第 21 节
作者:低诉      更新:2021-02-27 01:23      字数:9321
  whom you were winning; as is the case in other games; a lackey
  brought; not money; but chips; each man lost a little stake; and his
  disappointment was not visible  。 。 。  It is the same with roulette;
  which is everywhere prohibited; and not without reason。
  It is the same with money。  I possess a magic; inexhaustible ruble; I
  cut off my coupons; and have retired from all the business of the
  world。  Whom do I injure;I; the most inoffensive and kindest of
  men?  But this is nothing more than playing at loto or roulette;
  where I do not see the man who shoots himself; because of his losses;
  after procuring for me those coupons which I cut off from the bonds
  so accurately with a strictly right…angled corner。
  I have done nothing; I do nothing; and I shall do nothing; except cut
  off those coupons; and I firmly believe that money is the
  representative of labor!  Surely; this is amazing!  And people talk
  of madmen; after that!  Why; what degree of lunacy can be more
  frightful than this?  A sensible; educated; in all other respects
  sane man lives in a senseless manner; and soothes himself for not
  uttering the word which it is indispensably necessary that he should
  utter; with the idea that there is some sense in his conclusions; and
  he considers himself a just man。  Couponsthe representatives of
  toil!  Toil!  Yes; but of whose toil?  Evidently not of the man who
  owns them; but of him who labors。
  Slavery is far from being suppressed。  It has been suppressed in Rome
  and in America; and among us:  but only certain laws have been
  abrogated; only the word; not the thing; has been put down。  Slavery
  is the freeing of ourselves alone from the toil which is necessary
  for the satisfaction of our demands; by the transfer of this toil to
  others; and wherever there exists a man who does not work; not
  because others work lovingly for him; but where he possesses the
  power of not working; and forces others to work for him; there
  slavery exists。  There too; where; as in all European societies;
  there are people who make use of the labor of thousands of men; and
  regard this as their right;there slavery exists in its broadest
  measure。
  And money is the same thing as slavery。  Its object and its
  consequences are the same。  Its object isthat one may rid one's
  self of the first born of all laws; as a profoundly thoughtful writer
  from the ranks of the people has expressed it; from the natural law
  of life; as we have called it; from the law of personal labor for the
  satisfaction of our own wants。  And the results of money are the same
  as the results of slavery; for the proprietor; the creation; the
  invention of new and ever new and never…ending demands; which can
  never be satisfied; the enervation of poverty; vice; and for the
  slaves; the persecution of man and their degradation to the level of
  the beasts。
  Money is a new and terrible form of slavery; and equally demoralizing
  with the ancient form of slavery for both slave and slave…owner; only
  much worse; because it frees the slave and the slave…owner from their
  personal; humane relations。'
  CHAPTER XVIII。
  I am always surprised by the oft…repeated words:  〃Yes; this is so in
  theory; but how is it in practice?〃  Just as though theory were fine
  words; requisite for conversation; but not for the purpose of having
  all practice; that is; all activity; indispensably founded on them。
  There must be a fearful number of stupid theories current in the
  world; that such an extraordinary idea should have become prevalent。
  Theory is what a man thinks on a subject; but its practice is what he
  does。  How can a man think it necessary to do so and so; and then do
  the contrary?  If the theory of baking bread is; that it must first
  be mixed; and then set to rise; no one except a lunatic; knowing this
  theory; would do the reverse。  But it has become the fashion with us
  to say; that 〃this is so in theory; but how about the practice?〃
  In the matter which interests me now; that has been confirmed which I
  have always thought;that practice infallibly flows from theory; and
  not that it justifies it; but it cannot possibly be otherwise; for if
  I have understood the thing of which I have been thinking; then I
  cannot carry out this thing otherwise than as I have understood it。
  I wanted to help the unfortunate only because I had money; and I
  shared the general belief that money was the representative of labor;
  or; on the whole; something legal and good。  But; having begun to
  give away this money; I saw; when I gave the bills which I had
  accumulated from poor people; that I was doing precisely that which
  was done by some landed proprietors who made some of their serfs wait
  on others。  I saw that every use of money; whether for making
  purchases; or for giving away without an equivalent to another; is
  handing over a note for extortion from the poor; or its transfer to
  another man for extortion from the poor。  I saw that money in itself
  was not only not good; but evidently evil; and that it deprives us of
  our highest good;labor; and thereby of the enjoyment of our labor;
  and that that blessing I was not in a position to confer on any one;
  because I was myself deprived of it:  I do not work; and I take no
  pleasure in making use of the labor of others。
  It would appear that there is something peculiar in this abstract
  argument as to the nature of money。  But this argument which I have
  made not for the sake of argument; but for the solution of the
  problem of my life; of my sufferings; was for me an answer to my
  question:  What is to be done?
