alexandria and her schools-第24章

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e　with　the　original　facts　and　documents；　that　the　picture　there　drawn　of　Mohammed　is　a　true　and　a　just　description　of　a　much…calumniated　man。

Now；　what　was　the　strength　of　Islam？　　The　common　answer　is；　fanaticism　and　enthusiasm。　　To　such　answers　I　can　only　rejoin：　　Such　terms　must　be　defined　before　they　are　used；　and　we　must　be　told　what　fanaticism　and　enthusiasm　are。　　Till　then　I　have　no　more　e　priori　respect　for　a　long　word　ending　in　…ism　or　…asm　than　I　have　for　one　ending　in　…ation　or　…　ality。　　But　while　fanaticism　and　enthusiasm　are　being　defineda　work　more　difficult　than　is　commonly　fanciedwe　will　go　on　to　consider　another　answer。　　We　are　told　that　the　strength　of　Islam　lay　in　the　hope　of　their　sensuous　Paradise　and　fear　of　their　sensuous　Gehenna。　　If　so；　this　is　the　first　and　last　time　in　the　world's　history　that　the　strength　of　any　large　body　of　peopleperhaps　of　any　single　manlay　in　such　a　hope。　　History　gives　us　innumerable　proofs　that　such　merely　selfish　motives　are　the　parents　of　slavish　impotence；　of　pedantry　and　conceit；　of　pious　frauds；　often　of　the　most　devilish　cruelty：　　but；　as　far　as　my　reading　extends；　of　nothing　better。　　Moreover；　the　Christian　Greeks　had　much　the　same　hopes　on　those　points　as　the　Mussulmans；　and　similar　causes　should　produce　similar　effects：　　but　those　hopes　gave　them　no　strength。　　Besides；　according　to　the　Mussulmans'　own　account；　this　was　not　their　great　inspiring　idea；　and　it　is　absurd　to　consider　the　wild　battle…cries　of　a　few　imaginative　youths；　about　black…eyed　and　green…　kerchiefed　Houris　calling　to　them　from　the　skies；　as　representing　the　average　feelings　of　a　generation　of　sober　and　self…restraining　men；　who　showed　themselves　actuated　by　far　higher　motives。

Another　answer；　and　one　very　popular　now；　is　that　the　Mussulmans　were　strong；　because　they　believed　what　they　said；　and　the　Greeks　weak；　because　they　did　not　believe　what　they　said。　　From　this　notion　I　shall　appeal　to　another　doctrine　of　the　very　same　men　who　put　it　forth；　and　ask　them；　Can　any　man　be　strong　by　believing　a　lie？　　Have　you　not　told　us；　nobly　enough；　that　every　lie　is　by　its　nature　rotten；　doomed　to　death；　certain　to　prove　its　own　impotence；　and　be　shattered　to　atoms　the　moment　you　try　to　use　it；　to　bring　it　into　rude　actual　contact　with　fact；　and　Nature；　and　the　eternal　laws？　　Faith　to　be　strong　must　be　faith　in　something　which　is　not　one's　self；　faith　in　something　eternal；　something　objective；　something　true；　which　would　exist　just　as　much　though　we　and　all　the　world　disbelieved　it。　　The　strength　of　belief　comes　from　that　which　is　believed　in；　if　you　separate　it　from　that；　it　becomes　a　mere　self…opinion；　a　sensation　of　positiveness；　and　what　sort　of　strength　that　will　give；　history　will　tell　us　in　the　tragedies　of　the　Jews　who　opposed　Titus；　of　the　rabble　who　followed　Walter　the　Penniless　to　the　Crusades；　of　the　Munster　Anabaptists；　and　many　another　sad　page　of　human　folly。　　It　may　give　the　fury　of　idiots；　not　the　deliberate　might　of　valiant　men。　　Let　us　pass　this　by；　then；　believing　that　faith　can　only　give　strength　where　it　is　faith　in　something　true　and　right：　and　go　on　to　another　answer　almost　as　popular　as　the　last。

We　are　told　that　the　might　of　Islam　lay　in　a　certain　innate　force　and　savage　virtue　of　the　Arab　character。　　If　we　have　discovered　this　in　the　followers　of　Mohammed；　they　certainly　had　not　discovered　it　in　themselves。　　They　spoke　of　themselves；　rightly　or　wrongly；　as　men　who　had　received　a　divine　light；　and　that　light　a　moral　light；　to　teach　them　to　love　that　which　was　good；　and　refuse　that　which　was　evil；　and　to　that　divine　light　they　stedfastly　and　honestly　attributed　every　right　action　of　their　lives。　　Most　noble　and　affecting；　in　my　eyes；　is　that　answer　of　Saad's　aged　envoy　to　Yezdegird；　king　of　Persia；　when　he　reproached　him　with　the　past　savagery　and　poverty　of　the　Arabs。　　〃Whatsoever　thou　hast　said；〃　answered　the　old　man；　〃regarding　the　former　condition　of　the　Arabs　is　true。　　Their　food　was　green　lizards；　they　buried　their　infant　daughters　alive；　nay；　some　of　them　feasted　on　dead　carcases；　and　drank　blood；　while　others　slew　their　kinsfolk；　and　thought　themselves　great　and　valiant；　when　by　so　doing　they　became　possessed　of　more　property。　They　were　clothed　with　hair　garments；　they　knew　not　good　from　evil；　and　made　no　distinction　between　that　which　was　lawful　and　unlawful。　　Such　was　our　state；　but　God　in　his　mercy　has　sent　us；　by　a　holy　prophet；　a　sacred　volume；　which　teaches　us　the　true　faith。〃

