erewhon revisited-第24章

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meant　by　saying　that　in　the　midst　of　life　we　are　in　death；　and　so
also　that　in　the　midst　of　death　we　are　in　life。

〃And　there　is　this；　too。　　No　man　can　influence　fully　until　he　can
no　more　be　influencedthat　is　to　say；　till　after　his　so…called
death。　　Till　then；　his　'he'　is　still　unsettled。　　We　know　not　what
other　influences　may　not　be　brought　to　bear　upon　him　that　may
change　the　character　of　the　influence　he　will　exert　on　ourselves。
Therefore；　he　is　not　fully　living　till　he　is　no　longer　living。　　He
is　an　incomplete　work；　which　cannot　have　full　effect　till　finished。
And　as　for　his　vicarious　lifewhich　we　have　seen　to　be　very　real
this　can　be；　and　is；　influenced　by　just　appreciation；　undue　praise
or　calumny；　and　is　subject；　it　may　be；　to　secular　vicissitudes　of
good　and　evil　fortune。

〃If　this　is　not　true；　let　us　have　no　more　talk　about　the
immortality　of　great　men　and　women。　　The　Sunchild　was　never　weary
of　talking　to　us　（as　we　then　sometimes　thought；　a　little　tediously）
about　a　great　poet　of　that　nation　to　which　it　pleased　him　to　feign
that　he　belonged。　　How　plainly　can　we　not　now　see　that　his　words
were　spoken　for　our　learningfor　the　enforcement　of　that　true　view
of　heaven　and　hell　on　which　I　am　feebly　trying　to　insist？　　The
poet's　name；　he　said；　was　Shakespeare。　　Whilst　he　was　alive；　very
few　people　understood　his　greatness；　whereas　now；　after　some　three
hundred　years；　he　is　deemed　the　greatest　poet　that　the　world　has
ever　known。　　'Can　this　man；'　he　asked；　'be　said　to　have　been　truly
born　till　many　a　long　year　after　he　had　been　reputed　as　truly　dead？
While　he　was　in　the　flesh；　was　he　more　than　a　mere　embryo　growing
towards　birth　into　that　life　of　the　world　to　come　in　which　he　now
shines　so　gloriously？　　What　a　small　thing　was　that　flesh　and　blood
life；　of　which　he　was　alone　conscious；　as　compared　with　that
fleshless　life　which　he　lives　but　knows　not　in　the　lives　of
millions；　and　which；　had　it　ever　been　fully　revealed　even　to　his
imagination；　we　may　be　sure　that　he　could　not　have　reached？'

〃These　were　the　Sunchild's　words；　as　repeated　to　me　by　one　of　his
chosen　friends　while　he　was　yet　amongst　us。　　Which；　then；　of　this
man's　two　lives　should　we　deem　best　worth　having；　if　we　could
choose　one　or　other；　but　not　both？　　The　felt　or　the　unfelt？　　Who
would　not　go　cheerfully　to　block　or　stake　if　he　knew　that　by　doing
so　he　could　win　such　life　as　this　poet　lives；　though　he　also　knew
that　on　having　won　it　he　could　know　no　more　about　it？　　Does　not
this　prove　that　in　our　heart　of　hearts　we　deem　an　unfelt　life；　in
the　heaven　of　men's　loving　thoughts；　to　be　better　worth　having　than
any　we　can　reasonably　hope　for　and　still　feel？

〃And　the　converse　of　this　is　true；　many　a　man　has　unhesitatingly
laid　down　his　felt　life　to　escape　unfelt　infamy　in　the　hell　of
men's　hatred　and　contempt。　　As　body　is　the　sacrament；　or　outward
and　visible　sign；　of　mind；　so　is　posterity　the　sacrament　of　those
who　live　after　death。　　Each　is　the　mechanism　through　which　the
other　becomes　effective。

〃I　grant　that　many　live　but　a　short　time　when　the　breath　is　out　of
them。　　Few　seeds　germinate　as　compared　with　those　that　rot　or　are
eaten；　and　most　of　this　world's　denizens　are　little　more　than
still…born　as　regards　the　larger　life；　while　none　are　immortal　to
the　end　of　time。　　But　the　end　of　time　is　not　worth　considering；　not
a　few　live　as　many　centuries　as　either　they　or　we　need　think　about；
and　surely　the　world；　so　far　as　we　can　guess　its　object；　was　made
rather　to　be　enjoyed　than　to　last。　　'Come　and　go'　pervades　all
things　of　which　we　have　knowledge；　and　if　there　was　any　provision
made；　it　seems　to　have　been　for　a　short　life　and　a　merry　one；　with
enough　chance　of　extension　beyond　the　grave　to　be　worth　trying　for；
rather　than　for　the　perpetuity　even　of　the　best　and　noblest。

