the unseen world and other essays-第68章

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d　rather　by　sober　appeals　to　reason　than　by　intrigue　or　lobbying；　and　one　cannot　help　thinking　that　an　Athenian　of　the　time　of　Perikles　would　have　regarded　with　pitying　contempt　the　trick　of　the　〃previous　question。〃　And　this　explains　the　undoubted　pre…eminence　of　Athenian　oratory。　This　accounts　for　the　fact　that　we　find　in　the　forensic　annals　of　a　single　city；　and　within　the　compass　of　a　single　century；　such　names　as　Lysias；　Isokrates；　Andokides；　Hypereides；　Aischines；　and　Demosthenes。　The　art　of　oratory；　like　the　art　of　sculpture；　shone　forth　more　brilliantly　then　than　ever　since；　because　then　the　conditions　favouring　its　development　were　more　perfectly　combined　than　they　have　since　been。　Now；　a　condition　of　society　in　which　the　multitude　can　always　be　made　to　stand　quietly　and　listen　to　a　logical　discourse　is　a　condition　of　high　culture。　Readers　of　Xenophon's　Anabasis　will　remember　the　frequency　of　the　speeches　in　that　charming　book。　Whenever　some　terrible　emergency　arose；　or　some　alarming　quarrel　or　disheartening　panic　occurred；　in　the　course　of　the　retreat　of　the　Ten　Thousand；　an　oration　from　one　of　the　commandersnot　a　demagogue's　appeal　to　the　lower　passions；　but　a　calm　exposition　of　circumstances　addressed　to　the　sober　judgmentusually　sufficed　to　set　all　things　in　order。　To　my　mind　this　is　one　of　the　most　impressive　historical　lessons　conveyed　in　Xenophon's　book。　And　this　peculiar　kind　of　self…control；　indicative　of　intellectual　sobriety　and　high　moral　training；　which　was　more　or　less　characteristic　of　all　Greeks；　was　especially　characteristic　of　the　Athenians。

These　illustrations　will；　I　hope；　suffice　to　show　that　there　is　nothing　extravagant　in　the　high　estimate　which　I　have　made　of　Athenian　culture。　I　have　barely　indicated　the　causes　of　this　singular　perfection　of　individual　training　in　the　social　circumstances　amid　which　the　Athenians　lived。　I　have　alleged　it　as　an　instance　of　what　may　be　accomplished　by　a　well…directed　leisure　and　in　the　absence　or　very　scanty　development　of　such　a　complex　industrial　life　as　that　which　surrounds　us　to…day。　But　I　have　not　yet　quite　done　with　the　Athenians。　Before　leaving　this　part　of　the　subject；　I　must　mention　one　further　circumstance　which　tends　to　make　ancient　life　appear　in　our　eyes　more　sunny　and　healthy　and　less　distressed；　than　the　life　of　modern　times。　And　in　this　instance；　too；　though　we　are　not　dealing　with　any　immediate　or　remote　effects　of　leisureliness；　we　still　have　to　note　the　peculiar　advantage　gained　by　the　absence　of　a　great　complexity　of　interests　in　the　ancient　community。

With　respect　to　religion；　the　Athenians　were　peculiarly　situated。　They　had　for　the　most　part　outgrown　the　primitive　terrorism　of　fetishistic　belief。　Save　in　cases　of　public　distress；　as　in　the　mutilation　of　the　Hermai；　or　in　the　refusal　of　Nikias　to　retreat　from　Syracuse　because　of　an　eclipse　of　the　moon；　they　were　no　longer；　like　savages；　afraid　of　the　dark。　Their　keen　aesthetic　sense　had　prevailed　to　turn　the　horrors　of　a　primeval　nature…worship　into　beauties。　Their　springs　and　groves　were　peopled　by　their　fancy　with　naiads　and　dryads；　not　with　trolls　and　grotesque　goblins。　Their　feelings　toward　the　unseen　powers　at　work　about　them　were　in　the　main　pleasant；　as　witness　the　little　story　about　Pheidippides　meeting　the　god　Pan　as　he　was　making　with　hot　haste　toward　Sparta　to　announce　the　arrival　of　the　Persians。　Now；　while　this　original　source　of　mental　discomfort；　which　afflicts　the　uncivilized　man；　had　ceased　materially　to　affect　the　Athenians；　they　on　the　other　hand　lived　at　a　time　when　the　vague　sense　of　sin　and　self…reproof　which　was　characteristic　of　the　early　ages　of　Christianity；　had　not　yet　invaded　society。　The　vast　complication　of　life　brought　about　by　the　extension　of　the　Roman　Empire　led　to　a　great　development　of　human　sympathies；　unknown　in　earlier　times；　and　called　forth　unquiet　yearnings；　desire　for　amelioration；　a　sense　of　short…coming；　and　a　morbid　self…consciousness。　It　is　accordingly　under　Roman　sway　that　we　first　come　across　characters　approximating　to　the　modern　type；　like　Cicero；　Seneca；　Epictetus；　and　Marcus　Aurelius。　It　is　then　that　we　find　the　idea　of　social　progress　first　clearly　expressed；　that　we　discover　some　glimmerings　of　a　conscious　philanthropy；　and　that　we　detect　the　earliest　symptoms　of　that　unhealthy　tendency　to　subordinate　too　entirely　the　physical　to　the　moral　life；　which　reached　its　culmination　in　the　Middle　Ages。　In　the　palmy　days　of　the　Athenians　it　was　different。　When　we　hint　that　they　were　not　consciously　philanthropists；　we　do　not　mean　that　they　were　not　humane；　when　we　accredit　them　with　no　idea　of　progress；　we　do　not　forget　how　much　they　did　to　render　both　the　idea　and　the　reality　possible；　when　we　say　that　they　had　not　a　distressing　sense　of　spiritual　unworthiness；　we　do　not　mean　that　they　had　no　conscience。　We　mean　that　their　moral　and　religious　life　sat　easily　on　them；　like　their　own　graceful　drapery；did　not　gall　and　worry　them；　like　the　hair…cloth　garment　of　the　monk。　They　were　free　from　that　dark　conception　of　a　devil　which　lent　terror　to　life　in　the　Middle　Ages；　and　the　morbid　self…consciousness　which　led　mediaeval　women　to　immure　themselves　in　convents　would　have　been　to　an　Athenian　quite　inexplicable。　They　had；　in　short；　an　open　and　childlike　conception　of　religion；　and；　as　such；　it　was　a　sunny　conception。　Any　one　who　will　take　the　trouble　to　compare　an　idyl　of　Theokritos　with　a　modern　pastoral；　or　the　poem　of　Kleanthes　with　a　modern　hymn；　or　the　Aphrodite　of　Melos　with　a　modern　Madonna；　will　realize　most　effectually　what　I　mean。

