第6章
ThusI，forone，regretthat(ifyouaregoingtohaveanaristocracy)itdidnotremainalogicalonefoundedonthescienceofheraldry；athingassertinganddefendingthequitedefensibletheorythatphysicalgenealogyisthetest；insteadofbeing，asitisnow，ameremachineofEtonandOxfordforvarnishinganybodyrichenoughwithonemonotonousvarnish。
Anditissupremelysointhecaseofreligion。Aslongasyouhaveacreed，whicheveryoneinacertaingroupbelievesorissupposedtobelieve，thenthatgroupwillconsistoftheoldrecurringfiguresofreligioushistory，whocanbeappealedtobythecreedandjudgedbyit；
thesaint，thehypocrite，thebrawler，theweakbrother。Thesepeopledoeachothergood；ortheyalljointogethertodothehypocritegood，withheavyandrepeatedblows。Butoncebreakthebondofdoctrinewhichaloneholdsthesepeopletogetherandeachwillgravitatetohisownkindoutsidethegroup。Thehypocriteswillallgettogetherandcalleachothersaints；thesaintswillgetlostinadesertandcallthemselvesweakbrethren；theweakbrethrenwillgetweakerandweakerinageneralatmosphereofimbecility；andthebrawlerwillgoofflookingforsomebodyelsewithwhomtobrawl。
ThishasverylargelyhappenedtomodernEnglishreligion；Ihavebeeninmanychurches，chapels，andhallswhereaconfidentprideinhavinggotbeyondcreedswascoupledwithquiteaparalysedincapacitytogetbeyondcatchwords。Butwhereverthefalsityappearsitcomesfromneglectofthesametruth:thatmenshouldagreeonaprinciple，thattheymaydifferoneverythingelse；thatGodgavemenalawthattheymightturnitintoliberties。
Therewashugelymoresenseintheoldpeoplewhosaidthatawifeandhusbandoughttohavethesamereligionthanthereisinallthecontemporarygushingaboutsistersoulsandkindredspiritsandaurasofidenticalcolour。Asamatteroffact，themorethesexesareinviolentcontrastthelesslikelytheyaretobeinviolentcollision。Themoreincompatibletheirtempersarethebetter。Obviouslyawife"ssoulcannotpossiblybeasistersoul。Itisveryseldomsomuchasafirstcousin。
Thereareveryfewmarriagesofidenticaltasteandtemperament；theyaregenerallyunhappy。Buttohavethesamefundamentaltheory，tothinkthesamethingavirtue，whetheryoupractiseorneglectit，tothinkthesamethingasin，whetheryoupunishorpardonorlaughatit，inthelastextremitytocallthesamethingdutyandthesamethingdisgrace——
thisreallyisnecessarytoatolerablyhappymarriage；anditismuchbetterrepresentedbyacommonreligionthanitisbyaffinitiesandauras。Andwhatappliestothefamilyappliestothenation。Anationwitharootreligionwillbetolerant。Anationwithnoreligionwillbebigoted。Lastly，theworsteffectofallisthis:thatwhenmencometogethertoprofessacreed，theycomecourageously，thoughitistohideincatacombsandcaves。Butwhentheycometogetherinacliquetheycomesneakishly，eschewingallchangeordisagreement，thoughitistodinetoabrassbandinabigLondonhotel。Forbirdsofafeatherflocktogether，butbirdsofthewhitefeathermostofall。
THEFOOL
FormanyyearsIhadsoughthim，andatlastIfoundhiminaclub。I
hadbeentoldthathewaseverywhere；butIhadalmostbeguntothinkthathewasnowhere。Ihadbeenassuredthatthereweremillionsofhim；
