heretics-第20部分

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will　convince　us　that　nothing　is　more　materialistic　than　to　reserve



our　horror　chiefly　for　material　wounds。







The　only　simplicity　that　matters　is　the　simplicity　of　the　heart。



If　that　be　gone；　it　can　be　brought　back　by　no　turnips　or　cellular　clothing；



but　only　by　tears　and　terror　and　the　fires　that　are　not　quenched。



If　that　remain；　it　matters　very　little　if　a　few　Early　Victorian



armchairs　remain　along　with　it。　　Let　us　put　a　complex　entree　into



a　simple　old　gentleman；　let　us　not　put　a　simple　entree　into　a　complex



old　gentleman。　　So　long　as　human　society　will　leave　my　spiritual



inside　alone；　I　will　allow　it；　with　a　comparative　submission；　to　work



its　wild　will　with　my　physical　interior。　　I　will　submit　to　cigars。



I　will　meekly　embrace　a　bottle　of　Burgundy。　　I　will　humble　myself



to　a　hansom　cab。　　If　only　by　this　means　I　may　preserve　to　myself



the　virginity　of　the　spirit；　which　enjoys　with　astonishment　and　fear。



I　do　not　say　that　these　are　the　only　methods　of　preserving　it。



I　incline　to　the　belief　that　there　are　others。　　But　I　will　have



nothing　to　do　with　simplicity　which　lacks　the　fear；　the　astonishment；



and　the　joy　alike。　　I　will　have　nothing　to　do　with　the　devilish



vision　of　a　child　who　is　too　simple　to　like　toys。







The　child　is；　indeed；　in　these；　and　many　other　matters；　the　best　guide。



And　in　nothing　is　the　child　so　righteously　childlike；　in　nothing



does　he　exhibit　more　accurately　the　sounder　order　of　simplicity；



than　in　the　fact　that　he　sees　everything　with　a　simple　pleasure；



even　the　complex　things。　　The　false　type　of　naturalness　harps



always　on　the　distinction　between　the　natural　and　the　artificial。



The　higher　kind　of　naturalness　ignores　that　distinction。



To　the　child　the　tree　and　the　lamp…post　are　as　natural　and　as



artificial　as　each　other；　or　rather；　neither　of　them　are　natural



but　both　supernatural。　　For　both　are　splendid　and　unexplained。



The　flower　with　which　God　crowns　the　one；　and　the　flame　with　which



Sam　the　lamplighter　crowns　the　other；　are　equally　of　the　gold



of　fairy…tales。　In　the　middle　of　the　wildest　fields　the　most　rustic



child　is；　ten　to　one；　playing　at　steam…engines。　And　the　only　spiritual



or　philosophical　objection　to　steam…engines　is　not　that　men　pay



for　them　or　work　at　them；　or　make　them　very　ugly；　or　even　that　men



are　killed　by　them；　but　merely　that　men　do　not　play　at　them。



The　evil　is　that　the　childish　poetry　of　clockwork　does　not　remain。



The　wrong　is　not　that　engines　are　too　much　admired；　but　that　they



are　not　admired　enough。　　The　sin　is　not　that　engines　are　mechanical；



but　that　men　are　mechanical。







In　this　matter；　then；　as　in　all　the　other　matters　treated　in　this　book；



our　main　conclusion　is　that　it　is　a　fundamental　point　of　view；



a　philosophy　or　religion　which　is　needed；　and　not　any　change　in　habit



or　social　routine。　　The　things　we　need　most　for　immediate　practical



purposes　are　all　abstractions。　　We　need　a　right　view　of　the　human　lot；



a　right　view　of　the　human　society；　and　if　we　were　living　eagerly



and　angrily　in　the　enthusiasm　of　those　things；　we　should；



ipso　facto；　be　living　simply　in　the　genuine　and　spiritual　sense。



Desire　and　danger　make　every　one　simple。　　And　to　those　who　talk　to　us



with　interfering　eloquence　about　Jaeger　and　the　pores　of　the　skin；



and　about　Plasmon　and　the　coats　of　the　stomach；　at　them　shall　only



be　hurled　the　words　that　are　hurled　at　fops　and　gluttons；　〃Take　no



thought　what　ye　shall　eat　or　what　ye　shall　drink；　or　wherewithal　ye



shall　be　clothed。　　For　after　all　these　things　do　the　Gentiles　seek。



But　seek　first　the　kingdom　of　God　and　His　righteousness；



and　all　these　things　shall　be　added　unto　you。〃　　Those　amazing



words　are　not　only　extraordinarily　good；　practical　politics；



they　are　also　superlatively　good　hygiene。　　The　one　supreme　way



of　making　all　those　processes　go　right；　the　processes　of　health；



and　strength；　and　grace；　and　beauty；　the　one　and　only　way　of　making



certain　of　their　accuracy；　is　to　think　about　something　else。



If　a　man　is　bent　on　climbing　into　the　seventh　heaven；　he　may　be



quite　easy　about　the　pores　of　his　skin。　　If　he　harnesses　his　waggon



to　a　star；　the　process　will　have　a　most　satisfactory　effect　upon



