unto this last-第4章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！





should　be　held　in　less　honour　than　an　unpeaceable　and　often



irrational　person；　whose　trade　is　slaying。　Nevertheless；　the



consent　of　mankind　has　always；　in　spite　of　the　philosophers；



given　precedence　to　the　soldier。



　　　　And　this　is　right。



　　　　For　the　soldier's　trade；　verily　and　essentially；　is　not



slaying；　but　being　slain。　This；　without　well　knowing　its　own



meaning；　the　world　honours　it　for。　A　bravo's　trade　is　slaying；



but　the　world　has　never　respected　bravos　more　than　merchants：　the



reason　it　honours　the　soldier　is；　because　he　holds　his　life　at



the　service　of　the　State。　Reckless　he　may　be　　fond　of　pleasure



or　of　adventure…all　kinds　of　bye…motives　and　mean　impulses　may



have　determined　the　choice　of　his　profession；　and　may　affect　（to



all　appearance　exclusively）　his　daily　conduct　in　it；　but　our



estimate　of　him　is　based　on　this　ultimate　fact　　of　which　we　are



well　assured　　that　put　him　in　a　fortress　breach；　with　all　the



pleasures　of　the　world　behind　him；　and　only　death　and　his　duty　in



front　of　him；　he　will　keep　his　face　to　the　front；　and　he　knows



that　his　choice　may　be　put　to　him　at　any　moment　　and　has



beforehand　taken　his　part　　virtually　takes　such　part



continually　　does；　in　reality；　die　daily。



　　　　Not　less　is　the　respect　we　pay　to　the　lawyer　and　physician；



founded　ultimately　on　their　self…sacrifice。　Whatever　the　learning



or　acuteness　of　a　great　lawyer；　our　chief　respect　for　him　depends



on　our　belief　that；　set　in　a　judge's　seat；　he　will　strive　to



judge　justly；　come　of　it　what　may。　Could　we　suppose　that　he　would



take　bribes；　and　use　his　acuteness　and　legal　knowledge　to　give



plausibility　to　iniquitous　decisions；　no　degree　of　intellect



would　win　for　him　our　respect。　Nothing　will　win　it；　short　of　our



tacit　conviction；　that　in　all　important　acts　of　his　life　justice



is　first　with　him；　his　own　interest；　second。



　　　　In　the　case　of　a　physician；　the　ground　of　the　honour　we



render　him　is　clearer　still。　Whatever　his　science；　we　would



shrink　from　him　in　horror　if　we　found　him　regard　his　patients



merely　as　subjects　to　experiment　upon；　much　more；　if　we　found



that；　receiving　bribes　from　persons　interested　in　their　deaths；



he　was　using　his　best　skill　to　give　poison　in　the　mask　of



medicine。



　　　　Finally；　the　principle　holds　with　utmost　clearness　as　it



respects　clergymen。　No　goodness　of　disposition　will　excuse　want



of　science　in　a　physician；　or　of　shrewdness　in　an　advocate；　but　a



clergyman；　even　though　his　power　of　intellect　be　small；　is



respected　on　the　presumed　ground　of　his　unselfishness　and



serviceableness。



　　　　Now；　there　can　be　no　question　but　that　the　tact；　foresight；



decision；　and　other　mental　powers；　required　for　the　successful



management　of　a　large　mercantile　concern；　if　not　such　as　could　be



compared　with　those　of　a　great　lawyer；　general；　or　divine；　would



at　least　match　the　general　conditions　of　mind　required　in　the



subordinate　officers　of　a　ship；　or　of　a　regiment；　or　in　the



curate　of　a　country　parish。　If；　therefore；　all　the　efficient



members　of　the　so…called　liberal　professions　are　still；　somehow；



in　public　estimate　of　honour；　preferred　before　the　head　of　a



commercial　firm；　the　reason　must　lie　deeper　than　in　the



measurement　of　their　several　powers　of　mind。



　　　　And　the　essential　reason　for　such　preference　will　he　found　to



lie　in　the　fact　that　the　merchant　is　presumed　to　act　always



selfishly。　His　work　may　be　very　necessary　to　the　community。　but



the　motive　of　it　is　understood　to　be　wholly　personal。　The



merchant's　first　object　in　all　his　dealings　must　be　（the　public



believe）　to　get　as　much　for　himself；　and　leave　as　little　to　his



neighbour　（or　customer）　as　possible。　Enforcing　this　upon　him；　by



