the man versus the state-第9章

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　to　do　with　'the　coming　slavery'？〃　will　perhaps　be　asked。　Nothing　directly；　but　a　good　deal　indirectly；　as　we　shall　see　after　yet　another　preliminary　section。　

It　is　said　that　when　railways　were　first　opened　in　Spain；　peasants　standing　on　the　tracks　were　not　unfrequently　run　over；　and　that　the　blame　fell　on　the　engine…drivers　for　not　stopping：　rural　experiences　having　yielded　no　conception　of　the　momentum　of　a　large　mass　moving　at　a　high　velocity。　　　　　　The　incident　is　recalled　to　me　on　contemplating　the　ideas　of　the　so…called　〃practical〃　politician；　into　whose　mind　there　enters　no　thought　of　such　a　thing　as　political　momentum；　still　less　of　a　political　momentum　which；　instead　of　diminishing　or　remaining　constant；　increases。　The　theory　on　which　he　daily　proceeds　is　that　the　change　caused　by　his　measure　will　stop　where　he　intends　it　to　stop。　He　contemplates　intently　the　things　his　act　will　achieve；　but　thinks　little　of　the　remoter　issues　of　the　movement　his　act　sets　up；　and　still　less　of　its　collateral　issues。　When；　in　war…time；　〃food　for　powder〃　was　to　be　provided　by　encouraging　population　　when　Mr　Pitt　said；　〃Let　us　make　relief　in　cases　where　there　are　a　number　of　children　a　matter　of　right　and　honour；　instead　of　a　ground　for　opprobrium　and　contempt；〃（1*）　it　was　not　expected　that　the　poor…rates　would　be　quadrupled　in　fifty　years；　that　women　with　many　bastards　would　be　preferred　as　wives　to　modest　women；　because　of　their　incomes　from　the　parish；　and　that　hosts　of　ratepayers　would　be　pulled　down　into　the　ranks　of　pauperism。　Legislators　who　in　1833　voted　*20；000　a　year　to　aid　in　building　school…houses；　never　supposed　that　the　step　they　then　took　would　lead　to　forced　contributions；　local　and　general；　now　amounting　to　*6；000；000；　they　did　not　intend　to　establish　the　principle　that　A　should　be　made　responsible　for　educating　B's　offspring；　they　did　not　dream　of　a　compulsion　which　would　deprive　poor　widows　of　the　help　of　their　elder　children；　and　still　less　did　they　dream　that　their　successors；　by　requiring　impoverished　parents　to　apply　to　Boards　of　Guardians　to　pay　the　fees　which　School　Boards　would　not　remit；　would　initiate　a　habit　of　applying　to　Boards　of　Guardians　and　so　cause　pauperization。（2*）　Neither　did　those　who　in　1834　passed　an　Act　regulating　the　labour　of　women　and　children　in　certain　factories；　imagine　that　the　system　they　were　beginning　would　end　in　the　restriction　and　inspection　of　labour　in　all　kinds　of　producing　establishments　where　more　than　fifty　people　are　employed；　nor　did　they　conceive　that　the　inspection　provided　would　grow　to　the　extent　of　requiring　that　before　a　〃young　person〃　is　employed　in　a　factory；　authority　must　be　given　by　a　certifying　surgeon；　who；　by　personal　examination　（to　which　no　limit　is　placed）　has　satisfied　himself　that　there　is　no　incapacitating　disease　or　bodily　infirmity：　his　verdict　determining　whether　the　〃young　person〃　shall　earn　wages　or　not。（3*）　Even　less；　as　I　say；　does　the　politician　who　plumes　himself　on　the　practicalness　of　his　aims；　conceive　the　indirect　results　which　will　follow　the　direct　results　of　his　measures。　Thus；　to　take　a　case　connected　with　one　named　above；　it　was　not　intended　through　the　system　of　〃payment　by　results；〃　to　do　anything　more　than　give　teachers　an　efficient　stimulus：　it　was　not　supposed　that　in　numerous　cases　their　health　would　give　way　under　the　stimulus；　it　was　not　expected　that　they　would　be　led　to　adopt　a　cramming　system　and　to　put　undue　pressure　on　dull　and　weak　children；　often　to　their　great　injury；　it　was　not　foreseen　that　in　many　cases　a　bodily　enfeeblement　would　be　caused　which　no　amount　of　grammar　and　geography　can　compensate　for。　