the professor at the breakfast table-第3章

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has　arrived。　　You　shall　hear；　Madam。　　He　has　gone　to　the　Bible；　and

he　has　come　back　from　the　Bible；　bringing　a　remedy　for　existing

social　evils；　which；　if　it　is　the　real　specific；　as　it　professes　to

be；　is　of　great　interest　to　humanity；　and　to　the　female　part　of

humanity　in　particular。　　It　is　what　he　calls　TRIGAMY；　Madam；　or　the

marrying　of　three　wives；　so　that　〃good　old　men〃　may　be　solaced　at

once　by　the　companionship　of　the　wisdom　of　maturity；　and　of　those

less　perfected　but　hardly　less　engaging　qualities　which　are　found　at

an　earlier　period　of　life。　　He　has　followed　your　precept；　Madam；　I

hope　you　accept　his　conclusions。



The　female　boarder　in　black　attire　looked　so　puzzled；　and；　in　fact；

〃all　abroad；〃　after　the　delivery　of　this　〃counter〃　of　mine；　that　I

left　her　to　recover　her　wits；　and　went　on　with　the　conversation；

which　I　was　beginning　to　get　pretty　well　in　hand。



But　in　the　mean　time　I　kept　my　eye　on　the　female　boarder　to　see　what

effect　I　had　produced。　　First；　she　was　a　little　stunned　at　having　her

argument　knocked　over。　　Secondly；　she　was　a　little　shocked　at　the

tremendous　character　of　the　triple　matrimonial　suggestion。　　Thirdly。

I　don't　like　to　say　what　I　thought。　　Something　seemed　to　have

pleased　her　fancy。　　Whether　it　was；　that；　if　trigamy　should　come　into

fashion；　there　would　be　three　times　as　many　chances　to　enjoy　the

luxury　of　saying；　〃No！〃　is　more　than　I；　can　tell　you。　　I　may　as　well

mention　that　B。　F。　came　to　me　after　breakfast　to　borrow　the　pamphlet

for　〃a　lady；〃one　of　the　boarders；　he　said；looking　as　if　he　had　a

secret　he　wished　to　be　relieved　of。



I　continued。　If　a　human　soul　is　necessarily　to　be　trained　up　in

the　faith　of　those　from　whom　it　inherits　its　body；　why；　there　is　the

end　of　all　reason。　　If；　sooner　or　later；　every　soul　is　to　look　for

truth　with　its　own　eyes；　the　first　thing　is　to　recognize　that　no

presumption　in　favor　of　any　particular　belief　arises　from　the　fact　of

our　inheriting　it。　　Otherwise　you　would　not　give　the　Mahometan　a　fair

chance　to　become　a　convert　to　a　better　religion。



The　second　thing　would　be　to　depolarize　every　fixed　religious　idea　in

the　mind　by　changing　the　word　which　stands　for　it。



I　don't　know　what　you　mean　by　〃depolarizing〃　an　idea；said　the

divinity…student。



I　will　tell　you；I　said。　…When　a　given　symbol　which　represents　a

thought　has　lain　for　a　certain　length　of　time　in　the　mind；　it

undergoes　a　change　like　that　which　rest　in　a　certain　position　gives

to　iron。　　It　becomes　magnetic　in　its　relations；it　is　traversed　by

strange　forces　which　did　not　belong　to　it。　　The　word；　and

consequently　the　idea　it　represents；　is　polarized。



The　religious　currency　of　mankind；　in　thought；　in　speech；　and　in

print；　consists　entirely　of　polarized　words。　　Borrow　one　of　these

from　another　language　and　religion；　and　you　will　find　it　leaves　all

its　magnetism　behind　it。　　Take　that　famous　word；　O'm；　of　the　Hindoo

mythology。　　Even　a　priest　cannot　pronounce　it　without　sin；　and　a　holy

Pundit　would　shut　his　ears　and　run　away　from　you　in　horror；　if　you

should　say　it　aloud。　　What　do　you　care　for　O'm？　　If　you　wanted　to　get

the　Pundit　to　look　at　his　religion　fairly；　you　must　first　depolarize

this　and　all　similar　words　for　him。　　The　argument　for　and　against　new

translations　of　the　Bible　really　turns　on　this。　　Skepticism　is　afraid

to　trust　its　truths　in　depolarized　words；　and　so　cries　out　against　a

new　translation。　　I　think；　myself；　if　every　idea　our　Book　contains

could　be　shelled　out　of　its　old　symbol　and　put　into　a　new；　clean；

unmagnetic　word；　we　should　have　some　chance　of　reading　it　as

philosophers；　or　wisdom…lovers；　ought　to　read　it；which　we　do　not

and　cannot　now　any　more　than　a　Hindoo　can　read　the　〃Gayatri〃　as　a

fair　man　and　lover　of　truth　should　do。　　When　society　has　once　fairly

dissolved　the　New　Testament；　which　it　never　has　done　yet；　it　will

perhaps　crystallize　it　over　again　in　new　forms　of　language。



