lectures14+15-第4节

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successive　tasks　in　the　history　of　nations　by　being　blind　for　the



time　to　other　causes。　　Great　schools　of　art　work　out　the　effects



which　it　is　their　mission　to　reveal；　at　the　cost　of　a



one…sidedness　for　which　other　schools　must　make　amends。　　We



accept　a　John　Howard；　a　Mazzini；　a　Botticelli；　a　Michael　Angelo；



with　a　kind　of　indulgence。　　We　are　glad　they　existed　to　show　us



that　way；　but　we　are　glad　there　are　also　other　ways　of　seeing　and



taking　life。　　So　of　many　of　the　saints　whom　we　have　looked　at。　



We　are　proud　of　a　human　nature　that　could　be　so　passionately



extreme；　but　we　shrink　from　advising　others　to　follow　the



example。　　The　conduct　we　blame　ourselves　for　not　following　lies



nearer　to　the　middle　line　of　human　effort。　It　is　less　dependent



on　particular　beliefs　and　doctrines。　　It　is　such　as　wears　well　in



different　ages；　such　as　under　different　skies　all　judges　are　able



to　commend。







The　fruits　of　religion；　in　other　words；　are；　like　all　human



products；　liable　to　corruption　by　excess。　　Common　sense　must



judge　them。　　It　need　not　blame　the　votary；　but　it　may　be　able　to



praise　him　only　conditionally；　as　one　who　acts　faithfully



according　to　his　lights。　　He　shows　us　heroism　in　one　way；　but　the



unconditionally　good　way　is　that　for　which　no　indulgence　need　be



asked。



　



