heretics- 第32部分

and　a　kind　of　difficulty。







The　artistic　temperament　is　a　disease　that　afflicts　amateurs。



It　is　a　disease　which　arises　from　men　not　having　sufficient　power　of



expression　to　utter　and　get　rid　of　the　element　of　art　in　their　being。



It　is　healthful　to　every　sane　man　to　utter　the　art　within　him；



it　is　essential　to　every　sane　man　to　get　rid　of　the　art　within　him



at　all　costs。　　Artists　of　a　large　and　wholesome　vitality　get　rid



of　their　art　easily；　as　they　breathe　easily；　or　perspire　easily。



But　in　artists　of　less　force；　the　thing　becomes　a　pressure；



and　produces　a　definite　pain；　which　is　called　the　artistic　temperament。



Thus；　very　great　artists　are　able　to　be　ordinary　men



men　like　Shakespeare　or　Browning。　　There　are　many　real　tragedies



of　the　artistic　temperament；　tragedies　of　vanity　or　violence　or　fear。



But　the　great　tragedy　of　the　artistic　temperament　is　that　it　cannot



produce　any　art。







Whistler　could　produce　art；　and　in　so　far　he　was　a　great　man。



But　he　could　not　forget　art；　and　in　so　far　he　was　only　a　man　with



the　artistic　temperament。　　There　can　be　no　stronger　manifestation



of　the　man　who　is　a　really　great　artist　than　the　fact　that　he　can



dismiss　the　subject　of　art；　that　he　can；　upon　due　occasion；



wish　art　at　the　bottom　of　the　sea。　　Similarly；　we　should　always



be　much　more　inclined　to　trust　a　solicitor　who　did　not　talk　about



conveyancing　over　the　nuts　and　wine。　　What　we　really　desire　of　any



man　conducting　any　business　is　that　the　full　force　of　an　ordinary



man　should　be　put　into　that　particular　study。　　We　do　not　desire



that　the　full　force　of　that　study　should　be　put　into　an　ordinary　man。



We　do　not　in　the　least　wish　that　our　particular　law…suit　should



pour　its　energy　into　our　barrister's　games　with　his　children；



or　rides　on　his　bicycle；　or　meditations　on　the　morning　star。



But　we　do；　as　a　matter　of　fact；　desire　that　his　games　with　his　children；



and　his　rides　on　his　bicycle；　and　his　meditations　on　the　morning　star



should　pour　something　of　their　energy　into　our　law…suit。　We　do　desire



that　if　he　has　gained　any　especial　lung　development　from　the　bicycle；



or　any　bright　and　pleasing　metaphors　from　the　morning　star；　that　the　should



be　placed　at　our　disposal　in　that　particular　forensic　controversy。



In　a　word；　we　are　very　glad　that　he　is　an　ordinary　man；　since　that



may　help　him　to　be　an　exceptional　lawyer。







Whistler　never　ceased　to　be　an　artist。　　As　Mr。　Max　Beerbohm　pointed



out　in　one　of　his　extraordinarily　sensible　and　sincere　critiques；



Whistler　really　regarded　Whistler　as　his　greatest　work　of　art。



The　white　lock；　the　single　eyeglass；　the　remarkable　hat



these　were　much　dearer　to　him　than　any　nocturnes　or　arrangements



that　he　ever　threw　off。　　He　could　throw　off　the　nocturnes；



for　some　mysterious　reason　he　could　not　throw　off　the　hat。



He　never　threw　off　from　himself　that　disproportionate　accumulation



of　aestheticism　which　is　the　burden　of　the　amateur。







It　need　hardly　be　said　that　this　is　the　real　explanation　of　the　thing



which　has　puzzled　so　many　dilettante　critics；　the　problem　of　the　extreme



ordinariness　of　the　behaviour　of　so　many　great　geniuses　in　history。



Their　behaviour　was　so　ordinary　that　it　was　not　recorded；



hence　it　was　so　ordinary　that　it　seemed　mysterious。　　Hence　people　say



that　Bacon　wrote　Shakespeare。　　The　modern　artistic　temperament　cannot



understand　how　a　man　who　could　write　such　lyrics　as　Shakespeare　wrote；



could　be　as　keen　as　Shakespeare　was　on　business　transactions　in　a



little　town　in　Warwickshire。　　The　explanation　is　simple　enough；



it　is　that　Shakespeare　had　a　real　lyrical　impulse；　wrote　a　real　lyric；



and　so　got　rid　of　the　impulse　and　went　about　his　business。



Being　an　artist　did　not　prevent　him　from　being　an　ordinary　man；



any　more　than　being　a　sleeper　at　night　or　being　a　diner　at　dinner



prevented　him　from　being　an　ordinary　man。







All　very　great　teachers　and　leaders　have　had　this　habit



of　assuming　their　point　of　view　to　be　one　which　was　human



and　casual；　one　which　would　readily　appeal　to　every　passing　man。



If　a　man　is　genuinely　superior　to　his　fellows　the　first　thing



that　he　believes　in　is　the　equality　of　man。　　We　can　see　this；



for　instance；　in　that　strange　and　innocent　rationality　with　which



Christ　addressed　any　motley　crowd　that　happened　to　stand　about　Him。



〃What　man　of　you　having　a　hundred　sheep；　and　losing　one；　would　not　leave



the　ninety　and　nine　in　the　wilderness；　and　go　after　that　which　was　lost？〃



Or；　again；　〃What　man　of　you　if　his　son　ask　for　bread　will　he　give



him　a　stone；　or　if　he　ask　for　a　fish　will　he　give　him　a　serpent？〃



This　plainness；　this　almost　prosaic　camaraderie；　is　the　note　of　all



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；