war and the future-第3章

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understand。　　And　since　then　I　have　returned　from　Italy　and　I　have
seen　and　I　do　understand。　　The　Allied　offensive　was　winning；　that
is　to　say；　it　was　inflicting　far　greater　losses　than　it
experienced；　it　was　steadily　beating　the　spirit　out　of　the　German
army　and　shoving　it　back　towards　Germany。　　Only　peace　can；　I
believe；　prevent　the　western　war　ending　in　Germany。　　And　it　is
the　Frenchmen　mainly　who　have　worked　out　how　to　do　it。

But　of　that　I　will　write　later。　　My　present　concern　is　with
General　Joffre　as　the　antithesis　of　the　Effigy。　　The　effigy；

〃Thou　Prince　of　Peace；
Thou　God　of　War；〃

as　Mr。　Sylvester　Viereck　called　him；　prances　on　a　great　horse；
wears　a　Wagnerian　cloak；　sits　on　thrones　and　talks　of　shining
armour　and　〃unser　Gott。〃　　All　Germany　gloats　over　his　Jovian
domesticities；　when　I　was　last　in　Berlin　the　postcard　shops　were
full　of　photographs　of　a　sort　of　procession　of　himself　and　his
sons；　all　with　long　straight　noses　and　sidelong　eyes。　　It　is　all
dreadfully　old…fashioned。　　General　Joffre　sits　in　a　pleasant
little　sitting…room　in　a　very　ordinary　little　villa　conveniently
close　to　Headquarters。　　He　sits　among　furniture　that　has　no
quality　of　pose　at　all；　that　is　neither　magnificent　nor
ostentatiously　simple　and　hardy。　　He　has　dark；　rather　sleepy　eyes
under　light　eyelashes；　eyes　that　glance　shyly　and　a　little
askance　at　his　interlocutor　and　then；　as　he　talks；　awayas　if　he
did　not　want　to　be　preoccupied　by　your　attention。　　He　has　a
broad；　rather　broadly　modelled　face；　a　soft　voice；　the　sort　of
persuasive　reasoning　voice　that　many　Scotchmen　have。　　I　had　a
feeling　that　if　he　were　to　talk　English　he　would　do　so　with　a
Scotch　accent。　　Perhaps　somewhere　I　have　met　a　Scotchman　of　his
type。　　He　sat　sideways　to　his　table　as　a　man　might　sit　for　a
gossip　in　a　cafe。

He　is　physically　a　big　man；　and　in　my　memory　he　grows　bigger　and
bigger。　　He　sits　now　in　my　memory　in　a　room　like　the　rooms　that
any　decent　people　might　occupy；　like　that　vague　room　that　is　the
background　of　so　many　good　portraits；　a　great　blue…coated　figure
with　a　soft　voice　and　rather　tired　eyes；　explaining　very　simply
and　clearly　the　difficulties　that　this　vulgar　imperialism　of
Germany；　seizing　upon　modern　science　and　modern　appliances；　has
created　for　France　and　the　spirit　of　mankind。

He　talked　chiefly　of　the　strangeness　of　this　confounded　war。　　It
was　exactly　like　a　sanitary　engineer　speaking　of　the　unexpected
difficulties　of　some　particularly　nasty　inundation。　　He　made
little　stiff　horizontal　gestures　with　his　hands。　　First　one　had
to　build　a　dam　and　stop　the　rush　of　it；　so；　then　one　had　to
organise　the　push　that　would　send　it　back。　　He　explained　the
organisation　of　the　push。　　They　had　got　an　organisation　now　that
was　working　out　most　satisfactorily。　　Had　I　seen　a　sector？　　I　had
seen　the　sector　of　Soissons。　　Yes；　but　that　was　not　now　an
offensive　sector。　　I　must　see　an　offensive　sector；　see　the　whole
method。　　Lieutenant　de　Tessin　must　see　that　that　was　arranged。。。。

Neither　he　nor　his　two　colleagues　spoke　of　the　Germans　with
either　hostility　or　humanity。　　Germany　for　them　is　manifestly
merely　an　objectionable　Thing。　　It　is　not　a　nation；　not　a　people；
but　a　nuisance。　　One　has　to　build　up　this　great　counter…thrust
bigger　and　stronger　until　they　go　back。　　The　war　must　end　in
Germany。　　The　French　generals　have　no　such　delusions　about　German
science　or　foresight　or　capacity　as　dominates　the　smart　dinner
chatter　of　England。　　One　knows　so　well　that　detestable　type　of
English　folly；　and　its　voice　of　despair：　〃They　/plan/
everything。　　They　foresee　everything。〃　　This　paralysing
Germanophobia　is　not　common　among　the　French。　　The　war；　the
French　generals　said；　might　takewell；　it　certainly　looked　like
taking　longer　than　the　winter。　　Next　summer　perhaps。　　Probably；
if　nothing　unforeseen　occurred；　before　a　full　year　has　passed　the
job　might　be　done。　　Were　any　surprises　in　store？　　They　didn't
seem　to　think　it　was　probable　that　the　Germans　had　any　surprises
in　store。。。。　　The　Germans　are　not　an　inventive　people；　they　are
merely　a　thorough　people。　　One　never　knew　for　certain。