We　find　that　error　by　excess　is　exemplified　by　every　saintly



virtue。　　Excess；　in　human　faculties；　means　usually　one…sidedness



or　want　of　balance；　for　it　is　hard　to　imagine　an　essential



faculty　too　strong；　if　only　other　faculties　equally　strong　be



there　to　cooperate　with　it　in　action。　　Strong　affections　need　a



strong　will；　strong　active　powers　need　a　strong　intellect；　strong



intellect　needs　strong　sympathies；　to　keep　life　steady。　　If　the



balance　exist；　no　one　faculty　can　possibly　be　too　strongwe　only



get　the　stronger　all…round　character。　　In　the　life　of　saints；



technically　so　called；　the　spiritual　faculties　are　strong；　but



what　gives　the　impression　of　extravagance　proves　usually　on



examination　to　be　a　relative　deficiency　of　intellect。　　Spiritual



excitement　takes　pathological　forms　whenever　other　interests　are



too　few　and　the　intellect　too　narrow。　　We　find　this　exemplified



by　all　the　saintly　attributes　in　turndevout　love　of　God；



purity；　charity；　asceticism；　all　may　lead　astray。　　I　will　run



over　these　virtues　in　succession。







First　of　all　let　us　take　Devoutness。　　When　unbalanced；　one　of　its



vices　is　called　Fanaticism。　　Fanaticism　（when　not　a　mere



expression　of　ecclesiastical　ambition）　is　only　loyalty　carried　to



a　convulsive　extreme。　　When　an　intensely　loyal　and　narrow　mind　is



once　grasped　by　the　feeling　that　a　certain　superhuman　person　is



worthy　of　its　exclusive　devotion；　one　of　the　first　things　that



happens　is　that　it　idealizes　the　devotion　itself。　　To　adequately



realize　the　merits　of　the　idol　gets　to　be　considered　the　one



great　merit　of　the　worshiper；　and　the　sacrifices　and　servilities



by　which　savage　tribesmen　have　from　time　immemorial　exhibited



their　faithfulness　to　chieftains　are　now　outbid　in　favor　of　the



deity。　　Vocabularies　are　exhausted　and　languages　altered　in　the



attempt　to　praise　him　enough；　death　is　looked　on　as　gain　if　it



attract　his　grateful　notice；　and　the　personal　attitude　of　being



his　devotee　becomes　what　one　might　almost　call　a　new　and　exalted



kind　of　professional　specialty　within　the　tribe。＇199＇　The　legends



that　gather　round　the　lives　of　holy　persons　are　fruits　of　this



impulse　to　celebrate　and　glorify。　　The　Buddha＇200＇　and



Mohammed＇201＇　and　their　companions　and　many　Christian　saints　are



incrusted　with　a　heavy　jewelry　of　anecdotes　which　are　meant　to　be



honorific；　but　are　simply　abgeschmackt　and　silly；　and　form　a



touching　expression　of　man's　misguided　propensity　to　praise。







＇199＇　Christian　saints　have　had　their　specialties　of　devotion；



Saint　Francis　to　Christ's　wounds；　Saint　Anthony　of　Padua　to



Christ's　childhood；　Saint　Bernard　to　his　humanity；　Saint　Teresa



to　Saint　Joseph；　etc。　　The　Shi…ite　Mohammedans　venerate　Ali；　the



Prophet's　son…in…law；　instead　of　Abu…bekr；　his　brother…in…law。　



Vambery　describes　a　dervish　whom　he　met　in　Persia；　〃who　had



solemnly　vowed；　thirty　years　before；　that　he　would　never　employ



his　organs　of　speech　otherwise　but　in　uttering；　everlastingly；



the　name　of　his　favorite；　Ali；　Ali。　　He　thus　wished　to　signify　to



the　world　that　he　was　the　most　devoted　partisan　of　that　Ali　who



had　been　dead　a　thousand　years。　　In　his　own　home；　speaking　with



his　wife；　children；　and　friends；　no　other　word　but　'Ali！'　ever



passed　his　lips。　　If　he　wanted　food　or　drink　or　anything　else；　he



expressed　his　wants　still　by　repeating　'Ali！'　　Begging　or　buying



at　the　bazaar；　it　was　always　'Ali！'　　Treated　ill　or　generously；



he　would　still　harp　on　his　monotonous　'Ali！'　　Latterly　his　zeal



assumed　such　tremendous　proportions　that；　like　a　madman；　he　would



race；　the　whole　day；　up　and　down　the　streets　of　the　town；



throwing　his　stick　high　up　into　the　air；　and　shriek　our；　all　the



while；　at　the　top　of　his　voice；　'Ali！'　　This　dervish　was



venerated　by　everybody　as　a　saint；　and　received　everywhere　with



the　greatest　distinction。〃　　Arminius　Vambery；　his　Life　and



Adventures；　written　by　Himself；　London；　1889；　p。　69。　　On　the



anniversary　of　the　death　of　Hussein；　Ali's　son；　the　Shi…ite



Moslems　still　make　the　air　resound　with　cries　of　his　name　and



Ali's。







＇200＇　Compare　H。　C。　Warren：　　Buddhism　in　Translation；　Cambridge；



U。S。；　1898；　passim。







＇201＇　Compare　J。　L。　Merrick：　　The　Life　and　Religion　of　Mohammed；



as　contained　in　the　Sheeah　traditions　of　the　Hyat…ul…Kuloob；



Boston。　1850；　passim。















An　immediate　consequence　of　this　condition　of　mind　is　jealousy



for　the　deity's　honor。　　How　can　the　devotee　show　his　loyalty



better　than　by　sensitiveness　in　this　regard？　　The　slightest



affront　or　neglect　must　be　resented；　the　deity's　enemies　must　be



put　to　shame。　　In　exceedingly　narrow　minds　and　active　wills；　such



a　care　may　become　an　engrossing　preoccupation；　and　crusades　have



been　preached　and　massacres　instigated　for　no　other　reason　than



to　remove　a　fancied　slight　upon　the　God。　　Theologies　representing



the　gods　as　mindful　of　their　glory；　and　churches　with



imperialistic　policies；　have　conspired　to　fan　this　temper　to　a



glow；　so　that　intolerance　and　persecution　have　come　to　be　vices



associated　by　some　of　us　inseparably　with　the　saintly　mind。　They



are　unquestionably　its　besetting　sins。　　The　saintly　temper　is　a



moral　temper；　and　a　moral　temper　has　often　to　be　cruel。　　It　is　a



partisan　temper；　and　that　is　cruel。　　Between　his　own　and



Jehovah's　enemies　a　David　knows　no　difference；　a　Catherine　of



Siena；　panting　to　stop　the　warfare　among　Christians　which　was　the



scandal　of　her　epoch；　can　think　of　no　better　method　of　union



among　them　than　a　crusade　to　massacre　the　Turks；　Luther　finds　no



word　of　protest　or　regret　over　the　atrocious　tortures　with　which



the　Anabaptist　leaders　were　put　to　death；　and　a　Cromwell　praises



the　Lord　for　delivering　his　enemies　into　his　hands　for



〃execution。〃　　Politics　come　in　in　all　such　cases；　but　piety　finds



the　partnership　not　quite　unnatural。　　So；　when　〃freethinkers〃



tell　us　that　religion　and　fanaticism　are　twins；　we　cannot　make　an



unqualified　denial　of　the　charge。







Fanaticism　must　then　be　inscribed　on　the　wrong　side　of　religion's



account；　so　long　as　the　religious　person's　intellect　is　on　the



stage　which　the　despotic　kind　of　God　satisfies。　　But　as　soon　as



the　God　is　represented　as　less　intent　on　his　own　honor　and　glory；



it　ceases　to　be　a　danger。







Fanaticism　is　found　only　where　the　character　is　masterful　and



aggressive。　　In　gentle　characters；　where　devoutness　is　intense



and　the　intellect　feeble；　we　have　an　imaginative　absorption　in



the　love　of　God　to　the　exclusion　of　all　practical　human



interests；　which；　though　innocent　enough；　is　too　one…sided　to　be



admirable。　　A　mind　too　narrow　has　room　but　for　one　kind　of



affection。　　When　the　love　of　God　takes　possession　of　such　a　mind；



it　expels　all　human　loves　and　human　uses。　　There　is　no　English



name　for　such　a　sweet　excess　of　devotion；　so　I　will　refer　to　it



as　a　theopathic　condition。







The　blessed　Margaret　Mary　Alacoque　may　serve　as　an　example。







〃To　be　loved　here　upon　the　earth；〃　her　recent　biographer



exclaims：　　〃to　be　loved　by　a　noble；　elevated；　distinguished



being；　to　be　loved　with　fidelity；　with　devotionwhat



enchantment！　But　t