the secret places of the heart-第35章

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ont　and　that　Sir　Richmond　was　the　angry　leader　of　a　minority　upon　the　Fuel　Commission　became　more　and　more　important。　〃What　shall　we　do　with　this　planet　of　ours？　〃　gave　way　by　the　easiest　transitions　to　〃What　are　you　and　I　doing　and　what　have　we　got　to　do？　How　do　you　feel　about　it　all？　What　do　you　desire　and　what　do　you　dare？〃　It　was　natural　that　Sir　Richmond　should　talk　of　his　Fuel　Commission　to　a　young　woman　whose　interests　in　fuel　were　even　greater　than　his　own。　He　found　that　she　was　very　much　better　read　than　he　was　in　the　recent　literature　of　socialism；　and　that　she　had　what　he　considered　to　be　a　most　unfeminine　grasp　of　economic　ideas。　He　thought　her　attitude　towards　socialism　a　very　sane　one　because　it　was　also　his　own。　So　far　as　socialism　involved　the　idea　of　a　scientific　control　of　natural　resources　as　a　common　property　administered　in　the　common　interest；　she　and　he　were　very　greatly　attracted　by　it；　but　so　far　as　it　served　as　a　form　of　expression　for　the　merely　insubordinate　discontent　of　the　many　with　the　few；　under　any　conditions；　so　long　as　it　was　a　formula　for　class　jealousy　and　warfare；　they　were　both　repelled　by　it。　If　she　had　had　any　illusions　about　the　working　class　possessing　as　a　class　any　profounder　political　wisdom　or　more　generous　public　impulses　than　any　other　class；　those　illusions　had　long　since　departed。　People　were　much　the　same；　she　thought；　in　every　class；　there　was　no　stratification　of　either　rightness　or　righteousness。　He　found　he　could　talk　to　her　of　his　work　and　aims　upon　the　Fuel　Commission　and　of　the　conflict　and　failure　of　motives　he　found　in　himself；　as　freely　as　he　had　done　to　Dr。　Martineau　and　with　a　surer　confidence　of　understanding。　Perhaps　his　talks　with　the　doctor　had　got　his　ideas　into　order　and　made　them　more　readily　expressible　than　they　would　have　been　otherwise。　He　argued　against　the　belief　that　any　class　could　be　good　as　a　class　or　bad　as　a　class；　and　he　instanced　the　conflict　of　motives　he　found　in　all　the　members　of　his　Committee　and　most　so　in　himself。　He　repeated　the　persuasion　he　had　already　confessed　to　Dr。　Martineau　that　there　was　not　a　single　member　of　the　Fuel　Commission　but　had　a　considerable　drive　towards　doing　the　right　thing　about　fuel；　and　not　one　who　had　a　single…minded；　unencumbered　drive　towards　the　right　thing。　〃That；〃　said　Sir　Richmond；　〃is　what　makes　life　so　interesting　and；　in　spite　of　a　thousand　tragic　disappointments；　so　hopeful。　Every　man　is　a　bad　man；　every　man　is　a　feeble　man　and　every　man　is　a　good　man。　My　motives　come　and　go。　Yours　do　the　same。　We　vary　in　response　to　the　circumstances　about　us。　Given　a　proper　atmosphere；　most　men　will　be　public…spirited；　right…living；　generous。　Given　perplexities　and　darkness；　most　of　us　can　be　cowardly　and　vile。　People　say　you　cannot　change　human　nature　and　perhaps　that　is　true；　but　you　can　change　its　responses　endlessly。　The　other　day　I　was　in　Bohemia；　discussing　Silesian　coal　with　Benes；　and　I　went　to　see　the　Festival　of　the　Bohemian　Sokols。　Opposite　to　where　I　sat；　far　away　across　the　arena；　was　a　great　bank　of　men　of　the　Sokol　organizations；　an　unbroken　brown　mass　wrapped　in　their　brown　uniform　cloaks。　Suddenly　the　sun　came　out　and　at　a　word　the　whole　body　flung　back　their　cloaks；　showed　their　Garibaldi　shirts　and　became　one　solid　blaze　of　red。　It　was　an　amazing　transformation　until　one　understood　what　had　happened。　Yet　nothing　material　had　changed　but　the　sunshine。　And　given　a　change　in　laws　and　prevailing　ideas；　and　the　very　same　people　who　are　greedy　traders；　grasping　owners　and　revolting　workers　to…day　will　all　throw　their　cloaks　aside　and　you　will　find　them　working　together　cheerfully；　even　generously；　for　a　common　end。　