第5章

Nowitisthissimpletruthwhich，likemanyothers，istoosimpleforourscientiststosee。Thisiswheretheygowrong，notonlyabouttruereligion，butaboutfalsereligionstoo；sothattheiraccountofmythologyismoremythicalthanthemythitself。Idonotconfinemyselftosayingthattheyarequiteincorrectwhentheystate(forinstance)

thatChristwasalegendofdyingandrevivingvegetation，likeAdonisorPersephone。IsaythatevenifAdoniswasagodofvegetation，theyhavegotthewholenotionofhimwrong。Nobody，tobeginwith，issufficientlyinterestedindecayingvegetables，assuch，tomakeanyparticularmysteryordisguiseaboutthem；andcertainlynotenoughtodisguisethemundertheimageofaveryhandsomeyoungman，whichisavastlymoreinterestingthing。IfAdoniswasconnectedwiththefallofleavesinautumnandthereturnofflowersinspring，theprocessofthoughtwasquitedifferent。Itisaprocessofthoughtwhichspringsupspontaneouslyinallchildrenandyoungartists；itspringsupspontaneouslyinallhealthysocieties。Itisverydifficulttoexplaininadiseasedsociety。

Thebrainofmanissubjecttoshortandstrangesnatchesofsleep。A

cloudsealsthecityofreasonorrestsupontheseaofimagination；adreamthatdarkensasmuch，whetheritisanightmareofatheismoraday-

dreamofidolatry。Andjustaswehaveallsprungfromsleepwithastartandfoundourselvessayingsomesentencethathasnomeaning，saveinthemadtonguesofthemidnight；sothehumanmindstartsfromitstrancesofstupiditywithsomecompletephraseuponitslips；acompletephrasewhichisacompletefolly。Unfortunatelyitisnotlikethedreamsentence，generallyforgottenintheputtingonofbootsortheputtinginofbreakfast。Thissenselessaphorism，inventedwhenman"smindwasasleep，stillhangsonhistongueandentanglesallhisrelationstorationalanddaylightthings。Allourcontroversiesareconfusedbycertainkindsofphraseswhicharenotmerelyuntrue，butwerealwaysunmeaning；whicharenotmerelyinapplicable，butwerealwaysintrinsicallyuseless。Werecognisethemwhereveramantalksof"thesurvivalofthefittest，"meaningonlythesurvivalofthesurvivors；orwhereveramansaysthattherich"haveastakeinthecountry，"asifthepoorcouldnotsufferfrommisgovernmentormilitarydefeat；orwhereamantalksabout"goingontowardsProgress，"whichonlymeansgoingontowardsgoingon；orwhenamantalksabout"governmentbythewisefew，"

asiftheycouldbepickedoutbytheirpantaloons。"Thewisefew"mustmeaneitherthefewwhomthefoolishthinkwiseortheveryfoolishwhothinkthemselveswise。

Thereisonepieceofnonsensethatmodernpeoplestillfindthemselvessaying，evenaftertheyaremoreorlessawake，bywhichIamparticularlyirritated。Itaroseinthepopularisedscienceofthenineteenthcentury，especiallyinconnectionwiththestudyofmythsandreligions。ThefragmentofgibberishtowhichIrefergenerallytakestheformofsaying"Thisgodorheroreallyrepresentsthesun。”Or"ApollokillingthePythonMEANSthatthesummerdrivesoutthewinter。”

Or"TheKingdyinginawesternbattleisaSYMBOLofthesunsettinginthewest。”NowIshouldreallyhavethoughtthateventheskepticalprofessors，whoseskullsareasshallowasfrying-pans，mighthavereflectedthathumanbeingsneverthinkorfeellikethis。Considerwhatisinvolvedinthissupposition。Itpresumesthatprimitivemanwentoutforawalkandsawwithgreatinterestabigburningspotonthesky。Hethensaidtoprimitivewoman，"Mydear，wehadbetterkeepthisquiet。

Wemustn"tletitgetabout。Thechildrenandtheslavesaresoverysharp。Theymightdiscoverthesunanyday，unlessweareverycareful。

