elect, if it be not
some _Bobissimus_, should they find such?

Or again, perhaps there is not, in the whole Nation, Wisdom enough,
'collect' it as we may, to make an adequate Collective! That too is a
case which may befall: a ruined man staggers down to ruin because
there was not wisdom enough in him; so, clearly also, may Twenty-seven
Million collective men!--But indeed one of the infalliblest fruits of
Unwisdom in a Nation is that it cannot get the use of what Wisdom is
actually in it: that it is not governed by the wisest it has, who
alone have a divine right to govern in all Nations; but by the
sham-wisest, or even by the openly not-so-wise if they are handiest
otherwise! This is the infalliblest result of Unwisdom; and also the
balefulest, immeasurablest,--not so much what we can call a
poison-_fruit_, as a universal death-disease, and poisoning of the
whole tree. For hereby are fostered, fed into gigantic bulk, all
manner of Unwisdoms, poison-fruits; till, as we say, the life-tree
everywhere is made a upas-tree, deadly Unwisdom overshadowing all
things; and there is done what lies in human skill to stifle all
Wisdom everywhere in the birth, to smite our poor world barren of
Wisdom,--and make your utmost Collective Wisdom, were it collected
and elected by Rhadamanthus, AEacus and Minos, not to speak of drunken
Tenpound Franchisers with their ballot-boxes, an inadequate
Collective! The Wisdom is not now there: how will you 'collect' it? As
well wash Thames mud, by improved methods, to find more gold in it.

Truly, the first condition is indispensable, That Wisdom be there: but
the second is like unto it, is properly one with it; these two
conditions act and react through every fibre of them, and go
inseparably together. If you have much Wisdom in your Nation, you will
get it faithfully collected; for the wise love Wisdom, and will search
for it as for life and salvation. If you have little Wisdom, you will
get even that little ill-collected, trampled under foot, reduced as
near as possible to annihilation; for fools do not love Wisdom; they
are foolish, first of all, because they have never loved Wisdom,--but
have loved their own appetites, ambitions, their coroneted coaches,
tankards of heavy-wet. Thus is your candle lighted at both ends, and
the progress towards consummation is swift. Thus is fulfilled that
saying in the Gospel: To him that hath shall be given; and from him
that hath not shall be taken away eve