heretics- 第7部分

with　its　empires　and　its　Reuter's　agency；　the　real　life　of　man



goes　on　concerned　with　this　tree　or　that　temple；　with　this　harvest



or　that　drinking…song；　totally　uncomprehended；　totally　untouched。



And　it　watches　from　its　splendid　parochialism；　possibly　with　a　smile



of　amusement；　motor…car　civilization　going　its　triumphant　way；



outstripping　time；　consuming　space；　seeing　all　and　seeing　nothing；



roaring　on　at　last　to　the　capture　of　the　solar　system；　only　to　find



the　sun　cockney　and　the　stars　suburban。















IV。　　Mr。　Bernard　Shaw











In　the　glad　old　days；　before　the　rise　of　modern　morbidities；



when　genial　old　Ibsen　filled　the　world　with　wholesome　joy；　and　the



kindly　tales　of　the　forgotten　Emile　Zola　kept　our　firesides　merry



and　pure；　it　used　to　be　thought　a　disadvantage　to　be　misunderstood。



It　may　be　doubted　whether　it　is　always　or　even　generally　a　disadvantage。



The　man　who　is　misunderstood　has　always　this　advantage　over　his　enemies；



that　they　do　not　know　his　weak　point　or　his　plan　of　campaign。



They　go　out　against　a　bird　with　nets　and　against　a　fish　with　arrows。



There　are　several　modern　examples　of　this　situation。　　Mr。　Chamberlain；



for　instance；　is　a　very　good　one。　　He　constantly　eludes　or　vanquishes



his　opponents　because　his　real　powers　and　deficiencies　are　quite



different　to　those　with　which　he　is　credited；　both　by　friends　and　foes。



His　friends　depict　him　as　a　strenuous　man　of　action；　his　opponents



depict　him　as　a　coarse　man　of　business；　when；　as　a　fact；　he　is　neither



one　nor　the　other；　but　an　admirable　romantic　orator　and　romantic　actor。



He　has　one　power　which　is　the　soul　of　melodramathe　power　of　pretending；



even　when　backed　by　a　huge　majority；　that　he　has　his　back　to　the　wall。



For　all　mobs　are　so　far　chivalrous　that　their　heroes　must　make



some　show　of　misfortunethat　sort　of　hypocrisy　is　the　homage



that　strength　pays　to　weakness。　　He　talks　foolishly　and　yet



very　finely　about　his　own　city　that　has　never　deserted　him。



He　wears　a　flaming　and　fantastic　flower；　like　a　decadent　minor　poet。



As　for　his　bluffness　and　toughness　and　appeals　to　common　sense；



all　that　is；　of　course；　simply　the　first　trick　of　rhetoric。



He　fronts　his　audiences　with　the　venerable　affectation　of　Mark　Antony







　　〃I　am　no　orator；　as　Brutus　is；



　　　But　as　you　know　me　all；　a　plain　blunt　man。〃







It　is　the　whole　difference　between　the　aim　of　the　orator　and



the　aim　of　any　other　artist；　such　as　the　poet　or　the　sculptor。



The　aim　of　the　sculptor　is　to　convince　us　that　he　is　a　sculptor；



the　aim　of　the　orator；　is　to　convince　us　that　he　is　not　an　orator。



Once　let　Mr。　Chamberlain　be　mistaken　for　a　practical　man；　and　his



game　is　won。　　He　has　only　to　compose　a　theme　on　empire；　and　people



will　say　that　these　plain　men　say　great　things　on　great　occasions。



He　has　only　to　drift　in　the　large　loose　notions　common　to　all



artists　of　the　second　rank；　and　people　will　say　that　business



men　have　the　biggest　ideals　after　all。　　All　his　schemes　have



ended　in　smoke；　he　has　touched　nothing　that　he　did　not　confuse。



About　his　figure　there　is　a　Celtic　pathos；　like　the　Gaels　in　Matthew



