the new machiavelli-第57部分

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！



to　lapse　into　wonderings　about　what　things　are　coming　to；　wonderings　

that　have　no　grain　of　curiosity。　　His　conception　of　perfect　conduct　

is　industrious　persistence　along　the　worn…down；　well…marked　grooves　

of　the　great　recorded　days。　　So　infinitely　more　important　to　him　is　

the　documented；　respected　thing　than　the　elusive　present。



Cladingbowl　and　Dayton　do　not　shine　in　the　House；　though　Cladingbowl　

is　a　sound　man　on　a　committee；　and　Dayton　keeps　the　OLD　COUNTRY　

GAZETTE；　the　most　gentlemanly　paper　in　London。　　They　prevail；　

however；　in　their　clubs　at　lunch　time。　　There；　with　the　pleasant　

consciousness　of　a　morning's　work　free　from　either　zeal　or　shirking；　

they　mingle　with　permanent　officials；　prominent　lawyers；　even　a　few　

of　the　soberer　type　of　business　men；　and　relax　their　minds　in　the　

discussion　of　the　morning　paper；　of　the　architecture　of　the　West　

End；　and　of　the　latest　public　appointments；　of　golf；　of　holiday　

resorts；　of　the　last　judicial　witticisms　and　forensic　〃crushers。〃　　

The　New　Year　and　Birthday　honours　lists　are　always　very　sagely　and　

exhaustively　considered；　and　anecdotes　are　popular　and　keenly　

judged。　　They　do　not　talk　of　the　things　that　are　really　active　in　

their　minds；　but　in　the　formal　and　habitual　manner　they　suppose　to　

be　proper　to　intelligent　but　still　honourable　men。　　Socialism；　

individual　money　matters；　and　religion　are　forbidden　topics；　and　sex　

and　women　only　in　so　far　as　they　appear　in　the　law　courts。　　It　is　to　

me　the　strangest　of　conventions；　this　assumption　of　unreal　loyalties　

and　traditional　respects；　this　repudiation　and　concealment　of　

passionate　interests。　　It　is　like　wearing　gloves　in　summer　fields；　

or　bathing　in　a　gown；　or　falling　in　love　with　the　heroine　of　a　

novel；　or　writing　under　a　pseudonym；　or　becoming　a　masked　Tuareg。　。　。　。



It　is　not；　I　think；　that　men　of　my　species　are　insensitive　to　the　

great　past　that　is　embodied　in　Westminster　and　its　traditions；　we　

are　not　so　much　wanting　in　the　historical　sense　as　alive　to　the　

greatness　of　our　present　opportunities　and　the　still　vaster　future　

that　is　possible　to　us。　　London　is　the　most　interesting；　beautiful；　

and　wonderful　city　in　the　world　to　me；　delicate　in　her　incidental　

and　multitudinous　littleness；　and　stupendous　in　her　pregnant　

totality；　I　cannot　bring　myself　to　use　her　as　a　museum　or　an　old　

bookshop。　　When　I　think　of　Whitehall　that　little　affair　on　the　

scaffold　outside　the　Banqueting　Hall　seems　trivial　and　remote　in　

comparison　with　the　possibilities　that　offer　themselves　to　my　

imagination　within　the　great　grey　Government　buildings　close　at　

hand。



It　gives　me　a　qualm　of　nostalgia　even　to　name　those　places　now。　　I　

think　of　St。　Stephen's　tower　streaming　upwards　into　the　misty　London　

night　and　the　great　wet　quadrangle　of　New　Palace　Yard；　from　which　

the　hansom　cabs　of　my　first　experiences　were　ousted　more　and　more　by　

taxicabs　as　the　second　Parliament　of　King　Edward　the　Seventh　aged；　I　

think　of　the　Admiralty　and　War　office　with　their　tall　Marconi　masts　

sending　out　invisible　threads　of　direction　to　the　armies　in　the　

camps；　to　great　fleets　about　the　world。　　The　crowded；　darkly　shining　

river　goes　flooding　through　my　memory　once　again；　on　to　those　narrow　

seas　that　part　us　from　our　rival　nations；　I　see　quadrangles　and　

corridors　of　spacious　grey…toned　offices　in　which　undistinguished　

little　men　and　little　files　of　papers　link　us　to　islands　in　the　

tropics；　to　frozen　wildernesses　gashed　for　gold；　to　vast　temple…

studded　plains；　to　forest　worlds　and　mountain　worlds；　to　ports　and　

fortresses　and　lighthouses　and　watch…towers　and　grazing　lands　and　

corn　lands　all　about　the　globe。　　Once　more　I　traverse　Victoria　

Street；　grimy　and　dark；　where　the　Agents　of　the　Empire　jostle　one　

another；　pass　the　big　embassies　in　the　West　End　with　their　flags　and　

scutcheons；　follow　the　broad　avenue　that　leads　to　Buckingham　Palace；　

witness　the　coming　and　going　of　troops　and　officials　and　guests　

along　it　from　every　land　on　earth。　。　。　。　　Interwoven　in　the　texture　

of　it　all；　mocking；　perplexing；　stimulating　beyond　measure；　is　the　

gleaming　consciousness；　the　challenging　knowledge：　〃You　and　your　

kind　might　still；　if　you　could　but　grasp　it　here；　mould　all　the　

destiny　of　Man！〃







4





My　first　three　years　in　Parliament　were　years　of　active　discontent。　　

The　little　group　of　younger　Liberals　to　which　I　belonged　was　very　

