in darkest england and the way out-第58部分

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itate　its　widest　possible　distribution　among　his　fellow…men。　　It　is　the　congestion　of　capital　that　is　evil；　and　the　labour　question　will　never　be　finally　solved　until　every　labourer　is　his　own　capitalist。

All　this　is　trite　enough；　and　has　been　said　a　thousand　times　already；　but；　unfortunately；　with　the　saying　of　it　the　matter　ends。　Co…operation　has　been　brought　into　practice　in　relation　to　distribution　with　considerable　success；　but　co…operation；　as　a　means　of　production；　has　not　achieved　anything　like　the　success　that　was　anticipated。　Again　and　again　enterprises　have　been　begun　on　co…operative　principles　which　bid　fair；　in　the　opinion　of　the　promoters；　to　succeed；　but　after　one；　two；　three；　or　ten　years；　the　enterprise　which　was　started　with　such　high　hopes　has　dwindled　away　into　either　total　or　partial　failure。　At　present；　many　co…operative　undertakings　are　nothing　more　or　less　than　huge　Joint　Stock　Limited　Liability　concerns；　shares　of　which　are　held　largely　by　working　people；　but　not　necessarily；　and　sometimes　not　at　all　by　those　who　are　actually　employed　in　the　so…called　co…operative　business。　　Now；　why　is　this？　　Why　do　co…operative　firms；　co…operative　factories；　and　co…operative　Utopias　so　very　often　come　to　grief？　I　believe　the　cause　is　an　open　secret；　and　can　be　discerned　by　anyone　who　will　look　at　the　subject　with　an　open　eye。

The　success　of　industrial　concerns　is　largely　a　question　of　management。　Management　signifies　government；　and　government　implies　authority；　and　authority　is　the　last　thing　which　co…operators　of　the　Utopian　order　are　willing　to　recognise　as　an　element　essential　to　the　success　of　their　Schemes。　　The　co…operative　institution　which　is　governed　on　Parliamentary　principles；　with　unlimited　right　of　debate　and　right　of　obstruction；　will　never　be　able　to　compete　successfully　with　institutions　which　are　directed　by　a　single　brain　wielding　the　united　resources　of　a　disciplined　and　obedient　army　of　workers。　　Hence；　to　make　co…operation　a　success　you　must　superadd　to　the　principle　of　consent　the　principle　of　authority；　you　must　invest　in　those　to　whom　you　entrust　the　management　of　your　co…operative　establishment　the　same　liberty　of　action　that　is　possessed　by　the　owner　of　works　on　the　other　side　of　the　repudiation　of　the　rotten　and　effete　regime　of　the　Bourbons；　the　French　peasants　and　workmen　imagined　that　they　were　inaugurating　the　millennium　when　they　scrawled　Liberty；　Equality；　and　Fraternity　across　all　the　churches　in　every　city　of　France。　They　carried　their　principles　of　freedom　and　license　to　the　logical　ultimate；　and　attempted　to　manage　their　army　on　Parliamentary　principles。　　It　did　not　work；　their　undisciplined　levies　were　driven　back；　disorder　reigned　in　the　Republican　camp；　and　the　French　Revolution　would　have　been　stifled　in　its　cradle　had　not　the　instinct　of　the　nation　discerned　in　time　the　weak　point　in　its　armour。　Menaced　by　foreign　wars　and　intestine　revolt；　the　Republic　established　an　iron　discipline　in　its　army；　and　enforced　obedience　by　the　summary　process　of　military　execution。　　The　liberty　and　the　enthusiasm　developed　by　the　outburst　of　the　long　pent…up　revolutionary　forces　supplied　the　motive　power；　but　it　was　the　discipline　of　the　revolutionary　armies；　the　stern；　unbending　obedience　which　was　enforced　in　all　ranks　from　the　highest　to　the　lowest；　which　created　for　Napoleon　the　admirable　military　instrument　by　which　he　shattered　every　throne　in　Europe　and　swept　in　triumph　from　Paris　to　Moscow。

In　industrial　affairs　we　are　very　much　like　the　French　Republic　before　it　tempered　its　doctrine　of　the　rights　of　man　by　the　duty　of　obedience　on　the　part　of　the　soldier。　　We　have　got　to　introduce　discipline　into　the　industrial　army；　we　have　to　superadd　the　principle　of　authority　to　the　principle　of　co…operation；　and　so　to　enable　the　worker　to　profit　to　the　full　by　the　increased　productiveness　of　the　willing　labour　of　men　who　are　employed　in　their　own　workshops　and　on　their　own　property。　There　is　no　need　to　clamour　for　great　schemes　of　State　Socialism。　The　whole　thing　can　be　done　simply；　economically；　and　speedily　if　only　the　workers　will　practice　as　much　self…denial　for　the　sake　of　establishing　themselves　as　capitalists；　as　the　Soldiers　of　the　Salvation　Army　practice　every　year　in　Self　Denial　Week。　　What　is　the　sense　of　never　making　a　levy　except　during　a　strike？　　Instead　of　calling　for　a　shilling；　or　two　shillings；　a　week　in　order　to　maintain　men　who　are　starving　in　idleness　because　of　a　dispute　with　their　masters；　why　should　there　not　be　a　levy　kept　up　for　weeks　or　months；　by　the　workers；　for　the　purpose　of　setting　themselves　up　in　business　as　masters？　　There　would　then　be　no　longer　a　capitalist　owner　face　to　face　with　the　masses　of　the　proletariat；　but　all　the　means　of　production；　the　plant；　and　all　the　accumulated　resources　of　capital　would　really　be　at　the　disposal　of　labour。　　This　will　never　be　done；　however；　as　long　as　co…operative　experiments　are　carried　on　in　the　present　archaic　fashion。

