Chapter 8 Chapter III Cabinet Meeting

The cabinet meeting I attended was one that was hard to see before.It was held two days later at Melmont's bungalow.The Cabinet was called to restructure the world state. I'm there because it's easy for me to go with Melmont.I had nowhere to go, and his house happened to be empty.A broken ankle kept him at home, but a secretary and a servant helped him with his work.Since I didn't have a tape recorder, I took shorthand notes. After his ankles were wrapped, I went inside and sat down at the table to write down what he said.The secretary couldn't take shorthand, and the place had no telephone, and every letter had to be delivered to the village post office half a mile away in the grocery store.So I sat in Melmont's room.His desk is on the side for me to make the necessary memos.

At that time, in his room, furnished with the most beautiful things in the world, the great statesman was lying opposite me on a sofa, the fabric of which I could discern was polished calico.It has vivid eye-pleasing colors on it.On the table were fine and expensive papers, red sealing wax, and a silver set. I know it was a strange and unexpected thing that I was in his room.The door was open, and only Secretary Parker came in and out. This is new.In the past, cabinet meetings were held in secret.In all state organizations it is mystical and ghostly.In the past, most people were unreasonably wary of others.They are careful, cunning, and vague to lead others astray.Today, without knowing it, this antiquated practice has withdrawn from public life.

I squinted my eyes and carefully observed those who attended the meeting, listening to their slow speech. At first, I saw them scattered in the cool sunlight, then mixed together in the shadow of the shadowed lights and the mysterious atmosphere.I distinctly remember biscuit crumbs and a drop of water on the table.At first the drop glistened, then seeped into the green tablecloth. I was especially reminded of Lord Artisham's appearance.He arrived a day earlier than the others because he had a deep personal relationship with Melmont. Let me describe the politician to you.He was one of 15 politicians who started the last war.He is the youngest member of the government. He is 40 years old and has a cheerful and optimistic personality.His face looks very old and honest, with sharp edges and corners in profile, smiling eyes, neatly trimmed mustache, thin lips, friendly voice, and a very easy-going and standard demeanor.He has the most perfect quality of being able to move easily into the environment.Has what we used to say is the temperament of a philosopher.He was on vacation for the weekend just in time for something huge to happen.At that time, he was fishing.I remember him saying he woke up with his head a yard from the water's edge.Whenever danger arose, Lord Artisham used to go fishing at the weekends, and thus put his mind in a certain state.When he awoke, among many determined things, he was not ready to go fishing any more.When he came to the Melmonts, I was there listening to him tell this.Evidently he came here with the same intentions as my master.I let them talk and, afterward, jotted down their long cables to colleagues.No doubt he was as profoundly affected by the upheaval as Melmont, but his good manners, along with his sarcasm and popular sense of humor, remained.

The 15 men who ruled the British Empire were nothing like I imagined.When my services were not needed, I watched them with undivided attention.They formed a special gang at the time, they were British politicians and social activists.This class has now completely disappeared.In some ways, they are unlike social activists in any other part of the world.I do not find in them any qualities which would warrant these responsibilities. ... Maybe you are a reader who has read many old books, then you will find that they all have an unfriendly exaggerated tone as described by Dickens in "The Old Curiosity Shop"; They all had the look of crude flattery and fierce sarcasm, as Sraeli described them.

In the past, the image of a politician in the minds of us ordinary people was formed entirely from newspaper cartoons.These cartoons became the most powerful tools in political polemics.These cartoons have been developed like never before, almost becoming the main feature of a certain period in the past.The British state is almost always represented by red-faced, haughty, pot-bellied peasants.And America, the free country of that sweet dream, is represented by sly, thin-faced scoundrels in striped trousers and blue jackets.The principal heads of the state are depicted as thieves, washerwomen, country folks, whales, donkeys, elephants, and the like.Issues affecting the well-being of millions are portrayed as gatherings in some silly pantomime.A vicious battle with South Africa destroyed thousands of families, impoverished both countries, and killed 50,000 people.The war was portrayed as a ridiculous quarrel between two men.