Is　any　greater　contrast　possible　than　between　so　implacable；
patient；　reasonableand　above　all　things　/capable/a　being
as　General　Joffre　and　the　rhetorician　of　Potsdam；　with　his　talk
of　German　Might；　of　Hammer　Blows　and　Hacking　Through？　　Can　there
be　any　doubt　of　the　ultimate　issue　between　them？

There　are　stories　that　sound　pleasantly　true　to　me　about　General
Joffre's　ambitions　after　the　war。　　He　is　tired；　then　he　will　be
very　tired。　　He　will；　he　declares；　spend　his　first　free　summer　in
making　a　tour　of　the　waterways　of　France　in　a　barge。　　So　I　hope
it　may　be。　　One　imagines　him　as　sitting　quietly　on　the　crumpled
remains　of　the　last　and　tawdriest　of　Imperial　traditions；　with　a
fishing　line　in　the　placid　water　and　a　large　buff　umbrella
overhead；　the　good　ordinary　man　who　does　whatever　is　given　to　him
to　doas　well　as　he　can。　　The　power　that　has　taken　the　great
effigy　of　German　imperialism　by　the　throat　is　something　very
composite　and　complex；　but　if　we　personify　it　at　all　it　is
something　more　like　General　Joffre　than　any　other　single　human
figure　I　can　think　of　or　imagine。

If　I　were　to　set　a　frontispiece　to　a　book　about　this　War　I　would
make　General　Joffre　the　frontispiece。


4

As　we　swung　back　along　the　dusty　road　to　Paris　at　a　pace　of　fifty
miles　an　hour　and　upwards；　driven　by　a　helmeted　driver　with　an
aquiline　profile　fit　to　go　upon　a　coin；　whose　merits　were　a
little　flawed　by　a　childish　and　dangerous　ambition　to　run　over
every　cat　he　saw　upon　the　road；　I　talked　to　de　Tessin　about　this
big　blue…coated　figure　of　Joffre；　which　is　not　so　much　a　figure
as　a　great　generalisation　of　certain　hitherto　rather　obscured
French　qualities；　and　of　the　impression　he　had　made　upon　me。　　And
from　that　I　went　on　to　talk　about　the　Super　Man；　for　this
encounter　had　suddenly　crystallised　out　a　set　of　realisations
that　had　been　for　some　time　latent　in　my　mind。

How　much　of　what　follows　I　said　to　de　Tessin　at　the　time　I　do　not
clearly　remember；　but　this　is　what　I　had　in　mind。

The　idea　of　the　superman　is　an　idea　that　has　been　developed　by
various　people　ignorant　of　biology　and　unaccustomed　to　biological
ways　of　thinking。　　It　is　an　obvious　idea　that　follows　in　the
course　of　half　an　hour　or　so　upon　one's　realisation　of　the
significance　of　Darwinism。　　If　man　has　evolved　from　something
different；　he　must　now　be　evolving　onward　into　something　sur…
human。　　The　species　in　the　future　will　be　different　from　the
species　of　the　past。　　So　far　at　least　our　Nietzsches　and　Shaws
and　so　on　went　right。

But　being　ignorant　of　the　elementary　biological　proposition　that
modification　of　a　species　means　really　a　secular　change　in　its
average；　they　jumped　to　a　conclusionto　which　the　late　Lord
Salisbury　also　jumped　years　ago　at　a　very　memorable　British
Association　meetingthat　a　species　is　modified　by　the　sudden
appearance　of　eccentric　individuals　here　and　there　in　the　general
mass　who　interbreedpreferentially。　　Helped　by　a　streak　of　antic
egotism　in　themselves；　they　conceived　of　the　superman　as　a
posturing　personage；　misunderstood　by　the　vulgar；　fantastic；
wonderful。　　But　the　antic　Personage；　the　thing　I　have　called　the
Effigy；　is　not　new　but　old；　the　oldest　thing　in　history；　the
departing　thing。　　It　depends　not　upon　the　advance　of　the　species
but　upon　the　uncritical　hero…worship　of　the　crowd。　　You　may　see
the　monster　drawn　twenty　times　the　size　of　common　men　upon　the
oldest　monuments　of　Egypt　and　Assyria。　　The　true　superman　comes
not　as　the　tremendous　personal　entry　of　a　star；　but　in　the　less
dramatic　form　of　a　general　increase　of　goodwill　and　skill　and
common　sense。　　A　species　rises　not　by　thrusting　up　peaks　but　by
the　brimming　up　as　a　flood　does。　　The　coming　of　the　superman
means　not　an　epidemic　of　personages　but　the　disappearance　of　the
Personage　in　the　universal　ascent。　　That　is　the　point　overlooked
by　the　megalomaniac　school　of　Nietzsche　and　Shaw。

