第9章

类别:其他 作者:G。 K。 Chesterton字数:10484更新时间:18/12/13 16:43:17
IliketothinkofalltheMacintoshes,intheirmackintoshes,descendingonsomedoomedLowlandvillage,theirwetwaterproofsflashinginthesunormoon。Forindeedthisisoneoftherealbeautiesofrainyweather,thatwhiletheamountoforiginalanddirectlightiscommonlylessened,thenumberofthingsthatreflectlightisunquestionablyincreased。 Thereislesssunshine;buttherearemoreshinythings;suchbeautifullyshinythingsaspoolsandpuddlesandmackintoshes。Itislikemovinginaworldofmirrors。 Andindeedthisisthelastandnottheleastgraciousofthecasualworksofmagicwroughtbyrain:thatwhileitdecreaseslight,yetitdoublesit。Ifitdimsthesky,itbrightenstheearth。Itgivestheroads(tothesympatheticeye)somethingofthebeautyofVenice。 Shallowlakesofwaterreiterateeverydetailofearthandsky;wedwellinadoubleuniverse。Sometimeswalkinguponbareandlustrouspave- ments,wetundernumerouslamps,amanseemsablackblotonallthatgoldenlooking-glass,andcouldfancyhewasflyinginayellowsky。Butwherevertreesandtownshangheaddownwardsinapigmypuddle,thesenseofCelestialtopsy-turvydomisthesame。Thisbright,wet,dazzlingconfusionofshapeandshadow,ofrealityandreflection,willappealstronglytoanyonewiththetranscendentalinstinctaboutthisdreamyandduallifeofours。Itwillalwaysgiveamanthestrangesenseoflookingdownattheskies。 THEFALSEPHOTOGRAPHER When,aslately,eventshavehappenedthatseem(tothefancy,atleast) totestifnotstaggertheforceofofficialgovernment,itisamusingtoaskoneselfwhatistherealweaknessofcivilisation,oursespecially,whenitcontendswiththeonelawlessman。Iwasremindedofoneweaknessthismorninginturningoveranolddrawerfulofpictures。 Thisweaknessincivilisationisbestexpressedbysayingthatitcaresmoreforsciencethanfortruth。Itpridesitselfonits\"methods\"morethanitsresults;itissatisfiedwithprecision,discipline,goodcommunications,ratherthanwiththesenseofreality。Butthereareprecisefalsehoodsaswellasprecisefacts。Disciplinemayonlymeanahundredmenmakingthesamemistakeatthesameminute。Andgoodcommunicationsmayinpracticebeverylikethoseevilcommunicationswhicharesaidtocorruptgoodmanners。Broadly,wehavereacheda\"scientificage,\"whichwantstoknowwhetherthetrainisinthetime- table,butnotwhetherthetrainisinthestation。ItakeoneinstanceinourpoliceinquiriesthatIhappentohavecomeacross:thecaseofphotography。 Someyearsagoapoetofconsiderablegeniustragicallydisappeared,andtheauthoritiesorthenewspaperscirculatedaphotographofhim,sothathemightbeidentified。Thephotograph,asIrememberit,depictedorsuggestedahandsome,haughty,andsomewhatpallidmanwithhisheadthrownback,withlongdistinguishedfeatures,colourlessthinhairandslightmoustache,andthoughconveyedmerelybytheheadandshoulders,adefiniteimpressionofheight。IfIhadgonebythatphotographIshouldhavegoneaboutlookingforalongsoldierlybutlistlessman,withaprofileratherliketheDukeofConnaught\'s。 Only,asithappened,Iknewthepoetpersonally;Ihadseenhimagreatmanytimes,andhehadanappearancethatnobodycouldpossiblyforget,ifseenonlyonce。HehadthemarkofthosedarkandpassionateWestlandScotch,whobeforeBurnsandafterhavegivenmanysuchdarkeyesanddarkemotionstotheworld。Butinhimtheunmistakablestrain,Gaelicorwhateveritis,wasaccentuatedalmosttooddity;andhelookedlikesomeswarthyelf。Hewassmall,withabigheadandacrescentofcoal- blackhairroundthebackofavastdomeofbaldness。Immediatelyunderhiseyeshischeekboneshadsohighacolourthattheymighthavebeenpaintedscarlet;threeblacktufts,twoontheupperlipandoneunderthelower,seemedtotouchupthefacewiththefiercemoustachesofMephistopheles。