the unseen world and other essays-第56节

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re；　but　when　a　musician　steps　out　of　his　way　to　imitate　the　crowing　of　cocks　or　the　roar　of　the　tempest；　we　regard　his　achievement　merely　as　a　graceful　conceit。　Art　is；　therefore；　an　imitation　of　nature；　but　it　is　an　intellectual　and　not　a　mechanical　imitation；　and　the　performances　of　the　camera　and　the　music…box　are　not　to　be　classed　with　those　of　the　violinist's　bow　or　the　sculptor's　chisel。

And　lastly；　in　distinguishing　art　from　science；　Taine　remarks；　that　in　disengaging　from　their　complexity　the；　causes　which　are　at　work　in　nature；　and　the　fundamental　laws　according　to　which　they　work；　science　describes　them　in　abstract　formulas　conveyed　in　technical　language。　But　art　reveals　these　operative　causes　and　these　dominant　laws；　not　in　arid　definitions；　inaccessible　to　most　people；　intelligible　only　to　specially　instructed　men；　but　in　a　concrete　symbol；　addressing　itself　not　only　to　the　understanding；　but　still　more　to　the　sentiments　of　the　ordinary　man。　Art　has；　therefore；　this　peculiarity；　that　it　is　at　once　elevated　and　popular；　that　it　manifests　that　which　is　often　most　recondite；　and　that　it　manifests　it　to　all。

Having　determined　what　a　work　of　art　is；　our　author　goes　on　to　study　the　social　conditions　under　which　works　of　art　are　produced；　and　he　concludes　that　the　general　character　of　a　work　of　art　is　determined　by　the　state　of　intellect　and　morals　in　the　society　in　which　it　is　executed。　There　is；　in　fact；　a　sort　of　moral　temperature　which　acts　upon　mental　development　much　as　physical　temperature　acts　upon　organic　development。　The　condition　of　society　does　not　produce　the　artist's　talent；　but　it　assists　or　checks　its　efforts　to　display　itself；　it　decides　whether　or　not　it　shall　be　successful　And　it　exerts　a　〃natural　selection〃　between　different　kinds　of　talents；　stimulating　some　and　starving　others。　To　make　this　perfectly　clear；　we　will　cite　at　some　length　Taine's　brilliant　illustration。

The　case　chosen　for　illustration　is　a　very　simple　one；that　of　a　state　of　society　in　which　one　of　the　predominant　feelings　is　melancholy。　This　is　not　an　arbitrary　supposition；　for　such　a　time　has　occurred　more　than　once　in　human　history；　in　Asia；　in　the　sixth　century　before　Christ；　and　especially　in　Europe；　from　the　fourth　to　the　tenth　centuries　of　our　era。　To　produce　such　a　state　of　feeling；　five　or　six　generations　of　decadence；　accompanied　with　diminution　of　population；　foreign　invasions；　famines；　pestilences；　and　increasing　difficulty　in　procuring　the　necessaries　of　life；　are　amply　sufficient。　It　then　happens　that　men　lose　courage　and　hope；　and　consider　life　an　evil。　Now；　admitting　that　among　the　artists　who　live　in　such　a　time；　there　are　likely　to　be　the　same　relative　numbers　of　melancholy；　joyous；　or　indifferent　temperaments　as　at　other　times；　let　us　see　how　they　will　be　affected　by　reigning　circumstances。

Let　us　first　remember；　says　Taine；　that　the　evils　which　depress　the　public　will　also　depress　the　artist。　His　risks　are　no　less　than　those　of　less　gifted　people。　He　is　liable　to　suffer　from　plague　or　famine；　to　be　ruined　by　unfair　taxation　or　conscription；　or　to　see　his　children　massacred　and　his　wife　led　into　captivity　by　barbarians。　And　if　these　ills　do　not　reach　him　personally；　he　must　at　least　behold　those　around　him　affected　by　them。　In　this　way；　if　he　is　joyous　by　temperament；　he　must　inevitably　become　less　joyous；　if　he　is　melancholy；　he　must　become　more　melancholy。

Secondly；　having　been　reared　among　melancholy　contemporaries；　his　education　will　have　exerted　upon　him　a　corresponding　influence。　The　prevailing　religious　doctrine；　accommodated　to　the　state　of　affairs；　will　tell　him　that　the　earth　is　a　place　of　exile；　life　an　evil；　gayety　a　snare；　and　his　most　profitable　occupation　will　be　to　get　ready　to　die。　Philosophy；　constructing　its　system　of　morals　in　conformity　to　the　existing　phenomena　of　decadence；　will　tell　him　that　he　had　better　never　have　been　born。　Daily　conversation　will　inform　him　of　horrible　events；　of　the　devastation　of　a　province；　the　sack　of　a　town　by　the　Goths；　the　oppression　of　the　neighbouring　peasants　by　the　imperial　tax…collectors；　or　the　civil　war　that　has　just　burst　out　between　half　a　dozen　pretenders　to　the　throne。　As　he　travels　about；　he　beholds　signs　of　mourning　and　despair；　crowds　of　beggars；　people　dying　of　hunger；　a　broken　bridge　which　no　one　is　mending；　an　abandoned　suburb　which　is　going　to　ruin；　fields　choked　with　weeds；　the　blackened　walls　of　burned　houses。　Such　sights　and　impressions；　repeated　from　childhood　to　old　age　（and　we　must　remember　that　this　has　actually　been　the　state　of　things　in　what　are　now　the　fairest　parts　of　the　globe）；　cannot　fail　to　deepen　whatever　elements　of　melancholy　there　may　be　already　in　the　artist's　disposition。

