heretics- 第22部分

be　a　hero　to　his　valet。　　But　any　man　would　be　a　valet　to　his　hero。



But　in　truth　both　the　proverb　itself　and　Carlyle's　stricture



upon　it　ignore　the　most　essential　matter　at　issue。　　The　ultimate



psychological　truth　is　not　that　no　man　is　a　hero　to　his　valet。



The　ultimate　psychological　truth；　the　foundation　of　Christianity；



is　that　no　man　is　a　hero　to　himself。　　Cromwell；　according　to　Carlyle；



was　a　strong　man。　　According　to　Cromwell；　he　was　a　weak　one。







The　weak　point　in　the　whole　of　Carlyle's　case　for



aristocracy　lies；　indeed；　in　his　most　celebrated　phrase。



Carlyle　said　that　men　were　mostly　fools。　　Christianity；　with　a



surer　and　more　reverent　realism；　says　that　they　are　all　fools。



This　doctrine　is　sometimes　called　the　doctrine　of　original　sin。



It　may　also　be　described　as　the　doctrine　of　the　equality　of　men。



But　the　essential　point　of　it　is　merely　this；　that　whatever　primary



and　far…reaching　moral　dangers　affect　any　man；　affect　all　men。



All　men　can　be　criminals；　if　tempted；　all　men　can　be　heroes；　if　inspired。



And　this　doctrine　does　away　altogether　with　Carlyle's　pathetic　belief



（or　any　one　else's　pathetic　belief）　in　〃the　wise　few。〃



There　are　no　wise　few。　　Every　aristocracy　that　has　ever　existed



has　behaved；　in　all　essential　points；　exactly　like　a　small　mob。



Every　oligarchy　is　merely　a　knot　of　men　in　the　streetthat　is　to　say；



it　is　very　jolly；　but　not　infallible。　　And　no　oligarchies　in　the　world's



history　have　ever　come　off　so　badly　in　practical　affairs　as　the　very



proud　oligarchiesthe　oligarchy　of　Poland；　the　oligarchy　of　Venice。



And　the　armies　that　have　most　swiftly　and　suddenly　broken　their



enemies　in　pieces　have　been　the　religious　armiesthe　Moslem　Armies；



for　instance；　or　the　Puritan　Armies。　　And　a　religious　army　may；



by　its　nature；　be　defined　as　an　army　in　which　every　man　is　taught



not　to　exalt　but　to　abase　himself。　　Many　modern　Englishmen　talk　of



themselves　as　the　sturdy　descendants　of　their　sturdy　Puritan　fathers。



As　a　fact；　they　would　run　away　from　a　cow。　　If　you　asked　one



of　their　Puritan　fathers；　if　you　asked　Bunyan；　for　instance；



whether　he　was　sturdy；　he　would　have　answered；　with　tears；　that　he　was



as　weak　as　water。　　And　because　of　this　he　would　have　borne　tortures。



And　this　virtue　of　humility；　while　being　practical　enough　to



win　battles；　will　always　be　paradoxical　enough　to　puzzle　pedants。



It　is　at　one　with　the　virtue　of　charity　in　this　respect。



Every　generous　person　will　admit　that　the　one　kind　of　sin　which　charity



should　cover　is　the　sin　which　is　inexcusable。　　And　every　generous



person　will　equally　agree　that　the　one　kind　of　pride　which　is　wholly



damnable　is　the　pride　of　the　man　who　has　something　to　be　proud　of。



The　pride　which；　proportionally　speaking；　does　not　hurt　the　character；



is　the　pride　in　things　which　reflect　no　credit　on　the　person　at　all。



Thus　it　does　a　man　no　harm　to　be　proud　of　his　country；



and　comparatively　little　harm　to　be　proud　of　his　remote　ancestors。



It　does　him　more　harm　to　be　proud　of　having　made　money；



because　in　that　he　has　a　little　more　reason　for　pride。



It　does　him　more　harm　still　to　be　proud　of　what　is　nobler