Hiseyeshadthat\"dancingmadness\"inthemwhichStevensonsawintheGaeliceyesofAlanBreck;buthesometimesdistortedtheexpressionbyscrewingamonstrousmonocleintooneofthem。 Amanmoreunmistakablewouldhavebeenhardtofind。Youcouldhavepickedhimoutinanycrowd——solongasyouhadnotseenhisphotograph。 Butinthisscientificpictureofhimtwentycauses,accidentalandconventional,hadcombinedtoobliteratehimaltogether。Thelimitsofphotographyforbadethestrongandalmostmelodramaticcolouringofcheekandeyebrow。Theaccidentofthelightingtooknearlyallthedarknessoutofthehairandmadehimlookalmostlikeafairman。Theframingandlimitationoftheshouldersmadehimlooklikeabigman;andthedevastatingboreofbeingphotographedwhenyouwanttowritepoetrymadehimlooklikealazyman。Holdinghisheadback,aspeopledowhentheyarebeingphotographed(orshot),butashecertainlyneverhelditnormally,accidentallyconcealedthebalddomethatdominatedhisslightfigure。Herewehaveaclockworkpicture,begunandfinishedbyabuttonandaboxofchemicals,fromwhicheveryprojectingfeaturehasbeenmoredelicatelyanddexterouslyomittedthantheycouldhavebeenbythemostnamby-pambyflatterer,paintingintheweakestwater-colours,onthesmoothestivory。 IhappentopossessabookofMr。MaxBeerbohm\'scaricatures,oneofwhichdepictstheunfortunatepoetinquestion。Tosayitrepresentsanutterlyincrediblehobgoblinistoexpressinfaintandinadequatelanguagethelicenseofitssprawlinglines。Theauthoritiesthoughtitstrictlysafeandscientifictocirculatethepoet\'sphotograph。TheywouldhaveclappedmeinanasylumifIhadaskedthemtocirculateMax\'scaricature。Butthecaricaturewouldhavebeenfarmorelikelytofindtheman。 Thisisasmallbutexactsymbolofthefailureofscientificcivilisation。Itissosatisfiedinknowingithasaphotographofamanthatitneveraskswhetherithasalikenessofhim。Thusdeclarations,seeminglymostdetailed,haveflashedalongthewiresoftheworldeversinceIwasaboy。WeweretoldthatinsomerowBoerpolicemenhadshotanEnglishman,aBritishsubject,anEnglishcitizen。AlongtimeafterwardswewerequitecasuallyinformedthattheEnglishcitizenwasquiteblack。Well,itmakesnodifferencetothemoralquestion;blackmenshouldbeshotonthesameethicalprinciplesaswhitemen。Butitmakesonedistrustscientificcommunicationswhichpermittedsostartlinganalterationofthephotograph。Iamsorrywegotholdofaphotographicnegativeinwhichablackmancameoutwhite。LaterweweretoldthatanEnglishmanhadfoughtfortheBoersagainsthisownflag,whichwouldhavebeenadisgustingthingtodo。Later,itwasadmittedthathewasanIrishman;whichisexactlyasdifferentasifhehadbeenaPole。Commonsense,withallthefactsbeforeit,doesseethatblackisnotwhite,andthatanationthathasneversubmittedhasarighttomoralindependence。Butwhydoesitsoseldomhaveallthefactsbeforeit?Whyarethebigaggressivefeatures,suchasblacknessortheCelticwrath,alwaysleftoutinsuchofficialcommunications,astheywereleftoutinthephotograph?MyfriendthepoethadhairasblackasanAfricanandeyesasfierceasanIrishman;whydoesourcivilisationdropallfourofthefacts?Itserroristoomitthearrestingthing——whichmightreallyarrestthecriminal。Itstrikesfirstthechillingnoteofscience,demandingaman\"abovethemiddleheight,chinshaven,withgraymoustache,\"etc。,whichmightmeanMr。BalfourorSirRedversBuller。 Itdoesnotseizethefirstfactofimpression,asthatamanisobviouslyasailororaJeworadrunkardoragentlemanoraniggeroranalbinooraprize-fighteroranimbecileoranAmerican。Thesearetherealitiesbywhichthepeoplereallyrecogniseeachother。Theyarealmostalwaysleftoutoftheinquiry。,THESULTAN ThereisonedeepdefectinourextensionofcosmopolitanandImperialcultures。Thatis,thatinmosthumanthingsifyouspreadyourbutterfaryouspreaditthin。