heroes and hero worship-第3节

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ty；　revealing　the　inner　Splendor　to　him。　　Cannot　we　understand　how　these　men　_worshipped_　Canopus；　became　what　we　call　Sabeans；　worshipping　the　stars？　　Such　is　to　me　the　secret　of　all　forms　of　Paganism。　　Worship　is　transcendent　wonder；　wonder　for　which　there　is　now　no　limit　or　measure；　that　is　worship。　　To　these　primeval　men；　all　things　and　everything　they　saw　exist　beside　them　were　an　emblem　of　the　Godlike；　of　some　God。

And　look　what　perennial　fibre　of　truth　was　in　that。　　To　us　also；　through　every　star；　through　every　blade　of　grass；　is　not　a　God　made　visible；　if　we　will　open　our　minds　and　eyes？　　We　do　not　worship　in　that　way　now：　　but　is　it　not　reckoned　still　a　merit；　proof　of　what　we　call　a　〃poetic　nature；〃　that　we　recognize　how　every　object　has　a　divine　beauty　in　it；　how　every　object　still　verily　is　〃a　window　through　which　we　may　look　into　Infinitude　itself〃？　　He　that　can　discern　the　loveliness　of　things；　we　call　him　Poet！　Painter；　Man　of　Genius；　gifted；　lovable。　　These　poor　Sabeans　did　even　what　he　does；in　their　own　fashion。　　That　they　did　it；　in　what　fashion　soever；　was　a　merit：　　better　than　what　the　entirely　stupid　man　did；　what　the　horse　and　camel　did；namely；　nothing！

But　now　if　all　things　whatsoever　that　we　look　upon　are　emblems　to　us　of　the　Highest　God；　I　add　that　more　so　than　any　of　them　is　man　such　an　emblem。　You　have　heard　of　St。　Chrysostom's　celebrated　saying　in　reference　to　the　Shekinah；　or　Ark　of　Testimony；　visible　Revelation　of　God；　among　the　Hebrews：　　〃The　true　Shekinah　is　Man！〃　　Yes；　it　is　even　so：　　this　is　no　vain　phrase；　it　is　veritably　so。　　The　essence　of　our　being；　the　mystery　in　us　that　calls　itself　〃I；〃ah；　what　words　have　we　for　such　things？is　a　breath　of　Heaven；　the　Highest　Being　reveals　himself　in　man。　　This　body；　these　faculties；　this　life　of　ours；　is　it　not　all　as　a　vesture　for　that　Unnamed？　　〃There　is　but　one　Temple　in　the　Universe；〃　says　the　devout　Novalis；　〃and　that　is　the　Body　of　Man。　　Nothing　is　holier　shall　that　high　form。　　Bending　before　men　is　a　reverence　done　to　this　Revelation　in　the　Flesh。　　We　touch　Heaven　when　we　lay　our　hand　on　a　human　body！〃　　This　sounds　much　like　a　mere　flourish　of　rhetoric；　but　it　is　not　so。　　If　well　meditated；　it　will　turn　out　to　be　a　scientific　fact；　the　expression；　in　such　words　as　can　be　had；　of　the　actual　truth　of　the　thing。　　We　are　the　miracle　of　miracles；the　great　inscrutable　mystery　of　God。　　We　cannot　understand　it；　we　know　not　how　to　speak　of　it；　but　we　may　feel　and　know；　if　we　like；　that　it　is　verily　so。

