《latter-day pamphlets》

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latter-day pamphlets- 第4部分


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s not the method settled by this latter authority; then it will urgently behoove us to become aware of that fact; and to quit such method;we may depend upon it; however unanimous we be; every step taken in that direction will; by the Eternal Law of things; be a step _from_ improvement; not towards it。

Not towards it; I say; if so!  Unanimity of voting;that will do nothing for us if so。  Your ship cannot double Cape Horn by its excellent plans of voting。  The ship may vote this and that; above decks and below; in the most harmonious exquisitely constitutional manner:  the ship; to get round Cape Horn; will find a set of conditions already voted for; and fixed with adamantine rigor by the ancient Elemental Powers; who are entirely careless how you vote。  If you can; by voting or without voting; ascertain these conditions; and valiantly conform to them; you will get round the Cape:  if you cannot; the ruffian Winds will blow you ever back again; the inexorable Icebergs; dumb privy…councillors from Chaos; will nudge you with most chaotic 〃admonition;〃 you will be flung half frozen on the Patagonian cliffs; or admonished into shivers by your iceberg councillors; and sent sheer down to Davy Jones; and will never get round Cape Horn at all! Unanimity on board ship;yes indeed; the ship's crew may be very unanimous; which doubtless; for the time being; will be very comfortable to the ship's crew; and to their Phantasm Captain if they have one:  but if the tack they unanimously steer upon is guiding them into the belly of the Abyss; it will not profit them much!Ships accordingly do not use the ballot…box at all; and they reject the Phantasm species of Captains:  one wishes much some other Entitiessince all entities lie under the same rigorous set of lawscould be brought to show as much wisdom; and sense at least of self…preservation; the first command of Nature。  Phantasm Captains with unanimous votings:  this is considered to be all the law and all the prophets; at present。

If a man could shake out of his mind the universal noise of political doctors in this generation and in the last generation or two; and consider the matter face to face; with his own sincere intelligence looking at it; I venture to say he would find this a very extraordinary method of navigating; whether in the Straits of Magellan or the undiscovered Sea of Time。  To prosper in this world; to gain felicity; victory and improvement; either for a man or a nation; there is but one thing requisite; That the man or nation can discern what the true regulations of the Universe are in regard to him and his pursuit; and can faithfully and steadfastly follow these。  These will lead him to victory; whoever it may be that sets him in the way of these;were it Russian Autocrat; Chartist Parliament; Grand Lama; Force of Public Opinion; Archbishop of Canterbury; M'Croudy the Seraphic Doctor with his Last…evangel of Political Economy;sets him in the sure way to please the Author of this Universe; and is his friend of friends。  And again; whoever does the contrary is; for a like reason; his enemy of enemies。  This may be taken as fixed。

And now by what method ascertain the monition of the gods in regard to our affairs?  How decipher; with best fidelity; the eternal regulation of the Universe; and read; from amid such confused embroilments of human clamor and folly; what the real Divine Message to us is?  A divine message; or eternal regulation of the Universe; there verily is; in regard to every conceivable procedure and affair of man:  faithfully following this; said procedure or affair will prosper; and have the whole Universe to second it; and carry it; across the fluctuating contradictions; towards a victorious goal; not following this; mistaking this; disregarding this; destruction and wreck are certain for every affair。  How find it?  All the world answers me; 〃Count heads; ask Universal Suffrage; by the ballot…boxes; and that will tell。〃  Universal Suffrage; ballot…boxes; count of heads? Well;I perceive we have got into strange spiritual latitudes indeed。 Within the last half…century or so; either the Universe or else the heads of men must have altered very much。  Half a century ago; and down from Father Adam's time till then; the Universe; wherever I could hear tell of it; was wont to be of somewhat abstruse nature; by no means carrying its secret written on its face; legible to every passer…by; on the contrary; obstinately hiding its secret from all foolish; slavish; wicked; insincere persons; and partially disclosing it to the wise and noble…minded alone; whose number was not the majority in my time!

