the coming race-第12部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！

len　utterly　into　disuse。　The　Vril…ya　unite　in　a　conviction　of　a　future　state；　more　felicitous　and　more　perfect　than　the　present。　　If　they　have　very　vague　notions　of　the　doctrine　of　rewards　and　punishments；　it　is　perhaps　because　they　have　no　systems　of　rewards　and　punishments　among　themselves；　for　there　are　no　crimes　to　punish；　and　their　moral　standard　is　so　even　that　no　An　among　56them　is；　upon　the　whole；　considered　more　virtuous　than　another。　　If　one　excels；　perhaps　in　one　virtue；　another　equally　excels　in　some　other　virtue；　If　one　has　his　prevalent　fault　or　infirmity；　so　also　another　has　his。　　In　fact；　in　their　extraordinary　mode　of　life。　　there　are　so　few　temptations　to　wrong；　that　they　are　good　（according　to　their　notions　of　goodness）　merely　because　they　live。　　They　have　some　fanciful　notions　upon　the　continuance　of　life；　when　once　bestowed；　even　in　the　vegetable　world；　as　the　reader　will　see　in　the　next　chapter。


Chapter　XIV。


Though；　as　I　have　said；　the　Vril…ya　discourage　all　speculations　on　the　nature　of　the　Supreme　Being；　they　appear　to　concur　in　a　belief　by　which　they　think　to　solve　that　great　problem　of　the　existence　of　evil　which　has　so　perplexed　the　philosophy　of　the　upper　world。　　They　hold　that　wherever　He　has　once　given　life；　with　the　perceptions　of　that　life；　however　faint　it　be；　as　in　a　plant；　the　life　is　never　destroyed；　it　passes　into　new　and　improved　forms；　though　not　in　this　planet　（differing　therein　from　the　ordinary　doctrine　of　metempsychosis）；　and　that　the　living　thing　retains　the　sense　of　identity；　so　that　it　connects　its　past　life　with　its　future；　and　is　'conscious'　of　its　progressive　improvement　in　the　scale　of　joy。　　For　they　say　that；　without　this　assumption；　they　cannot；　according　to　the　lights　of　human　reason　vouchsafed　to　them；　discover　the　perfect　justice　which　must　be　a　constituent　quality　of　the　All…Wise　and　the　All…Good。　　Injustice；　they　say；　can　only　emanate　from　three　causes：　want　of　wisdom　to　perceive　what　is　just；　want　of　benevolence　to　desire；　want　of　power　to　fulfill　it；　and　that　each　of　these　three　wants　is　incompatible　in　the　All…Wise；　the　57All…Good；　the　All…Powerful。　　But　that；　while　even　in　this　life；　the　wisdom；　the　benevolence；　and　the　power　of　the　Supreme　Being　are　sufficiently　apparent　to　compel　our　recognition；　the　justice　necessarily　resulting　from　those　attributes；　absolutely　requires　another　life；　not　for　man　only；　but　for　every　living　thing　of　the　inferior　orders。　　That；　alike　in　the　animal　and　the　vegetable　world；　we　see　one　individual　rendered；　by　circumstances　beyond　its　control；　exceedingly　wretched　compared　to　its　neighbours…　one　only　exists　as　the　prey　of　another…　even　a　plant　suffers　from　disease　till　it　perishes　prematurely；　while　the　plant　next　to　it　rejoices　in　its　vitality　and　lives　out　its　happy　life　free　from　a　pang。　　That　it　is　an　erroneous　analogy　from　human　infirmities　to　reply　by　saying　that　the　Supreme　Being　only　acts　by　general　laws；　thereby　making　his　own　secondary　causes　so　potent　as　to　mar　the　essential　kindness　of　the　First　Cause；　and　a　still　meaner　and　more　ignorant　conception　of　the　All…Good；　to　dismiss　with　a　brief　contempt　all　consideration　of　justice　for　the　myriad　forms　into　which　He　has　infused　life；　and　assume　that　justice　is　only　due　to　the　single　product　of　the　An。　　There　is　no　small　and　no　great　in　the　eyes　of　the　divine　Life…Giver。　　But　once　grant　that　nothing；　however　humble；　which　feels　that　it　lives　and　suffers；　can　perish　through　the　series　of　ages；　that　all　its　suffering　here；　if　continuous　from　the　moment　of　its　birth　to　that　of　its　transfer　to　another　form　of　being；　would　be　more　brief　compared　with　eternity　than　the　cry　of　the　new…born　is　compared　to　the　whole　life　of　a　man；　and　once　suppose　that　this　living　thing　retains　its　sense　of　identity　when　so　transformed　（for　without　that　sense　it　could　be　aware　of　no　future　being）；　and　though；　indeed；　the　fulfilment　of　divine　justice　is　removed　from　the　scope　of　our　ken；　yet　we　have　a　right　to　assume　it　to　be　uniform　and　universal；　and　not　varying　and　partial；　as　it　would　be　if　acting　only　upon　general　and　secondary　laws；　because　such　perfect　justice　flows　of　necessity　from　perfectness　of　knowledge　to　conceive；　perfectness　of　love　to　will；　and　perfectness　of　power　to　complete　it。　58　However　fantastic　this　belief　of　the　Vril…ya　may　be；　it　tends　perhaps　to　confirm　politically　the　systems　of　government　which；　admitting　different　degrees　of　wealth；　yet　establishes　perfect　equality　in　rank；　exquisite　mildness　in　all　relations　and　intercourse；　and　tenderness　to　all　created　things　which　the　good　of　the　community　does　not　require　them　to　destroy。　　And　though　their　notion　of　compensation　to　a　tortured　insect　or　a　cankered　flower　may　seem　to　some　of　us　a　very　wild　crotchet；　yet；　at　least；　is　not　a　mischievous　one；　and　it　may　furnish　matter　for　no　unpleasing　reflection　to　think　that　within　the　abysses　of　earth；　never　lit　by　a　ray　from　the　material　heavens；　there　should　have　penetrated　so　luminous　a　conviction　of　the　ineffable　goodness　of　the　Creator…　so　fixed　an　idea　that　the　general　laws　by　which　He　acts　cannot　admit　of　any　partial　injustice　or　evil；　and　therefore　cannot　be　comprehended　without　reference　to　their　action　over　all　space　and　throughout　all　time。　　And　since；　as　I　shall　have　occasion　to　observe　later；　the　intellectual　conditions　and　social　systems　of　this　subterranean　race　comprise　and　harmonise　great；　and　apparently　antagonistic；　varieties　in　philosophical　doctrine　and　speculation　which　have　from　time　to　time　been　started；　discussed；　dismissed；　and　have　re…appeared　amongst　thinkers　or　dreamers　in　the　upper　world；…　so　I　may　perhaps　appropriately　conclude　this　reference　to　the　belief　of　the　Vril…ya；　that　self…conscious　or　sentient　life　once　given　is　indestructible　among　inferior　creatures　as　well　as　in　man；　by　an　eloquent　passage　from　the　work　of　that　eminent　zoologist；　Louis　Agassiz；　which　I　have　only　just　met　with；　many　years　after　I　had　committed　to　paper　these　recollections　of　the　life　of　the　Vril…ya　which　I　now　reduce　into　something　like　arrangement　and　form：　〃The　relations　which　individual　animals　bear　to　one　another　are　of　such　a　character　that　they　ought　long　ago　to　have　been　considered　as　sufficient　proof　that　no　organised　being　could　ever　have　been　called　into　existence　by　other　agency　than　59by　the　direct　intervention　of　a　reflective　mind。　　This　argues　strongly　in　favour　of　the　existence　in　every　animal　of　an　immaterial　principle　similar　to　that　which　by　its　excellence　and　superior　endowments　places　man　so　much　above　the　animals；　yet　the　principle　unquestionably　exists；　and　whether　it　be　called　sense；　reason；　or　instinct；　it　presents　in　the　whole　range　of　organised　beings　a　series　of　phenomena　closely　linked　together；　and　upon　it　are　based　not　only　the　higher　manifestations　of　the　mind；　but　the　very　permanence　of　the　specific　differences　which　characterise　every　organism。　　Most　of　the　arguments　in　favour　of　the　immortality　of　man　apply　equally　to　the　permanency　of　this　principle　in　other　living　beings。　　May　I　not　add　that　a　future　life　in　which　man　would　be　deprived　of　that　great　source　of　enjoyment　and　intellectual　and　moral　improvement　which　results　from　the　contemplation　of　the　harmonies　of　an　organic　world　would　involve　a　lamentable　loss？　And　may　we　not　look　to　a　spiritual　concert　of　the　combined　worlds　and　ALL　their　inhabitants　in　the　presence　of　their　Creator　as　the　highest　conception　of　paradise？〃…　'Essay　on　Classification；'　sect。　　xvii。　　p。　　97…99。


