From Here to Eternity_ The Restored Edit - Jones, James [202]
“Therefore, it is asinine to attempt to control men with ‘Honor’ any more. It leads only to inefficiency and ineffective control. And in our present time we must have complete control, because the majority of men must be subservient to the machine, which is society.
“Of course, we still pay ‘Honor’ lip service in the recruiting posters and the industrial editorials, for the sake of appearances, and they eat it up because they are afraid. But do we depend on recruiting for our manpower? It would be absurd, wouldnt it? No, we have a draft, a peacetime draft, the first in our history. Otherwise, we would not have the men. And we must have the men, and have them ready for this war. We have no other choice; its either that, or defeat. Modern armies, like every other brand of modern society, must be governed and controlled by fear. The lot of modern man has become what I call ‘perpetual apprehension.’ It is his destiny for several centuries to come, until control can become stabilized. If you dont believe me, look at our insane asylums and the increase of their patients. Then look at them again when this war is over.”
“I believe you,” Holmes said, thinking suddenly of his wife. “But wait a minute. You dont have this fear yourself.”
Sam Slater grinned thinly. Rather sadly, Holmes thought.
“Of course not. I understand it. I govern. I am blessed (or cursed) with a logical mind and am capable of perceiving the trend of the time. I, and men like me, are forced to assume the responsibility of governing. If organized society and civilization as we know it is to continue at all, not only must there be a consolidation of power but there must be a complete unquestioned control to head it.”
“Yes,” Holmes said excitedly. “I can see that. I’ve seen that for a long time.”
“Then you are one of the few,” Sam Slater smiled at him sadly, “in this country. The Russians, of course, already know it. The Germans are learning it, and learning it remarkably swiftly. The Japanese have always known it, and applied it; but they are unable to adapt to the modern machine techniques, and I doubt if they will—in time. With us here this war will tell the tale. Either we learn it and win the war with it, or else we’ll be through. Like England and France and the rest of the decadent Paternalisms are through. And the scepter will pass to other hands. But if we learn it, with our productive capacity and industrial machine techniques we will be invincible, even against Russia, when that day comes.”
Capt Holmes felt a little chill run down his back. He looked at Sam Slater and the great personal charm of the man swept over him again like the warm light from a revolving beacon, bringing with it a sense of tragedy for this man whom life had forced into such a responsible position.
“Then we’ll have to learn it!” Capt Holmes said. He could feel Jake Delbert looking at him sideways with a kind of horror. But Jake Delbert was a long ways off now. This was like something that he had known for a long time, that had lain dusty and misplaced in a back room of his mind and he had suddenly opened the door. “We have no choice but to learn it!”
“Personally,” Sam Slater said crisply, “I believe it is our destiny to learn it. But when that day comes, we must have utterly complete control, as they over there already have complete control. Up to now, it has been handled by the great corporations like Ford and General Motors and US Steel and Standard Oil. And mind you, they have done quite well with it, under their banner of ‘Paternalism.’ They have achieved phenomenal control, and in a rather short time. But now consolidation is the watchword, and the corporations are not powerful enough to bring it off—even if they were willing to consolidate, which they are not. Only the military can consolidate them under one central control.”
Capt Holmes saw a sudden