erewhon-第22节

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us　very　unhappy；　no　one　thinks　that　he　or　she　will　escape；　so　that
none　are　disappointed。　　We　do　not　care　greatly　even　though　we　know
that　we　have　not　long　to　live；　the　only　thing　that　would　seriously
affect　us　would　be　the　knowingor　rather　thinking　that　we　know
the　precise　moment　at　which　the　blow　will　fall。　　Happily　no　one　can
ever　certainly　know　this；　though　many　try　to　make　themselves
miserable　by　endeavouring　to　find　it　out。　　It　seems　as　though　there
were　some　power　somewhere　which　mercifully　stays　us　from　putting
that　sting　into　the　tail　of　death；　which　we　would　put　there　if　we
could；　and　which　ensures　that　though　death　must　always　be　a
bugbear；　it　shall　never　under　any　conceivable　circumstances　be　more
than　a　bugbear。

For　even　though　a　man　is　condemned　to　die　in　a　week's　time　and　is
shut　up　in　a　prison　from　which　it　is　certain　that　he　cannot　escape；
he　will　always　hope　that　a　reprieve　may　come　before　the　week　is
over。　　Besides；　the　prison　may　catch　fire；　and　he　may　be　suffocated
not　with　a　rope；　but　with　common　ordinary　smoke；　or　he　may　be
struck　dead　by　lightning　while　exercising　in　the　prison　yards。
When　the　morning　is　come　on　which　the　poor　wretch　is　to　be　hanged；
he　may　choke　at　his　breakfast；　or　die　from　failure　of　the　heart's
action　before　the　drop　has　fallen；　and　even　though　it　has　fallen；
he　cannot　be　quite　certain　that　he　is　going　to　die；　for　he　cannot
know　this　till　his　death　has　actually　taken　place；　and　it　will　be
too　late　then　for　him　to　discover　that　he　was　going　to　die　at　the
appointed　hour　after　all。　　The　Erewhonians；　therefore；　hold　that
death；　like　life；　is　an　affair　of　being　more　frightened　than　hurt。

They　burn　their　dead；　and　the　ashes　are　presently　scattered　over
any　piece　of　ground　which　the　deceased　may　himself　have　chosen。　　No
one　is　permitted　to　refuse　this　hospitality　to　the　dead：　　people；
therefore；　generally　choose　some　garden　or　orchard　which　they　may
have　known　and　been　fond　of　when　they　were　young。　　The
superstitious　hold　that　those　whose　ashes　are　scattered　over　any
land　become　its　jealous　guardians　from　that　time　forward；　and　the
living　like　to　think　that　they　shall　become　identified　with　this　or
that　locality　where　they　have　once　been　happy。

They　do　not　put　up　monuments；　nor　write　epitaphs；　for　their　dead；
though　in　former　ages　their　practice　was　much　as　ours；　but　they
have　a　custom　which　comes　to　much　the　same　thing；　for　the　instinct
of　preserving　the　name　alive　after　the　death　of　the　body　seems　to
be　common　to　all　mankind。　　They　have　statues　of　themselves　made
while　they　are　still　alive　（those；　that　is；　who　can　afford　it）；　and
write　inscriptions　under　them；　which　are　often　quite　as　untruthful
as　are　our　own　epitaphsonly　in　another　way。　　For　they　do　not
hesitate　to　describe　themselves　as　victims　to　ill　temper；　jealousy；
covetousness；　and　the　like；　but　almost　always　lay　claim　to　personal
beauty；　whether　they　have　it　or　not；　and；　often；　to　the　possession
of　a　large　sum　in　the　funded　debt　of　the　country。　　If　a　person　is
ugly　he　does　not　sit　as　a　model　for　his　own　statue；　although　it
bears　his　name。　　He　gets　the　handsomest　of　his　friends　to　sit　for
him；　and　one　of　the　ways　of　paying　a　compliment　to　another　is　to
ask　him　to　sit　for　such　a　statue。　　Women　generally　sit　for　their
own　statues；　from　a　natural　disinclination　to　admit　the　superior
beauty　of　a　friend；　but　they　expect　to　be　idealised。　　I　understood
that　the　multitude　of　these　statues　was　beginning　to　be　felt　as　an
encumbrance　in　almost　every　family；　and　that　the　custom　would
probably　before　long　fall　into　desuetude。

Indeed；　this　has　already　come　about　to　the　satisfaction　of　every
one；　as　regards　the　statues　of　public　mennot　more　than　three　of
which　can　be　found　in　the　whole　capital。　　I　expressed　my　surprise
at　this；　and　was　told　that　some　five　hundred　years　before　my　visit；
the　city　had　been　so　overrun　with　these　pests；　that　there　was　no
getting　about；　and　people　were　worried　beyond　endurance　by　having
their　attention　called　at　every　touch　and　turn　to　something；　which；
when　they　had　attended　to　it；　they　found　not　to　concern　them。　　Most
of　these　statues　were　mere　attempts　to　do　for　some　man　or　woman
what　an　animal…stuffer　does　more　successfully　for　a　dog；　or　bird；
or　pike。　　They　were　generally　foisted　on　the　public　by　some　coterie
that　was　trying　to　exalt　itself　in　exalting　some　one　else；　and　not
unfrequently　they　had　no　other　inception　than　desire　on　the　part　of
some　member　of　the　coterie　to　find　a　job　for　a　young　sculptor　to
whom　his　daughter　was　engaged。　　Statues　so　begotten　could　never　be
anything　but　deformities；　and　this　is　the　way　in　which　they　are
sure　to　be　begotten；　as　soon　as　the　art　of　making　them　at　all　has
become　widely　practised。

