heretics-第26章

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For　practical　purposes　it　is　at　the　hopeless　moment　that　we　require



the　hopeful　man；　and　the　virtue　either　does　not　exist　at　all；



or　begins　to　exist　at　that　moment。　　Exactly　at　the　instant



when　hope　ceases　to　be　reasonable　it　begins　to　be　useful。



Now　the　old　pagan　world　went　perfectly　straightforward　until　it



discovered　that　going　straightforward　is　an　enormous　mistake。



It　was　nobly　and　beautifully　reasonable；　and　discovered　in　its



death…pang　this　lasting　and　valuable　truth；　a　heritage　for　the　ages；



that　reasonableness　will　not　do。　　The　pagan　age　was　truly　an　Eden



or　golden　age；　in　this　essential　sense；　that　it　is　not　to　be　recovered。



And　it　is　not　to　be　recovered　in　this　sense　again　that；



while　we　are　certainly　jollier　than　the　pagans；　and　much



more　right　than　the　pagans；　there　is　not　one　of　us　who　can；



by　the　utmost　stretch　of　energy；　be　so　sensible　as　the　pagans。



That　naked　innocence　of　the　intellect　cannot　be　recovered



by　any　man　after　Christianity；　and　for　this　excellent　reason；



that　every　man　after　Christianity　knows　it　to　be　misleading。



Let　me　take　an　example；　the　first　that　occurs　to　the　mind；　of　this



impossible　plainness　in　the　pagan　point　of　view。　　The　greatest



tribute　to　Christianity　in　the　modern　world　is　Tennyson's　〃Ulysses。〃



The　poet　reads　into　the　story　of　Ulysses　the　conception　of　an　incurable



desire　to　wander。　　But　the　real　Ulysses　does　not　desire　to　wander　at　all。



He　desires　to　get　home。　　He　displays　his　heroic　and　unconquerable



qualities　in　resisting　the　misfortunes　which　baulk　him；　but　that　is　all。



There　is　no　love　of　adventure　for　its　own　sake；　that　is　a



Christian　product。　　There　is　no　love　of　Penelope　for　her　own　sake；



that　is　a　Christian　product。　　Everything　in　that　old　world　would



appear　to　have　been　clean　and　obvious。　　A　good　man　was　a　good　man；



a　bad　man　was　a　bad　man。　　For　this　reason　they　had　no　charity；



for　charity　is　a　reverent　agnosticism　towards　the　complexity　of　the　soul。



For　this　reason　they　had　no　such　thing　as　the　art　of　fiction；　the　novel；



for　the　novel　is　a　creation　of　the　mystical　idea　of　charity。



For　them　a　pleasant　landscape　was　pleasant；　and　an　unpleasant



landscape　unpleasant。　　Hence　they　had　no　idea　of　romance；　for　romance



consists　in　thinking　a　thing　more　delightful　because　it　is　dangerous；



it　is　a　Christian　idea。　　In　a　word；　we　cannot　reconstruct



or　even　imagine　the　beautiful　and　astonishing　pagan　world。



It　was　a　world　in　which　common　sense　was　really　common。







My　general　meaning　touching　the　three　virtues　of　which　I



have　spoken　will　now；　I　hope；　be　sufficiently　clear。



They　are　all　three　paradoxical；　they　are　all　three　practical；



and　they　are　all　three　paradoxical　because　they　are　practical。



it　is　the　stress　of　ultimate　need；　and　a　terrible　knowledge　of　things



as　they　are；　which　led　men　to　set　up　these　riddles；　and　to　die　for　them。



Whatever　may　be　the　meaning　of　the　contradiction；　it　is　the　fact



that　the　only　kind　of　hope　that　is　of　any　use　in　a　battle



is　a　hope　that　denies　arithmetic。　　Whatever　may　be　the　meaning



of　the　contradiction；　it　is　the　fact　that　the　only　kind　of　charity



which　any　weak　spirit　wants；　or　which　any　generous　spirit　feels；



is　the　charity　which　forgives　the　sins　that　are　like　scarlet。



Whatever　may　be　the　meaning　of　faith；　it　must　always　mean　a　certainty



about　something　we　cannot　prove。　　Thus；　for　instance；　we　believe



by　faith　in　the　existence　of　other　people。







But　there　is　another　Christian　virtue；　a　virtue　far　more　obviously



and　historically　connected　with　Christianity；　which　will　illustrate



even　better　the　connection　between　paradox　and　practical　necessity。



This　virtue　cannot　be　questioned　in　its　capacity　as　a　historical　symbol；



certainly　Mr。　Lowes　Dickinson　will　not　question　it。



