heroes and hero worship-第38节

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admitted　for　a　good　while；　and　recognized　often　enough；　in　late　times；　with　a　sort　of　sentimental　triumph　and　wonderment。　　It　seems　to　me；　the　Sentimental　by　and　by　will　have　to　give　place　to　the　Practical。　　If　Men　of　Letters　_are_　so　incalculably　influential；　actually　performing　such　work　for　us　from　age　to　age；　and　even　from　day　to　day；　then　I　think　we　may　conclude　that　Men　of　Letters　will　not　always　wander　like　unrecognized　unregulated　Ishmaelites　among　us！　　Whatsoever　thing；　as　I　said　above；　has　virtual　unnoticed　power　will　cast　off　its　wrappages；　bandages；　and　step　forth　one　day　with　palpably　articulated；　universally　visible　power。　　That　one　man　wear　the　clothes；　and　take　the　wages；　of　a　function　which　is　done　by　quite　another：　　there　can　be　no　profit　in　this；　this　is　not　right；　it　is　wrong。　　And　yet；　alas；　the　_making_　of　it　right；what　a　business；　for　long　times　to　come！　　Sure　enough；　this　that　we　call　Organization　of　the　Literary　Guild　is　still　a　great　way　off；　encumbered　with　all　manner　of　complexities。　If　you　asked　me　what　were　the　best　possible　organization　for　the　Men　of　Letters　in　modern　society；　the　arrangement　of　furtherance　and　regulation；　grounded　the　most　accurately　on　the　actual　facts　of　their　position　and　of　the　world's　position；I　should　beg　to　say　that　the　problem　far　exceeded　my　faculty！　　It　is　not　one　man's　faculty；　it　is　that　of　many　successive　men　turned　earnestly　upon　it；　that　will　bring　out　even　an　approximate　solution。　What　the　best　arrangement　were；　none　of　us　could　say。　　But　if　you　ask；　Which　is　the　worst？　　I　answer：　　This　which　we　now　have；　that　Chaos　should　sit　umpire　in　it；　this　is　the　worst。　　To　the　best；　or　any　good　one；　there　is　yet　a　long　way。

One　remark　I　must　not　omit；　That　royal　or　parliamentary　grants　of　money　are　by　no　means　the　chief　thing　wanted！　　To　give　our　Men　of　Letters　stipends；　endowments　and　all　furtherance　of　cash；　will　do　little　towards　the　business。　　On　the　whole；　one　is　weary　of　hearing　about　the　omnipotence　of　money。　　I　will　say　rather　that；　for　a　genuine　man；　it　is　no　evil　to　be　poor；　that　there　ought　to　be　Literary　Men　poor；to　show　whether　they　are　genuine　or　not！　　Mendicant　Orders；　bodies　of　good　men　doomed　to　beg；　were　instituted　in　the　Christian　Church；　a　most　natural　and　even　necessary　development　of　the　spirit　of　Christianity。　　It　was　itself　founded　on　Poverty；　on　Sorrow；　Contradiction；　Crucifixion；　every　species　of　worldly　Distress　and　Degradation。　　We　may　say；　that　he　who　has　not　known　those　things；　and　learned　from　them　the　priceless　lessons　they　have　to　teach；　has　missed　a　good　opportunity　of　schooling。　　To　beg；　and　go　barefoot；　in　coarse　woollen　cloak　with　a　rope　round　your　loins；　and　be　despised　of　all　the　world；　was　no　beautiful　business；nor　an　honorable　one　in　any　eye；　till　the　nobleness　of　those　who　did　so　had　made　it　honored　of　some！

