首页 >出版文学> A Miscellany of Men>第9章
  IliketothinkofalltheMacintoshes,intheirmackintoshes,descendingonsomedoomedLowlandvillage,theirwetwaterproofsflashinginthesunormoon。Forindeedthisisoneoftherealbeautiesofrainyweather,thatwhiletheamountoforiginalanddirectlightiscommonlylessened,thenumberofthingsthatreflectlightisunquestionablyincreased。
  Thereislesssunshine;buttherearemoreshinythings;suchbeautifullyshinythingsaspoolsandpuddlesandmackintoshes。Itislikemovinginaworldofmirrors。
  Andindeedthisisthelastandnottheleastgraciousofthecasualworksofmagicwroughtbyrain:thatwhileitdecreaseslight,yetitdoublesit。Ifitdimsthesky,itbrightenstheearth。ItgivestheroadstothesympatheticeyesomethingofthebeautyofVenice。
  Shallowlakesofwaterreiterateeverydetailofearthandsky;wedwellinadoubleuniverse。Sometimeswalkinguponbareandlustrouspave-
  ments,wetundernumerouslamps,amanseemsablackblotonallthatgoldenlooking-glass,andcouldfancyhewasflyinginayellowsky。Butwherevertreesandtownshangheaddownwardsinapigmypuddle,thesenseofCelestialtopsy-turvydomisthesame。Thisbright,wet,dazzlingconfusionofshapeandshadow,ofrealityandreflection,willappealstronglytoanyonewiththetranscendentalinstinctaboutthisdreamyandduallifeofours。Itwillalwaysgiveamanthestrangesenseoflookingdownattheskies。
  THEFALSEPHOTOGRAPHER
  When,aslately,eventshavehappenedthatseemtothefancy,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,aspeopledowhentheyarebeingphotographedorshot,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。AllhisviewsonreligionreverentlyquotedintheReviewofReviewsweresimplythestalestideasofhistime。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'svisioncouldcometruewhichfortunatelyisincreasinglyimprobable,suchcountriesasPersiaorArabiawouldsimplybefilledwithuglyandvulgarfatalistsinbilly-
  cocks,insteadofwithgracefulanddignifiedfatalistsinturbans。ThebestWesternidea,theideaofspirituallibertyanddanger,ofadoubtfulandromanticfutureinwhichallthingsmayhappen——thisessentialWesternideaCecilRhodescouldnotspread,becauseashesayshimselfhedidnotbelieveinit。
  ItwasanOrientalwhogavetoQueenVictoriathecrownofanEmpressinadditiontothatofaQueen。HedidnotunderstandthatthetitleofKingishigherthanthatofEmperor。ForintheEasttitlesaremeanttobevastandwild;tobeextravagantpoems:theBrotheroftheSunandMoon,theCaliphwholivesforever。ButaKingofEnglandatleastinthedaysofrealkingsdidnotbearamerelypoeticaltitle;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。Someagaingoingtoanotherandalmostequallyfoolishextremeignorethecoarseandcomicinmediaevalism;andpraisethepointedarchonlyforitsutterpurityandsimplicity,asofasaintwithhishandsjoinedinprayer。Here,again,theuniquenessismissed。ThereareRenaissancethingssuchastheetherealsilverydrawingsofRaphael,thereareevenpaganthingssuchasthePrayingBoywhichexpressasfreshandaustereapiety。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。