Sowewon"tcallit"thesun，"butIwilldrawapictureofamankillingasnake；andwheneverIdothatyouwillknowwhatImean。Thesundoesn"tlookatalllikeamankillingasnake；sonobodycanpossiblyknow。Itwillbealittlesecretbetweenus；andwhiletheslavesandthechildrenfancyIamquiteexcitedwithagrandtaleOfawrithingdragonandawrestlingdemigod，IshallreallyMEANthisdeliciouslittlediscovery，thatthereisaroundyellowdiscupintheair。”Onedoesnotneedtoknowmuchmythologytoknowthatthisisamyth。ItiscommonlycalledtheSolarMyth。

Quiteplainly，ofcourse，thecasewasjusttheotherway。Thegodwasneverasymbolorhieroglyphrepresentingthesun。Thesunwasahieroglyphrepresentingthegod。Primitiveman(withwhommyfriendDombeyisnodoubtwellacquainted)wentoutwithhisheadfullofgodsandheroes，becausethatisthechiefuseofhavingahead。Thenhesawthesuninsomegloriouscrisisofthedominanceofnoononthedistressofnightfall，andhe"said，"Thatishowthefaceofthegodwouldshinewhenhehadslainthedragon，"or"Thatishowthewholeworldwouldbleedtowestward，ifthegodwereslainatlast。”

NohumanbeingwaseverreallysounnaturalastoworshipNature。Noman，howeverindulgent(asIam)tocorpulency，everworshippedamanasroundasthesunorawomanasroundasthemoon。Noman，howeverattractedtoanartisticattenuation，everreallybelievedthattheDryadwasasleanandstiffasthetree。WehumanbeingshaveneverworshippedNature；andindeed，thereasonisverysimple。Itisthatallhumanbeingsaresuperhumanbeings。WehaveprintedourownimageuponNature，asGodhasprintedHisimageuponus。Wehavetoldtheenormoussuntostandstill；wehavefixedhimonourshields，caringnomoreforastarthanforastarfish。AndwhentherewerepowersofNaturewecouldnotforthetimecontrol，wehaveconceivedgreatbeingsinhumanshapecontrollingthem。Jupiterdoesnotmeanthunder。ThundermeansthemarchandvictoryofJupiter。Neptunedoesnotmeanthesea；theseaishis，andhemadeit。Inotherwords，whatthesavagereallysaidabouttheseawas，"OnlymyfetishMumbocouldraisesuchmountainsoutofmerewater。”Whatthesavagereallysaidaboutthesunwas，"Onlymygreat-

great-grandfatherJumbocoulddeservesuchablazingcrown。”

Aboutallthesemythsmyownpositionisutterlyandevensadlysimple。

Isayyoucannotreallyunderstandanymythstillyouhavefoundthatoneofthemisnotamyth。Turnipghostsmeannothingiftherearenorealghosts。Forgedbank-notesmeannothingiftherearenorealbank-notes。

Heathengodsmeannothing，andmustalwaysmeannothing，tothoseofusthatdenytheChristianGod。Whenonceagodisadmitted，evenafalsegod，theCosmosbeginstoknowitsplace:whichisthesecondplace。WhenonceitistherealGodtheCosmosfallsdownbeforeHim，offeringflowersinspringasflamesinwinter。"Myloveislikeared，redrose"

doesnotmeanthatthepoetispraisingrosesundertheallegoryofayounglady。"Myloveisanarbutus"doesnotmeanthattheauthorwasabotanistsopleasedwithaparticulararbutustreethathesaidhelovedit。"Whoartthemoonandregentofmysky"doesnotmeanthatJulietinventedRomeotoaccountfortheroundnessofthemoon。"ChrististheSunofEaster"doesnotmeanthattheworshipperispraisingthesunundertheemblemofChrist。Goddessorgodcanclothethemselveswiththespringorsummer；butthebodyismorethanraiment。ReligiontakesalmostdisdainfullythedressofNature；andindeedChristianityhasdoneaswellwiththesnowsofChristmasaswiththesnow-dropsofspring。

AndwhenIlookacrossthesun-struckfields，Iknowinmyinmostbonesthatmyjoyisnotsolelyinthespring，forspringalone，beingalwaysreturning，wouldbealwayssad。Thereissomebodyorsomethingwalkingthere，tobecrownedwithflowers:andmypleasureisinsomepromiseyetpossibleandintheresurrectionofthedead。

