louis lambert-第10节

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which；　as　he　had　declared；　evidence　was　certain　to　come　sooner　or
later。　His　philosophical　speculations　ought　undoubtedly　to　gain　him
recognition　as　one　of　the　great　thinkers　who　have　appeared　at　wide
intervals　among　men；　to　reveal　to　them　the　bare　skeleton　of　some
science　to　come；　of　which　the　roots　spread　slowly；　but　which；　in　due
time；　bring　forth　fair　fruit　in　the　intellectual　sphere。　Thus　a　humble
artisan；　Bernard　Palissy；　searching　the　soil　to　find　minerals　for
glazing　pottery；　proclaimed；　in　the　sixteenth　century；　with　the
infallible　intuition　of　genius；　geological　facts　which　it　is　now　the
glory　of　Cuvier　and　Buffon　to　have　demonstrated。

I　can；　I　believe；　give　some　idea　of　Lambert's　Treatise　by　stating　the
chief　propositions　on　which　it　was　based；　but；　in　spite　of　myself；　I
shall　strip　them　of　the　ideas　in　which　they　were　clothed；　and　which
were　indeed　their　indispensable　accompaniment。　I　started　on　a
different　path；　and　only　made　use　of　those　of　his　researches　which
answered　the　purpose　of　my　scheme。　I　know　not；　therefore；　whether　as
his　disciple　I　can　faithfully　expound　his　views；　having　assimilated
them　in　the　first　instance　so　as　to　color　them　with　my　own。

New　ideas　require　new　words；　or　a　new　and　expanded　use　of　old　words；
extended　and　defined　in　their　meaning。　Thus　Lambert；　to　set　forth　the
basis　of　his　system；　had　adopted　certain　common　words　that　answered　to
his　notions。　The　word　Will　he　used　to　connote　the　medium　in　which　the
mind　moves；　or　to　use　a　less　abstract　expression；　the　mass　of　power　by
which　man　can　reproduce；　outside　himself；　the　actions　constituting　his
external　life。　Volitiona　word　due　to　Lockeexpressed　the　act　by
which　a　man　exerts　his　will。　The　word　Mind；　or　Thought；　which　he
regarded　as　the　quintessential　product　of　the　Will；　also　represented
the　medium　in　which　the　ideas　originate　to　which　thought　gives
substance。　The　Idea；　a　name　common　to　every　creation　of　the　brain；
constituted　the　act　by　which　man　uses　his　mind。　Thus　the　Will　and　the
Mind　were　the　two　generating　forces；　the　Volition　and　the　Idea　were
the　two　products。　Volition；　he　thought；　was　the　Idea　evolved　from　the
abstract　state　to　a　concrete　state；　from　its　generative　fluid　to　a
solid　expression；　so　to　speak；　if　such　words　may　be　taken　to　formulate
notions　so　difficult　of　definition。　According　to　him；　the　Mind　and
Ideas　are　the　motion　and　the　outcome　of　our　inner　organization；　just
as　the　Will　and　Volition　are　of　our　external　activity。

He　gave　the　Will　precedence　over　the　Mind。

〃You　must　will　before　you　can　think；〃　he　said。　〃Many　beings　live　in　a
condition　of　Willing　without　ever　attaining　to　the　condition　of
Thinking。　In　the　North；　life　is　long；　in　the　South；　it　is　shorter；　but
in　the　North　we　see　torpor；　in　the　South　a　constant　excitability　of
the　Will；　up　to　the　point　where　from　an　excess　of　cold　or　of　heat　the
organs　are　almost　nullified。〃

The　use　of　the　word　〃medium〃　was　suggested　to　him　by　an　observation　he
had　made　in　his　childhood；　though；　to　be　sure；　he　had　no　suspicion
then　of　its　importance；　but　its　singularity　naturally　struck　his
delicately　alert　imagination。　His　mother；　a　fragile；　nervous　woman；
all　sensitiveness　and　affection；　was　one　of　those　beings　created　to
represent　womanhood　in　all　the　perfection　of　her　attributes；　but
relegated　by　a　mistaken　fate　to　too　low　a　place　in　the　social　scale。
Wholly　loving；　and　consequently　wholly　suffering；　she　died　young；
having　thrown　all　her　energies　into　her　motherly　love。　Lambert；　a
child　of　six；　lying；　but　not　always　sleeping；　in　a　cot　by　his　mother's
bed；　saw　the　electric　sparks　from　her　hair　when　she　combed　it。　The　man
of　fifteen　made　scientific　application　of　this　fact　which　had　amused
the　child；　a　fact　beyond　dispute；　of　which　there　is　ample　evidence　in
many　instances；　especially　of　women　who　by　a　sad　fatality　are　doomed
to　let　unappreciated　feelings　evaporate　in　the　air；　or　some
superabundant　power　run　to　waste。