butbeforemylatediscoveryIinclinedtothinkthattherewerenoneofhim。AftermylatediscoveryIamsurethatthereisone；andIinclinetothinkthatthereareseveral，say，afewhundreds；butunfortunatelymostofthemoccupyingimportantpositions。WhenIsay"him，"Imeantheentireidiot。
Ihaveneverbeenabletodiscoverthat"stupidpublic"ofwhichsomanyliterarymencomplain。Thepeopleoneactuallymeetsintrainsorattea-
partiesseemtomequitebrightandinteresting；certainlyquiteenoughsotocallforthefullexertionofone"sownwits。AndevenwhenIhaveheardbrilliant"conversationalists"conversingwithotherpeople，theconversationhadmuchmoreequalityandgiveandtakethanthisageofintellectualsnobswilladmit。Ihavesometimesfelttired，likeotherpeople；butrathertiredwithmen"stalkandvarietythanwiththeirstolidityorsameness；thereforeitwasthatIsometimeslongedtofindtherefreshmentofasinglefool。
Butitwasdeniedme。TurnwhereIwouldIfoundthismonotonousbrilliancyofthegeneralintelligence，thisruthless，ceaselesssparkleofhumourandgoodsense。The"mostlyfools"theoryhasbeenusedinananti-democraticsense；butwhenIfoundatlastmypricelessass，Ididnotfindhiminwhatiscommonlycalledthedemocracy；norinthearistocracyeither。Themanofthedemocracygenerallytalksquiterationally，sometimesontheanti-democraticside，butalwayswithanideaofgivingreasonsforwhathesaysandreferringtotherealitiesofhisexperience。Norisitthearistocracythatisstupid；atleast，notthatsectionofthearistocracywhichrepresentsitinpolitics。Theyareoftencynical，especiallyaboutmoney，buteventheirboredomtendstomakethemalittleeagerforanyrealinformationororiginality。IfamanlikeMr。WinstonChurchillorMr。WyndhammadeuphismindforanyreasontoattackSyndicalismhewouldfindoutwhatitwasfirst。
NotsothemanIfoundintheclub。
Hewasverywelldressed；hehadaheavybuthandsomeface；hisblackclothessuggestedtheCityandhisgraymoustachestheArmy；butthewholesuggestedthathedidnotreallybelongtoeither，butwasoneofthosewhodabbleinsharesandwhoplayatsoldiers。Therewassomethirdelementabouthimthatwasneithermercantilenormilitary。Hismannerswereashadetoogentlemanlytobequitethoseofagentleman。
Theyinvolvedanunctionandover-emphasisoftheclub-man:thenI
suddenlyrememberedfeelingthesamethinginsomeoldactorsoroldplaygoerswhohadmodelledthemselvesonactors。AsIcameinhesaid，"IfIwastheGovernment，"andthenputacigarinhismouthwhichhelitcarefullywithlongintakesofbreath。Thenhetookthecigaroutofhismouthagainandsaid，"I"dgiveit"em，"asifitwerequiteaseparatesentence。Butevenwhilehismouthwasstoppedwiththecigarhiscompanionorinterlocutorleapedtohisfeetandsaidwithgreatheartiness，snatchingupahat，"Well，Imustbeoff。Tuesday!"。I
dislikethesedarksuspicions，butIcertainlyfanciedIrecognisedthesuddengenialitywithwhichonetakesleaveofabore。
When，therefore，heremovedthenarcoticstopperfromhismouthitwastomethatheaddressedthebelatedepigram。"I"dgiveit"em。”
"Whatwouldyougivethem，"Iasked，"theminimumwage？"
"I"dgivethembeans，"hesaid。"I"dshoot"emdownshoot"emdown，everymanJackofthem。Ilostmybesttrainyesterday，andhere"sthewholecountryparalysed，andhere"sahandfulofobstinatefellowsstandingbetweenthecountryandcoal。I"dshoot"emdown!"