The　operation　of　all　these　causes　will　be　enhanced　by　that　very　peculiarity　of　the　artist　which　constitutes　his　talent。　For；　according　to　the　definitions　above　given；　that　which　makes　him　an　artist　is　his　capacity　for　seizing　upon　the　essential　characteristics　and　the　salient　traits　of　surrounding　objects　and　events。　Other　men　see　things　in　part　fragmentarily；　he　catches　the　spirit　of　the　ensemble。　And　in　this　way　he　will　very　likely　exaggerate　in　his　works　the　general　average　of　contemporary　feeling。

Lastly；　our　author　reminds　us　that　a　man　who　writes　or　paints　does　not　remain　alone　before　his　easel　or　his　writing…desk。　He　goes　out；　looks　about　him；　receives　suggestions　from　friends；　from　rivals；　from　books；　and　works　of　art　whenever　accessible；　and　hears　the　criticisms　of　the　public　upon　his　own　productions　and　those　of　his　contemporaries。　In　order　to　succeed；　he　must　not　only　satisfy　to　some　extent　the　popular　taste；　but　he　must　feel　that　the　public　is　in　sympathy　with　him。　If　in　this　period　of　social　decadence　and　gloom　he　endeavours　to　represent　gay；　brilliant；　or　triumphant　ideas；　he　will　find　himself　left　to　his　own　resources；　and；　as　Taine　rightly　says；　the　power　of　an　isolated　man　is　always　insignificant。　His　work　will　be　likely　to　be　mediocre。　If　he　attempts　to　write　like　Rabelais　or　paint　like　Rubens；　he　will　get　neither　assistance　nor　sympathy　from　a　public　which　prefers　the　pictures　of　Rembrandt；　the　melodies　of　Chopin；　and　the　poetry　of　Heine。

Having　thus　explained　his　position　by　this　extreme　instance；　signified　for　the　sake　of　clearness；　Taine　goes　on　to　apply　such　general　considerations　to　four　historic　epochs；　taken　in　all　their　complexity。　He　discusses　the　aspect　presented　by　art　in　ancient　Greece；　in　the　feudal　and　Catholic　Middle　Ages；　in　the　centralized　monarchies　of　the　seventeenth　century；　and　in　the　scientific；　industrial　democracy　in　which　we　now　live。　Out　of　these　we　shall　select；　as　perhaps　the　simplest；　the　case　of　ancient　Greece；　still　following　our　author　closely；　though　necessarily　omitting　many　interesting　details。

The　ancient　Greeks；　observes　Taine；　understood　life　in　a　new　and　original　manner。　Their　energies　were　neither　absorbed　by　a　great　religious　conception；　as　in　the　case　of　the　Hindus　and　Egyptians；　nor　by　a　vast　social　organization；　as　in　the　case　of　the　Assyrians　and　Persians；　nor　by　a　purely　industrial　and　commercial　regime；　as　in　the　case　of　the　Phoenicians　and　Carthaginians。　Instead　of　a　theocracy　or　a　rigid　system　of　castes；　instead　of　a　monarchy　with　a　hierarchy　of　civil　officials；　the　men　of　this　race　invented　a　peculiar　institution；　the　City；　each　city　giving　rise　to　others　like　itself；　and　from　colony　to　colony　reproducing　itself　indefinitely。　A　single　Greek　city；　for　instance；　Miletos；　produced　three　hundred　other　cities；　colonizing　with　them　the　entire　coast　of　the　Black　Sea。　Each　city　was　substantially　self…ruling；　and　the　idea　of　a　coalescence　of　several　cities　into　a　nation　was　one　which　the　Greek　mind　rarely　conceived；　and　never　was　able　to　put　into　operation。

In　these　cities；　labour　was　for　the　most　part　carried　on　by　slaves。　In　Athens　there　were　four　or　five　for　each　citizen；　and　in　places　like　Korinth　and　Aigina　the　slave　population　is　said　to　have　numbered　four　or　five　hundred　thousand。　Besides；　the　Greek　citizen　had　little　need　of　personal　service。　He　lived　out　of　doors；　and；　like　most　Southern　people；　was　comparatively　abstemious　in　his　habits。　His　dinners　were　slight；　his　clothing　was　simple；　his　house　was　scantily　furnished；　being　intended　chiefly　for　a　den　to　sleep　in。

Serving　neither　king　nor　priest；　the　citizen　was　free　and　sovereign　in　his　own　city。　He　elected　his　own　magistrates；　and　might　himself　serve　as　city…ruler；　as　juror；　or　as　judge。　Representation　was　unknown。　Legislation　was　carried　on　by　all　the　citizens　assembled　in　mass。　Therefore　politics　and　war　were　the　sole　or　chief　employments　of　the　citizen。　War；　indeed；　came　in　for　no　slight　share　of　his　attention。　For　society　was　not　so　well　protected　as　in　these　modern　days。　Most　of　these　Greek　cities；　scattered　over　the　coasts　of　the　Aigeian；　the　Black　Sea；　and　the　Mediterranean；　were　surrounded　by　tribes　of　barbarians；　Scythians；　Gauls　Spaniards；　and　Africans。　The　citizen　must　therefore　keep　on　his　guard；　like　the　Englishman　of　to…day　in　New　Zealand；　or　like　the　inhabitant　of　a　Massachusetts　town　in　tho　seventeenth　century。　Otherwise　Gauls　Samnites；　or　Bithynians；　as　savage　as　North　American　Indians；　would　be　sure　t