on liberty-第19节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！




them；　human　life　would　become　a　stagnant　pool。　Not　only　is　it　they　who



introduce　good　things　which　did　not　before　exist；　it　is　they　who



keep　the　life　in　those　which　already　exist。　If　there　were　nothing



new　to　be　done；　would　human　intellect　cease　to　be　necessary？　Would



it　be　a　reason　why　those　who　do　the　old　things　should　forget　why



they　are　done；　and　do　them　like　cattle；　not　like　human　beings？　There



is　only　too　great　a　tendency　in　the　best　beliefs　and　practices　to



degenerate　into　the　mechanical；　and　unless　there　were　a　succession



of　persons　whose　everrecurring　originality　prevents　the　grounds　of



those　beliefs　and　practices　from　becoming　merely　traditional；　such



dead　matter　would　not　resist　the　smallest　shock　from　anything　really



alive；　and　there　would　be　no　reason　why　civilisation　should　not　die



out；　as　in　the　Byzantine　Empire。　Persons　of　genius；　it　is　true；　are；



and　are　always　likely　to　be；　a　small　minority；　but　in　order　to　have



them；　it　is　necessary　to　preserve　the　soil　in　which　they　grow。



Genius　can　only　breathe　freely　in　an　atmosphere　of　freedom。　Persons　of



genius　are；　ex　vi　termini；　more　individual　than　any　other



people…　less　capable；　consequently；　of　fitting　themselves；　without



hurtful　compression；　into　any　of　the　small　number　of　moulds　which



society　provides　in　order　to　save　its　members　the　trouble　of　forming



their　own　character。　If　from　timidity　they　consent　to　be　forced　into



one　of　these　moulds；　and　to　let　all　that　part　of　themselves　which



cannot　expand　under　the　pressure　remain　unexpanded；　society　will　be



little　the　better　for　their　genius。　If　they　are　of　a　strong　character；



and　break　their　fetters；　they　become　a　mark　for　the　society　which



has　not　succeeded　in　reducing　them　to　commonplace；　to　point　out　with



solemn　warning　as　〃wild；〃　〃erratic；〃　and　the　like；　much　as　if　one



should　complain　of　the　Niagara　river　for　not　flowing　smoothly



between　its　banks　like　a　Dutch　canal。



　　I　insist　thus　emphatically　on　the　importance　of　genius；　and　the



necessity　of　allowing　it　to　unfold　itself　freely　both　in　thought　and



in　practice；　being　well　aware　that　no　one　will　deny　the　position　in



theory；　but　knowing　also　that　almost　every　one；　in　reality；　is　totally



indifferent　to　it。　People　think　genius　a　fine　thing　if　it　enables　a



man　to　write　an　exciting　poem；　or　paint　a　picture。　But　in　its　true



sense；　that　of　originality　in　thought　and　action；　though　no　one　says



that　it　is　not　a　thing　to　be　admired；　nearly　all；　at　heart；　think　that



they　can　do　very　well　without　it。　Unhappily　this　is　too　natural　to



be　wondered　at。　Originality　is　the　one　thing　which　unoriginal　minds



cannot　feel　the　use　of。　They　cannot　see　what　it　is　to　do　for　them：　how



should　they？　If　they　could　see　what　it　would　do　for　them；　it　would　not



be　originality。　The　first　service　which　originality　has　to　render



them；　is　that　of　opening　their　eyes：　which　being　once　fully　done；　they



would　have　a　chance　of　being　themselves　original。　Meanwhile；



recollecting　that　nothing　was　ever　yet　done　which　some　one　was　not　the



first　to　do；　and　that　all　good　things　which　exist　are　the　fruits　of



originality；　let　them　modest　enough　to　believe　that　there　is　something



still　left　for　it　to　accomplish；　and　assure　themselves　that　they　are



more　in　need　of　originality；　the　less　they　are　conscious　of　the　want。



　　In　sober　truth；　whatever　homage　may　be　professed；　or　even　paid；　to



real　or　supposed　mental　superiority；　the　general　tendency　of　things



throughout　the　world　is　to　render　mediocrity　the　ascendant　power　among



mankind。　In　ancient　history；　in　the　Middle　Ages；　and　in　a



diminishing　degree　through　the　long　transition　from　feudality　to　the



present　time；　the　individual　was　a　power　in　himself；　and　if　he　had



either　great　talents　or　a　high　social　position；　he　was　a



considerable　power。　At　present　individuals　are　lost　in　the　crowd。　In



politics　it　is　almost　a　triviality　to　say　that　public　opinion　now



rules　the　world。　The　only　power　deserving　the　name　is　that　of



masses；　and　of　governments　while　they　make　themselves　the　organ　of　the



tendencies　and　instincts　of　masses。　This　is　as　true　in　the　moral　and



social　of　private　life　as　in　public　transactions。　Those　whose　opinions



go　by　the　name　of　public　opinion　are　not　always　the　same　sort　of



public：　in　America　they　are　the　whole　white　population；　in　England；



