heretics-第8节
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will say that these plain men say great things on great occasions。
He has only to drift in the large loose notions common to all
artists of the second rank； and people will say that business
men have the biggest ideals after all。 All his schemes have
ended in smoke； he has touched nothing that he did not confuse。
About his figure there is a Celtic pathos； like the Gaels in Matthew
Arnold's quotation； 〃he went forth to battle； but he always fell。〃
He is a mountain of proposals； a mountain of failures； but still
a mountain。 And a mountain is always romantic。
There is another man in the modern world who might be called
the antithesis of Mr。 Chamberlain in every point； who is also
a standing monument of the advantage of being misunderstood。
Mr。 Bernard Shaw is always represented by those who disagree
with him； and； I fear； also （if such exist） by those who agree with him；
as a capering humorist； a dazzling acrobat； a quick…change artist。
It is said that he cannot be taken seriously； that he will defend anything
or attack anything； that he will do anything to startle and amuse。
All this is not only untrue； but it is； glaringly； the opposite of
the truth； it is as wild as to say that Dickens had not the boisterous
masculinity of Jane Austen。 The whole force and triumph of Mr。 Bernard
Shaw lie in the fact that he is a thoroughly consistent man。
So far from his power consisting in jumping through hoops or standing on
his head； his power consists in holding his own fortress night and day。
He puts the Shaw test rapidly and rigorously to everything
that happens in heaven or earth。 His standard never varies。
The thing which weak…minded revolutionists and weak…minded Conservatives
really hate （and fear） in him； is exactly this； that his scales；
such as they are； are held even； and that his law； such as it is；
is justly enforced。 You may attack his principles； as I do； but I
do not know of any instance in which you can attack their application。
If he dislikes lawlessness； he dislikes the lawlessness of Socialists
as much as that of Individualists。 If he dislikes the fever of patriotism；
he dislikes it in Boers and Irishmen as well as in Englishmen。
If he dislikes the vows and bonds of marriage； he dislikes still
more the fiercer bonds and wilder vows that are made by lawless love。
If he laughs at the authority of priests； he laughs louder at the pomposity
of men of science。 If he condemns the irresponsibility of faith；
he condemns with a sane consistency the equal irresponsibility of art。
He has pleased all the bohemians by saying that women are equal to men；
but he has infuriated them by suggesting that men are equal to women。
He is almost mechanically just； he has something of the terrible
quality of a machine。 The man who is really wild and whirling；
the man who is really fantastic and incalculable； is not Mr。 Shaw；
but the average Cabinet Minister。 It is Sir Michael Hicks…Beach who
jumps through hoops。 It is Sir Henry Fowler who stands on his head。
The solid and respectable statesman of that type does really
leap from position to position； he is really ready to defend
anything or nothing； he is really not to be taken seriously。
I know perfectly well what Mr。 Bernard Shaw will be saying
thirty years hence； he will be saying what he has always said。
If thirty years hence I meet Mr。 Shaw； a reverent being
with a silver beard sweeping the earth； and say to him；
〃One can never； of course； make a verbal attack upon a lady；〃
the patriarch will lift his aged hand and fell me to the earth。
We know； I say； what Mr。 Shaw will be； saying thirty years hence。
But is there any one so darkly read in stars and oracles that he will
dare to predict what Mr。 Asquith will be saying thirty years hence？
The truth is； that it is quite an error to suppose that absence
of definite convictions gives the mind freedom and agility。
A man who believes something is ready and witty； because he has
all his weapons about him。 he can apply his test in an instant。
The man engaged in conflict with a man like Mr。 Bernard Shaw may
fancy he has ten faces； similarly a man engaged against a brilliant
duellist may fancy that the sword of his foe has turned to ten swords
in his hand。 But this is not really because the man is playing
with ten swords； it is because he is aiming very straight with one。
Moreover； a man with a definite belief always appears bizarre；
because he does not change with the world； he has climbed into
a fixed star； and the earth whizzes below him like a zoetrope。
Millions of mild black…coated men call themselves sane and sensible
merely because they always catch the fashionable insanity；
because they are hurried into madness after madness by the maelstrom
of the world。
People accuse Mr。 Shaw and many much sillier persons of 〃proving that black
is white。〃 But they never ask whether the current colour…language is
always correct。 Ordinary sensible phraseology sometimes calls black white；
it certainly calls yellow white and green white and reddish…brown white。
We call wine 〃white wine〃 which is as yellow as a Blue…coat boy's legs。
We call grapes 〃white grapes〃 which are manifestly pale green。
We give to the European； whose complexion is a sort of pink drab；
the horrible title of a 〃white man〃a picture more blood…curdling
than any spectre in Poe。
Now； it is undoubtedly true that if a man asked a waiter in a restaurant
for a bottle of yellow wine and some greenish…yellow grapes； the waiter
would think him mad。 It is undoubtedly true that if a Government official；
reporting on the Europeans in Burmah； said； 〃There are only two
thousand pinkish men here〃 he would be accused of cracking jokes；
and kicked out of his post。 But it is equally obvious that both
men would have come to grief through telling the strict truth。
That too truthful man in the restaurant； that too truthful man
in Burmah； is Mr。 Bernard Shaw。 He appears eccentric and grotesque
because he will not accept the general belief that white is yellow。
He has based all his brilliancy and solidity upon the hackneyed；
but yet forgotten； fact that truth is stranger than fiction。
Truth； of course； must of necessity be stranger than fiction；
for we have made fiction to suit ourselves。
So much then a reasonable appreciation will find in Mr。 Shaw
to be bracing and excellent。 He claims to see things as they are；
and some things； at any rate； he does see as they are；
which the whole of our civilization does not see at all。
But in Mr。 Shaw's realism there is something lacking； and that thing
which is lacking is serious。
Mr。 Shaw's old and recognized philosophy was that powerfully
presented in 〃The Quintessence of Ibsenism。〃 It was； in brief；
that conservative ideals were bad； not because They were conservative；
but because they were ideals。 Every ideal prevented men from judging
justly the particular case； every moral generalization oppressed
the individual； the golden rule was there was no golden rule。
And the objection to this is simply that it pretends to free men；
but really restrains them from doing the only thing that men want to do。
What is the good of telling a community that it has every liberty
except the liberty to make laws？ The liberty to make laws is what
constitutes a free people。 And what is the good of telling a man
（or a philosopher） that he has every liberty except the liberty to
make generalizations。 Making generalizations is what makes him a man。
In short； when Mr。 Shaw forbids men to have strict moral ideals；
he is acting like one who should forbid them to have children。
The saying that 〃the golden rule is that there is no golden rule；〃
can； indeed； be simply answered by being turned round。
That there is no golden rule is itself a golden rule； or rather
it is much worse than a golden rule。 It is an iron rule；
a fetter on the first movement of a man。
But the sensation connected with Mr。 Shaw in recent years has
been his sudden development of the religion of the Superman。
He who had to all appearance mocked at the faiths in the forgotten
past discovered a new god in the unimaginable future。 He who had laid
all the blame on ideals set up the most impossible of all ideals；
the ideal of a new creature。 But the truth； nevertheless； is that any
one who knows Mr。 Shaw's mind adequately； and admires it properly；
must have guessed all this long a
