heretics-第9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！





must　have　guessed　all　this　long　ago。







For　the　truth　is　that　Mr。　Shaw　has　never　seen　things　as　they　really　are。



If　he　had　he　would　have　fallen　on　his　knees　before　them。



He　has　always　had　a　secret　ideal　that　has　withered　all　the　things



of　this　world。　　He　has　all　the　time　been　silently　comparing　humanity



with　something　that　was　not　human；　with　a　monster　from　Mars；



with　the　Wise　Man　of　the　Stoics；　with　the　Economic　Man　of　the　Fabians；



with　Julius　Caesar；　with　Siegfried；　with　the　Superman。　　Now；　to　have



this　inner　and　merciless　standard　may　be　a　very　good　thing；



or　a　very　bad　one；　it　may　be　excellent　or　unfortunate；　but　it



is　not　seeing　things　as　they　are。　　it　is　not　seeing　things　as　they



are　to　think　first　of　a　Briareus　with　a　hundred　hands；　and　then　call



every　man　a　cripple　for　only　having　two。　　It　is　not　seeing　things



as　they　are　to　start　with　a　vision　of　Argus　with　his　hundred　eyes；



and　then　jeer　at　every　man　with　two　eyes　as　if　he　had　only　one。



And　it　is　not　seeing　things　as　they　are　to　imagine　a　demigod



of　infinite　mental　clarity；　who　may　or　may　not　appear　in　the　latter



days　of　the　earth；　and　then　to　see　all　men　as　idiots。　　And　this



is　what　Mr。　Shaw　has　always　in　some　degree　done。　　When　we　really　see



men　as　they　are；　we　do　not　criticise；　but　worship；　and　very　rightly。



For　a　monster　with　mysterious　eyes　and　miraculous　thumbs；



with　strange　dreams　in　his　skull；　and　a　queer　tenderness　for　this



place　or　that　baby；　is　truly　a　wonderful　and　unnerving　matter。



It　is　only　the　quite　arbitrary　and　priggish　habit　of　comparison　with



something　else　which　makes　it　possible　to　be　at　our　ease　in　front　of　him。



A　sentiment　of　superiority　keeps　us　cool　and　practical；　the　mere　facts



would　make；　our　knees　knock　under　as　with　religious　fear。　　It　is　the　fact



that　every　instant　of　conscious　life　is　an　unimaginable　prodigy。



It　is　the　fact　that　every　face　in　the　street　has　the　incredible



unexpectedness　of　a　fairy…tale。　The　thing　which　prevents　a　man



from　realizing　this　is　not　any　clear…sightedness　or　experience；



it　is　simply　a　habit　of　pedantic　and　fastidious　comparisons



between　one　thing　and　another。　　Mr。　Shaw；　on　the　practical　side



perhaps　the　most　humane　man　alive；　is　in　this　sense　inhumane。



He　has　even　been　infected　to　some　extent　with　the　primary



intellectual　weakness　of　his　new　master；　Nietzsche；　the　strange



notion　that　the　greater　and　stronger　a　man　was　the　more　he　would



despise　other　things。　　The　greater　and　stronger　a　man　is　the　more



he　would　be　inclined　to　prostrate　himself　before　a　periwinkle。



That　Mr。　Shaw　keeps　a　lifted　head　and　a　contemptuous　face　before



the　colossal　panorama　of　empires　and　civilizations；　this　does



not　in　itself　convince　one　that　he　sees　things　as　they　are。



I　should　be　most　effectively　convinced　that　he　did　if　I　found



him　staring　with　religious　astonishment　at　his　own　feet。



〃What　are　those　two　beautiful　and　industrious　beings；〃　I　can　imagine　him



murmuring　to　himself；　〃whom　I　see　everywhere；　serving　me　I　know　not　why？



What　fairy　godmother　bade　them　come　trotting　out　of　elfland　when　I



was　born？　　What　god　of　the　borderland；　what　barbaric　god　of　legs；



must　I　propitiate　with　fire　and　wine；　lest　they　run　away　with　me？〃







The　truth　is；　that　all　genuine　appreciation　rests　on　a　certain



mystery　of　humility　and　almost　of　darkness。　　The　man　who　said；



〃Blessed　is　he　that　expecteth　nothing；　for　he　shall　not　be　disappointed；〃



put　the　eulogy　quite　inadequately　and　even　falsely。　　The　truth　〃Blessed



is　he　that　expecteth　nothing；　for　he　shall　be　gloriously　surprised。〃



The　man　who　expects　nothing　sees　redder　roses　than　common　men　can　see；



and　greener　grass；　and　a　more　startling　sun。　　Blessed　is　he　that



expecteth　nothing；　for　he　shall　possess　the　cities　and　the　mountains；



blessed　is　the　meek；　for　he　shall　inherit　the　earth。　　Until　we



realize　that　things　might　not　be　we　cannot　realize　that　things　are。



Until　we　see　the　background　of　darkness　we　cannot　admire　the　light



as　a　single　and　created　thing。　　As　soon　as　we　have　seen　that　darkness；



all　light　is　lightening；　sudden；　blinding；　and　divine。



Until　we　picture　nonentity　we　underrate　the　victory　of　God；



and　can　realize　none　of　the　trophies　of　His　ancient　war。