Butthereisanodderfactyet:rootedinsomethingdarkandirrationalinhumannature。Thatis,thatwhenyoufindyourbutterthin,youbegintospreadit。Anditisjustwhenyoufindyourideaswearingthininyourownmindthatyoubegintospreadthemamongyourfellow-creatures。Itisaparadox;butnotmyparadox。 Therearenumerouscasesinhistory;butIthinkthestrongestcaseisthis。ThatwehaveImperialisminallourclubsattheverytimewhenwehaveOrientalisminallourdrawing-rooms。 ImeanthatthecolonialidealofsuchmenasCecilRhodesdidnotariseoutofanyfreshcreativeideaoftheWesterngenius,itwasafad,andlikemostfadsanimitation。ForwhatwaswrongwithRhodeswasnotthat,likeCromwellorHildebrand,hemadehugemistakes,noreventhathecommittedgreatcrimes。Itwasthathecommittedthesecrimesanderrorsinordertospreadcertainideas。Andwhenoneaskedfortheideastheycouldnotbefound。CromwellstoodforCalvinism,HildebrandforCatholicism:butRhodeshadnoprincipleswhatevertogivetotheworld。 Hehadonlyahastybutelaboratemachineryforspreadingtheprinciplesthathehadn\'tgot。WhathecalledhisidealswerethedregsofaDarwinismwhichhadalreadygrownnotonlystagnant,butpoisonous。Thatthefittestmustsurvive,andthatanyonelikehimselfmustbethefittest;thattheweakestmustgotothewall,andthatanyonehecouldnotunderstandmustbetheweakest;thatwasthephilosophywhichhelumberinglybelievedthroughlife,likemanyanotheragnosticoldbacheloroftheVictorianera。Allhisviewsonreligion(reverentlyquotedintheReviewofReviews)weresimplythestalestideasofhistime。Itwasnothisfault,poorfellow,thathecalledahighhillsomewhereinSouthAfrica\"hischurch。”Itwasnothisfault,Imean,thathecouldnotseethatachurchalltooneselfisnotachurchatall。 Itisamadman\'scell。Itwasnothisfaultthathe\"figuredoutthatGodmeantasmuchoftheplanettobeAnglo-Saxonaspossible。”Manyevolutionistsmuchwiserhad\"figuredout\"thingsevenmorebabyish。Hewasanhonestandhumblerecipientoftheploddingpopularscienceofhistime;hespreadnoideasthatanycockneyclerkinStreathamcouldnothavespreadforhim。Butitwasexactlybecausehehadnoideastospreadthatheinvokedslaughter,violatedjustice,andruinedrepublicstospreadthem。 Butthecaseisevenstrongerandstranger。FashionableImperialismnotonlyhasnoideasofitsowntoextend;butsuchideasasithasareactuallyborrowedfromthebrownandblackpeoplestowhomitseekstoextendthem。TheCrusadingkingsandknightsmightberepresentedasseekingtospreadWesternideasintheEast。ButallthatourImperialistaristocratscoulddowouldbetospreadEasternideasintheEast。ForthatverygoverningclasswhichurgesOccidentalImperialismhasbeendeeplydiscolouredwithOrientalmysticismandCosmology。 ThesamesocietyladywhoexpectstheHindoostoacceptherviewofpoliticshasherselfacceptedtheirviewofreligion。Shewantsfirsttostealtheirearth,andthentosharetheirheaven。ThesameImperialcynicwhowishestheTurkstosubmittoEnglishsciencehashimselfsubmittedtoTurkishphilosophy,toawhollyTurkishviewofdespotismanddestiny。 ThereisanobviousandamusingproofofthisinarecentlifeofRhodes。 ThewriteradmitswithproperImperialgloomthefactthatAfricaisstillchieflyinhabitedbyAfricans。HesuggestsRhodesintheSouthconfrontingsavagesandKitchenerintheNorthfacingTurks,Arabs,andSoudanese,andthenhequotesthisremarkofCecilRhodes:\"Itisinevitablefatethatallthisshouldbechanged;andIshouldliketobetheagentoffate。”ThatwasCecilRhodes\'sonesmallgenuineidea;anditisanOrientalidea。 HerewehaveevidentalltheultimateidiocyofthepresentImperialposition。RhodesandKitcheneraretoconquerMoslembedouinsandbarbarians,inordertoteachthemtobelieveonlyininevitablefate。 WearetowreckprovincesandpourbloodlikeNiagara,allinordertoteachaTurktosay\"Kismet\";whichhehassaidsincehiscradle。