One is the extremely eccentric Chamberlain (Note: Chamberlain: British politician, served as British Prime Minister from 1937 to 1940.), he wears glasses, has an orchid in his chest, and has a bad temper; the other is old Kruger (Note: Kruger: South African Union politician, president from 1883 to 1900.).He wears an ill-fitting hat, and is a stubborn, very crafty old fellow.This conflict is sometimes carried out in an atmosphere full of bestiality, sometimes in an atmosphere of relaxation.The smug embezzler went about his business amidst that stupid squabble.What these follies mask is the fate of destruction, starvation, poverty, brand of burns, massacres, and disgrace. …these people are eager in this environment.

I had one of the strangest thoughts that day, and it was this: Let them, as actors, suddenly throw aside the grotesque and stupid parts they play, wash the hypocrisy out of their faces, drop their pretense, and reveal their true self. face. I saw that these people were indeed born again due to great changes, but still wore the strange clothes of the past, and the manners and habits of the past.If they are detached from the perspective of the past, they also often have to see the past as a starting point.My restored intellect is the same.So, I think now that I did see their resurrection. Glorel Browning is Minister of the Duchy.I remember him as a big man with a round face, very pompous and stupid.He spoke in a volley, full of platitudes, and once or twice overwhelmed the awakening spirit within him.He struggles with it.He mocked himself, laughing.Suddenly, he said simply and nervously: "This is painful for everyone." "I am a vain, free-spirited, self-righteous, arrogant old man. I am useless here. I sold myself to Politics, intrigues. I decided to take my own life." With that, he sat for a long time in silence.Carton is a justice, he has a fair, understanding face, serious expression, clean shaven.He spoke slowly, and each sentence was carefully considered.He's self-indulgent, oblique, self-satisfied, and occasionally winks with a moment of humor. "We have to forgive," he said. "We have to forgive -- even ourselves."

Both of them sat at the head of the table, so their faces were clearly visible.Madjit is the Home Secretary.He is short, with frowning brows, and there is always a stereotyped smile on the twisted thin mouth.He stayed next to Carton, rarely taking sides in discussions, always keeping his own rational arguments.Sitting next to him was the Duke of Earl. "There's no value in anything we do," he said. "To me, I've become a laughingstock!" No doubt he was referring to the wealthy aristocratic life he led during these years.They have been living in big, beautiful and luxurious houses, participating in lively horse racing activities, participating in fierce meetings, and attending the meaningless opening ceremony of the Olympic Games... "I have always been a big fool." He said bluntly.Everyone listened in silence, with deep sympathy and respect.

In my opinion Chancellor Gerke is blocked by sitting behind Artisham.He chimed in on the discussion more than once.He swayed forward, had a large nose, a thick mouth with drooping lips, and spoke in a guttural voice, eyes staring into the wrinkles of his face.He frankly acknowledges his race. "We Jews," he said, "have lived through this system of the world. We have created nothing. We have strengthened some things and destroyed many things. The conceit of our race is ridiculous. Our rich intellect Seems to be used only to develop, master, maintain what we have, just to turn life into a business scramble and spend the money we earn lavishly.  … We do not think of serving humanity. Beauty What was supposed to be sacred, we turned it into a property."

These people and the words they said are etched in my mind.Maybe, I wrote them down then, but I can't remember them now.They walk in to express their wishes, interrupt others, make inappropriate comments... One gets the strange impression that, with the exception of Gerke et al., these people no longer particularly want the power they have, do not particularly want to do something in the positions they have been given.They find themselves in councils without a sense of shame until the moment of revelation.Of the 15, 8 were from the same school and all had a similar education, some Greek, some elementary mathematics, some science with content removed, a little history and orthodox English literature from the 17th to 19th centuries.