I　did　n't　know　you　was　a　settled　minister　over　this　parish；said　the

young　fellow　near　me。



A　sermon　by　a　lay…preacher　may　be　worth　listeningI　replied；　calmly。

It　gives　the　parallax　of　thought　and　feeling　as　they　appear　to　the

observers　from　two　very　different　points　of　view。　　If　you　wish　to　get

the　distance　of　a　heavenly　body；　you　know　that　you　must　take　two

observations　from　remote　points　of　the　earth's　orbit；in　midsummer

and　midwinter；　for　instance。　　To　get　the　parallax　of　heavenly　truths；

you　must　take　an　observation　from　the　position　of　the　laity　as　well

as　of　the　clergy。　　Teachers　and　students　of　theology　get　a　certain

look；　certain　conventional　tones　of　voice；　a　clerical　gait；　a

professional　neckcloth；　and　habits　of　mind　as　professional　as　their

externals。　　They　are　scholarly　men　and　read　Bacon；　and　know　well

enough　what　the　〃idols　of　the　tribe〃　are。　　Of　course　they　have　their

false　gods；　as　all　men　that　follow　one　exclusive　calling　are　prone　to

do。　The　clergy　have　played　the　part　of　the　flywheel　in　our　modern

civilization。　　They　have　never　suffered　it　to　stop。　　They　have　often

carried　on　its　movement；　when　other　moving　powers　failed；　by　the

momentum　stored　in　their　vast　body。　　Sometimes；　too；　they　have　kept

it　back　by　their　vis　inertia；　when　its　wheels　were　like　to　grind　the

bones　of　some　old　canonized　error　into　fertilizers　for　the　soil　that

yields　the　bread　of　life。　　But　the　mainspring　of　the　world's　onward

religious　movement　is　not　in　them；　nor　in　any　one　body　of　men；　let　me

tell　you。　　It　is　the　people　that　makes　the　clergy；　and　not　the　clergy

that　makes　the　people。　　Of　course；　the　profession　reacts　on　its

source　with　variable　energy。　But　there　never　was　a　guild　of　dealers

or　a　company　of　craftsmen　that　did　not　need　sharp　looking　after。



Our　old　friend；　Dr。　Holyoke；　whom　we　gave　the　dinner　to　some　time

since；　must　have　known　many　people　that　saw　the　great　bonfire　in

Harvard　College　yard。



Bonfire？shrieked　the　little　man。　The　bonfire　when　Robert

Calef's　book　was　burned？



The　same；I　said；when　Robert　Calef　the　Boston　merchant's　book　was

burned　in　the　yard　of　Harvard　College；　by　order　of　Increase　Mather；

President　of　the　College　and　Minister　of　the　Gospel。　　You　remember

the　old　witchcraft　revival　of　'92；　and　how　stout　Master　Robert　Calef；

trader　of　Boston；　had　the　pluck　to　tell　the　ministers　and　judges　what

a　set　of　fools　and　worse　than　fools　they　were…



Remember　it？said　the　little　man。　I　don't　think　I　shall　forget　it；

as　long　as　I　can　stretch　this　forefinger　to　point　with；　and　see　what

it　wears。　　There　was　a　ring　on　it。



May　I　look　at　it？I　said。



Where　it　is；said　the　little　man；it　will　never　come　off；　till　it

falls　off　from　the　bone　in　the　darkness　and　in　the　dust。



He　pushed　the　high　chair　on　which　he　sat　slightly　back　from　the

table；　and　dropped　himself；　standing；　to　the　floor；his　head　being

only　a　little　above　the　level　of　the　table；　as　he　stood。　　With　pain

and　labor；　lifting　one　foot　over　the　other；　as　a　drummer　handles　his

sticks；　he　took　a　few　steps　from　his　place；his　motions　and　the

deadbeat　of　the　misshapen　boots　announcing　to　my　practised　eye　and

ear　the　malformation　which　is　called　in　learned　language　talipes

varus；　or　inverted　club…foot。



Stop！　　stop！　I　said；let　me　come　to　you。



The　little　man　hobbled　back；　and　lifted　himself　by　the　left　arm；　with

an　ease　approaching　to　grace　which　surprised　me；　into　his　high　chair。

I　walked　to　his　side；　and　he　stretched　out　the　forefinger　of　his

right　hand；　with　the　ring　upon　it。　　The　ring　had　been　put　on　long

ago；　and　could　not　pass　the　misshapen　joint。　　It　was　one　of　those

funeral　rings　which　used　to　be　given　to　relatives　and　friends　after

the　decease　of　persons　of　any　note　or　importance。　　Beneath　a　round

fit　of　glass　was　a　death's　head。　　Engraved　on　one　side　of　this；　〃L。

B。　　AEt。　　22；〃on　the　other；　〃Ob。　1692



My　grandmother's　grandmother；said　the　little　man。　Hanged　for　a

witch。　　It　does　n't　seem　a　great　while　ago。　　I　knew　my　grandmother