Page 269 - lady-chatterlys-lover

CIRCENSES! Only today education is one of the bad substi-
tutes for a circus. What is wrong today is that we’ve made a
profound hash of the circuses part of the programme, and
poisoned our masses with a little education.’
When Clifford became really roused in his feelings about
the common people, Connie was frightened. There was
something devastatingly true in what he said. But it was a
truth that killed.
Seeing her pale and silent, Clifford started the chair
again, and no more was said till he halted again at the wood
gate, which she opened.
’And what we need to take up now,’ he said, ‘is whips, not
swords. The masses have been ruled since time began, and
till time ends, ruled they will have to be. It is sheer hypoc-
risy and farce to say they can rule themselves.’
’But can you rule them?’ she asked.
’I? Oh yes! Neither my mind nor my will is crippled, and
I don’t rule with my legs. I can do my share of ruling: ab-
solutely, my share; and give me a son, and he will be able to
rule his portion after me.’
’But he wouldn’t be your own son, of your own ruling
class; or perhaps not,’ she stammered.
’I don’t care who his father may be, so long as he is a
healthy man not below normal intelligence. Give me the
child of any healthy, normally intelligent man, and I will
make a perfectly competent Chatterley of him. It is not who
begets us, that matters, but where fate places us. Place any
child among the ruling classes, and he will grow up, to his
own extent, a ruler. Put kings’ and dukes’ children among

Lady Chatterly’s Lover