友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!阅读过程发现任何错误请告诉我们,谢谢!! 报告错误
九色书籍 返回本书目录 我的书架 我的书签 TXT全本下载 进入书吧 加入书签

the new machiavelli-第65章

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!




understanding。  It isn't that ourSALT of three or four thousand is 

needlessly rare; it is sustained by far too small and 

undifferentiated a public。  Most of the good men we know are not 

really doing the very best work of their gifts; nearly all are a 

little adapted; most are shockingly adapted to some second…best use。  

Now; I take it; this is the very centre and origin of the muddle; 

futility; and unhappiness that distresses us; it's the cardinal 

problem of the stateto discover; develop; and use the exceptional 

gifts of men。  And I see that best doneI drift more and more away 

from the common stuff of legislative and administrative activityby 

a quite revolutionary development of the educational machinery; but 

by a still more unprecedented attempt to keep science going; to keep 

literature going; and to keep what is the necessary spur of all 

science and literature; an intelligent and appreciative criticism 

going。  You know none of these things have ever been kept going 

hitherto; they've come unexpectedly and inexplicably。〃



〃Hear; hear!〃 from Dayton; cough; nodding of the head; and an 

expression of mystical profundity。



〃They've lit up a civilisation and vanished; to give place to 

darkness again。  Now the modern state doesn't mean to go back to 

darkness againand so it's got to keep its light burning。〃  I went 

on to attack the present organisation of our schools and 

universities; which seemed elaborately designed to turn the well…

behaved; uncritical; and uncreative men of each generation into the 

authoritative leaders of the next; and I suggested remedies upon 

lines that I have already indicated in the earlier chapters of this 

story。 。 。 。



So far I had the substance of the club with me; but I opened new 

ground and set Crupp agog by confessing my doubt from which party or 

combination of groups these developments of science and literature 

and educational organisation could most reasonably be expected。  I 

looked up to find Crupp's dark little eye intent upon me。



There I left it to them。



We had an astonishingly good discussion; Neal burst once; but we 

emerged from his flood after a time; and Dayton had his interlude。  

The rest was all close; keen examination of my problem。



I see Crupp now with his arm bent before him on the table in a way 

we had; as though it was jointed throughout its length like a 

lobster's antenna; his plump; short…fingered hand crushing up a 

walnut shell into smaller and smaller fragments。  〃Remington;〃 he 

said; 〃has given us the data for a movement; a really possible 

movement。  It's not only possible; but necessaryurgently 

necessary; I think; if the Empire is to go on。〃



〃We're working altogether too much at the social basement in 

education and training;〃 said Gane。  〃Remington is right about our 

neglect of the higher levels。〃



Britten made a good contribution with an analysis of what he called 

the spirit of a country and what made it。  〃The modern community 

needs its serious men to be artistic and its artists to be taken 

seriously;〃 I remember his saying。  〃The day has gone by for either 

dull responsibility or merely witty art。〃



I remember very vividly how Shoesmith harped on an idea I had thrown 

out of using some sort of review or weekly to express and elaborate 

these conceptions of a new; severer; aristocratic culture。



〃It would have to be done amazingly well;〃 said Britten; and my mind 

went back to my school days and that ancient enterprise of ours; and 

how Cossington had rushed it。  Well; Cossington had too many papers 

nowadays to interfere with us; and we perhaps had learnt some 

defensive devices。



〃But this thing has to be linked to some political party;〃 said 

Crupp; with his eye on me。  〃You can't get away from that。  The 

Liberals;〃 he added; 〃have never done anything for research or 

literature。〃



〃They had a Royal Commission on the Dramatic Censorship;〃 said 

Thorns; with a note of minute fairness。  〃It shows what they were 

made of;〃 he added。



〃It's what I've told Remington again and again;〃 said Crupp; 〃we've 

got to pick up the tradition of aristocracy; reorganise it; and make 

it work。  But he's certainly suggested a method。〃



〃There won't be much aristocracy to pick up;〃 said Dayton; darkly to 

the ceiling; 〃if the House of Lords throws out the Budget。〃



〃All the more reason for picking it up;〃 said Neal。  〃For we can't 

do without it。〃



〃Will they go to the bad; or will they rise from the ashes; 

aristocrats indeedif the Liberals come in overwhelmingly?〃 said 

Britten。



〃It's we who might decide that;〃 said Crupp; insidiously。



〃I agree;〃 said Gane。



〃No one can tell;〃 said Thorns。  〃I doubt if they will get beaten。〃



It was an odd; fragmentary discussion that night。  We were all with 

ideas in our minds at once fine and imperfect。  We threw out 

suggestions that showed themselves at once far inadequate; and we 

tried to qualify them by minor self…contradictions。  Britten; I 

think; got more said than any one。  〃You all seem to think you want 

to organise people; particular groups and classes of individuals;〃 

he insisted。  〃It isn't that。  That's the standing error of 

politicians。  You want to organise a culture。  Civilisation isn't a 

matter of concrete groupings; it's a matter of prevailing ideas。  

The problem is how to make bold; clear ideas prevail。  The question 

for Remington and us is just what groups of people will most help 

this culture forward。〃



〃Yes; but how are the Lords going to behave?〃 said Crupp。  〃You 

yourself were asking that a little while ago。〃



〃If they win or if they lose;〃 Gane maintained; 〃there will be a 

movement to reorganise aristocracyReform of the House of Lords; 

they'll call the political form of it。〃



〃Bailey thinks that;〃 said some one。



〃The labour people want abolition;〃 said some one。  〃Let 'em;〃 said 

Thorns。



He became audible; sketching a possibility of action。



〃Suppose all of us were able to work together。  It's just one of 

those indeterminate; confused; eventful times ahead when a steady 

jet of ideas might produce enormous results。〃



〃Leave me out of it;〃 said Dayton; 〃IF you please。〃



〃We should;〃 said Thorns under his breath。



I took up Crupp's initiative; I remember; and expanded it。



〃I believe we could doextensive things;〃 I insisted。



〃Revivals and revisions of Toryism have been tried so often;〃 said 

Thorns; 〃from the Young England movement onward。〃



〃Not one but has produced its enduring effects;〃 I said。  〃It's the 

peculiarity of English conservatism that it's persistently 

progressive and rejuvenescent。〃



I think it must have been about that point that Dayton fled our 

presence; after some clumsy sentence that I decided upon reflection 

was intended to remind me of my duty to my party。



Then I remember Thorns firing doubts at me obliquely across the 

table。  〃You can't run a country through its spoilt children;〃 he 

said。  〃What you call aristocrats are really spoilt children。  

They've had too much of everything; except bracing experience。〃



〃Children can always be educated;〃 said Crupp。



〃I said SPOILT children;〃 said Thorns。



〃Look here; Thorns!〃 said I。  〃If this Budget row leads to a storm; 

and these big people get their power clipped; what's going to 

happen?  Have you thought of that?  When they go out lock; stock; 

and barrel; who comes in?〃



〃Nature abhors a Vacuum;〃 said Crupp; supporting me。



〃Bailey's trained officials;〃 suggested Gane。



〃Quacks with a certificate of approval from Altiora;〃 said Thorns。  

〃I admit the horrors of the alternative。  There'd be a massacre in 

three years。〃



〃One may go on trying possibilities for ever;〃 I said。  〃One thing 

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 s
返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0
未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!