erewhon revisited-第20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！


find　it　an　agreeable　stimulant。　　If；　then；　the　greatest　minds　of
antiquity　could　invent　nothing　that　should　carry　better　conviction
of　eternal　torture；　is　it　likely　that　the　conviction　can　be　carried
at　all？

Methought　I　saw　Jove　sitting　on　the　topmost　ridges　of　Olympus　and
confessing　failure　to　Minerva。　　〃I　see；　my　dear；〃　he　said；　〃that
there　is　no　use　in　trying　to　make　people　very　happy　or　very
miserable　for　long　together。　　Pain；　if　it　does　not　soon　kill；
consists　not　so　much　in　present　suffering　as　in　the　still　recent
memory　of　a　time　when　there　was　less；　and　in　the　fear　that　there
will　soon　be　more；　and　so　happiness　lies　less　in　immediate　pleasure
than　in　lively　recollection　of　a　worse　time　and　lively　hope　of
better。〃

As　for　the　young　gentleman　above　referred　to；　my　father　met　him
with　the　assurance　that　there　had　been　several　cases　in　which
living　people　had　been　caught　up　into　heaven　or　carried　down　into
hell；　and　been　allowed　to　return　to　earth　and　report　what　they　had
seen；　while　to　others　visions　had　been　vouchsafed　so　clearly　that
thousands　of　authentic　pictures　had　been　painted　of　both　states。
All　incentive　to　good　conduct；　he　had　then　alleged；　was　found　to　be
at　once　removed　from　those　who　doubted　the　fidelity　of　these
pictures。

This　at　least　was　what　he　had　then　said；　but　I　hardly　think　he
would　have　said　it　at　the　time　of　which　I　am　now　writing。　　As　he
continued　to　sit　in　the　Musical　Bank；　he　took　from　his　valise　the
pamphlet　on　〃The　Physics　of　Vicarious　Existence；〃　by　Dr。　Gurgoyle；
which　he　had　bought　on　the　preceding　evening；　doubtless　being　led
to　choose　this　particular　work　by　the　tenor　of　the　old　lady's
epitaph。

The　second　title　he　found　to　run；　〃Being　Strictures　on　Certain
Heresies　concerning　a　Future　State　that　have　been　Engrafted　on　the
Sunchild's　Teaching。〃

My　father　shuddered　as　he　read　this　title。　　〃How　long；〃　he　said　to
himself；　〃will　it　be　before　they　are　at　one　another's　throats？〃

On　reading　the　pamphlet；　he　found　it　added　little　to　what　the
epitaph　had　already　conveyed；　but　it　interested　him；　as　showing
that；　however　cataclysmic　a　change　of　national　opinions　may　appear
to　be；　people　will　find　means　of　bringing　the　new　into　more　or　less
conformity　with　the　old。

Here　it　is　a　mere　truism　to　say　that　many　continue　to　live　a
vicarious　life　long　after　they　have　ceased　to　be　aware　of　living。
This　view　is　as　old　as　the　non　omnis　moriar　of　Horace；　and　we　may
be　sure　some　thousands　of　years　older。　　It　is　only；　therefore；　with
much　diffidence　that　I　have　decided　to　give　a　resume　of　opinions
many　of　which　those　whom　I　alone　wish　to　please　will　have　laid　to
heart　from　their　youth　upwards。　　In　brief；　Dr。　Gurgoyle's
contention　comes　to　little　more　than　saying　that　the　quick　are　more
dead；　and　the　dead　more　quick；　than　we　commonly　think。　　To　be
alive；　according　to　him；　is　only　to　be　unable　to　understand　how
dead　one　is；　and　to　be　dead　is　only　to　be　invincibly　ignorant
concerning　our　own　livingnessfor　the　dead　would　be　as　living　as
the　living　if　we　could　only　get　them　to　believe　it。



CHAPTER　XI：　　PRESIDENT　GURGOYLE'S　PAMPHLET　〃ON　THE　PHYSICS　OF
VICARIOUS　EXISTENCE〃



Belief；　like　any　other　moving　body；　follows　the　path　of　least
resistance；　and　this　path　had　led　Dr。　Gurgoyle　to　the　conviction；
real　or　feigned；　that　my　father　was　son　to　the　sun；　probably　by　the
moon；　and　that　his　ascent　into　the　sky　with　an　earthly　bride　was
due　to　the　sun's　interference　with　the　laws　of　nature。
Nevertheless　he　was　looked　upon　as　more　or　less　of　a　survival；　and
was　deemed　lukewarm；　if　not　heretical；　by　those　who　seemed　to　be
the　pillars　of　the　new　system。

My　father　soon　found　that　not　even　Panky　could　manipulate　his
teaching　more　freely　than　the　Doctor　had　done。　　My　father　had
taught　that　when　a　man　was　dead　there　was　an　end　of　him；　until　he
should　rise　again　in　the　flesh　at　the　last　day；　to　enter　into
eternity　either　of　happiness　or　misery。　　He　had；　indeed；　often
talked　of　the　immortality　which　some　achieve　even　in　this　world；
but　he　had　cheapened　this；　declaring　it　to　be　an　unsubstantial
mockery；　that　could　give　no　such　comfort　in　the　hour　of　death　as
was　unquestionably　given　by　belief　in　heaven　and　hell。

