太子爷小说网 > 英语电子书 > an unsocial socialist >

第46节

an unsocial socialist-第46节

小说: an unsocial socialist 字数: 每页4000字

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!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!



in England and therefore presumablythough by no means
necessarilyEnglishmen。 This would open the eyes of the nation
at last to the fact that England is not their property。 Once let
them understand that and they would soon make it so。 When England
is made the property of its inhabitants collectively; England
becomes socialistic。 Artificial inequality will vanish then
before real freedom of contract; freedom of competition; or
unhampered emulation; will keep us moving ahead; and Free Trade
will fulfil its promises at last。〃

〃And the idlers and loafers;〃 said Erskine。 〃What of them?〃

〃You and I; in fact;〃 said Trefusis; 〃die of starvation; I
suppose; unless we choose to work; or unless they give us a
little out…door relief in consideration of our bad bringing…up。〃

〃Do you mean that they will plunder us?〃 said Sir Charles。

〃I mean that they will make us stop plundering them。 If they
hesitate to strip us naked; or to cut our throats if we offer
them the smallest resistance; they will show us more mercy than
we ever showed them。 Consider what we have done to get our rents
in Ireland and Scotland; and our dividends in Egypt; if you have
already forgotten my photographs and their lesson in our
atrocities at home。 Why; man; we murder the great mass of these
toilers with overwork and hardship; their average lifetime is not
half as long as ours。 Human nature is the same in them as in us。
If we resist them; and succeed in restoring order; as we call it;
we will punish them mercilessly for their insubordination; as we
did in Paris in 1871; where; by…the…bye; we taught them the folly
of giving their enemies quarter。 If they beat us; we shall catch
it; and serve us right。 Far better turn honest at once and avert
bloodshed。 Eh; Erskine?〃

Erskine was considering what reply he should make; when Trefusis
disconcerted him by ringing a bell。 Presently the elderly woman
appeared; pushing before her an oblong table mounted on wheels;
like a barrow。

〃Thank you;〃 said Trefusis; and dismissed her。 〃Here is some good
wine; some good water; some good fruit; and some good bread。 I
know that you cling to wine as to a good familiar creature。 As
for me; I make no distinction between it and other vegetable
poisons。 I abstain from them all。 Water for serenity; wine for
excitement。 I; having boiling springs of excitement within
myself; am never at a loss for it; and have only to seek
serenity。 However;〃 (here he drew a cork); 〃a generous goblet of
this will make you feel like gods for half an hour at least。
Shall we drink to your conversion to Socialism?〃

Sir Charles shook his head。

〃Come; Mr。 Donovan Brown; the great artist; is a Socialist; and
why should not you be one?〃

〃Donovan Brown!〃 exclaimed Sir Charles with interest。 〃Is it
possible? Do you know him personally?〃

〃Here are several letters from him。 You may read them; the mere
autograph of such a man is interesting。〃

Sir Charles took the letters and read them earnestly; Erskine
reading over his shoulder。

〃I most cordially agree with everything he says here;〃 said Sir
Charles。 〃It is quite true; quite true。〃

〃Of course you agree with us。 Donovan Brown's eminence as an
artist has gained me one recruit; and yours as a baronet will
gain me some more。〃

〃But〃

〃But what?〃 said Trefusis; deftly opening one of the albums at a
photograph of a loathsome room。

〃You are against that; are you not? Donovan Brown is against it;
and I am against it。 You may disagree with us in everything else;
but there you are at one with us。 Is it not so?〃

〃But that may be the result of drunkenness; improvidence; or〃

〃My father's income was fifty times as great as that of Donovan
Brown。 Do you believe that Donovan Brown is fifty times as
drunken and improvident as my father was?〃

〃Certainly not。 I do not deny that there is much in what you
urge。 Still; you ask me to take a rather important step。〃

〃Not a bit of it。 I don't ask you to subscribe to; join; or in
any way pledge yourself to any society or conspiracy whatsoever。
I only want your name for private mention to cowards who think
Socialism right; but will not say so because they do not think it
respectable。 They will not be ashamed of their convictions when
they learn that a baronet shares them。 Socialism offers you
something already; you see; a good use for your hitherto useless
title。〃

Sir Charles colored a little; conscious that the example of his
favorite painter had influenced him more than his own conviction
or the arguments of Trefusis。

