utopia of usurers and other essays-第17部分

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think　the　theory　of　Determinism　as　true　as　Calvin　thought　it。　　But　I　do
not　like　seeing　them　walk　straight　into　the　enormous　iron　trap　set　open　by
the　Capitalists；　who　find　it　convenient　to　make　our　law　even　more　lawless
than　it　is。　　The　rich　men　want　a　scientist　to　write　them　a　_lettre　de
cachet_　as　a　doctor　writes　a　prescription。　　And　so　they　wish　to　seal　up　in
a　public　gaol　the　scandals　of　a　private　asylum。　　Yes；　the　writers　on　the
〃Clarion〃　are　indeed　claiming　irresponsibility　for　human　beings。　　But　it
is　the　governments　that　will　be　irresponsible；　not　the　governed。

But　I　will　tell　them　one　small　secret　in　conclusion。　　There　is　nothing
whatever　wrong　in　the　ancient　and　universal　idea　of　Punishmentexcept
that　we　are　not　punishing　the　right　people。


THE　DREGS　OF　PURITANISM

One　peculiarity　of　the　genuine　kind　of　enemy　of　the　people　is　that　his
slightest　phrase　is　clamorous　with　all　his　sins。　　Pride；　vain…glory；　and
hypocrisy　seem　present　in　his　very　grammar；　in　his　very　verbs　or　adverbs
or　prepositions；　as　well　as　in　what　he　says；　which　is　generally　bad　enough。
Thus　I　see　that　a　Nonconformist　pastor　in　Bromley　has　been　talking　about
the　pathetic　little　presents　of　tobacco　sent　to　the　common　soldiers。　　This
is　how　he　talks　about　it。　　He　is　reported　as　having　said；　〃By　the　help　of
God；　they　wanted　this　cigarette　business　stopped。〃　　How　one　could　write　a
volume　on　that　sentence；　a　great　thick　volume　called　〃The　Decline　of　the
English　Middle　Class。〃　　In　taste；　in　style；　in　philosophy；　in　feeling；　in
political　project；　the　horrors　of　it　are　as　unfathomable　as　hell。

First；　to　begin　with　the　trifle；　note　something　slipshod　and　vague　in　the
mere　verbiage；　typical　of　those　who　prefer　a　catchword　to　a　creed。　　〃This
cigarette　business〃　might　mean　anything。　　It　might　mean　Messrs。　　Salmon
and　Gluckstein's　business。　　But　the　pastor　at　Bromley　will　not　interfere
with　that；　for　the　indignation　of　his　school　of　thought；　even　when　it　is
sincere；　always　instinctively　and　unconsciously　swerves　aside　from
anything　that　is　rich　and　powerful　like　the　partners　in　a　big　business；
and　strikes　instead　something　that　is　poor　and　nameless　like　the　soldiers
in　a　trench。　　Nor　does　the　expression　make　clear　who　〃they〃　arewhether
the　inhabitants　of　Britain　or　the　inhabitants　of　Bromley；　or　the
inhabitants　of　this　one　crazy　tabernacle　in　Bromley；　nor　is　it　evident　how
it　is　going　to　be　stopped　or　who　is　being　asked　to　stop　it。　　All　these
things　are　trifles　compared　to　the　more　terrible　offences　of　the　phrase；
but　they　are　not　without　their　social　and　historical　interest。　　About　the
beginning　of　the　nineteenth　century　the　wealthy　Puritan　class；　generally
the　class　of　the　employers　of　labour；　took　a　line　of　argument　which　was
narrow；　but　not　nonsensical。　　They　saw　the　relation　of　rich　and　poor　quite
coldly　as　a　contract；　but　they　saw　that　a　contract　holds　both　ways。　　The
Puritans　of　the　middle　class；　in　short；　did　in　some　sense　start　talking
and　thinking　for　themselves。　　They　are　still　talking。　　They　have　long　ago
left　off　thinking。　　They　talk　about　the　loyalty　of　workmen　to　their
employers；　and　God　knows　what　rubbish；　and　the　first　small　certainty　about
the　reverend　gentleman　whose　sentence　I　have　quoted　is　that　his　brain
stopped　working　as　a　clock　stops；　years　and　years　ago。