And；　finally；　the　religion　of　the　Athenians　was　in　the　main　symbolized　in　a　fluctuating　mythology；　and　had　never　been　hardened　into　dogmas。　The　Athenian　was　subject　to　no　priest；　nor　was　he　obliged　to　pin　his　faith　to　any　formulated　creed。　His　hospitable　polytheism　left　little　room　for　theological　persecution；　and　none　for　any　heresy　short　of　virtual　atheism。　The　feverish　doubts　which　rack　the　modern　mind　left　him　undisturbed。　Though　he　might　sink　to　any　depth　of　scepticism　in　philosophy；　yet　the　eternal　welfare　of　his　soul　was　not　supposed　to　hang　upon　the　issue　of　his　doubts。　Accordingly　Athenian　society　was　not　only　characterized　in　the　main　by　freedom　of　opinion；　in　spite　of　the　exceptional　cases　of　Anaxagoras　and　Sokrates；　but　there　was　also　none　of　that　Gothic　gloom　with　which　the　deep…seated　Christian　sense　of　infinite　responsibility　for　opinion　has　saddened　modern　religious　life。

In　these　reflections　I　have　wandered　a　little　way　from　my　principal　theme；　in　order　more　fully　to　show　why　the　old　Greek　life　impresses　us　as　so　cheerful。　Returning　now　to　the　keynote　with　which　we　started；　let　us　state　succinctly　the　net　result　of　what　has　been　said　about　the　Athenians。　As　a　people　we　have　seen　that　they　enjoyed　an　unparalleled　amount　of　leisure；　living　through　life　with　but　little　turmoil　and　clatter。　Their　life　was　more　spontaneous　and　unrestrained；　less　rigorously　marked　out　by　uncontrollable　circumstances；　than　the　life　of　moderns。　They　did　not　run　so　much　in　grooves。　And　along　with　this　we　have　seen　reason　to　believe　that　they　were　the　most　profoundly　cultivated　of　all　peoples；　that　a　larger　proportion　of　men　lived　complete；　well…rounded；　harmonious　lives　in　ancient　Athens　than　in　any　other　known　community。　Keen；　nimble…minded；　and　self…possessed；　audacious　speculators；　but　temperate　and　averse　to　extravagance；　emotionally　healthy；　and　endowed　with　an　unequalled　sense　of　beauty　and　propriety；　how　admirable　and　wonderful　they　seem　when　looked　at　across　the　gulf　of　ages　intervening；and　what　a　priceless　possession　to　humanity；　of　what　noble　augury　for　the　distant　future；　is　the　fact　that　such　a　society　has　once　existed！

The　lesson　to　be　drawn　from　the　study　of　this　antique　life　will　impress　itself　more　deeply　upon　us　after　we　have　briefly　contemplated　the　striking　contrast　to　it　which　is　afforded　by　the　phase　of　civilization　amid　which　we　live　to…day。　Ever　since　Greek　civilization　was　merged　in　Roman　imperialism；　there　has　been　a　slowly　growing　tendency　toward　complexity　of　social　life；toward　the　widening　of　sympathies；　the　multiplying　of　interests；　the　increase　of　the　number　of　things　to　be　done。　Through　the