In　support　of　his　definitions；　Lambert　propounded　a　variety　of
problems　to　be　solved；　challenges　flung　out　to　science；　though　he
proposed　to　seek　the　solution　for　himself。　He　inquired；　for　instance；
whether　the　element　that　constitutes　electricity　does　not　enter　as　a
base　into　the　specific　fluid　whence　our　Ideas　and　Volitions　proceed？
Whether　the　hair；　which　loses　its　color；　turns　white；　falls　out；　or
disappears；　in　proportion　to　the　decay　or　crystallization　of　our
thoughts；　may　not　be　in　fact　a　capillary　system；　either　absorbent　or
diffusive；　and　wholly　electrical？　Whether　the　fluid　phenomena　of　the
Will；　a　matter　generated　within　us；　and　spontaneously　reacting　under
the　impress　of　conditions　as　yet　unobserved；　were　at　all　more
extraordinary　than　those　of　the　invisible　and　intangible　fluid
produced　by　a　voltaic　pile；　and　applied　to　the　nervous　system　of　a
dead　man？　Whether　the　formation　of　Ideas　and　their　constant　diffusion
was　less　incomprehensible　than　evaporation　of　the　atoms；　imperceptible
indeed；　but　so　violent　in　their　effects；　that　are　given　off　from　a
grain　of　musk　without　any　loss　of　weight。　Whether；　granting　that　the
function　of　the　skin　is　purely　protective；　absorbent；　excretive；　and
tactile；　the　circulation　of　the　blood　and　all　its　mechanism　would　not
correspond　with　the　transsubstantiation　of　our　Will；　as　the
circulation　of　the　nerve　fluid　corresponds　to　that　of　the　Mind？
Finally；　whether　the　more　or　less　rapid　affluence　of　these　two　real
substances　may　not　be　the　result　of　a　certain　perfection　or
imperfection　of　organs　whose　conditions　require　investigation　in　every
manifestation？

Having　set　forth　these　principles；　he　proposed　to　class　the　phenomena
of　human　life　in　two　series　of　distinct　results；　demanding；　with　the
ardent　insistency　of　conviction；　a　special　analysis　for　each。　In　fact；
having　observed　in　almost　every　type　of　created　thing　two　separate
motions；　he　assumed；　nay；　he　asserted；　their　existence　in　our　human
nature；　and　designated　this　vital　antithesis　Action　and　Reaction。

〃A　desire；〃　he　said；　〃is　a　fact　completely　accomplished　in　our　will
before　it　is　accomplished　externally。〃

Hence　the　sum…total　of　our　Volitions　and　our　Ideas　constitutes　Action；
and　the　sum…total　of　our　external　acts　he　called　Reaction。

When　I　subsequently　read　the　observations　made　by　Bichat　on　the
duality　of　our　external　senses；　I　was　really　bewildered　by　my
recollections；　recognizing　the　startling　coincidences　between　the
views　of　that　celebrated　physiologist　and　those　of　Louis　Lambert。　They
both　died　young；　and　they　had　with　equal　steps　arrived　at　the　same
strange　truths。　Nature　has　in　every　case　been　pleased　to　give　a
twofold　purpose　to　the　various　apparatus　that　constitute　her
creatures；　and　the　twofold　action　of　the　human　organism；　which　is　now
ascertained　beyond　dispute；　proves　by　a　mass　of　evidence　in　daily　life
how　true　were　Lambert's　deductions　as　to　Action　and　Reaction。

The　inner　Being；　the　Being　of　Actionthe　word　he　used　to　designate　an
unknown　specializationthe　mysterious　nexus　of　fibrils　to　which　we
owe　the　inadequately　investigated　powers　of　thought　and　willin
short；　the　nameless　entity　which　sees；　acts；　foresees　the　end；　and
accomplishes　everything　before　expressing　itself　in　any　physical
phenomenonmust；　in　conformity　with　its　nature；　be　free　from　the
physical　conditions　by　which　the　external　Being　of　Reaction；　the
visible　man；　is　fettered　in　its　manifestation。　From　this　followed　a
multitude　of　logical　explanation　as　to　those　results　of　our　twofold
nature　which　appear　the　strangest；　and　a　rectification　of　various
systems　in　which　truth　and　falsehood　are　mingled。

Certain　men；　having　had　a　glimpse　of　some　phenomena　of　the　natural
working　of　the　Being　of　Action；　were；　like　Swedenborg；　carried　away
above　this　world　by　their　ardent　soul；　thirsting　for　poetry；　and
filled　with　the　Divine　Spirit。　Thus；　in　their　ignorance　of　the　causes
and　their　admiration　of　the　facts；　they　pleased　their　fancy　by
regarding　that　inner　man　as　divine；　and　constructing　a　mystical
universe。　Hence　we　have　angels！　A　lovely　illusion　which　Lambert　would
never　abandon；　cherishing　it　even　when　the　sword　of　his　logic　was
cutting　off　their　dazzling　wings。

〃Heaven；〃　he　would　say；　〃must；　after　all；　be　the　survival　of　our
perfected　faculties；　and　hell　the　void　into　which　our　unperfected
faculties　are　cast　away。〃

But　how；　then；　in　the　ages　when　the　understanding　had　preserved　the
religious　and　spiritualist　impressions；　which　prevailed　from　the　time
of　Christ　till　that　of　Descartes；　between　faith　and　doubt；　how　could
men　help　accounting　for　the　mysteries　of　our　nature　otherwise　than　by
divine　interposition？　Of　whom　but　of　God　Himself　could　sages　demand　an
account　of　an　invisible　creature　so　actively　and　so　reactively
sensitive；　gifted　with　faculties　so　extensive；　so　improvable　by　use；
and　so　powerful　under　certain　occult　influences；　that　they　could
sometimes　see　it　annihilate；　by　some　phenomenon　of　sight　or　movement；
space　in　its　two　manifestationsTime　and　Distanceof　which　the
former　is　the　space　of　the　intellect；　the　latter　is　physical　space？
Sometimes　they　found　it　reconstructing　the　past；　either　by　the　power
of　retrospective　vision；　or　by　th