heretics- 第6部分

but　that　interdependence　and　efficiency　which　belongs　quite



as　much　to　engineers；　or　sailors；　or　mules；　or　railway　engines。



And　thus　it　is　that　when　he　writes　of　engineers；　or　sailors；



or　mules；　or　steam…engines；　he　writes　at　his　best。　　The　real　poetry；



the　〃true　romance〃　which　Mr。　Kipling　has　taught；　is　the　romance



of　the　division　of　labour　and　the　discipline　of　all　the　trades。



He　sings　the　arts　of　peace　much　more　accurately　than　the　arts　of　war。



And　his　main　contention　is　vital　and　valuable。　　Every　thing　is　military



in　the　sense　that　everything　depends　upon　obedience。　　There　is　no



perfectly　epicurean　corner；　there　is　no　perfectly　irresponsible　place。



Everywhere　men　have　made　the　way　for　us　with　sweat　and　submission。



We　may　fling　ourselves　into　a　hammock　in　a　fit　of　divine　carelessness。



But　we　are　glad　that　the　net…maker　did　not　make　the　hammock　in　a　fit　of



divine　carelessness。　　We　may　jump　upon　a　child's　rocking…horse　for　a　joke。



But　we　are　glad　that　the　carpenter　did　not　leave　the　legs　of　it



unglued　for　a　joke。　　So　far　from　having　merely　preached　that　a　soldier



cleaning　his　side…arm　is　to　be　adored　because　he　is　military；



Kipling　at　his　best　and　clearest　has　preached　that　the　baker　baking



loaves　and　the　tailor　cutting　coats　is　as　military　as　anybody。







Being　devoted　to　this　multitudinous　vision　of　duty；　Mr。　Kipling



is　naturally　a　cosmopolitan。　　He　happens　to　find　his　examples



in　the　British　Empire；　but　almost　any　other　empire　would



do　as　well；　or；　indeed；　any　other　highly　civilized　country。



That　which　he　admires　in　the　British　army　he　would　find　even　more



apparent　in　the　German　army；　that　which　he　desires　in　the　British



police　he　would　find　flourishing；　in　the　French　police。



The　ideal　of　discipline　is　not　the　whole　of　life；　but　it　is　spread



over　the　whole　of　the　world。　　And　the　worship　of　it　tends　to　confirm



in　Mr。　Kipling　a　certain　note　of　worldly　wisdom；　of　the　experience



of　the　wanderer；　which　is　one　of　the　genuine　charms　of　his　best　work。







The　great　gap　in　his　mind　is　what　may　be　roughly　called　the　lack



of　patriotismthat　is　to　say；　he　lacks　altogether　the　faculty　of　attaching



himself　to　any　cause　or　community　finally　and　tragically；　for　all



finality　must　be　tragic。　　He　admires　England；　but　he　does　not　love　her；



for　we　admire　things　with　reasons；　but　love　them　without　reasons。



He　admires　England　because　she　is　strong；　not　because　she　is　English。



There　is　no　harshness　in　saying　this；　for；　to　do　him　justice；　he　avows



it　with　his　usual　picturesque　candour。　　In　a　very　interesting　poem；



he　says　that







　　〃If　England　was　what　England　seems〃







that　is；　weak　and　inefficient；　if　England　were　not　what　（as　he　believes）



she　isthat　is；　powerful　and　practical







　　〃How　quick　we'd　chuck　'er！　But　she　ain't！〃







He　admits；　that　is；　that　his　devotion　is　the　result　of　a　criticism；



and　this　is　quite　enough　to　put　it　in　another　category　altogether　from



the　patriotism　of　the　Boers；　whom　he　hounded　down　in　South　Africa。



In　speaking　of　the　really　patriotic　peoples；　such　as　the　Irish；　he　has



some　difficulty　in　keeping　a　shrill　irritation　out　of　his　language。



The　frame　of　mind　which　he　really　describes　with　beauty　and



nobility　is　the　frame　of　mind　of　the　cosmopolitan　man　who　has　seen



men　and　cities。







　　〃For　to　admire　and　for　to　see；



　　　For　to　be'old　this　world　so　wide。〃







He　is　a　perfect　master　of　that　light　melancholy　with　which　a　man



looks　back　on　having　been　the　citizen　of　many　communities；



of　that　light　melancholy　with　which　a　man　looks　back　on　having　been



the　lover　of　many　women。　　He　is　the　philanderer　of　the　nations。



But　a　man　may　have　learnt　much　about　women　in　flirtations；



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　conce