historical lecturers and essays-第11节

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mind　in　which　a　man　grows　to　believe　that　the　world　is　constructed



of　bricks　and　timber；　and　kept　going　by　the　price　of　stocks。







We　are　all　tempted；　and　the　easier　and　more　prosperous　we　are；　the



more　we　are　tempted；　to　fall　into　that　sordid　and　shallow　frame　of



mind。　　Sordid　even　when　its　projects　are　most　daring；　its　outward



luxuries　most　refined；　and　shallow；　even　when　most　acute；　when



priding　itself　most　on　its　knowledge　of　human　nature；　and　of　the



secret　springs　which；　so　it　dreams；　move　the　actions　and　make　the



history　of　nations　and　of　men。　　All　are　tempted　that　way；　even　the



noblest…hearted。　　ADHAESIT　PAVIMENTO　VENTER；　says　the　old　psalmist。



I　am　growing　like　the　snake；　crawling　in　the　dust；　and　eating　the



dust　in　which　I　crawl。　　I　try　to　lift　up　my　eyes　to　the　heavens；　to



the　true；　the　beautiful；　the　good；　the　eternal　nobleness　which　was



before　all　time；　and　shall　be　still　when　time　has　passed　away。　　But



to　lift　up　myself　is　what　I　cannot　do。　　Who　will　help　me？　　Who　will



quicken　me？　as　our　old　English　tongue　has　it。　　Who　will　give　me



life？　　The　true；　pure；　lofty　human　life　which　I　did　NOT　inherit　from



the　primaeval　ape；　which　the　ape…nature　in　me　is　for　ever　trying　to



stifle；　and　make　me　that　which　I　know　too　well　I　could　so　easily



becomea　cunninger　and　more　dainty…featured　brute？　　Death　itself；



which　seems　at　times　so　fair；　is　fair　because　even　it　may　raise　me



up　and　deliver　me　from　the　burden　of　this　animal　and　mortal　body：











'Tis　life；　not　death　for　which　I　pant；



'Tis　life；　whereof　my　nerves　are　scant；



More　life；　and　fuller；　that　I　want。











Man？　　I　am　a　man　not　by　reason　of　my　bones　and　muscles；　nerves　and



brain；　which　I　have　in　common　with　apes　and　dogs　and　horses。　　I　am　a



manthou　art　a　man　or　womannot　because　we　have　a　fleshGod



forbid！　but　because　there　is　a　spirit　in　us；　a　divine　spark　and　ray；



which　nature　did　not　give；　and　which　nature　cannot　take　away。　　And



therefore；　while　I　live　on　earth；　I　will　live　to　the　spirit；　not　to



the　flesh；　that　I　may　be；　indeed；　a　man；　and　this　same　gross　flesh；



this　animal　ape…nature　in　me；　shall　be　the　very　element　in　me　which



I　will　renounce；　defy；　despise；　at　least；　if　I　am　minded　to　be；　not



a　merely　higher　savage；　but　a　truly　higher　civilised　man。



Civilisation　with　me　shall　mean；　not　more　wealth；　more　finery；　more



self…indulgenceeven　more　aesthetic　and　artistic　luxury；　but　more



virtue；　more　knowledge；　more　self…control；　even　though　I　earn　scanty



bread　by　heavy　toil；　and　when　I　compare　the　Caesar　of　Rome　or　the



great　king；　whether　of　Egypt；　Babylon；　or　Persia；　with　the　hermit　of



the　Thebaid；　starving　in　his　frock　of　camel's　hair；　with　his　soul



fixed　on　the　ineffable　glories　of　the　unseen；　and　striving；　however



wildly　and　fantastically；　to　become　an　angel　and　not　an　ape；　I　will



say　the　hermit；　and　not　the　Caesar；　is　the　civilised　man。







There　are　plenty　of　histories　of　civilisation　and　theories　of



civilisation　abroad　in　the　world　just　now；　and　which　profess　to　show



you　how　the　primeval　savage　has；　or　at　least　may　have；　become　the



civilised　man。　　For　my　part；　with　all　due　and　careful　consideration；



I　confess　I　attach　very　little　value　to　any　of　them：　　　and　for　this



simple　reason　that　we　have　no　facts。　　The　facts　are　lost。







Of　course；　if　you　assume　a　proposition　as　certainly　true；　it　is　easy



enough　to　prove　that　proposition　to　be　true；　at　least　to　your　own



satisfaction。　　If　you　assert　with　the　old　proverb；　that　you　may　make



a　silk　purse　out　of　a　sow's　ear；　you　will　be　stupider　than　I　dare



suppose　anyone　here　to　be；　if　you　cannot　invent　for　yourselves　all



the　intermediate　stages　of　the　transformation；　however　startling。



And；　indeed；　if　modern　philosophers　had　stuck　more　closely　to　this



old　proverb；　and　its　defining　verb　〃make；〃　and　tried　to　show　how



some　person　or　personslet　them　be　who　they　maymen；　angels；　or



godsmade　the　sow's　ear　into　the　silk　purse；　and　the　savage　into



the　sagethey　might　have　pleaded　that　they　were　still　trying　to



keep　their　feet　upon　the　firm　ground　of　actual　experience。　　But



while　their　theory　is；　that　the　sow's　ear　grew　into　a　silk　purse　of



