On the record
Macaulay justly said that many an army has prospered under a bad commander, but no army has ever prospered under a 'debating society;' that many-headed monster is then fatal.
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Walter Bagehot
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gutenberg.orgWalter Bagehot: “Macaulay justly said that many an army has prospered under a bad commander, but no army has ever prospered under a…”
Editor's note · Context
Bagehot cites Macaulay to emphasize that armies cannot thrive under indecisive leadership.
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More from Walter Bagehot
I cannot, therefore, join in the full cry against anomalies; in my judgment it may quickly overrun the scent, and so miss what we should be glad to find.
The casual line was traced according to the strength of deceased combatants; succeeding generations fought elsewhere; and the hesitating line of a half-drawn battle was left to stand for a perpetual limit.
These anomalies, in a hundred instances, mark the old boundaries of a constitutional struggle.
It is natural that those who by special and admirable culture have come to look at all things upon the artistic side, should start back from these queer peculiarities.
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