Arnold's　quotation；　〃he　went　forth　to　battle；　but　he　always　fell。〃



He　is　a　mountain　of　proposals；　a　mountain　of　failures；　but　still



a　mountain。　　And　a　mountain　is　always　romantic。







There　is　another　man　in　the　modern　world　who　might　be　called



the　antithesis　of　Mr。　Chamberlain　in　every　point；　who　is　also



a　standing　monument　of　the　advantage　of　being　misunderstood。



Mr。　Bernard　Shaw　is　always　represented　by　those　who　disagree



with　him；　and；　I　fear；　also　（if　such　exist）　by　those　who　agree　with　him；



as　a　capering　humorist；　a　dazzling　acrobat；　a　quick…change　artist。



It　is　said　that　he　cannot　be　taken　seriously；　that　he　will　defend　anything



or　attack　anything；　that　he　will　do　anything　to　startle　and　amuse。



All　this　is　not　only　untrue；　but　it　is；　glaringly；　the　opposite　of



the　truth；　it　is　as　wild　as　to　say　that　Dickens　had　not　the　boisterous



masculinity　of　Jane　Austen。　　The　whole　force　and　triumph　of　Mr。　Bernard



Shaw　lie　in　the　fact　that　he　is　a　thoroughly　consistent　man。



So　far　from　his　power　consisting　in　jumping　through　hoops　or　standing　on



his　head；　his　power　consists　in　holding　his　own　fortress　night　and　day。



He　puts　the　Shaw　test　rapidly　and　rigorously　to　everything



that　happens　in　heaven　or　earth。　　His　standard　never　varies。



The　thing　which　weak…minded　revolutionists　and　weak…minded　Conservatives



really　hate　（and　fear）　in　him；　is　exactly　this；　that　his　scales；



such　as　they　are；　are　held　even；　and　that　his　law；　such　as　it　is；



is　justly　enforced。　　You　may　attack　his　principles；　as　I　do；　but　I



do　not　know　of　any　instance　in　which　you　can　attack　their　application。



If　he　dislikes　lawlessness；　he　dislikes　the　lawlessness　of　Socialists



as　much　as　that　of　Individualists。　　If　he　dislikes　the　fever　of　patriotism；



he　dislikes　it　in　Boers　and　Irishmen　as　well　as　in　Englishmen。



If　he　dislikes　the　vows　and　bonds　of　marriage；　he　dislikes　still



more　the　fiercer　bonds　and　wilder　vows　that　are　made　by　lawless　love。



If　he　laughs　at　the　authority　of　priests；　he　laughs　louder　at　the　pomposity



of　men　of　science。　　If　he　condemns　the　irresponsibility　of　faith；



he　condemns　with　a　sane　consistency　the　equal　irresponsibility　of　art。



He　has　pleased　all　the　bohemians　by　saying　that　women　are　equal　to　men；



but　he　has　infuriated　them　by　suggesting　that　men　are　equal　to　women。



He　is　almost　mechanically　just；　he　has　something　of　the　terrible



quality　of　a　machine。　　The　man　who　is　really　wild　and　whirling；



the　man　who　is　really　fantastic　and　incalculable；　is　not　Mr。　Shaw；



but　the　average　Cabinet　Minister。　　It　is　Sir　Michael　Hicks…Beach　who



jumps　through　hoops。　　It　is　Sir　Henry　Fowler　who　stands　on　his　head。



The　solid　and　respectable　statesman　of　that　type　does　really



leap　from　position　to　position；　he　is　really　ready　to　defend



anything　or　nothing；　he　is　really　not　to　be　taken　seriously。



I　know　perfectly　well　what　Mr。　Bernard　Shaw　will　be　saying



thirty　years　hence；　he　will　be　saying　what　he　has　always　said。



If　thirty　years　hence　I　meet　Mr。　Shaw；　a　reverent　being



with　a　silver　beard　sweeping　the　earth；　and　say　to　him；



〃One　can　never；　of　course；　make　a　verbal　attack　upon　a　lady；〃