"Thatwouldsurelybealittleharsh，"Ipleaded。"Afterall，theyarenotundermartiallaw，thoughIsupposetwoorthreeofthemhavecommissionsintheYeomanry。”
"CommissionsintheYeomanry!"herepeated，andhiseyesandface，whichbecamestartlingandseparate，likethoseofaboiledlobster，mademefeelsurethathehadsomethingofthekindhimself。
"Besides，"Icontinued，"wouldn"titbequiteenoughtoconfiscatetheirmoney？"
"Well，I"dsendthemalltopenalservitude，anyhow，"hesaid，"andI"dconfiscatetheirfundsaswell。”
"Thepolicyisdaringandfullofdifficulty，"Ireplied，"butIdonotsaythatitiswhollyoutsidetheextremerightsoftherepublic。Butyoumustrememberthatthoughthefactsofpropertyhavebecomequitefantastic，yetthesentimentofpropertystillexists。Thesecoal-owners，thoughtheyhavenotearnedthemines，thoughtheycouldnotworkthemines，doquitehonestlyfeelthattheyownthemines。Henceyoursuggestionofshootingthemdown，orevenofconfiscatingtheirproperty，raisesvery——"
"Whatdoyoumean？"askedthemanwiththecigar，withabullyingeye。
"Whoyertalkingabout？"
"I"mtalkingaboutwhatyouweretalkingabout，"Ireplied；"asyouputitsoperfectly，aboutthehandfulofobstinatefellowswhoarestandingbetweenthecountryandthecoal。Imeanthemenwhoaresellingtheirowncoalforfancyprices，andwho，aslongastheycangetthoseprices，careaslittlefornationalstarvationasmostmerchantprincesandpirateshaveearedfortheprovincesthatwerewastedorthepeoplesthatwereenslavedjustbeforetheirshipscamehome。ButthoughIamabitofarevolutionistmyself，Icannotquitegowithyouintheextremeviolenceyousuggest。Yousay——"
"Isay，"hecried，burstingthroughmyspeechwithareallysplendidenergylikethatofsomenoblebeast，"IsayI"dtakealltheseblastedminersand——"
Ihadrisenslowlytomyfeet，forIwasprofoundlymoved；andIstoodstaringatthatmentalmonster。
"Oh，"Isaid，"soitistheminerswhoarealltobesenttopenalservitude，sothatwemaygetmorecoal。Itistheminerswhoaretobeshotdead，everymanJackofthem；forifoncetheyareallshotdeadtheywillstartminingagain……Youmustforgiveme，sir；IknowIseemsomewhatmoved……Thefactis，Ihavejustfoundsomething。somethingI
havebeenlookingforforyears。”
"Well，"heasked，withnounfriendlystare，"andwhathaveyoufound？"
"No，"Ianswered，shakingmyheadsadly，"IdonotthinkitwouldbequitekindtotellyouwhatIhavefound。”
Hehadahundredvirtues，includingthecapitalvirtueofgoodhumour，andwehadnodifficultyinchangingthesubjectandforgettingthedisagreement。Hetalkedaboutsociety，histownfriendsandhiscountrysports，andIdiscoveredinthecourseofitthathewasacountymagistrate，aMemberofParliament，andadirectorofseveralimportantcompanies。Hewasalsothatotherthing，whichIdidnottellhim。
Themoralisthatacertainsortofpersondoesexist，towhoseglorythisarticleisdedicated。Heisnottheordinaryman。Heisnottheminer，whoissharpenoughtoaskforthenecessitiesofexistence。Heisnotthemine-owner，whoissharpenoughtogetagreatdealmore，bysellinghiscoalatthebestpossiblemoment。Heisnotthearistocraticpolitician，whohasacynicalbutafairsympathywithbotheconomicopportunities。Butheisthemanwhoappearsinscoresofpublicplacesopentotheuppermiddleclassor(thatlessknownbutmorepowerfulsection)thelowerupperclass。Menlikethisalloverthecountryarereallysayingwhatevercomesintotheirheadsintheircapacitiesofjusticeofthepeace，candidateforParliament，ColoneloftheYeomanry，oldfamilydoctor，PoorLawguardian，coroner，oraboveall，arbiterintradedisputes。Hesuffers，intheliteralsense，fromsofteningofthebrain；hehassofteneditbyalwaystakingtheviewofeverythingmostcomfortableforhiscountry，hisclass，andhisprivatepersonality。Heisadeadlypublicdanger。ButasIhavegivenhimhisnameatthebeginningofthisarticlethereisnoneedformetorepeatitattheend。
