war and the future-第29部分

快捷操作: 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! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！

as　the　Bishop　of　London。　　But　he　got　in　some　smug　reminders　of
the　severance　of　diplomatic　relations　with　the　Vatican。　　Perhaps
now　France　will　be　wiser。　　He　pointed　out　that　the　Holy　See　in
its　Consistorial　Allocution　of　January　22nd；　1915；　invited　the
belligerents　to　observe　the　rules　of　war。　　Could　anything　more　be
done　than　that？　　Oh！in　the　general　issue　of　the　war；　if　you
want　a　judgement　on　the　war　as　a　whole；　how　is　it　possible　that
the　Vatican　to　decide？　　Surely　the　French　know　that　excellent
principle　of　justice；　/Audiatur　et　altera　pars/；　and　how
under　existing　circumstances　can　the　Vatican　do　that。。。？　　The
Vatican　is　cut　off　from　communication　with　Austria　and　Germany。
The　Vatican　has　been　deprived　of　its　temporal　power　and　local
independence　（another　neat　point）。。。。

So　France　is　bowed　out。　　When　peace　is　restored；　the　Vatican　will
perhaps　be　able　to　enquire　if　there　was　a　big　German　army　in
1914；　if　German　diplomacy　was　aggressive　from　1875　onward；　if
Belgium　was　invaded　unrighteously；　if　（Catholic）　Austria　forced
the　pace　upon　（non…Catholic）　Russia。　　But　nownow　the　Holy　See
must　remain　as　impartial　as　an　unbought　mascot　in　a　shop
window。。。。

The　next　column　of　/Le　Journal/　contained　an　account　of　the
Armenian　massacres；　the　blood　of　the　Armenian　cries　out　past　the
Holy　Father　to　heaven；　but　then　Armenians　are　after　all　heretics；
and　here　again　the　principle　of　/Audiatur　et　altera　pars/
comes　in。　　Communications　are　not　open　with　the　Turks。　　Moreover；
Armenians；　like　Serbs；　are　worse　than　infidels；　they　are
heretics。　　Perhaps　God　is　punishing　them。。。。

/Audiatur　et　altera　pars/；　and　the　Vatican　has　not　forgotten
the　infidelity　and　disrespect　of　both　France　and　Italy　in　the
past。　　These　are　the　things；　it　seems；　that　really　matter　to　the
Vatican。　　Cardinal　Gasparri's　portrait；　in　the　same　issue　of
/Le　Journal/；　displays　a　countenance　of　serene　contentment；
a　sort　of　incarnate　〃Told…you…so。〃

So　the　Vatican　lifts　its　pontifical　skirts　and　shakes　the　dust　of
western　Europe　off　its　feet。

It　is　the　most　astounding　renunciation　in　history。

Indubitably　the　Christian　church　took　a　wide　stride　from　the
kingship　of　God　when　it　placed　a　golden　throne　for　the　unbaptised
Constantine　in　the　midst　of　its　most　sacred　deliberations　at
Nicaea。　　But　it　seems　to　me　that　this　abandonment　of　moral
judgments　in　the　present　case　by　the　Holy　See　is　an　almost　wider
step　from　the　church's　allegiance　to　God。。。。


3

Thought　about　the　great　questions　of　life；　thought　and　reasoned
direction；　this　is　what　the　multitude　demands　mutely　and　weakly；
and　what　the　organised　churches　are　failing　to　give。　　They　have
not　the　courage　of　their　creeds。　　Either　their　creeds　are
intellectual　flummery　or　they　are　the　solution　to　the　riddles
with　which　the　world　is　struggling。　　But　the　churches　make　no
mention　of　their　creeds。　　They　chatter　about　sex　and　the　magic
effect　of　church　attendance　and　simple　faith。　　If　simple　faith　is
enough；　the　churches　and　their　differences　are　an　imposture。　　Men
are　stirred　to　the　deepest　questions　about　life　and　God；　and　the
Anglican　church；　for　example；　obligesas　I　have　described。

It　is　necessary　to　struggle　against　the　unfavourable　impression
made　by　these　things。　　They　must　not　blind　us　to　the　deeper
movement　that　is　in　progress　in　a　quite　considerable　number　of
minds　in　England　and　France　alike　towards　the　realisation　of　the
kingdom　of　God。

What　I　conceive　to　be　the　reality　of　the　religious　revival　is　to
be　found　in　quarters　remote　from　the　religious　professionals。
Let　me　give　but　one　instance　of　several　that　occur　to　me。　　I　met
soon　after　my　return　from　France　a　man　who　has　stirred　my
curiosity　for　years；　Mr。　David　Lubin；　the　prime　mover　in　the
organisation　of　the　International　Institute　of　Agriculture　in
Rome。　　It　is　a　movement　that　has　always　appealed　to　my
imagination。　　The　idea　is　to　establish　and　keep　up　to　date　a
record　of　the　food　supplies　in　the　world　with　a　view　to　the
ultimate　world　control　of　food　supply　and　distribution。　　When　its
machinery　has　developed　sufficiently　to　a　control　in　the
interests　of　civilisation　of　many　other　staples　besides
foodstuffs。　　It　is　in　fact　the　suggestion　and　beginning　of　the
economic　world　peace　and　the　economic　world　state；　just　as　the
Hague　Tribunal　is　the　first　faint　sketch　of　a　legal　world　state。
The　King　of　Italy　has　met　Mr。　Lubin's　idea　with　open　hands。　　（It
was　because　of　this　profoundly　interesting　experiment　that　in　a
not　very　widely　known　book　of　mine；　/The　World　Set　Free/
（May；　1914）；　in　which　I　represented　a　world　state　as　arising　out
of　Armageddon；　I　made　the　first　world　conference　meet　at　Brissago
in　Italian　Switzerland　under　the　presidency　of　the　King　of
Italy。）　So　that　when　I　found　I　could　meet　Mr。　Lubin　I　did　so　very
gladly。　　We　lunched　together　in　a　pretty　little　room　high　over
Knightsbridge；　and　talked　through　an　afternoon。