the　coats　of　his　stomach。　　For　the　thing　called　〃taking　thought；〃



the　thing　for　which　the　best　modern　word　is　〃rationalizing；〃



is　in　its　nature；　inapplicable　to　all　plain　and　urgent　things。



Men　take　thought　and　ponder　rationalistically；　touching　remote　things



things　that　only　theoretically　matter；　such　as　the　transit　of　Venus。



But　only　at　their　peril　can　men　rationalize　about　so　practical



a　matter　as　health。















XI　Science　and　the　Savages











A　permanent　disadvantage　of　the　study　of　folk…lore　and　kindred



subjects　is　that　the　man　of　science　can　hardly　be　in　the　nature



of　things　very　frequently　a　man　of　the　world。　　He　is　a　student



of　nature；　he　is　scarcely　ever　a　student　of　human　nature。



And　even　where　this　difficulty　is　overcome；　and　he　is　in　some　sense



a　student　of　human　nature；　this　is　only　a　very　faint　beginning



of　the　painful　progress　towards　being　human。　　For　the　study



of　primitive　race　and　religion　stands　apart　in　one　important



respect　from　all；　or　nearly　all；　the　ordinary　scientific　studies。



A　man　can　understand　astronomy　only　by　being　an　astronomer；　he　can



understand　entomology　only　by　being　an　entomologist　（or；　perhaps；



an　insect）；　but　he　can　understand　a　great　deal　of　anthropology



merely　by　being　a　man。　　He　is　himself　the　animal　which　he　studies。



Hence　arises　the　fact　which　strikes　the　eye　everywhere　in　the　records



of　ethnology　and　folk…lorethe　fact　that　the　same　frigid　and　detached



spirit　which　leads　to　success　in　the　study　of　astronomy　or　botany



leads　to　disaster　in　the　study　of　mythology　or　human　origins。



It　is　necessary　to　cease　to　be　a　man　in　order　to　do　justice



to　a　microbe；　it　is　not　necessary　to　cease　to　be　a　man　in　order



to　do　justice　to　men。　　That　same　suppression　of　sympathies；



that　same　waving　away　of　intuitions　or　guess…work　which　make　a　man



preternaturally　clever　in　dealing　with　the　stomach　of　a　spider；



will　make　him　preternaturally　stupid　in　dealing　with　the　heart　of　man。



He　is　making　himself　inhuman　in　order　to　understand　humanity。



An　ignorance　of　the　other　world　is　boasted　by　many　men　of　science；



but　in　this　matter　their　defect　arises；　not　from　ignorance　of



the　other　world；　but　from　ignorance　of　this　world。　　For　the　secrets



about　which　anthropologists　concern　themselves　can　be　best　learnt；



not　from　books　or　voyages；　but　from　the　ordinary　commerce　of　man　with　man。



The　secret　of　why　some　savage　tribe　worships　monkeys　or　the　moon



is　not　to　be　found　even　by　travelling　among　those　savages　and　taking



down　their　answers　in　a　note…book；　although　the　cleverest　man



may　pursue　this　course。　　The　answer　to　the　riddle　is　in　England；



it　is　in　London；　nay；　it　is　in　his　own　heart。　　When　a　man　has



discovered　why　men　in　Bond　Street　wear　black　hats　he　will　at　the　same



moment　have　discovered　why　men　in　Timbuctoo　wear　red　feathers。



The　mystery　in　the　heart　of　some　savage　war…dance　should　not　be



studied　in　books　of　scientific　travel；　it　should　be　studied　at　a



subscription　ball。　　If　a　man　desires　to　find　out　the　origins　of　religions；



let　him　not　go　to　the　Sandwich　Islands；　let　him　go　to　church。



If　a　man　wishes　to　know　the　origin　of　human　society；　to　know



what　society；　philosophically　speaking；　really　is；　let　him　not　go



into　the　British　Museum；　let　him　go　into　society。







This　total　misunderstanding　of　the　real　nature　of　ceremonial　gives



rise　to　the　most　awkward　and　dehumanized　versions　of　the　conduct



of　men　in　rude　lands　or　ages。　　The　man　of　science；　not　realizing



that　ceremonial　is　essentially　a　thing　which　is　done　without



a　reason；　has　to　find　a　reason　for　every　sort　of　ceremonial；　and；



as　might　be　supposed；　the　reason　is　generally　a　very　absurd　one



absurd　because　it　originates　not　in　the　simple　mind　of　the　barbarian；



but　in　the　sophisticated　mind　of　the　professor。　　The　teamed　man



will　say；　for　instance；　〃The　natives　of　Mumbojumbo　Land　believe



that　the　dead　man　can　eat　and　will　require　food　upon　his　journey



to　the　other　world。　　This　is　attested　by　the　fact　that　they　place



food　in　the　grave；　and　that　any　family　not　complying　with　this



rite　is　the　object　of　the　anger　of　the　priests　and　the　tribe。〃



To　any　one　acquainted　with　humanity　this　way　of　talking　is　topsy…turvy。



It　is　like　saying；　〃The　English　in　the　twentieth　century　believe