the research magnificent-第58节

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hinking　and　bad　thinking；　and　that　the　real　ennoblement　of　human　life　was　not　so　much　a　creation　as　a　release。　He　lumped　the　preventive　and　destructive　forces　that　keep　men　dispersed；　unhappy；　and　ignoble　under　the　heading　of　Prejudice；　and　he　made　this　Prejudice　his　fourth　and　greatest　and　most　difficult　limitation。　　In　one　place　he　had　written　it；　〃Prejudice　or　Divisions。〃　　That　being　subdued　in　oneself　and　in　the　world；　then　in　the　measure　of　its　subjugation；　the　new　life　of　our　race；　the　great　age；　the　noble　age；　would　begin。　So　he　set　himself　to　examine　his　own　mind　and　the　mind　of　the　world　about　him　for　prejudice；　for　hampering　follies；　disguised　disloyalties　and　mischievous　distrusts；　and　the　great　bulk　of　the　papers　that　White　struggled　with　at　Westhaven　Street　were　devoted　to　various　aspects　of　this　search　for　〃Prejudice。〃　　It　seemed　to　White　to　be　at　once　the　most　magnificent　and　the　most　preposterous　of　enterprises。　　It　was　indeed　no　less　than　an　enquiry　into　all　the　preventable　sources　of　human　failure　and　disorder。　　。　　。　　And　it　was　all　too　manifest　to　White　also　that　the　last　place　in　which　Benham　was　capable　of　detecting　a　prejudice　was　at　the　back　of　his　own　head。　Under　this　Fourth　Limitation　he　put　the　most　remarkable　array　of　influences；　race…hatred；　national　suspicion；　the　evil　side　of　patriotism；　religious　and　social　intolerance；　every　social　consequence　of　muddle　headedness；　every　dividing　force　indeed　except　the　purely　personal　dissensions　between　man　and　man。　　And　he　developed　a　metaphysical　interpretation　of　these　troubles。　　〃No　doubt；〃　he　wrote　in　one　place；　〃much　of　th　in　a　hurry。　　Life　is　so　short　that　he　thinks　it　better　to　err　than　wait。　　He　has　no　patience；　no　faith　in　anything　but　himself。　　He　thinks　he　is　a　being　when　in　reality　he　is　only　a　link　in　a　being；　and　so　he　is　more　anxious　to　be　complete　than　right。　　The　last　devotion　of　which　he　is　capable　is　that　devotion　of　the　mind　which　suffers　partial　performance；　but　insists　upon　exhaustive　thought。　　He　scamps　his　thought　and　finishes　his　performance；　and　before　he　is　dead　it　is　already　being　abandoned　and　begun　all　over　again　by　some　one　else　in　the　same　egotistical　haste。　。　。　。〃　It　is；　I　suppose；　a　part　of　the　general　humour　of　life　that　these　words　should　have　been　written　by　a　man　who　walked　the　plank　to　fresh　ideas　with　the　dizziest　difficulty　unless　he　had　Prothero　to　drag　him　forward；　and　who　acted　time　after　time　with　an　altogether　disastrous　hastiness。