He　is　a　man　rather　after　the　type　of　Gladstone；　he　could　be　made
to　look　like　Gladstone　in　a　caricature；　and　he　has　that
compelling　quality　of　intense　intellectual　excitement　which　was
one　of　the　great　factors　in　the　personal　effectiveness　of
Gladstone。　　He　is　a　Jew；　but　until　I　had　talked　to　him　for　some
time　that　fact　did　not　occur　to　me。　　He　is　in　very　ill　health；　he
has　some　weakness　of　the　heart　that　grips　him　and　holds　him　at
times　white　and　silent。

At　first　we　talked　of　his　Institute　and　its　work。　　Then　we　came
to　shipping　and　transport。　　Whenever　one　talks　now　of　human
affairs　one　comes　presently　to　shipping　and　transport　generally。
In　Paris；　in　Italy；　when　I　returned　to　England；　everywhere　I
found　〃cost　of　carriage〃　was　being　discovered　to　be　a　question　of
fundamental　importance。　　Yet　transport；　railroads　and　shipping；
these　vitally　important　services　in　the　world's　affairs；　are
nearly　everywhere　in　private　hands　and　run　for　profit。　　In　the
case　of　shipping　they　are　run　for　profit　on　such　antiquated　lines
that　freights　vary　from　day　to　day　and　from　hour　to　hour。　　It
makes　the　business　of　food　supply　a　gamble。　　And　it　need　not　be　a
gamble。

But　that　is　by　the　way　in　the　present　discussion。　　As　we　talked；
the　prospect　broadened　out　from　a　prospect　of　the　growing　and
distribution　of　food　to　a　general　view　of　the　world　becoming　one
economic　community。

I　talked　of　various　people　I　had　been　meeting　in　the　previous　few
weeks。　　〃So　many　of　us；〃　I　said；　〃seem　to　be　drifting　away　from
the　ideas　of　nationalism　and　faction　and　policy；　towards
something　else　which　is　larger。　　It　is　an　idea　of　a　right　way　of
doing　things　for　human　purposes；　independently　of　these　limited
and　localised　references。　　Take　such　things　as　international
hygiene　for　example；　take　/this/　movement。　　We　are　feeling
our　way　towards　a　bigger　rule。〃

〃The　rule　of　Righteousness；〃　said　Mr。　Lubin。

I　told　him　that　I　had　been　coming　more　and　more　to　the　ideanot
as　a　sentimentality　or　a　metaphor；　but　as　the　ruling　and
directing　idea；　the　structural　idea；　of　all　one's　political　and
social　activitiesof　the　whole　world　as　one　state　and　community
and　of　God　as　the　King　of　that　state。

〃But　/I/　say　that；〃　cried　Mr。　Lubin；　〃I　have　put　my　name　to　that。　　Andit　is　/here！/〃

He　struggled　up；　seized　an　Old　Testament　that　lay　upon　a　side
table。　　He　stood　over　it　and　rapped　its　cover。　　〃It　is
/here/；〃　he　said；　looking　more　like　Gladstone　than　ever；　〃in
the　Prophets。〃


4

That　is　all　I　mean　to　tell　at　present　of　that　conversation。

We　talked　of　religion　for　two　hours。　　Mr。　Lubin　sees　things　in
terms　of　Israel　and　I　do　not。　　For　all　that　we　see　things　very
much　after　the　same　fashion。　　That　talk　was　only　one　of　a　number
of　talks　about　religion　that　I　have　had　with　hard　and　practical
men　who　want　to　get　the　world　straighter　than　it　is；　and　who
perceive　that　they　must　have　a　leadership　and　reference　outside
themselves。　　That　is　why　I　assert　so　confidently　that　there　is　a
real　deep　religious　movement　afoot　in　the　world。　　But　not　one　of
those　conversations　could　have　gone　on；　it　would　have　ceased
instantly；　if　anyone　bearing　the　uniform　and　brand　of　any
organised　religious　body；　any　clergyman；　priest；　mollah；　of
suchlike　advocate　of　the　ten　thousand　patented　religions　in　the
world；　had　come　in。　　He　would　have　brought　in　his　sectarian
spites；　his　propaganda　of　church…going；　his　persecution　of　the
heretic　and　the　illegitimate；　his　ecclesiastical　politics；　his
taboos；　and　his　doctrinal　touchiness。。。。　　That　is　why；　though　I
perceive　there　is　a　great　wave　of　religious　revival　in　the　world
to…day；　I　doubt　whether　it　bodes　well　for　the　professional
religions。。。。

The　other　day　I　was　talking　to　an　eminent　Anglican　among　various
other　people　and　someone　with　an　eye　to　him　propounded　this
remarkable　view。

〃There　are　four　stages　between　belief　and　utter　unbelief。　　There
are　those　who　believe　in　God；　those　who　doubt　like　Huxley　the
Agnostic；　those　who　deny　him　like　the　Atheists　but　who　do　at
least　keep　his　place　vacant；　and　lastly　those　who　have　set　up　a
Church　in　his　place。　　That　is　the　last　outrage　of　unbelief。〃


IV。　THE　RIDDLE　OF　THE　BRITISH
All　the　French　people　I　met　in　France　seemed　to　be　thinking　and
talking　about　the　English。