gs.earthabides-第53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！


of　it。　Part　had　been　lost　because　for　so　long　a　time　there　had　been　no　big　children　to　pass　on　the　tradition　to　the　small　ones。　The　oldest　of　the　younger　generation　had　been　taught　games　by　their　parents；　not　by　older　rades。　The　munity　should　therefore　be　plastic　to　an　unprecedented　degree。　This　was　an　opportunity；　but　also　a　responsibility…and　a　danger。　
　　It　would　be　a　danger…and　he　shuddered　at　the　thought…if　any　evil　force；　such　as　a　demagogue；　should　begin　to　work。　
　　To　be　sure；　he　recollected　wryly；　he　had　not　found　the　children　particularly　plastic　as　regards　learning　to　read！　Yet　that　might　be　only　that　a　stronger　forcethe　whole　environment…was　already　working　against　his　efforts。　
　　But　take　now　again　this　matter　of　superstition。　Perhaps　this　all　had　grown　up　because；　as　it　happened；　there　was　no　one　in　The　Tribe　who　was　creatively　religious。　Perhaps　there　was　some　kind　of　vacuum　in　the　childish　mind；　and　it　had　to　be　filled　up　with　supernatural　beliefs。　Perhaps　all　this　represented　some　kind　of　subconscious　straining　toward　an　explanation　of　the　basis　of　life　itself。　
　　Years　ago　they　had　organized　those　church　services；　and　then　discontinued　them　as　meaningless。　That　discontinuance　might　have　been　a　mistake。　
　　Now；　more　certainly　even　than　before；　he　knew　that　he　had　the　opportunity　to　be　the　founder　of　a　religion　for　a　whole　people。　What　he　told　the　children　in　school；　they　would　probably　believe。　He　could　insure　their　memory　of　it　by　mere　insistence　and　iteration。　He　could　tell　them　that　the　Lord　God　created　the　world　in　six　days；　and　found　it　good。　They　would　believe。　He　could　tell　them　a　local　Indian　legend　that　the　world　was　the　work　of　Old　Man　Coyote。　They　would　believe。　
　　Yet　what　could　he　really　tell　them　in　honesty？　He　might　tell　them　any　one　of　half　a　dozen　theories　of　cosmogony　which　he　remembered　from　his　old　studies。　Probably　they　would　believe　these　too；　although　their　plications　did　not　make　for　quite　as　good　a　story　as　one　of　those　others。　
　　Actually；　no　matter　what　he　said；　it　might　easily　be　twisted　and　made　into　some　kind　of　religion。　Again；　as　years　before；　he　revolted　from　the　idea；　for　he　treasured　the　honesty　of　his　own　skepticism。　
　　〃It's　better；〃　he　thought　in　words；　remembering　some　bit　of　reading；　〃to　have　no　opinion　of　God　at　all　than　to　have　one　that　is　unworthy　of　Him。〃　
　　He　lighted　another　cigarette；　and　settled　back　into　the　chair　again。。。　Yet　this　matter　of　the　vacuum！　It　worried　him。　Unless　it　could　be　positively　filled；　his　own　descendants　at　the　third　or　fourth　generation　might　be　practicing　primitive　rites　of　incantation；　trembling　in　terror　of　witchcraft；　and　experimenting　with　ritualistic　cannibalism。　They　might　believe　in　voodoo；　in　shamanism；　in　taboo。。。！　
　　He　started；　almost　guiltily。　Yes；　already　there　were　beliefs　in　The　Tribe　which　approached　the　intensity　of　taboo；　and　he　himself　was　inadvertently　their　chief　author。　
　　There　was　the　matter　of　Evie；　for　instance。　He　and　Em　and　Ezra　had　talked　it　over　long　ago。　They　wanted　no　half…witted　children　of　Evie's…to　be　a　care　and　drag。　So　they　had　made　her；　at　least　for　the　boys；　a　kind　of　untouchable。　Evie；　with　her　blond　hair　and　startled　blue　eyes；　was　perhaps　the　best…looking　girl　of　them　all。　But　Ish　was　sure　that　none　of　the　boys　had　even　seriously　considered　her。　Probably　they　had　no　specific　idea　that　anything　would　happen　to　them　if　they　did；　but　such　action　was　merely　outside　their　scope　of　imagination。　The　prohibition　was　stronger　than　law。　Such　a　one　you　could　only　call　taboo。　
　　Again；　there　was　all　the　allied　matter　of　fidelity。　Always　fearing　the　disruption　of　quarrels　arising　from　jealousy；　the　older　men　had　not　so　much　taught　marital　fidelity　as　assumed　it。　Young　people　had　been　married　at　the　earliest　possible　moment。　Ezra's　bigamy；　having　always　been　present；　was　not　questioned。　Although　Ish　did　not　doubt　the　utility　of　this　practice　for　their　particular　situation；　still　its　acceptance　as　a　matter　of　faith　rather　than　of　reason　seemed　to　e　close　to　taboo。　The　first　violation…and　there　would　surely　be　one…might　bring　a　tremendous　shock。　
