heroes and hero worship-第29节

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ter；　Woe！　and　to　the　former；　Well　done！　　At　bottom；　it　was　no　new　saying；　it　was　a　return　to　all　old　sayings　that　ever　had　been　said。　　Be　genuine；　be　sincere：　　that　was；　once　more；　the　meaning　of　it。　　Mahomet　believed　with　his　whole　mind；　Odin　with　his　whole　mind；he；　and　all　_true_　Followers　of　Odinism。　　They；　by　their　private　judgment；　had　〃judged　〃_so_。

And　now　I　venture　to　assert；　that　the　exercise　of　private　judgment；　faithfully　gone　about；　does　by　no　means　necessarily　end　in　selfish　independence；　isolation；　but　rather　ends　necessarily　in　the　opposite　of　that。　　It　is　not　honest　inquiry　that　makes　anarchy；　but　it　is　error；　insincerity；　half…belief　and　untruth　that　make　it。　　A　man　protesting　against　error　is　on　the　way　towards　uniting　himself　with　all　men　that　believe　in　truth。　　There　is　no　communion　possible　among　men　who　believe　only　in　hearsays。　　The　heart　of　each　is　lying　dead；　has　no　power　of　sympathy　even　with　_things_；or　he　would　believe　_them_　and　not　hearsays。　No　sympathy　even　with　things；　how　much　less　with　his　fellow…men！　　He　cannot　unite　with　men；　he　is　an　anarchic　man。　　Only　in　a　world　of　sincere　men　is　unity　possible；and　there；　in　the　long…run；　it　is　as　good　as　_certain_。

For　observe　one　thing；　a　thing　too　often　left　out　of　view；　or　rather　altogether　lost　sight　of　in　this　controversy：　　That　it　is　not　necessary　a　man　should　himself　have　_discovered_　the　truth　he　is　to　believe　in；　and　never　so　_sincerely_　to　believe　in。　　A　Great　Man；　we　said；　was　always　sincere；　as　the　first　condition　of　him。　　But　a　man　need　not　be　great　in　order　to　be　sincere；　that　is　not　the　necessity　of　Nature　and　all　Time；　but　only　of　certain　corrupt　unfortunate　epochs　of　Time。　　A　man　can　believe；　and　make　his　own；　in　the　most　genuine　way；　what　he　has　received　from　another；and　with　boundless　gratitude　to　that　other！　　The　merit　of　_originality_　is　not　novelty；　it　is　sincerity。　　The　believing　man　is　the　original　man；　whatsoever　he　believes；　he　believes　it　for　himself；　not　for　another。　　Every　son　of　Adam　can　become　a　sincere　man；　an　original　man；　in　this　sense；　no　mortal　is　doomed　to　be　an　insincere　man。　　Whole　ages；　what　we　call　ages　of　Faith；　are　original；　all　men　in　them；　or　the　most　of　men　in　them；　sincere。　　These　are　the　great　and　fruitful　ages：　　every　worker；　in　all　spheres；　is　a　worker　not　on　semblance　but　on　substance；　every　work　issues　in　a　result：　　the　general　sum　of　such　work　is　great；　for　all　of　it；　as　genuine；　tends　towards　one　goal；　all　of　it　is　_additive_；　none　of　it　subtractive。　　There　is　true　union；　true　kingship；　loyalty；　all　true　and　blessed　things；　so　far　as　the　poor　Earth　can　produce　blessedness　for　men。

