the man versus the state-第23章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


y　or　through　raised　rent）　from　the　huckster　who　only　by　extreme　pinching　can　pay　her　way；　from　the　mason　thrown　out　of　work　by　a　strike；　from　the　mechanic　whose　savings　are　melting　away　during　an　illness；　from　the　widow　who　washes　or　sews　from　dawn　to　dark　to　feed　her　fatherless　little　ones；　and　all　that　the　dissolute　may　be　saved　from　hunger；　that　the　children　of　less　impoverished　neighbours　may　have　cheap　lessons；　and　that　various　people；　mostly　better　off；　may　read　newspapers　and　novels　for　nothing！　The　error　of　nomenclature　is；　in　one　respect；　more　misleading　than　that　which　allows　aggressionists　to　be　called　protectionists；　for；　as　just　shown；　protection　of　the　vicious　poor　involves　aggression　on　the　virtuous　poor。　Doubtless　it　is　true　that　the　greater　part　of　the　money　exacted　comes　from　those　who　are　relatively　well…off。　But　this　is　no　consolation　to　the　ill…off　from　whom　the　rest　is　exacted。　Nay；　if　the　comparison　be　made　between　the　pressures　borne　by　the　two　classes　respectively；　it　becomes　manifest　that　the　case　is　even　worse　than　at　first　appears；　for　while　to　the　well…off　the　exaction　means　loss　of　luxuries；　to　the　ill…off　it　means　loss　of　necessaries。　　　　　　And　now　see　the　Nemesis　which　is　threatening　to　follow　this　chronic　sin　of　legislators。　They　and　their　class；　in　common　with　all　owners　of　property；　are　in　danger　of　suffering　from　a　sweeping　application　of　that　general　principle　practically　asserted　by　each　of　these　confiscating　Acts　of　Parliament。　For　what　is　the　tacit　assumption　on　which　such　Acts　proceed？　It　is　the　assumption　that　no　man　has　any　claim　to　his　property；　not　even　to　that　which　he　has　earned　by　the　sweat　of　his　brow；　save　by　permission　of　the　community；　and　that　the　community　may　cancel　the　claim　to　any　extent　it　thinks　fit。　No　defence　can　be　made　for　this　appropriation　of　A's　possessions　for　the　benefit　of　B；　save　one　which　sets　out　with　the　postulate　that　society　as　a　whole　has　an　absolute　right　over　the　possessions　of　each　member。　And　now　this　doctrine；　which　has　been　tacitly　assumed；　is　being　openly　proclaimed。　Mr　George　and　his　friends；　Mr　Hyndman　and　his　supporters；　are　pushing　the　theory　to　its　logical　issue。　They　have　been　instructed　by　examples；　yearly　increasing　in　number；　that　the　individual　has　no　rights　but　what　the　community　may　equitably　override；　and　they　are　now　saying　　〃It　shall　go　hard　but　we　will　better　the　instruction；〃　and　over…ride　individual　rights　altogether。　

