Author's Preface - Page 2

situation and discover How Not To Do It.
Since Dickens's day the exposures effected by the Socialists have
so shattered the self-satisfaction of modern commercial
civilization that it is no longer difficult to convince our
governments that something must be done, even to the extent of
attempts at a reconstruction of civilization on a thoroughly
uncommercial basis. Consequently, the first part of the process
described by Dickens: that in which the reformers were
snubbed by front bench demonstrations that the administrative
departments were consuming miles of red tape in the correctest
forms of activity, and that everything was for the best in the
best of all possible worlds, is out of fashion; and we are in
that other phase, familiarized by the history of the French
Revolution, in which the primary assumption is that the country
is in danger, and that the first duty of all parties,
politicians, and governments is to save it. But as the effect of
this is to give governments a great many more things to do, it
also gives a powerful stimulus to the art of How Not To Do Them:
that is to say, the art of contriving methods of reform which
will leave matters exactly as they are.

The report of the Joint Select Committee is a capital
illustration of this tendency. The case against the censorship
was overwhelming; and the defence was more damaging to it than no
defence at all could have been. Even had this not been so, the
mere caprice of opinion had turned against the institution; and a
reform was expected, evidence or no evidence. Therefore the
Committee was unanimous as to the necessity of reforming the
censorship; only, unfortunately, the majority attached to this
unanimity the usual condition that nothing should be done to
disturb the existing state of things. How this was effected may
be gathered from the recommendations finally agreed on, which are
as follows.

1. The drama is to be set entirely free by the abolition of the
existing obligation to procure a licence from the Censor before
performing a play; but every theatre lease is in future to be
construed as if it contained a clause giving the landlord power
to break it and evict the lessee if he produces a play without
first obtaining the usual licence from the Lord Chamberlain.

2. Some of the plays licensed by the Lord Chamberlain are so
vicious that their present practical immunity from prosecution
must be put an end to; but no manager who procures the Lord
Chamberlain's licence for a play can be punished in any way for
producing it, though a special tribunal may order him to
discontinue the performance; and even this order must not be
recorded to his disadvantage on the licence of his theatre, nor
may it be given as a