Second；　consider　the　quality　of　the　religious　literature！　　These　people
are　always　telling　us　that　the　English　translated　Bible　is　sufficient
training　for　anyone　in　noble　and　appropriate　diction；　and　so　it　is。　　Why；
then；　are　they　not　trained？　　They　are　always　telling　us　that　Bunyan；　the
rude　Midland　tinker；　is　as　much　worth　reading　as　Chaucer　or　Spenser；　and
so　he　is。　　Why；　then；　have　they　not　read　him？　　I　cannot　believe　that
anyone　who　had　seen；　even　in　a　nightmare　of　the　nursery；　Apollyon
straddling　over　the　whole　breadth　of　the　way　could　really　write　like　that
about　a　cigarette。　　By　the　help　of　God；　they　wanted　this　cigarette
business　stopped。　　Therefore；　with　angels　and　archangels　and　the　whole
company　of　Heaven；　with　St。　Michael；　smiter　of　Satan　and　Captain　of　the
Chivalry　of　God；　with　all　the　ardour　of　the　seraphs　and　the　flaming
patience　of　the　saints；　we　will　have　this　cigarette　business　stopped。
Where　has　all　the　tradition　of　the　great　religious　literatures　gone　to
that　a　man　should　come　on　such　a　bathos　with　such　a　bump？

Thirdly；　of　course；　there　is　the　lack　of　imaginative　proportion；　which
rises　into　a　sort　of　towering　blasphemy。　　An　enormous　number　of　live　young
men　are　being　hurt　by　shells；　hurt　by　bullets；　hurt　by　fever　and　hunger
and　horror　of　hope　deferred；　hurt　by　lance　blades　and　sword　blades　and
bayonet　blades　breaking　into　the　bloody　house　of　life。　　But　Mr。　Price　（I
think　that's　his　name）　is　still　anxious　that　they　should　not　be　hurt　by
cigarettes。　　That　is　the　sort　of　maniacal　isolation　that　can　be　found　in
the　deserts　of　Bromley。　　That　cigarettes　are　bad　for　the　health　is　a　very
tenable　opinion　to　which　the　minister　is　quite　entitled。　　If　he　happens　to
think　that　the　youth　of　Bromley　smoke　too　many　cigarettes；　and　that　he　has
any　influence　in　urging　on　them　the　unhealthiness　of　the　habit；　I　should
not　blame　him　if　he　gave　sermons　or　lectures　about　it　（with　magic…lantern
slides）；　so　long　as　it　was　in　Bromley　and　about　Bromley。　　Cigarettes　may
be　bad　for　the　health：　bombs　and　bayonets　and　even　barbed　wire　are　not
good　for　the　health。　　I　never　met　a　doctor　who　recommended　any　of　them。
But　the　trouble　with　this　sort　of　man　is　that　he　cannot　adjust　himself　to
the　scale　of　things。　　He　would　do　very　good　service　if　he　would　go　among
the　rich　aristocratic　ladies　and　tell　them　not　to　take　drugs　in　a　chronic
sense；　as　people　take　opium　in　China。　　But　he　would　be　doing　very　bad
service　if　he　were　to　go　among　the　doctors　and　nurses　on　the　field　and
tell　them　not　to　give　drugs；　as　they　give　morphia　in　a　hospital。　　But　it
is　the　whole　hypothesis　of　war；　it　is　its　very　nature　and　first　principle；
that　the　man　in　the　trench　is　almost　as　much　a　suffering　and　abnormal
person　as　the　man　in　the　hospital。　　Hit　or　unhit；　conqueror　or　conquered；
he　is；　by　nature　of　the　case；　having　less　pleasure　than　is　proper　and
natural　to　a　man。

Fourth　（for　I　need　not　dwell　here　on　the　mere　diabolical　idiocy　that　can
regard　beer　or　tobacco　as　in　some　way　evil　and　unseemly　in　themselves）；
there　is　the　most　important　element　in　this　strange　outbreak；　at　least；
the　most　dangerous　and　the　most　important　for　us。　　There　is　that　main
feature　in　the　degradation　of　the　old　middle　class：　the　utter
disappearance　of　its　old　appetite　for　liberty。　　Here　there　is　no　question
of　whether　the　men　are　to　smoke　cigarettes；　or　the　women　choose　to　send
cigarettes；　or　even　that　the　officers　or　doctors　choose　to　allow
cigarettes。　　The　thing　is　to　cease；　and　we　may　note　one　of　the　most
recurrent　ideas　of　the　servile　State：　it　is　mentioned　in　the　passive　mood。
It　must　be　stopped；　and　we　must　not　even　ask　who　has　stopped　it！



