the way of all flesh-第5部分

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the　whole　I　should　say　that　he　was　not；　for　he　did　not　consider
himself　so；　he　was　too　religious　to　consider　Fortune　a　deity　at　all；
he　took　whatever　she　gave　and　never　thanked　her；　being　firmly
convinced　that　whatever　he　got　to　his　own　advantage　was　of　his　own
getting。　　And　so　it　was；　after　Fortune　had　made　him　able　to　get　it。

〃Nos　te；　nos　facimus；　Fortuna；　deam；〃　exclaimed　the　poet。　　〃It　is　we
who　make　thee；　Fortune；　a　goddess〃；　and　so　it　is；　after　Fortune　has
made　us　able　to　make　her。　　The　poet　says　nothing　as　to　the　making　of
the　〃nos。〃　　Perhaps　some　men　are　independent　of　antecedents　and
surroundings　and　have　an　initial　force　within　themselves　which　is　in
no　way　due　to　causation；　but　this　is　supposed　to　be　a　difficult
question　and　it　may　be　as　well　to　avoid　it。　　Let　it　suffice　that
George　Pontifex　did　not　consider　himself　fortunate；　and　he　who　does
not　consider　himself　fortunate　is　unfortunate。

True；　he　was　rich；　universally　respected　and　of　an　excellent　natural
constitution。　　If　he　had　eaten　and　drunk　less　he　would　never　have
known　a　day's　indisposition。　　Perhaps　his　main　strength　lay　in　the
fact　that　though　his　capacity　was　a　little　above　the　average；　it　was
not　too　much　so。　　It　is　on　this　rock　that　so　many　clever　people
split。　　The　successful　man　will　see　just　so　much　more　than　his
neighbours　as　they　will　be　able　to　see　too　when　it　is　shown　them；
but　not　enough　to　puzzle　them。　　It　is　far　safer　to　know　too　little
than　too　much。　　People　will　condemn　the　one；　though　they　will　resent
being　called　upon　to　exert　themselves　to　follow　the　other。

The　best　example　of　Mr　Pontifex's　good　sense　in　matters　connected
with　his　business　which　I　can　think　of　at　this　moment　is　the
revolution　which　he　effected　in　the　style　of　advertising　works
published　by　the　firm。　　When　he　first　became　a　partner　one　of　the
firm's　advertisements　ran　thus：…


〃Books　proper　to　be　given　away　at　this　Season。　…

〃The　Pious　Country　Parishioner；　being　directions　how　a　Christian　may
manage　every　day　in　the　course　of　his　whole　life　with　safety　and
success；　how　to　spend　the　Sabbath　Day；　what　books　of　the　Holy
Scripture　ought　to　be　read　first；　the　whole　method　of　education；
collects　for　the　most　important　virtues　that　adorn　the　soul；　a
discourse　on　the　Lord's　Supper；　rules　to　set　the　soul　right　in
sickness；　so　that　in　this　treatise　are　contained　all　the　rules
requisite　for　salvation。　　The　8th　edition　with　additions。　　Price
10d。

***　An　allowance　will　be　made　to　those　who　give　them　away。〃


Before　he　had　been　many　years　a　partner　the　advertisement　stood　as
follows：…


〃The　Pious　Country　Parishioner。　　A　complete　manual　of　Christian
Devotion。　　Price　10d。

A　reduction　will　be　made　to　purchasers　for　gratuitous　distribution。〃


What　a　stride　is　made　in　the　foregoing　towards　the　modern　standard；
and　what　intelligence　is　involved　in　the　perception　of　the
unseemliness　of　the　old　style；　when　others　did　not　perceive　it！

Where　then　was　the　weak　place　in　George　Pontifex's　armour？　　I
suppose　in　the　fact　that　he　had　risen　too　rapidly。　　It　would　almost
seem　as　if　a　transmitted　education　of　some　generations　is　necessary
for　the　due　enjoyment　of　great　wealth。　　Adversity；　if　a　man　is　set
down　to　it　by　degrees；　is　more　supportable　with　equanimity　by　most
people　than　any　great　prosperity　arrived　at　in　a　single　lifetime。
Nevertheless　a　certain　kind　of　good　fortune　generally　attends　self…
made　men　to　the　last。　　It　is　their　children　of　the　first；　or　first
and　second；　generation　who　are　in　greater　danger；　for　the　race　can
no　more　repeat　its　most　successful　performances　suddenly　and　without
its　ebbings　and　flowings　of　success　than　the　individual　can　do　so；
and　the　more　brilliant　the　success　in　any　one　generation；　the
greater　as　a　general　rule　the　subsequent　exhaustion　until　time　has
been　allowed　for　recovery。　　Hence　it　oftens　happens　that　the
grandson　of　a　successful　man　will　be　more　successful　than　the　son
the　spirit　that　actuated　the　grandfather　having　lain　fallow　in　the
son　and　being　refreshed　by　repose　so　as　to　be　ready　for　fresh
exertion　in　the　grandson。　　A　very　successful　man；　moreover；　has
something　of　the　hybrid　in　him；　he　is　a　new　animal；　arising　from　the
coming　together　of　many　unfamiliar　elements　and　it　is　well　known
that　the　reproduction　of　abnormal　growths；　whether　animal　or
vegetable；　is　irregular　and　not　to　be　depended　upon；　even　when　they
are　not　absolutely　sterile。

