Such is our human situation. We live on an eternal shore against which time’s breakers endlessly pound. Ascetics have tried to escape altogether from time, sensualists to bury themselves in it. Neither can succeed. I return to my earlier image. Serving our mortal sentence (in the most literal sense, doing time) we look out through the prison bars at eternity, looking forward to the day when the great gates of time will open and we shall be released.
Notes
Malcolm Muggeridge’s papers are deposited at the Buswell Memorial Library Special Collections, Wheaton College, Illinois, USA. The abbreviations UMWC and MWC refer respectively to undated and dated manuscripts now at Wheaton College. Any approximate dates are based on similar works and biographical details. When Muggeridge was preparing his collection of essays, Tread Softly lest you Tread on my Jokes (1966), in a few instances he ran two pieces together to read as one. I have followed him in this in The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, Eight Books, Heroes of their Time, Two Writers and Finding Faith. These and any other significant adjustments are recorded in the following notes. My sole criteria throughout, was to present these wonderful works to the reader as Malcolm might have edited them himself. Original titles in the Notes are italicised. Muggeridge often wrote or typed out the first draft without undue reference to paragraphing, which he would sometimes indicate when doing corrections. When this was not done, or when a newspaper layout has seemed to impose an illogical spacing, I have adjusted the paragraphs without comment, as I have any occasional misprint or obvious error.
1. The Collectivisation of the Ukraine The Soviet and the Peasantry: an Observer’s Notes. Manchester Guardian (26, 27 and 28 March 1933). ‘The novelty of this particular famine, what made it so diabolical, is that it was not the result of some catastrophe like a drought or an epidemic. It was the deliberate creation of a bureaucratic mind which demanded the collectivisation of agriculture, immediately, as a purely theoretical proposition, without any consideration whatever of the consequences in human suffering . . . the famine is the most terrible thing I have ever seen, precisely because of the deliberation with which it was done and the total absence of any sympathy with the people.’ Malcolm Muggeridge (19 Feb 1983).
2. The Soul of Bolshevism. Condensed from Russia Revealed. Morning Post (5, 6, 7 and 8 June 1933}.
3. The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. Extracted from The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. New English Review (May 1949) and Men and Books, a review of F.A. Voight’s Unto Ceasar.Time and Tide (9 April 1938).
4. Nazi Terror. What Government by Terror Means. Observer (9 Dec 1939).
5. The Phoney War. UMWC (1949?).This extract is taken from the first draft of an unfinished book The Forties. I have omitted the extensive footnotes, some of which Muggeridge may have intended either to discard or to incorporate into the text of a later draft. This manuscript was discovered at a publisher’s 45 years after it was written, and arrived at Wheaton College during the ten days I spent there in 1995.That coincidence was enough to convince me that part of it ought to be used.
Letters from America. MWC (1946/47). Letters written to Kitty Muggeridge while Malcolm was Washington correspondent for the Daily Telegraph.
Fellow Travellers. Wither are all the Fellow Travellers Going? Daily Telegraph (29 July 1948).
Heroes of Their Time: Bertrand Russell and D.H. Lawrence.
The New Republic (3 April 1976) Esquire (April 1968)
Muggeridge was an admirer of Mikhail Lermontov’s novel: A Hero of Our Time, in which the author wrote, in his foreword, that it was, ‘ indeed a portrait, but not of one man; [but] a portrait built up of all our generation’s vices in full bloom.’ Lermontov’s title is adapted here for these pithy, and critical, assessments of two influential twentieth century thinkers.
Dayspring from on High. UMWC (1949?). In editing this unfinished essay -clearly still in its early stages - I have not tried to impose a cohesion or sequence of thought that is not in the original text. Rather, I saw it as being similar in form to Pascal’s Pensées. The parts left out are those that are repetitive (in this draft Muggeridge allowed his ideas to flow onto the page without reference to previous passages), or those in which the ideas expressed are found elsewhere in his work. Even in its unfinished state it gives a fascinating insight into Muggeridge’s inner spiritual life.
The Prophet of Sex. New Statesman (12 May 1967).
11.Two Writers: Somerset Maugham and Leonard Woolf.
Observer (11 Dec 1965). Observer (17 Aug 1969). In both of these portraits, the writers appear, somehow bereft and forlorn, due perhaps to the lack of any religious belief, thereby throwing emphasis on the succeeding essays.
Eight Books. Life with Picasso by Françoise Gilot and Carlton Lake. Esquire (March 1965). Edmund Wilson The Dead Sea Scrolls, 1947-1969. Esquire (19690. Jason Epstein The Great Conspiracy Trial and Tom Haydon Trial. Esquire (1971). George L Jackson Blood in my Eye. Esquire (1972). John Passmore The Perfectibility of Man. Observer (17 July 1970). Sylvia Press The Care of Devils. Esquire (May 1966). Henri Charrière Papillon. Observer (17 April 1970).
In The Beginning was the word. Le Mot Injuste. UMWC (1970s?).