Hero…worship？　　Ah　me；　that　a　man　be　self…subsistent；　original；　true；　or　what　we　call　it；　is　surely　the　farthest　in　the　world　from　indisposing　him　to　reverence　and　believe　other　men's　truth！　　It　only　disposes；　necessitates　and　invincibly　compels　him　to　disbelieve　other　men's　dead　formulas；　hearsays　and　untruths。　　A　man　embraces　truth　with　his　eyes　open；　and　because　his　eyes　are　open：　　does　he　need　to　shut　them　before　he　can　love　his　Teacher　of　truth？　　He　alone　can　love；　with　a　right　gratitude　and　genuine　loyalty　of　soul；　the　Hero…Teacher　who　has　delivered　him　out　of　darkness　into　light。　　Is　not　such　a　one　a　true　Hero　and　Serpent…queller；　worthy　of　all　reverence！　　The　black　monster；　Falsehood；　our　one　enemy　in　this　world；　lies　prostrate　by　his　valor；　it　was　he　that　conquered　the　world　for　us！See；　accordingly；　was　not　Luther　himself　reverenced　as　a　true　Pope；　or　Spiritual　Father；　_being_　verily　such？　　Napoleon；　from　amid　boundless　revolt　of　Sansculottism；　became　a　King。　　Hero…worship　never　dies；　nor　can　die。　　Loyalty　and　Sovereignty　are　everlasting　in　the　world：and　there　is　this　in　them；　that　they　are　grounded　not　on　garnitures　and　semblances；　but　on　realities　and　sincerities。　　Not　by　shutting　your　eyes；　your　〃private　judgment；〃　no；　but　by　opening　them；　and　by　having　something　to　see！　　Luther's　message　was　deposition　and　abolition　to　all　false　Popes　and　Potentates；　but　life　and　strength；　though　afar　off；　to　new　genuine　ones。

All　this　of　Liberty　and　Equality；　Electoral　suffrages；　Independence　and　so　forth；　we　will　take；　therefore；　to　be　a　temporary　phenomenon；　by　no　means　a　final　one。　　Though　likely　to　last　a　long　time；　with　sad　enough　embroilments　for　us　all；　we　must　welcome　it；　as　the　penalty　of　sins　that　are　past；　the　pledge　of　inestimable　benefits　that　are　coming。　　In　all　ways；　it　behooved　men　to　quit　simulacra　and　return　to　fact；　cost　what　it　might；　that　did　behoove　to　be　done。　　With　spurious　Popes；　and　Believers　having　no　private　judgment；quacks　pretending　to　command　over　dupes；what　can　you　do？　Misery　and　mischief　only。　　You　cannot　make　an　association　out　of　insincere　men；　you　cannot　build　an　edifice　except　by　plummet　and　level；at　right…angles　to　one　another！　　In　all　this　wild　revolutionary　work；　from　Protestantism　downwards；　I　see　the　blessedest　result　preparing　itself：　　not　abolition　of　Hero…worship；　but　rather　what　I　would　call　a　whole　World　of　Heroes。　　If　Hero　mean　_sincere　man_；　why　may　not　every　one　of　us　be　a　Hero？　A　world　all　sincere；　a　believing　world：　　the　like　has　been；　the　like　will　again　be；cannot　help　being。　　That　were　the　right　sort　of　Worshippers　for　Heroes：　　never　could　the　truly　Better　be　so　reverenced　as　where　all　were　True　and　Good！But　we　must　hasten　to　Luther　and　his　Life。


Luther's　birthplace　was　Eisleben　in　Saxony；　he　came　into　the　world　there　on　the　10th　of　November；　1483。　　It　was　an　accident　that　gave　this　honor　to　Eisleben。　　His　parents；　poor　mine…laborers　in　a　village　of　that　region；　named　Mohra；　had　gone　to　the　Eisleben　Winter…Fair：　　in　the　tumult　of　this　scene　the　Frau　Luther　was　taken　with　travail；　found　refuge　in　some　poor　house　there；　and　the　boy　she　bore　was　named　MARTIN　LUTHER。　　Strange　enough　to　reflect　upon　it。　　This　poor　Frau　Luther；　she　had　gone　with　her　husband　to　make　her　small　merchandisings；　perhaps　to　sell　the　lock　of　yarn　she　had　been　spinning；　to　buy　the　small　winter…necessaries　for　her　narrow　hut　or　household；　in　the　whole　world；　that　day；　there　was　not　a　more　entirely　unimportant…looking　pair　of　people　than　this　Miner　and　his　Wife。　　And　yet　what　were　all　Emperors；　Popes　and　Potentates；　in　comparison？　　There　was　born　here；　once　more；　a　Mighty　Man；　whose　light　was　to　flame　as　the　beacon　over　long　centuries　and　epochs　of　the　world；　the　whole　world　and　its　history　was　waiting　for　this　man。　　It　is　strange；　it　is　great。　　It　leads　us　back　to　another　Birth…hour；　in　a　still　meaner　environment；　Eighteen　Hundred　years　ago；of　which　it　is　fit　that　we　_say_　nothing；　that　we　think　only　in　silence；　for　what　words　are　there！　　The　Age　of　Miracles　past？　　The　Age　of　Miracles　is　forever　here！