These 8 people were all educated by the same, rigid, traditional code of conduct for gentlemen, and they all showed a kind of innocence, which is difficult to figure out.He lacks the ability to speak out, and also lacks some kind of artistic sense.None of these 8 people had any real practice in life, we were living blindfolded.They go from nurses to nannies, from nannies to primary schools, from Eton to Oxford.After coming out of Oxford University, he started his political and social life.Even their bad habits and behaviors appear polite.When they were students at Eton, they all secretly went to watch the horse races.When studying at Oxford University, they all went to the city to listen to music, and then went back to school to live by the rules.Now, they suddenly discovered their incompetence... "What are we going to do?" Malmont asked. "We have awakened, and the empire is in our hands.  …" I know that of all the things I've described about the old order, this is probably the most incredible.But, in fact, this is what I heard at the time.The government formed by these people is controlling one-fifth of the earth's land; these people are leading an armed army of more than one million; the navy owned by these people is unparalleled in human history; And language is still dazzling.And it is they who have no similar views on what to do for the world.It never seemed to them that there was any need for consensus before great change came.In fact, they didn't agree at all.This great empire is just a random thing that has lost its purpose, just a thing that eats, drinks, sleeps, and fights blindly.Just blindly proud of its accidental existence.It's not planned, it's not organized, it just doesn't make sense.The other great empires are also floating, dangerously floating like sea mines, which, like the British Empire, may collide and explode. "Let's start over!" At the time, this obvious truth emboldened me.These are the noblest words.As Melmont said this, my heart went out to him.We don't see our new beginning at all, all we see is the irrevocable end of the old order... Then, after a short period of time, the stagnant human race began to reconstruct the new world.In the first ten or twenty years, people worked happily every day.People can only see part of their work, not the whole.Now, looking back from this tower, in those harvest years, I see the dramatic end of this change.I saw the savage chaos of the past become clear and simple, melted and lost. Where is the old world?Where is the original London.The original London was shrouded in smoke, gloomy and melancholy, full of noisy voices and disturbing music; crowded barges on the river, glistening with oil in the water; black spiers and black domes; dilapidated coal dust pollution houses; untold numbers of filthy whores; and thousands of clerks running about.The leaves on the trees were stained with greasy filth. Where is that whitewashed Paris?The original Paris, leafy and leafy, possessed an invariably refined, stylish and orderly decadence.Numerous workers made chaotic footsteps, continuously crossing the bridge deck in the cold and gloomy evening. Where is New York?The old New York was alive, clanging, and competitive; huge buildings huddled together, striving to grow upward, and their shadows grew relentlessly.Where are those extravagant and dark corners of New York?Where are all the shameful things going on in the mismanaged subway?Where have all the extravagance and depravity of the frenetic life gone?Where is the Philadelphia with its countless tiny houses? And Chicago, where is the Chicago of its blood-stained slaughterhouses and its grievous, polyglot low-society? All these great cities are gone and gone, down to my own pottery and the Blake.The cries of children who weep with toil and hunger, the melancholy despair of overworked women, the noise of brutal strife in alleys, all shameful pleasures, all vulgar arrogance vanish, follow us life has fundamentally changed. When I look back, I see the joyful smoke of demolished houses rising with the green gas of the sky. I am living in the age of tents again, and I am living in the age of primitives again. Like a piece of music starting a new theme, the great cities of our new age arise. Two more adjoining sister cities appeared on the banks of the Thames, and I saw the old, lifeless Edinburgh disappear, replaced by a neat new city in the shadow of a great mountain.And Dublin is brighter, cleaner, wider.There is laughter everywhere, and there are enthusiastic people outside.The sun is smiling through the soft warm rain.I saw America planning and building great cities -- golden cities.It is a city with fragrant fruits in four seasons on both sides of the broad road, and it is a city of a thousand towers full of joyful bells.I seem to have seen this city with theaters and meeting places.I saw the cupolas of the observatories on the cliffs and the austere lines of the main buildings of the university, and the great white city of Syracuse on the snow-covered plateau.There are also towns of a certain size in smaller areas.There is a quiet place to rest, half of the village is woods, clear streams flow through the streets, the streets of the village are lined with trees, blooming with roses and all kinds of wonderful flowers, and the bees are buzzing and singing. stop.Look at our children again.In the past, our sons could only be servile clerks, shop assistants, coolies, servants.Our women used to be limited to menial jobs, as whores, slobs, anxious mothers or disgruntled housewives.Today, they bravely travel the world with high spirits. They study, work and live full of joy, happiness, bravery and freedom.I think of them walking in the peaceful ruins of Rome, wandering among the tombs of Egypt, and walking among the temples of Athens; Climb its white spire. ... But who can understand the whole meaning of life and all the joys?Who can count all the new cities in the world?These cities were built for humanity by loving hands.People entered these cities with tears in their eyes.They are so joyful, so fresh, and so good-hearted... These things must have given me some sort of vision as I sat behind the Melmont settee.But when I understood what had happened and what had been done, it merged with my expectations and made my expectations come true.Indeed, I must have foreseen something, otherwise, why am I so excited?