heretics-第24章

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of　whether　any　one　ever　really　did　so。　　That　numberless　journalists



announce　a　Franco…German　war　merely　for　money　is　no　evidence　one　way



or　the　other　upon　the　dark　question　of　whether　such　a　war　ever　occurred。



Doubtless　in　a　few　hundred　years　the　innumerable　Franco…German



wars　that　did　not　happen　will　have　cleared　the　scientific



mind　of　any　belief　in　the　legendary　war　of　'70　which　did。



But　that　will　be　because　if　folk…lore　students　remain　at　all；



their　nature　win　be　unchanged；　and　their　services　to　folk…lore



will　be　still　as　they　are　at　present；　greater　than　they　know。



For　in　truth　these　men　do　something　far　more　godlike　than　studying　legends；



they　create　them。







There　are　two　kinds　of　stories　which　the　scientists　say　cannot　be　true；



because　everybody　tells　them。　　The　first　class　consists　of　the　stories



which　are　told　everywhere；　because　they　are　somewhat　odd　or　clever；



there　is　nothing　in　the　world　to　prevent　their　having　happened　to　somebody



as　an　adventure　any　more　than　there　is　anything　to　prevent　their



having　occurred；　as　they　certainly　did　occur；　to　somebody　as　an　idea。



But　they　are　not　likely　to　have　happened　to　many　people。



The　second　class　of　their　〃myths〃　consist　of　the　stories　that　are



told　everywhere　for　the　simple　reason　that　they　happen　everywhere。



Of　the　first　class；　for　instance；　we　might　take　such　an　example



as　the　story　of　William　Tell；　now　generally　ranked　among　legends　upon



the　sole　ground　that　it　is　found　in　the　tales　of　other　peoples。



Now；　it　is　obvious　that　this　was　told　everywhere　because　whether



true　or　fictitious　it　is　what　is　called　〃a　good　story；〃



it　is　odd；　exciting；　and　it　has　a　climax。　　But　to　suggest　that



some　such　eccentric　incident　can　never　have　happened　in　the　whole



history　of　archery；　or　that　it　did　not　happen　to　any　particular



person　of　whom　it　is　told；　is　stark　impudence。　　The　idea　of　shooting



at　a　mark　attached　to　some　valuable　or　beloved　person　is　an　idea



doubtless　that　might　easily　have　occurred　to　any　inventive　poet。



But　it　is　also　an　idea　that　might　easily　occur　to　any　boastful　archer。



It　might　be　one　of　the　fantastic　caprices　of　some　story…teller。　It



might　equally　well　be　one　of　the　fantastic　caprices　of　some　tyrant。



It　might　occur　first　in　real　life　and　afterwards　occur　in　legends。



Or　it　might　just　as　well　occur　first　in　legends　and　afterwards　occur



in　real　life。　　If　no　apple　has　ever　been　shot　off　a　boy's　head



from　the　beginning　of　the　world；　it　may　be　done　tomorrow　morning；



and　by　somebody　who　has　never　heard　of　William　Tell。







This　type　of　tale；　indeed；　may　be　pretty　fairly　paralleled　with



the　ordinary　anecdote　terminating　in　a　repartee　or　an　Irish　bull。



Such　a　retort　as　the　famous　〃je　ne　vois　pas　la　necessite〃　we　have



all　seen　attributed　to　Talleyrand；　to　Voltaire；　to　Henri　Quatre；



to　an　anonymous　judge；　and　so　on。　　But　this　variety　does　not　in　any



way　make　it　more　likely　that　the　thing　was　never　said　at　all。



It　is　highly　likely　that　it　was　really　said　by　somebody　unknown。



It　is　highly　likely　that　it　was　really　said　by　Talleyrand。



In　any　case；　it　is　not　any　more　difficult　to　believe　that　the　mot　might



have　occurred　to　a　man　in　conversation　than　to　a　man　writing　memoirs。



It　might　have　occurred　to　any　of　the　men　I　have　mentioned。



But　there　is　this　point　of　distinction　about　it；　that　it



is　not　likely　to　have　occurred　to　all　of　them。　　And　this　is



where　the　first　class　of　so…called　myth　differs　from　the　second



to　which　I　have　previously　referred。　　For　there　is　a　second　class



of　incident　found　to　be　common　to　the　stories　of　five　or　six　heroes；



say　to　Sigurd；　to　Hercules；　to　Rustem；　to　the　Cid；　and　so　on。



And　the　peculiarity　of　this　myth　is　that　not　only　is　it　highly



