heretics- 第34部分

older　than　England　or　Ireland。







Of　course　we　may　use　the　metaphor　of　youth　about　America　or



the　colonies；　if　we　use　it　strictly　as　implying　only　a　recent　origin。



But　if　we　use　it　（as　we　do　use　it）　as　implying　vigour；　or　vivacity；



or　crudity；　or　inexperience；　or　hope；　or　a　long　life　before　them



or　any　of　the　romantic　attributes　of　youth；　then　it　is　surely



as　clear　as　daylight　that　we　are　duped　by　a　stale　figure　of　speech。



We　can　easily　see　the　matter　clearly　by　applying　it　to　any　other



institution　parallel　to　the　institution　of　an　independent　nationality。



If　a　club　called　〃The　Milk　and　Soda　League〃　（let　us　say）



was　set　up　yesterday；　as　I　have　no　doubt　it　was；　then；　of　course；



〃The　Milk　and　Soda　League〃　is　a　young　club　in　the　sense　that　it



was　set　up　yesterday；　but　in　no　other　sense。　　It　may　consist



entirely　of　moribund　old　gentlemen。　　It　may　be　moribund　itself。



We　may　call　it　a　young　club；　in　the　light　of　the　fact　that　it　was



founded　yesterday。　　We　may　also　call　it　a　very　old　club　in　the　light



of　the　fact　that　it　will　most　probably　go　bankrupt　to…morrow。



All　this　appears　very　obvious　when　we　put　it　in　this　form。



Any　one　who　adopted　the　young…community　delusion　with　regard



to　a　bank　or　a　butcher's　shop　would　be　sent　to　an　asylum。



But　the　whole　modern　political　notion　that　America　and　the　colonies



must　be　very　vigorous　because　they　are　very　new；　rests　upon　no



better　foundation。　　That　America　was　founded　long　after　England



does　not　make　it　even　in　the　faintest　degree　more　probable



that　America　will　not　perish　a　long　time　before　England。



That　England　existed　before　her　colonies　does　not　make　it　any　the　less



likely　that　she　will　exist　after　her　colonies。　　And　when　we　look　at



the　actual　history　of　the　world；　we　find　that　great　European　nations



almost　invariably　have　survived　the　vitality　of　their　colonies。



When　we　look　at　the　actual　history　of　the　world；　we　find；　that　if



there　is　a　thing　that　is　born　old　and　dies　young；　it　is　a　colony。



The　Greek　colonies　went　to　pieces　long　before　the　Greek　civilization。



The　Spanish　colonies　have　gone　to　pieces　long　before　the　nation　of　Spain



nor　does　there　seem　to　be　any　reason　to　doubt　the　possibility　or　even



the　probability　of　the　conclusion　that　the　colonial　civilization；



which　owes　its　origin　to　England；　will　be　much　briefer　and　much　less



vigorous　than　the　civilization　of　England　itself。　　The　English　nation



will　still　be　going　the　way　of　all　European　nations　when　the　Anglo…Saxon



race　has　gone　the　way　of　all　fads。　　Now；　of　course；　the　interesting



question　is；　have　we；　in　the　case　of　America　and　the　colonies；



any　real　evidence　of　a　moral　and　intellectual　youth　as　opposed



to　the　indisputable　triviality　of　a　merely　chronological　youth？



Consciously　or　unconsciously；　we　know　that　we　have　no　such　evidence；



and　consciously　or　unconsciously；　therefore；　we　proceed　to　make　it　up。



Of　this　pure　and　placid　invention；　a　good　example；　for　instance；



can　be　found　in　a　recent　poem　of　Mr。　Rudyard　Kipling's。　Speaking　of



the　English　people　and　the　South　African　War　Mr。　Kipling　says　that



〃we　fawned　on　the　younger　nations　for　the　men　that　could　shoot　and　ride。〃



Some　people　considered　this　sentence　insulting。　　All　that　I　am



concerned　with　at　present　is　the　evident　fact　that　it　is　not　true。



The　colonies　provided　very　useful　volunteer　troops；　but　they　did　not



provide　the　best　troops；　nor　achieve　the　most　successful　exploits。



The　best　work　in　the　war　on　the　English　side　was　done；



as　might　have　been　expected；　by　the　best　English　regiments。



The　men　who　could　shoot　and　ride　were　not　the　enthusiastic　corn



merchants　from　Melbourne；　any　more　than　they　were　the　enthusiastic



clerks　from　Cheapside。　　The　men　who　could　shoot　and　ride　were



the　men　who　had　been　taught　to　shoot　and　ride　in　the　discipline



of　the　standing　army　of　a　great　European　power。　　Of　course；



the　colonials　are　as　brave　and　athletic　as　any　other　average　white　men。



Of　course；　they　acquitted　themselves　with　reasonable　credit。



All　I　have　here　to　indicate　is　that；　for　the　purposes　of　this　theory



of　the　new　nation；　it　is　necessary　to　maintain　that　the　colonial



forces　were　more　useful　or　more　heroic　than　the　gunners　at　Colenso



or　the　Fighting　Fifth。　　And　of　this　contention　there　is　not；



and　never　has　been；　one　stick　or　straw　of　evidence。







A　similar　attempt　is　made；　and　with　even　less　success；　to　represent　the



literature　of　the　colonies　as　something　fresh　and　vigorous　and　important。



The　imperialist　magazines　are　constantly　springing　upon　us　some



genius　from　Queensland　or　Canada；　through　whom　we　are　expected



to　smell　the　odours　of　the　bush　or　the　prairie。　　As　a　matter　of　fact；