Begging　is　not　in　our　course　at　the　present　time：　　but　for　the　rest　of　it；　who　will　say　that　a　Johnson　is　not　perhaps　the　better　for　being　poor？　　It　is　needful　for　him；　at　all　rates；　to　know　that　outward　profit；　that　success　of　any　kind　is　_not_　the　goal　he　has　to　aim　at。　　Pride；　vanity；　ill…conditioned　egoism　of　all　sorts；　are　bred　in　his　heart；　as　in　every　heart；　need；　above　all；　to　be　cast　out　of　his　heart；to　be；　with　whatever　pangs；　torn　out　of　it；　cast　forth　from　it；　as　a　thing　worthless。　　Byron；　born　rich　and　noble；　made　out　even　less　than　Burns；　poor　and　plebeian。　　Who　knows　but；　in　that　same　〃best　possible　organization〃　as　yet　far　off；　Poverty　may　still　enter　as　an　important　element？　　What　if　our　Men　of　Letters；　men　setting　up　to　be　Spiritual　Heroes；　were　still　_then_；　as　they　now　are；　a　kind　of　〃involuntary　monastic　order；〃　bound　still　to　this　same　ugly　Poverty；till　they　had　tried　what　was　in　it　too；　till　they　had　learned　to　make　it　too　do　for　them！　　Money；　in　truth；　can　do　much；　but　it　cannot　do　all。　　We　must　know　the　province　of　it；　and　confine　it　there；　and　even　spurn　it　back；　when　it　wishes　to　get　farther。

Besides；　were　the　money…furtherances；　the　proper　season　for　them；　the　fit　assigner　of　them；　all　settled；how　is　the　Burns　to　be　recognized　that　merits　these？　　He　must　pass　through　the　ordeal；　and　prove　himself。　　_This_　ordeal；　this　wild　welter　of　a　chaos　which　is　called　Literary　Life：　　this　too　is　a　kind　of　ordeal！　　There　is　clear　truth　in　the　idea　that　a　struggle　from　the　lower　classes　of　society；　towards　the　upper　regions　and　rewards　of　society；　must　ever　continue。　　Strong　men　are　born　there；　who　ought　to　stand　elsewhere　than　there。　　The　manifold；　inextricably　complex；　universal　struggle　of　these　constitutes；　and　must　constitute；　what　is　called　the　progress　of　society。　　For　Men　of　Letters；　as　for　all　other　sorts　of　men。　How　to　regulate　that　struggle？　　There　is　the　whole　question。　　To　leave　it　as　it　is；　at　the　mercy　of　blind　Chance；　a　whirl　of　distracted　atoms；　one　cancelling　the　other；　one　of　the　thousand　arriving　saved；　nine　hundred　and　ninety…nine　lost　by　the　way；　your　royal　Johnson　languishing　inactive　in　garrets；　or　harnessed　to　the　yoke　of　Printer　Cave；　your　Burns　dying　broken…hearted　as　a　Gauger；　your　Rousseau　driven　into　mad　exasperation；　kindling　French　Revolutions　by　his　paradoxes：　　this；　as　we　said；　is　clearly　enough　the　_worst_　regulation。　　The　_best_；　alas；　is　far　from　us！

And　yet　there　can　be　no　doubt　but　it　is　coming；　advancing　on　us；　as　yet　hidden　in　the　bosom　of　centuries：　　this　is　a　prophecy　one　can　risk。　　For　so　soon　as　men　get　to　discern　the　importance　of　a　thing；　they　do　infallibly　set　about　arranging　it；　facilitating；　forwarding　it；　and　rest　not　till；　in　some　approximate　degree；　they　have　accomplished　that。　　I　say；　of　all　Priesthoods；　Aristocracies；　Governing　Classes　at　present　extant　in　the　world；　there　is　no　class　comparable　for　importance　to　that　Priesthood　of　the　Writers　of　Books。　　This　is　a　fact　which　he　who　runs　may　read；and　draw　inferences　from。　　〃Literature　will　take　care　of　itself；〃　answered　Mr。　Pitt；　when　applied　to　for　some　help　for　Burns。　　〃Yes；〃　adds　Mr。　Southey；　〃it　will　take　care　of　itself；　_and　of　you　too_；　if　you　do　not　look　to　it！〃

