heroes and hero worship-第27节

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omes；　especially　to　us　who　live　under　the　fruit　of　his　leading；　more　notable　than　any　other。　　He　is　the　warfaring　and　battling　Priest；　who　led　his　people；　not　to　quiet　faithful　labor　as　in　smooth　times；　but　to　faithful　valorous　conflict；　in　times　all　violent；　dismembered：　　a　more　perilous　service；　and　a　more　memorable　one；　be　it　higher　or　not。　These　two　men　we　will　account　our　best　Priests；　inasmuch　as　they　were　our　best　Reformers。　　Nay　I　may　ask；　Is　not　every　true　Reformer；　by　the　nature　of　him；　a　_Priest_　first　of　all？　　He　appeals　to　Heaven's　invisible　justice　against　Earth's　visible　force；　knows　that　it；　the　invisible；　is　strong　and　alone　strong。　　He　is　a　believer　in　the　divine　truth　of　things；　a　_seer_；　seeing　through　the　shows　of　things；　a　worshipper；　in　one　way　or　the　other；　of　the　divine　truth　of　things；　a　Priest；　that　is。　　If　he　be　not　first　a　Priest；　he　will　never　be　good　for　much　as　a　Reformer。

Thus　then；　as　we　have　seen　Great　Men；　in　various　situations；　building　up　Religions；　heroic　Forms　of　human　Existence　in　this　world；　Theories　of　Life　worthy　to　be　sung　by　a　Dante；　Practices　of　Life　by　a　Shakspeare；we　are　now　to　see　the　reverse　process；　which　also　is　necessary；　which　also　may　be　carried　on　in　the　Heroic　manner。　　Curious　how　this　should　be　necessary：　yet　necessary　it　is。　　The　mild　shining　of　the　Poet's　light　has　to　give　place　to　the　fierce　lightning　of　the　Reformer：　　unfortunately　the　Reformer　too　is　a　personage　that　cannot　fail　in　History！　　The　Poet　indeed；　with　his　mildness；　what　is　he　but　the　product　and　ultimate　adjustment　of　Reform；　or　Prophecy；　with　its　fierceness？　　No　wild　Saint　Dominics　and　Thebaid　Eremites；　there　had　been　no　melodious　Dante；　rough　Practical　Endeavor；　Scandinavian　and　other；　from　Odin　to　Walter　Raleigh；　from　Ulfila　to　Cranmer；　enabled　Shakspeare　to　speak。　　Nay　the　finished　Poet；　I　remark　sometimes；　is　a　symptom　that　his　epoch　itself　has　reached　perfection　and　is　finished；　that　before　long　there　will　be　a　new　epoch；　new　Reformers　needed。

Doubtless　it　were　finer；　could　we　go　along　always　in　the　way　of　_music_；　be　tamed　and　taught　by　our　Poets；　as　the　rude　creatures　were　by　their　Orpheus　of　old。　　Or　failing　this　rhythmic　_musical_　way；　how　good　were　it　could　we　get　so　much　as　into　the　_equable_　way；　I　mean；　if　_peaceable_　Priests；　reforming　from　day　to　day；　would　always　suffice　us！　　But　it　is　not　so；　even　this　latter　has　not　yet　been　realized。　　Alas；　the　battling　Reformer　too　is；　from　time　to　time；　a　needful　and　inevitable　phenomenon。　　Obstructions　are　never　wanting：　　the　very　things　that　were　once　indispensable　furtherances　become　obstructions；　and　need　to　be　shaken　off；　and　left　behind　us；a　business　often　of　enormous　difficulty。　　It　is　notable　enough；　surely；　how　a　Theorem　or　spiritual　Representation；　so　we　may　call　it；　which　once　took　in　the　whole　Universe；　and　was　completely　satisfactory　in　all　parts　of　it　to　the　highly　discursive　acute　intellect　of　Dante；　one　of　the　greatest　in　the　world；had　in　the　course　of　another　century　become　dubitable　to　common　intellects；　become　deniable；　and　is　now；　to　every　one　of　us；　flatly　incredible；　obsolete　as　Odin's　Theorem！　　To　Dante；　human　Existence；　and　God's　ways　with　men；　were　all　well　represented　by　those　_Malebolges_；　_Purgatorios_；　to　Luther　not　well。　　How　was　this？　　Why　could　not　Dante's　Catholicism　continue；　but　Luther's　Protestantism　must　needs　follow？　　Alas；　nothing　will　_continue_。

