heroes and hero worship-第46节

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ittle　better　than　Racine's；　dying　because　Louis　Fourteenth　looked　sternly　on　him　once。　　The　world　had　stood　some　considerable　shocks；　in　its　time；　might　have　been　expected　to　survive　the　Three　Days　too；　and　be　found　turning　on　its　axis　after　even　them！　　The　Three　Days　told　all　mortals　that　the　old　French　Revolution；　mad　as　it　might　look；　was　not　a　transitory　ebullition　of　Bedlam；　but　a　genuine　product　of　this　Earth　where　we　all　live；　that　it　was　verily　a　Fact；　and　that　the　world　in　general　would　do　well　everywhere　to　regard　it　as　such。

Truly；　without　the　French　Revolution；　one　would　not　know　what　to　make　of　an　age　like　this　at　all。　　We　will　hail　the　French　Revolution；　as　shipwrecked　mariners　might　the　sternest　rock；　in　a　world　otherwise　all　of　baseless　sea　and　waves。　　A　true　Apocalypse；　though　a　terrible　one；　to　this　false　withered　artificial　time；　testifying　once　more　that　Nature　is　_preter_natural；　if　not　divine；　then　diabolic；　that　Semblance　is　not　Reality；　that　it　has　to　become　Reality；　or　the　world　will　take　fire　under　it；burn　_it_　into　what　it　is；　namely　Nothing！　　Plausibility　has　ended；　empty　Routine　has　ended；　much　has　ended。　　This；　as　with　a　Trump　of　Doom；　has　been　proclaimed　to　all　men。　　They　are　the　wisest　who　will　learn　it　soonest。　　Long　confused　generations　before　it　be　learned；　peace　impossible　till　it　be！　　The　earnest　man；　surrounded；　as　ever；　with　a　world　of　inconsistencies；　can　await　patiently；　patiently　strive　to　do　_his_　work；　in　the　midst　of　that。　　Sentence　of　Death　is　written　down　in　Heaven　against　all　that；　sentence　of　Death　is　now　proclaimed　on　the　Earth　against　it：　　this　he　with　his　eyes　may　see。　　And　surely；　I　should　say；　considering　the　other　side　of　the　matter；　what　enormous　difficulties　lie　there；　and　how　fast；　fearfully　fast；　in　all　countries；　the　inexorable　demand　for　solution　of　them　is　pressing　on；he　may　easily　find　other　work　to　do　than　laboring　in　the　Sansculottic　province　at　this　time　of　day！

To　me；　in　these　circumstances；　that　of　〃Hero…worship〃　becomes　a　fact　inexpressibly　precious；　the　most　solacing　fact　one　sees　in　the　world　at　present。　　There　is　an　everlasting　hope　in　it　for　the　management　of　the　world。　　Had　all　traditions；　arrangements；　creeds；　societies　that　men　ever　instituted；　sunk　away；　this　would　remain。　　The　certainty　of　Heroes　being　sent　us；　our　faculty；　our　necessity；　to　reverence　Heroes　when　sent：　　it　shines　like　a　polestar　through　smoke…clouds；　dust…clouds；　and　all　manner　of　down…rushing　and　conflagration。

Hero…worship　would　have　sounded　very　strange　to　those　workers　and　fighters　in　the　French　Revolution。　　Not　reverence　for　Great　Men；　not　any　hope　or　belief；　or　even　wish；　that　Great　Men　could　again　appear　in　the　world！　Nature；　turned　into　a　〃Machine；〃　was　as　if　effete　now；　could　not　any　longer　produce　Great　Men：I　can　tell　her；　she　may　give　up　the　trade　altogether；　then；　we　cannot　do　without　Great　Men！But　neither　have　I　any　quarrel　with　that　of　〃Liberty　and　Equality；〃　with　the　faith　that；　wise　great　men　being　impossible；　a　level　immensity　of　foolish　small　men　would　suffice。　　It　was　a　natural　faith　then　and　there。　　〃Liberty　and　Equality；　no　Authority　needed　any　longer。　　Hero…worship；　reverence　for　_such_　Authorities；　has　proved　false；　is　itself　a　falsehood；　no　more　of　it！　　We　have　had　such　_forgeries_；　we　will　now　trust　nothing。　　So　many　base　plated　coins　passing　in　the　market；　the　belief　has　now　become　common　that　no　gold　any　longer　exists；and　even　that　we　can　do　very　well　without　gold！〃　　I　find　this；　among　other　things；　in　that　universal　cry　of　Liberty　and　Equality；　and　find　it　very　natural；　as　matters　then　stood。

