BORN TO RULE.
" EN the first place, pray encourage your subordinates to 1 speak up, and to tell you when they do not agree with you." These words were written by Lord Cromer to Kitchener when Kitchener became Governor-General of the Sudan. " They are all much too inclined to be frightened of you." As coming from one great English ruler to another the advice is of great interest, throwing as it does a gleam of light upon the conduct of daily life. Very few of us are proconsuls or stand in any conspicuous position of rule. On the other hand, a vast number of English men, and even of English women, are in some position of autho- rity, though it be only in what we call " a small way." Every employer of labour, man or woman, is a person in authority, every overseer of any work, every schoolmaster or mistress, every " sister " in a hospital ward, every father or mother for that matter, are persons in authority. For all these "rulers" Lord Cromer's words must have a meaning and must bear upon a question which is constantly coming before them.
A devouring passion for responsibility is common in this country. It is the form which our ambition takes. Where the Frenchman is content to excel we want to govern. The con- ception of Heaven nearest the Englishman's heart is that which suggests that he shall be ruler over many cities. Yet the Englishman is no tyrant. He does not want to coerce ; he wants to be answerable, he wants that as many things and people as possible shall depend upon him, and sometimes he is very jealous over his honourable burden. Probably this jealousy is a fundamental mistake. Yet sometimes those who are a prey to it succeed wonderfully well and are obviously, in spite of a defect," born to rule." After all, it has to be remembered that our forefathers were not inclined to regard it as a defect at alL
There are certain able and very just "rulers" who seem, even to the most sympathetic and least censorious of subor- dinates, to be absurdly intolerant of the slightest criticism. They do what Lord Cromer so emphatically deprecated. They make every one who works for them a little afraid, and a man who is genuinely afraid of another seldom does quite his best for him—perhaps never, unless he hero-worships him. Some day the temptation to shirk, or to " turn," or to run away will come, and he may not be able to resist it. Yet these people who thus cow their subordinates are often quite unconscious of what they are doing. In their own minds they give the men under them their due, even sometimes give them credit for abilities not only as good as but better than their own. Such a man in authority is often devoted heart and soul to his work, but he must do it alone. He could no more run his business or do his public work with any other than mechanical help than he could write a book in collaboration. It is his job, the ex- pression of his idea ; he would no more ask any one to help him, even by criticism or advice, than a painter would let a fellow-painter work on his canvas or a novelist let another man write a chapter of his book. He keeps the men under him to their own work. He himself has probably made a good subor- dinate in his own day.
" When you are anvil, hold you still ;
When you are hammer, strike your fill,"
he says to himself.
There is another very different type of man in authority who never encourages a subordinate to speak out, and that is the man who has great difficulty in arriving at any decision. One more opinion, one more point of view, seems to him only one more obstacle in the way of action. His own forebodings and scruples, his own hesitations and regrets, are all that he can bear. The critical subordinate, just because he is a subordinate, can be silenced and forcibly prevented from adding to the clamour of tongues. This sort of ruler is out of his place : he is born to servo and he probably knows it; his subordinates are sure to
know it, they despise him, and never give him credit for the conscientious man that he probably is.
Not so many women as men are born to rule. This is rather odd, as they have all had a good deal of responsibility, occupying as they so very generally do the position of trustees. Excep- tionally able women are a tittle inclined to mental arrogance. They learn readily from those whom they heartily acknowledge as their superiors intellectually, but they do not acknowledge very many and they do not look for them _among their subor- dinates. On a souvent besoin d'art plus petit foe soi is a piece of wisdom which does not appeal to them. For most women all subordinates are children, to be well treated and planned for, possibly to be lived for and died fee, but not to be consulted. This point of view makes many able women very pleasant to work for in the minds •of the uncritical or uneducated. No good woman ever regards her subordinates -as some good men regard theirs, as Inert machines, instruments of use in carrying on a certain work, otherwise negligible. Perhaps the work never entirely overshadows the persons -connected with it in her ease as it does in the case of a few men who achieve great things. Against this theory it may, however, be argued that women have failed as "rulers " of servants. They have not placated their employees to the extent necessary to keep them. Yet they have striven for their welfare, have given in to every demand for wages, have, we think, fully satisfied their own consciences in regard to their household subordinates. Have they perhaps been too entirely intolerant of criticism, too determined to carry out alone their scheme of .householdeconomy, too backward in allowing their servants an interest in the matter ? Nobody knows. But everybody suffers. Clearly there has been a mistake. The subordinates have not ex- plained : they have deserted.
We imagine that both men and women often determine to be solitary rulers unassisted by counsel because they are angered by what they call " irresponsible talk." What is the use of it ? they say to themselves. There can be no doubt that ignorant, irresponsible talk is the most confusing thing in the world. But the irresponsible talk of the well-informed is surely of great value and well worth listening to. Does it not serve to keep the ends in view and the aims clear of the person in authority who must often feel himself hampered beyond measure by conflicting interests, secret oppositions, and the sight of obstacles in his road which can be -seen by him alone? Often he is in danger of losing his way. The temptation to mark time or take the line of least resistance is very strong. Even his most worthy scruples may weaken his resolve. But irresponsible colleagues, if they are loyal, -fix their eyes on his original plan of campaign and long to follow it. They always underrate difficulties end want to get straight ahead. They are plus royalists qua le roi, and their advice may be full of encouragement. They will probably be for " chancing it." Anyhow, they will be against inaction and against despair.
There is of course something to be said upon the side of the "aloof " chief, whether he is a proconsul or only some oue a lesser position. A romance surrounds him, and romanee is a wonderfully effective thing. Ile is pretty ,sure of a few wor- shippers, of a few men who •will work for him as for a god. He is supposed just now to belong to the past. But the past keeps coming back. Autocracy just now is on the wane everywhere. But a love not only of Benevolent Despotism but of the Benevo- lent Despot lurks in the human imagination. Is it a system which is quite played out ? We fear not. All the signs of the time and all the greatest men of the day warn us Against it. Certainly it is Ito longer the fashion. Rut when we see the ominous shadows closing round us of Despotisms which are neither autocratic nor benevolent, we cannot help reflecting that there are no fashions in human nature, and solitary " rulers," whether their kingdoms are little or big, may once more have their day.
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