the　patriarch　will　lift　his　aged　hand　and　fell　me　to　the　earth。



We　know；　I　say；　what　Mr。　Shaw　will　be；　saying　thirty　years　hence。



But　is　there　any　one　so　darkly　read　in　stars　and　oracles　that　he　will



dare　to　predict　what　Mr。　Asquith　will　be　saying　thirty　years　hence？







The　truth　is；　that　it　is　quite　an　error　to　suppose　that　absence



of　definite　convictions　gives　the　mind　freedom　and　agility。



A　man　who　believes　something　is　ready　and　witty；　because　he　has



all　his　weapons　about　him。　　he　can　apply　his　test　in　an　instant。



The　man　engaged　in　conflict　with　a　man　like　Mr。　Bernard　Shaw　may



fancy　he　has　ten　faces；　similarly　a　man　engaged　against　a　brilliant



duellist　may　fancy　that　the　sword　of　his　foe　has　turned　to　ten　swords



in　his　hand。　　But　this　is　not　really　because　the　man　is　playing



with　ten　swords；　it　is　because　he　is　aiming　very　straight　with　one。



Moreover；　a　man　with　a　definite　belief　always　appears　bizarre；



because　he　does　not　change　with　the　world；　he　has　climbed　into



a　fixed　star；　and　the　earth　whizzes　below　him　like　a　zoetrope。



Millions　of　mild　black…coated　men　call　themselves　sane　and　sensible



merely　because　they　always　catch　the　fashionable　insanity；



because　they　are　hurried　into　madness　after　madness　by　the　maelstrom



of　the　world。







People　accuse　Mr。　Shaw　and　many　much　sillier　persons　of　〃proving　that　black



is　white。〃　　But　they　never　ask　whether　the　current　colour…language　is



always　correct。　　Ordinary　sensible　phraseology　sometimes　calls　black　white；



it　certainly　calls　yellow　white　and　green　white　and　reddish…brown　white。



We　call　wine　〃white　wine〃　which　is　as　yellow　as　a　Blue…coat　boy's　legs。



We　call　grapes　〃white　grapes〃　which　are　manifestly　pale　green。



We　give　to　the　European；　whose　complexion　is　a　sort　of　pink　drab；



the　horrible　title　of　a　〃white　man〃a　picture　more　blood…curdling



than　any　spectre　in　Poe。







Now；　it　is　undoubtedly　true　that　if　a　man　asked　a　waiter　in　a　restaurant



for　a　bottle　of　yellow　wine　and　some　greenish…yellow　grapes；　the　waiter



would　think　him　mad。　　It　is　undoubtedly　true　that　if　a　Government　official；



reporting　on　the　Europeans　in　Burmah；　said；　〃There　are　only　two



thousand　pinkish　men　here〃　he　would　be　accused　of　cracking　jokes；



and　kicked　out　of　his　post。　　But　it　is　equally　obvious　that　both



men　would　have　come　to　grief　through　telling　the　strict　truth。



That　too　truthful　man　in　the　restaurant；　that　too　truthful　man



in　Burmah；　is　Mr。　Bernard　Shaw。　　He　appears　eccentric　and　grotesque



because　he　will　not　accept　the　general　belief　that　white　is　yellow。



He　has　based　all　his　brilliancy　and　solidity　upon　the　hackneyed；



but　yet　forgotten；　fact　that　truth　is　stranger　than　fiction。



Truth；　of　course；　must　of　necessity　be　stranger　than　fiction；



for　we　have　made　fiction　to　suit　ourselves。







So　much　then　a　reasonable　appreciation　will　find　in　Mr。　Shaw



to　be　bracing　and　excellent。　　He　claims　to　see　things　as　they　are；



and　some　things；　at　any　rate；　he　does　see　as　they　are；



which　the　whole　of　our　civilization　does　not　see　at　all。



But　in　Mr。　Shaw's　realism　there　is　something　lacking；　and　that　thing



which　is　lacking　is　serio