The　result　to　individual　Men　of　Letters　is　not　the　momentous　one；　they　are　but　individuals；　an　infinitesimal　fraction　of　the　great　body；　they　can　struggle　on；　and　live　or　else　die；　as　they　have　been　wont。　　But　it　deeply　concerns　the　whole　society；　whether　it　will　set　its　_light_　on　high　places；　to　walk　thereby；　or　trample　it　under　foot；　and　scatter　it　in　all　ways　of　wild　waste　（not　without　conflagration）；　as　heretofore！　　Light　is　the　one　thing　wanted　for　the　world。　　Put　wisdom　in　the　head　of　the　world；　the　world　will　fight　its　battle　victoriously；　and　be　the　best　world　man　can　make　it。　I　called　this　anomaly　of　a　disorganic　Literary　Class　the　heart　of　all　other　anomalies；　at　once　product　and　parent；　some　good　arrangement　for　that　would　be　as　the　_punctum　saliens_　of　a　new　vitality　and　just　arrangement　for　all。　Already；　in　some　European　countries；　in　France；　in　Prussia；　one　traces　some　beginnings　of　an　arrangement　for　the　Literary　Class；　indicating　the　gradual　possibility　of　such。　　I　believe　that　it　is　possible；　that　it　will　have　to　be　possible。

By　far　the　most　interesting　fact　I　hear　about　the　Chinese　is　one　on　which　we　cannot　arrive　at　clearness；　but　which　excites　endless　curiosity　even　in　the　dim　state：　　this　namely；　that　they　do　attempt　to　make　their　Men　of　Letters　their　Governors！　　It　would　be　rash　to　say；　one　understood　how　this　was　done；　or　with　what　degree　of　success　it　was　done。　　All　such　things　must　be　very　unsuccessful；　yet　a　small　degree　of　success　is　precious；　the　very　attempt　how　precious！　　There　does　seem　to　be；　all　over　China；　a　more　or　less　active　search　everywhere　to　discover　the　men　of　talent　that　grow　up　in　the　young　generation。　　Schools　there　are　for　every　one：　　a　foolish　sort　of　training；　yet　still　a　sort。　　The　youths　who　distinguish　themselves　in　the　lower　school　are　promoted　into　favorable　stations　in　the　higher；　that　they　may　still　more　distinguish　themselves；forward　and　forward：　　it　appears　to　be　out　of　these　that　the　Official　Persons；　and　incipient　Governors；　are　taken。　　These　are　they　whom　they　_try_　first；　whether　they　can　govern　or　not。　　And　surely　with　the　best　hope：　　for　they　are　the　men　that　have　already　shown　intellect。　　Try　them：　　they　have　not　governed　or　administered　as　yet；　perhaps　they　cannot；　but　there　is　no　doubt　they　_have_　some　Understanding；without　which　no　man　can！　　Neither　is　Understanding　a　_tool_；　as　we　are　too　apt　to　figure；　〃it　is　a　_hand_　which　can　handle　any　tool。〃　　Try　these　men：　　they　are　of　all　others　the　best　worth　trying。Surely　there　is　no　kind　of　government；　constitution；　revolution；　social　apparatus　or　arrangement；　that　I　know　of　in　this　world；　so　promising　to　one's　scientific　curiosity　as　this。　　The　man　of　intellect　at　the　top　of　affairs：　　this　is　the　aim　of　all　constitutions　and　revolutions；　if　they　have　any　aim。　　For　the　man　of　true　intellect；　as　I　assert　and　believe　always；　is　the　noble…hearted　man　withal；　the　true；　just；　humane　and　valiant　man。　　Get　him　for　governor；　all　is　got；　fail　to　get　him；　though　you　had　Constitutions　plentiful　as　blackberries；　and　a　Parliament　in　every　village；　there　is　nothing　yet　got！

These　things　look　strange；　truly；　and　are　not　such　as　we　commonly