any　one　who　is　even　slightly　interested　in　literature　as　such　（and　I；



for　one；　confess　that　I　am　only　slightly　interested　in　literature



as　such）；　will　freely　admit　that　the　stories　of　these　geniuses　smell



of　nothing　but　printer's　ink；　and　that　not　of　first…rate　quality。



By　a　great　effort　of　Imperial　imagination　the　generous



English　people　reads　into　these　works　a　force　and　a　novelty。



But　the　force　and　the　novelty　are　not　in　the　new　writers；



the　force　and　the　novelty　are　in　the　ancient　heart　of　the　English。



Anybody　who　studies　them　impartially　will　know　that　the　first…rate



writers　of　the　colonies　are　not　even　particularly　novel　in　their



note　and　atmosphere；　are　not　only　not　producing　a　new　kind



of　good　literature；　but　are　not　even　in　any　particular　sense



producing　a　new　kind　of　bad　literature。　　The　first…rate　writers



of　the　new　countries　are　really　almost　exactly　like　the　second…rate



writers　of　the　old　countries。　　Of　course　they　do　feel　the　mystery



of　the　wilderness；　the　mystery　of　the　bush；　for　all　simple　and　honest



men　feel　this　in　Melbourne；　or　Margate；　or　South　St。　Pancras。



But　when　they　write　most　sincerely　and　most　successfully；　it　is　not



with　a　background　of　the　mystery　of　the　bush；　but　with　a　background；



expressed　or　assumed；　of　our　own　romantic　cockney　civilization。



What　really　moves　their　souls　with　a　kindly　terror　is　not　the　mystery



of　the　wilderness；　but　the　Mystery　of　a　Hansom　Cab。







Of　course　there　are　some　exceptions　to　this　generalization。



The　one　really　arresting　exception　is　Olive　Schreiner；　and　she



is　quite　as　certainly　an　exception　that　proves　the　rule。



Olive　Schreiner　is　a　fierce；　brilliant；　and　realistic　novelist；



but　she　is　all　this　precisely　because　she　is　not　English　at　all。



Her　tribal　kinship　is　with　the　country　of　Teniers　and　Maarten　Maartens



that　is；　with　a　country　of　realists。　　Her　literary　kinship　is　with



the　pessimistic　fiction　of　the　continent；　with　the　novelists　whose



very　pity　is　cruel。　　Olive　Schreiner　is　the　one　English　colonial　who　is



not　conventional；　for　the　simple　reason　that　South　Africa　is　the　one



English　colony　which　is　not　English；　and　probably　never　will　be。



And；　of　course；　there　are　individual　exceptions　in　a　minor　way。



I　remember　in　particular　some　Australian　tales　by　Mr。　McIlwain



which　were　really　able　and　effective；　and　which；　for　that　reason；



I　suppose；　are　not　presented　to　the　public　with　blasts　of　a　trumpet。



But　my　general　contention　if　put　before　any　one　with　a　love



of　letters；　will　not　be　disputed　if　it　is　understood。　　It　is　not



the　truth　that　the　colonial　civilization　as　a　whole　is　giving　us；



or　shows　any　signs　of　giving　us；　a　literature　which　will　startle



and　renovate　our　own。　　It　may　be　a　very　good　thing　for　us　to　have



an　affectionate　illusion　in　the　matter；　that　is　quite　another　affair。



The　colonies　may　have　given　England　a　new　emotion；　I　only　say



that　they　have　not　given　the　world　a　new　book。







Touching　these　English　colonies；　I　do　not　wish　to　be　misunderstood。



I　do　not　say　of　them　or　of　America　that　they　have　not　a　future；



or　that　they　will　not　be　great　nations。　　I　merely　deny　the　whole



established　modern　expression　about　them。　　I　deny　that　they　are　〃destined〃



to　a　future。　　I　deny　that　they　are　〃destined〃　to　be　great　nations。



I　deny　（of　course）　that　any　human　thing　is　destined　to　be　anything。



All　the　absurd　physical　metaphors；　such　as　youth　and　age；



living　and　dying；　are；　when　applied　to　nations；　but　pseudo…scientific



attempts　to　conceal　from　men　the　awful　liberty　of　their　lonely　souls。







In　the　case　of　America；　indeed；　a　warning　to　this　effect　is　instant



and　essential。　　America；　of　course；　like　every　other　human　thing；



can　in　spiritual　sense　live　or　die　as　much　as　it　chooses。



But　at　the　present　moment　the　matter　which　America　has　very　seriously



to　consider　is　not　how　near　it　is　to　its　birth　and　beginning；



but　how　near　it　may　be　to　its　end。　　It　is　only　a　verbal　question



whether　the　American　civilization　is　young；　it　may　become



a　very　practical　and　urgent　question　whether　it　is　dying。



When　once　we　have　cast　aside；　as　we　inevitably　have　after　a



moment's　thought；　the　fanciful　physical　metaphor　involved　in　the　word



〃youth；〃　what　serious　evidence　have　we　that　America　is　a　fresh



force　and　not　a　stale　one？　　It　has　a　great　many　people；　like　China；



it　has　a　great　deal　of　money；　like　defeated　Carthage　or　dying　Venice。



It　is　full　of　bustle　and　excitability；　like　Athens　after　its　ruin；



and　all　the　Greek　cities　in　their　decline。　　It　is　fond　of　new　things；



but　the　old　are　always　fond　of　new　things。　　Young　men　read　chronicles；



but　old　men　read　newspapers。　　It　admires　strength　and　good　looks；



it　admires　a　big　and　barbaric　beauty　in　its　women；　for　instance；