heretics-第16部分

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Omar's　（or　Fitzgerald's）　effect　upon　the　other　world　we　may　let　go；



his　hand　upon　this　world　has　been　heavy　and　paralyzing。



The　Puritans；　as　I　have　said；　are　far　jollier　than　he。



The　new　ascetics　who　follow　Thoreau　or　Tolstoy　are　much　livelier　company；



for；　though　the　surrender　of　strong　drink　and　such　luxuries　may



strike　us　as　an　idle　negation；　it　may　leave　a　man　with　innumerable



natural　pleasures；　and；　above　all；　with　man's　natural　power　of　happiness。



Thoreau　could　enjoy　the　sunrise　without　a　cup　of　coffee。　　If　Tolstoy



cannot　admire　marriage；　at　least　he　is　healthy　enough　to　admire　mud。



Nature　can　be　enjoyed　without　even　the　most　natural　luxuries。



A　good　bush　needs　no　wine。　　But　neither　nature　nor　wine　nor　anything



else　can　be　enjoyed　if　we　have　the　wrong　attitude　towards　happiness；



and　Omar　（or　Fitzgerald）　did　have　the　wrong　attitude　towards　happiness。



He　and　those　he　has　influenced　do　not　see　that　if　we　are　to　be　truly　gay；



we　must　believe　that　there　is　some　eternal　gaiety　in　the　nature　of　things。



We　cannot　enjoy　thoroughly　even　a　pas…de…quatre　at　a　subscription　dance



unless　we　believe　that　the　stars　are　dancing　to　the　same　tune。　　No　one　can



be　really　hilarious　but　the　serious　man。　　〃Wine；〃　says　the　Scripture；



〃maketh　glad　the　heart　of　man；〃　but　only　of　the　man　who　has　a　heart。



The　thing　called　high　spirits　is　possible　only　to　the　spiritual。



Ultimately　a　man　cannot　rejoice　in　anything　except　the　nature　of　things。



Ultimately　a　man　can　enjoy　nothing　except　religion。　　Once　in　the　world's



history　men　did　believe　that　the　stars　were　dancing　to　the　tune



of　their　temples；　and　they　danced　as　men　have　never　danced　since。



With　this　old　pagan　eudaemonism　the　sage　of　the　Rubaiyat　has



quite　as　little　to　do　as　he　has　with　any　Christian　variety。



He　is　no　more　a　Bacchanal　than　he　is　a　saint。　　Dionysus　and　his　church



was　grounded　on　a　serious　joie…de…vivre　like　that　of　Walt　Whitman。



Dionysus　made　wine；　not　a　medicine；　but　a　sacrament。



Jesus　Christ　also　made　wine；　not　a　medicine；　but　a　sacrament。



But　Omar　makes　it；　not　a　sacrament；　but　a　medicine。　　He　feasts



because　life　is　not　joyful；　he　revels　because　he　is　not　glad。



〃Drink；〃　he　says；　〃for　you　know　not　whence　you　come　nor　why。



Drink；　for　you　know　not　when　you　go　nor　where。　　Drink；　because　the



stars　are　cruel　and　the　world　as　idle　as　a　humming…top。　Drink；



because　there　is　nothing　worth　trusting；　nothing　worth　fighting　for。



Drink；　because　all　things　are　lapsed　in　a　base　equality　and　an



evil　peace。〃　　So　he　stands　offering　us　the　cup　in　his　hand。



And　at　the　high　altar　of　Christianity　stands　another　figure；　in　whose



hand　also　is　the　cup　of　the　vine。　　〃Drink〃　he　says　〃for　the　whole



world　is　as　red　as　this　wine；　with　the　crimson　of　the　love　and　wrath



of　God。　　Drink；　for　the　trumpets　are　blowing　for　battle　and　this



is　the　stirrup…cup。　Drink；　for　this　my　blood　of　the　new　testament



that　is　shed　for　you。　　Drink；　for　I　know　of　whence　you　come　and　why。



Drink；　for　I　know　of　when　you　go　and　where。〃















VIII。　　The　Mildness　of　the　Yellow　Press











There　is　a　great　deal　of　protest　made　from　one　quarter　or　another



nowadays　against　the　influence　of　that　new　journalism　which　is



associated　with　the　names　of　Sir　Alfred　Harmsworth　and　Mr。　Pearson。



But　almost　everybody　who　attacks　it　attacks　on　the　ground　that　it



is　very　sensational；　very　violent　and　vulgar　and　startling。



I　am　speaking　in　no　affected　contrariety；　but　in　the　simplicity



of　a　genuine　personal　impression；　when　I　say　that　this　journalism



offends　as　being　not　sensational　or　violent　enough。　　The　real　vice



is　not　that　it　is　startling；　but　that　it　is　quite　insupportably　tame。



The　whole　object　is　to　keep　carefully　along　a　certain　level　of　the



expected　and　the　commonplace；　it　may　be　low；　but　it　must　take　care



also　to　be　flat。　　Never　by　any　chance　in　it　is　there　any　of　that　real



plebeian　pungency　which　can　be　heard　from　the　ordinary　cabman　in



the　ordinary　street。　　We　have　heard　of　a　certain　standard　of　decorum



which　demands　that　things　should　be　funny　without　being　vulgar；



but　the　standard　of　this　decorum　demands　that　if　things　are　vulgar



they　shall　be　vulgar　without　being　funny。　　This　journalism　does



