The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1166: Chapter 123: The Absent-Minded Sun Never Sets Empire

”And the money saved from the ’Abolition Act,’ I will invest in the field of education. After the ’Factory Law’ is passed, there will certainly be a large number of idle children on the streets, and I want to cram them all into schools. Arthur, do you know what I discovered during my travels? I found that even the Germans and the French value education more than we do!”

Disraeli emphasized: ”If we value the issue of education as the Germans and the French do, encourage shared experiences and shared culture in school textbooks, then in forty or fifty years, there will be no Irish separatists. Look at Germany, there are so many countries in the Germanic region, the residents of the Alsace-Lorraine region of France don’t even speak French, but the Germans only think about unity, while the people of Alsace and Lorraine consider themselves French! And in Britain? Scots speak English, but would rather think of themselves as donkeys than stand with their English brothers.”

Arthur, of course, knew that what Disraeli said was true.

Everyone knows that the British Government is not only stingy with educational investments but also strongly resists including patriotic education in textbooks, which is widely seen in British society as a detestable authoritarian measure. Perhaps due to the residue of medieval feudal consciousness, the upper class believes that patriotism is a matter for the nobles and gentlemen, a notion equally held by the lower class.

In other words, in Britain, patriotism is a right, and only by reaching a certain social class do you qualify to be patriotic.

Therefore, except for those ancient aristocratic schools, such as Harrow School and Eton College, history classes at other schools rarely talk about the grandeur of the Sun Never Sets Empire.

Even if history is taught, it mainly covers ancient British history, with only a cursory mention of the empire’s colonies, focusing primarily on the kind of free order the empire brought to these places and how we should cherish this spirit of freedom, and so on.

Even university students like Arthur, who completed higher education at the University of London, find that the ”History of England” by David Hume he studied would appear quite peculiar from the perspective of other countries.

Because in this extensive tome of 3,500 pages, only 15 pages address the Sun Never Sets Empire and overseas colonies, while the rest mainly discusses the domestic social structure, legal system, and religious shifts in Britain.

If this book were authored by a German or French person, even one with a strong spirit of freedom, it is simply impossible to cover the empire and overseas colonization in just 15 pages.

When Arthur first discovered this phenomenon, he thought maybe it was because David Hume considered overseas colonization not an honorable venture, thus refraining from mentioning it. But soon, he discovered in the library of the University of London that almost all scholars wrote ”English History” in this manner.

Then, after Arthur began working at Scotland Yard, he had opportunities to interact with Whitehall.

During one time when he entered the Colonial Office for some official business, this history major finally confirmed that the omission of overseas colonies in so many ”English Histories” was not due to the high moral standards of the scholars, but because the majority of the British people had only a superficial understanding of the colonies and the concept of the Sun Never Sets Empire. When it came to the practical level, what they cared most about was trade issues.

It is hard for ordinary people to imagine that the Colonial Office of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, managing a colonial territory of tens of millions of square kilometers in the Sun Never Sets Empire, comprised just:

One State Minister, one Deputy Minister, one Permanent Secretary, one Chief Clerk, seventeen clerks, a lawyer, one librarian and assistant, one registrar and assistant, the minister’s private secretary, one recorder, one housekeeper, followed by two office cleaners and two movers, a total of 31 people.

Upon discovering this fact, even the York swineherd, who prided himself on managing hundreds of pigs, felt humbled, and he genuinely began to repent for his previous actions mocking the inefficiency of Whitehall.

At this moment, Arthur deeply understood what it meant to be a ’Seventh Rank Official before the Prime Minister.’

Because, when calculated by colonial population, even the two cleaners and two movers in the Colonial Office were responsible for managing at least hundreds of thousands of people.

However, with such a severe manpower shortage, the Colonial Office could still manage to operate the Sun Never Sets Empire efficiently, toying with the East India Company, the Levantine Company, and other charter companies, which is undeniably a miracle of 19th-century social governance theories.

Whenever Westminster Palace discussed colonial management legislation, there were always many empty seats in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, this group showed little concern for the colonies.

Parliament and the Colonial Office were so lax, and the entire British society was so indifferent to the colonies, no wonder Disraeli was so agitated, pointing directly at Britain’s educational issues.

After all, according to Arthur’s understanding of him, although Benjamin seemed unreliable and often dressed flamboyantly like a peacock, deep down, he harbored imperial dreams like those of Augustus and Caesar.

As a nonconformist imperialist, it was no surprise that he envied the patriotic education in Germany and France.

Disraeli straightforwardly requested: ”Arthur, to be honest with you, my trip to Gottingen is not just to reconnect with old friends but also to deeply research the educational issues in Germany. If possible, I hope you will allow me to access the University of Gottingen freely, open your library to me. If possible, I’d also like to interact more with your history professors.”

Arthur had no reason to refuse Disraeli’s request; if he could use this research opportunity to propose a feasible education reform bill in Britain, it would undoubtedly be a good thing.

Although it might bring some unknown side effects, politics is always the art of manipulating possibilities. No bill is beneficial without harm, and most of the time, people are just going with the flow, getting through this phase before thinking more.

”Of course, it’s an honor, Benjamin.”

Arthur smiled and stood up: ”As I said, I am your most passionate supporter. Moreover, I am pleased to see that we once again think alike. In the current moment when the Tory Party is fragmenting, not only have you not been defeated by difficulties, but you are persevering, which is really pleasing!”

Arthur and Disraeli chatted and laughed, and he was about to take Disraeli to the Philosophy College to meet the professors.

Unexpectedly, as he opened the door, he found someone arguing in the hallway.

”We’ve already decided to contact a British manufacturer regarding the procurement of experimental equipment. Why are you still pestering?”

”But, sir! I know British instruments are top-notch, but that doesn’t mean German manufacturing can’t compare! Besides, look at the price; look at the price of our instruments. Our factory’s product quotes are much cheaper than British goods. Most importantly, we are willing to offer a five-year warranty, completely free of charge, without any extra costs.”

”Say no more, Hastings School Director won’t agree. He said the University of Gottingen’s pursuit is the highest and strongest. Even if we don’t use British goods, we can’t place an order with a small Prussian factory. Friedrich Krupp Steel Factory, I’ve never even heard of your factory’s name. Where did you get the idea that we need to procure products?”

”Sir, how about this, I can give another 10% discount, or you let me meet the Hastings School Director. Regardless of whether I convince him, afterward, I can give you...”

”You’re simply dreaming! You don’t even look twenty; what authority do you have to offer discounts on behalf of your factory? I think you’re probably a fraud! Are you leaving or not? If you don’t leave, I’ll call the police!”