　　A　third　possible　example　of　taboo；　though　a　minor　matter　perhaps；　was　the　turning　of　the　University　Library　into　a　sacrosanct　building。　Once；　when　the　oldest　boys　were　youngsters；　Ish　had　gone　with　them　on　a　long　walk　which　had　taken　them　to　the　campus。　While　he　was　napping；　two　of　them　had　worked　loose　a　board　which；　long　before；　he　had　nailed　across　the　broken　window；　they　had　gone　into　the　stacks；　and　started　throwing　books　onto　the　floor。　Horror…stricken　with　a　sense　of　the　violation　of　that　great　treasure　house；　Ish　had　followed　them。　He　had　been　ashamed　of　himself　later；　but　at　the　moment　he　had　been　outraged　beyond　reason　and　had　beaten　the　boys。　The　very　unreasoning　quality　of　his　rage　and　horror　must　have　impressed　them　much　more　than　the　beating。　They　had　certainly　passed　this　impression　on　to　the　younger　children。　The　Library　had　been　safe；　and　Ish　had　been　pleased。　But　this　might　also　be　called　an　example　of　taboo；　and　now　he　wondered。　
　　There　was　a　fourth　one　too；　of　course…but　this　brought　him　back　to　where　he　had　started。　He　got　out　of　the　chair　and　went　to　the　mantelpiece。　
　　The　hammer　was　there；　as　he　himself　had　replaced　it。　He　had　not　asked　any　child　to　take　it　back；　not　even　Joey。　He　had　preferred　not　to　raise　the　issue　again。　
　　There　it　stood；　balanced　on　its　four…pound　head　of　dull；　rust…pitted　steel。　The　hammer　had　been　with　him　a　long　time。　He　had　found　it　just　before　the　rattlesnake　had　struck　him；　and　so　it　might　be　called　his　oldest　friend。　It　had　been　with　him　longer　than　Em　or　Ezra。　
　　He　looked　at　it　curiously；　considering　it　carefully　and　selfconsciously。　The　handle　was　actually　in　bad　shape。　It　had　weathered　from　lying　so　long　in　the　open；　and　even　before　the　hammer　had　been　left　to　lie；　the　handle　had　apparently　been　banged　accidentally　against　a　rock　and　cracked　a　little。　What　was　the　wood？　He　really　did　not　know。　Ash　or　hickory；　he　supposed。　Hickory；　most　likely。　
　　The　simplest　thing；　he　concluded　impetuously；　would　be　to　get　rid　of　the　hammer。　He　could　throw　it　into　the　Bay。　No；　he　reconsidered；　that　would　be　merely　treating　the　ssymptom；　not　the　disease。　With　the　hammer　removed；　the　children's　tendency　to　superstition　would　still　remain；　and　would　merely　fix　upon　something　else；　and　perhaps　take　some　more　sinister　form。　
　　He　thought　of　destroying　the　hammer；　as　a　symbolical　leson　to　the　children　that　it　had　no　strength　in　itself。　But　he　remembered　that　he　did　not　actually　have　the　power　to　destroy　it。　The　handle　he　could　burn　easily；　but　the　steel　head　was　next　to　indestructible　by　any　means　at　his　disposal。　Even　if　he　found　a　carboy　of　acid　and　dissolved　the　steel　in　it；　to　go　to　so　much　trouble　would　make　the　children　think　that　the　hammer　must　really　have　possessed　some　deep…seated　power。　
　　So　he　looked　at　the　hammer　with　new　interest；　as　something　which　was　ing　to　have　a　life　and　power　of　its　own。　Yes；　it　had　the　qualities　which　went　toward　the　making　of　a　good　symbol…permanence；　entity；　strength。　Its　phallic　suggestion　was　obvious。　Curiously；　as　he　thought　now；　he　had　never　named　it；　though　men　were　likely　to　give　names　to　weapons；　which　also　were　symbols　of　power…Madelon　and　Brown　Bess　and　Killdeer　and　Excalibur。　Hammers　had　been　signs　of　godhead　before　this；　Thor　had　carried　a　hammer；　probably　other　gods　too。　Among　kings　there　had　been　that　old　Frankish　one　who　drove　back　the　Saracens…Martel；　they　had　called　him；　Charles　of　the　Hammer！　Ish　of　the　Hammer！　
　　Thus；　for　one　reason　or　another；　when　the　children　reassembled　in　school　the　next　morning；　Ish　said　nothing　about　superstition。　It　would　be　better；　he　told　himself；　to　bide　his　time　a　little；　to　observe　more　closely　for　a　day　or　two；　or　a　week。　Most　of　all；　he　wished　to　learn　more　about　Joey。　
　　As　the　result　of　this　observation；　over　a　period　of　some　weeks；　Ish　came　to　the　conclusion；　somewhat　reluctantly；　that　Joey　had　many　of　the　qualities　of　a　first…class　brat。　He　had　passed　his　tenth　birthday　during　the　summer。　His　precocity　was　sometimes　painful；　he　was；　in　the　old　phrase；　〃too　big　for　his　britches。〃　In　age；　he　was　half　way　between　Walt　and　Weston；　who　were　twelve；　and　Chris；　who　was　eight。　But　Joey's　precocity　put　him　naturally　into　the　pany　of　the　two　older　boys；　and　he　and　the　younger　one　had　nothing　in　mon。　This　must　be　hard　on　Joey；　Ish　concluded；　because　he　was　always　overreaching　to　attain　the　physical　power　of　boys　two　years　older　and　naturally　stronger　as　well。　Josey；　his　own　twin；　he　neglected　also；　for　he　was　at　a　stage　when　boys　had　no　interest　in　girls；　and　Josey；　besides；　was　not　nearly　so　bright　as　he。　
　　There　was　thus；　Ish　saw；　always　a　kind　of　strain　about　what　Joey　was　doing　or　trying　to　do。　Again　and　again　Ish　thought　of　that　little　incident　in　which　the　other　children　had　been　afraid　to　pick　up　the　hammer；　but　had　acquiesced　in　Joey's　doing　something　that　they　themselves　did　not　dare　to　do。　Obviously；　in　their　minds；　there　was　some　kind　of　power　inherent　in　Joey。　Ish　thought　far　back　to　the　times　of　his　studies；　and　he　remembered　the　wide…spread　belief　that　certain　members　of　a　tribe