It　is　one　of　the　million　wild　jests　of　truth　that　we　know　nothing



until　we　know　nothing；







Now　this　is；　I　say　deliberately；　the　only　defect　in　the　greatness



of　Mr。　Shaw；　the　only　answer　to　his　claim　to　be　a　great　man；



that　he　is　not　easily　pleased。　　He　is　an　almost　solitary　exception　to



the　general　and　essential　maxim；　that　little　things　please　great　minds。



And　from　this　absence　of　that　most　uproarious　of　all　things；　humility；



comes　incidentally　the　peculiar　insistence　on　the　Superman。



After　belabouring　a　great　many　people　for　a　great　many　years　for



being　unprogressive；　Mr。　Shaw　has　discovered；　with　characteristic　sense；



that　it　is　very　doubtful　whether　any　existing　human　being　with　two



legs　can　be　progressive　at　all。　　Having　come　to　doubt　whether



humanity　can　be　combined　with　progress；　most　people；　easily　pleased；



would　have　elected　to　abandon　progress　and　remain　with　humanity。



Mr。　Shaw；　not　being　easily　pleased；　decides　to　throw　over　humanity



with　all　its　limitations　and　go　in　for　progress　for　its　own　sake。



If　man；　as　we　know　him；　is　incapable　of　the　philosophy　of　progress；



Mr。　Shaw　asks；　not　for　a　new　kind　of　philosophy；　but　for　a　new　kind



of　man。　　It　is　rather　as　if　a　nurse　had　tried　a　rather　bitter



food　for　some　years　on　a　baby；　and　on　discovering　that　it　was



not　suitable；　should　not　throw　away　the　food　and　ask　for　a　new　food；



but　throw　the　baby　out　of　window；　and　ask　for　a　new　baby。



Mr。　Shaw　cannot　understand　that　the　thing　which　is　valuable



and　lovable　in　our　eyes　is　manthe　old　beer…drinking；



creed…making；　fighting；　failing；　sensual；　respectable　man。



And　the　things　that　have　been　founded　on　this　creature　immortally　remain；



the　things　that　have　been　founded　on　the　fancy　of　the　Superman　have



died　with　the　dying　civilizations　which　alone　have　given　them　birth。



When　Christ　at　a　symbolic　moment　was　establishing　His　great　society；



He　chose　for　its　comer…stone　neither　the　brilliant　Paul　nor



the　mystic　John；　but　a　shuffler；　a　snob　a　cowardin　a　word；　a　man。



And　upon　this　rock　He　has　built　His　Church；　and　the　gates　of　Hell



have　not　prevailed　against　it。　　All　the　empires　and　the　kingdoms



have　failed；　because　of　this　inherent　and　continual　weakness；



that　they　were　founded　by　strong　men　and　upon　strong　men。



But　this　one　thing；　the　historic　Christian　Church；　was　founded



on　a　weak　man；　and　for　that　reason　it　is　indestructible。



For　no　chain　is　stronger　than　its　weakest　link。















V。　Mr。　H。　G。　Wells　and　the　Giants











We　ought　to　see　far　enough　into　a　hypocrite　to　see　even　his　sincerity。



We　ought　to　be　interested　in　that　darkest　and　most　real　part



of　a　man　in　which　dwell　not　the　vices　that　he　does　not　display；



but　the　virtues　that　he　cannot。　　And　the　more　we　approach　the　problems



of　human　history　with　this　keen　and　piercing　charity；　the　smaller



and　smaller　space　we　shall　allow　to　pure　hypocrisy　of　any　kind。



The　hypocrites　shall　not　deceive　us　into　thinking　them　saints；



but　neither　shall　they　deceive　us　into　thinking　them　hypocrites。



And　an　increasing　number　of　cases　will　crowd　into　our　field　of　inquiry；



cases　in　which　there　is　really　no　question　of　hypocrisy　at　all；



cases　in　which　people　were　so　ingenuous　that　they　seemed　absurd；



and　so　absurd　that　they　seemed　disingenuous。







There　is　one　striking　instance　of　an　unfair　charge　of　hypocrisy。



It　is　always　urged　against　the　religious　in　the　past；　as　a　point　of



inconsistency　and　duplicity；　that　they　combined　a　profession　of　almost



crawling　humility　with　a　keen　struggle　for　earthly　success　and　considerable



triumph　in　attaining　it。　　It　is　felt　as　a　piece　of　humbug；　that　a　man



should　be　very　punctilious　in　calling　himself　a　miserable　sinner；



and　also　very　punctilious　in　calling　himself　King　of　France。



But　the　truth　is　that　there　is　no　more　conscious　inconsistency　between



the　humility　of　a　Christian　and　the　rapacity　of　a　Christian　than　there



is　between　the　humility　of　a　lover　and　the　rapacity　of　a　lover。



The　truth　is　that　there　are　no　things　for　which　men　will　make　such



herculean　efforts　as　the　things　of　which　they　know　they　are　unworthy。



There　never　was　a　man　in　love　who　did　not　declare　that；　if　he　strained



every　nerve　to　breaking；　he　was　going　to　have　his　desire。



And　there　ne