historical lecturers and essays-第12节

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carry　it　on　unextinguished；　and　transmit　it　to　their　successors



without　running　back　every　moment　to　get　it　relighted　by　those　from



whom　they　received　it：　　　and　who　are　boundremember　thatpatiently



and　lovingly　to　relight　it　for　them；　to　give　freely　to　all　their



fellow…men　of　that　which　God　has　given　to　them　and　to　their



ancestors；　and　let　God；　not　man；　be　judge　of　how　much　the　Red　Indian



or　the　Polynesian；　the　Caffre　or　the　Chinese；　is　capable　of



receiving　and　of　using。







Moreover；　in　history　there　is　no　record；　absolutely　no　record；　as



far　as　I　am　aware；　of　any　savage　tribe　civilising　itself。　　It　is　a



bold　saying。　　I　stand　by　my　assertion：　　　most　happy　to　find　myself



confuted；　even　in　a　single　instance；　for　my　being　wrong　would　give



me；　what　I　can　have　no　objection　to　possess；　a　higher　opinion　than　I



have　now；　of　the　unassisted　capabilities　of　my　fellow…men。







But　civilisation　must　have　begun　somewhen；　somewhere；　with　some



person；　or　some　family；　or　some　nation；　and　how　did　it　begin？







I　have　said　already　that　I　do　not　know。　　But　I　have　had　my　dream



like　the　philosopherand　as　I　have　not　been　ashamed　to　tell　it



elsewhere；　I　shall　not　be　ashamed　to　tell　it　here。　　And　it　is　this：







What　if　the　beginnings　of　true　civilisation　in　this　unique；



abnormal；　diseased；　unsatisfied；　incomprehensible；　and　truly



miraculous　and　supernatural　race　we　call　man；　had　been　literally；



and　in　actual　fact；　miraculous　and　supernatural　likewise？　　What　if



that　be　the　true　key　to　the　mystery　of　humanity　and　its　origin？



What　if　the　few　first　chapters　of　the　most　ancient　and　most　sacred



book　should　point；　under　whatever　symbols；　to　the　actual　and　the



only　possible　origin　of　civilisation；　the　education　of　a　man；　or　a



family　by　beings　of　some　higher　race　than　man？　　What　if　the　old



Puritan　doctrine　of　Election　should　be　even　of　a　deeper　and　wider



application　than　divines　have　been　wont　to　think？　　What　if



individuals；　if　peoples；　have　been　chosen　out　from　time　to　time　for



a　special　illumination；　that　they　might　be　the　lights　of　the　earth；



and　the　salt　of　the　world？　　What　if　they　have；　each　in　their　turn；



abused　that　divine　teaching　to　make　themselves　the　tyrants；　instead



of　the　ministers；　of　the　less　enlightened？　　To　increase　the



inequalities　of　nature　by　their　own　selfishness；　instead　of



decreasing　them；　into　the　equality　of　grace；　by　their　own　self…



sacrifice？　　What　if　the　Bible　after　all　was　right；　and　even　more



right　than　we　were　taught　to　think？







So　runs　my　dream。　　If；　after　I　have　confessed　to　it；　you　think　me



still　worth　listening　to；　in　this　enlightened　nineteenth　century；　I



will　go　on。







At　all　events；　what　we　see　at　the　beginning　of　all　known　and　half…



known　history；　is　not　savagery；　but　high　civilisation；　at　least　of



an　outward　and　material　kind。　　Do　you　demur？　　Then　recollect；　I　pray



you；　that　the　three　oldest　peoples　known　to　history　on　this　planet



are　Egypt；　China；　Hindostan。　　The　first　glimpses　of　the　world　are



always　like　those　which　the　book　of　Genesis　gives　us；　like　those



which　your　own　continent　gives　us。　　As　it　was　400　years　ago　in



America；　so　it　was　in　North　Africa　and　in　Asia　4000　years　ago；　or



40；000　for　aught　I　know。　　Nay；　if　anyone　should　askAnd　why　not



400；000　years　ago；　on　Miocene　continents　long　sunk　beneath　the



Tropic　sea？　　I　for　one　have　no　rejoinder　saveWe　have　no　proofs　as



yet。







There　loom　up；　out　of　the　darkness　of　legend；　into　the　as　yet　dim



dawn　of　history；　what　the　old　Arabs　call　Races　of　pre…Adamite



Sultanscolossal　monarchies；　with　fixed　and　often　elaborate　laws；



customs；　creeds；　with　aristocracies；　priesthoodsseemingly　always



of　a　superior　and　conquering　race；　with　a　mass　of　common　folk；



whether　free　or　half…free；　composed　of　older　conquered　races；　of



imported　slaves　too；　and　their　descendants。







But　whence　comes　the　royal　race；　the　aristocracy；　the　priesthood？



You　inquire；　and　you　find　that　they　usually　know　not　themselves。



They　are　usuallyI　had　almost　dared　to　say；　alwaysforeigners。



They　have　crossed　the　neighbouring　mountains。　　The　have　come　by　sea；



like　Dido　to　Carthage；　like　Manco　Cassae　and　Mama　Belle　to　America；



