the unseen world and other essays-第61节

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pe；　like　Cicero；　Seneca；　Epictetus；　and　Marcus　Aurelius。　It　is　then　that　we　find　the　idea　of　social　progress　first　clearly　expressed；　that　we　discover　some　glimmerings　of　a　conscious　philanthropy；　and　that　we　detect　the　earliest　symptoms　of　that　unhealthy　tendency　to　subordinate　too　entirely　the　physical　to　the　moral　life；　which　reached　its　culmination　in　the　Middle　Ages。　In　the　palmy　days　of　the　Athenians　it　was　different。　When　we　hint　that　they　were　not　consciously　philanthropists；　we　do　not　mean　that　they　were　not　humane；　when　we　accredit　them　with　no　idea　of　progress；　we　do　not　forget　how　much　they　did　to　render　both　the　idea　and　the　reality　possible；　when　we　say　that　they　had　not　a　distressing　sense　of　spiritual　unworthiness；　we　do　not　mean　that　they　had　no　conscience。　We　mean　that　their　moral　and　religious　life　sat　easily　on　them；　like　their　own　graceful　drapery；did　not　gall　and　worry　them；　like　the　hair…cloth　garment　of　the　monk。　They　were　free　from　that　dark　conception　of　a　devil　which　lent　terror　to　life　in　the　Middle　Ages；　and　the　morbid　self…consciousness　which　led　mediaeval　women　to　immure　themselves　in　convents　would　have　been　to　an　Athenian　quite　inexplicable。　They　had；　in　short；　an　open　and　childlike　conception　of　religion；　and；　as　such；　it　was　a　sunny　conception。　Any　one　who　will　take　the　trouble　to　compare　an　idyl　of　Theokritos　with　a　modern　pastoral；　or　the　poem　of　Kleanthes　with　a　modern　hymn；　or　the　Aphrodite　of　Melos　with　a　modern　Madonna；　will　realize　most　effectually　what　I　mean。

And；　finally；　the　religion　of　the　Athenians　was　in　the　main　symbolized　in　a　fluctuating　mythology；　and　had　never　been　hardened　into　dogmas。　The　Athenian　was　subject　to　no　priest；　nor　was　he　obliged　to　pin　his　faith　to　any　formulated　creed。　His　hospitable　polytheism　left　little　room　for　theological　persecution；　and　none　for　any　heresy　short　of　virtual　atheism。　The　feverish　doubts　which　rack　the　modern　mind　left　him　undisturbed。　Though　he　might　sink　to　any　depth　of　scepticism　in　philosophy；　yet　the　eternal　welfare　of　his　soul　was　not　supposed　to　hang　upon　the　issue　of　his　doubts。　Accordingly　Athenian　society　was　not　only　characterized　in　the　main　by　freedom　of　opinion；　in　spite　of　the　exceptional　cases　of　Anaxagoras　and　Sokrates；　but　there　was　also　none　of　that　Gothic　gloom　with　which　the　deep…seated　Christian　sense　of　infinite　responsibility　for　opinion　has　saddened　modern　religious　life。

In　these　reflections　I　have　wandered　a　little　way　from　my　principal　theme；　in　order　more　fully　to　show　why　the　old　Greek　life　impresses　us　as　so　cheerful。　Returning　now　to　the　keynote　with　which　we　started；　let　us　state　succinctly　the　net　result　of　what　has　been　said　about　the　Athenians。　As　a　people　we　have　seen　that　they　enjoyed　an　unparalleled　amount　of　leisure；　living　through　life　with　but　little　turmoil　and　clatter。　Their　life　was　more　spontaneous　and　unrestrained；　less　rigorously　marked　out　by　uncontrollable　circumstances；　than　the　life　of　moderns。　They　did　not　run　so　much　in　grooves。　And　along　with　this　we　have　seen　reason　to　believe　that　they　were　the　most　profoundly　cultivated　of　all　peoples；　that　a　larger　proportion　of　men　lived　complete；　well…rounded；　harmonious　lives　in　ancient　Athens　than　in　any　other　known　community。　Keen；　nimble…minded；　and　self…possessed；　audacious　speculators；　but　temperate　and　averse　to　extravagance；　emotionally　healthy；　and　endowed　with　an　unequalled　sense　of　beauty　and　propriety；　how　admirable　and　wonderful　they　seem　when　looked　at　across　the　gulf　of　ages　intervening；and　what　a　priceless　possession　to　humanity；　of　what　noble　augury　for　the　distant　future；　is　the　fact　that　such　a　society　has　once　existed！

