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surpassed。 And the conditions may vary between opposite extremes： for
example； in a London or Paris slum every child adds to the burden of
poverty and helps to starve the parents and all the other children； whereas
in a settlement of pioneer colonists every child； from the moment it is big
enough to lend a hand to the family industry； is an investment in which the
only danger is that of temporary over…capitalization。 Then there are the
variations in family sentiment。 Sometimes the family organization is as
frankly political as the organization of an army or an industry： fathers
being no more expected to be sentimental about their children than
colonels about soldiers； or factory owners about their employees； though
the mother may be allowed a little tenderness if her character is weak。
The Roman father was a despot： the Chinese father is an object of
worship： the sentimental modern western father is often a play…fellow
looked to for toys and pocket…money。 The farmer sees his children
constantly： the squire sees them only during the holidays； and not then
oftener than he can help： the tram conductor； when employed by a joint
stock company； sometimes never sees them at all。
Under such circumstances phrases like The Influence of Home Life；
The Family； The Domestic Hearth； and so on； are no more specific than
The Mammals； or The Man In The Street； and the pious generalizations
founded so glibly on them by our sentimental moralists are unworkable。
When households average twelve persons with the sexes about equally
represented； the results may be fairly good。 When they average three the
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results may be very bad indeed； and to lump the two together under the
general term The Family is to confuse the question hopelessly。 The
modern small family is much too stuffy： children 〃brought up at home〃
in it are unfit for society。 But here again circumstances differ。 If the
parents live in what is called a garden suburb； where there is a good deal
of social intercourse； and the family； instead of keeping itself to itself； as
the evil old saying is； and glowering at the neighbors over the blinds of the
long street in which nobody knows his neighbor and everyone wishes to
deceive him as to his income and social importance； is in effect broken up
by school life； by out…of…door habits； and by frank neighborly intercourse
through dances and concerts and theatricals and excursions and the like；
families of four may turn out much less barbarous citizens than families of
ten which attain the Boer ideal of being out of sight of one another's
chimney smoke。
All one can say is； roughly； that the homelier the home； and the more
familiar the family； the worse for everybody concerned。 The family ideal
is a humbug and a nuisance： one might as reasonably talk of the barrack
ideal； or the forecastle ideal； or any other substitution of the machinery of
social organization for the end of it； which must always be the fullest and
most capable life： in short； the most godly life。 And this significant
word reminds us that though the popular conception of heaven includes a
Holy Family； it does not attach to that family the notion of a separate
home； or a private nursery or kitchen or mother…in…law； or anything that
constitutes the family as we know it。 Even blood relationship is
miraculously abstracted from it； and the Father is the father of all children；
the mother the mother of all mothers and babies； and the Son the Son of
Man and the Savior of his brothers： one whose chief utterance on the
subject of the conventional family was an invitation to all of us to leave
our families and follow him； and to leave the dead to bury the dead； and
not debauch ourselves at that gloomy festival the family funeral； with its
sequel of hideous mourning and grief which is either affected or morbid。
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Family Mourning
I do not know how far this detestable custom of mourning is carried in
France； but judging from the appearance of the French people I should say
that a Frenchwoman goes into mourning for her cousins to the seventeenth
degree。 The result is that when I cross the Channel I seem to have
reached a country devastated by war or pestilence。 It is really suffering
only from the family。 Will anyone pretend that England has not the best
of this striking difference？ Yet it is such senseless and unnatural
conventions as this that make us so impatient of what we call family
feeling。 Even apart from its insufferable pretensions； the family needs
hearty discrediting； for there is hardly any vulnerable part of it that could
not be amputated with advantage。
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Art Teaching
By art teaching I hasten to say that I do not mean giving children
lessons in freehand drawing and perspective。 I am simply calling
attention to the fact that fine art is the only teacher except torture。 I have
already pointed out that nobody； except under threat of torture； can read a
school book。 The reason is that a school book is not a work of art。
Similarly； you cannot listen to a lesson or a sermon unless the teacher or
the preacher is an artist。 You cannot read the Bible if you have no sense
of literary art。 The reason why the continental European is； to the
Englishman or American； so surprisingly ignorant of the Bible； is that the
authorized English version is a great work of literary art； and the
continental versions are comparatively artless。 To read a dull book； to
listen to a tedious play or prosy sermon or lecture； to stare at uninteresting
pictures or ugly buildings： nothing； short of disease； is more dreadful
than this。 The violence done to our souls by it leaves injuries and
produces subtle maladies which have never been properly studied by
psycho…pathologists。 Yet we are so inured to it in school； where
practically all the teachers are bores trying to do the work of artists； and all
the books artless； that we acquire a truly frightful power of enduring
boredom。 We even acquire the notion that fine art is lascivious and
destructive to the character。 In church； in the House of Commons； at
public meetings； we sit solemnly listening to bores and twaddlers because
from the time we could walk or speak we have been snubbed； scolded；
bullied； beaten and imprisoned whenever we dared to resent being bored
or twaddled at； or to express our natural impatience and derision of bores
and twaddlers。 And when a man arises with a soul of sufficient native
strength to break the bonds of this inculcated reverence and to expose and
deride and tweak the noses of our humbugs and panjandrums； like Voltaire
or Dickens； we are shocked and scandalized； even when we cannot help
laughing。 Worse； we dread and persecute those who can see and declare
the truth； because their sincerity and insight reflects on our delusion and
blindness。 We are all like Nell Gwynne's footman； who defended Nell's
reputation with his fists； not because he believed her to be what he called
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an honest woman； but because he objected to be scorned as the footman of
one who was no better than she should be。
This wretched power of allowing ourselves to be bored may seem to
give the fine arts a chance sometimes。 People will sit through a
performance of Beethoven's ninth symphony or of