than　moneyintellect。　　And　it　does　him　most　harm　of　all　to　value



himself　for　the　most　valuable　thing　on　earthgoodness。　　The　man



who　is　proud　of　what　is　really　creditable　to　him　is　the　Pharisee；



the　man　whom　Christ　Himself　could　not　forbear　to　strike。







My　objection　to　Mr。　Lowes　Dickinson　and　the　reassertors　of　the　pagan



ideal　is；　then；　this。　　I　accuse　them　of　ignoring　definite　human



discoveries　in　the　moral　world；　discoveries　as　definite；　though　not



as　material；　as　the　discovery　of　the　circulation　of　the　blood。



We　cannot　go　back　to　an　ideal　of　reason　and　sanity。



For　mankind　has　discovered　that　reason　does　not　lead　to　sanity。



We　cannot　go　back　to　an　ideal　of　pride　and　enjoyment。　　For　mankind



has　discovered　that　pride　does　not　lead　to　enjoyment。　　I　do　not　know



by　what　extraordinary　mental　accident　modern　writers　so　constantly



connect　the　idea　of　progress　with　the　idea　of　independent　thinking。



Progress　is　obviously　the　antithesis　of　independent　thinking。



For　under　independent　or　individualistic　thinking；　every　man　starts



at　the　beginning；　and　goes；　in　all　probability；　just　as　far　as　his



father　before　him。　　But　if　there　really　be　anything　of　the　nature



of　progress；　it　must　mean；　above　all　things；　the　careful　study



and　assumption　of　the　whole　of　the　past。　　I　accuse　Mr。　Lowes



Dickinson　and　his　school　of　reaction　in　the　only　real　sense。



If　he　likes；　let　him　ignore　these　great　historic　mysteries



the　mystery　of　charity；　the　mystery　of　chivalry；　the　mystery　of　faith。



If　he　likes；　let　him　ignore　the　plough　or　the　printing…press。



But　if　we　do　revive　and　pursue　the　pagan　ideal　of　a　simple　and



rational　self…completion　we　shall　endwhere　Paganism　ended。



I　do　not　mean　that　we　shall　end　in　destruction。　　I　mean　that　we



shall　end　in　Christianity。















XIII。　　Celts　and　Celtophiles











Science　in　the　modern　world　has　many　uses；　its　chief　use；　however；



is　to　provide　long　words　to　cover　the　errors　of　the　rich。



The　word　〃kleptomania〃　is　a　vulgar　example　of　what　I　mean。



It　is　on　a　par　with　that　strange　theory；　always　advanced　when　a　wealthy



or　prominent　person　is　in　the　dock；　that　exposure　is　more　of　a　punishment



for　the　rich　than　for　the　poor。　　Of　course；　the　very　reverse　is　the　truth。



Exposure　is　more　of　a　punishment　for　the　poor　than　for　the　rich。



The　richer　a　man　is　the　easier　it　is　for　him　to　be　a　tramp。



The　richer　a　man　is　the　easier　it　is　for　him　to　be　popular　and　generally



respected　in　the　Cannibal　Islands。　　But　the　poorer　a　man　is　the　more



likely　it　is　that　he　will　have　to　use　his　past　life　whenever　he　wants



to　get　a　bed　for　the　night。　　Honour　is　a　luxury　for　aristocrats；



but　it　is　a　necessity　for　hall…porters。　This　is　a　secondary　matter；



but　it　is　an　example　of　the　general　proposition　I　offer



the　proposition　that　an　enormous　amount　of　modern　ingenuity　is　expended



on　finding　defences　for　the　indefensible　conduct　of　the　powerful。



As　I　have　said　above；　these　defences　generally　exhibit　themselves



most　emphatically　in　the　form　of　appeals　to　physical　science。



And　of　all　the　forms　in　which　science；　or　pseudo…science；　has　come