The　lesson　to　be　drawn　from　the　study　of　this　antique　life　will　impress　itself　more　deeply　upon　us　after　we　have　briefly　contemplated　the　striking　contrast　to　it　which　is　afforded　by　the　phase　of　civilization　amid　which　we　live　to…day。　Ever　since　Greek　civilization　was　merged　in　Roman　imperialism；　there　has　been　a　slowly　growing　tendency　toward　complexity　of　social　life；toward　the　widening　of　sympathies；　the　multiplying　of　interests；　the　increase　of　the　number　of　things　to　be　done。　Through　the　later　Middle　Ages；　after　Roman　civilization　had　absorbed　and　disciplined　the　incoming　barbarism　which　had　threatened　to　destroy　it；　there　was　a　steadily　increasing　complication　of　society；　a　multiplication　of　the　wants　of　life；　and　a　consequent　enhancement　of　the　difficulty　of　self…maintenance。　The　ultimate　causes　of　this　phenomenon　lie　so　far　beneath　the　surface　that　they　could　be　satisfactorily　discussed　only　in　a　technical　essay　on　the　evolution　of　society。　It　will　be　enough　for　us　here　to　observe　that　the　great　geographical　discoveries　of　the　sixteenth　century　and　the　somewhat　later　achievements　of　physical　science　have；　during　the　past　two　hundred　years；　aided　powerfully　in　determining　the　entrance　of　the　Western　world　upon　an　industrial　epoch；an　epoch　which　has　for　its　final　object　the　complete　subjection　of　the　powers　of　nature　to　purposes　of　individual　comfort　and　happiness。　We　have　now　to　trace　some　of　the　effects　of　this　lately…begun　industrial　development　upon　social　life　and　individual　culture。　And　as　we　studied　the　leisureliness　of　antiquity　where　its　effects　were　most　conspicuous；　in　the　city　of　Athens；　we　shall　now　do　well　to　study　the　opposite　characteristics　of　modern　society　where　they　are　most　conspicuously　exemplified；　in　our　own　country。　The　attributes　of　American　life　which　it　will　be　necessary　to　signalize　will　be　seen　to　be　only　the　attributes　of　modern　life　in　their　most　exaggerated　phase。

To　begin　with；　in　studying　the　United　States；　we　are　no　longer　dealing　with　a　single　city；　or　with　small　groups　of　cities。　The　city　as　a　political　unit；　in　the　antique　sense；　has　never　existed　among　us；　and　indeed　can　hardly　be　said　now　to　exist　anywhere。　The　modern　city　is　hardly　more　than　a　great　emporium　of　trade；　or　a　place　where　large　numbers　of　people　find　it　convenient　to　live　huddled　together；　not　a　sacred　fatherland　to　which　its　inhabitants　owe　their　highest　allegiance；　and　by　the　requirements　of　which　their　political　activity　is　limited。　What　strikes　us　here　is　that　our　modern　life　is　diffused　or　spread　out；　not　concentrated　like　the　ancient　civic　life。　If　the　Athenian　had　been　the　member　of　an　integral　community；　comprising　all　peninsular　Greece　and　the　mainland　of　Asia　Minor；　he　could　not　have　taken　life　so　easily　as　he　did。

Now　our　country　is　not　only　a　very　large　one；　but　compared　to　its　vast　territorial　extent　it　contains　a　very　small　population。　If　we　go　on　increasing　at　the　present　rate；　so　that　a　century　hence　we　number　four　or　five　hundred　millions；　our　country　will　be　hardly　more　crowded　than　China　is　to…day。　Or　if　our　whole　population　were　now　to　be　brought　east　of　Niagara　Falls；　and　confined　on　the　south　by　the　Potomac；　we　should　still　have　as　much　elbow…room　as　they　have　in　France。　Political　economists　can　show　the　effects　of　this　high　ratio　of　land　to　inhabitants；　in　increasing　wages；　raising　the　interest　of　money；　and　stimulating　production。　We　are　thus　living　amid　circumstances　which　are　goading　the　industrial　activity　characteristic　of　the　last　two　centuries；　and　notably　of　the　English　race；　into　an　almost　feverish　energy。　The　vast　extent　of　our　unwrought　territory　is　constantly　draining　fresh　life　from　our　older　districts；　to　aid　in　the　establishment　of　new　frontier　communities　of　a　somewhat　lower　or　less　highly　organized　type。　And　these　younger　communities；　daily　springing　up；　are　constantly　striving　to　take　on　the　higher　structure；to　become　as　highly　civilized　and　to　enjoy　as　many　of　the　prerogatives　of　civilization　as　the　rest。　All　this　calls　forth　an　enormous　quantity　of　activity；　and　causes　American　life　to　assume　the　aspect　of　a　life…and…death　struggle　for　mastery　over　the　material　forces　of　that　part　of　the　earth's　surface　upon　which　it　thrives。

It　is　thus　that　we　are　traversing　what　may　properly　be　called　the　BARBAROUS　epoch　of　our　history；the　epoch　at　which　the　predominant　intellectual　activity　is　employed　in　achievements　which　are　mainly　of　a　material　character。　Military　barbarism；　or　the　inability　of　communities　to　live　together　without　frequent　warfare；　has　been　nearly　outgrown　by　the　whole　Western　world。　Private　wars；　long　since　made　everywhere　illegal；　have　nearly　ceased；　and　public　wars；　once　continual；　have　become　infrequent。　But　industrial　barbarism；　by　which　I　mean　the　inability　of　a　community　to　direct　a　portion　of　its　time　to　purposes　of　spiritual　life；　after　providing　for　its　physical　maintenance；this　kind　of　barbarism　the　modern　world　has　by　no　means　outgrown。　To…day；　the　great　work　of　life　is　to　live；　while　the　amount　of　labour　consumed　in　living　has　throughout　the　present　century　been　rapidly　increasing。　Nearly　the　whole　of　this　American　community　toils　from　youth　to　old　age　in　merely　procuring　the　means　for　satisfying　the　transient　wants　of　life。　Our　time　and　energies；　our　spirit　and　buoyancy；　are　quite　used　up　in　what　is　called　〃getting　on。〃

Another　point　of　difference　between　the　structure　of　American　and　of　Athenian　society　must　not　be　left　out　of　the　account。　The　time　has　gone　by　in　which　the　energies　of　a　hundred　thousand　men　and　women　could　be