THEREALJOURNALIST

Ouragewhichhasboastedofrealismwillfailchieflythroughlackofreality。Never，Ifancy，hastherebeensograveandstartlingadivorcebetweentherealwayathingisdoneandthelookofitwhenitisdone。

Itakethenearestandmosttopicalinstancetohandanewspaper。

Nothinglooksmoreneatandregularthananewspaper，withitsparallelcolumns，itsmechanicalprinting，itsdetailedfactsandfigures，itsresponsible，polysyllabicleadingarticles。Nothing，asamatteroffact，goeseverynightthroughmoreagoniesofadventure，morehairbreadthescapes，desperateexpedients，crucialcouncils，randomcompromises，orbarelyavertedcatastrophes。Seenfromtheoutside，itseemstocomeroundasautomaticallyastheclockandassilentlyasthedawn。Seenfromtheinside，itgivesallitsorganisersagaspofreliefeverymorningtoseethatithascomeoutatall；thatithascomeoutwithouttheleadingarticleupsidedownorthePopecongratulatedondiscoveringtheNorthPole。

Iwillgiveaninstance(merelytoillustratemythesisofunreality)

fromthepaperthatIknowbest。Hereisasimplestory，alittleepisodeinthelifeofajournalist，whichmaybeamusingandinstructive:

thetaleofhowImadeagreatmistakeinquotation。Therearereallytwostories:thestoryasseenfromtheoutside，byamanreadingthepaper；andthestoryseenfromtheinside，bythejournalistsshoutingandtelephoningandtakingnotesinshorthandthroughthenight。

Thisistheoutsidestory；anditreadslikeadreadfulquarrel。ThenotoriousG。K。Chesterton，areactionaryTorquemadawhoseonegloomypleasurewasinthedefenceoforthodoxyandthepursuitofheretics，longcalculatedandatlastlaunchedadenunciationofabrilliantleaderoftheNewTheologywhichhehatedwithallthefurnaceofhisfanaticsoul。InthisdocumentChestertondarkly，deliberately，andnothavingthefearofGodbeforehiseyes，assertedthatShakespearewrotetheline"thatwreathesitsoldfantasticrootssohigh。”ThishesaidbecausehehadbeenkeptinignorancebyPriests；or，perhaps，becausehethoughtcraftilythatnoneofhisdupescoulddiscoveracuriousandforgottenrhymecalled"ElegyinaCountryChurchyard"。Anyhow，thatorthodoxgentlemanmadeahowlingerror；andreceivedsometwentyfivelettersandpost-cardsfromkindcorrespondentswhopointedoutthemistake。

Buttheoddthingisthatscarcelyanyofthemcouldconceivethatitwasamistake。Thefirstwroteinthetoneofoneweariedofepigrams，andcried，"WhatisthejokeNOW？"Anotherprofessed(andpractised，forallIknow，Godhelphim)thathehadreadthroughallShakespeareandfailedtofindtheline。Athirdwroteinasortofmoraldistress，asking，asinconfidence，ifGraywasreallyaplagiarist。Theywereanoblecollection；buttheyallsubtlyassumedanelementofleisureandexactitudeintherecipient"sprofessionandcharacterwhichisfarfromthetruth。Letuspassontothenextactoftheexternaltragedy。

InMonday"sissueofthesamepaperappearedaletterfromthesameculprit。HeingenuouslyconfessedthatthelinedidnotbelongtoShakespeare，buttoapoetwhomhecalledGrey。Whichwasanothercropper——orwhopper。Thisstrangeandilliterateoutbreakwasprintedbytheeditorwiththejustlyscornfultitle，"Mr。Chesterton"Explains"？"

Anymanreadingthepaperatbreakfastsawatoncethemeaningofthesarcasticquotationmarks。Theymeant，ofcourse，"Hereisamanwhodoesn"tknowGrayfromShakespeare；hetriestopatchitupandhecan"tevenspellGray。AndthatiswhathecallsanExplanation。”Thatistheperfectlynaturalinferenceofthereaderfromtheletter，themistake，andtheheadline——asseenfromtheoutside。Thefalsehoodwasserious；

theeditorialrebukewasserious。Thesterneditorandthesombre，baffledcontributorconfronteachotherasthecurtainfalls。

