heretics-第36部分

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very　great　minds。







To　very　great　minds　the　things　on　which　men　agree　are　so　immeasurably



more　important　than　the　things　on　which　they　differ；　that　the　latter；



for　all　practical　purposes；　disappear。　　They　have　too　much　in　them



of　an　ancient　laughter　even　to　endure　to　discuss　the　difference



between　the　hats　of　two　men　who　were　both　born　of　a　woman；



or　between　the　subtly　varied　cultures　of　two　men　who　have　both　to　die。



The　first…rate　great　man　is　equal　with　other　men；　like　Shakespeare。



The　second…rate　great　man　is　on　his　knees　to　other　men；　like　Whitman。



The　third…rate　great　man　is　superior　to　other　men；　like　Whistler。















XVIII　The　Fallacy　of　the　Young　Nation











To　say　that　a　man　is　an　idealist　is　merely　to　say　that　he　is



a　man；　but；　nevertheless；　it　might　be　possible　to　effect　some



valid　distinction　between　one　kind　of　idealist　and　another。



One　possible　distinction；　for　instance；　could　be　effected　by　saying　that



humanity　is　divided　into　conscious　idealists　and　unconscious　idealists。



In　a　similar　way；　humanity　is　divided　into　conscious　ritualists　and。



unconscious　ritualists。　　The　curious　thing　is；　in　that　example　as



in　others；　that　it　is　the　conscious　ritualism　which　is　comparatively



simple；　the　unconscious　ritual　which　is　really　heavy　and　complicated。



The　ritual　which　is　comparatively　rude　and　straightforward　is



the　ritual　which　people　call　〃ritualistic。〃　　It　consists　of　plain



things　like　bread　and　wine　and　fire；　and　men　falling　on　their　faces。



But　the　ritual　which　is　really　complex；　and　many　coloured；　and　elaborate；



and　needlessly　formal；　is　the　ritual　which　people　enact　without



knowing　it。　　It　consists　not　of　plain　things　like　wine　and　fire；



but　of　really　peculiar；　and　local；　and　exceptional；　and　ingenious　things



things　like　door…mats；　and　door…knockers；　and　electric　bells；



and　silk　hats；　and　white　ties；　and　shiny　cards；　and　confetti。



The　truth　is　that　the　modern　man　scarcely　ever　gets　back　to　very　old



and　simple　things　except　when　he　is　performing　some　religious　mummery。



The　modern　man　can　hardly　get　away　from　ritual　except　by　entering



a　ritualistic　church。　　In　the　case　of　these　old　and　mystical



formalities　we　can　at　least　say　that　the　ritual　is　not　mere　ritual；



that　the　symbols　employed　are　in　most　cases　symbols　which　belong　to　a



primary　human　poetry。　　The　most　ferocious　opponent　of　the　Christian



ceremonials　must　admit　that　if　Catholicism　had　not　instituted



the　bread　and　wine；　somebody　else　would　most　probably　have　done　so。



Any　one　with　a　poetical　instinct　will　admit　that　to　the　ordinary



human　instinct　bread　symbolizes　something　which　cannot　very　easily



be　symbolized　otherwise；　that　wine；　to　the　ordinary　human　instinct；



symbolizes　something　which　cannot　very　easily　be　symbolized　otherwise。



But　white　ties　in　the　evening　are　ritual；　and　nothing　else　but　ritual。



No　one　would　pretend　that　white　ties　in　the　evening　are　primary



and　poetical。　　Nobody　would　maintain　that　the　ordinary　human　instinct



would　in　any　age　or　country　tend　to　symbolize　the　idea　of　evening



by　a　white　necktie。　　Rather；　the　ordinary　human　instinct　would；



I　imagine；　tend　to　symbolize　evening　by　cravats　with　some　of　the　colours



of　the　sunset；　not　white　neckties；　but　tawny　or　crimson　neckties



neckties　of　purple　or　olive；　or　some　darkened　gold。　　Mr。　J。　A。　Kensit；



for　example；　is　under　the　impression　that　he　is　not　a　ritualist。



But　the　daily　life　of　Mr。　J。　A。　Kensit；　like　that　of　any　ordinary



modern　man；　is；　as　a　matter　of　fact；　one　continual　and　compressed



catalogue　of　mystical　mummery　and　flummery。　　To　take　one　instance



out　of　an　inevitable　hundred：　　I　imagine　that　Mr。　Kensit　takes



off　his　hat　to　a　lady；　and　what　can　be　more　solemn　and　absurd；



considered　in　the　abstract；　than；　symbolizing　the　existence　of　the　other



sex　by　taking　off　a　portion　of　your　clothing　and　waving　it　in　the　air？



This；　I　repeat；　is　not　a　natural　and　primitive　symbol；　like　fire　or　food。



A　man　might　just　as　well　have　to　take　off　his　waistcoat　to　a　lady；



and　if　a　man；　by　the　social　ritual　of　his　civilization；　had　to　take　off



his　waistcoat　to　a　lady；　every　chivalrous　and　sensible　man　would　take



off　his　waistcoat　to　a　lady。　　In　short；　Mr。　Kensit；　and　those　who　agree