to　the　rescue　of　the　rich　and　stupid；　there　is　none　so　singular



as　the　singular　invention　of　the　theory　of　races。







When　a　wealthy　nation　like　the　English　discovers　the　perfectly　patent



fact　that　it　is　making　a　ludicrous　mess　of　the　government　of　a　poorer



nation　like　the　Irish；　it　pauses　for　a　moment　in　consternation；



and　then　begins　to　talk　about　Celts　and　Teutons。　　As　far　as　I　can



understand　the　theory；　the　Irish　are　Celts　and　the　English　are　Teutons。



Of　course；　the　Irish　are　not　Celts　any　more　than　the　English　are　Teutons。



I　have　not　followed　the　ethnological　discussion　with　much　energy；



but　the　last　scientific　conclusion　which　I　read　inclined　on　the　whole



to　the　summary　that　the　English　were　mainly　Celtic　and　the　Irish



mainly　Teutonic。　　But　no　man　alive；　with　even　the　glimmering　of　a　real



scientific　sense；　would　ever　dream　of　applying　the　terms　〃Celtic〃



or　〃Teutonic〃　to　either　of　them　in　any　positive　or　useful　sense。







That　sort　of　thing　must　be　left　to　people　who　talk　about



the　Anglo…Saxon　race；　and　extend　the　expression　to　America。



How　much　of　the　blood　of　the　Angles　and　Saxons　（whoever　they　were）



there　remains　in　our　mixed　British；　Roman；　German；　Dane；　Norman；



and　Picard　stock　is　a　matter　only　interesting　to　wild　antiquaries。



And　how　much　of　that　diluted　blood　can　possibly　remain　in　that



roaring　whirlpool　of　America　into　which　a　cataract　of　Swedes；



Jews；　Germans；　Irishmen；　and　Italians　is　perpetually　pouring；



is　a　matter　only　interesting　to　lunatics。　　It　would　have　been　wiser



for　the　English　governing　class　to　have　called　upon　some　other　god。



All　other　gods；　however　weak　and　warring；　at　least　boast　of



being　constant。　　But　science　boasts　of　being　in　a　flux　for　ever；



boasts　of　being　unstable　as　water。







And　England　and　the　English　governing　class　never　did　call　on　this



absurd　deity　of　race　until　it　seemed；　for　an　instant；　that　they　had



no　other　god　to　call　on。　　All　the　most　genuine　Englishmen　in　history



would　have　yawned　or　laughed　in　your　face　if　you　had　begun　to　talk



about　Anglo…Saxons。　If　you　had　attempted　to　substitute　the　ideal



of　race　for　the　ideal　of　nationality；　I　really　do　not　like　to　think



what　they　would　have　said。　　I　certainly　should　not　like　to　have



been　the　officer　of　Nelson　who　suddenly　discovered　his　French



blood　on　the　eve　of　Trafalgar。　　I　should　not　like　to　have　been



the　Norfolk　or　Suffolk　gentleman　who　had　to　expound　to　Admiral



Blake　by　what　demonstrable　ties　of　genealogy　he　was　irrevocably



bound　to　the　Dutch。　　The　truth　of　the　whole　matter　is　very　simple。



Nationality　exists；　and　has　nothing　in　the　world　to　do　with　race。



Nationality　is　a　thing　like　a　church　or　a　secret　society；　it　is



a　product　of　the　human　soul　and　will；　it　is　a　spiritual　product。



And　there　are　men　in　the　modern　world　who　would　think　anything　and　do



anything　rather　than　admit　that　anything　could　be　a　spiritual　product。







A　nation；　however；　as　it　confronts　the　modern　world；　is　a　purely



spiritual　product。　　Sometimes　it　has　been　born　in　independence；



like　Scotland。　　Sometimes　it　has　been　born　in　dependence；



in　subjugation；　like　Ireland。　　Sometimes　it　is　a　large　t