Revolutionist's Handbook and Pocket Companion — John Shaqi
Revolutionist's Handbook and Pocket CompanionShaw, Bernard
Philosophy
Revolutionist's Handbook and Pocket Companion
Shaw, Bernard
English essays
And so we arrive at the end of the Socialist's dream of "the
socialization of the means of production and exchange," of the
Positivist's dream of moralizing the capitalist, and of the ethical
professor's, legislator's, educator's dream of putting commandments and
codes and lessons and examination marks on a man as harness is put on a
horse, ermine on a judge, pipeclay on a soldier, or a wig on an actor,
and pretending that his nature has been changed. The only fundamental
and possible Socialism is the socialization of the selective breeding of
Man: in other terms, of human evolution. We must eliminate the Yahoo,
or his vote will wreck the commonwealth.
X
THE METHOD
As to the method, what can be said as yet except that where there is a
will, there is a way? If there be no will, we are lost. That is a
possibility for our crazy little empire, if not for the universe; and as
such possibilities are not to be entertained without despair, we must,
whilst we survive, proceed on the assumption that we have still energy
enough to not only will to live, but to will to live better. That may
mean that we must establish a State Department of Evolution, with a seat
in the Cabinet for its chief, and a revenue to defray the cost of direct
State experiments, and provide inducements to private persons to achieve
successful results. It may mean a private society or a chartered
company for the improvement of human live stock. But for the present it
is far more likely to mean a blatant repudiation of such proposals as
indecent and immoral, with, nevertheless, a general secret pushing of
the human will in the repudiated direction; so that all sorts of
institutions and public authorities will under some pretext or other
feel their way furtively towards the Superman. Mr Graham Wallas has
already ventured to suggest, as Chairman of the School Management
Committee of the London School Board, that the accepted policy of the
Sterilization of the Schoolmistress, however administratively
convenient, is open to criticism from the national stock-breeding point
of view; and this is as good an example as any of the way in which the
drift towards the Superman may operate in spite of all our hypocrisies.
One thing at least is clear to begin with. If a woman can, by careful
selection of a father, and nourishment of herself, produce a citizen
with efficient senses, sound organs, and a good digestion, she should
clearly be secured a sufficient reward for that natural service to make
her willing to undertake and repeat it. Whether she be financed in the
undertaking by herself, or by the father, or by a speculative
capitalist, or by a new department of, say, the Royal Dublin Society, or
(as at present) by the War Office maintaining her "on the strength" and
authorizing a particular soldier to marry her, or by a local authority
under a by-law directing that women may under certain circumstances have
a year's leave of absence on full salary, or by the central government,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account