And　yet　surely　it　is　but　the　_transition_　from　false　to　true。　　　Considered　as　the　whole　truth；　it　is　false　altogether；the　product　of　entire　sceptical　blindness；　as　yet　only　_struggling_　to　see。　　Hero…worship　exists　forever；　and　everywhere：　　not　Loyalty　alone；　it　extends　from　divine　adoration　down　to　the　lowest　practical　regions　of　life。　　〃Bending　before　men；〃　if　it　is　not　to　be　a　mere　empty　grimace；　better　dispensed　with　than　practiced；　is　Hero…worship；a　recognition　that　there　does　dwell　in　that　presence　of　our　brother　something　divine；　that　every　created　man；　as　Novalis　said；　is　a　〃revelation　in　the　Flesh。〃　　They　were　Poets　too；　that　devised　all　those　graceful　courtesies　which　make　life　noble！　　Courtesy　is　not　a　falsehood　or　grimace；　it　need　not　be　such。　　And　Loyalty；　religious　Worship　itself；　are　still　possible；　nay　still　inevitable。

May　we　not　say；　moreover；　while　so　many　of　our　late　Heroes　have　worked　rather　as　revolutionary　men；　that　nevertheless　every　Great　Man；　every　genuine　man；　is　by　the　nature　of　him　a　son　of　Order；　not　of　Disorder？　　It　is　a　tragical　position　for　a　true　man　to　work　in　revolutions。　　He　seems　an　anarchist；　and　indeed　a　painful　element　of　anarchy　does　encumber　him　at　every　step；him　to　whose　whole　soul　anarchy　is　hostile；　hateful。　　His　mission　is　Order；　every　man's　is。　　He　is　here　to　make　what　was　disorderly；　chaotic；　into　a　thing　ruled；　regular。　　He　is　the　missionary　of　Order。　　Is　not　all　work　of　man　in　this　world　a　_making　of　Order_？　　The　carpenter　finds　rough　trees；　shapes　them；　constrains　them　into　square　fitness；　into　purpose　and　use。　　We　are　all　born　enemies　of　Disorder：　　it　is　tragical　for　us　all　to　be　concerned　in　image…breaking　and　down…pulling；　for　the　Great　Man；　_more_　a　man　than　we；　it　is　doubly　tragical。

Thus　too　all　human　things；　maddest　French　Sansculottisms；　do　and　must　work　towards　Order。　　I　say；　there　is　not　a　_man_　in　them；　raging　in　the　thickest　of　the　madness；　but　is　impelled　withal；　at　all　moments；　towards　Order。　　His　very　life　means　that；　Disorder　is　dissolution；　death。　　No　chaos　but　it　seeks　a　_centre_　to　revolve　round。　　While　man　is　man；　some　Cromwell　or　Napoleon　is　the　necessary　finish　of　a　Sansculottism。Curious：　　in　those　days　when　Hero…worship　was　the　most　incredible　thing　to　every　one；　how　it　does　come　out　nevertheless；　and　assert　itself　practically；　in　a　way　which　all　have　to　credit。　　Divine　_right_；　take　it　on　the　great　scale；　is　found　to　mean　divine　_might_　withal！　　While　old　false　Formulas　are　getting　trampled　everywhere　into　destruction；　new　genuine　Substances　unexpectedly　unfold　themselves　indestructible。　　In　rebellious　ages；　when　Kingship　itself　seems　dead　and　abolished；　Cromwell；　Napoleon　step　forth　again　as　Kings。　The　history　of　these　men　is　what　we　have　now　to　look　at；　as　our　last　phasis　of　Heroism。　　The　old　ages　are　brought　back　to　us；　the　manner　in　which　Kings　were　made；　and　Kingship　itself　first　took　rise；　is　again　exhibited　in　the　history　of　these　Two。