AndnowIwilltellyouexactlywhatreallyhappened。Itishonestlyratheramusing；itisastoryofwhatjournalsandjournalistsreallyare。

AmonstrouslylazymanlivesinSouthBuckspartlybywritingacolumnintheSaturdayDailyNews。Atthetimeheusuallywritesit(whichisalwaysatthelastmoment)hishouseisunexpectedlyinvadedbyinfantsofallshapesandsizes。HisSecretaryiscalledaway；andhehastocopewiththeinvadingpigmies。Playingwithchildrenisagloriousthing；butthejournalistinquestionhasneverunderstoodwhyitwasconsideredasoothingoridyllicone。Itremindshim，notofwateringlittlebuddingflowers，butofwrestlingforhourswithgiganticangelsanddevils。Moralproblemsofthemostmonstrouscomplexitybesiegehimincessantly。Hehastodecidebeforetheawfuleyesofinnocence，whether，whenasisterhasknockeddownabrother"sbricks，inrevengeforthebrotherhavingtakentwosweetsoutofhisturn，itisendurablethatthebrothershouldretaliatebyscribblingonthesister"spicture-

book，andwhethersuchconductdoesnotjustifythesisterinblowingoutthebrother"sunlawfullylightedmatch。

Justasheissolvingthisproblemuponprinciplesofthehighestmorality，itoccurstohimsuddenlythathehasnotwrittenhisSaturdayarticle；andthatthereisonlyaboutanhourtodoitin。Hewildlycallstosomebody(probablythegardener)totelephonetosomewhereforamessenger；hebarricadeshimselfinanotherroomandtearshishair，wonderingwhatonearthheshallwriteabout。Adrummingoffistsonthedooroutsideandacheerfulbellowingencourageandclarifyhisthoughts；

andheisabletoobservesomenewspapersandcircularsinwrapperslyingonthetable。Oneisadingybookcatalogue；thesecondisashinypamphletaboutpetrol；thethirdisapapercalledTheChristianCommonwealth。Heopensitanyhow，andseesinthemiddleofapageasentencewithwhichhehonestlydisagrees。ItsaysthatthesenseofbeautyinNatureisanewthing，hardlyfeltbeforeWordsworth。Astreamofimagesandpicturespourthroughhishead，likeskieschasingeachotherorforestsrunningby。"NotfeltbeforeWordsworth!"hethinks。

"Oh，butthiswon"tdo……bareruinedchoirswherelatethesweetbirdssang……night"scandlesareburntout……glowedwithlivingsapphires。

leavingtheirmoon-lovedmaze……antiquerootsfantastic……antiquerootswreathedhigh……whatisitinAsYouLikeIt？"

Hesitsdowndesperately；themessengerringsatthebell；thechildrendrumonthedoor；theservantsrunupfromtimetotimetosaythemessengerisgettingbored；andthepencilstaggersalong，makingtheworldapresentoffifteenhundredunimportantwords，andmakingShakespeareapresentofaportionofGray"sElegy；putting"fantasticrootswreathedhigh"insteadof"antiquerootspeepout。”Thenthejournalistsendsoffhiscopyandturnshisattentiontotheenigmaofwhetherabrothershouldcommandeerasister"snecklacebecausethesisterpinchedhimatLittlehampton。Thatisthefirstscene；thatishowanarticleisreallywritten。

Thescenenowchangestothenewspaperoffice。Thewriterofthearticlehasdiscoveredhismistakeandwantstocorrectitbythenextday:butthenextdayisSunday。Hecannotpostaletter，soheringsupthepaperanddictatesaletterbytelephone。Heleavesthetitletohisfriendsattheotherend；heknowsthattheycanspell"Gray，"asnodoubttheycan:buttheletterisputdownbyjournalisticcustominapencilscribbleandthevowelmaywellbedoubtful。Thefriendwritesatthetopoftheletter""G。K。C。"Explains，"puttingtheinitialsinquotationmarks。Thenextmanpassingitforpressisboredwiththeseinitials(Iamwithhimthere)andcrossesthemout，substitutingwithausterecivility，"Mr。ChestertonExplains。”ButandnowhehearstheironlaughteroftheFates，fortheblindboltisabouttofall——butheneglectstocrossoutthesecond"quote"(aswecallit)anditgoesuptopresswitha"quote"betweenthelastwords。Anotherquotationmarkattheendof"explains"wastheworkofonemerrymomentfortheprintersupstairs。Sotheinvertedcommaswereliftedentirelyoffonewordontotheotherandatotallyinnocenttitlesuddenlyturnedintoablastingsneer。Butthatwouldhavematterednothingsofar，fortherewasnothingtosneerat。Inthesamedarkhour，however，therewasaprinterwhowas(Isuppose)sodevotedtothisGovernmentthathecouldthinkofnoGraybutSirEdwardGrey。Hespeltit"Grey"byameremisprint，andthewholetalewascomplete:firstblunder，secondblunder，andfinalcondemnation。

