heartbreak house-第6部分

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frivolous　exultation　in　death　for　its　own　sake；　which　was　at
bottom　an　inability　to　realize　that　the　deaths　were　real　deaths
and　not　stage　ones。　Again　and　again；　when　an　air　raider　dropped　a
bomb　which　tore　a　child　and　its　mother　limb　from　limb；　the　people
who　saw　it；　though　they　had　been　reading　with　great　cheerfulness
of　thousands　of　such　happenings　day　after　day　in　their
newspapers；　suddenly　burst　into　furious　imprecations　on　〃the
Huns〃　as　murderers；　and　shrieked　for　savage　and　satisfying
vengeance。　At　such　moments　it　became　clear　that　the　deaths　they
had　not　seen　meant　no　more　to　them　than　the　mimic　death　of　the
cinema　screen。　Sometimes　it　was　not　necessary　that　death　should
be　actually　witnessed：　it　had　only　to　take　place　under
circumstances　of　sufficient　novelty　and　proximity　to　bring　it
home　almost　as　sensationally　and　effectively　as　if　it　had　been
actually　visible。

For　example；　in　the　spring　of　1915　there　was　an　appalling
slaughter　of　our　young　soldiers　at　Neuve　Chapelle　and　at　the
Gallipoli　landing。　I　will　not　go　so　far　as　to　say　that　our
civilians　were　delighted　to　have　such　exciting　news　to　read　at
breakfast。　But　I　cannot　pretend　that　I　noticed　either　in　the
papers；　or　in　general　intercourse；　any　feeling　beyond　the　usual
one　that　the　cinema　show　at　the　front　was　going　splendidly；　and
that　our　boys　were　the　bravest　of　the　brave。　Suddenly　there　came
the　news　that　an　Atlantic　liner；　the　Lusitania；　had　been
torpedoed；　and　that　several　well…known　first…class　passengers；
including　a　famous　theatrical　manager　and　the　author　of　a　popular
farce；　had　been　drowned；　among　others。　The　others　included　Sir
Hugh　Lane；　but　as　he　had　only　laid　the　country　under　great
obligations　in　the　sphere　of　the　fine　arts；　no　great　stress　was
laid　on　that　loss。　Immediately　an　amazing　frenzy　swept　through
the　country。　Men　who　up　to　that　time　had　kept　their　heads　now
lost　them　utterly。　〃Killing　saloon　passengers！　What　next？〃　was
the　essence　of　the　whole　agitation；　but　it　is　far　too　trivial　a
phrase　to　convey　the　faintest　notion　of　the　rage　which　possessed
us。　To　me；　with　my　mind　full　of　the　hideous　cost　of　Neuve
Chapelle；　Ypres；　and　the　Gallipoli　landing；　the　fuss　about　the
Lusitania　seemed　almost　a　heartless　impertinence；　though　I　was
well　acquainted　personally　with　the　three　best…known　victims；　and
understood；　better　perhaps　than　most　people；　the　misfortune　of
the　death　of　Lane。　I　even　found　a　grim　satisfaction；　very
intelligible　to　all　soldiers；　in　the　fact　that　the　civilians　who
found　the　war　such　splendid　British　sport　should　get　a　sharp
taste　of　what　it　was　to　the　actual　combatants。　I　expressed　my
impatience　very　freely；　and　found　that　my　very　straightforward
and　natural　feeling　in　the　matter　was　received　as　a　monstrous　and
heartless　paradox。　When　I　asked　those　who　gaped　at　me　whether
they　had　anything　to　say　about　the　holocaust　of　Festubert；　they
gaped　wider　than　before；　having　totally　forgotten　it；　or　rather；
having　never　realized　it。　They　were　not　heartless　anymore　than　I
was；　but　the　big　catastrophe　was　too　big　for　them　to　grasp；　and
the　little　one　had　been　just　the　right　size　for　them。　I　was　not
surprised。　Have　I　not　seen　a　public　body　for　just　the　same　reason
pass　a　vote　for　？0；000　without　a　word；　and　then　spend　three
special　meetings；　prolonged　into　the　night；　over　an　item　of　seven
shillings　for　refreshments？