We　have　had　many　civil　wars　in　England；　wars　of　Red　and　White　Roses；　wars　of　Simon　de　Montfort；　wars　enough；　which　are　not　very　memorable。　　But　that　war　of　the　Puritans　has　a　significance　which　belongs　to　no　one　of　the　others。　　Trusting　to　your　candor；　which　will　suggest　on　the　other　side　what　I　have　not　room　to　say；　I　will　call　it　a　section　once　more　of　that　great　universal　war　which　alone　makes　up　the　true　History　of　the　World；the　war　of　Belief　against　Unbelief！　　The　struggle　of　men　intent　on　the　real　essence　of　things；　against　men　intent　on　the　semblances　and　forms　of　things。　　The　Puritans；　to　many；　seem　mere　savage　Iconoclasts；　fierce　destroyers　of　Forms；　but　it　were　more　just　to　call　them　haters　of　_untrue_　Forms。　　I　hope　we　know　how　to　respect　Laud　and　his　King　as　well　as　them。　　Poor　Laud　seems　to　me　to　have　been　weak　and　ill…starred；　not　dishonest　an　unfortunate　Pedant　rather　than　anything　worse。　　His　〃Dreams〃　and　superstitions；　at　which　they　laugh　so；　have　an　affectionate；　lovable　kind　of　character。　　He　is　like　a　College…Tutor；　whose　whole　world　is　forms；　College…rules；　whose　notion　is　that　these　are　the　life　and　safety　of　the　world。　　He　is　placed　suddenly；　with　that　unalterable　luckless　notion　of　his；　at　the　head　not　of　a　College　but　of　a　Nation；　to　regulate　the　most　complex　deep…reaching　interests　of　men。　　He　thinks　they　ought　to　go　by　the　old　decent　regulations；　nay　that　their　salvation　will　lie　in　extending　and　improving　these。　　Like　a　weak　man；　he　drives　with　spasmodic　vehemence　towards　his　purpose；　cramps　himself　to　it；　heeding　no　voice　of　prudence；　no　cry　of　pity：　　He　will　have　his　College…rules　obeyed　by　his　Collegians；　that　first；　and　till　that；　nothing。　　He　is　an　ill…starred　Pedant；　as　I　said。　　He　would　have　it　the　world　was　a　College　of　that　kind；　and　the　world　was　_not_　that。　Alas；　was　not　his　doom　stern　enough？　　Whatever　wrongs　he　did；　were　they　not　all　frightfully　avenged　on　him？

It　is　meritorious　to　insist　on　forms；　Religion　and　all　else　naturally　clothes　itself　in　forms。　　Everywhere　the　_formed_　world　is　the　only　habitable　one。　　The　naked　formlessness　of　Puritanism　is　not　the　thing　I　praise　in　the　Puritans；　it　is　the　thing　I　pity；praising　only　the　spirit　which　had　rendered　that　inevitable！　　All　substances　clothe　themselves　in　forms：　　but　there　are　suitable　true　forms；　and　then　there　are　untrue　unsuitable。　　As　the　briefest　definition；　one　might　say；　Forms　which　_grow_　round　a　substance；　if　we　rightly　understand　that；　will　correspond　to　the　real　nature　and　purport　of　it；　will　be　true；　good；　forms　which　are　consciously　_put_　round　a　substance；　bad。　　I　invite　you　to　reflect　on　this。　It　distinguishes　true　from　false　in　Cer