the critic as artist-第12节

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lves　not　exiled　from　their　air。　　It　can　teach　us　how　to　escape　from　our　experience；　and　to　realise　the　experiences　of　those　who　are　greater　than　we　are。　　The　pain　of　Leopardi　crying　out　against　life　becomes　our　pain。　　Theocritus　blows　on　his　pipe；　and　we　laugh　with　the　lips　of　nymph　and　shepherd。　　In　the　wolfskin　of　Pierre　Vidal　we　flee　before　the　hounds；　and　in　the　armour　of　Lancelot　we　ride　from　the　bower　of　the　Queen。　　We　have　whispered　the　secret　of　our　love　beneath　the　cowl　of　Abelard；　and　in　the　stained　raiment　of　Villon　have　put　our　shame　into　song。　　We　can　see　the　dawn　through　Shelley's　eyes；　and　when　we　wander　with　Endymion　the　Moon　grows　amorous　of　our　youth。　　Ours　is　the　anguish　of　Atys；　and　ours　the　weak　rage　and　noble　sorrows　of　the　Dane。　　Do　you　think　that　it　is　the　imagination　that　enables　us　to　live　these　countless　lives？　　Yes：　　it　is　the　imagination；　and　the　imagination　is　the　result　of　heredity。　　It　is　simply　concentrated　race…experience。

ERNEST。　　But　where　in　this　is　the　function　of　the　critical　spirit？

GILBERT。　　The　culture　that　this　transmission　of　racial　experiences　makes　possible　can　be　made　perfect　by　the　critical　spirit　alone；　and　indeed　may　be　said　to　be　one　with　it。　　For　who　is　the　true　critic　but　he　who　bears　within　himself　the　dreams；　and　ideas；　and　feelings　of　myriad　generations；　and　to　whom　no　form　of　thought　is　alien；　no　emotional　impulse　obscure？　　And　who　the　true　man　of　culture；　if　not　he　who　by　fine　scholarship　and　fastidious　rejection　has　made　instinct　self…conscious　and　intelligent；　and　can　separate　the　work　that　has　distinction　from　the　work　that　has　it　not；　and　so　by　contact　and　comparison　makes　himself　master　of　the　secrets　of　style　and　school；　and　understands　their　meanings；　and　listens　to　their　voices；　and　develops　that　spirit　of　disinterested　curiosity　which　is　the　real　root；　as　it　is　the　real　flower；　of　the　intellectual　life；　and　thus　attains　to　intellectual　clarity；　and；　having　learned　'the　best　that　is　known　and　thought　in　the　world；'　lives　…　it　is　not　fanciful　to　say　so　…　with　those　who　are　the　Immortals。

Yes；　Ernest：　　the　contemplative　life；　the　life　that　has　for　its　aim　not　DOING　but　BEING；　and　not　BEING　merely；　but　BECOMING　…　that　is　what　the　critical　spirit　can　give　us。　　The　gods　live　thus：　　either　brooding　over　their　own　perfection；　as　Aristotle　tells　us；　or；　as　Epicurus　fancied；　watching　with　the　calm　eyes　of　the　spectator　the　tragicomedy　of　the　world　that　they　have　made。　　We；　too；　might　live　like　them；　and　set　ourselves　to　witness　with　appropriate　emotions　the　varied　scenes　that　man　and　nature　afford。　　We　might　make　ourselves　spiritual　by　detaching　ourselves　from　action；　and　become　perfect　by　the　rejection　of　energy。　　It　has　often　seemed　to　me　that　Browning　felt　something　of　this。　　Shakespeare　hurls　Hamlet　into　active　life；　and　makes　him　realise　his　mission　by　effort。　　Browning　might　have　given　us　a　Hamlet　who　would　have　realised　his　mission　by　thought。　　Incident　and　event　were　to　him　unreal　or　unmeaning。　　He　made　the　soul　the　protagonist　of　life's　tragedy；　and　looked　on　action　as　the　one　undramatic　element　of　a　play。　　To　us；　at　any　rate；　the　＇Greek　text　which　cannot　be　reproduced＇　is　the　true　ideal。　　From　the　high　tower　of　Thought　we　can　look　out　at　the　world。　　Calm；　and　self…centred；　and　complete；　the　aesthetic　critic　contemplates　life；　and　no　arrow　drawn　at　a　venture　can　pierce　between　the　joints　of　his　harness。　　He　at　least　is　safe。　　He　has　discovered　how　to　live。