with　him；　may　think；　and　quite　sincerely　think；　that　men　give　too



much　incense　and　ceremonial　to　their　adoration　of　the　other　world。



But　nobody　thinks　that　he　can　give　too　much　incense　and　ceremonial



to　the　adoration　of　this　world。　　All　men；　then；　are　ritualists；　but　are



either　conscious　or　unconscious　ritualists。　　The　conscious　ritualists



are　generally　satisfied　with　a　few　very　simple　and　elementary　signs；



the　unconscious　ritualists　are　not　satisfied　with　anything　short



of　the　whole　of　human　life；　being　almost　insanely　ritualistic。



The　first　is　called　a　ritualist　because　he　invents　and　remembers



one　rite；　the　other　is　called　an　anti…ritualist　because　he　obeys



and　forgets　a　thousand。　　And　a　somewhat　similar　distinction



to　this　which　I　have　drawn　with　some　unavoidable　length；



between　the　conscious　ritualist　and　the　unconscious　ritualist；



exists　between　the　conscious　idealist　and　the　unconscious　idealist。



It　is　idle　to　inveigh　against　cynics　and　materialiststhere　are



no　cynics；　there　are　no　materialists。　　Every　man　is　idealistic；



only　it　so　often　happens　that　he　has　the　wrong　ideal。



Every　man　is　incurably　sentimental；　but；　unfortunately；　it　is　so　often



a　false　sentiment。　　When　we　talk；　for　instance；　of　some　unscrupulous



commercial　figure；　and　say　that　he　would　do　anything　for　money；



we　use　quite　an　inaccurate　expression；　and　we　slander　him　very　much。



He　would　not　do　anything　for　money。　　He　would　do　some　things　for　money；



he　would　sell　his　soul　for　money；　for　instance；　and；　as　Mirabeau



humorously　said；　he　would　be　quite　wise　〃to　take　money　for　muck。〃



He　would　oppress　humanity　for　money；　but　then　it　happens　that　humanity



and　the　soul　are　not　things　that　he　believes　in；　they　are　not　his　ideals。



But　he　has　his　own　dim　and　delicate　ideals；　and　he　would　not　violate



these　for　money。　　He　would　not　drink　out　of　the　soup…tureen；　for　money。



He　would　not　wear　his　coat…tails　in　front；　for　money。　　He　would



not　spread　a　report　that　he　had　softening　of　the　brain；　for　money。



In　the　actual　practice　of　life　we　find；　in　the　matter　of　ideals；



exactly　what　we　have　already　found　in　the　matter　of　ritual。



We　find　that　while　there　is　a　perfectly　genuine　danger　of　fanaticism



from　the　men　who　have　unworldly　ideals；　the　permanent　and　urgent



danger　of　fanaticism　is　from　the　men　who　have　worldly　ideals。







People　who　say　that　an　ideal　is　a　dangerous　thing；　that　it



deludes　and　intoxicates；　are　perfectly　right。　　But　the　ideal



which　intoxicates　most　is　the　least　idealistic　kind　of　ideal。



The　ideal　which　intoxicates　least　is　the　very　ideal　ideal；　that　sobers



us　suddenly；　as　all　heights　and　precipices　and　great　distances　do。



Granted　that　it　is　a　great　evil　to　mistake　a　cloud　for　a　cape；



still；　the　cloud；　which　can　be　most　easily　mistaken　for　a　cape；



is　the　cloud　that　is　nearest　the　earth。　　Similarly；　we　may　grant



that　it　may　be　dangerous　to　mistake　an　ideal　for　something　practical。



But　we　shall　still　point　out　that；　in　this　respect；　the　most



dangerous　ideal　of　all　is　the　ideal　which　looks　a　little　practical。



It　is　difficult　to　attain　a　high　ideal；　consequently；　it　is　almost



impossible　to　persuade　ourselves　that　we　have　attained　it。



But　it　is　easy　to　attain　a　low　ideal；　consequently；　it　is　easier



still　to　persuade　ourselves　that　we　have　attained　it　when　we



have　done　nothing　of　the　kind。　　To　take　a　random　example。



It　might　be　called　a　high　ambition　to　wish　to　be　an　archangel；



the　man　who　entertained　such　an　ideal　would　very　possibly



exhibit　asceticism；　or　even　frenzy；　but　not；　I　think；　delusion。



He　would　not　think　he　was　an　archangel；　and　go　about　flapping



his　hands　under　the　impression　that　they　were　wings。



But　suppose　that　a　sane　man　had　a　low　ideal；　suppose　he　wished



to　be　a　gentleman。　　Any　one　who　knows　the　world　knows　that　in　nine



weeks　he　would　have　persuaded　himself　that　he　was　a　gentleman；



and　this　being　manifestly　not　the　case；　the　result　will　be　very



real　and　practical　dislocations　and　calamities　in　social　life。



It　is　not　the　wild　ideals　which　wreck　the　practical　world；



it　is　the　tame　ideals。







The　matter　may；　perhaps；　be　illustrated　by　a　parallel　from　our



modern　politics。　　When　men　tell　us　that　the　old　Liberal　politicians



of　the　type　of　Gla