THECONSCRIPTANDTHECRISIS
Veryfewofuseverseethehistoryofourowntimehappening。AndI
thinkthebestserviceamodernjournalistcandotosocietyistorecordasplainlyaseverhecanexactlywhatimpressionwasproducedonhismindbyanythinghehasactuallyseenandheardontheoutskirtsofanymodernproblemorcampaign。ThoughallhesawofarailwaystrikewasaflatmeadowinEssexinwhichatrainwasbecalmedforanhourortwo，hewillprobablythrowmorelightonthestrikebydescribingthiswhichhehasseenthanbydescribingthesteelykingsofcommerceandthebloodyleadersofthemobwhomhehasneverseen——noranyoneelseeither。IfhecomesadaytoolateforthebattleofWaterloo(ashappenedtoafriendofmygrandfather)heshouldstillrememberthatatrueaccountofthedayafterWaterloowouldbeamostvaluablethingtohave。ThoughhewasonthewrongsideofthedoorwhenRizziowasbeingmurdered，weshouldstillliketohavethewrongsidedescribedintherightway。
UponthisprincipleI，whoknownothingofdiplomacyormilitaryarrangements，andhaveonlyheldmybreathliketherestoftheworldwhileFranceandGermanywerebargaining，willtellquitetruthfullyofasmallsceneIsaw，oneofthethousandscenesthatwere，sotospeak，theanteroomsofthatinmostchamberofdebate。
InthecourseofacertainmorningIcameintooneofthequietsquaresofasmallFrenchtownandfounditscathedral。ItwasoneofthosegrayandrainydayswhichrathersuittheGothic。Thecloudswereleaden，likethesolidblue-grayleadofthespiresandthejewelledwindows；theslopingroofsandhigh-shoulderedarcheslookedlikecloaksdroopingwithdamp；andthestiffgargoylesthatstoodoutroundthewallswerescouredwitholdrainsandnew。Iwentintotheround，deepporchwithmanydoorsandfoundtwogrubbychildrenplayingthereoutoftherain。I
alsofoundanoticeofservices，etc。，andamongtheseIfoundtheannouncementthatat11。30(thatisabouthalfanhourlater)therewouldbeaspecialservicefortheConscripts，thatistosay，thedraftofyoungmenwhowerebeingtakenfromtheirhomesinthatlittletownandsenttoserveintheFrenchArmy；sent(asithappened)atanawfulmoment，whentheFrenchArmywasencampedatapartingoftheways。TherewerealreadyagreatmanypeopletherewhenIentered，notonlyofallkinds，butinallattitudes，kneeling，sitting，orstandingabout。AndtherewasthatgeneralsensethatstrikeseverymanfromaProtestantcountry，whetherhedislikestheCatholicatmosphereorlikesit；Imean，thegeneralsensethatthethingwas"goingonallthetime"；thatitwasnotanoccasion，butaperpetualprocess，asifitwereasortofmysticalinn。
Severaltricolourswerehungquiteneartothealtar，andtheyoungmen，whentheycamein，filedupthechurchandsatrightatthefront。Theywere，ofcourse，ofeveryimaginablesocialgrade；fortheFrenchconscriptionisreallystrictanduniversal。Somelookedlikeyoungcriminals，somelikeyoungpriests，somelikeboth。Someweresoobviouslyprosperousandpolishedthatabarrack-roommustseemtothemlikehell；others(bythelookofthem)hadhardlyeverbeeninsodecentaplace。ButitwasnotsomuchthemereclassvarietythatmostsharplycaughtanEnglishman"seye。Itwasthepresenceofjustthoseoneortwokindsofmenwhowouldneverhavebecomesoldiersinanyotherway。