And　it　is　the　peculiarity　of　this　war；　it　is　the　most　reassuring
evidence　that　a　great　increase　in　general　ability　and　critical
ability　has　been　going　on　throughout　the　last　century；　that　no
isolated　great　personages　have　emerged。　　Never　has　there　been　so
much　ability；　invention；　inspiration；　leadership；　but　the　very
abundance　of　good　qualities　has　prevented　our　focusing　upon　those
of　any　one　individual。　　We　all　play　our　part　in　the　realisation
of　God's　sanity　in　the　world；　but；　as　the　strange；　dramatic　end
of　Lord　Kitchener　has　served　to　remind　us；　there　is　no　single
individual　of　all　the　allied　nations　whose　death　can　materially
affect　the　great　destinies　of　this　war。

In　the　last　few　years　I　have　developed　a　religious　belief　that
has　become　now　to　me　as　real　as　any　commonplace　fact。　　I　think
that　mankind　is　still　as　it　were　collectively　dreaming　and　hardly
more　awakened　to　reality　than　a　very　young　child。　　It　has　these
dreams　that　we　express　by　the　flags　of　nationalities　and　by
strange　loyalties　and　by　irrational　creeds　and　ceremonies；　and
its　dreams　at　times　become　such　nightmares　as　this　war。　　But　the
time　draws　near　when　mankind　will　awake　and　the　dreams　will　fade
away；　and　then　there　will　be　no　nationality　in　all　the　world　but
humanity；　and　no　kind；　no　emperor；　nor　leader　but　the　one　God　of
mankind。　　This　is　my　faith。　　I　am　as　certain　of　this　as　I　was　in
1900　that　men　would　presently　fly。　　To　me　it　is　as　if　it　must　be
so。

So　that　to　me　this　extraordinary　refusal　of　the　allied　nations
under　conditions　that　have　always　hitherto　produced　a　Great　Man
to　produce　anything　of　the　sort；　anything　that　can　be　used　as　an
effigy　and　carried　about　for　the　crowd　to　follow；　is　a　fact　of
extreme　significance　and　encouragement。　　It　seems　to　me　that　the
twilight　of　the　half　gods　must　have　come；　that　we　have　reached
the　end　of　the　age　when　men　needed　a　Personal　Figure　about　which
they　could　rally。　　The　Kaiser　is　perhaps　the　last　of　that　long
series　of　crowned　and　cloaked　and　semi…divine　personages　which
has　included　Caesar　and　Alexander　and　Napoleon　the　First
and　Third。　　In　the　light　of　the　new　time　we　see　the　emperor…god
for　the　guy　he　is。　　In　the　August　of　1914　he　set　himself　up　to　be
the　paramount　Lord　of　the　World；　and　it　will　seem　to　the
historian　to　come；　who　will　know　our　dates　so　well　and　our
feelings；　our　fatigues　and　efforts　so　little；　it　will　seem　a
short　period　from　that　day　to　this；　when　the　great　figure　already
sways　and　staggers　towards　the　bonfire。


5

I　had　the　experience　of　meeting　a　contemporary　king　upon　this
journey。　　He　was　the　first　king　I　had　ever　met。　　The　Potsdam
figurewith　perhaps　some　local　exceptions　behind　the　Gold　Coast
is；　with　its　collection　of　uniforms　and　its　pomps　and　splendours；
the　purest　survival　of　the　old　tradition　of　divine　monarchy　now
that　the　Emperor　at　Pekin　has　followed　the　Shogun　into　the
shadows。　　The　modern　type　of　king　shows　a　disposition　to　intimate
at　the　outset　that　he　cannot　help　it；　and　to　justify　or　at　any
rate　utilise　his　exceptional　position　by　sound　hard　work。　　It　is
an　age　of　working　kings；　with　the　manners　of　private　gentlemen。
The　King　of　Italy　for　example　is　far