〃What do you think; Chester?〃 he said。 〃Will you join?〃

〃Erskine is already committed to the cause of liberty by his
published writings;〃 said Trefusis。 〃Three of the pamphlets on
that shelf contain quotations from 'The Patriot Martyrs。'〃

Erskine blushed; flattered by being quoted; an attention that had
been shown him only once before; and then by a reviewer with the
object of proving that the Patriot Martyrs were slovenly in their
grammar。

〃Come!〃 said Trefusis。 〃Shall I write to Donovan Brown that his
letters have gained the cordial assent and sympathy of Sir
Charles Brandon?〃

〃Certainly; certainly。 That is; if my unknown name would be of
the least interest to him。〃

〃Good;〃 said Trefusis; filling his glass with water。 〃Erskine;
let us drink to our brother Social Democrat。〃

Erskine laughed loudly; but not heartily。 〃What an ass you are;
Brandon!〃 he said。 〃You; with a large landed estate; and bags of
gold invested in railways; calling yourself a Social Democrat!
Are you going to sell out and distributeto sell all that thou
hast and give to the poor?〃

〃Not a penny;〃 replied Trefusis for him promptly。 〃A man cannot
be a Christian in this country。 I have tried it and found it
impossible both in law and in fact。 I am a capitalist and a
landholder。 I have railway shares; mining shares; building
shares; bank shares; and stock of most kinds; and a great trouble
they are to me。 But these shares do not represent wealth actually
in existence; they are a mortgage on the labor of unborn
generations of laborers; who must work to keep me and mine in
idleness and luxury。 If I sold them; would the mortgage be
cancelled and the unborn generations released from its thrall?
No。 It would only pass into the hands of some other capitalist;
and the working class would be no better off for my
self…sacrifice。 Sir Charles cannot obey the command of Christ; I
defy him to do it。 Let him give his land for a public park; only
the richer classes will have leisure to enjoy it。 Plant it at the
very doors of the poor; so that they may at last breathe its air;
and it will raise the value of the neighboring houses and drive
the poor away。 Let him endow a school for the poor; like Eton or
Christ's Hospital; and the rich will take it for their own
children as they do in the two instances I have named。 Sir
Charles does not want to minister to poverty; but to abolish it。
No matter how much you give to the poor; everything except a bare
subsistence wage will be taken from them again by force。 All talk
of practicing Christianity; or even bare justice; is at present
mere waste of words。 How can you justly reward the laborer when
you cannot ascertain the value of what he makes; owing to the
prevalent custom of stealing it? I know this by experience。 I
wanted to pay a just price for my wife's tomb; but I could not
find out its value; and never shall。 The principle on which we
farm out our national industry to private marauders; who
recompense themselves by black…mail; so corrupts and paralyzes us
that we cannot be honest even when we want to。 And the reason we
bear it so calmly is that very few of us really want to。〃

〃I must study this question of value;〃 said Sir Charles
dubiously; refilling his goblet。 〃Can you recommend me a good
book on the subject?〃

〃Any good treatise on political economy will do;〃 said Trefusis。
〃In economics all roads lead to Socialism; although in nine cases
out of ten; so far; the economist doesn't recognize his
destination; and incurs the malediction pronounced by Jeremiah on
those who justify the wicked for reward。 I will look you out a
book or two。 And if you will call on Donovan Brown the next time
you are in London; he will be delighted; I know。 He meets with
very few who are capable of sympathizing with him from both his
points of viewsocial and artistic。〃

Sir Charles brightened on being reminded of Donovan Brown。 〃I
shall esteem an introduction to him a great honor;〃 he said。 〃I
had no idea that he was a friend of yours。〃

〃I was a very practical young Socialist when I first met him;〃
said Trefusis。 〃When Brown was an unknown and wretchedly poor
man; my mother; at the petition of a friend of his; charitably
bought one of his pictures for thirty pounds; which he was very
glad to get。 Years afterwards; when my mother was dead; and Brown
famous; I was offered eight hundred pounds for this picture;
which was; by…the…bye; a very bad one in my opinion。 Now; after
making the usual unjust allowance for interest on thirty pounds
for twelve years or so that had elapsed; the sale of the picture
would have brought me in a profit of over seven hundred and fift

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的