Therearemanyreasonsforbecomingasoldier。Itmaybeamatterofhereditaryluckorabjecthungerorheroicvirtueorfugitivevice；itmaybeaninterestintheworkoralackofinterestinanyotherwork。
Buttherewouldalwaysbetwoorthreekindsofpeoplewhowouldnevertendtosoldiering；allthosekindsofpeoplewerethere。Aladwithredhair，largeears，andverycarefulclothing，somehowconveyedacrossthechurchthathehadalwaystakencareofhishealth，notevenfromthinkingaboutit，butsimplybecausehewastold，andthathewasoneofthosewhopassfromchildhoodtomanhoodwithoutanyshockofbeingaman。
IntherowinfrontofhimtherewasaveryslightandvividlittleJew，ofthesortthatisatailorandaSocialist。Byoneofthoseaccidentsthatmakereallifesounlikeanythingelse，hewastheoneofthecompanywhoseemedespeciallydevout。Behindthesestifforsensitiveboyswererangedtheranksoftheirmothersandfathers，withknotsandbunchesoftheirlittlebrothersandsisters。
Thechildrenkickedtheirlittlelegs，wriggledabouttheseats，andgapedatthearchedroofwhiletheirmotherswereontheirkneesprayingtheirownprayers，andhereandtherecrying。Thegraycloudsofrainoutsidegathered，Isuppose，moreandmore；forthedeepchurchcontinuouslydarkened。Theladsinfrontbegantosingamilitaryhymninodd，ratherstrainedvoices；Icouldnotdisentanglethewords，butonlyoneperpetualrefrain；sothatitsoundedlikeSacrarterumbrrarpourlapatrie，Valdarkararumppourlapatrie。
Thenthisceased；andsilencecontinued，thecolouredwindowsgrowinggloomierandgloomierwiththeclouds。Inthedeadstillnessachildstartedcryingsuddenlyandincoherently。InacityfartothenorthaFrenchdiplomatistandaGermanaristocratweretalking。
Iwillnotmakeanycommentaryonthethingthatcouldblurtheoutlineofitsalmostcruelactuality。Iwillnottalknorallowanyoneelsetotalkabout"clericalism"and"militarism。”Thosewhotalklikethataremadeofthesamemudasthosewhocallalltheangersoftheunfortunate"Socialism。”ThewomenwhowerecallinginthegloomaroundmeonGodandtheMotherofGodwerenot"clericalists"；or，iftheywere，theyhadforgottenit。AndIwillbetmybootstheyoungmenwerenot"militarists"——quitetheotherwayjustthen。Thepriestmadeashortspeech；hedidnotutteranypriestlydogmas(whatevertheyare)，heutteredplatitudes。Insuchcircumstancesplatitudesaretheonlypossiblethingstosay；becausetheyaretrue。Hebeganbysayingthathesupposedalargenumberofthemwouldbeuncommonlygladnottogo。
Theyseemedtoassenttothisparticularpriestlydogmawithevenmorethantheirallegedsuperstitiouscredulity。Hesaidthatwarwashateful，andthatweallhatedit；butthat"inallthingsreasonable"thelawofone"sowncommonwealthwasthevoiceofGod。HespokeaboutJoanofArc；
andhowshehadmanagedtobeaboldandsuccessfulsoldierwhilestillpreservinghervirtueandpractisingherreligion；thenhegavethemeachalittlepaperbook。Towhichtheyreplied(afterabriefintervalforreflection):
Pongprongperesklangpourlapatrie，Tambraugtararroncpourlapatrie。
whichIfeelsurewasthebestandmostpointedreply。