Is　such　a　mode　of　life　immoral？　　Yes：　　all　the　arts　are　immoral；　except　those　baser　forms　of　sensual　or　didactic　art　that　seek　to　excite　to　action　of　evil　or　of　good。　　For　action　of　every　kind　belongs　to　the　sphere　of　ethics。　　The　aim　of　art　is　simply　to　create　a　mood。　　Is　such　a　mode　of　life　unpractical？　　Ah！　it　is　not　so　easy　to　be　unpractical　as　the　ignorant　Philistine　imagines。　　It　were　well　for　England　if　it　were　so。　　There　is　no　country　in　the　world　so　much　in　need　of　unpractical　people　as　this　country　of　ours。　　With　us；　Thought　is　degraded　by　its　constant　association　with　practice。　　Who　that　moves　in　the　stress　and　turmoil　of　actual　existence；　noisy　politician；　or　brawling　social　reformer；　or　poor　narrow…minded　priest　blinded　by　the　sufferings　of　that　unimportant　section　of　the　community　among　whom　he　has　cast　his　lot；　can　seriously　claim　to　be　able　to　form　a　disinterested　intellectual　judgment　about　any　one　thing？　　Each　of　the　professions　means　a　prejudice。　　The　necessity　for　a　career　forces　every　one　to　take　sides。　　We　live　in　the　age　of　the　overworked；　and　the　under…　educated；　the　age　in　which　people　are　so　industrious　that　they　become　absolutely　stupid。　　And；　harsh　though　it　may　sound；　I　cannot　help　saying　that　such　people　deserve　their　doom。　　The　sure　way　of　knowing　nothing　about　life　is　to　try　to　make　oneself　useful。

ERNEST。　　A　charming　doctrine；　Gilbert。

GILBERT。　　I　am　not　sure　about　that；　but　it　has　at　least　the　minor　merit　of　being　true。　　That　the　desire　to　do　good　to　others　produces　a　plentiful　crop　of　prigs　is　the　least　of　the　evils　of　which　it　is　the　cause。　　The　prig　is　a　very　interesting　psychological　study；　and　though　of　all　poses　a　moral　pose　is　the　most　offensive；　still　to　have　a　pose　at　all　is　something。　　It　is　a　formal　recognition　of　the　importance　of　treating　life　from　a　definite　and　reasoned　standpoint。　　That　Humanitarian　Sympathy　wars　against　Nature；　by　securing　the　survival　of　the　failure；　may　make　the　man　of　science　loathe　its　facile　virtues。　　The　political　economist　may　cry　out　against　it　for　putting　the　improvident　on　the　same　level　as　the　provident；　and　so　robbing　life　of　the　strongest；　because　most　sordid；　incentive　to　industry。　　But；　in　the　eyes　of　the　thinker；　the　real　harm　that　emotional　sympathy　does　is　that　it　limits　knowledge；　and　so　prevents　us　from　solving　any　single　social　problem。　　We　are　trying　at　present　to　stave　off　the　coming　crisis；　the　coming　revolution　as　my　friends　the　Fabianists　call　it；　by　means　of　doles　and　alms。　　Well；　when　the　revolution　or　crisis　arrives；　we　shall　be　powerless；　because　we　shall　know　nothing。　　And　so；　Ernest；　let　us　not　be　deceived。　　England　will　never　be　civilised　till　she　has　added　Utopia　to　her　dominions。　　There　is　more　than　one　of　her　colonies　that　she　might　with　advantage　surrender　for　so　fair　a　land。　　What　we　want　are　unpractical　people　who　see　beyond　the　moment；　and　think　beyond　the　day。　　Those　who　try　to　lead　the　people　can　only　do　so　by　following　the　mob。　　It　is　through　the　voice　of　one　crying　in　the　wilderness　that　the　ways　of　the　gods　must　be　prepared。

