionbyurgingatlengththatenvironmentalsoisopentosomeoftheobjectionsandhesitationswhichparalyzetheemploymentofheredity。 Iwillmerelysuggestinpassingthatevenabouttheeffectofenvironmentmodernpeopletalkmuchtoocheerfullyandcheaply。 Theideathatsurroundingswillmoldamanisalwaysmixedupwiththetotallydifferentideathattheywillmoldhiminoneparticularway。Totakethebroadestcase,landscapenodoubtaffectsthesoul;buthowitaffectsitisquiteanothermatter。 Tobebornamongpine-treesmightmeanlovingpine-trees。 Itmightmeanloathingpine-trees。Itmightquiteseriouslymeanneverhavingseenapine-tree。Oritmightmeananymixtureoftheseoranydegreeofanyofthem。 Sothatthescientificmethodherelacksalittleinprecision。 Iamnotspeakingwithoutthebook;onthecontrary,Iamspeakingwiththebluebook,withtheguide-bookandtheatlas。 ItmaybethattheHighlandersarepoeticalbecausetheyinhabitmountains;butaretheSwissprosaicbecausetheyinhabitmountains?ItmaybetheSwisshavefoughtforfreedombecausetheyhadhills;didtheDutchfightforfreedombecausetheyhadn\'t?PersonallyIshouldthinkitquitelikely。 Environmentmightworknegativelyaswellaspositively。 TheSwissmaybesensible,notinspiteoftheirwildskyline,butbecauseoftheirwildskyline。TheFlemingsmaybefantasticartists,notinspiteoftheirdullskyline,butbecauseofit。 Ionlypauseonthisparenthesistoshowthat,eveninmattersadmittedlywithinitsrange,popularsciencegoesagreatdealtoofast,anddropsenormouslinksoflogic。 Nevertheless,itremainstheworkingrealitythatwhatwehavetodealwithinthecaseofchildrenis,forallpracticalpurposes,environment;or,tousetheolderword,education。 Whenallsuchdeductionsaremade,educationisatleastaformofwill-worship;notofcowardlyfact-worship; itdealswithadepartmentthatwecancontrol;itdoesnotmerelydarkenuswiththebarbarianpessimismofZolaandtheheredity-hunt。Weshallcertainlymakefoolsofourselves; thatiswhatismeantbyphilosophy。Butweshallnotmerelymakebeastsofourselves;whichisthenearestpopulardefinitionformerelyfollowingthelawsofNatureandcoweringunderthevengeanceofthefleshEducationcontainsmuchmoonshine; butnotofthesortthatmakesmeremooncalvesandidiotstheslavesofasilvermagnet,theoneeyeoftheworld。 Inthisdecentarenatherearefads,butnotfrenzies。 Doubtlessweshalloftenfindamare\'snest;butitwillnotalwaysbethenightmare\'s。