Whileallthiswashappeningfeelingsquiteindescribablecrowdedaboutmyowndarkeningbrain，asthecloudscrowdedabovethedarkeningchurch。
TheyweresoentirelyoftheelementsandthepassionsthatIcannotuttertheminanidea，butonlyinanimage。Itseemedtomethatwewerebarricadedinthischurch，butwecouldnottellwhatwashappeningoutsidethechurch。Themonstrousandterriblejewelsofthewindowsdarkenedorglistenedundermovingshadoworlight，butthenatureofthatlightandtheshapesofthoseshadowswedidnotknowandhardlydaredtoguess。Thedreambegan，Ithink，withadimfancythatenemieswerealreadyinthetown，andthattheenormousoakendoorsweregroaningundertheirhammers。ThenIseemedtosupposethatthetownitselfhadbeendestroyedbyfire，andeffaced，asitmaybethousandsofyearshence，andthatifIopenedthedoorIshouldcomeoutonawildernessasflatandsterileasthesea。Thenthevisionbehindtheveilofstoneandslategrewwilderwithearthquakes。Iseemedtoseechasmscloventothefoundationsofallthings，andlettingupaninfernaldawn。Hugethingshappilyhiddenfromushadclimbedoutoftheabyss，andwerestridingabouttallerthantheclouds。AndwhenthedarknesscreptfromthesapphiresofMarytothesanguinegarmentsofSt。JohnIfanciedthatsomehideousgiantwaswalkingroundthechurchandlookinginateachwindowinturn。
Sometimes，again，Ithoughtofthatchurchwithcolouredwindowsasashipcarryingmanylanternsstrugglinginahighseaatnight。SometimesIthoughtofitasagreatcolouredlanternitself，hungonanironchainoutofheavenandtossedandswungtoandfrobystrongwings，thewingsoftheprincesoftheair。ButIneverthoughtofitortheyoungmeninsideitsaveassomethingpreciousandinperil，orofthethingsoutsidebutassomethingbarbaricandenormous。
Iknowtherearesomewhocannotsympathisewithsuchsentimentsoflimitation；Iknowtherearesomewhowouldfeelnotouchoftheheroictendernessifsomedayayoungman，withredhair，largeears，andhismother"slozengesinhispocket，werefounddeadinuniforminthepassesoftheVosges。ButonthissubjectIhaveheardmanyphilosophiesandthoughtagooddealformyself；andtheconclusionIhavecometoisSacrarterumbrrarpourlaPattie，anditisnotlikelythatIshallalteritnow。
ButwhenIcameoutofthechurchtherewerenoneofthesethings，butonlyalotofShops，includingapaper-shop，onwhichthepostersannouncedthatthenegotiationswereproceedingsatisfactorily。
THEMISERANDHISFRIENDS
Itisasignofsharpsicknessinasocietywhenitisactuallyledbysomespecialsortoflunatic。Amildtouchofmadnessmayevenkeepamansane；foritmaykeephimmodest。SosomeexaggerationsintheStatemayreminditofitsownnormal。Butitisbadwhentheheadiscracked；
whentheroofofthecommonwealthhasatileloose。
Thetwoorthreecasesofthisthatoccurinhistoryhavealwaysbeengibbetedgigantically。ThusNerohasbecomeablackproverb，notmerelybecausehewasanoppressor，butbecausehewasalsoanaesthete——thatis，anerotomaniac。Henotonlytorturedotherpeople"sbodies；hetorturedhisownsoulintothesameredrevoltingshapes。ThoughhecamequiteearlyinRomanImperialhistoryandwasfollowedbymanyaustereandnobleemperors，yetforustheRomanEmpirewasneverquitecleansedofthatmemoryofthesexualmadman。Thepopulaceorbarbariansfromwhomwecomecouldnotforgetthehourwhentheycametothehighestplaceoftheearth，sawthehugepedestaloftheearthlyomnipotence，readonitDivusCaesar，andlookedupandsawastatuewithoutahead。