THE　TYRANNY　OF　BAD　JOURNALISM

The　amazing　decision　of　the　Government　to　employ　methods　quite　alien　to
England；　and　rather　belonging　to　the　police　of　the　Continent；　probably
arises　from　the　appearance　of　papers　which　are　lucid　and　fighting；　like
the　papers　of　the　Continent。　　The　business　may　be　put　in　many　ways。　　But
one　way　of　putting　it　is　simply　to　say　that　a　monopoly　of　bad　journalism
is　resisting　the　possibility　of　good　journalism。　　Journalism　is　not　the
same　thing　as　literature；　but　there　is　good　and　bad　journalism；　as　there
is　good　and　bad　literature；　as　there　is　good　and　bad　football。　　For　the
last　twenty　years　or　so　the　plutocrats　who　govern　England　have　allowed　the
English　nothing　but　bad　journalism。　　Very　bad　journalism；　simply
considered　as　journalism。

It　always　takes　a　considerable　time　to　see　the　simple　and　central　fact
about　anything。　　All　sorts　of　things　have　been　said　about　the　modern　Press；
especially　the　Yellow　Press；　that　it　is　Jingo　or　Philistine　or
sensational　or　wrongly　inquisitive　or　vulgar　or　indecent　or　trivial；　but
none　of　these　have　anything　really　to　do　with　the　point。

The　point　about　the　Press　is　that　it　is　not　what　it　is　called。　　It　is　not
the　〃popular　Press。〃　It　is　not　the　public　Press。　　It　is　not　an　organ　of
public　opinion。　　It　is　a　conspiracy　of　a　very　few　millionaires；　all
sufficiently　similar　in　type　to　agree　on　the　limits　of　what　this　great
nation　（to　which　we　belong）　may　know　about　itself　and　its　friends　and
enemies。　　The　ring　is　not　quite　complete；　there　are　old…fashioned　and
honest　papers：　but　it　is　sufficiently　near　to　completion　to　produce　on　the
ordinary　purchaser　of　news　the　practical　effects　of　a　corner　and　a
monopoly。　　He　receives　all　his　political　information　and　all　his　political
marching　orders　from　what　is　by　this　time　a　sort　of　half…conscious　secret
society；　with　very　few　members；　but　a　great　deal　of　money。

This　enormous　and　essential　fact　is　concealed　for　us　by　a　number　of
legends　that　have　passed　into　common　speech。　　There　is　the　notion　that　the
Press　is　flashy　or　trivial　_because_　it　is　popular。　　In　other　words；　an
attempt　is　made　to　discredit　democracy　by　representing　journalism　as　the
natural　literature　of　democracy。　　All　this　is　cold　rubbish。　　The
democracy　has　no　more　to　do　with　the　papers　than　it　has　with　the　peerages。
The　millionaire　newspapers　are　vulgar　and　silly　because　the　millionaires
are　vulgar　and　silly。　　It　is　the　proprietor；　not　the　editor；　not　the
sub…editor；　least　of　all　the　reader；　who　is　pleased　with　this　monotonous
prairie　of　printed　words。　　The　same　slander　on　democracy　can　be　noticed　in
the　case　of　advertisements。　　There　is　many　a　tender　old　Tory　imagination
that　vaguely　feels　that　our　streets　would　be　hung　with　escutcheons　and
tapestries；　if　only　the　profane　vulgar　had　not　hung　them　with
advertisements　of　Sapolio　and　Sunlight　Soap。　　But　advertisement　does　not
come　from　the　unlettered　many。　　It　comes　from　the　refined　few。　　Did　you
ever　hear　of　a　mob　rising　to　placard　the　Town　Hall　with　proclamations　in
favour　of　Sapolio？　　Did　you　ever　see　a　poor；　ragged　man　laboriously
drawing　and　painting　a　picture　on　the　wall　in　favour　of　Sunlight
Soapsimply　as　a　labour　of　love？　　It　is　nonsense