reasonable　to　imagine　that　it　really　happened　to　one　hero；　but　it　is



highly　reasonable　to　imagine　that　it　really　happened　to　all　of　them。



Such　a　story；　for　instance；　is　that　of　a　great　man　having　his



strength　swayed　or　thwarted　by　the　mysterious　weakness　of　a　woman。



The　anecdotal　story；　the　story　of　William　Tell；　is　as　I



have　said；　popular；　because　it　is　peculiar。　　But　this　kind　of　story；



the　story　of　Samson　and　Delilah　of　Arthur　and　Guinevere；　is　obviously



popular　because　it　is　not　peculiar。　　It　is　popular　as　good；



quiet　fiction　is　popular；　because　it　tells　the　truth　about　people。



If　the　ruin　of　Samson　by　a　woman；　and　the　ruin　of　Hercules　by　a　woman；



have　a　common　legendary　origin；　it　is　gratifying　to　know　that　we　can



also　explain；　as　a　fable；　the　ruin　of　Nelson　by　a　woman　and　the　ruin



of　Parnell　by　a　woman。　　And；　indeed；　I　have　no　doubt　whatever　that；



some　centuries　hence；　the　students　of　folk…lore　will　refuse　altogether



to　believe　that　Elizabeth　Barrett　eloped　with　Robert　Browning；



and　will　prove　their　point　up　to　the　hilt　by　the；　unquestionable　fact



that　the　whole　fiction　of　the　period　was　full　of　such　elopements



from　end　to　end。







Possibly　the　most　pathetic　of　all　the　delusions　of　the　modern



students　of　primitive　belief　is　the　notion　they　have　about　the　thing



they　call　anthropomorphism。　　They　believe　that　primitive　men



attributed　phenomena　to　a　god　in　human　form　in　order　to　explain　them；



because　his　mind　in　its　sullen　limitation　could　not　reach　any



further　than　his　own　clownish　existence。　　The　thunder　was　called



the　voice　of　a　man；　the　lightning　the　eyes　of　a　man；　because　by　this



explanation　they　were　made　more　reasonable　and　comfortable。



The　final　cure　for　all　this　kind　of　philosophy　is　to　walk　down



a　lane　at　night。　　Any　one　who　does　so　will　discover　very　quickly



that　men　pictured　something　semi…human　at　the　back　of　all　things；



not　because　such　a　thought　was　natural；　but　because　it　was　supernatural；



not　because　it　made　things　more　comprehensible；　but　because　it



made　them　a　hundred　times　more　incomprehensible　and　mysterious。



For　a　man　walking　down　a　lane　at　night　can　see　the　conspicuous　fact



that　as　long　as　nature　keeps　to　her　own　course；　she　has　no　power



with　us　at　all。　　As　long　as　a　tree　is　a　tree；　it　is　a　top…heavy



monster　with　a　hundred　arms；　a　thousand　tongues；　and　only　one　leg。



But　so　long　as　a　tree　is　a　tree；　it　does　not　frighten　us　at　all。



It　begins　to　be　something　alien；　to　be　something　strange；　only　when　it



looks　like　ourselves。　　When　a　tree　really　looks　like　a　man　our　knees



knock　under　us。　　And　when　the　whole　universe　looks　like　a　man　we



fall　on　our　faces。















XII　Paganism　and　Mr。　Lowes　Dickinson











Of　the　New　Paganism　（or　neo…Paganism）；　as　it　was　preached



flamboyantly　by　Mr。　Swinburne　or　delicately　by　Walter　Pater；



there　is　no　necessity　to　take　any　very　grave　account；



except　as　a　thing　which　left　behind　it　incomparable　exercises



in　the　English　language。　　The　New　Paganism　is　no　longer　new；



and　it　never　at　any　time　bore　the　smallest　resemblance　to　Paganism。



The　ideas　about　the　ancient　civilization　which　it　has　left



loose　in　the　public　mind　are　certainly　extraordinary　enough。



The　term　〃pagan〃　is　continually　used　in　fiction　and　light　literature



as　meaning　a　man　without　any　religion；　whereas　a　pagan　was　generally



a　man　with　about　half　a　dozen。　　The　pagans；　according　to　this　notion；



were　continually　crowning　themselves　with　flowers　and　dancing



about　in　an　irresponsible　state；　whereas；　if　there　were　two　things



that　the　best　pagan　civilization　did　honestly　believe　in；　they　were



a　rather　too　rigid　dignity　and　a　much　too　rigid　responsibility。



Pagans　are　depicted　as　above　all　things　inebriate　and　lawless；



whereas　they　were　above　all　things　reasonable　and　respectable。



They