IV

POLITICS

299

As for the first question, those who are com-pletely satisfied by Christian capitalism or byegotistic capitalism untempered by subterfugewill not hesitate how to answer it; for they eitherhave a religion or need none. But many, inthis age without religion, are bound to feel astrong emotional curiosity towards any religionwhich is really new, and not merely a recrudes-cence of old ones, and has proved its motiveforce; and all the more when the new thingcomes out of Russia , the beautiful and foolishyoungest son of the European family, with hairon his head, nearer both to the earth and toheaven than his bald brothers in the West—who, having been born two centuries later, hasbeen able to pick up the middle-aged disillusion-ment of the rest of the family before he has lostthe genius of youth or become addicted to com-fort and to habits. I sympathise with those whoseek for something good in Soviet Russia .

But when we come to the actual thing whatis one to say? For me, brought up in a free airundarkened by the horrors of religion, withnothing to be afraid of, Red Russia holds toomuch which is detestable. Comfort and habitslet us be ready to forgo, but I am not readyfor a creed which does not care how much itdestroys the liberty and security of daily life,which uses deliberately the weapons of perse-cution, destruction, and international strife.How can I admire a policy which finds a char-acteristic expression in spending millions tosuborn spies in every family and group at home,