the man versus the state-第15部分

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ems　which　delivered　sewage　into　the　rivers；　and　having　thus　polluted　the　sources　of　water…supply；　an　outcry　was　raised　against　the　water…companies　for　the　impurities　of　their　water　　an　outcry　which　continued　after　these　towns　had　been　compelled；　at　vast　extra　cost；　to　revolutionize　their　drainage　systems。　And　now；　as　the　only　remedy；　there　follows　the　demand　that　the　State；　by　its　local　proxies；　shall　undertake　the　whole　business。　The　State's　misdoings　become；　as　in　the　case　of　industrial　dwellings；　reasons　for　praying　it　to　do　more。　　　　　　This　worship　of　the　legislature　is；　in　one　respect；　indeed；　less　excusable　than　the　fetish…worship　to　which　I　have　tacitly　compared　it。　The　savage　has　the　defence　that　his　fetish　is　silent　　does　not　confess　its　inability。　But　the　civilized　man　persists　in　ascribing　to　this　idol　made　with　his　own　hands；　powers　which　in　one　way　or　other　it　confesses　it　has　not　got。　I　do　not　mean　merely　that　the　debates　daily　tell　us　of　legislative　measures　which　have　done　evil　instead　of　good；　nor　do　I　mean　merely　that　the　thousands　of　Acts　of　Parliament　which　repeal　preceding　Acts；　are　so　many　tacit　admissions　of　failure。　Neither　do　I　refer　only　to　such　quasi…governmental　confessions　as　that　contained　in　the　report　of　the　Poor　Law　Commissioners；　who　said　that　　〃We　find；　on　the　one　hand；　that　there　is　scarcely　one　statute　connected　with　the　administration　of　public　relief　which　has　produced　the　effect　designed　by　the　legislature；　and　that　the　majority　of　them　have　created　new　evils；　and　aggravated　those　which　they　were　intended　to　prevent。〃（21*）　I　refer　rather　to　confessions　made　by　statesmen；　and　by　State…departments。　Here；　for　example；　in　a　memorial　addressed　to　Mr　Gladstone；　and　adopted　by　a　highly　influential　meeting　held　under　the　chairmanship　of　the　late　Lord　Lyttelton；　I　read：　　

〃We；　the　undersigned；　Peers；　Members　of　the　House　of　Commons；　Ratepayers；　and　Inhabitants　of　the　Metropolis；　feeling　strongly　the　truth　and　force　of　your　statement　made　in　the　House　of　Commons；　in　1866；　that；　'there　is　still　a　lamentable　and　deplorable　state　of　our　whole　arrangements；　with　regard　to　public　works　　vacillation；　uncertainty；　costliness；　extravagance；　meanness；　and　all　the　conflicting　vices　that　could　be　enumerated；　are　united　in　our　present　system；'〃　etc。；　etc。（22*）　

Here；　again；　is　an　example　furnished　by　a　recent　minute　of　the　Board　of　Trade　（November；　1883）；　in　which　it　is　said　that　since　〃the　Shipwreck　Committee　of　1836　scarcely　a　session　has　passed　without　some　Act　being　passed　or　some　step　being　taken　by　the　legislature　or　the　Government　with　this　object〃　＇prevention　of　ship…wrecks＇；　and　that　〃the　multiplicity　of　statutes；　which　were　all　consolidated　into　one　Act　in　1854；　has　again　become　a　scandal　and　a　reproach：〃　each　measure　being　passed　because　previous　ones　had　failed。　And　then　comes　presently　the　confession　that　〃the　loss　of　life　and　of　ships　has　been　greater　since　1876　than　it　ever　was　before。〃　Meanwhile；　the　cost　of　administration　has　been　raised　from　*17；000　a　year　to　*73；000　a　year。（23*）　　　　　　It　is　surprising　how；　spite　of　better　knowledge；　the　imagination　is　excited　by　artificial　appliances　used　in　particular　ways。　We　see　it　all　through　human　history；　from　the　war…paint　with　which　the　savage　frightens　his　adversary；　down　through　religious　ceremonies　and　regal　processions；　to　the　robes　of　a　Speaker　and　the　wand　of　an　officially　dressed　usher。　