Dr。　Gurgoyle；　however；　had　an　equal　horror；　on　the　one　hand；　of
anything　involving　resumption　of　life　by　the　body　when　it　was　once
dead；　and　on　the　other；　of　the　view　that　life　ended　with　the　change
which　we　call　death。　　He　did　not；　indeed；　pretend　that　he　could　do
much　to　take　away　the　sting　from　death；　nor　would　he　do　this　if　he
could；　for　if　men　did　not　fear　death　unduly；　they　would　often　court
it　unduly。　　Death　can　only　be　belauded　at　the　cost　of　belittling
life；　but　he　held　that　a　reasonable　assurance　of　fair　fame　after
death　is　a　truer　consolation　to　the　dying；　a　truer　comfort　to
surviving　friends；　and　a　more　real　incentive　to　good　conduct　in
this　life；　than　any　of　the　consolations　or　incentives　falsely
fathered　upon　the　Sunchild。

He　began　by　setting　aside　every　saying　ascribed；　however　truly；　to
my　father；　if　it　made　against　his　views；　and　by　putting　his　own
glosses　on　all　that　he　could　gloze　into　an　appearance　of　being　in
his　favour。　　I　will　pass　over　his　attempt　to　combat　the　rapidly
spreading　belief　in　a　heaven　and　hell　such　as　we　accept；　and　will
only　summarise　his　contention　that；　of　our　two　livesnamely；　the
one　we　live　in　our　own　persons；　and　that　other　life　which　we　live
in　other　people　both　before　our　reputed　death　and　after　itthe
second　is　as　essential　a　factor　of　our　complete　life　as　the　first
is；　and　sometimes　more　so。

Life；　he　urged；　lies　not　in　bodily　organs；　but　in　the　power　to　use
them；　and　in　the　use　that　is　made　of　themthat　is　to　say；　in　the
work　they　do。　　As　the　essence　of　a　factory　is　not　in　the　building
wherein　the　work　is　done；　nor　yet　in　the　implements　used　in　turning
it　out；　but　in　the　will…power　of　the　master　and　in　the　goods　he
makes；　so　the　true　life　of　a　man　is　in　his　will　and　work；　not　in
his　body。　　〃Those；〃　he　argued；　〃who　make　the　life　of　a　man　reside
within　his　body；　are　like　one　who　should　mistake　the　carpenter's
tool…box　for　the　carpenter。〃

He　maintained　that　this　had　been　my　father's　teaching；　for　which　my
father　heartily　trusts　that　he　may　be　forgiven。

He　went　on　to　say　that　our　will…power　is　not　wholly　limited　to　the
working　of　its　own　special　system　of　organs；　but　under　certain
conditions　can　work　and　be　worked　upon　by　other　will…powers　like
itself：　　so　that　if；　for　example；　A's　will…power　has　got　such　hold
on　B's　as　to　be　able；　through　B；　to　work　B's　mechanism；　what　seems
to　have　been　B's　action　will　in　reality　have　been　more　A's　than
B's；　and　this　in　the　same　real　sense　as　though　the　physical　action
had　been　effected　through　A's　own　mechanical　systemA；　in　fact；
will　have　been　living　in　B。　　The　universally　admitted　maxim　that　he
who　does　this　or　that　by　the　hand　of　an　agent　does　it　himself；
shews　that　the　foregoing　view　is　only　a　roundabout　way　of　stating
what　common　sense　treats　as　a　matter　of　course。

Hence；　though　A's　individual　will…power　must　be　held　to　cease　when
the　tools　it　works　with　are　destroyed　or　out　of　gear；　yet；　so　long
as　any　survivors　were　so　possessed　by　it　while　it　was　still
efficient；　or；　again；　become　so　impressed　by　its　operation　on　them
through　work　that　he　has　left；　as　to　act　in　obedience　to　his　will…
power　rather　than　their　own；　A　has　a　certain　amount　of　bona　fide
life　still　remaining。　　His　vicarious　life　is　not　affected　by　the
dissolution　of　his　body；　and　in　many　cases　the　sum　total　of　a　man's
vicarious　action　and　of　its　outcome　exceeds　to　an　almost　infinite
extent　the　sum　total　of　those　actions　and　works　that　were　effected
through　the　mechanism　of　his　own　physical　organs。　　In　these　cases
his　vicarious　life　is　more　truly　his　life　than　any　that　he　lived　in
his　own　person。

〃True；〃　continued　the　Doctor；　〃while　living　in　his　own　person；　a
man　knows；　or　thinks　he　knows；　what　he　is　doing；　whereas　we　have　no
reason　to　suppose　such　knowledge　on　the　part　of　one　whose　body　is
already　dust；　but　the　consciousness　of　the　doer　has　less　to　do　with
the　livingness　of　the　deed　than　people　generally　admit。　　We　know
nothing　of　the　power　that　sets　our　heart　beating；　nor　yet　of　the
beating　itself　so　long　as　it　is　normal。　　We　know　nothing　of　our
breathing　or　of　our　digestion；　of　the　all…important　work　we
achieved　as　embryos；　nor　of　our　growth　from　infancy　to　manhood。　　No
one　will　say　that　these　were　not　actions　of　a　living　agent；　but　the
more　normal；　the　healthier；　and　thus　the　more　truly　living；　the
agent　is；　the　less　he　will　know　or　have　known　of　his　own　action。
The　part　of　our　bodily　life　that　enters　into　our　consciousness　is
very　small　as　compared　with　that　of　which　we　have　no　consciousness。
What　completer　proof　can　we　have　that　livingness　consists　in　deed
rather　than　in　consciousness　of　deed？

〃The　foregoing　remarks　are　not　intended　to　apply　so　much　to
vicarious　action　in　virtue；　we　will　say；　of　a　settlement；　or
testamentary　disposition　that　cannot　be　set　aside。　　Such　action　is
apt　to　be　too　unintelligent；　too　far　from　variation　and　quick
change　to　rank　as　true　vicarious　action；　indeed　it　is　not　rarely
fou