These　words；　I　think；　show　us　the　secret　of　Islam。　　They　are　a　just　comment　on　that　short　and　rugged　chapter　of　the　Koran　which　is　said　to　have　been　Mohammed's　first　attempt　either　at　prophecy　or　writing；　when；　after　long　fasting　and　meditation　among　the　desert　hills；　under　the　glorious　eastern　stars；　he　came　down　and　told　his　good　Kadijah　that　he　had　found　a　great　thing；　and　that　she　must　help　him　to　write　it　down。　And　what　was　this　which　seemed　to　the　unlettered　camel…driver　so　priceless　a　treasure？　　Not　merely　that　God　was　one　Godvast　as　that　discovery　wasbut　that　he　was　a　God　〃who　showeth　to　man　the　thing　which　he　knew　not；〃　a　〃most　merciful　God；〃　a　God；　in　a　word；　who　could　be　trusted；　a　God　who　would　teach　and　strengthen；　a　God；　as　he　said；　who　would　give　him　courage　to　set　his　face　like　a　flint；　and　would　put　an　answer　in　his　mouth　when　his　idolatrous　countrymen　cavilled　and　sneered　at　his　message　to　them；　to　turn　from　their　idols　of　wood　and　stone；　and　become　righteous　men；　as　Abraham　their　forefather　was　righteous。

〃A　God　who　showeth　to　man　the　thing　which　he　knew　not。〃　　That　idea　gave　might　to　Islam；　because　it　was　a　real　idea；　an　eternal　fact；　the　result　of　a　true　insight　into　the　character　of　God。　　And　that　idea　alone；　believe　me；　will　give　conquering　might　either　to　creed；　philosophy；　or　heart　of　man。　　Each　will　be　strong；　each　will　endure；　in　proportion　as　it　believes　that　God　is　one　who　shows　to　man　the　thing　which　he　knew　not：　　as　it　believes；　in　short；　in　that　Logos　of　which　Saint　John　wrote；　that　He　was　the　light　who　lightens　every　man　who　comes　into　the　world。

In　a　word；　the　wild　Koreish　had　discovered；　more　or　less　clearly；　that　end　and　object　of　all　metaphysic　whereof　I　have　already　spoken　so　often；　that　external　and　imperishable　beauty　for　which　Plato　sought　of　old；　and　had　seen　that　its　name　was　righteousness；　and　that　it　dwelt　absolutely　in　an　absolutely　righteous　person；　and　moreover；　that　this　person　was　no　careless　self…contented　epicurean　deity；　but　that　He　was；　as　they　loved　to　call　Him；　the　most　merciful　God；　that　He　cared　for　men；　that　He　desired　to　make　men　righteous。　　Of　that　they　could　not　doubt。　　The　fact　was　palpable；　historic；　present。　　To　them　the　degraded　Koreish　of　the　desert；　who　as　they　believed；　and　I　think　believed　rightly；　had　fallen　from　the　old　Monotheism　of　their　forefathers　Abraham　and　Ismael；　into　the　lowest　fetishism；　and　with　that　into　the　lowest　brutality　and　wretchednessto　them；　while　they　were　making　idols　of　wood　and　stone；　eating　dead　carcases；　and　burying　their　daughters　alive；　careless　of　chastity；　of　justice；　of　property；　sunk　in　unnatural　crimes；　dead　in　trespasses　and　sins；　hateful　and　hating　one　anothera　man；　one　of　their　own　people　had　come；　saying：　　〃I　have　a　message　from　the　one　righteous　God。　　His　curse　is　on　all　this；　for　it　is　unlike　Himself。　　He　will　have　you　righteous　men；　after　the　pattern　of　your　forefather　Abraham。　　Be　that；　and　arise；　body；　soul；　and　spirit；　out　of　your　savagery　and　brutishness。　　Then　you　shall　be　able　to　trample　under　font　the　profligate　idolaters；　to　sweep　the　Greek　tyrants　from　the　land　which　they　have　been　oppressing　for　centuries；　and　to　recover　the　East　for　its　rightful　heirs；　the　children　of　Abraham。〃　　Was　this　not；　in　every　sense；　a　message　from　God？　　I　must　deny　the　philosophy　of　Clement　and　Augustine；　I　must　deny　my　own　conscience；　my　own　reason；　I　must　outrage　my　own　moral　sense；　and　confess　that　I　have　no　immutable　standard　of　right；　that　I　know　no　eternal　source　of　right；　if　I　deny　it　to　have　been　one；　if　I　deny　what　seems　to　me　the　palpable　historic　fact；　that　those　wild　Koreish　had　in　them　a　reason　and　a　conscience；　which　could　awaken　to　that　message；　and　perceive　its　boundless　beauty；　i