But　perhaps　you　think　that　in　beholding　for　the　mere　joy　of　beholding；　and　contemplating　for　the　sake　of　contemplation；　there　is　something　that　is　egotistic。　　If　you　think　so；　do　not　say　so。　It　takes　a　thoroughly　selfish　age；　like　our　own；　to　deify　self…　sacrifice。　　It　takes　a　thoroughly　grasping　age；　such　as　that　in　which　we　live；　to　set　above　the　fine　intellectual　virtues；　those　shallow　and　emotional　virtues　that　are　an　immediate　practical　benefit　to　itself。　　They　miss　their　aim；　too；　these　philanthropists　and　sentimentalists　of　our　day；　who　are　always　chattering　to　one　about　one's　duty　to　one's　neighbour。　　For　the　development　of　the　race　depends　on　the　development　of　the　individual；　and　where　self…　culture　has　ceased　to　be　the　ideal；　the　intellectual　standard　is　instantly　lowered；　and；　often；　ultimately　lost。　　If　you　meet　at　dinner　a　man　who　has　spent　his　life　in　educating　himself　…　a　rare　type　in　our　time；　I　admit；　but　still　one　occasionally　to　be　met　with　…　you　rise　from　table　richer；　and　conscious　that　a　high　ideal　has　for　a　moment　touched　and　sanctified　your　days。　　But　oh！　my　dear　Ernest；　to　sit　next　to　a　man　who　has　spent　his　life　in　trying　to　educate　others！　　What　a　dreadful　experience　that　is！　　How　appalling　is　that　ignorance　which　is　the　inevitable　result　of　the　fatal　habit　of　imparting　opinions！　　How　limited　in　range　the　creature's　mind　proves　to　be！　　How　it　wearies　us；　and　must　weary　himself；　with　its　endless　repetitions　and　sickly　reiteration！　　How　lacking　it　is　in　any　element　of　intellectual　growth！　　In　what　a　vicious　circle　it　always　moves！

ERNEST。　　You　speak　with　strange　feeling；　Gilbert。　　Have　you　had　this　dreadful　experience；　as　you　call　it；　lately？

　GILBERT。　　Few　of　us　escape　it。　People　say　that　the　schoolmaster　is　abroad。　　I　wish　to　goodness　he　were。　　But　the　type　of　which；　after　all；　he　is　only　one；　and　certainly　the　least　important；　of　the　representatives；　seems　to　me　to　be　really　dominating　our　lives；　and　just　as　the　philanthropist　is　the　nuisance　of　the　ethical　sphere；　so　the　nuisance　of　the　intellectual　sphere　is　the　man　who　is　so　occupied　in　trying　to　educate　others；　that　he　has　never　had　any　time　to　educate　himself。　　No；　Ernest；　self…culture　is　the　true　ideal　of　man。　　Goethe　saw　it；　and　the　immediate　debt　that　we　owe　to　Goethe　is　greater　than　the　debt　we　owe　to　any　man　since　Greek　days。　The　Greeks　saw　it；　and　have　left　us；　as　their　legacy　to　modern　thought；　the　conception　of　the　contemplative　life　as　well　as　the　critical　method　by　which　alone　can　that　life　be　truly　realised。　　It　was　the　one　thing　that　made　the　Renaissance　great；　and　gave　us　Humanism。　　It　is　the　one　thing　that　could　make　our　own　age　great　also；　for　the　real　weakness　of　E