Well；　these　truths　were　once　more　readily　felt　than　now。　　The　young　generations　of　the　world；　who　had　in　them　the　freshness　of　young　children；　and　yet　the　depth　of　earnest　men；　who　did　not　think　that　they　had　finished　off　all　things　in　Heaven　and　Earth　by　merely　giving　them　scientific　names；　but　had　to　gaze　direct　at　them　there；　with　awe　and　wonder：　　they　felt　better　what　of　divinity　is　in　man　and　Nature；　they；　without　being　mad；　could　_worship_　Nature；　and　man　more　than　anything　else　in　Nature。　Worship；　that　is；　as　I　said　above；　admire　without　limit：　　this；　in　the　full　use　of　their　faculties；　with　all　sincerity　of　heart；　they　could　do。　　I　consider　Hero…worship　to　be　the　grand　modifying　element　in　that　ancient　system　of　thought。　　What　I　called　the　perplexed　jungle　of　Paganism　sprang；　we　may　say；　out　of　many　roots：　　every　admiration；　adoration　of　a　star　or　natural　object；　was　a　root　or　fibre　of　a　root；　but　Hero…worship　is　the　deepest　root　of　all；　the　tap…root；　from　which　in　a　great　degree　all　the　rest　were　nourished　and　grown。

And　now　if　worship　even　of　a　star　had　some　meaning　in　it；　how　much　more　might　that　of　a　Hero！　　Worship　of　a　Hero　is　transcendent　admiration　of　a　Great　Man。　　I　say　great　men　are　still　admirable；　I　say　there　is；　at　bottom；　nothing　else　admirable！　　No　nobler　feeling　than　this　of　admiration　for　one　higher　than　himself　dwells　in　the　breast　of　man。　　It　is　to　this　hour；　and　at　all　hours；　the　vivifying　influence　in　man's　life。　　Religion　I　find　stand　upon　it；　not　Paganism　only；　but　far　higher　and　truer　religions；all　religion　hitherto　known。　　Hero…worship；　heartfelt　prostrate　admiration；　submission；　burning；　boundless；　for　a　noblest　godlike　Form　of　Man；is　not　that　the　germ　of　Christianity　itself？　　The　greatest　of　all　Heroes　is　Onewhom　we　do　not　name　here！　　Let　sacred　silence　meditate　that　sacred　matter；　you　will　find　it　the　ultimate　perfection　of　a　principle　extant　throughout　man's　whole　history　on　earth。

Or　coming　into　lower；　less　unspeakable　provinces；　is　not　all　Loyalty　akin　to　religious　Faith　also？　　Faith　is　loyalty　to　some　inspired　Teacher；　some　spiritual　Hero。　　And　what　therefore　is　loyalty　proper；　the　life…breath　of　all　society；　but　an　effluence　of　Hero…worship；　submissive　admiration　for　the　truly　great？　　Society　is　founded　on　Hero…worship。　　All　dignities　of　rank；　on　which　human　association　rests；　are　what　we　may　call　a　_Hero_archy　（Government　of　Heroes）；or　a　Hierarchy；　for　it　is　〃sacred〃　enough　withal！　The　Duke　means　_Dux_；　Leader；　King　is　_Kon…ning_；　_Kan…ning_；　Man　that　_knows_　or　_cans_。　　Society　everywhere　is　some　representation；　not　insupportably　inaccurate；　of　a　graduated　Worship　of　Heroesreverence　and　obedience　done　to　men　really　great　and　wise。　　Not　insupportably　inaccurate；　I　say！　　They　are　all　as　bank…notes；　these　social　dignitaries；　all　representing　gold；and　several　of　them；　alas；　always　are　_forged_　notes。　We　can　do　with　some　forged　false　notes；　with　a　good　many　even；　but　not　with　all；　or　the　most　of　them　forged！　　No：　　there　have　to　come　revolutions　then；　cries　of　Democracy；　Liberty　and　Equality；　and　I　know　not　what：the　notes　being　all　false；　and　no　gold　to　be　had　for　_them_；　people　take　to　crying　in　their　despair　that　there　is　no　gold；　that　there　never　was　any！　　〃Gold；〃　Hero…worship；　_is_　nevertheless；　as　it　was　always　and　everywhere；　and　cannot　cease　till　man　himself　ceases。

