Fancies Versus FadsChesterton, G. K. (Gilbert Keith)
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Fancies Versus Fads
Chesterton, G. K. (Gilbert Keith)
English essays -- 20th century
Hamlet acting entirely in the interests of Shylock, an inhabitant of the
distant city of Venice. Doubtless Hamlet was sent to England in order
that he might develop further these higher motives for peace and pardon.
“’Twill not be noticed in him there; there the men are as mad as he.”
It is therefore very natural that men should be trying to dissolve the
moral problem of Hamlet into the unmoral elements of consciousness and
unconsciousness. The sort of duty that Hamlet shirked is exactly the
sort of duty that we are all shirking; that of dethroning injustice and
vindicating truth. Many are now in a mood to deny that it is a duty
because it is a danger. This applies, of course, not only to
international but internal and especially industrial matters. Capitalism
was allowed to grow into a towering tyranny in England because the
English were always putting off their popular revolution, just as the
Prince of Denmark put off his palace revolution. They lectured the
French about their love of bloody revolutions, exactly as they are now
lecturing the French about their love of bloody wars. But the patience
which suffered England to be turned into a plutocracy was not the
patience of the saints; it was that patience which paralysed the noble
prince of the tragedy; _accidia_ and the great refusal. In any case,
the vital point is that by refusing to punish the powerful we soon lost
the very idea of punishment; and turned our police into a mere
persecution of the poor.
The Meaning of Mock Turkey
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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