heretics-第14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！




worship　humanity；　just　as　it　is　impossible　to　worship　the　Savile　Club；



both　are　excellent　institutions　to　which　we　may　happen　to　belong。



But　we　perceive　clearly　that　the　Savile　Club　did　not　make　the　stars



and　does　not　fill　the　universe。　　And　it　is　surely　unreasonable　to　attack



the　doctrine　of　the　Trinity　as　a　piece　of　bewildering　mysticism；



and　then　to　ask　men　to　worship　a　being　who　is　ninety　million　persons



in　one　God；　neither　confounding　the　persons　nor　dividing　the　substance。







But　if　the　wisdom　of　Comte　was　insufficient；　the　folly　of　Comte



was　wisdom。　　In　an　age　of　dusty　modernity；　when　beauty　was　thought



of　as　something　barbaric　and　ugliness　as　something　sensible；



he　alone　saw　that　men　must　always　have　the　sacredness　of　mummery。



He　saw　that　while　the　brutes　have　all　the　useful　things；　the　things



that　are　truly　human　are　the　useless　ones。　　He　saw　the　falsehood



of　that　almost　universal　notion　of　to…day；　the　notion　that　rites



and　forms　are　something　artificial；　additional；　and　corrupt。



Ritual　is　really　much　older　than　thought；　it　is　much　simpler　and　much



wilder　than　thought。　　A　feeling　touching　the　nature　of　things　does



not　only　make　men　feel　that　there　are　certain　proper　things　to　say；



it　makes　them　feel　that　there　are　certain　proper　things　to　do。



The　more　agreeable　of　these　consist　of　dancing；　building　temples；



and　shouting　very　loud；　the　less　agreeable；　of　wearing



green　carnations　and　burning　other　philosophers　alive。



But　everywhere　the　religious　dance　came　before　the　religious　hymn；



and　man　was　a　ritualist　before　he　could　speak。　　If　Comtism　had　spread



the　world　would　have　been　converted；　not　by　the　Comtist　philosophy；



but　by　the　Comtist　calendar。　　By　discouraging　what　they　conceive



to　be　the　weakness　of　their　master；　the　English　Positivists



have　broken　the　strength　of　their　religion。　　A　man　who　has　faith



must　be　prepared　not　only　to　be　a　martyr；　but　to　be　a　fool。



It　is　absurd　to　say　that　a　man　is　ready　to　toil　and　die　for　his　convictions



when　he　is　not　even　ready　to　wear　a　wreath　round　his　head　for　them。



I　myself；　to　take　a　corpus　vile；　am　very　certain　that　I　would　not



read　the　works　of　Comte　through　for　any　consideration　whatever。



But　I　can　easily　imagine　myself　with　the　greatest　enthusiasm　lighting



a　bonfire　on　Darwin　Day。







That　splendid　effort　failed；　and　nothing　in　the　style　of　it　has　succeeded。



There　has　been　no　rationalist　festival；　no　rationalist　ecstasy。



Men　are　still　in　black　for　the　death　of　God。　　When　Christianity　was　heavily



bombarded　in　the　last　century　upon　no　point　was　it　more　persistently　and



brilliantly　attacked　than　upon　that　of　its　alleged　enmity　to　human　joy。



Shelley　and　Swinburne　and　all　their　armies　have　passed　again　and　again



over　the　ground；　but　they　have　not　altered　it。　　They　have　not　set　up



a　single　new　trophy　or　ensign　for　the　world's　merriment　to　rally　to。



They　have　not　given　a　name　or　a　new　occasion　of　gaiety。



Mr。　Swinburne　does　not　hang　up　his　stocking　on　the　eve　of　the　birthday



of　Victor　Hugo。　　Mr。　William　Archer　does　not　sing　carols　descriptive



of　the　infancy　of　Ibsen　outside　people's　doors　in　the　snow。



In　the　round　of　our　rational　and　mournful　year　one　festival　remains



out　of　all　those　ancient　gaieties　that　once　covered　the　whole　earth。



Christmas　remains　to　remind　us　of　those　ages；　whether　Pagan　or　Christian；



when　the　many　acted　poetry　instead　of　the　few　writing　it。



In　all　the　winter　in　our　woods　there　is　no　tree　in　glow　but　the　holly。







The　strange　truth　about　the　matter　is　told　in　the　very　word　〃holiday。〃



A　bank　holiday　means　presumably　a　day　which　bankers　regard　as　holy。



A　half…holiday　means；　I　suppose；　a　day　on　which　a　schoolboy　is　only



partially　holy。　　It　is　hard　to　see　at　first　sight　why　so　human　a　thing



as　leisure　and　larkiness　should　always　have　a　religious　origin。



Rationally　there　appears　no　reason　why　we　should　not　sing　and　give



each　other　presents　in　honour　of　anythingthe　birth　of　Michael



Angelo　or　the　opening　of　Euston　Station。　　But　it　does　not　work。



As　a　fact；　men　only　become　greedily　and　gloriously　material　about



something　spiritualistic。　　Take　away　the　Nicene　Creed　and　similar　things；



and　you　do　some　strange　wrong　to　the　sellers　of　sausages。