I　know　not　why；　but　all　the　noblest　arts　hold　in　perfection　but　for
a　very　little　moment。　　They　soon　reach　a　height　from　which　they
begin　to　decline；　and　when　they　have　begun　to　decline　it　is　a　pity
that　they　cannot　be　knocked　on　the　head；　for　an　art　is　like　a
living　organismbetter　dead　than　dying。　　There　is　no　way　of　making
an　aged　art　young　again；　it　must　be　born　anew　and　grow　up　from
infancy　as　a　new　thing；　working　out　its　own　salvation　from　effort
to　effort　in　all　fear　and　trembling。

The　Erewhonians　five　hundred　years　ago　understood　nothing　of　all
thisI　doubt　whether　they　even　do　so　now。　　They　wanted　to　get　the
nearest　thing　they　could　to　a　stuffed　man　whose　stuffing　should　not
grow　mouldy。　　They　should　have　had　some　such　an　establishment　as
our　Madame　Tussaud's；　where　the　figures　wear　real　clothes；　and　are
painted　up　to　nature。　　Such　an　institution　might　have　been　made
self…supporting；　for　people　might　have　been　made　to　pay　before
going　in。　　As　it　was；　they　had　let　their　poor　cold　grimy　colourless
heroes　and　heroines　loaf　about　in　squares　and　in　corners　of　streets
in　all　weathers；　without　any　attempt　at　artistic　sanitationfor
there　was　no　provision　for　burying　their　dead　works　of　art　out　of
their　sightno　drainage；　so　to　speak；　whereby　statues　that　had
been　sufficiently　assimilated；　so　as　to　form　part　of　the　residuary
impression　of　the　country；　might　be　carried　away　out　of　the　system。
Hence　they　put　them　up　with　a　light　heart　on　the　cackling　of　their
coteries；　and　they　and　their　children　had　to　live；　often　enough；
with　some　wordy　windbag　whose　cowardice　had　cost　the　country　untold
loss　in　blood　and　money。

At　last　the　evil　reached　such　a　pitch　that　the　people　rose；　and
with　indiscriminate　fury　destroyed　good　and　bad　alike。　　Most　of
what　was　destroyed　was　bad；　but　some　few　works　were　good；　and　the
sculptors　of　to…day　wring　their　hands　over　some　of　the　fragments
that　have　been　preserved　in　museums　up　and　down　the　country。　　For　a
couple　of　hundred　years　or　so；　not　a　statue　was　made　from　one　end
of　the　kingdom　to　the　other；　but　the　instinct　for　having　stuffed
men　and　women　was　so　strong；　that　people　at　length　again　began　to
try　to　make　them。　　Not　knowing　how　to　make　them；　and　having　no
academics　to　mislead　them；　the　earliest　sculptors　of　this　period
thought　things　out　for　themselves；　and　again　produced　works　that
were　full　of　interest；　so　that　in　three　or　four　generations　they
reached　a　perfection　hardly　if　at　all　inferior　to　that　of　several
hundred　years　earlier。

On　this　the　same　evils　recurred。　　Sculptors　obtained　high　prices
the　art　became　a　tradeschools　arose　which　professed　to　sell　the
holy　spirit　of　art　for　money；　pupils　flocked　from　far　and　near　to
buy　it；　in　the　hopes　of　selling　it　later　on；　and　were　struck
purblind　as　a　punishment　for　the　sin　of　those　who　sent　them。
Before　long　a　second　iconoclastic　fury　would　infallibly　have
followed；　but　for　the　prescience　of　a　statesman　who　succeeded　in
passing　an　Act　to　the　effect　that　no　statue　of　any　public　man　or
woman　should　be　allowed　to　remain　unbroken　for　more　than　fifty
years；　unless　at　the　end　of　that　time　a　jury　of　twenty…four　men
taken　at　random　from　the　street　pronounced　in　favour　of　its　being
allowed　a　second　fifty　years　of　life。　　Every　fifty　years　this
reconsideration　was　to　be　repeated；　and　unless　there　was　a　majority
of　eighteen　in　favour　of　the　retention　of　the　statue；　it　was　to　be
destroyed。

Perhaps　a　simpler　plan　would　have　been　to　forbid　the　erection　of　a
statue　to　any　public　man　or　woman　till　he　or　she　had　been　dead　at
least　one　hundred　years；　and　even　then　to　insist　on　reconsideration
of　the　claims　of　the　deceased　and　the　merit　of　the　statue　every
fifty　yearsbut　the　working　of　the　Act　brought　about　results　that
on　the　whole　were　satisfactory。　　For　in　the　first　place；　many
public　statues　that　would　have　been　voted　under　the　old　system；
were　not　ordered；　when　it　was　known　that　they　would　be　almost
certainly　broken　up　after　fifty　years；　and　in　the　second；　public
sculptors　knowing　their　work　to　be　so　ephemeral；　scamped　it　to　an
extent　that　made　it　offensive　even　to　the　most　uncultured　eye。
Hence　before　long　subscribers　took　to　paying　the　sculptor　for　the
statue　of　their　dead　statesmen；　on　condition　that　he　did　not　make
it。　　The　tribute　of　respect　was　thus　paid　to　the　deceased；　the
public　sculptors　were　not　mulcted；　and　the　rest　of　the　public
suffered　no　inconvenience。

I　was　told；