heretics-第13节
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And when Nietszche says； 〃A new commandment I give to you； ‘be hard；'〃
he is really saying； 〃A new commandment I give to you； ‘be dead。'〃
Sensibility is the definition of life。
I recur for a last word to Jack the Giant…Killer。 I have dwelt
on this matter of Mr。 Wells and the giants； not because it is
specially prominent in his mind； I know that the Superman does
not bulk so large in his cosmos as in that of Mr。 Bernard Shaw。
I have dwelt on it for the opposite reason； because this heresy
of immoral hero…worship has taken； I think； a slighter hold of him；
and may perhaps still be prevented from perverting one of
the best thinkers of the day。 In the course of 〃The New Utopia〃
Mr。 Wells makes more than one admiring allusion to Mr。 W。 E。 Henley。
That clever and unhappy man lived in admiration of a vague violence；
and was always going back to rude old tales and rude old ballads；
to strong and primitive literatures； to find the praise of strength
and the justification of tyranny。 But he could not find it。
It is not there。 The primitive literature is shown in the tale of Jack
the Giant…Killer。 The strong old literature is all in praise of the weak。
The rude old tales are as tender to minorities as any modern
political idealist。 The rude old ballads are as sentimentally
concerned for the under…dog as the Aborigines Protection Society。
When men were tough and raw； when they lived amid hard knocks and
hard laws； when they knew what fighting really was； they had only
two kinds of songs。 The first was a rejoicing that the weak had
conquered the strong； the second a lamentation that the strong had；
for once in a way； conquered the weak。 For this defiance of
the statu quo； this constant effort to alter the existing balance；
this premature challenge to the powerful； is the whole nature and
inmost secret of the psychological adventure which is called man。
It is his strength to disdain strength。 The forlorn hope
is not only a real hope； it is the only real hope of mankind。
In the coarsest ballads of the greenwood men are admired most when
they defy； not only the king； but what is more to the point； the hero。
The moment Robin Hood becomes a sort of Superman； that moment
the chivalrous chronicler shows us Robin thrashed by a poor tinker
whom he thought to thrust aside。 And the chivalrous chronicler
makes Robin Hood receive the thrashing in a glow of admiration。
This magnanimity is not a product of modern humanitarianism；
it is not a product of anything to do with peace。
This magnanimity is merely one of the lost arts of war。
The Henleyites call for a sturdy and fighting England； and they go
back to the fierce old stories of the sturdy and fighting English。
And the thing that they find written across that fierce old
literature everywhere； is 〃the policy of Majuba。〃
VI。 Christmas and the Aesthetes
The world is round； so round that the schools of optimism and pessimism
have been arguing from the beginning whether it is the right way up。
The difficulty does not arise so much from the mere fact that good and
evil are mingled in roughly equal proportions； it arises chiefly from
the fact that men always differ about what parts are good and what evil。
Hence the difficulty which besets 〃undenominational religions。〃
They profess to include what is beautiful in all creeds； but they
appear to many to have collected all that is dull in them。
All the colours mixed together in purity ought to make a perfect white。
Mixed together on any human paint…box； they make a thing like mud； and a
thing very like many new religions。 Such a blend is often something much
worse than any one creed taken separately； even the creed of the Thugs。
The error arises from the difficulty of detecting what is really
the good part and what is really the bad part of any given religion。
And this pathos falls rather heavily on those persons who have
the misfortune to think of some religion or other； that the parts
commonly counted good are bad； and the parts commonly counted
bad are good。
It is tragic to admire and honestly admire a human group； but to admire
it in a photographic negative。 It is difficult to congratulate all
their whites on being black and all their blacks on their whiteness。
This will often happen to us in connection with human religions。
Take two institutions which bear witness to the religious energy
of the nineteenth century。 Take the Salvation Army and the philosophy
of Auguste Comte。
The usual verdict of educated people on the Salvation Army is
expressed in some such words as these： 〃I have no doubt they do
a great deal of good； but they do it in a vulgar and profane style；
their aims are excellent； but their methods are wrong。〃
To me； unfortunately； the precise reverse of this appears to be
the truth。 I do not know whether the aims of the Salvation Army
are excellent； but I am quite sure their methods are admirable。
Their methods are the methods of all intense and hearty religions；
they are popular like all religion； military like all religion；
public and sensational like all religion。 They are not reverent any more
than Roman Catholics are reverent； for reverence in the sad and delicate
meaning of the term reverence is a thing only possible to infidels。
That beautiful twilight you will find in Euripides； in Renan；
in Matthew Arnold； but in men who believe you will not find it
you will find only laughter and war。 A man cannot pay that kind
of reverence to truth solid as marble； they can only be reverent
towards a beautiful lie。 And the Salvation Army； though their voice
has broken out in a mean environment and an ugly shape； are really
the old voice of glad and angry faith； hot as the riots of Dionysus；
wild as the gargoyles of Catholicism； not to be mistaken for a philosophy。
Professor Huxley； in one of his clever phrases； called the Salvation
Army 〃corybantic Christianity。〃 Huxley was the last and noblest
of those Stoics who have never understood the Cross。 If he had
understood Christianity he would have known that there never has been；
and never can be； any Christianity that is not corybantic。
And there is this difference between the matter of aims and
the matter of methods； that to judge of the aims of a thing like
the Salvation Army is very difficult； to judge of their ritual
and atmosphere very easy。 No one； perhaps； but a sociologist
can see whether General Booth's housing scheme is right。
But any healthy person can see that banging brass cymbals together
must be right。 A page of statistics； a plan of model dwellings；
anything which is rational； is always difficult for the lay mind。
But the thing which is irrational any one can understand。
That is why religion came so early into the world and spread so far；
while science came so late into the world and has not spread at all。
History unanimously attests the fact that it is only mysticism
which stands the smallest chance of being understanded of the people。
Common sense has to be kept as an esoteric secret in the dark temple
of culture。 And so while the philanthropy of the Salvationists and its
genuineness may be a reasonable matter for the discussion of the doctors；
there can be no doubt about the genuineness of their brass bands；
for a brass band is purely spiritual； and seeks only to quicken
the internal life。 The object of philanthropy is to do good；
the object of religion is to be good； if only for a moment；
amid a crash of brass。
And the same antithesis exists about another modern religionI mean
the religion of Comte； generally known as Positivism； or the worship
of humanity。 Such men as Mr。 Frederic Harrison； that brilliant
and chivalrous philosopher； who still； by his mere personality；
speaks for the creed； would tell us that he offers us the philosophy
of Comte； but not all Comte's fantastic proposals for pontiffs
and ceremonials； the new calendar； the new holidays and saints' days。
He does not mean that we should dress ourselves up as priests
of humanity or let off fireworks because it is Milton's birthday。
To the solid English Comtist all this appears； he confesses； to be
a little absurd。 To me it appears the only sensible part of Comtism。
As a philosophy it is unsatisfactory。 It is evidently impossible to
worship humanity； just as it is impossible to worship the Savile Club；
both are excellent institutions to which
