heretics-第7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！




and　still　be　ignorant　of　first　love；　a　man　may　have　known　as　many



lands　as　Ulysses；　and　still　be　ignorant　of　patriotism。







Mr。　Rudyard　Kipling　has　asked　in　a　celebrated　epigram　what　they　can



know　of　England　who　know　England　only。　　It　is　a　far　deeper　and　sharper



question　to　ask；　〃What　can　they　know　of　England　who　know　only　the　world？〃



for　the　world　does　not　include　England　any　more　than　it　includes



the　Church。　　The　moment　we　care　for　anything　deeply；　the　world



that　is；　all　the　other　miscellaneous　interestsbecomes　our　enemy。



Christians　showed　it　when　they　talked　of　keeping　one's　self



〃unspotted　from　the　world；〃　but　lovers　talk　of　it　just　as　much



when　they　talk　of　the　〃world　well　lost。〃　　Astronomically　speaking；



I　understand　that　England　is　situated　on　the　world；　similarly；　I　suppose



that　the　Church　was　a　part　of　the　world；　and　even　the　lovers



inhabitants　of　that　orb。　　But　they　all　felt　a　certain　truth



the　truth　that　the　moment　you　love　anything　the　world　becomes　your　foe。



Thus　Mr。　Kipling　does　certainly　know　the　world；　he　is　a　man　of　the　world；



with　all　the　narrowness　that　belongs　to　those　imprisoned　in　that　planet。



He　knows　England　as　an　intelligent　English　gentleman　knows　Venice。



He　has　been　to　England　a　great　many　times；　he　has　stopped　there



for　long　visits。　　But　he　does　not　belong　to　it；　or　to　any　place；



and　the　proof　of　it　is　this；　that　he　thinks　of　England　as　a　place。



The　moment　we　are　rooted　in　a　place；　the　place　vanishes。



We　live　like　a　tree　with　the　whole　strength　of　the　universe。







The　globe…trotter　lives　in　a　smaller　world　than　the　peasant。



He　is　always　breathing；　an　air　of　locality。　　London　is　a　place；　to　be



compared　to　Chicago；　Chicago　is　a　place；　to　be　compared　to　Timbuctoo。



But　Timbuctoo　is　not　a　place；　since　there；　at　least；　live　men



who　regard　it　as　the　universe；　and　breathe；　not　an　air　of　locality；



but　the　winds　of　the　world。　　The　man　in　the　saloon　steamer　has



seen　all　the　races　of　men；　and　he　is　thinking　of　the　things　that



divide　mendiet；　dress；　decorum；　rings　in　the　nose　as　in　Africa；



or　in　the　ears　as　in　Europe；　blue　paint　among　the　ancients；　or　red



paint　among　the　modern　Britons。　　The　man　in　the　cabbage　field　has



seen　nothing　at　all；　but　he　is　thinking　of　the　things　that　unite　men



hunger　and　babies；　and　the　beauty　of　women；　and　the　promise　or　menace



of　the　sky。　　Mr。　Kipling；　with　all　his　merits；　is　the　globe…trotter；



he　has　not　the　patience　to　become　part　of　anything。



So　great　and　genuine　a　man　is　not　to　be　accused　of　a　merely



cynical　cosmopolitanism；　still；　his　cosmopolitanism　is　his　weakness。



That　weakness　is　splendidly　expressed　in　one　of　his　finest　poems；



〃The　Sestina　of　the　Tramp　Royal；〃　in　which　a　man　declares　that　he　can



endure　anything　in　the　way　of　hunger　or　horror；　but　not　permanent



presence　in　one　place。　　In　this　there　is　certainly　danger。



The　more　dead　and　dry　and　dusty　a　thing　is　the　more　it　travels　about；



dust　is　like　this　and　the　thistle…down　and　the　High　Commissioner



in　South　Africa。　　Fertile　things　are　somewhat　heavier；　like　the　heavy



fruit　trees　on　the　pregnant　mud　of　the　Nile。　　In　the　heated　idleness



of　youth　we　were　all　rather　inclined　to　quarrel　with　the　implication



of　that　proverb　which　says　that　a　rolling　stone　gathers　no　moss。　　We　were



inclined　to　ask；　〃Who　wants　to　gather　moss；　except　silly　old　ladies？〃



But　for　all　that　we　begin　to　perceive　that　the　proverb　is　right。



The　rolling　stone　rolls　echoing　from　rock　to　rock；　but　the　rolling



stone　is　dead。　　The　moss　is　silent　because　the　moss　is　alive。







The　truth　is　that　exploration　and　enlargement　make　the　world　smaller。



The　telegraph　and　the　steamboat　make　the　world　smaller。



The　telescope　makes　the　world　smaller；　it　is　only　the　microscope



that　makes　it　larger。　　Before　long　the　world　will　be　cloven



with　a　war　between　the　telescopists　and　the　microscopists。



The　first　study　large　things　and　live　in　a　small　world；　the　second



study　small　things　and　live　in　a　large　world。　　It　is　inspiriting



without　doubt　to　whizz　in　a　motor…car　round　the　earth；　to　feel　Arabia



as　a　whirl　of　sand　or　China　as　a　flash　of　rice…fields。　But　Arabia



is　not　a　whirl　of　sand　and　China　is　not　a　flash　of　rice…fields。　They