  As soon as I grasped the meaning of riches; and of money; it not only
  became clear and indisputable to me; what I ought to do; but also
  clear and indisputable what others ought to do; because they would
  infallibly do it。  I had only actually come to understand what I had
  known for a long time previously; the theory which was given to men
  from the very earliest times; both by Buddha; and Isaiah; and Lao…
  Tze; and Socrates; and in a peculiarly clear and indisputable manner
  by Jesus Christ and his forerunner; John the Baptist。  John the
  Baptist; in answer to the question of the people;What were they to
  do? replied simply; briefly; and clearly:  〃He that hath two coats;
  let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat; let him
  do likewise〃 (Luke iii。 10; 11)。  In a similar manner; but with even
  greater clearness; and on many occasions; Christ spoke。  He said:
  〃Blessed are the poor; and woe to the rich。〃  He said that it is
  impossible to serve God and mammon。  He forbade his disciples to take
  not only money; but also two garments。  He said to the rich young
  man; that he could not enter into the kingdom of heaven because he
  was rich; and that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of
  a needle; than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God。  He said
  that he who should not leave every thing; houses and children and
  lands; and follow him; could not be his disciple。  He told the
  parable of the rich man who did nothing bad; like our own rich men;
  but who only arrayed himself in costly garments; and ate and drank
  daintily; and who lost his soul thereby; and of poor Lazarus; who had
  done nothing good; but who was saved merely because he was poor。
  This theory was sufficiently familiar to me; but the false teachings
  of the world had so obscured it that it had become for me a theory in
  the sense which people are fond of attributing to that term; that is
  to say; empty words。  But as soon as I had succeeded in destroying in
  my consciousness the sophisms of worldly teaching; theory conformed
  to practice; and the truth with regard to my life and to the life of
  the people about me became its conclusion。
  I understood that man; besides life for his own personal good; is
  unavoidably bound to serve the good of others also; that; if we take
  an illustration from the animal kingdom;as some people are fond of
  doing; defending violence and conflict by the conflict for existence
  in the animal kingdom;the illustration must be taken from
  gregarious animals; like bees; that consequently man; not to mention
  the love to his neighbor incumbent on him; is called upon; both by
  reason and by his nature; to serve other people and the common good
  of humanity。  I comprehended that the natural law of man is that
  according to which only he can fulfil destiny; and therefore be
  happy。  I understood that this law has been and is broken hereby;
  that people get rid of labor by force (like the robber bees); make
  use of the toil of others; directing this toil; not to the common
  weal; but to the private satisfaction of swift…growing desires; and;
  precisely as in the case of the robber bees; they perish in
  consequence。  'I understood that the original form of this
  disinclination for the law is the brutal violence against weaker
  individuals; against women; wars and imprisonments; whose sequel is
  slavery; and also the present reign of money。  I understood that
  money is the impersonal and concealed enslavement of the poor。  And;
  once having perceived the significance of money as slavery; I could
  not but hate it; nor refrain from doing all in my power to free
  myself from it。' {21}
  When I