ignorant　of　the　traditions　and　qualities　of　our　older　leaders；　and　

quite　out　of　touch　with　the　mass　of　the　party。　　For　a　time　

Parliament　was　enormously　taken　up　with　moribund　issues　and　old　

quarrels。　　The　early　Educational　legislation　was　sectarian　and　

unenterprising；　and　the　Licensing　Bill　went　little　further　than　the　

attempted　rectification　of　a　Conservative　mistake。　　I　was　altogether　

for　the　nationalisation　of　the　public…houses；　and　of　this　end　the　

Bill　gave　no　intimations。　　It　was　just　beer…baiting。　　I　was　

recalcitrant　almost　from　the　beginning；　and　spoke　against　the　

Government　so　early　as　the　second　reading　of　the　first　Education　

Bill；　the　one　the　Lords　rejected　in　1906。　　I　went　a　little　beyond　my　

intention　in　the　heat　of　speaking；it　is　a　way　with　inexperienced　

man。　　I　called　the　Bill　timid；　narrow；　a　mere　sop　to　the　jealousies　

of　sects　and　little…minded　people。　　I　contrasted　its　aim　and　methods　

with　the　manifest　needs　of　the　time。



I　am　not　a　particularly　good　speaker；　after　the　manner　of　a　writer　I　

worry　to　find　my　meaning　too　much；　but　this　was　one　of　my　successes。　　

I　spoke　after　dinner　and　to　a　fairly　full　House；　for　people　were　

already　a　little　curious　about　me　because　of　my　writings。　　Several　

of　the　Conservative　leaders　were　present　and　stayed；　and　Mr。　

Evesham；　I　remember；　came　ostentatiously　to　hear　me；　with　that　

engaging　friendliness　of　his；　and　gave　me　at　the　first　chance　an　

approving　〃Hear；　Hear！〃　　I　can　still　recall　quite　distinctly　my　two　

futile　attempts　to　catch　the　Speaker's　eye　before　I　was　able　to　

begin；　the　nervous　quiver　of　my　rather　too　prepared　opening；　the　

effect　of　hearing　my　own　voice　and　my　subconscious　wonder　as　to　what　

I　could　possibly　be　talking　about；　the　realisation　that　I　was　

getting　on　fairly　well；　the　immense　satisfaction　afterwards　of　

having　on　the　whole　brought　it　off；　and　the　absurd　gratitude　I　felt　

for　that　encouraging　cheer。



Addressing　the　House　of　Commons　is　like　no　other　public　speaking　in　

the　world。　　Its　semi…colloquial　methods　give　it　an　air　of　being　

easy；　but　its　shifting　audience；　the　comings　and　goings　and　

hesitations　of　members　behind　the　chairnot　mere　audience　units；　

but　men　who　matterthe　desolating　emptiness　that　spreads　itself　

round　the　man　who　fails　to　interest；　the　little　compact；　disciplined　

crowd　in　the　strangers'　gallery；　the　light；　elusive；　flickering　

movements　high　up　behind　the　grill；　the　wigged；　attentive；　weary　

Speaker；　the　table　and　the　mace　and　the　chapel…like　Gothic　

background　with　its　sombre　shadows；　conspire　together；　produce　a　

confused；　uncertain　feeling　in　me；　as　though　I　was　walking　upon　a　

pavement　full　of　trap…doors　and　patches　of　uncovered　morass。　　A　

misplaced；　well…meant　〃Hear；　Hear！〃　is　apt　to　be　extraordinarily　

disconcerting；　and　under　no　other　circumstances　have　I　had　to　speak　

with　quite　the　same　sideways　twist　that　the　arrangement　of　the　House　

imposes。　　One　does　not　recognise　one's　own　voice　threading　out　into　

the　stirring　brown。　　Unless　I　was　excited　or　speaking　to　the　mind　of　

some　particular　person　in　the　house；　I　was　apt　to　lose　my　feeling　of　

an　auditor。　　I　had　no　sense　of　whither　my　sentences　were　going；　such　

as　one　has　with　a　public　meeting　well　under　one's　eye。　　And　to　lose　

one's　sense　of　an　auditor　is　for　a　man　of　my　temperament　to　lose　

one's　sense　of　the　immediate；　and　to　become　prolix　and　vague　with　

qualifications。







5





My　discontents　with　the　Liberal　party　and　my　mental　exploration　of　

the　quality　of　party　generally　is　curiously　mixed　up　with　certain　

impressions　of　things　and　people　in　the　National　Liberal　Club。　　The　

National　Liberal　Club　is　Liberalism　made　visible　in　the　fleshand　

Doultonware。　　It　is　an　extraordinary　big　club　done　in　a　bold；　

wholesale；　shiny；　marbled　style；　richly　furnished　with　numerous　

paintings；　steel　engravings；　busts；　and　full…length　statues　of　the　

late　Mr。　Gladstone；　and　its　spacious　dining…rooms；　its　long；　hazy；　

crowded　smoking…room　with　innumerable　little　tables　and　groups　of　

men　in　armchairs；　its　magazine　room　and　library　upstairs；　have　just　

that　undistinguished　and　unconcentrated　diversity　which　is　for　me　

the　Liberal　note。　　The　pensive　member　sits　and　hears　perplexing　

dialects　and　even　fragments　of　foreign　speech；　and　among　the　

clustering　masses　of　less　insistent　whites　his　roving　eye　catches　

profiles　and　complexions　that　send　his　mind　afield　to　Calcutta　or　

Rangoon　or　the　West　Indies　or　Sierra　Leone　or　the