[长难句突破]

Such large, impersonal manipulation of capital and industry greatly increased the numbers and importance of shareholders as a class, an element in national life representing irresponsible wealth detached from the land and the duties of the landowners; and almost equally detached from the responsible management of business.

主体句式：Impersonal manipulation of capital and industry greatly increased...

结构分析：本句的主干部分集中在第一个逗号前面，逗号后面的an element是shareholders的同位语，起到补充说明的作用，"representing irresponsible wealth"是定语，后面两个以and连接的detached from是修饰wealth的定语。

The paid manager acting for the company was in more direct relation with the men and their demands, but even he had seldom that familiar personal knowledge of the workmen which the employer had often had under the more patriarchal system of the old family business now passing away.

主体句式：The paid manager was in more direction relation with ... but he had seldom the knowledge of ...

结构分析：本句由but连接的两个表示转折关系的分句构成。第一个分句中"acting for the company"是manager的定语。第二个分句的结构更为复杂，其中which 引导的定语从句修饰前面的knowledge，介词结构"under the more patriarchal system of the old family business"是状语，最后passing away是the old family business的定语。

[全文译文]

In the last half of the nineteenth century "capital" and "labour" were enlarging and perfecting their rival organizations on modern lines. Many an old firm was replaced by a limited liability company with a bureaucracy of salaried managers. The change met the technical requirements of the new age by engaging a large professional element and prevented the decline in efficiency that so commonly spoiled the fortunes of family firms in the second and third generation after the energetic founders. It was moreover a step away from individual initiative, towards collectivism and municipal and state-owned business. The railway companies, though still private business managed for the benefit of shareholders, were very unlike old family business. At the same time the great municipalities went into business to supply lighting, trams and other services to the taxpayers .

The growth of the limited liability company and municipal business had important consequences. Such large, impersonal manipulation of capital and industry greatly increased the numbers and importance of shareholders as a class, an element in national life representing irresponsible wealth detached from the land and the duties of the landowners; and almost equally detached from the responsible management of business. All through the nineteenth century, America, Africa, India, Australia and parts of Europe were being developed by British capital, and British shareholders were thus enriched by the world's movement towards industrialisation. Towns like Bournemouth and Eastboume sprang up to house large. "comfortable" classes who had retired on their incomes, and who had no relation to the rest of the community except that of drawing dividends and occasionally attending a shareholders' meeting to dictate their orders to the management. On the other hand "shareholding" meant leisure and freedom which was used by many of the later Victorians for the highest purpose of a great civilisation.

The "shareholders" as such had no knowledge of the lives, thoughts or needs of the workmen employed by the company in which he held shares, and his influence on the relations of capital and labour was not good. The paid manager acting for the company was in more direct relation with the men and their demands, but even he had seldom that familiar personal knowledge of the workmen which the employer had often had under the more patriarchal system of the old family business now passing away. Indeed the mere size of operations and the numbers of workmen involved rendered such personal relations impossible. Fortunately, however, the increasing power and organization of the trade unions, at least in all skilled trades, enabled the workmen to meet on equal terms the managers of the companies who employed them. The cruel discipline of the strike and lockout taught the two parties to respect each other' s strength and understand the value of fair negotiation.

19世纪后半叶，"资方"和"劳方"按现代手段不断扩大和完善各自的竞争对手。许多老字号都被责任有限公司所取代，由领薪经理构成其管理层。通过聘用大批专业人员来，这种变革满足了新时代的技术要求，并防止了效率的降低。在过去，这种效率的下滑使得许多第一代千辛万苦创立的旧式家族企业毁在第二、三代手中。另外，这也是公司摆脱个体创造，走向集体化、市营化和国营化迈出的一步。虽然铁路公司仍是为股东谋利的私有企业，但与过去的旧式家族企业大不相同了。与此同时，大城市也开始涉足商业活动，为纳税人提供照明、电车及其他服务。

有限责任公司及市政企业的发展具有重要的意义。这种大规模的对资本与企业的非个人操纵大大地增加了股东作为一个阶层的数量及其重要性。他们是国民生活的重要部分，代表着非责任性的财富，不仅与土地及土地所有者的责任相分离，而且几乎也同样与企业的责任经营脱离。整个19世纪，美洲、非洲、印度、澳洲及欧洲的部分地区都靠英国的资本发展起来的，而英国股东则因世界性的工业化而大发其财。像伯恩茅斯和伊斯特本这样的城市的兴起是为了给大批"衣食无忧"的阶层提供居住场所，这些人靠自己的丰厚收入而无需工作，除了领取红利，偶尔参加股东会议向管理人员发号施令外，他们与周围其他人没有联系。另一方面，"持股"意味着悠闲和自由，维多利亚后期许多人把这种有钱有闲的生活视为伟大文明的最高目标。

这种股东尽管持有股份，却丝毫不了解他们所持股公司里工人们的生活、思想和需求。他们对劳资关系也不会产生任何积极的影响。花钱请来的代表公司经营的经理与员工以及他们的需求有着更直接的关系，但即使是经理也很少像正在被淘汰的旧式家族企业家长制中的雇主那样对员工有着亲近的、个人化的了解。的确，仅从公司的经营规模和所用的工人数量来看，建立这种个人关系是不可能的了。然而，幸运的是，工会的势力和组织在日益壮大，至少在各个技术行业是这样，从而工人与雇用他们的公司经理们拥有了平等的地位。罢工和封厂的严酷惩罚使双方学会了彼此尊重的力量，理解公正协商的价值。