and　they　have　sometimes　forgotten　when。　　At　least　they　are　wiser；



stronger；　fairer；　than　the　aborigines。　　They　are　to　themas　Jacques



Cartier　was　to　the　Indians　of　Canadaas　gods。　　They　are　not　sure



that　they　are　not　descended　from　gods。　　They　are　the　Children　of　the



Sun；　or　what　not。　　The　children　of　light；　who　ray　out　such　light　as



they　have；　upon　the　darkness　of　their　subjects。　　They　are　at　first；



probably；　civilisers；　not　conquerors。　　For；　if　tradition　is　worth



anythingand　we　have　nothing　else　to　go　uponthey　are　at　first　few



in　number。　　They　come　as　settlers；　or　even　as　single　sages。　　It　is；



in　all　tradition；　not　the　many　who　influence　the　few；　but　the　few



who　influence　the　many。







So　aristocracies；　in　the　true　sense；　are　formed。







But　the　higher　calling　is　soon　forgotten。　　The　purer　light　is　soon



darkened　in　pride　and　selfishness；　luxury　and　lust；　as　in　Genesis；



the　sons　of　God　see　the　daughters　of　men；　that　they　are　fair；　and



they　take　them　wives　of　all　that　they　choose。　　And　so　a　mixed　race



springs　up　and　increases；　without　detriment　at　first　to　the



commonwealth。　　For；　by　a　well…known　law　of　heredity；　the　cross



between　two　races；　probably　far　apart；　produces　at　first　a　progeny



possessing　the　forces；　and；　alas！　probably　the　vices　of　both。　　And



when　the　sons　of　God　go　in　to　the　daughters　of　men；　there　are　giants



in　the　earth　in　those　days；　men　of　renown。　　The　Roman　Empire；



remember；　was　never　stronger　than　when　the　old　Patrician　blood　had



mingled　itself　with　that　of　every　nation　round　the　Mediterranean。







But　it　does　not　last。　　Selfishness；　luxury；　ferocity；　spread　from



above；　as　well　as　from　below。　　The　just　aristocracy　of　virtue　and



wisdom　becomes　an　unjust　one　of　mere　power　and　privilege；　that



again；　one　of　mere　wealth　corrupting　and　corrupt；　and　is　destroyed；



not　by　the　people　from　below；　but　by　the　monarch　from　above。　　The



hereditary　bondsmen　may　know











Who　would　be　free；



Himself　must　strike　the　blow。











But　they　dare　not；　know　not　how。　　The　king　must　do　it　for　them。　　He



must　become　the　State。　　〃Better　one　tyrant；〃　as　Voltaire　said；　〃than



many。〃　　Better　stand　in　fear　of　one　lion　far　away；　than　of　many



wolves；　each　in　the　nearest　wood。　　And　so　arise　those　truly



monstrous　Eastern　despotisms；　of　which　modern　Persia　is；　thank　God；



the　only　remaining　specimen；　for　Turkey　and　Egypt　are　too　amenable



of　late　years　to　the　influence　of　the　free　nations　to　be　counted　as



despotisms　pure　and　simpledespotisms　in　which　men；　instead　of



worshipping　a　God…man；　worship　the　hideous　counterfeit；　a　Man…goda



poor　human　being　endowed　by　public　opinion　with　the　powers　of　deity；



while　he　is　the　slave　of　all　the　weaknesses　of　humanity。　　But　such；



as　an　historic　fact；　has　been　the　last　stage　of　every　civilisation



even　that　of　Rome；　which　ripened　itself　upon　this　earth　the　last　in



ancient　times；　and；　I　had　almost　said；　until　this　very　day；　except



among　the　men　who　speak　Teutonic　tongues；　and　who　have　preserved



through　all　temptations；　and　reasserted　through　all　dangers；　the



free　ideas　which　have　been　our　sacred　heritage　ever　since　Tacitus



beheld　us；　with　respect　and　awe；　among　our　German　forests；　and　saw



in　us　the　future　masters　of　the　Roman　Empire。







Yes；　it　is　very　sad；　the　past　history　of　mankind。　　But　shall　we



despise　those　who　went　before　us；　and　on　whose　accumulated　labours



we　now　stand？







Shall　we　not　reverence　our　spiritual　ancestors？　　Shall　we　not　show



our　reverence　by　copying　them；　at　least　whenever；　as　in　those　old



Persians；　we　see　in　them　manliness　and　truthfulness；　hatred　of



idolatries；　and　devotion　to　the　God　of　light　and　life　and　good？　　And



shall　we　not　feel　pity；　instead　of　contempt；　for　their　ruder　forms



of　government；　their　ignorances；　excesses；　failuresso　excusable　in



men　who；　with　little　or　no　previous　teaching；　were　trying　to　solve



for　themselves　for　the　first　time　the　deepest　social　and　political



problems　of　humanity。







Yes；　those　old　despotisms　we　trust　are　dead；　and　never　to　revive。



But　their　corpses　are　the　corpses；　not　of　our　enemies；　but　of　our



friends　and　predecessors；　slain　in　the　world…old　fight　of　Ormuzd



against　Ahrimanlight　against　darkness；　order　against　disorder。



Confusedly　the