Expeditious, wise, and best,
To obey your orders."

(ii) Much more can be done, and always has been
done by supporters of the creed, by pointing out the
(ii) Pre- . number of human needs that are common
ponderance to many individuals, and the number of
of cotnmon our desires which are directed towards
^^^ ^' objects of public and not only private

good. " My own interest " is one of the smallest of
the things I am interested in. The man in the
street likes his football club to win matches even
when he is not playing and has no bets on the
result. He likes England to be the greatest nation
in the world, and to be governed by his own political
party, even though his own shop is quite unaffected
by it. When we say a man cares about art we do
not really mean that he cares only for the pictures
he has a chance of visiting, and would be indifferent
to their destruction afterwards. One might say that
" strictly private interests " are only a small and



COMMON GOOD 127

peculiar class in the mass that exists. Suppose

even a common-place man, believing himself as

selfish as he believes others, to be convinced that he

is to die on August 6th and the world to end on

August 7th. Apart from all thoughts of his own

immortality, he will be much more excited about

the second date.
(iii) Moreover, there is such a thing as love. A

woman would really rather give food to her baby

than have it herself. And it is common ,..., ^

1 r ■ , , ,1 (ill) Love.
