a treatise on parents and children(父母与子女专题研究)-第25章
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Beethoven's third Leonora overture； they would enjoy the ragtimes all the
more； but they would put them in their proper place as amusing
vulgarities。
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Artist Idolatry
But there are more dangerous influences than ragtimes waiting for
people brought up in ignorance of fine art。 Nothing is more pitiably
ridiculous than the wild worship of artists by those who have never been
seasoned in youth to the enchantments of art。 Tenors and prima donnas；
pianists and violinists； actors and actresses enjoy powers of seduction
which in the middle ages would have exposed them to the risk of being
burnt for sorcery。 But as they exercise this power by singing； playing；
and acting； no great harm is done except perhaps to themselves。 Far
graver are the powers enjoyed by brilliant persons who are also
connoisseurs in art。 The influence they can exercise on young people
who have been brought up in the darkness and wretchedness of a home
without art； and in whom a natural bent towards art has always been
baffled and snubbed； is incredible to those who have not witnessed and
understood it。 He （or she） who reveals the world of art to them opens
heaven to them。 They become satellites； disciples； worshippers of the
apostle。 Now the apostle may be a voluptuary without much conscience。
Nature may have given him enough virtue to suffice in a reasonable
environment。 But this allowance may not be enough to defend him
against the temptation and demoralization of finding himself a little god
on the strength of what ought to be a quite ordinary culture。 He may find
adorers in all directions in our uncultivated society among people of
stronger character than himself； not one of whom； if they had been
artistically educated； would have had anything to learn from him or
regarded him as in any way extraordinary apart from his actual
achievements as an artist。 Tartuffe is not always a priest。 Indeed he is not
always a rascal： he is often a weak man absurdly credited with
omniscience and perfection； and taking unfair advantages only because
they are offered to him and he is too weak to refuse。 Give everyone his
culture； and no one will offer him more than his due。
In thus delivering our children from the idolatry of the artist； we shall
not destroy for them the enchantment of art： on the contrary； we shall
teach them to demand art everywhere as a condition attainable by
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cultivating the body； mind； and heart。 Art； said Morris； is the expression
of pleasure in work。 And certainly； when work is made detestable by
slavery； there is no art。 It is only when learning is made a slavery by
tyrannical teachers that art becomes loathsome to the pupil。
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〃The Machine〃
When we set to work at a Constitution to secure freedom for children；
we had better bear in mind that the children may not be at all obliged to us
for our pains。 Rousseau said that men are born free； and this saying； in
its proper bearings； was and is a great and true saying； yet let it not lead us
into the error of supposing that all men long for freedom and embrace it
when it is offered to them。 On the contrary； it has to be forced on them；
and even then they will give it the slip if it is not religiously inculcated and
strongly safeguarded。
Besides； men are born docile； and must in the nature of things remain
so with regard to everything they do not understand。 Now political
science and the art of govemment are among the things they do not
understand； and indeed are not at present allowed to understand。 They
can be enslaved by a system； as we are at present； because it happens to be
there； and nobody understands it。 An intelligently worked Capitalist
system； as Comte saw； would give us all that most of us are intelligent
enough to want。 What makes it produce such unspeakably vile results is
that it is an automatic system which is as little understood by those who
profit by it in money as by those who are starved and degraded by it： our
millionaires and statesmen are manifestly no more 〃captains of industry〃
or scientific politicians than our bookmakers are mathematicians。 For
some time past a significant word has been coming into use as a substitute
for Destiny； Fate； and Providence。 It is 〃The Machine〃： the machine
that has no god in it。 Why do governments do nothing in spite of reports
of Royal Commissions that establish the most frightful urgency？ Why do
our philanthropic millionaires do nothing； though they are ready to throw
bucketfuls of gold into the streets？ The Machine will not let them。
Always the Machine。 In short； they dont know how。
They try to reform Society as an old lady might try to restore a broken
down locomotive by prodding it with a knitting needle。 And this is not at
all because they are born fools； but because they have been educated； not
into manhood and freedom； but into blindness and slavery by their parents
and schoolmasters； themselves the victims of a similar misdirection； and
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consequently of The Machine。 They do not want liberty。 They have not
been educated to want it。 They choose slavery and inequality； and all the
other evils are automatically added to them。
And yet we must have The Machine。 It is only in unskilled hands
under ignorant direction that machinery is dangerous。 We can no more
govern modern communities without political machinery than we can feed
and clothe them without industrial machinery。 Shatter The Machine； and
you get Anarchy。 And yet The Machine works so detestably at present
that we have people who advocate Anarchy and call themselves
Anarchists。
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The Provocation to Anarchism
What is valid in Anarchism is that all Governments try to simplify
their task by destroying liberty and glorifying authority in general and
their own deeds in particular。 But the difficulty in combining law and
order with free institutions is not a natural one。 It is a matter of
inculcation。 If people are brought up to be slaves； it is useless and
dangerous to let them loose at the age of twenty…one and say 〃Now you
are free。〃 No one with the tamed soul and broken spirit of a slave can be
free。 It is like saying to a laborer brought up on a family income of
thirteen shillings a week； 〃Here is one hundred thousand pounds： now
you are wealthy。〃 Nothing can make such a man really wealthy。
Freedom and wealth are difficult and responsible conditions to which men
must be accustomed and socially trained from birth。 A nation that is free
at twenty…one is not free at all； just as a man first enriched at fifty remains
poor all his life； even if he does not curtail it by drinking himself to death
in the first wild ecstasy of being able to swallow as much as he likes for
the first time。 You cannot govern men brought up as slaves otherwise
than as slaves are governed。 You may pile Bills of Right and Habeas
Corpus Acts on Great Charters； promulgate American Constitutions； burn
the chateaux and guillotine the seigneurs； chop off the heads of kings and
queens and set up Democracy on the ruins of feudalism： the end of it all
for us is that already in the twentieth century there has been as much brute
coercion and savage intolerance； as much flogging and hanging； as much
impudent injustice on the bench and lustful rancor in the pulpit； as much
naive resort to torture； persecution； and suppression of free speech and
freedom of the press； as much war； as much of the vilest excess of
mutilation； rapine； and delirious indiscriminate slaughter of helpless non…
combatants； old and young； as much prostitution of professional talent；
literary and political； in defence of manifest wrong； as much cowardly
sycophancy giving fine names to all this villainy or pretending that it is
〃greatly exaggerated；〃 as we can find any record of from the days when
the advocacy of liberty was a capital offence and Democracy was hardly
thinkable。 Democracy exhibits the vanity of Louis XIV； the savagery of
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Peter of Russia； the nepotism and provinciality of Napoleon； the fickleness
of Catherine II： in short； all the childishnesses of all the despots without
any of the qualities that enabled the greatest of them to fascinate and
dominate their contemporaries。
And the flatterers of Democracy are as impudently servile to the
successful； and insolent to common honest folk； as the flatterers of the
monarchs。 Democracy in America has led to the withdrawal of ordinary
refined persons from politics； and the same result is comin
