heretics-第1章

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HERETICS







by







Gilbert　K。　Chesterton















〃To　My　Father〃













The　Author







Gilbert　Keith　Chesterton　was　born　in　London；　England　on　the　29th



of　May；　1874。　　Though　he　considered　himself　a　mere　〃rollicking　journalist；〃



he　was　actually　a　prolific　and　gifted　writer　in　virtually　every　area



of　literature。　　A　man　of　strong　opinions　and　enormously　talented



at　defending　them；　his　exuberant　personality　nevertheless　allowed



him　to　maintain　warm　friendships　with　peoplesuch　as　George　Bernard



Shaw　and　H。　G。　Wellswith　whom　he　vehemently　disagreed。







Chesterton　had　no　difficulty　standing　up　for　what　he　believed。



He　was　one　of　the　few　journalists　to　oppose　the　Boer　War。



His　1922　〃Eugenics　and　Other　Evils〃　attacked　what　was　at　that　time



the　most　progressive　of　all　ideas；　the　idea　that　the　human



race　could　and　should　breed　a　superior　version　of　itself。



In　the　Nazi　experience；　history　demonstrated　the　wisdom　of　his



once　〃reactionary〃　views。







His　poetry　runs　the　gamut　from　the　comic　1908　〃On　Running　After



One's　Hat〃　to　dark　and　serious　ballads。　　During　the　dark　days　of　1940；



when　Britain　stood　virtually　alone　against　the　armed　might　of



Nazi　Germany；　these　lines　from　his　1911　Ballad　of　the　White　Horse



were　often　quoted：







　　　　I　tell　you　naught　for　your　comfort；



　　　　Yea；　naught　for　your　desire；



　　　　Save　that　the　sky　grows　darker　yet



　　　　And　the　sea　rises　higher。







Though　not　written　for　a　scholarly　audience；　his　biographies　of



authors　and　historical　figures　like　Charles　Dickens　and　St。　Francis



of　Assisi　often　contain　brilliant　insights　into　their　subjects。



His　Father　Brown　mystery　stories；　written　between　1911　and　1936；



are　still　being　read　and　adapted　for　television。







His　politics　fitted　with　his　deep　distrust　of　concentrated　wealth



and　power　of　any　sort。　　Along　with　his　friend　Hilaire　Belloc　and　in



books　like　the　1910　〃What's　Wrong　with　the　World〃　he　advocated　a　view



called　〃Distributionism〃　that　was　best　summed　up　by　his　expression



that　every　man　ought　to　be　allowed　to　own　〃three　acres　and　a　cow。〃



Though　not　know　as　a　political　thinker；　his　political　influence



has　circled　the　world。　　Some　see　in　him　the　father　of　the　〃small



is　beautiful〃　movement　and　a　newspaper　article　by　him　is　credited



with　provoking　Gandhi　to　seek　a　〃genuine〃　nationalism　for　India



rather　than　one　that　imitated　the　British。







Heretics　belongs　to　yet　another　area　of　literature　at　which



Chesterton　excelled。　　A　fun…loving　and　gregarious　man；　he　was　nevertheless



troubled　in　his　adolescence　by　thoughts　of　suicide。　　In　Christianity



he　found　the　answers　to　the　dilemmas　and　paradoxes　he　saw　in　life。



Other　books　in　that　same　series　include　his　1908　Orthodoxy　（written　in



response　to　attacks　on　this　book）　and　his　1925　The　Everlasting　Man。



Orthodoxy　is　also　available　as　electronic　text。







Chesterton　died　on　the　14th　of　June；　1936　in　Beaconsfield；



Buckinghamshire；　England。　　During　his　life　he　published　69　books



and　at　least　another　ten　based　on　his　writings　have　been　published



after　his　death。　　Many　of　those　books　are　still　in　print。



Ignatius　Press　is　systematically　publishing　his　collected　writings。







Table　of　Contents







　1。　　Introductory　Remarks　on　the　Importance　of　Othodoxy



　2。　　On　the　Negative　Spirit



　3。　　On　Mr。　Rudyard　Kipling　and　Making　the　World　Small



　4。　　Mr。　Bernard　Shaw



　5。　　Mr。　H。　G。　Wells　and　the　Giants



　6。　　Christmas　and　the　Esthetes