〃Granted；　again；　that　few　live　after　death　as　long　or　as　fully　as
they　had　hoped　to　do；　while　many；　when　quick；　can　have　had　none　but
the　faintest　idea　of　the　immortality　that　awaited　them；　it　is
nevertheless　true　that　none　are　so　still…born　on　death　as　not　to
enter　into　a　life　of　some　sort；　however　short　and　humble。　　A　short
life　or　a　long　one　can　no　more　be　bargained　for　in　the　unseen　world
than　in　the　seen；　as；　however；　care　on　the　part　of　parents　can　do
much　for　the　longer　life　and　greater　well…being　of　their　offspring
in　this　world；　so　the　conduct　of　that　offspring　in　this　world　does
much　both　to　secure　for　itself　longer　tenure　of　life　in　the　next；
and　to　determine　whether　that　life　shall　be　one　of　reward　or
punishment。

〃'Reward　or　punishment；'　some　reader　will　perhaps　exclaim；　'what
mockery；　when　the　essence　of　reward　and　punishment　lies　in　their
being　felt　by　those　who　have　earned　them。'　　I　can　do　nothing　with
those　who　either　cry　for　the　moon；　or　deny　that　it　has　two　sides；
on　the　ground　that　we　can　see　but　one。　　Here　comes　in　faith；　of
which　the　Sunchild　said；　that　though　we　can　do　little　with　it；　we
can　do　nothing　without　it。　　Faith　does　not　consist；　as　some　have
falsely　urged；　in　believing　things　on　insufficient　evidence；　this
is　not　faith；　but　faithlessness　to　all　that　we　should　hold　most
faithfully。　　Faith　consists　in　holding　that　the　instincts　of　the
best　men　and　women　are　in　themselves　an　evidence　which　may　not　be
set　aside　lightly；　and　the　best　men　and　women　have　ever　held　that
death　is　better　than　dishonour；　and　desirable　if　honour　is　to　be
won　thereby。

〃It　follows；　then；　that　though　our　conscious　flesh　and　blood　life
is　the　only　one　that　we　can　fully　apprehend；　yet　we　do　also　indeed
move；　even　here；　in　an　unseen　world；　wherein；　when　our　palpable
life　is　ended；　we　shall　continue　to　live　for　a　shorter　or　longer
timereaping　roughly；　though　not　infallibly；　much　as　we　have　sown。
Of　this　unseen　world　the　best　men　and　women　will　be　almost　as
heedless　while　in　the　flesh　as　they　will　be　when　their　life　in
flesh　is　over；　for；　as　the　Sunchild　often　said；　'The　Kingdom　of
Heaven　cometh　not　by　observation。'　　It　will　be　all　in　all　to　them；
and　at　the　same　time　nothing；　for　the　better　people　they　are；　the
less　they　will　think　of　anything　but　this　present　life。

〃What　an　ineffable　contradiction　in　terms　have　we　not　here。　　What　a
reversal；　is　it　not；　of　all　this　world's　canons；　that　we　should
hold　even　the　best　of　all　that　we　can　know　or　feel　in　this　life　to
be　a　poor　thing　as　compared　with　hopes　the　fulfilment　of　which　we
can　never　either　feel　or　know。　　Yet　we　all　hold　this；　however
little　we　may　admit　it　to　ourselves。　　For　the　world　at　heart
despises　its　own　canons。〃

I　cannot　quote　further　from　Dr。　Gurgoyle's　pamphlet；　suffice　it
that　he　presently　dealt　with　those　who　say　that　it　is　not　right　of
any　man　to　aim　at　thrusting　himself　in　among　the　living　when　he　has
had　his　day。　　〃Let　him　die；〃　say　they；　〃and　let　die　as　his　fathers
before　him。〃　　He　argued　that　as　we　had　a　right　to　pester　people
till　we　got　ourselves　born；　so　also　we　have　a　right　to　pester　them
for　extension　of　life　beyond　the　grave。　　Life；　whether　before　the
grave　or　afterwards；　is　like　loveall　reason　is　against　it；　and
all　healthy　instinct　for　it。　　Instinct　on　such　matters　is　the　older
and　safer　guide；　no　one；　therefore；　should　seek　to　efface　himself
as　regards　the　next　world　more　than　as　regards　this。　　If　he　is　to
be　effaced；　let　others　efface　him；　do　not　let　him　commit　suicide。
Freely　we　have　received；　freely；　therefore；　let　us　take　as　much
more　as　we　can　get；　and　let　it　be　a　stand…up　fight　between
ourselves　and　posterity　to　see　whether　it　can　get　rid　of　us　or　no。
If　it　can；　let　it；　if　it　cannot；　it　must　put　up　with　us。　　It　can
better　care　for　itself　than　we　can　for　ourselves　when　the　breath　is
out　of　us。

Not　the　least　important　duty；　he　continued；　of　posterity　towards
itself　lies　in　passing　righteous　judgement　on　the　forbears　who
stand　up　before　it。　　They　should　be　allowed　the　benefit　of　a　doubt；
and　peccadilloes　should　be　ignored；　but　when　no　doubt　exists　that　a
man　was　engrainedly　mean　and　cowardly；　his　reputation　must　remain
in　the　Purgatory　of　Time　for　a　term　varying　from；　say；　a　hundred　to
two　thousand　years。　　After　a　hundred　years　it　may　generally　come
down；　though　it　will　still　be　under　a　clo