Little　Minds　and　Big　Battles

Nobody　will　be　able　to　understand　the　vagaries　of　public　feeling
during　the　war　unless　they　bear　constantly　in　mind　that　the　war
in　its　entire　magnitude　did　not　exist　for　the　average　civilian。
He　could　not　conceive　even　a　battle；　much　less　a　campaign。　To　the
suburbs　the　war　was　nothing　but　a　suburban　squabble。　To　the　miner
and　navvy　it　was　only　a　series　of　bayonet　fights　between　German
champions　and　English　ones。　The　enormity　of　it　was　quite　beyond
most　of　us。　Its　episodes　had　to　be　reduced　to　the　dimensions　of　a
railway　accident　or　a　shipwreck　before　it　could　produce　any
effect　on　our　minds　at　all。　To　us　the　ridiculous　bombardments　of
Scarborough　and　Ramsgate　were　colossal　tragedies；　and　the　battle
of　Jutland　a　mere　ballad。　The　words　〃after　thorough　artillery
preparation〃　in　the　news　from　the　front　meant　nothing　to　us；　but
when　our　seaside　trippers　learned　that　an　elderly　gentleman　at
breakfast　in　a　week…end　marine　hotel　had　been　interrupted　by　a
bomb　dropping　into　his　egg…cup；　their　wrath　and　horror　knew　no
bounds。　They　declared　that　this　would　put　a　new　spirit　into　the
army；　and　had　no　suspicion　that　the　soldiers　in　the　trenches
roared　with　laughter　over　it　for　days；　and　told　each　other　that
it　would　do　the　blighters　at　home　good　to　have　a　taste　of　what
the　army　was　up　against。　Sometimes　the　smallness　of　view　was
pathetic。　A　man　would　work　at　home　regardless　of　the　call　〃to
make　the　world　safe　for　democracy。〃　His　brother　would　be　killed
at　the　front。　Immediately　he　would　throw　up　his　work　and　take　up
the　war　as　a　family　blood　feud　against　the　Germans。　Sometimes　it
was　comic。　A　wounded　man；　entitled　to　his　discharge；　would　return
to　the　trenches　with　a　grim　determination　to　find　the　Hun　who　had
wounded　him　and　pay　him　out　for　it。

It　is　impossible　to　estimate　what　proportion　of　us；　in　khaki　or
out　of　it；　grasped　the　war　and　its　political　antecedents　as　a
whole　in　the　light　of　any　philosophy　of　history　or　knowledge　of
what　war　is。　I　doubt　whether　it　was　as　high　as　our　proportion　of
higher　mathematicians。　But　there　can　be　no　doubt　that　it　was
prodigiously　outnumbered　by　the　comparatively　ignorant　and
childish。　Remember　that　these　people　had　to　be　stimulated　to　make
the　sacrifices　demanded　by　the　war；　and　that　this　could　not　be
done　by　appeals　to　a　knowledge　which　they　did　not　possess；　and　a
comprehension　of　which　they　were　incapable。　When　the　armistice　at
last　set　me　free　to　tell　the　truth　about　the　war　at　the　following
general　election；　a　soldier　said　to　a　candidate　whom　I　was
supporting；　〃If　I　had　known　all　that　in　1914；　they　would　never
have　got　me　into　khaki。〃　And　that；　of　course；　was　precisely　why
it　had　been　necessary　to　stuff　him　with　a　romance　that　any
diplomatist　would　have　laughed　at。　Thus　the　natural　confusion　of
ignorance　was　increased　by　a　deliberately　propagated　confusion　of
nursery　bogey　stories　and　melodramatic　nonsense；　which　at　last
overreached　itself　and　made　it　impossible　to　stop　the　war　before
we　had　not　only　achieved　the　triumph　of　vanquishing　the　German
army　and　thereby　overthrowing　its　militarist　monarchy；　but　made
the　very　serious　mistake　of　ruining　the　centre　of　Europe；　a　thing
that　no　sane　European　State　could　afford　to　do。



The　Dumb　Capables　and　the　Noisy　Incapables

Confronted　with　this　picture　of　insensate　delusion　and　folly；　the
critical　reader　will　immediately　counterplead　that　England　all
this　time　was　conducting　a　war　which　involved　the　organization　of
several　millions　of　fighting　men　and　of　the　workers　who　were
supplying　them　with　provisions；　munitions；　and　transport；　and
that　this　could　not　have　been　done　by　a　mob　of　hysterical
ranters。　This　is　fortunately　true。　To　pass　from　the　newspaper
offices　and　political　platforms　and　club　fenders　and