Thatisalittletaleofjournalismasitis；ifyoucallitegotisticandaskwhatistheuseofitIthinkIcouldtellyou。Youmightrememberitwhennextsomeordinaryyoungworkmanisgoingtobehangedbytheneckoncircumstantialevidence。

THESENTIMENTALSCOT

OfallthegreatnationsofChristendom，theScotcharebyfarthemostromantic。IhavejustenoughScotchexperienceandjustenoughScotchbloodtoknowthisintheonlywayinwhichathingcanreallybeknown；

thatis，whentheouterworldandtheinnerworldareatone。IknowitisalwayssaidthattheScotcharepractical，prosaic，andpuritan；thattheyhaveaneyetobusiness。Ilikethatphrase"aneye"tobusiness。

Polyphemushadaneyeforbusiness；itwasinthemiddleofhisforehead。

Itservedhimadmirablyfortheonlytwodutieswhicharedemandedinamodernfinancierandcaptainofindustry:thetwodutiesofcountingsheepandofeatingmen。Butwhenthatoneeyewasputouthewasdonefor。ButtheScotcharenotone-eyedpracticalmen，thoughtheirbestfriendsmustadmitthattheyareoccasionallybusiness-like。Theyare，quitefundamentally，romanticandsentimental，andthisisprovedbytheveryeconomicargumentthatisusedtoprovetheirharshnessandhungerforthematerial。ThemassofScotshaveacceptedtheindustrialcivilisation，withitsfactorychimneysanditsfamineprices，withitssteamandsmokeandsteel——andstrikes。ThemassoftheIrishhavenotacceptedit。ThemassoftheIrishhaveclungtoagriculturewithclawsofiron；andhavesucceededinkeepingit。ThatisbecausetheIrish，thoughfarinferiortotheScotchinartandliterature，arehugelysuperiortotheminpracticalpolitics。Youdoneedtobeveryromantictoaccepttheindustrialcivilisation。ItdoesreallyrequirealltheoldGaelicglamourtomakementhinkthatGlasgowisagrandplace。Yetthemiracleisachieved；andwhileIwasinGlasgowIsharedtheillusion。

IhaveneverhadthefaintestillusionaboutLeedsorBirmingham。TheindustrialdreamsuitedtheScots。Herewasareallyromanticvista，suitedtoaromanticpeople；avisionofhigherandhigherchimneystakingholdupontheheavens，offiercerandfiercerfiresinwhichadamantcouldevaporatelikedew。Hereweretallerandtallerenginesthatbeganalreadytoshriekandgesticulatelikegiants。Herewerethunderboltsofcommunicationwhichalreadyflashedtoandfrolikethoughts。Itwasunreasonabletoexpecttherapt，dreamy，romanticScottostandstillinsuchawhirlofwizardrytoaskwhetherhe，theordinaryScot，wouldbeanythericher。

He，theordinaryScot，isverymuchthepoorer。Glasgowisnotarichcity。Itisaparticularlypoorcityruledbyafewparticularlyrichmen。Itisnot，perhaps，quitesopooracityasLiverpool，London，Manchester，Birmingham，orBolton。ItisvastlypoorerthanRome，Rouen，Munich，orCologne。AcertaincivicvitalitynotableinGlasgowmay，perhaps，beduetothefactthatthehighpoeticpatriotismoftheScotshastherebeenreinforcedbythecuttingcommonsenseandindependenceoftheIrish。Inanycase，Ithinktherecanbenodoubtofthemainhistoricalfact。TheScotchweretemptedbytheenormousbutunequalopportunitiesofindustrialism，becausetheScotchareromantic。TheIrishrefusedthoseenormousandunequalopportunities，becausetheIrishareclear-sighted。TheywouldnotneedveryclearsightbythistimetoseethatinEnglandandScotlandthetemptationhasbeenabetrayal。Theindustrialsystemhasfailed。