political　statute；　as　the　necessary　principle　of　his　action；



recommending　it　to　him　on　all　occasions；　and　themselves



reciprocally　adopting　it；　proclaiming　vociferously；　for　law　of



the　universe；　that　a　buyer's　function　is　to　cheapen；　and　a



seller's　to　cheat；　　the　public；　nevertheless；　involuntarily



condemn　the　man　of　commerce　for　his　compliance　with　their　own



statement；　and　stamp　him　for　ever　as　belonging　to　an　inferior



grade　of　human　personality。



　　　　This　they　will　find；　eventually；　they　must　give　up　doing。



They　must　not　cease　to　condemn　selfishness；　but　they　will　have　to



discover　a　kind　of　commerce　which　is　not　exclusively　selfish。　Or；



rather；　they　will　have　to　discover　that　there　never　was；　or　can



be；　any　other　kind　of　commerce；　that　this　which　they　have　called



commerce　was　not　commerce　at　all；　but　cozening；　and　that　a　true



merchant　differs　as　much　from　a　merchant　according　to　laws　of



modern　political　economy；　as　the　hero　of　the　Excursion　from



Autolycus。　They　will　find　that　commerce　is　an　occupation　which



gentlemen　will　every　day　see　more　need　to　engage　in；　rather　than



in　the　businesses　of　talking　to　men；　or　slaying　them；　that；　in



true　commerce；　as　in　true　preaching；　or　true　fighting；　it　is



necessary　to　admit　the　idea　of　occasional　voluntary　loss；　　that



sixpences　have　to　be　lost；　as　well　as　lives；　under　a　sense　of



duty。　that　the　market　may　have　its　martyrdoms　as　well　as　the



pulpit；　and　trade　its　heroisms　as　well　as　war。



　　　　May　have　　in　the　final　issue；　must　have…and　only　has　not



had　yet；　because　men　of　heroic　temper　have　always　been　misguided



in　their　youth　into　other　fields；　not　recognising　what　is　in　our



days；　perhaps；　the　most　important　of　all　fields；　so　that；　while



many　a　jealous　person　loses　his　life　in　trying　to　teach　the　form



of　a　gospel；　very　few　will　lose　a　hundred　pounds　in　showing　the



practice　of　one。



　　　　The　fact　is；　that　people　never　have　had　clearly　explained　to



them　the　true　functions　of　a　merchant　with　respect　to　other



people。　I　should　like　the　reader　to　be　very　clear　about　this。



　　　　Five　great　intellectual　professions；　relating　to　daily



necessities　of　life；　have　hitherto　existed　　three　exist



necessarily；　in　every　civilised　nation：



　　　　The　Soldier's　profession　is　to　defend　it。



　　　　The　Pastor's　to　teach　it。



　　　　The　Physician's　to　keep　it　in　health。



　　　　The　lawyer's　to　enforce　justice　in　it。



　　　　The　Merchant's　to　provide　for　it。



And　the　duty　of　all　these　men　is；　on　due　occasion；　to　die　for　it。



　　　　〃On　due　occasion；〃　namely：　…



　　　　The　Soldier；　rather　than　leave　his　post　in　battle。



　　　　The　Physician；　rather　than　leave　his　post　in　plague。



　　　　The　Pastor；　rather　than　teach　Falsehood。



　　　　The　lawyer；　rather　than　countenance　Injustice。



　　　　The　Merchant…what　is　his　〃due　occasion〃　of　death？



　　　　It　is　the　main　question　for　the　merchant；　as　for　all　of　us。



For；　truly；　the　man　who　does　not　know　when　to　die；　does　not　know



how　to　live。



　　　　Observe；　the　merchant's　function　（or　manufacturer's；　for　in



the　broad　sense　in　which　it　is　here　used　the　word　must　be



understood　to　include　both）　is　to　provide　for　the　nation。　It　is



no　more　his　function　to　get　profit　for　himself　out　of　that



provision　than　it　is　a　clergyman's　function　to　get　his　stipend。



This　stipend　is　a　due　and　necessary　adjunct；　but　not　the　object



of　his　life；　if　he　be　a　true　clergyman；　any　more　than　his　fee　（or



honorarium）　is　the　object　of　life　to　a　true　physician。　Neither　is



his　fee　the　object　of　life　to　a　true　merchant。　All　three；　if　true



men；　have　a　work　to　be　done　irrespective　of　fee　　to　be　done



even　at　any　cost；　or　for　quite　the　contrary　of　fee；　the　pastor's



function　being　to　teach；　the　physician's　to　heal；　and　the



merchant's；　as　I　have　said；　to　provide。　That　is　to　say；　he　has　to



understand　to　their　very　root　the　qualities