The　licensing　of　public　houses　was　simply　for　maintaining　public　order：　those　who　devised　it　never　imagined　that　there　would　result　an　organized　interest　powerfully　influencing　elections　in　an　unwholesome　way。　Nor　did　it　occur　to　the　〃practical〃　politicians　who　provided　a　compulsory　load…line　for　merchant　vessels；　that　the　pressure　of　shipowners'　interests　would　habitually　cause　the　putting　of　the　load…line　at　the　very　highest　limit；　and　that　from　precedent　to　precedent；　tending　ever　in　the　same　direction；　the　load…line　would　gradually　rise　in　the　better　class　of　ships；　as　from　good　authority　I　learn　that　it　has　already　done。　Legislators　who；　some　forty　years　ago；　by　Act　of　Parliament　compelled　railway　companies　to　supply　cheap　locomotion；　would　have　ridiculed　the　belief；　had　it　been　expressed；　that　eventually　their　Act　would　punish　the　companies　which　improved　the　supply；　and　yet　this　was　the　result　to　compares　which　began　to　carry　third…class　passengers　by　fast　trains；　since　a　penalty　to　the　amount　of　the　passenger…duty　was　inflicted　on　them　for　every　third…class　passenger　so　carried。　To　which　instance　concerning　railways；　add　a　far　more　striking　one　disclosed　by　comparing　the　railway　policies　of　England　and　France。　The　lawmakers　who　provided　for　the　ultimate　lapsing　of　French　railways　to　the　State；　never　conceived　the　possibility　that　inferior　travelling　facilities　would　result　　did　not　foresee　that　reluctance　to　depreciate　the　value　of　property　eventually　coming　to　the　State；　would　negative　the　authorization　of　competing　lines　and　that　in　the　absence　of　competing　lines　locomotion　would　be　relatively　costly；　slow；　and　infrequent；　for；　as　Sir　Thomas　Farrer　has　lately　shown；　the　traveller　in　England　has　great　advantages　over　the　French　traveller　in　the　economy；　swiftness；　and　frequency　with　which　his　journeys　can　be　made。　　　　　　But　the　〃practical〃　politician　who；　in　spite　of　such　experiences　repeated　generation　after　generation；　goes　on　thinking　only　of　proximate　results；　naturally　never　thinks　of　results　still　more　remote；　still　more　general；　and　still　more　important　than　those　just　exemplified。　To　repeat　the　metaphor　used　above　　he　never　asks　whether　the　political　momentum　set　up　by　his　measure；　in　some　cases　decreasing　but　in　other　cases　greatly　increasing；　will　or　will　not　have　the　same　general　direction　with　other　like　momenta；　and　whether　it　may　not　join　them　in　presently　producing　an　aggregate　energy　working　changes　never　thought　of。　Dwelling　only　on　the　effects　of　his　particular　stream　of　legislation；　and　not　observing　how　other　such　streams　already　existing；　and　still　other　streams　which　will　follow　his　initiative；　pursue　the　same　average　course；　it　never　occurs　to　him　that　they　may　presently　unite　into　a　voluminous　flood　utterly　changing　the　face　of　things。　Or　to　leave　figures　for　a　more　literal　statement；　he　is　unconscious　of　the　truth　that　he　is　helping　to　form　a　certain　type　of　social　organization；　and　that　kindred　measures；　effecting　kindred　changes　of　organization；　tend　with　ever…increasing　force　to　make　that　type　general；　until；　passing　a　certain　point；　the　proclivity　towards　it　becomes　irresistible。　Just　as　each　society；　aims　when　possible　to　produce　in　other　societies　a　structure　akin　to　its　own　　just　as　among　the　Greeks；　the　Spartans　and　the　Athenians　struggled　to　spread　their　respective　political　institutions；　or　as；　at　the　time　of　the　French　Revolution；　the　European　absolute　monarchies　aimed　to　re…establish　absolute　monarchy　in　France　while　the　Republic　encouraged　the　formation　of　other　republics；　so　wi