My Life

My Life - Oswald Mosleypleasure.' MacDonald must have been thinking of Macaulay's analysis of the puritanopposition to bear-baiting: not on account of the pain it gave to the bear, but of thepleasure it gave to the spectators.It was not love affairs but his absurd fashion of life which exhausted him. He had amass of papers to read, people to see all day long and speeches to make, and on top ofthis he liked to go out to dinner parties; being a great snob, the dinners were usually incircles so remote from the party that the Webbs were shocked. In particular, hisdelight was to sit up all night talking to Lady Londonderry—grandmother of thepresent Lord Londonderry— they were surely linked only by her curiosity and hissnobbery. She was a woman of character, though not very clever, and had a splendidhouse in Park Lane, the old Londonderry House which was then the scene of theofficial Tory receptions; when he spent his evenings in these surroundings the LossieLoon—as MacDonald sometimes described his young self with nostalgic affection—no doubt felt he had made it at last.It was observing the conduct of MacDonald at this time which possibly gave me mystrongly held opinion that men in office ought to live like athletes, not dine out, go tobanquets and dinners, but only see people relevant to business. If an athlete lives likethat before a world championship, why should not a Prime Minister live in the sameway? Must we English always play at work, and only work at play? It seems to methat statesmen are poor fish if even for the few years at the height of theirresponsibilities they cannot be serious. Yet they were nearly all frivolous in this wayto the last degree, except Lloyd George, who lost little time in his pleasures. As aresult, MacDonald was in a state of permanent exhaustion, non compos mentis whenit came to discussing serious matters. Yet he was not really a stupid man, for RobertCecil used to tell me that in his early days he made good speeches. Even as PrimeMinister he was still capable of making a fair speech after a few days of fresh air andreasonable food and sleep. He could have done his work well enough if he had led asensible life, but his social existence made a monkey of him and reduced him to acondition approaching imbecility.What politicians call relaxation is almost always escapism, and there is no escapefrom supreme responsibility. MacDonald sitting up all night talking to LadyLondonderry, not because he was amorous but because he was a snob and liked idletalk; world leaders at the height of their responsibility losing a day in chasing a ballinstead of taking their exercise walking in a wood or a garden and thinking at thesame time; statesmen running around public and private dinner parties boozing andgassing until they reach a state of physical and mental exhaustion; the better type inpolitics seeking diversion by filling the mind with detective stories and ramblingVictorian novels as some fill a tired stomach with sweets, instead of resting with eyescovered for the few minutes which can work an almost miraculous physicalrestoration once the habit is acquired, or reading a classic of enduring beauty whichelevates the spirit, or seeking the repose and inspiration of immortal music, nowreadily available. These may be the real immoralists, guiltier than the men who followNature but allow no diversion from life's serious purpose. No one can enjoy life morethan I do, few at times have enjoyed it so much, but I repeat that a Prime Ministerwho cannot be serious, entirely dedicated for the few years of his supremeresponsibility, is a poor fish. The capacity to be serious also requires long training, ahabit of living designed for such a life. Wanted, the adult mind: Shaw was right.202 of 424