WearetodenyChristianjusticeanddestroyinternationalequality,allinordertoteachanArabtobelieveheis\"anagentoffate,\"whenhehasneverbelievedanythingelse。IfCecilRhodes\'svisioncouldcometrue(whichfortunatelyisincreasinglyimprobable),suchcountriesasPersiaorArabiawouldsimplybefilledwithuglyandvulgarfatalistsinbilly- cocks,insteadofwithgracefulanddignifiedfatalistsinturbans。ThebestWesternidea,theideaofspirituallibertyanddanger,ofadoubtfulandromanticfutureinwhichallthingsmayhappen——thisessentialWesternideaCecilRhodescouldnotspread,because(ashesayshimself)hedidnotbelieveinit。 ItwasanOrientalwhogavetoQueenVictoriathecrownofanEmpressinadditiontothatofaQueen。HedidnotunderstandthatthetitleofKingishigherthanthatofEmperor。ForintheEasttitlesaremeanttobevastandwild;tobeextravagantpoems:theBrotheroftheSunandMoon,theCaliphwholivesforever。ButaKingofEngland(atleastinthedaysofrealkings)didnotbearamerelypoeticaltitle;butratherareligiousone。Hebelongedtohispeopleandnotmerelytheytohim。 Hewasnotmerelyaconqueror,butafather——yes,evenwhenhewasabadfather。Butthissortofsolidsanctityalwaysgoeswithlocalaffectionsandlimits:andtheCecilRhodesImperialismsetupnottheKing,buttheSultan;withallthetypicallyEasternideasofthemagicofmoney,ofluxurywithoutuproar;ofprostrateprovincesandachosenrace。IndeedCecilRhodesillustratedalmosteveryqualityessentialtotheSultan,fromtheloveofdiamondstothescornofwoman。 THEARCHITECTOFSPEARS Theotherday,inthetownofLincoln,IsufferedanopticalillusionwhichaccidentallyrevealedtomethestrangegreatnessoftheGothicarchitecture。Itssecretisnot,Ithink,satisfactorilyexplainedinmostofthediscussionsonthesubject。ItissaidthattheGothiceclipsestheclassicalbyacertainrichnessandcomplexity,atoncelivelyandmysterious。Thisistrue;butOrientaldecorationisequallyrichandcomplex,yetitawakensawidelydifferentsentiment。NomanevergotoutofaTurkeycarpettheemotionsthathegotfromacathedraltower。OveralltheexquisiteornamentofArabiaandIndiathereisthepresenceofsomethingstiffandheartless,ofsomethingtorturedandsilent。Dwarfedtreesandcrookedserpents,heavyflowersandhunchbackedbirdsaccentuatebytheverysplendourandcontrastoftheircolourtheservilityandmonotonyoftheirshapes。Itislikethevisionofasneeringsage,whoseesthewholeuniverseasapattern。CertainlynooneeverfeltlikethisaboutGothic,evenifhehappenstodislikeit。 Or,again,somewillsaythatitisthelibertyoftheMiddleAgesintheuseofthecomicoreventhecoarsethatmakestheGothicmoreinterestingthantheGreek。Thereismoretruthinthis;indeed,thereisrealtruthinit。FewoftheoldChristiancathedralswouldhavepassedtheCensorofPlays。Wetalkoftheinimitablegrandeuroftheoldcathedrals;butindeeditisrathertheirgaietythatwedonotdaretoimitate。Weshouldberathersurprisedifachoristersuddenlybegansinging\"BillBailey\"inchurch。Yetthatwouldbeonlydoinginmusicwhatthemediaevalsdidinsculpture。TheyputintoaMiserereseattheveryscenesthatweputintoamusichallsong:comicdomesticscenessimilartothespillingofthebeerandthehangingoutofthewashing。 ButthoughthegaietyofGothicisoneofitsfeatures,italsoisnotthesecretofitsuniqueeffect。Weseeadomestictopsy-turvydominmanyJapanesesketches。Butdelightfulastheseare,withtheirfairytree-tops,paperhouses,andtoddling,infantileinhabitants,thepleasuretheygiveisofakindquitedifferentfromthejoyandenergyofthegargoyles。Somehaveevenbeensoshallowandilliterateastomaintainthatourpleasureinmedievalbuildingisamerepleasureinwhatisbarbaric,inwhatisrough,shapeless,orcrumblingliketherocks。Thiscanbedismissedafterthesamefashion;SouthSeaidols,withpaintedeyesandradiatingbristles,areadelighttotheeye;buttheydonotaffectitinatallthesamewayasWestminsterAbbey。