I　remember　a　child　who；　able　to　look　with　tolerable　composure　on　a　horrible　cadaverous　mask　while　it　was　held　in　the　hand；　ran　away　shrieking　when　his　father　put　it　on。　A　kindred　change　of　feeling　comes　over　constituencies　when；　from　boroughs　and　counties；　their　members　pass　to　the　Legislative　Chamber。　While　before　them　as　candidates；　they　are；　by　one　or　other　party；　jeered　at；　lampooned；　〃heckled；〃　and　in　all　ways　treated　with　utter　disrespect。　But　as　soon　as　they　assemble　at　Westminster；　those　against　whom　taunts　and　invectives；　charges　of　incompetence　and　folly；　had　been　showered　from　press　and　platform；　excite　unlimited　faith。　Judging　from　the　prayers　made　to　them；　there　is　nothing　which　their　wisdom　and　their　power　cannot　compass。　

The　reply　to　all　this　will　doubtless　be　that　nothing　better　than　guidance　by　〃collective　wisdom〃　can　be　had　　that　the　select　men　of　the　nation；　led　by　a　re…selected　few；　bring　their　best　powers；　enlightened　by　all　the　knowledge　of　the　time；　to　bear　on　the　matters　before　them。　〃What　more　would　you　have？〃　will　be　the　question　asked　by　most。　　　　　My　answer　is　that　this　best　knowledge　of　the　time　with　which　legislators　are　said　to　come　prepared　for　their　duties；　is　a　knowledge　of　which　the　greater　part　is　obviously　irrelevant；　and　that　they　are　blameworthy　for　not　seeing　what　is　the　relevant　knowledge。　No　amount　of　the　linguistic　acquirements　by　which　many　of　them　are　distinguished　will　help　their　judgments　in　the　least；　nor　will　they　be　appreciably　helped　by　the　literatures　these　acquirements　open　to　them。　Political　experiences　and　speculations　coming　from　small　ancient　societies；　through　philosophers　who　assume　that　war　is　the　normal　state；　that　slavery　is　alike　needful　and　just；　and　that　women　must　remain　in　perpetual　tutelage；　can　yield　them　but　small　aid　in　judging　how　Acts　of　Parliament　will　work　in　great　nations　of　modern　types。　They　may　ponder　on　the　doings　of　all　the　great　men　by　whom；　according　to　the　Carlylean　theory；　society　is　framed；　and　they　may　spend　years　over　those　accounts　of　international　conflicts；　and　treacheries；　and　intrigues；　and　treaties；　which　fill　historical　works；　without　being　much　nearer　understanding　the　how　and　the　why　of　social　structures　and　actions；　and　the　ways　in　which　laws　affect　them。　Nor　does　such　information　as　is　picked　up　at　the　factory；　on　'Change；　or　in　the　justice　room；　go　far　towards　the　required　preparation。　　　　　　That　which　is　really　needed　is　a　systematic　study　of　natural　causation　as　displayed　among　human　beings　socially　aggregated。　Though　a　distinct　consciousness　of　causation　is　the　last　trait　which　intellectual　progress　brings　　though　with　the　savage　a　simple　mechanical　cause　is　not　conceived　as　such　　though　even　among　the　Greeks　the　flight　of　a　spear　was　thought　of　as　guided　by　a　god　　though　from　their　times　down　almost　to　our　own；　epidemics　have　been　habitually　regarded　as　of　supernatural　origin　　and　though　among　social　phenomena；　the　most　complex　of　all；　causal　relations　may　be　expected　to　continue　longest　unrecognized；　yet　in　our　days；　the　existence　of　such　causal　relations　has　become　clear　enough　to　force　on　all　who　think；　the　inference　that　before　meddling　with　them　they　should　be　diligently　studied。　