ItisthesamewiththatuglyentanglementbeforetheRenaissance，fromwhich，alas，mostmemoriesoftheMiddleAgesarederived。LouisXIwasaverypatientandpracticalmanoftheworld；but(likemanygoodbusinessmen)hewasmad。Themorbidityoftheintriguerandthetorturerclungabouteverythinghedid，evenwhenitwasright。AndjustasthegreatEmpireofAntoninusandAureliusneverwipedoutNero，soeventhesilversplendourofthelattersaints，suchasVincentdePaul，hasneverpaintedoutfortheBritishpublicthecrookedshadowofLouisXI。Whenevertheunhealthymanhasbeenontop，hehasleftahorriblesavourthathumanityfindsstillinitsnostrils。Nowinourtimetheunhealthymanisontop；butheisnotthemanmadonsex，likeNero；ormadonstatecraft，likeLouisXI；heissimplythemanmadonmoney。Ourtyrantisnotthesatyrorthetorturer；butthemiser。
Themodernmiserhaschangedmuchfromthemiseroflegendandanecdote；
butonlybecausehehasgrownyetmoreinsane。Theoldmiserhadsometouchofthehumanartistabouthiminsofarthathecollectedgold——asubstancethatcanreallybeadmiredforitself，likeivoryoroldoak。
Anoldmanwhopickedupyellowpieceshadsomethingofthesimpleardour，somethingofthemysticalmaterialism，ofachildwhopicksoutyellowflowers。Goldisbutonekindofcolouredclay，butcolouredclaycanbeverybeautiful。Themodernidolaterofrichesiscontentwithfarlessgenuinethings。Theglitterofguineasisliketheglitterofbuttercups，thechinkofpelfislikethechimeofbells，comparedwiththedrearypapersanddeadcalculationswhichmakethehobbyofthemodernmiser。
Themodernmillionairelovesnothingsolovableasacoin。Heiscontentsometimeswiththedeadcrackleofnotes；butfarmoreoftenwiththemererepetitionofnoughtsinaledger，allaslikeeachotheraseggstoeggs。Andasforcomfort，theoldmisercouldbecomfortable，asmanytrampsandsavagesare，whenhewasonceusedtobeingunclean。Amancouldfindsomecomfortinanunsweptatticoranunwashedshirt。ButtheYankeemillionairecanfindnocomfortwithfivetelephonesathisbed-headandtenminutesforhislunch。Theroundcoinsinthemiser"sstockingweresafeinsomesense。Theroundnoughtsinthemillionaire"sledgeraresafeinnosense；thesamefluctuationwhichexciteshimwiththeirincreasedepresseshimwiththeirdiminution。Themiseratleastcollectscoins；hishobbyisnumismatics。Themanwhocollectsnoughtscollectsnothings。
Itmaybeadmittedthatthemanamassingmillionsisabitofanidiot；
butitmaybeaskedinwhatsensedoesherulethemodernworld。Theanswertothisisveryimportantandrathercurious。Theevilenigmaforushereisnottherich，buttheVeryRich。Thedistinctionisimportant；
becausethisspecialproblemisseparatefromtheoldgeneralquarrelaboutrichandpoorthatrunsthroughtheBibleandallstrongbooks，oldandnew。Thespecialproblemto-dayisthatcertainpowersandprivilegeshavegrownsoworld-wideandunwieldythattheyareoutofthepowerofthemoderatelyrichaswellasofthemoderatelypoor。Theyareoutofthepowerofeverybodyexceptafewmillionaires——thatis，misers。
IntheoldnormalfrictionofnormalwealthandpovertyIammyselfontheRadicalside。IthinkthataBerkshiresquirehastoomuchpoweroverhistenants；thataBromptonbuilderhastoomuchpoweroverhisworkmen；thataWestLondondoctorhastoomuchpoweroverthepoorpatientsintheWestLondonHospital。