not　merely　fail　to　exaggerate　lifeit　positively　underrates　it；



and　it　has　to　do　so　because　it　is　intended　for　the　faint　and　languid



recreation　of　men　whom　the　fierceness　of　modern　life　has　fatigued。



This　press　is　not　the　yellow　press　at　all；　it　is　the　drab　press。



Sir　Alfred　Harmsworth　must　not　address　to　the　tired　clerk



any　observation　more　witty　than　the　tired　clerk　might　be　able



to　address　to　Sir　Alfred　Harmsworth。　　It　must　not　expose　anybody



（anybody　who　is　powerful；　that　is）；　it　must　not　offend　anybody；



it　must　not　even　please　anybody；　too　much。　　A　general　vague　idea



that　in　spite　of　all　this；　our　yellow　press　is　sensational；



arises　from　such　external　accidents　as　large　type　or　lurid　headlines。



It　is　quite　true　that　these　editors　print　everything　they　possibly



can　in　large　capital　letters。　　But　they　do　this；　not　because　it



is　startling；　but　because　it　is　soothing。　　To　people　wholly　weary



or　partly　drunk　in　a　dimly　lighted　train；　it　is　a　simplification　and



a　comfort　to　have　things　presented　in　this　vast　and　obvious　manner。



The　editors　use　this　gigantic　alphabet　in　dealing　with　their　readers；



for　exactly　the　same　reason　that　parents　and　governesses　use



a　similar　gigantic　alphabet　in　teaching　children　to　spell。



The　nursery　authorities　do　not　use　an　A　as　big　as　a　horseshoe



in　order　to　make　the　child　jump；　on　the　contrary；　they　use　it　to　put



the　child　at　his　ease；　to　make　things　smoother　and　more　evident。



Of　the　same　character　is　the　dim　and　quiet　dame　school　which



Sir　Alfred　Harmsworth　and　Mr。　Pearson　keep。　　All　their　sentiments



are　spelling…book　sentimentsthat　is　to　say；　they　are　sentiments



with　which　the　pupil　is　already　respectfully　familiar。



All　their　wildest　posters　are　leaves　torn　from　a　copy…book。







Of　real　sensational　journalism；　as　it　exists　in　France；



in　Ireland；　and　in　America；　we　have　no　trace　in　this　country。



When　a　journalist　in　Ireland　wishes　to　create　a　thrill；



he　creates　a　thrill　worth　talking　about。　　He　denounces　a　leading



Irish　member　for　corruption；　or　he　charges　the　whole　police　system



with　a　wicked　and　definite　conspiracy。　　When　a　French　journalist



desires　a　frisson　there　is　a　frisson；　he　discovers；　let　us　say；



that　the　President　of　the　Republic　has　murdered　three　wives。



Our　yellow　journalists　invent　quite　as　unscrupulously　as　this；



their　moral　condition　is；　as　regards　careful　veracity；　about　the　same。



But　it　is　their　mental　calibre　which　happens　to　be　such



that　they　can　only　invent　calm　and　even　reassuring　things。



The　fictitious　version　of　the　massacre　of　the　envoys　of　Pekin



was　mendacious；　but　it　was　not　interesting；　except　to　those　who



had　private　reasons　for　terror　or　sorrow。　　It　was　not　connected



with　any　bold　and　suggestive　view　of　the　Chinese　situation。



It　revealed　only　a　vague　idea　that　nothing　could　be　impressive



except　a　great　deal　of　blood。　　Real　sensationalism；　of　which　I



happen　to　be　very　fond；　may　be　either　moral　or　immoral。



But　even　when　it　is　most　immoral；　it　requires　moral　courage。



For　it　is　one　of　the　most　dangerous　things　on　earth　genuinely



to　surprise　anybody。　　If　you　make　any　sentient　creature　jump；



you　render　it　by　no　means　improbable　that　it　will　jump　on　you。



But　the　leaders　of　this　movement　have　no　moral　courage　or　immoral　courage；



their　whole　method　consists　in　saying；　with　large　and　elaborate　emphasis；



the　things　which　everybody　else　says　casually；　and　without　remembering



what　they　have　said。　　When　they　brace　themselves　up　to　attack　anything；



they　never　reach　the　point　of　attacking　anything　which　is　large



and　real；　and　would　resound　with　the　shock。　　They　do　not　attack



the　army　as　men　do　in　France；　or　the　judges　as　men　do　in　Ireland；



or　the　democracy　itself　as　men　did　in　England　a　hundred　years　ago。



They　attack　something　like　the　War　Officesomething；　that　is；



which　everybody　attacks　and　nobody　bothers　to　defend；



something　which　is　an　old　joke　in　fourth…rate　comic　papers。



just　as　a　man　shows　he　has　a　weak　voice　by　straining　it



to　shout；　so　they　show　the　hopelessly　unsensational　nature



of　their　minds　when　they　really　try　to　be　sensational。



With　the　whole　world　full　of　big　and　dubious　institutions；



with　the　whole　wickedness　of　civilization　staring　them　in　the　face；



their　idea　of　being　bold　and　bright　is　t