The　mere　facts；　now　familiar；　that　there　is　a　connexion　between　the　numbers　of　births；　deaths；　and　marriages；　and　the　price　of　corn；　and　that　in　the　same　society　during　the　same　generation；　the　ratio　of　crime　to　population　varies　within　narrow　limits；　should　be　sufficient　to　make　all　see　that　human　desires；　using　as　guide　such　intellect　as　is　joined　with　them；　act　with　approximate　uniformity。　It　should　be　inferred　that　among　social　causes；　those　initiated　by　legislation；　similarly　operating　with　an　average　regularity；　must　not　only　change　men's　actions；　but；　by　consequence；　change　their　natures　probably　in　ways　not　intended。　There　should　be　recognition　of　the　fact　that　social　causation；　more　than　all　other　causation；　is　a　fructifying　causation；　and　it　should　be　seen　that　indirect　and　remote　effects　are　no　less　inevitable　than　proximate　effects。　I　do　not　mean　that　there　is　denial　of　these　statements　and　inferences。　But　there　are　beliefs　and　beliefs　　some　which　are　held　nominally；　some　which　influence　conduct　in　small　degrees；　some　which　sway　it　irresistibly　under　all　circumstances；　and　unhappily　the　beliefs　of　lawmakers　respecting　causation　in　social　affairs；　are　of　the　superficial　sort。　Let　us　look　at　some　of　the　truths　which　all　tacitly　admit；　but　which　scarcely　any　take　deliberate　account　of　in　legislation。　　　　　　There　is　the　indisputable　fact　that　each　human　being　is　in　a　certain　degree　modifiable　both　physically　and　mentally。　Every　theory　of　education；　every　discipline；　from　that　of　the　arithmetician　to　that　of　the　prize…fighter；　every　proposed　reward　for　virtue　or　punishment　for　vice；　implies　the　belief；　embodied　in　sundry　proverbs；　that　the　use　or　disuse　of　each　faculty；　bodily　or　mental；　is　followed　by　an　adaptive　change　in　it　　loss　of　power　or　gain　of　power；　according　to　demand。　　　　　　There　is　the　fact；　also　in　its　broader　manifestations　universally　recognized；　that　modifications　of　Nature　in　one　way　or　other　produced；　are　inheritable。　No　one　denies　that　by　the　accumulation　of　small　changes；　generation　after　generation；　constitution　fits　itself　to　conditions；　so　that　a　climate　which　is　fatal　to　other　races　is　innocuous　to　the　adapted　race。　No　one　denies　that　peoples　who　belong　to　the　same　original　stock　but　have　spread　into　different　habitats　where　they　have　led　different　lives；　have　acquired　in　course　of　time　different　aptitudes　and　different　tendencies。　No　one　denies　that　under　new　conditions　new　national　characters　are　even　now　being　moulded；　as　witness　the　Americans。　And　if　no　one　denies　a　process　of　adaptation　everywhere　and　always　going　on；　it　is　a　manifest　implication　that　adaptive　modifications　must　be　set　up　by　every　change　of　social　conditions。　　　　　　To　which　there　comes　the　undeniable　corollary　that　every　law　which　serves　to　alter　men's　modes　of　action　　compelling；　or　restraining；　or　aiding；　in　new　ways　　so　affects　them　as　to　cause　in　course　of　time　adjustments　of　their　natures。　Beyond　any　mediate　effect　wrought；　there　is　the　remote　effect；　wholly　ignored　by　most　a　re…moulding　of　the　average　character：　a　re…moulding　which　may　be　of　a　desirable　kind　or　of　an　undesirable　kind；　but　which　in　any　case　is　the　most　important　of　the　results　to　be　considered。　　　　　　Other　general　truths　which　the　citizen；　and　still　more　the　legislator；　ought　to　contemplate　until　they　become　wrought　into　his　intellectual　fabric；　are　disclosed　when　we　ask　how　social　activities　are　produced；　and　when　we　recognize　the　obvious　answer　that　they　are　the　aggregate　results　of　the　desires　of　individuals　who　are　severally　seeking　satisfactions；　and　ordinarily　pursuing　the　ways　which；　with　their　pre…existing　ha