2

Yet　there　was　a　kind　of　necessity　in　this　journey　of　Benham's　from　the　cocked　hat　and　wooden　sword　of　Seagate　and　his　early　shame　at　cowardice　and　baseness　to　the　spiritual　megalomania　of　his　complete　Research　Magnificent。　　You　can　no　more　resolve　to　live　a　life　of　honour　nowadays　and　abstain　from　social　and　political　scheming　on　a　world…wide　scale；　than　you　can　profess　religion　and　refuse　to　think　about　God。　　In　the　past　it　was　possible　to　take　all　sorts　of　things　for　granted　and　be　loyal　to　unexamined　things。　　One　could　be　loyal　to　unexamined　things　because　they　were　unchallenged　things。　　But　now　everything　is　challenged。　　By　the　time　of　his　second　visit　to　Russia；　Benham's　ideas　of　conscious　and　deliberate　aristocracy　reaching　out　to　an　idea　of　universal　responsibility　had　already　grown　into　the　extraordinary　fantasy　that　he　was；　as　it　were；　an　uncrowned　king　in　the　world。　　To　be　noble　is　to　be　aristocratic；　that　is　to　say；　a　ruler。　　Thence　it　follows　that　aristocracy　is　multiple　kingship；　and　to　be　an　aristocrat　is　to　partake　both　of　the　nature　of　philosopher　and　king。　。　。　。　Yet　it　is　manifest　that　the　powerful　people　of　this　world　are　by　no　means　necessarily　noble；　and　that　most　modern　kings；　poor　in　quality；　petty　in　spirit；　conventional　in　outlook；　controlled　and　limited；　fall　far　short　of　kingship。　　Nevertheless；　there　IS　nobility；　there　IS　kingship；　or　this　earth　is　a　dustbin　and　mankind　but　a　kind　of　skin…disease　upon　a　planet。　　From　that　it　is　an　easy　step　to　this　idea；　the　idea　whose　first　expression　had　already　so　touched　the　imagination　of　Amanda；　of　a　sort　of　diffused　and　voluntary　kingship　scattered　throughout　mankind。　　The　aristocrats　are　not　at　the　high　table；　the　kings　are　not　enthroned；　those　who　are　enthroned　are　but　pretenders　and　SIMULACRA；　kings　of　the　vulgar；　the　real　king　and　ruler　is　every　man　who　sets　aside　the　naive　passions　and　self…interest　of　the　common　life　for　the　rule　and　service　of　the　world。　This　is　an　idea　that　is　now　to　be　found　in　much　contemporary　writing。　　It　is　one　of　those　ideas　that　seem　to　appear　simultaneously　at　many　points　in　the　world；　and　it　is　impossible　to　say　now　how　far　Benham　was　an　originator　of　this　idea；　and　how　far　he　simply　resonated　to　its　expression　by　others。　　It　was　far　more　likely　that　Prothero；　getting　it　heaven　knows　where；　had　spluttered　it　out　and　forgotten　it；　leaving　it　to　germinate　in　the　mind　of　his　friend。　。　。　。　This　lordly；　this　kingly　dream　became　more　and　more　essential　to　Benham　as　his　life　went　on。　　When　Benham　walked　the　Bisse　he　was　just　a　youngster　resolved　to　be　individually　brave；　when　he　prowled　in　the　jungle　by　night　he　was　there　for　all　mankind。　　With　every　year　he　became　more　and　more　definitely　to　himself　a　consecrated　man　as　kings　are　consecrated。　　Only　that　he　was　self…consecrated；　and　anointed　only　in　his　heart。　　At　last　he　was；　so　to　speak；　Haroun　al　Raschid　again；　going　unsuspected　about　the　world；　because　the　palace　of　his　security　would　not　tell　him　the　secrets　of　men's　disorders。　He　was　no　longer　a　creature　of　circumstances；　he　was　kingly；　unknown；　Alfred　in　the　Camp　of　the　Danes。　　In　the　great　later　accumulations　of　his　Research　the　personal　matter；　the　introspection；　the　intimate　discussion　of　motive；　becomes　less　and　less。　　He　forgets　himself　in　the　exaltation　of　kingliness。　　He　worries　less　and　less　over　the　particular　rightness　of　his　definite　acts。　　In　these　later　papers　White　found　Benham　abstracted；　self…　forgetful；　trying　to　find　out　with　an　ever　increased　self…　detachment；　with　an　ever　deepening　regal　solicitude；　why　there　are　massacres；　wars；　tyrannies　and　persecutions；　why　we　let　famine；　disease　and　beasts　assail　us；　and　want　dwarf　and　cripple　vast　multitudes　in　the　midst　of　possible　plenty。　　And　when　he　foundrejudice。　　His　examination　of　the　social　and　political　condition　of　Russiaty　and　swarming　with　naked　black　children；　and　yet　all　the　time　they　seemed　to　be　in　a　wilderness。　　They　forded　rivers；　they　had　at　times　to　force　themselves　through　thickets；　once　or　twice　they　lost　their　way；　and　always　ahead　of　them；　purple　and　sullen；　the　great　mountain　peak　with　La　Ferriere　upon　its　crest　rose　slowly　out　of　the　background　until　it　domina　out　and　as　far　as　he　found　out；　he　meant　quite　simply　and　earnestly　to　apply　his　knowledge。　。　。　。

3

The　intellectualism　of　Benham　intensified　to　the　end。　　His　definition　of　Prejudice　impressed　White　as　being　the　most　bloodless　and　philosophical　formula　that　ever　dominated　the　mind　of　a　man。　〃Prejudice；〃　Benham　had　written；　〃is　that　common　incapacity　of　the　human　mind　to　understand　that　a　difference　in　any　respect　is　not　a　difference　in　all　respects；　reinforced　and　rendered　malignant　by　an　instinctive　hostility　to　what　is　unlike　ourselves。　　We　exaggerate　classification　and　then　charge　it　with　mischievous　emotion　by　referring　it　to　ourselves。〃　　And　under　this　comprehensive　formula　he　proceeded　to　study　and　attack　Family　Prejudice；　National　Prejudice；　Race　Prejudice；　War；　Class　Prejudice；　Professional　Prejudice；　Sex　Prejudice；　in　the　most　industrious　and　elaborate　manner。　　Whether　one　regards　one's　self　or　others　he　held　that　these　prejudices　are　evil　things。　　〃From　the　point　of　view　of　human　welfare　they　break　men　up　into　wars　and　conflicts；　make　them　an　easy　prey　to　those　who　trade　upon　suspicion　and　hostility；　prevent　sane　collective　co…　operations；　cripple　and　embitter　life。　　From　the　point　of　view　of　personal　aristocracy　they　make　men　vulgar；　violent；　unjust　and　futile。　　All　the　conscious　life　of　the　aristocrat　must　be　a　constant　struggle　against　false　generalizations；　it　is　as　much　his　duty　to　free　himself　from　that　as　from　fear；　indulgence；　and　jealousy；　it　is　a　larger　and　more　elaborate　task；　but　it　is　none　the　less　cardinal　and　essential。　　Indeed　it　is　more　cardinal　and　essential。　　The　true　knight　has　to　be　not　only　no　coward；　no　self…pamperer；　no　egotist。　He　has　to　be　a　philosopher。　　He　has　to　be　no　hasty　or　foolish　thinker。　　His　judgment　no　more　than　his　courage　is　to　be　taken　by　surprise。　〃To　subdue　fear；　desire　and　jealousy；　is　the　aristocrat's　personal　affair；　it　is　his　ritual　and　discipline；　like　a　knight　watching　his　arms；　but　the　destruction　of　division　and　prejudice　and　all　their　forms　and　establishments；　is　his　real　task；　that　is　the　common　work　of　knighthood。　　It　is　a　task　to　be　done　in　a　thousand　ways；　one　man　working　by　persuasion；　another　by　example；　this　one　overthrowing　some　crippling　restraint　upon　the　freedom　of　speech　and　the　spread　of　knowledge；　and　that　preparing　himself　for　a　war　that　will　shatter　a　tyrannous　presumption。　　Most　imaginative　literature；　all　scientific　investigation；　all　sound　criticism；　all　good　building；　all　good　manufacture；　all　sound　politics；　every　honesty　and　every　reasoned　kindliness　contribute　t