itself；　and　yet　unconsciously　and　without　any　intention　of　so



bettering　itself　in　life；　why；　I　think　that　those　who　have　studied



the　history　which　lies　behind　them；　and　the　poor　human　nature　which



is　struggling；　and　sinning；　and　sorrowing；　and　failing　around　them；



and　which　seems　on　the　greater　part　of　this　planet　going　downwards



and　not　upwards；　and　by　no　means　bettering　itself；　save　in　the



increase　of　opera…houses；　liquor…bars；　and　gambling…tables；　and　that



which　pertaineth　thereto；　then　we；　I　think；　may　be　excused　if　we　say



with　the　old　Stoics＇Greek　text＇I　withhold　my　judgment。　　I　know



nothing　about　the　matter　yet；　and　you；　oh　my　imaginative　though



learned　friends；　know　I　suspect　very　little　either。











Eldest　of　things；　Divine　Equality：











so　sang　poor　Shelley；　and　with　a　certain　truth。　　For　if；　as　I



believe；　the　human　race　sprang　from　a　single　pair；　there　must　have



been　among　their　individual　descendants　an　equality　far　greater　than



any　which　has　been　known　on　earth　during　historic　times。　　But　that



equality　was　at　best　the　infantile　innocence　of　the　primary　race；



which　faded　away　in　the　race　as　quickly；　alas！　as　it　does　in　the



individual　child。　　Divinetherefore　it　was　one　of　the　first



blessings　which　man　lost；　one　of　the　last；　I　fear；　to　which　he　will



return；　that　to　which　civilisation；　even　at　its　best　yet　known；　has



not　yet　attained；　save　here　and　there　for　short　periods；　but　towards



which　it　is　striving　as　an　ideal　goal；　and；　as　I　trust；　not　in　vain。







The　eldest　of　things　which　we　see　actually　as　history　is　not



equality；　but　an　already　developed　hideous　inequality；　trying　to



perpetuate　itself；　and　yet　by　a　most　divine　and　gracious　law；



destroying　itself　by　the　very　means　which　it　uses　to　keep　itself



alive。







〃There　were　giants　in　the　earth　in　those　days。　　And　Nimrod　began　to



be　a　mighty　one　in　the　earth〃　…











A　mighty　hunter；　and　his　game　was　man。











No；　it　is　not　equality　which　we　see　through　the　dim　mist　of　bygone



ages。







What　we　do　see　isI　know　not　whether　you　will　think　me



superstitious　or　old…fashioned；　but　so　I　holdvery　much　what　the



earlier　books　of　the　Bible　show　us　under　symbolic　laws。　　Greek



histories；　Roman　histories；　Egyptian　histories；　Eastern　histories；



inscriptions；　national　epics；　legends；　fragments　of　legendsin　the



New　World　as　in　the　Oldall　tell　the　same　story。　　Not　the　story



without　an　end；　but　the　story　without　a　beginning。　　As　in　the　Hindoo



cosmogony；　the　world　stands　on　an　elephant；　and　the　elephant　on　a



tortoise；　and　the　tortoise　onwhat？　　No　man　knows。　　I　do　not　know。



I　only　assert　deliberately；　waiting；　as　Napoleon　says；　till　the



world　come　round　to　me；　that　the　tortoise　does　not　standas　is　held



by　certain　anthropologists；　some　honoured　by　me；　some　personally



dear　to　meupon　the　savages　who　chipped　flints　and　fed　on　mammoth



and　reindeer　in　North…Western　Europe；　shortly　after　the　age　of　ice；



a　few　hundred　thousand　years　ago。　　These　sturdy　little　fellowsthe



kinsmen　probably　of　the　Esquimaux　and　Lappscould　have　been　but　the



AVANT…COURIERS；　or　more　probably　the　fugitives　from　the　true　mass　of



mankindspreading　northward　from　the　Tropics　into　climes　becoming；



after　the　long　catastrophe　of　the　age　of　ice；　once　more　genial



enough　to　support　men　who　knew　what　decent　comfort　was；　and　were



strong　enough　to　get　the　same；　by　all　means　fair　or　foul。　　No。　　The



tortoise　of　the　human　race　does　not　stand　on　a　savage。　　The　savage



may　stand　on　an　ape…like　creature。　　I　do　not　say　that　he　does　not。



I　do　not　say　that　he　does。　　I　do　not　know；　and　no　man　knows。　　But　at



least　I　say　that　the　civilised　man　and　his　world　stand　not　upon



creatures　like　to　any　savage　now　known　upon　the　earth。　　For　first；



it　seems　to　be　most　unlikely；　and　next；　and　more　important　to　an



inductive　philosopher；　there　is　no　proof　of　it。　　I　see　no　savages



becoming　really　civilised　menthat　is；　not　merely　men　who　will　ape



the　outside　of　our　so…called　civilisation；　even　absorb　a　few　of　our



ideas；　not　merely　that；　but　truly　civilised　men　who　will　think　for



themselves；　invent　for　themselves；　act　for　themselves；　and　when　the



sacred　lamp　of　light　and　truth　has　been　passed　into　their　hands；



carry　it　on　unextinguished；　and　transmit　it　to　their　successors