Someagain(goingtoanotherandalmostequallyfoolishextreme)ignorethecoarseandcomicinmediaevalism;andpraisethepointedarchonlyforitsutterpurityandsimplicity,asofasaintwithhishandsjoinedinprayer。Here,again,theuniquenessismissed。ThereareRenaissancethings(suchastheetherealsilverydrawingsofRaphael),thereareevenpaganthings(suchasthePrayingBoy)whichexpressasfreshandaustereapiety。Noneoftheseexplanationsexplain。AndIneversawwhatwastherealpointaboutGothictillIcameintothetownofLincoln,andsawitbehindarowoffurniture-vans。 Ididnotknowtheywerefurniture-vans;atthefirstglanceandinthesmokydistanceIthoughttheywerearowofcottages。Alowstonewallcutoffthewheels,andthevansweresomewhatofthesamecolourastheyellowishclayorstoneofthebuildingsaroundthem。IhadcomeacrossthatinterminableEasternplainwhichisliketheopensea,andallthemoresobecausetheonesmallhillandtowerofLincolnstandsupinitlikealight-house。Ihadclimbedthesharp,crookedstreetsuptothisecclesiasticalcitadel;justinfrontofmewasaflourishingandrichlycolouredkitchengarden;beyondthatwasthelowstonewall;beyondthattherowofvansthatlookedlikehouses;andbeyondandabovethat,straightandswiftanddark,lightasaflightofbirds,andterribleastheTowerofBabel,LincolnCathedralseemedtoriseoutofhumansight。 AsIlookedatitIaskedmyselfthequestionsthatIhaveaskedhere; whatwasthesoulinallthosestones?Theywerevaried,butitwasnotvariety;theyweresolemn,butitwasnotsolemnity;theywerefarcical,butitwasnotfarce。Whatisitinthemthatthrillsandsoothesamanofourbloodandhistory,thatisnotthereinanEgyptianpyramidoranIndiantempleoraChinesepagoda?AllofasuddenthevansIhadmistakenforcottagesbegantomoveawaytotheleft。InthestartthisgavetomyeyeandmindIreallyfanciedthattheCathedralwasmovingtowardstheright。Thetwohugetowersseemedtostartstridingacrosstheplainlikethetwolegsofsomegiantwhosebodywascoveredwiththeclouds。ThenIsawwhatitwas。 ThetruthaboutGothicis,first,thatitisalive,andsecond,thatitisonthemarch。ItistheChurchMilitant;itistheonlyfightingarchitecture。Allitsspiresarespearsatrest;andallitsstonesarestonesasleepinacatapult。Inthatinstantofillusion,Icouldhearthearchesclashlikeswordsastheycrossedeachother。Themightyandnumberlesscolumnsseemedtogoswingingbylikethehugefeetofimperialelephants。Thegravenfoliagewreathedandblewlikebannersgoingintobattle;thesilencewasdeafeningwithailtheminglednoisesofamilitarymarch;thegreatbellshookdown,astheorganshookupitsthunder。Thethirsty-throatedgargoylesshoutedliketrumpetsfromalltheroofsandpinnaclesastheypassed;andfromthelecterninthecoreofthecathedraltheeagleoftheawfulevangelistclashedhiswingsofbrass。 AndamidallthenoisesIseemedtohearthevoiceofamanshoutinginthemidstlikeoneorderingregimentshitherandthitherinthefight; thevoiceofthegreathalf-militarymaster-builder;thearchitectofspears。Icouldalmostfancyheworearmourwhilehemadethatchurch; andIknewindeedthat,underascripturalfigure,hehadborneineitherhandthetrowelandthesword。 IcouldimagineforthemomentthatthewholeofthathouseoflifehadmarchedoutofthesacredEast,aliveandinterlocked,likeanarmy。 SomeEasternnomadhadfounditsolidandsilentintheredcircleofthedesert。Hehadsleptbyitasbyaworld-forgottenpyramid;andbeenwokeatmidnightbythewingsofstoneandbrass,thetrampingofthetallpillars,thetrumpetsofthewaterspouts。Onsuchanighteverysnakeorsea-beastmusthaveturnedandtwistedineverycryptorcornerofthearchitecture。Andthefiercelycolouredsaintsmarchingeternallyintheflamboyantwindowswouldhavecarriedtheirgloriolesliketorchesacrossdarklandsanddistantseas;tillthewholemountainofmusicanddarknessandlightsdescendedroaringonthelonelyLincolnhill。