IwascomingtheotherdayalongagreatvalleyroadthatstrikesoutofthewestlandcountiesaboutGlasgow，moreorlesstowardstheeastandthewideningoftheForth。Itmay，forallIknow(Iamusedmyselfwiththefancy)，bethewayalongwhichWallacecamewithhiscrudearmy，whenhegavebattlebeforeStirlingBrig；and，inthemidstofmediaevaldiplomacies，madeanewnationpossible。Anyhow，theromanticqualityofScotlandrolledallaboutme，asmuchinthelastreekofGlasgowasinthefirstrainuponthehills。Thetallfactorychimneysseemedtryingtobetallerthanthemountainpeaks；asifthislandscapewerefull(asitshistoryhasbeenfull)oftheverymadnessofambition。Thewage-

slaveryweliveinisawickedthing。Butthereisnothing-inwhichtheScotcharemorepiercingandpoetical，Imightsaymoreperfect，thanintheirScotchwickedness。ItiswhatmakestheMasterofBallantraethemostthrillingofallfictitiousvillains。ItiswhatmakestheMasterofLovatthemostthrillingofallhistoricalvillains。Itispoetry。

Itisanintensitywhichisontheedgeofmadnessor(whatisworse)

magic。Well，theScotchhavemanagedtoapplysomethingofthisfierceromanticismeventothelowestofalllordshipsandserfdoms；theproletarianinequalityoftoday。Youdomeetnowandthen，inScotland，themanyounevermeetanywhereelsebutinnovels；Imeantheself-mademan；thehard，insatiableman，mercilesstohimselfaswellastoothers。

Itisnot"enterprise"；itiskleptomania。Heisquitemad，andamuchmoreobviouspublicpestthananyotherkindofkleptomaniac；butthoughheisacheat，heisnotanillusion。Hedoesexist；Ihavemetquitetwoofhim。Himaloneamongmodernmerchantswedonotweaklyflatterwhenwecallhimabandit。Somethingoftheirresponsibilityofthetruedarkagesreallyclingsabouthim。Ourscientificcivilisationisnotacivilisation；itisasmokenuisance。Likesmokeitischokingus；likesmokeitwillpassaway。OnlyofoneortwoScotsmen，inmyexperience，wasittruethatwherethereissmokethereisfire。

Butthereareotherkindsoffire；andbetter。Theonegreatadvantageofthisstrangenationaltemperisthat，fromthebeginningofallchronicles，ithasprovidedresistanceaswellascruelty。InScotlandnearlyeverythinghasalwaysbeeninrevolt——especiallyloyalty。IfthesepeoplearecapableofmakingGlasgow，theyarealsocapableofwreckingit；andthethoughtofmymanygoodfriendsinthatcitymakesmereallydoubtfulaboutwhichwouldfigureinhumanmemoriesasthemorehugecalamityofthetwo。InScotlandtherearemanyrichmensoweakastocallthemselvesstrong。Buttherearenotsomanypoormenweakenoughtobelievethem。

AsIcameoutofGlasgowIsawmenstandingabouttheroad。Theyhadlittlelanternstiedtothefrontsoftheircaps，likethefairieswhousedtodanceintheoldfairypantomimes]Theywerenot，however，strictlyspeaking，fairies。Theymighthavebeencalledgnomes，sincetheyworkedinthechasmsofthosepurpleandchaotichills。Theyworkedintheminesfromwhencecomesthefuelofourfires。JustatthemomentwhenIsawthem，moreover，theywerenotdancing；norweretheyworking。

Theyweredoingnothing。Which，inmyopinion(andItrustyours)，wasthefinestthingtheycoulddo。