It　has　been　the　boast　of　hundreds　of　the　champions　of　Christianity。



It　has　been　the　taunt　of　hundreds　of　the　opponents　of　Christianity。



It　is；　in　essence；　the　basis　of　Mr。　Lowes　Dickinson's　whole　distinction



between　Christianity　and　Paganism。　　I　mean；　of　course；　the　virtue



of　humility。　　I　admit；　of　course；　most　readily；　that　a　great　deal



of　false　Eastern　humility　（that　is；　of　strictly　ascetic　humility）



mixed　itself　with　the　main　stream　of　European　Christianity。



We　must　not　forget　that　when　we　speak　of　Christianity　we　are　speaking



of　a　whole　continent　for　about　a　thousand　years。　　But　of　this　virtue



even　more　than　of　the　other　three；　I　would　maintain　the　general



proposition　adopted　above。　　Civilization　discovered　Christian　humility



for　the　same　urgent　reason　that　it　discovered　faith　and　charity



that　is；　because　Christian　civilization　had　to　discover　it　or　die。







The　great　psychological　discovery　of　Paganism；　which　turned　it



into　Christianity；　can　be　expressed　with　some　accuracy　in　one　phrase。



The　pagan　set　out；　with　admirable　sense；　to　enjoy　himself。



By　the　end　of　his　civilization　he　had　discovered　that　a　man



cannot　enjoy　himself　and　continue　to　enjoy　anything　else。



Mr。　Lowes　Dickinson　has　pointed　out　in　words　too　excellent　to　need



any　further　elucidation；　the　absurd　shallowness　of　those　who　imagine



that　the　pagan　enjoyed　himself　only　in　a　materialistic　sense。



Of　course；　he　enjoyed　himself；　not　only　intellectually　even；



he　enjoyed　himself　morally；　he　enjoyed　himself　spiritually。



But　it　was　himself　that　he　was　enjoying；　on　the　face　of　it；



a　very　natural　thing　to　do。　　Now；　the　psychological　discovery



is　merely　this；　that　whereas　it　had　been　supposed　that　the　fullest



possible　enjoyment　is　to　be　found　by　extending　our　ego　to　infinity；



the　truth　is　that　the　fullest　possible　enjoyment　is　to　be　found



by　reducing　our　ego　to　zero。







Humility　is　the　thing　which　is　for　ever　renewing　the　earth　and　the　stars。



It　is　humility；　and　not　duty；　which　preserves　the　stars　from　wrong；



from　the　unpardonable　wrong　of　casual　resignation；　it　is　through



humility　that　the　most　ancient　heavens　for　us　are　fresh　and　strong。



The　curse　that　came　before　history　has　laid　on　us　all　a　tendency



to　be　weary　of　wonders。　　If　we　saw　the　sun　for　the　first　time



it　would　be　the　most　fearful　and　beautiful　of　meteors。



Now　that　we　see　it　for　the　hundredth　time　we　call　it；　in　the　hideous



and　blasphemous　phrase　of　Wordsworth；　〃the　light　of　common　day。〃



We　are　inclined　to　increase　our　claims。　　We　are　inclined　to



demand　six　suns；　to　demand　a　blue　sun；　to　demand　a　green　sun。



Humility　is　perpetually　putting　us　back　in　the　primal　darkness。



There　all　light　is　lightning；　startling　and　instantaneous。



Until　we　understand　that　original　dark；　in　which　we　have　neither



sight　nor　expectation；　we　can　give　no　hearty　and　childlike



praise　to　the　splendid　sensationalism　of　things。　　The　terms



〃pessimism〃　and　〃optimism；〃　like　most　modern　terms；　are　unmeaning。



But　if　they　can　be　used　in　any　vague　sense　as　meaning　something；



we　may　say　that　in　this　great　fact　pessimism　is　the　very　basis



of　optimism。　　The　man　who　destroys　himself　creates　the　universe。



To　the　humble　man；　and　to　the　humble　man　alone；　the　sun　is　really　a　sun；



to　the　humble　man；　and　to　the　humble　man　alone；　the　sea　is　really　a　sea。



When　he　looks　at　all　the　faces　in　the　street；　he　does　not　only



realize　that　men　are　alive；　he　realizes　with　a　dramatic　pleasure



that　they　are　not　dead。







I　have　not　spoken　of　another　aspect　of　the　discovery　of　humility



as　a　psychological　necessity；　because　it　is　more　commonly　insisted　on；



and　is　in　itself　more　obvious。　　But　it　is　equally　clear　that　humility



is　a　permanent　necessity　as　a　condition　of　effort　and　self…examination。



It　is　one　of　the