Lie in the Camera’s Eye. The Times (1st April 1972)
Russia Revisited. Behind the cruel propositions the ancient greeting. The Guardian (11 April 1983).
Solzhenitsyn Reconsidered. The American Spectator (Dec 1980).
The Law of Love and Law of Violence. Tolstoy’s Valedictory. Observer (25 Jan 1970).The articles that come after this slightly shortened tribute to Tolstoy, and the following letters could be said - in the context of this book - to state Muggeridge’s own Valedictory.
Letters to Kitty. MWC.Written to Kitty Muggeridge (1962/69). In Jesus Rediscovered, Muggeridge mentions ‘someone infinitely dear’ to him, who ‘had gone temporarily mad’ .In these letters, he refers to his daughter Valentine and that experience. April 18, 67, written from Nunraw while filming the BBC film A Hard
Bed to Lie On Aug 2, 67,’B’ refers to Beatrice Webb, Kitty’s aunt, about whom she wrote a biography with Ruth Adam. Oct 9, the ‘Graham’ mentioned is almost certainly Graham Greene, with whom Muggeridge had a long, though sometimes uneasy, friendship. April 30,68,- April 5,69,’Hughie’- Hugh Kingsmill (18891949).
19.The Holy Land. Thoughts in the Holy Land. Observer (24 Dec 1967).
The Gospel of Jesus Egalité. Times Saturday Review (2 Sept 1972).
On the Side of Life. Sunday Times (10 Nov 1981).Dr. Leonard Arthur was tried at the Leicester Crown Court in Oct/Nov 1981 before Mr. Justice Farquharson, for the murder of John Pearson, a newly born Down’s syndrome baby. Dr. Arthur prescribed ‘nursing care only’ for John Pearson, who was born 28 June 1980 and died 5 Feb 1981.’Nursing care only’in this instance was a euphemism for starvation and the administration of DF118, a drug meant to be given with food, and unsuitable for children under four years old (‘the blood level of the drug actually found in the baby’s body was more than twice the amount sufficient to kill an adult.’ Life).After initially stating these details, the Judge subsequently referred to the administration of DF118 and water as ‘feeds’. Dr. Arthur was acquitted.
‘Feed my Sheep’. From What Christ meant when he said Feed my Sheep. New Zealand Tablet (17 Jan 1973).
Finding Faith. Adapted from What is Faith? Catholic Herald (21 June 1968) and My first year as a Catholic. Universe (25 Nov 1983)
Time and Eternity. UMWC (1980s?).
Acknowledgements
First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge my gratitude and amazement, at my wife Judy’s loving, unwavering, and unselfish support for this project, at my four daughters, Carrie, Sonia, Teresa and Monica’s sustained belief in ‘the Muggeridge book’ through the wilderness years, and at the providential route that led me to Sally Bolt of David Bolt Associates, who turned my dream into reality. I am also immensely grateful to Brendan Walsh and his colleagues at Dar
ton, Longman and Todd for taking Time and Eternity in out of the cold and giving it such a good home.
Looking back I can honestly say, echoing the words of Isabel-la Beeton on completing her book on household management, that if I had known at the outset the labour this book would cause me, I never would have had the courage to undertake it. However the task was only made possible with the help of numerous individuals, some of who are among the following:
The late Valentine Colenbrander, the late John Muggeridge and Leonard Muggeridge, for giving me permission to study their father’s papers and reproduce them in this book.
(Quotations from other works that are included in the main body of the book, by in large, formed part of reviews and are reproduced in that context. Quotations in the introduction and the words prefixing it by Simone Weil, are used with permission).
The Quotation from one of Han Shan’s Cold Mountain Poems, translated by Burton Watson, quoted in my introduction is used by permission of Columbia University Press.
The staff at the Buswell Memorial Library Special Collections, Wheaton College, Illinois, for all their help – what a great place!
The staff at the Colindale library, London.
Myrna Grant, who put me up on my first night in Chicago.
Mary Anne and William Phemister, who showed me great kindness when I lodged with them at Wheaton.
The late Isaac Guillory, who asked his cousin Joseph Bleckman (who did not know me) to meet me at the airport on my arrival in America and show me round – something he did in great style, nearly getting me killed on my first day in Chicago. I’m happy to say that Joseph and I became great friends and remain so.
Richard Ingrams, who read an early draft of the manuscript and made a valuable suggestion, which I adopted.
My daughter Teresa Mills,who went well beyond the call of duty when I was having computer problems, becoming my indefatigable ally in a thousand and one ways – thanks Mush!
My brother James, who was always willing to be a sounding-board for my not always sound ideas and who gave me much valuable advice.
Sally Muggeridge and David Williams of The Malcolm Muggeridge Society for their support and assistance.
Jeff Mowatt and Howard Lane, for incalculable help with computer problems and photocopying.
And last but not least, Jim of the Wheaton Bar, for cigarettes when I ran out and cool beers in the Chicago heat wave of 95.You said; ’I hope you’ll speak well of us all when you go back to England’ .And I always have, and will.
Also Available
Time and Eternity Page 20