THESECTARIANOFSOCIETY

Afixedcreedisabsolutelyindispensabletofreedom。Forwhilemenareandshouldbevarious，theremustbesomecommunicationbetweenthemiftheyaretogetanypleasureoutoftheirvariety。Andanintellectualformulaistheonlythingthatcancreateacommunicationthatdoesnotdependonmereblood，class，orcapricioussympathy。Ifweallstarkwiththeagreementthatthesunandmoonexist，wecantalkaboutourdifferentvisionsofthem。Thestrong-eyedmancanboastthatheseesthesunasaperfectcircle。Theshortsightedmanmaysay(orifheisanimpressionist，boast)thatheseesthemoonasasilverblur。Thecolour-blindmanmayrejoiceinthefairy-trickwhichenableshimtoliveunderagreensunandabluemoon。Butifonceitbeheldthatthereisnothingbutasilverblurinoneman"seyeorabrightcircle(likeamonocle)intheotherman"s，thenneitherisfree，foreachisshutupinthecellofaseparateuniverse。

But，indeed，anevenworsefate，practicallyconsidered，followsfromthedenimoftheoriginalintellectualformula。Notonlydoestheindividualbecomenarrow，buthespreadsnarrownessacrosstheworldlikeacloud；

hecausesnarrownesstoincreaseandmultiplylikeaweed。Forwhathappensisthis:thatalltheshortsightedpeoplecometogetherandbuildacitycalledMyopia，wheretheytakeshort-sightednessforgrantedandpaintshort-sightedpicturesandpursueveryshort-sightedpolicies。

MeanwhileallthemenwhocanstareatthesungettogetheronSalisburyPlainanddonothingbutstareatthesun；andallthemenwhoseeabluemoonbandthemselvestogetherandassertthebluemoon，notonceinabluemoon，butincessantly。Sothatinsteadofasmallandvariedgroup，youhaveenormousmonotonousgroups。Insteadofthelibertyofdogma，youhavethetyrannyoftaste。

Allegoryapart，instancesofwhatImeanwilloccurtoeveryone；perhapsthemostobviousisSocialism。Socialismmeanstheownershipbytheorganofgovernment(whateveritis)ofallthingsnecessarytoproduction。IfamanclaimstobeaSocialistinthatsensehecanbeanykindofmanhelikesinanyothersense——abookie，aMahatma，amanabouttown，anarchbishop，aMargatenigger。Withoutrecallingatthemomentclear-headedSocialistsinallofthesecapacities，itisobviousthataclear-headedSocialist(thatis，aSocialistwithacreed)canbeasoldier，likeMr。Blatchford，oraDon，likeMr。Ball，oraBath-

chairmanlikeMr。Meeke，oraclergymanlikeMr。ConradNoel，oranartistictradesmanlikethelateMr。WilliamMorris。

ButsomepeoplecallthemselvesSocialists，andwillnotbeboundbywhattheycallanarrowdogma；theysaythatSocialismmeansfar，farmorethanthis；allthatishigh，allthatisfree，allthatis:etc。，etc。

Nowmarktheirdreadfulfate；fortheybecometotallyunfittobetradesmen，orsoldiers，orclergymen，oranyotherstrickenhumanthing，butbecomeaparticularsortofpersonwhoisalwaysthesame。WhenonceithasbeendiscoveredthatSocialismdoesnotmeananarroweconomicformula，itisalsodiscoveredthatSocialismdoesmeanwearingoneparticularkindofclothes，readingoneparticularkindofbooks，hanginguponeparticularkindofpictures，andinthemajorityofcaseseveneatingoneparticularkindoffood。Formenmustrecogniseeachothersomehow。Thesemenwillnotknoweachotherbyaprinciple，likefellowcitizens。Theycannotknoweachotherbyasmell，likedogs。Sotheyhavetofallbackongeneralcolouring；onthefactthatamanoftheirsortwillhaveawifeinpalegreenandWalterCrane"s"TriumphofLabour"hanginginthehall。

Thereare，ofcourse，manyotherinstances；formodernsocietyisalmostmadeupoftheselargemonochromepatches。ThusI，forone，regretthesupersessionoftheoldPuritanunity，foundedontheology，butembracingalltypesfromMiltontothegrocer，bythatnewerPuritanunitywhichisfoundedratheroncertainsocialhabits，certaincommonnotions，bothpermissiveandprohibitive，inconnectionwithParticularsocialpleasures。