SoforsomehundredandsixtysecondsIsawthebattle-beautyoftheGothic; thenthelastfurniture-vanshifteditselfaway;andIsawonlyachurchtowerinaquietEnglishtown,roundwhichtheEnglishbirdswerefloating。 THEMANONTOP Thereisafactattherootofallrealitiesto-daywhichcannotbestatedtoosimply。Itisthatthepowersofthisworldarenownottrustedsimplybecausetheyarenottrustworthy。Thiscanbequiteclearlyseenandsaidwithoutanyreferencetoourseveralpassionsorpartisanships。Itdoesnotfollowthatwethinksuchadistrustawisesentimenttoexpress;itdoesnotevenfollowthatwethinkitagoodsentimenttoentertain。Butsuchisthesentiment,simplybecausesuchisthefact。Thedistinctioncanbequiteeasilydefinedinanexample。 Idonotthinkthatprivateworkersoweanindefiniteloyaltytotheiremployer。ButIdothinkthatpatrioticsoldiersoweamoreorlessindefiniteloyaltytotheirleaderinbattle。Buteveniftheyoughttotrusttheircaptain,thefactremainsthattheyoftendonottrusthim; andthefactremainsthatheoftenisnotfittobetrusted。 MostoftheemployersandmanyoftheSocialistsseemtohavegotaverymuddledethicaboutthebasisofsuchloyalty;andperpetuallytrytoputemployersandofficersuponthesamedisciplinaryplane。Ishouldhavethoughtmyselfthatthedifferencewasalphabeticalenough。Ithasnothingtodowiththeidealisingofwarorthematerialisingoftrade; itisadistinctionintheprimarypurpose。TheremightbemuchmoreeleganceandpoetryinashopunderWilliamMorristhaninaregimentunderLordKitchener。Butthedifferenceisnotinthepersonsortheatmosphere,butintheaim。TheBritishArmydoesnotexistinordertopayLordKitchener。WilliamMorris\'sshop,howeverartisticandphilanthropic,didexisttopayWilliamMorris。Ifitdidnotpaytheshopkeeperitfailedasashop;butLordKitchenerdoesnotfailifheisunderpaid,butonlyifheisdefeated。TheobjectoftheArmyisthesafetyofthenationfromoneparticularclassofperils;therefore,sinceallcitizensoweloyaltytothenation,allcitizenswhoaresoldiersoweloyaltytotheArmy。Butnobodyhasanyobligationtomakesomeparticularrichmanricher。Amanisbound,ofcourse,toconsidertheindirectre-suitsofhisactioninastrike;butheisboundtoconsiderthatinaswing,oragiddy-go-round,orasmokingconcert;inhiswildestholidayorhismostprivateconversation。Butdirectresponsibilitylikethatofasoldierhehasnone。Heneednotaimsolelyanddirectlyatthegoodoftheshop;forthesimplereasonthattheshopisnotaimingsolelyanddirectlyatthegoodofthenation。 Theshopmanis,underdecentrestraints,letushope,tryingtogetwhathecanoutofthenation;theshopassistantmay,underthesamedecentrestraints,getwhathecanoutoftheshopkeeper。Allthisdistinctionisveryobvious。AtleastIshouldhavethoughtso。 ButtheprimarypointwhichImeanisthis。Thatevenifwedotakethemilitaryviewofmercantileservice,evenifwedocalltherebelliousshopassistant\"disloyal\"——thatleavesexactlywhereitwasthequestionofwhetherheis,inpointoffact,inagoodorbadshop。GrantedthatallMr。Poole\'semployeesareboundtofollowforevertheclovenpennonofthePerfectPairofTrousers,itisallthemoretruethatthepennonmay,inpointoffact,becomeimperfect。GrantedthatallBarneyBarnato\'sworkersoughttohavefollowedhimtodeathorglory,itisstillaPerfectlylegitimatequestiontoaskwhichhewaslikelytoleadthemto。GrantedthatDr。Sawyer\'sboyoughttodieforhismaster\'smedicines,wemaystillholdaninquesttofindoutifhediedofthem。 Whileweforbidthesoldiertoshootthegeneral,wemaystillwishthegeneralwereshot。 Thefundamentalfactofourtimeisthefailureofthesuccessfulman。 Somehowwehavesoarrangedtherulesofthegamethatthewinnersareworthlessforotherpurposes;theycansecurenothingexcepttheprize。