Take　away　the　strange　beauty　of　the　saints；　and　what　has



remained　to　us　is　the　far　stranger　ugliness　of　Wandsworth。



Take　away　the　supernatural；　and　what　remains　is　the　unnatural。







And　now　I　have　to　touch　upon　a　very　sad　matter。　　There　are　in　the　modern



world　an　admirable　class　of　persons　who　really　make　protest　on　behalf



of　that　antiqua　pulchritudo　of　which　Augustine　spoke；　who　do　long



for　the　old　feasts　and　formalities　of　the　childhood　of　the　world。



William　Morris　and　his　followers　showed　how　much　brighter　were



the　dark　ages　than　the　age　of　Manchester。　　Mr。　W。　B。　Yeats　frames



his　steps　in　prehistoric　dances；　but　no　man　knows　and　joins　his　voice



to　forgotten　choruses　that　no　one　but　he　can　hear。　　Mr。　George　Moore



collects　every　fragment　of　Irish　paganism　that　the　forgetfulness



of　the　Catholic　Church　has　left　or　possibly　her　wisdom　preserved。



There　are　innumerable　persons　with　eye…glasses　and　green　garments



who　pray　for　the　return　of　the　maypole　or　the　Olympian　games。



But　there　is　about　these　people　a　haunting　and　alarming　something



which　suggests　that　it　is　just　possible　that　they　do　not　keep　Christmas。



It　is　painful　to　regard　human　nature　in　such　a　light；



but　it　seems　somehow　possible　that　Mr。　George　Moore　does



not　wave　his　spoon　and　shout　when　the　pudding　is　set　alight。



It　is　even　possible　that　Mr。　W。　B。　Yeats　never　pulls　crackers。



If　so；　where　is　the　sense　of　all　their　dreams　of　festive　traditions？



Here　is　a　solid　and　ancient　festive　tradition　still　plying



a　roaring　trade　in　the　streets；　and　they　think　it　vulgar。



if　this　is　so；　let　them　be　very　certain　of　this；　that　they　are



the　kind　of　people　who　in　the　time　of　the　maypole　would　have　thought



the　maypole　vulgar；　who　in　the　time　of　the　Canterbury　pilgrimage



would　have　thought　the　Canterbury　pilgrimage　vulgar；　who　in　the　time



of　the　Olympian　games　would　have　thought　the　Olympian　games　vulgar。



Nor　can　there　be　any　reasonable　doubt　that　they　were　vulgar。



Let　no　man　deceive　himself；　if　by　vulgarity　we　mean　coarseness　of　speech；



rowdiness　of　behaviour；　gossip；　horseplay；　and　some　heavy　drinking；



vulgarity　there　always　was　wherever　there　was　joy；　wherever　there　was



faith　in　the　gods。　　Wherever　you　have　belief　you　will　have　hilarity；



wherever　you　have　hilarity　you　will　have　some　dangers。　　And　as　creed



and　mythology　produce　this　gross　and　vigorous　life；　so　in　its　turn



this　gross　and　vigorous　life　will　always　produce　creed　and　mythology。



If　we　ever　get　the　English　back　on　to　the　English　land　they　will　become



again　a　religious　people；　if　all　goes　well；　a　superstitious　people。



The　absence　from　modern　life　of　both　the　higher　and　lower　forms　of　faith



is　largely　due　to　a　divorce　from　nature　and　the　trees　and　clouds。



If　we　have　no　more　turnip　ghosts　it　is　chiefly　from　the　lack　of　turnips。















VII。　　Omar　and　the　Sacred　Vine











A　new　morality　has　burst　upon　us　with　some　violence　in　connection



with　the　problem　of　strong　drink；　and　enthusiasts　in　the　matter



range　from　the　man　who　is　violently　thrown　out　at　12。30；　to　the　lady



who　smashes　American　bars　with　an　axe。　　In　these　discussions　it



is　almost　always　felt　that　one　very　wise　and　moderate　position　is



to　say　that　wine　or　such　stuff　should　only　be　drunk　as　a　medicine。



With　this　I　should　venture　to　disagree　with　a　peculiar　ferocity。



The　one　genuinely　dangerous　and　immoral　way　of　drinking　wine　is　to　drink



it　as　a　medicine。　　And　for　this　reason；　If　a　man　drinks　wine　in　order



to　obtain　pleasure；　he　is　trying　to　obtain　something　exceptional；



something　he　does　not　expect　every　hour　of　the　day；　something　which；



unless　he　is　a　little　insane；　he　will　not　try　to　get　every　hour



of　the　day。　　But　if　a　man　drinks　wine　in　order　to　obtain　health；



he　is　trying　to　get　something　natural；　something；　that　is；



that　he　ought　not　to　be　without；　something　that　he　may　find　it



difficult　to　reconcile　himself　to　being　without。　　The　man　may　not



be　seduced　who　has　seen　the　ecstasy　of　being　ecstatic；　it　is　more



dazzling　to　catch　a　glimpse　of　the　ecstasy　of　being　ordinary。



If　there　were　a　magic　ointment；　and　we　took　it　to　a　strong　man；



and　said；　〃This　will　enable　you　to　jump　off　the　Monument；〃



doubtless　he　would　jump　off　the　Monument；　but　he　would　not　jump



off　t