are　ancient　civilizations　with　strange　virtues　buried　like　treasures。



If　we　wish　to　understand　them　it　must　not　be　as　tourists　or　inquirers；



it　must　be　with　the　loyalty　of　children　and　the　great　patience　of　poets。



To　conquer　these　places　is　to　lose　them。　　The　man　standing



in　his　own　kitchen…garden；　with　fairyland　opening　at　the　gate；



is　the　man　with　large　ideas。　　His　mind　creates　distance；　the　motor…car



stupidly　destroys　it。　　Moderns　think　of　the　earth　as　a　globe；



as　something　one　can　easily　get　round；　the　spirit　of　a　schoolmistress。



This　is　shown　in　the　odd　mistake　perpetually　made　about　Cecil　Rhodes。



His　enemies　say　that　he　may　have　had　large　ideas；　but　he　was　a　bad　man。



His　friends　say　that　he　may　have　been　a　bad　man；　but　he　certainly



had　large　ideas。　　The　truth　is　that　he　was　not　a　man　essentially　bad；



he　was　a　man　of　much　geniality　and　many　good　intentions；　but　a　man



with　singularly　small　views。　　There　is　nothing　large　about　painting



the　map　red；　it　is　an　innocent　game　for　children。　　It　is　just　as　easy



to　think　in　continents　as　to　think　in　cobble…stones。　The　difficulty



comes　in　when　we　seek　to　know　the　substance　of　either　of　them。



Rhodes'　prophecies　about　the　Boer　resistance　are　an　admirable



comment　on　how　the　〃large　ideas〃　prosper　when　it　is　not　a　question



of　thinking　in　continents　but　of　understanding　a　few　two…legged　men。



And　under　all　this　vast　illusion　of　the　cosmopolitan　planet；



with　its　empires　and　its　Reuter's　agency；　the　real　life　of　man



goes　on　concerned　with　this　tree　or　that　temple；　with　this　harvest



or　that　drinking…song；　totally　uncomprehended；　totally　untouched。



And　it　watches　from　its　splendid　parochialism；　possibly　with　a　smile



of　amusement；　motor…car　civilization　going　its　triumphant　way；



outstripping　time；　consuming　space；　seeing　all　and　seeing　nothing；



roaring　on　at　last　to　the　capture　of　the　solar　system；　only　to　find



the　sun　cockney　and　the　stars　suburban。















IV。　　Mr。　Bernard　Shaw











In　the　glad　old　days；　before　the　rise　of　modern　morbidities；



when　genial　old　Ibsen　filled　the　world　with　wholesome　joy；　and　the



kindly　tales　of　the　forgotten　Emile　Zola　kept　our　firesides　merry



and　pure；　it　used　to　be　thought　a　disadvantage　to　be　misunderstood。



It　may　be　doubted　whether　it　is　always　or　even　generally　a　disadvantage。



The　man　who　is　misunderstood　has　always　this　advantage　over　his　enemies；



that　they　do　not　know　his　weak　point　or　his　plan　of　campaign。



They　go　out　against　a　bird　with　nets　and　against　a　fish　with　arrows。



There　are　several　modern　examples　of　this　situation。　　Mr。　Chamberlain；



for　instance；　is　a　very　good　one。　　He　constantly　eludes　or　vanquishes



his　opponents　because　his　real　powers　and　deficiencies　are　quite



different　to　those　with　which　he　is　credited；　both　by　friends　and　foes。



His　friends　depict　him　as　a　strenuous　man　of　action；　his　opponents



depict　him　as　a　coarse　man　of　business；　when；　as　a　fact；　he　is　neither



one　nor　the　other；　but　an　admirable　romantic　orator　and　romantic　actor。



He　has　one　power　which　is　the　soul　of　melodramathe　power　of　pretending；



even　when　backed　by　a　huge　majority；　that　he　has　his　back　to　the　wall。



For　all　mobs　are　so　far　chivalrous　that　their　heroes　must　make



some　show　of　misfortunethat　sort　of　hypocrisy　is　the　homage



that　strength　pays　to　weakness。　　He　talks　foolishly　and　yet



very　finely　about　his　own　city　that　has　never　deserted　him。



He　wears　a　flaming　and　fantastic　flower；　like　a　decadent　minor　poet。



As　for　his　bluffness　and　toughness　and　appeals　to　common　sense；



all　that　is；　of　course；　simply　the　first　trick　of　rhetoric。



He　fronts　his　audiences　with　the　venerable　affectation　of　Mark　Antony







　　〃I　am　no　orator；　as　Brutus　is；



　　　But　as　you　know　me　all；　a　plain　blunt　man。〃







It　is　the　whole　difference　between　the　aim　of　the　orator　and



the　aim　of　any　other　artist；　such　as　the　poet　or　the　sculptor。



The　aim　of　the　sculptor　is　to　convince　us　that　he　is　a　sculptor；



the　aim　of　the　orator；　is　to　convince　us　that　he　is　not　an　orator。



Once　let　Mr。　Chamberlain　be　mistaken　for　a　practical　man；　and　his



game　is　won。　　He　has　only　to　compose　a　theme　on　empire；　and　people



will　say　that　these　plain　men　say　great　things　on　great　occasions。



He　has　only　to　drift　in　the　large　loose　notion