And　certainly　Mr　Pontifex's　success　was　exceedingly　rapid。　　Only　a
few　years　after　he　had　become　a　partner　his　uncle　and　aunt　both　died
within　a　few　months　of　one　another。　　It　was　then　found　that　they　had
made　him　their　heir。　　He　was　thus　not　only　sole　partner　in　the
business　but　found　himself　with　a　fortune　of　some　30；000　pounds　into
the　bargain；　and　this　was　a　large　sum　in　those　days。　　Money　came
pouring　in　upon　him；　and　the　faster　it　came　the　fonder　he　became　of
it；　though；　as　he　frequently　said；　he　valued　it　not　for　its　own
sake；　but　only　as　a　means　of　providing　for　his　dear　children。

Yet　when　a　man　is　very　fond　of　his　money　it　is　not　easy　for　him　at
all　times　to　be　very　fond　of　his　children　also。　　The　two　are　like
God　and　Mammon。　　Lord　Macaulay　has　a　passage　in　which　he　contrasts
the　pleasures　which　a　man　may　derive　from　books　with　the
inconveniences　to　which　he　may　be　put　by　his　acquaintances。
〃Plato；〃　he　says；　〃is　never　sullen。　　Cervantes　is　never　petulant。
Demosthenes　never　comes　unseasonably。　　Dante　never　stays　too　long。
No　difference　of　political　opinion　can　alienate　Cicero。　　No　heresy
can　excite　the　horror　of　Bossuet。〃　　I　dare　say　I　might　differ　from
Lord　Macaulay　in　my　estimate　of　some　of　the　writers　he　has　named；
but　there　can　be　no　disputing　his　main　proposition；　namely；　that　we
need　have　no　more　trouble　from　any　of　them　than　we　have　a　mind　to；
whereas　our　friends　are　not　always　so　easily　disposed　of。　　George
Pontifex　felt　this　as　regards　his　children　and　his　money。　　His　money
was　never　naughty；　his　money　never　made　noise　or　litter；　and　did　not
spill　things　on　the　tablecloth　at　meal　times；　or　leave　the　door　open
when　it　went　out。　　His　dividends　did　not　quarrel　among　themselves；
nor　was　he　under　any　uneasiness　lest　his　mortgages　should　become
extravagant　on　reaching　manhood　and　run　him　up　debts　which　sooner　or
later　he　should　have　to　pay。　　There　were　tendencies　in　John　which
made　him　very　uneasy；　and　Theobald；　his　second　son；　was　idle　and　at
times　far　from　truthful。　　His　children　might；　perhaps；　have
answered；　had　they　known　what　was　in　their　father's　mind；　that　he
did　not　knock　his　money　about　as　he　not　infrequently　knocked　his
children。　　He　never　dealt　hastily　or　pettishly　with　his　money；　and
that　was　perhaps　why　he　and　it　got　on　so　well　together。

It　must　be　remembered　that　at　the　beginning　of　the　nineteenth
century　the　relations　between　parents　and　children　were　still　far
from　satisfactory。　　The　violent　type　of　father；　as　described　by
Fielding；　Richardson；　Smollett　and　Sheridan；　is　now　hardly　more
likely　to　find　a　place　in　literature　than　the　original　advertisement
of　Messrs。　Fairlie　&　Pontifex's　〃Pious　Country　Parishioner；〃　but　the
type　was　much　too　persistent　not　to　have　been　drawn　from　nature
closely。　　The　parents　in　Miss　Austen's　novels　are　less　like　savage
wild　beasts　than　those　of　her　predecessors；　but　she　evidently　looks
upon　them　with　suspicion；　and　an　uneasy　feeling　that　le　pere　de
famille　est　capable　de　tout　makes　itself　sufficiently　apparent
throughout　the　greater　part　of　her　writings。　　In　the　Elizabethan
time　the　relations　between　parents　and　children　seem　on　the　whole　to
have　been　more　kindly。　　The　fathers　and　the　sons　are　for　the　most
part　friends　in　Shakespeare；　nor　does　the　evil　appear　to　have
reached　its　full　abomination　till　a　long　course　of　Puritanism　had
familiarised　men's　minds　with　Jewish　ideals　as　those　which　we　should
endeavour　to　reproduce　in　our　everyday　life。　　What　precedents　did
not　Abraham；　Jephthah　and　Jonadab　the　son　of　Rechab　offer？　　How　easy
was　it　to　quote　and　follow　them　in　an　age　when　few　reasonable　men　or
women　doubted　that　every　syllable　of　the　Old　Testament　was　taken
down　verbatim　from　the　mouth　of　God。　　Moreover；　Puritanism
restricted　natural　pleasures；　it　substituted　the　Jeremiad　for　the
Paean；　and　it　forgot　that　the　poor　abuses　of　all　times　want
countenance。

Mr　Pontifex　may　have　been　a　little　sterner　with　his　children　than
some　of　his　neighbours；　but　not　much。　　He　thrashed　his　boys　two　or
three　times　a　week　and　some　weeks　a　good　deal　oftener；　but　in　those
days　fathers　were　always　thrashing　their　boys。　　It　is　easy　to　have
juster　views　when　everyone　else　has　them；　but　fortunately　or
unfortunately　results　have　nothing　whatever　to　do　with　the　moral
guilt　or　blamelessness　of　him　who　brings　them　about；　they　depend
solely　upon　the　thing　done；　whatever　it　may　happen　to　be。　　The　moral
guilt　or　blamelessness　in　like　manner　has　nothing　to　do　with　the
result；　it　turns　upon　the　question　whether　a　sufficient　number　of
reasonable　people　placed　as　the　actor　was　placed　would　have　done　as
the　actor　has　done。　　At　that　time　it　was　universally　admitted　that
to　spare　the　rod　was　to　spoil　the　child；　and　St　Paul　had　placed