I　am　well　aware　that　in　these　days　Hero…worship；　the　thing　I　call　Hero…worship；　professes　to　have　gone　out；　and　finally　ceased。　　This；　for　reasons　which　it　will　be　worth　while　some　time　to　inquire　into；　is　an　age　that　as　it　were　denies　the　existence　of　great　men；　denies　the　desirableness　of　great　men。　　Show　our　critics　a　great　man；　a　Luther　for　example；　they　begin　to　what　they　call　〃account〃　for　him；　not　to　worship　him；　but　take　the　dimensions　of　him；and　bring　him　out　to　be　a　little　kind　of　man！　　He　was　the　〃creature　of　the　Time；〃　they　say；　the　Time　called　him　forth；　the　Time　did　everything；　he　nothingbut　what　we　the　little　critic　could　have　done　too！　　This　seems　to　me　but　melancholy　work。　　The　Time　call　forth？　　Alas；　we　have　known　Times　_call_　loudly　enough　for　their　great　man；　but　not　find　him　when　they　called！　　He　was　not　there；　Providence　had　not　sent　him；　the　Time；　_calling_　its　loudest；　had　to　go　down　to　confusion　and　wreck　because　he　would　not　come　when　called。

For　if　we　will　think　of　it；　no　Time　need　have　gone　to　ruin；　could　it　have　_found_　a　man　great　enough；　a　man　wise　and　good　enough：　　wisdom　to　discern　truly　what　the　Time　wanted；　valor　to　lead　it　on　the　right　road　thither；　these　are　the　salvation　of　any　Time。　　But　I　liken　common　languid　Times；　with　their　unbelief；　distress；　perplexity；　with　their　languid　doubting　characters　and　embarrassed　circumstances；　impotently　crumbling　down　into　ever　worse　distress　towards　final　ruin；all　this　I　liken　to　dry　dead　fuel；　waiting　for　the　lightning　out　of　Heaven　that　shall　kindle　it。　　The　great　man；　with　his　free　force　direct　out　of　God's　own　hand；　is　the　lightning。　His　word　is　the　wise　healing　word　which　all　can　believe　in。　　All　blazes　round　him　now；　when　he　has　once　struck　on　it；　into　fire　like　his　own。　　The　dry　mouldering　sticks　are　thought　to　have　called　him　forth。　　They　did　want　him　greatly；　but　as　to　calling　him　forth！　　Those　are　critics　of　small　vision；　I　think；　who　cry：　　〃See；　is　it　not　the　sticks　that　made　the　fire？〃　No　sadder　proof　can　be　given　by　a　man　of　his　own　littleness　than　disbelief　in　great　men。　　There　is　no　sadder　symptom　of　a　generation　than　such　general　blindness　to　the　spiritual　lightning；　with　faith　only　in　the　heap　of　barren　dead　fuel。　　It　is　the　last　consummation　of　unbelief。　　In　all　epochs　of　the　world's　history；　we　shall　find　the　Great　Man　to　have　been　the　indispensable　savior　of　his　epoch；the　lightning；　without　which　the　fuel　never　would　have　burnt。　　The　History　of　the　World；　I　said　already；　was　the　Biography　of　Great　Men。

Such　small　critics　do　what　they　can　to　promote　unbelief　and　universal　spiritual　paralysis：　　but　happily　they　cannot　always　completely　succeed。　In　all　times　it　is　possible　for　a　man　to　arise　great　enough　to　feel　that　they　and　their　doctrines　are　chimeras　and　cobwebs。　　And　what　is　notable；　in　no　time　whatever　can　they　entirely　eradicate　out　of　living　men's　hearts　a　certain　altogether　peculiar　reverence　for　Great　Men；　genuine　admiration；　loyalty；　adoration；　however　dim　and　perverted　it　may　be。　　Hero…worship　endures　forever　while　man　endures。　　Boswell　venerates　his　Johnson；　right　truly　even　in　the　Eighteenth　century。　　The　unbelieving　French　believe　in　their　Voltaire；　and　burst　out　round　him　into　very　curious　Hero…worship；　in　that　last　act　of　his　life　when　they　〃stifle　him　under　roses。〃　　It　has　always　seemed　to　me　extremely　curious　this　of　Voltaire。　　Tru