They　aren't　traders　and　owners　and　workers　and　so　forth　by　any　inner　necessity。　Those　are　just　the　ugly　parts　they　play　in　the　present　drama。　Which　is　nearly　at　the　end　of　its　run。〃　〃That's　a　hopeful　view；〃　said　Miss　Grammont。　〃I　don't　see　the　flaw　in　itif　there　is　a　flaw。〃　〃There　isn't　one；　〃　said　Sir　Richmond。　〃It　is　my　chief　discovery　about　life。　I　began　with　the　question　of　fuel　and　the　energy　it　affords　mankind；　and　I　have　found　that　my　generalization　applies　to　all　human　affairs。　Human　beings　are　fools；　weaklings；　cowards；　passionate　idiots；I　grant　you。　That　is　the　brown　cloak　side　of　them；　so　to　speak。　But　they　are　not　such　fools　and　so　forth　that　they　can't　do　pretty　well　materially　if　once　we　hammer　out　a　sane　collective　method　of　getting　and　using　fuel。　Which　people　generally　will　understandin　the　place　of　our　present　methods　of　snatch　and　wrangle。　Of　that　I　am　absolutely　convinced。　Some　work；　some　help；　some　willingness　you　can　get　out　of　everybody。　That's　the　red。　And　the　same　principle　applies　to　most　labour　and　property　problems；　to　health；　to　education；　to　population；　social　relationships　and　war　and　peace。　We　haven't　got　the　right　system；　we　have　inefficient　half…baked　systems；　or　no　system　at　all；　and　a　wild　confusion　and　war　of　ideas　in　all　these　respects。　But　there　is　a　right　system　possible　none　the　less。　Let　us　only　hammer　our　way　through　to　the　sane　and　reasonable　organization　in　this　and　that　and　the　other　human　affairs；　and　once　we　have　got　it；　we　shall　have　got　it　for　good。　We　may　not　live　to　see　even　the　beginnings　of　success；　but　the　spirit　of　order；　the　spirit　that　has　already　produced　organized　science；　if　only　there　are　a　few　faithful；　persistent　people　to　stick　to　the　job；　will　in　the　long　run　certainly　save　mankind　and　make　human　life　clean　and　splendid；　happy　work　in　a　clear　mind。　If　I　could　live　to　see　it！〃　〃And　as　for　usin　our　time？〃　〃Measured　by　the　end　we　serve；　we　don't　matter。　You　know　we　don't　matter。〃　〃We　have　to　find　our　fun　in　the　building　and　in　our　confidence　that　we　do　really　build。〃　〃So　long　as　our　confidence　lasts　there　is　no　great　hardship；〃　said　Sir　Richmond。　〃So　long　as　our　confidence　lasts；〃　she　repeated　after　him。　〃Ah！〃　cried　Sir　Richmond。　〃There　it　is！　So　long　as　our　confidence　lasts！　So　long　as　one　keeps　one's　mind　steady。　That　is　what　I　came　away　with　Dr。　Martineau　to　discuss。　I　went　to　him　for　advice。　I　haven't　known　him　for　more　than　a　month。　It's　amusing　to　find　myself　preaching　forth　to　you。　It　was　just　faith　I　had　lost。　Suddenly　I　had　lost　my　power　of　work。　My　confidence　in　the　rightness　of　what　I　was　doing　evaporated。　My　will　failed　me。　I　don't　know　if　you　will　understand　what　that　means。　It　wasn't　that　my　reason　didn't　assure　me　just　as　certainly　as　ever　that　what　I　was　trying　to　do　was　the　right　thing　to　try　to　do。　But　somehow　that　seemed　a　cold　and　personally　unimportant　proposition。　The　life　had　gone　out　of　it。　。　。　。　〃　He　paused　as　if　arrested　by　a　momentary　doubt。　〃I　don't　know　why　I　tell　you　these　things；〃　he　said。　〃You　tell　them　me；〃　she　said。　〃It's　a　little　like　a　patient　in　a　hydropath　retailing　his　ailments。〃　〃No。　No。　Go　on。〃　〃I　began　to　think　now　that　what　took　the　go　out　of　me　as　my　work　went　on　was　the　lack　of　any　real　fellowship　in　what　I　was　doing。　It　was　the　pressure　of　the　opposition　in　the　Committee；　day　afterday。　It　was　being　up　against　men　who　didn't　reason　against　me　but　who　just　showed　by　everything　they　did　that　the　things　I　wanted　to　achieve　didn't　matter　to　them　one　rap。　It　was　going　back　to　a　home；　lunching