chiefly　the　middle　class。　But　they　are　always　a　mass；　that　is　to



say；　collective　mediocrity。　And　what　is　a　still　greater　novelty；　the



mass　do　not　now　take　their　opinions　from　dignitaries　in　Church　or



State；　from　ostensible　leaders；　or　from　books。　Their　thinking　is



done　for　them　by　men　much　like　themselves；　addressing　them　or　speaking



in　their　name；　on　the　spur　of　the　moment；　through　the　newspapers。



　　I　am　not　complaining　of　all　this。　I　do　not　assert　that　anything



better　is　compatible；　as　a　general　rule；　with　the　present　low　state　of



the　human　mind。　But　that　does　not　hinder　the　government　of



mediocrity　from　being　mediocre　government。　No　government　by　a



democracy　or　a　numerous　aristocracy；　either　in　its　political　acts　or



in　the　opinions；　qualities；　and　tone　of　mind　which　it　fosters；　ever



did　or　could　rise　above　mediocrity；　except　in　so　far　as　the



sovereign　Many　have　let　themselves　be　guided　（which　in　their　best



times　they　always　have　done）　by　the　counsels　and　influence　of　a　more



highly　gifted　and　instructed　One　or　Few。　The　initiation　of　all　wise　or



noble　things　comes　and　must　come　from　individuals；　generally　at



first　from　some　one　individual。　The　honour　and　glory　of　the　average



man　is　that　he　is　capable　of　following　that　initiative；　that　he　can



respond　internally　to　wise　and　noble　things；　and　be　led　to　them　with



his　eyes　open。　I　am　not　countenancing　the　sort　of　〃hero…worship〃　which



applauds　the　strong　man　of　genius　for　forcibly　seizing　on　the



government　of　the　world　and　making　it　do　his　bidding　in　spite　of



itself。　All　he　can　claim　is；　freedom　to　point　out　the　way。　The　power



of　compelling　others　into　it　is　not　only　inconsistent　with　the　freedom



and　development　of　all　the　rest；　but　corrupting　to　the　strong　man



himself。　It　does　seem；　however；　that　when　the　opinions　of　masses　of



merely　average　men　are　everywhere　become　or　becoming　the　dominant



power；　the　counterpoise　and　corrective　to　that　tendency　would　be　the



more　and　more　pronounced　individuality　of　those　who　stand　on　the



higher　eminences　of　thought。　It　is　in　these　circumstances　most



especially；　that　exceptional　individuals；　instead　of　being　deterred；



should　be　encouraged　in　acting　differently　from　the　mass。　In　other



times　there　was　no　advantage　in　their　doing　so；　unless　they　acted



not　only　differently　but　better。　In　this　age；　the　mere　example　of



non…conformity；　the　mere　refusal　to　bend　the　knee　to　custom；　is　itself



a　service。　Precisely　because　the　tyranny　of　opinion　is　such　as　to　make



eccentricity　a　reproach；　it　is　desirable；　in　order　to　break　through



that　tyranny；　that　people　should　be　eccentric。　Eccentricity　has　always



abounded　when　and　where　strength　of　character　has　abounded；　and　the



amount　of　eccentricity　in　a　society　has　generally　been　proportional　to



the　amount　of　genius；　mental　vigour；　and　moral　courage　it　contained。



That　so　few　now　dare　to　be　eccentric　marks　the　chief　danger　of　the



time。



　　I　have　said　that　it　is　important　to　give　the　freest　scope　possible



to　uncustomary　things；　in　order　that　it　may　in　time　appear　which　of



these　are　fit　to　be　converted　into　customs。　But　independence　of



action；　and　disregard　of　custom；　are　not　solely　deserving　of



encouragement　for　the　chance　they　afford　that　better　modes　action；　and



customs　more　worthy　of　general　adoption；　may　be　struck　out；　nor　is



it　only　persons　of　decided　mental　superiority　who　have　a　just　claim　to



carry　on　their　lives　in　their　own　way。　There　is　no　reason　that　all



human　existence　should　be　constructed　on　some　one　or　some　small　number



of　patterns。　If　a　person　possesses　any　tolerable　amount　of　common



sense　and　experience；　his　own　mode　of　laying　out　his　existence　is



the　best；　not　because　it　is　the　best　in　itself；　but　because　it　is



his　own　mode。　Human　beings　are　not　like　sheep；　and　even　sheep　are



not　undistinguishably　alike。　A　man　cannot　get　a　coat　or　a　pair　of



boots　to　fit　him　unless　they　are　either　made　to　his　measure；　or　he　has



a　whole　warehouseful　to　choose　from：　and　is　it　easier　to　fit　him



with　a　life　than　with　a　coat；　or　are　human　beings　more　like　one



another　in　their　whole　physical　and　spiritual　conformation　than　in　the



shape　of　their　feet？　If　it　were　only　that　people　have　diversities　of



taste；　that　is　reason　enough　for　not　attempting　to　shape　them　all



after　one　model。



　　But　different　persons　also　require　different　conditions　for　their



spiritual　development；　and　can　no　more　exist　healt