Legislative　misdeeds　of　the　classes　above　indicated　are　in　large　measure　explained；　and　reprobation　of　them　mitigated；　when　we　look　at　the　matter　from　afar　off。　They　have　their　root　in　the　error　that　society　is　a　manufacture；　whereas　it　is　a　growth。　Neither　the　culture　of　past　times　nor　the　culture　of　the　present　time；　has　given　to　any　considerable　number　of　people　a　scientific　conception　of　a　society　　a　conception　of　it　as　having　a　natural　structure　in　which　all　its　institutions；　governmental；　religious；　industrial；　commercial；　etc。；　etc。；　are　interdependently　bound　　a　structure　which　is　in　a　sense　organic。　Or　if　such　a　conception　is　nominally　entertained；　it　is　not　entertained　in　such　way　as　to　be　operative　on　conduct。　Contrariwise；　incorporated　humanity　is　very　commonly　thought　of　as　though　it　were　like　so　much　dough　which　the　cook　can　mould　as　she　pleases　into　pie…crust；　or　puff；　or　tartlet。　The　communist　shows　us　unmistakably　that　he　thinks　of　the　body　politic　as　admitting　of　being　shaped　thus　or　thus　at　will；　and　the　tacit　implication　of　many　Acts　of　Parliament　is　that　aggregated　men；　twisted　into　this　or　that　arrangement；　will　remain　as　intended。　　　　　　It　may　indeed　be　said　that　even　irrespective　of　this　erroneous　conception　of　a　society　as　a　plastic　mass　instead　of　as　an　organized　body；　facts　forced　on　his　attention　hour　by　hour　should　make　every　one　sceptical　as　to　the　success　of　this　or　that　proposed　way　of　changing　a　people's　actions。　Alike　to　the　citizen　and　to　the　legislator；　home　experiences　daily　supply　proofs　that　the　conduct　of　human　beings　baulks　calculation。　He　has　given　up　the　thought　of　managing　his　wife　and　lets　her　manage　him。　Children　on　whom　he　has　tried　now　reprimand；　now　punishment；　now　suasion；　now　reward；　do　not　respond　satisfactorily　to　any　method；　and　no　expostulation　prevents　their　mother　from　treating　them　in　ways　he　thinks　mischievous。　So；　too；　his　dealings　with　his　servants；　whether　by　reasoning　or　by　scolding；　rarely　succeed　for　long：　the　falling　short　of　attention；　or　punctuality；　or　cleanliness；　or　sobriety；　leads　to　constant　changes。　Yet；　difficult　as　he　finds　it　to　deal　with　humanity　in　detail；　he　is　confident　of　his　ability　to　deal　with　embodied　humanity。　Citizens；　not　one…thousandth　of　whom　he　knows；　not　one…hundredth　of　whom　he　ever　saw；　and　the　great　mass　of　whom　belong　to　classes　having　habits　and　modes　of　thought　of　which　he　has　but　dim　notions；　he　feels　sure　will　act　in　certain　ways　he　foresees；　and　fulfil　ends　he　wishes。　Is　there　not　a　marvellous　incongruity　between　premises　and　conclusion？　　　　　　One　might　have　expected　that　whether　they　observed　the　implications　of　these　domestic　failures；　or　whether　they　contemplated　in　every　newspaper　the　indications　of　a　social　life　too　vast；　too　varied；　too　involved；　to　be　even　vaguely　pictured　in　thought；　men　would　have　entered　on　the　business　of　law…making　with　the　greatest　hesitation。　Yet　in　this　more　than　in　anything　else　do　they　show　a　confident　readiness。　Nowhere　is　there　so　astounding　a　contrast　between　the　difficulty　of　the　task　and　the　unpreparedness　of　those　who　undertake　it。　Unquestionably　among　monstrous　beliefs　one　of　the　most　monstrous　is　that　while　for　a　simple　handicraft；　such　as　shoe…making；　a　long　apprenticeship　is　needful；　the　sole　thing　which　needs　no　apprenticeship　is　making　a　nation's　laws！　

Summing　up　the　results　of　the　discussion；　may　we　not　reasonably　say　that　there　lie　before　the　legislator　several　open　secrets；　which　yet　are　so　open　that　they　ought　not　to　remain　secrets　to　one　who　undertakes　the　vast　and　terrible　responsibility　of　dealing　with　millions　upon　millions　of　human　beings　by　measures　which；　if　they　do　not　conduce　to　their　happiness；　will　increase　their　miseries　and　accelerate　their　deaths？　　　　　　There　is　first　of　all　the　undeniable　truth；　conspicuous　and　yet　absolutely　ignored；　that　there　are　no　phenomena　which　a　society　presents　but　what　have　their　origins　in　the　phenomena　of　individual　human　life；　which　again　have　their　roots　in　vital　phenomena　at　large。　And　there　is　the　inevitable　implication　that　unless　these　vital　phenomena；　bodily　and　mental；　are　chaotic　in　their　relations　（a　supposition　excluded　by　the　very　maintenance　of　life）　the　resulting　phenomena　cannot　be　wholly　chaotic：　there　must　be　some　kind　of　order　in　the　phenomena　which　grow　out　of　them　when　associated　human　beings　have　to　co…operate。　Evidently；　then；　when　one　who　has　not　studied　such　resulting　phenomena　of　social　order；　undertakes　to　regulate　society；　he　is　pretty　certain　to　work　mischiefs。　　　　　　In　the　second　place；　apart　from　a　priori　reasoning；　this　conclusion　should　be　forced　on　the　legislator　by　comparisons　of　societies。　It　ought　to　be　sufficiently　manifest　that　before　meddling　with　the　details　of　social　organization；　inquiry　should　be　made　whether　social　organization　has　a　natural　history；　and　that　to　answer　this　inquiry；　it　would　be　well；　setting　out　with　the　simplest　societies；　to　see　in　what　respects　social　structures　agree。　Such　comparative　sociology；　pursued　to　a　very　small　extent；　shows　a　substantial　uniformity　of　genesis。　The　habitual　existence　of　chieftainship；　and　the　establishment　of　chiefly　authority　by　war；　the　rise　everywhere　of　the　medicine　man　and　priest；　the　presence　of　a　cult　having　in　all　places　the　same　fundamental　traits；　the　traces　of　division　of　labour；　early　displayed；　which　gradually　become　more　marked；　and　the　various　complications；　political；　ecclesiastical；　industrial；　which　arise　as　groups　are　compounded　and　recompounded　by　war；　quickly　prove　to　any　who　compares　them　that；　apart　from　all　their　special　differences；　societies　have　general　resemblances　in　their　modes　of　origin　and　development。　They　present　traits　of　structure　showing　that　social　organization　has　laws　which　over…ride　individual　will