I　find　it　altogether　suitable　to　Luther's　function　in　this　Earth；　and　doubtless　wisely　ordered　to　that　end　by　the　Providence　presiding　over　him　and　us　and　all　things；　that　he　was　born　poor；　and　brought　up　poor；　one　of　the　poorest　of　men。　　He　had　to　beg；　as　the　school…children　in　those　times　did；　singing　for　alms　and　bread；　from　door　to　door。　　Hardship；　rigorous　Necessity　was　the　poor　boy's　companion；　no　man　nor　no　thing　would　put　on　a　false　face　to　flatter　Martin　Luther。　　Among　things；　not　among　the　shows　of　things；　had　he　to　grow。　　A　boy　of　rude　figure；　yet　with　weak　health；　with　his　large　greedy　soul；　full　of　all　faculty　and　sensibility；　he　suffered　greatly。　　But　it　was　his　task　to　get　acquainted　with　_realities_；　and　keep　acquainted　with　them；　at　whatever　cost：　　his　task　was　to　bring　the　whole　world　back　to　reality；　for　it　had　dwelt　too　long　with　semblance！　　A　youth　nursed　up　in　wintry　whirlwinds；　in　desolate　darkness　and　difficulty；　that　he　may　step　forth　at　last　from　his　stormy　Scandinavia；　strong　as　a　true　man；　as　a　god：　　a　Christian　Odin；a　right　Thor　once　more；　with　his　thunder…hammer；　to　smite　asunder　ugly　enough　_Jotuns_　and　Giant…monsters！

Perhaps　the　turning　incident　of　his　life；　we　may　fancy；　was　that　death　of　his　friend　Alexis；　by　lightning；　at　the　gate　of　Erfurt。　　Luther　had　struggled　up　through　boyhood；　better　and　worse；　displaying；　in　spite　of　all　hindrances；　the　largest　intellect；　eager　to　learn：　　his　father　judging　doubtless　that　he　might　promote　himself　in　the　world；　set　him　upon　the　study　of　Law。　　This　was　the　path　to　rise；　Luther；　with　little　will　in　it　either　way；　had　consented：　　he　was　now　nineteen　years　of　age。　　Alexis　and　he　had　been　to　see　the　old　Luther　people　at　Mansfeldt；　were　got　back　again　near　Erfurt；　when　a　thunder…storm　came　on；　the　bolt　struck　Alexis；　he　fell　dead　at　Luther's　feet。　　What　is　this　Life　of　ours？gone　in　a　moment；　burnt　up　like　a　scroll；　into　the　blank　Eternity！　　What　are　all　earthly　preferments；　Chancellorships；　Kingships？　　They　lie　shrunk　togetherthere！　The　Earth　has　opened　on　them；　in　a　moment　they　are　not；　and　Eternity　is。　Luther；　struck　to　the　heart；　determined　to　devote　himself　to　God　and　God's　service　alone。　　In　spite　of　all　dissuasions　from　his　father　and　others；　he　became　a　Monk　in　the　Augustine　Convent　at　Erfurt。

This　was　probably　the　first　light…point　in　the　history　of　Luther；　his　purer　will　now　first　decisively　uttering　itself；　but；　for　the　present；　it　was　still　as　one　light…point　in　an　element　all　of　darkness。　　He　says　he　was　a　pious　mon