I　do　not　make　much　of　〃Progress　of　the　Species；〃　as　handled　in　these　times　of　ours；　nor　do　I　think　you　would　care　to　hear　much　about　it。　　The　talk　on　that　subject　is　too　often　of　the　most　extravagant；　confused　sort。　　Yet　I　may　say；　the　fact　itself　seems　certain　enough；　nay　we　can　trace　out　the　inevitable　necessity　of　it　in　the　nature　of　things。　　Every　man；　as　I　have　stated　somewhere；　is　not　only　a　learner　but　a　doer：　　he　learns　with　the　mind　given　him　what　has　been；　but　with　the　same　mind　he　discovers　farther；　he　invents　and　devises　somewhat　of　his　own。　　Absolutely　without　originality　there　is　no　man。　　No　man　whatever　believes；　or　can　believe；　exactly　what　his　grandfather　believed：　　he　enlarges　somewhat；　by　fresh　discovery；　his　view　of　the　Universe；　and　consequently　his　Theorem　of　the　Universe；which　is　an　_infinite_　Universe；　and　can　never　be　embraced　wholly　or　finally　by　any　view　or　Theorem；　in　any　conceivable　enlargement：　　he　enlarges　somewhat；　I　say；　finds　somewhat　that　was　credible　to　his　grandfather　incredible　to　him；　false　to　him；　inconsistent　with　some　new　thing　he　has　discovered　or　observed。　　It　is　the　history　of　every　man；　and　in　the　history　of　Mankind　we　see　it　summed　up　into　great　historical　amounts；revolutions；　new　epochs。　Dante's　Mountain　of　Purgatory　does　_not_　stand　〃in　the　ocean　of　the　other　Hemisphere；〃　when　Columbus　has　once　sailed　thither！　　Men　find　no　such　thing　extant　in　the　other　Hemisphere。　　It　is　not　there。　　It　must　cease　to　be　believed　to　be　there。　　So　with　all　beliefs　whatsoever　in　this　world；all　Systems　of　Belief；　and　Systems　of　Practice　that　spring　from　these。

If　we　add　now　the　melancholy　fact；　that　when　Belief　waxes　uncertain；　Practice　too　becomes　unsound；　and　errors；　injustices　and　miseries　everywhere　more　and　more　prevail；　we　shall　see　material　enough　for　revolution。　　At　all　turns；　a　man　who　will　_do_　faithfully；　needs　to　believe　firmly。　　If　he　have　to　ask　at　every　turn　the　world's　suffrage；　if　he　cannot　dispense　with　the　world's　suffrage；　and　make　his　own　suffrage　serve；　he　is　a　poor　eye…servant；　the　work　committed　to　him　will　be　_mis_done。　　Every　such　man　is　a　daily　contributor　to　the　inevitable　downfall。　　Whatsoever　work　he　does；　dishonestly；　with　an　eye　to　the　outward　look　of　it；　is　a　new　offence；　parent　of　new　misery　to　somebody　or　other。　　Offences　accumulate　till　they　become　insupportable；　and　are　then　violently　burst　through；　cleared　off　as　by　explosion。　　Dante's　sublime　Catholicism；　incredible　now　in　theory；　and　defaced　still　worse　by　faithless；　doubting　and　dishonest　practice；　has　to　be　torn　asunder　by　a　Luther；　Shakspeare's　noble　Feudalism；　as　beautiful　as　it　once　looked　and　was；　has　to　end　in　a　French　Revolution。　The　accumulation　of　offences　is；　as　we　say；　too　literally　_exploded_；　blasted　asunder　volcanically；　and　there　are　long　troublous　periods；　before　matters　come　to　a　settlement　again。