Chapter　XV。


Kind　to　me　as　I　found　all　in　this　household；　the　young　daughter　of　my　host　was　the　most　considerate　and　thoughtful　in　her　kindness。　　At　her　suggestion　I　laid　aside　the　habiliments　in　which　I　had　descended　from　the　upper　earth；　and　adopted　the　dress　of　the　Vril…ya；　with　the　exception　of　the　artful　wings　which　served　them；　when　on　foot；　as　a　graceful　mantle。　　But　as　many　of　the　Vril…ya；　when　occupied　in　urban　pursuits；　did　not　wear　these　wings；　this　exception　created　no　marked　difference　between　myself　and　the　race　among　whom　I　sojourned；　and　I　was　thus　enabled　to　visit　the　town　without　exciting　unpleasant　60curiosity。　　Out　of　the　household　no　one　suspected　that　I　had　come　from　the　upper　world；　and　I　was　but　regarded　as　one　of　some　inferior　and　barbarous　tribe　whom　Aph…Lin　entertained　as　a　guest。

The　city　was　large　in　proportion　to　the　territory　round　it；　which　was　of　no　greater　extent　than　many　an　English　or　Hungarian　nobleman's　estate；　but　the　whole　if　it；　to　the　verge　of　the　rocks　which　constituted　its　boundary；　was　cultivated　to　the　nicest　degree；　except　where　certain　allotments　of　mountain　and　pasture　were　humanely　left　free　to　the　sustenance　of　the　harmless　animals　they　had　tamed；　though　not　for　domestic　use。　　So　great　is　their　kindness　towards　these　humbler　creatures；　that　a　sum　is　devoted　from　the　public　treasury　for　the　purpose　of　deporting　them　to　other　Vril…ya　communities　willing　to　receive　them　（chiefly　new　colonies）；　whenever　they　become　too　numerous　for　the　pastures　allotted　to　them　in　their　native　place。　　They　do　not；　however；　multiply　to　an　extent　comparable　to　the　ratio　at　which；　with　us；　animals　bred　for　slaughter；　increase。　　It　seems　a　law　of　nature　that　animals　not　useful　to　man　gradual