Or perhaps the chief end of man being now; in these improved epochs; to make money and spend it; his interests in the Universe have become amazingly simplified of late; capable of being voted on with effect by almost anybody?  〃To buy in the cheapest market; and sell in the dearest:〃 truly if that is the summary of his social duties; and the final divine message he has to follow; we may trust him extensively to vote upon that。 But if it is not; and never was; or can be?  If the Universe will not carry on its divine bosom any commonwealth of mortals that have no higher aim;being still 〃a Temple and Hall of Doom;〃 not a mere Weaving…shop and Cattle…pen?  If the unfathomable Universe has decided to _reject_ Human Beavers pretending to be Men; and will abolish; pretty rapidly perhaps; in hideous mud…deluges; their 〃markets〃 and them; unless they think of it?In that case it were better to think of it:  and the Democracies and Universal Suffrages; I can observe; will require to modify themselves a good deal!

Historically speaking; I believe there was no Nation that could subsist upon Democracy。  Of ancient Republics; and _Demoi_ and _Populi_; we have heard much; but it is now pretty well admitted to be nothing to our purpose;a universal…suffrage republic; or a general…suffrage one; or any but a most…limited…suffrage one; never came to light; or dreamed of doing so; in ancient times。  When the mass of the population were slaves; and the voters intrinsically a kind of _kings_; or men born to rule others; when the voters were real 〃aristocrats〃 and manageable dependents of such;then doubtless voting; and confused jumbling of talk and intrigue; might; without immediate destruction; or the need of a Cavaignac to intervene with cannon and sweep the streets clear of it; go on; and beautiful developments of manhood might be possible beside it; for a season。  Beside it; or even; if you will; by means of it; and in virtue of it; though that is by no means so certain as is often supposed。  Alas; no:  the reflective constitutional mind has misgivings as to the origin of old Greek and Roman nobleness; and indeed knows not how this or any other human nobleness could well be 〃originated;〃 or brought to pass; by voting or without voting; in this world; except by the grace of God very mainly;and remembers; with a sigh; that of the Seven Sages themselves no fewer than three were bits of Despotic Kings; 'Gr。' _Turannoi_; 〃Tyrants〃 so called (such being greatly wanted there); and that the other four were very far from Red Republicans; if of any political faith whatever!  We may quit the Ancient Classical concern; and leave it to College…clubs and speculative debating…societies; in these late days。

Of the various French Republics that have been tried; or that are still on trial;of these also it is not needful to say any word。  But there is one modern instance of Democracy nearly perfect; the Republic of the United States; which has actually subsisted for threescore years or more; with immense success as is affirmed; to which many still appeal; as to a sign of hope for all nations; and a 〃Model Republic。〃  Is not America an instance in point?  Why should not all Nations subsist and flourish on Democracy; as America does?

Of America it would ill beseem any Englishman; and me perhaps as little as another; to speak unkindly; to speak unpatriotically; if any of us even felt so。  Sure enough; America is a great; and in many respects a blessed and hopeful phenomenon。  Sure enough; these hardy millions of Anglo…Saxon men prove themselves worthy of their genealogy; and; with the axe and plough and hammer; if not yet with any much finer kind of implements; are triumphantly clearing out wide spaces; seedfields for the sustenance and refuge of mankind; arenas for the future history of the world; doing; in their day and generation; a creditable and cheering feat under the sun。 But as to a Model Republic; or a model anything; the wise among themselves know too well that there is nothing to be said。  Nay the title hitherto to be a Commonwealth or Nation at all; among the 'Gr。' _ethne_ of the world; is; strictly considered; still a thing they are but striving for; and indeed have not yet done much towards attaining。  Their Constitution; such as it may be; was made here; not there; went over with them from the Old…Puritan English workshop ready…made。  Deduct what they carried with them from England ready…made;their common English Language; and that same Constitution; or rather elixir of constitutions; their inveterate and now; as it were; inborn reverence for the Constable's Staff; two quite immense attainments; which England had to spend much blood; and valiant sweat of brow and brain; for centuries long; in achieving;and what new elements of polity or nationhood; what noble new phasis of human arrangement; or social device worthy of Prometheus or of Epimetheus; yet comes to light in America?  Cotton crops and Indian corn and dollars come to light; and half a world of untilled land; where populations that respect the constable can live; for the present _without_ Government:  this comes to light; and the profound sorrow of all nobler hearts; here uttering itself as silent patient unspeakable ennui; there coming out as vague elegiac wailings; that there is still next to nothing more。  〃Anarchy _plus_ a street…constable:〃 that also is anarchic to me; and other than quite lovely!

I foresee; too; that; long before the waste lands are full; the very street…constable; on these poor terms; will have become impossible: without the waste lands; as here in our Europe; I do not see how he could continue possible many weeks。
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