Surely　it　were　mournful　enough　to　look　only　at　this　face　of　the　matter；　and　find　in　all　human　opinions　and　arrangements　merely　the　fact　that　they　were　uncertain；　temporary；　subject　to　the　law　of　death！　　At　bottom；　it　is　not　so：　　all　death；　here　too　we　find；　is　but　of　the　body；　not　of　the　essence　or　soul；　all　destruction；　by　violent　revolution　or　howsoever　it　be；　is　but　new　creation　on　a　wider　scale。　　Odinism　was　_Valor_；　Christianism　was　_Humility_；　a　nobler　kind　of　Valor。　　No　thought　that　ever　dwelt　honestly　as　true　in　the　heart　of　man　but　_was_　an　honest　insight　into　God's　truth　on　man's　part；　and　_has_　an　essential　truth　in　it　which　endures　through　all　changes；　an　everlasting　possession　for　us　all。　　And；　on　the　other　hand；　what　a　melancholy　notion　is　that；　which　has　to　represent　all　men；　in　all　countries　and　times　except　our　own；　as　having　spent　their　life　in　blind　condemnable　error；　mere　lost　Pagans；　Scandinavians；　Mahometans；　only　that　we　might　have　the　true　ultimate　knowledge！　　All　generations　of　men　were　lost　and　wrong；　only　that　this　present　little　section　of　a　generation　might　be　saved　and　right。　　They　all　marched　forward　there；　all　generations　since　the　beginning　of　the　world；　like　the　Russian　soldiers　into　the　ditch　of　Schweidnitz　Fort；　only　to　fill　up　the　ditch　with　their　dead　bodies；　that　we　might　march　over　and　take　the　place！　　It　is　an　incredible　hypothesis。

Such　incredible　hypothesis　we　have　seen　maintained　with　fierce　emphasis；　and　this　or　the　other　poor　individual　man；　with　his　sect　of　individual　men；　marching　as　over　the　dead　bodies　of　all　men；　towards　sure　victory　but　when　he　too；　with　his　hypothesis　and　ultimate　infallible　credo；　sank　into　the　ditch；　and　became　a　dead　body；　what　was　to　be　said？Withal；　it　is　an　important　fact　in　the　nature　of　man；　that　he　tends　to　reckon　his　own　insight　as　final；　and　goes　upon　it　as　such。　　He　will　always　do　it；　I　suppose；　in　one　or　the　other　way；　but　it　must　be　in　some　wider；　wiser　way　than　this。　　Are　not　all　true　men　that　live；　or　that　ever　lived；　soldiers　of　the　same　army；　enlisted；　under　Heaven's　captaincy；　to　do　battle　against　the　same　enemy；　the　empire　of　Darkness　and　Wrong？　　Why　should　we　misknow　one　another；　fight　not　against　the　enemy　but　against　ourselves；　from　mere　difference　of　uniform？　　All　uniforms　shall　be　good；　so　they　hold　in　them　true　valiant　men。　　All　fashions　of　arms；　the　Arab　turban　and　swift　scimetar；　Thor's　strong　hammer　smiting　down　_Jotuns_；　shall　be　welcome。　Luther's　battle…voice；　Dante's　march…melody；　all　genuine　things　are　with　us；　not　against　us。　　We　are　all　under　one　Captain。　　soldiers　of　the　same　host。Let　us　now　look　a　little　at　this　Luther's　fighting；　what　kind　of　battle　it　was；　and　how　he　comported　himself　in　it。　　Luther　too　was　of　our　spiritual　Heroes；　a　Prophet　to　his　country　and　time。


As　introductory　to　the　whole；　a　remark　about　Idolatry　will　perhaps　be　in　place　here。　　One　of　Mahomet's　characteristics；　which　indeed　belongs　to　all　Prophets；