Believing　in　co…operation　as　the　ultimate　solution；　if　to　co…operation　you　can　add　subordination；　I　am　disposed　to　attempt　something　in　this　direction　in　my　new　Social　Scheme。　　I　shall　endeavour　to　start　a　Co…operative　Farm　on　the　principles　of　Ralahine；　and　base　the　whole　of　my　Farm　Colony　on　a　Co…operative　foundation。

In　starting　this　little　Co…operative　Commonwealth；　I　am　reminded　by　those　who　are　always　at　a　man's　elbow　to　fill　him　with　forebodings　of　ill；　to　look　at　the　failures；　which　I　have　just　referred　to；　which　make　up　the　history　of　the　attempt　to　realise　ideal　commonwealths　in　this　practical　workaday　world。　　Now；　I　have　read　the　history　of　the　many　attempts　at　co…operation　that　have　been　made　to　form　communistic　settlements　in　the　United　States；　and　am　perfectly　familiar　with　the　sorrowful　fate　with　which　nearly　all　have　been　overtaken；　but　the　story　of　their　failures　does　not　deter　me　in　the　least；　for　I　regard　them　as　nothing　more　than　warnings　to　avoid　certain　mistakes；　beacons　to　illustrate　the　need　of　proceeding　on　a　different　tack。　Broadly　speaking；　your　experimental　communities　fail　because　your　Utopias　all　start　upon　the　system　of　equality　and　government　by　vote　of　the　majority；　and；　as　a　necessary　and　unavoidable　consequence；　your　Utopians　get　to　loggerheads；　and　Utopia　goes　to　smash；　I　shall　avoid　that　rock。　　The　Farm　Colony；　like　all　the　other　departments　of　the　Scheme；　will　be　governed；　not　on　the　principle　of　counting　noses；　but　on　the　exactly　opposite　principle　of　admitting　no　noses　into　the　concern　that　are　not　willing　to　be　guided　by　the　directing　brain。　It　will　be　managed　on　principles　which　assert　that　the　fittest　ought　to　rule；　and　it　will　provide　for　the　fittest　being　selected；　and　having　got　them　at　the　top；　will　insist　on　universal　and　unquestioning　obedience　from　those　at　the　bottom。　　If　anyone　does　not　like　to　work　for　his　rations　and　submit　to　the　orders　of　his　superior　Officers　he　can　leave。　　There　is　no　compulsion　on　him　to　stay。　　The　world　is　wide；　and　outside　the　confines　of　our　Colony　and　the　operations　of　our　Corps　my　authority　does　not　extend。　　But　judging　from　our　brief　experience　it　is　not　from　revolt　against　authority　that　the　Scheme　is　destined　to　fail。

There　cannot　be　a　greater　mistake　in　this　world　than　to　imagine　that　men　object　to　be　governed。　　They　like　to　be　governed；　provided　that　the　governor　has　his　〃head　screwed　on　right〃　and　that　he　is　prompt　to　hear　and　ready　to　see　and　recognise　all　that　is　vital　to　the　interests　of　the　commonwealth。　　So　far　from　there　being　an　innate　objection　on　the　part　of　mankind　to　being　governed；　the　instinct　to　obey　is　so　universal　that　even　when　governments　have　gone　blind；　and　deaf；　and　paralytic；　rotten　with　corruption；　and　hopelessly　behind　the　times；　they　still　contrive　to　live　on。　　Against　a　capable　Government　no　people　ever　rebel；　only　when　stupidity　and　incapacity　have　taken　possession　of　the　seat　of　power　do　insurrections　break　out。


SECTION　7。A　MATRIMONIAL　BUREAU。

There　is　another　direction　in　which　something　ought　to　be　done　to　restore　the　natural　advantages　enjoyed　by　every　rural　community　which　have　been　destroyed　by　the　increasing　tendency　of　mankind　to　come　together　in　huge　masses。　　I　refer　to　that　which　is　after　all　one　of　the　most　important　elements　in　every　human　life；　that　of　marrying　and　giving　in　marriage。　　In　the　natural　life　of　a　country　village　all　the　lads　and　lasses　grow　up　together；　they　meet　together　in　religious　associations；　in　daily　employments；　and　in　their　amusements　on　the　village　green。　　They　have　learned　their　A；　B；　C　and　pothooks　together；　and　when　the　time　comes　for　pairing　off　they　have　had　excellent　opportunities　of　knowing　the　qualities　and　the　defects　of　those　whom　they　select　as　their　partners　in　life。　　Everything　in　such　a　community　lends　itself　naturally　to　the　indispensable　preliminaries　of　love…making；　and　courtships；　which；　however　much　they　may　be　laughed　at；　contribute　more　than　most　things　to　the　happiness　or　life。　　But　in　a　great　city　all　this　is　destroyed。　　In　London　at　the　present　moment　how　many　hundreds；　nay　thousands；　of　young　men　and　young　women；　who　are　living　in　lodgings；　are　practically　without　any　opportunity　of　making　the　acquaintance　of　each　other