heretics-第14章
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who wished to frustrate a great forward movement of the life…force。
If （as not unfrequently was the case） he happened to have two heads；
he would point out the elementary maxim which declares them
to be better than one。 He would enlarge on the subtle modernity
of such an equipment； enabling a giant to look at a subject
from two points of view； or to correct himself with promptitude。
But Jack was the champion of the enduring human standards；
of the principle of one man one head and one man one conscience；
of the single head and the single heart and the single eye。
Jack was quite unimpressed by the question of whether the giant was
a particularly gigantic giant。 All he wished to know was whether
he was a good giantthat is； a giant who was any good to us。
What were the giant's religious views； what his views on politics
and the duties of the citizen？ Was he fond of children
or fond of them only in a dark and sinister sense ？ To use a fine
phrase for emotional sanity； was his heart in the right place？
Jack had sometimes to cut him up with a sword in order to find out。
The old and correct story of Jack the Giant…Killer is simply the whole
story of man； if it were understood we should need no Bibles or histories。
But the modern world in particular does not seem to understand it at all。
The modern world； like Mr。 Wells is on the side of the giants；
the safest place； and therefore the meanest and the most prosaic。
The modern world； when it praises its little Caesars；
talks of being strong and brave： but it does not seem to see
the eternal paradox involved in the conjunction of these ideas。
The strong cannot be brave。 Only the weak can be brave；
and yet again； in practice； only those who can be brave can be trusted；
in time of doubt； to be strong。 The only way in which a giant could
really keep himself in training against the inevitable Jack would
be by continually fighting other giants ten times as big as himself。
That is by ceasing to be a giant and becoming a Jack。
Thus that sympathy with the small or the defeated as such；
with which we Liberals and Nationalists have been often reproached；
is not a useless sentimentalism at all； as Mr。 Wells and his
friends fancy。 It is the first law of practical courage。
To be in the weakest camp is to be in the strongest school。
Nor can I imagine anything that would do humanity more good than
the advent of a race of Supermen； for them to fight like dragons。
If the Superman is better than we； of course we need not fight him；
but in that case； why not call him the Saint？ But if he is
merely stronger （whether physically； mentally； or morally stronger；
I do not care a farthing）； then he ought to have to reckon with us
at least for all the strength we have。 It we are weaker than he；
that is no reason why we should be weaker than ourselves。
If we are not tall enough to touch the giant's knees； that is
no reason why we should become shorter by falling on our own。
But that is at bottom the meaning of all modern hero…worship
and celebration of the Strong Man； the Caesar the Superman。
That he may be something more than man； we must be something less。
Doubtless there is an older and better hero…worship than this。
But the old hero was a being who； like Achilles； was more human
than humanity itself。 Nietzsche's Superman is cold and friendless。
Achilles is so foolishly fond of his friend that he slaughters
armies in the agony of his bereavement。 Mr。 Shaw's sad Caesar says
in his desolate pride； 〃He who has never hoped can never despair。〃
The Man…God of old answers from his awful hill； 〃Was ever sorrow
like unto my sorrow？〃 A great man is not a man so strong that he feels
less than other men； he is a man so strong that he feels more。
And when Nietszche says； 〃A new commandment I give to you； ‘be hard；'〃
he is really saying； 〃A new commandment I give to you； ‘be dead。'〃
Sensibility is the definition of life。
I recur for a last word to Jack the Giant…Killer。 I have dwelt
on this matter of Mr。 Wells and the giants； not because it is
specially prominent in his mind； I know that the Superman does
not bulk so large in his cosmos as in that of Mr。 Bernard Shaw。
I have dwelt on it for the opposite reason； because this heresy
of immoral hero…worship has taken； I think； a slighter hold of him；
and may perhaps still be prevented from perverting one of
the best thinkers of the day。 In the course of 〃The New Utopia〃
Mr。 Wells makes more than one admiring allusion to Mr。 W。 E。 Henley。
That clever and unhappy man lived in admiration of a vague violence；
and was always going back to rude old tales and rude old ballads；
to strong and primitive literatures； to find the praise of strength
and the justification of tyranny。 But he could not find it。
It is not there。 The primitive literature is shown in the tale of Jack
the Giant…Killer。 The strong old literature is all in praise of the weak。
The rude old tales are as tender to minorities as any modern
political idealist。 The rude old ballads are as sentimentally
concerned for the under…dog as the Aborigines Protection Society。
When men were tough and raw； when they lived amid hard knocks and
hard laws； when they knew what fighting really was； they had only
two kinds of songs。 The first was a rejoicing that the weak had
conquered the strong； the second a lamentation that the strong had；
for once in a way； conquered the weak。 For this defiance of
the statu quo； this constant effort to alter the existing balance；
this premature challenge to the powerful； is the whole nature and
inmost secret of the psychological adventure which is called man。
It is his strength to disdain strength。 The forlorn hope
is not only a real hope； it is the only real hope of mankind。
In the coarsest ballads of the greenwood men are admired most when
they defy； not only the king； but what is more to the point； the hero。
The moment Robin Hood becomes a sort of Superman； that moment
the chivalrous chronicler shows us Robin thrashed by a poor tinker
whom he thought to thrust aside。 And the chivalrous chronicler
makes Robin Hood receive the thrashing in a glow of admiration。
This magnanimity is not a product of modern humanitarianism；
it is not a product of anything to do with peace。
This magnanimity is merely one of the lost arts of war。
The Henleyites call for a sturdy and fighting England； and they go
back to the fierce old stories of the sturdy and fighting English。
And the thing that they find written across that fierce old
literature everywhere； is 〃the policy of Majuba。〃
VI。 Christmas and the Aesthetes
The world is round； so round that the schools of optimism and pessimism
have been arguing from the beginning whether it is the right way up。
The difficulty does not arise so much from the mere fact that good and
evil are mingled in roughly equal proportions； it arises chiefly from
the fact that men always differ about what parts are good and what evil。
Hence the difficulty which besets 〃undenominational religions。〃
They profess to include what is beautiful in all creeds； but they
appear to many to have collected all that is dull in them。
All the colours mixed together in purity ought to make a perfect white。
Mixed together on any human paint…box； they make a thing like mud； and a
thing very like many new religions。 Such a blend is often something much
worse than any one creed taken separately； even the creed of the Thugs。
The error arises from the dif
