WAY    OF    REDEMPTION	327
the Marxian hierarchy, remained a kind of slave. For these
philosophies of the omnipotence of the State with their rigid
administrative machinery subordinated the freedom of choice
and self-respect of the ordinary man to vast and tyrannic powers
as effectually as did joint-stock capitalism itself." They left no
scope for the English dream which was a free man's' dream,^1
Because of this, despite the obvious disabilities of the existing
system, the British electorate, though largely composed of work-
ing men, even continued to send Conservative majorities to
Parliament. But they probably would not have done so but for
Baldwin. This kindly, liberal-minded and characteristically
English politician so obviously shared the ordinary Englishman's
humane ideal that when he told them that he was working to
bring about a better England they believed him. They had no
idea how he was going to bring it about, nor, it now seems, had
he. The only thing that was certain—and he never tried to
deceive them about this—was that it was going to take a very
long time. For Baldwin,, like his Socialist vis-a-vis, Sidney Webb,
believed in the inevitability of gradualness. And it was just
possible that by some miracle in the English mode the nation
might ultimately have escaped the toils of its fatal economic
disease by gradual methods and so have achieved what it was
seeking.
But it was never given time. For the breakdown of the
economic system on the Continent came too swiftly for the snail-
like pace of Baldwinian evolution. So long as they could, the
British people and their leader averted their eyes from the Euro-
pean scene. But presently it became impossible to do so. The
strident dictators of hate who had emerged from the economic
welter could not be ignored. Thereafter, rearming feverishly
and desperately trying to avert their hateful doom and that of all
mankind, the British people never removed their fascinated gaze
from Europe until they were finally and inevitably drawn into
the maelstrom.
For they knew instinctively that what was happening on the
Continent could not be allowed to continue. However much they
might loathe the idea of fighting a second war to end war, a
^1The English answer to them was that of the Communist window-cleaner, who
told a Tory that what he really wanted was a house and a garden of his own, with*
high wall round it, and spikes in the top of it It was because capitalist iodetf tawd
him this that he was a Communist. He had still to realise that Coirowiinim would
deny it him too. Most of his countrymen realised it already.