　7。　　Omar　and　the　Sacred　Vine



　8。　　The　Mildness　of　the　Yellow　Press



　9。　　The　Moods　of　Mr。　George　Moore



　10。　On　Sandals　and　Simplicity



　11。　Science　and　the　Savages



　12。　Paganism　and　Mr。　Lowes　Dickinson



　13。　Celts　and　Celtophiles



　14。　On　Certain　Modern　Writers　and　the　Institution　of　the　Family



　15。　On　Smart　Novelists　and　the　Smart　Set



　16。　On　Mr。　McCabe　and　a　Divine　Frivolity



　17。　On　the　Wit　of　Whistler



　18。　The　Fallacy　of　the　Young　Nation



　19。　Slum　Novelists　and　the　Slums



　20。　Concluding　Remarks　on　the　Importance　of　Orthodoxy















I。　Introductory　Remarks　on　the　Importance　of　Orthodoxy











Nothing　more　strangely　indicates　an　enormous　and　silent　evil



of　modern　society　than　the　extraordinary　use　which　is　made



nowadays　of　the　word　〃orthodox。〃　　In　former　days　the　heretic



was　proud　of　not　being　a　heretic。　　It　was　the　kingdoms　of



the　world　and　the　police　and　the　judges　who　were　heretics。



He　was　orthodox。　　He　had　no　pride　in　having　rebelled　against　them；



they　had　rebelled　against　him。　　The　armies　with　their　cruel　security；



the　kings　with　their　cold　faces；　the　decorous　processes　of　State；



the　reasonable　processes　of　lawall　these　like　sheep　had　gone　astray。



The　man　was　proud　of　being　orthodox；　was　proud　of　being　right。



If　he　stood　alone　in　a　howling　wilderness　he　was　more　than　a　man；



he　was　a　church。　　He　was　the　centre　of　the　universe；　it　was



round　him　that　the　stars　swung。　　All　the　tortures　torn　out　of



forgotten　hells　could　not　make　him　admit　that　he　was　heretical。



But　a　few　modern　phrases　have　made　him　boast　of　it。　　He　says；



with　a　conscious　laugh；　〃I　suppose　I　am　very　heretical；〃　and　looks



round　for　applause。　　The　word　〃heresy〃　not　only　means　no　longer



being　wrong；　it　practically　means　being　clear…headed　and　courageous。



The　word　〃orthodoxy〃　not　only　no　longer　means　being　right；



it　practically　means　being　wrong。　　All　this　can　mean　one　thing；



and　one　thing　only。　　It　means　that　people　care　less　for　whether



they　are　philosophically　right。　　For　obviously　a　man　ought



to　confess　himself　crazy　before　he　confesses　himself　heretical。



The　Bohemian；　with　a　red　tie；　ought　to　pique　himself　on　his　orthodoxy。



The　dynamiter；　laying　a　bomb；　ought　to　feel　that；　whatever　else　he　is；



at　least　he　is　orthodox。







It　is　foolish；　generally　speaking；　for　a　philosopher　to　set　fire



to　another　philosopher　in　Smithfield　Market　because　they　do　not　agree



in　their　theory　of　the　universe。　　That　was　done　very　frequently



in　the　last　decadence　of　the　Middle　Ages；　and　it　failed　altogether



in　its　object。　　But　there　is　one　thing　that　is　infinitely　more



absurd　and　unpractical　than　burning　a　man　for　his　philosophy。



This　is　the　habit　of　saying　that　his　philosophy　does　not　matter；



and　this　is　done　universally　in　the　twentieth　century；



in　the　decadence　of　the　great　revolutionary　period。



General　theories　are　everywhere　contemned；　the　doctrine　of　the　Rights



of　Man　is　dismissed　with　the　doctrine　of　the　Fall　of　Man。



Atheism　itself　is　too　theological　for　us　to…day。　Revolution　itself



is　too　much　of　a　system；　liberty　itself　is　too　much　of　a　restraint。



We　will　have　no　generalizations。　　Mr。　Bernard　Shaw　has　put　the　view



in　a　perfect　epigram：　　〃The　golden　rule　is　that　there　is　no　golden　rule。〃



We　are　more　and　more　to　discuss　details　in　art；　politics；　literature。



A　man's　opinion　on　tramcars　matters；　his　opinion　on　Botticelli　matters；



his　opinion　on　all　things　does　not　matter。　　He　may　turn　over　and



explore　a　million　objects；　but　he　must　not　find　that　strange　object；



the　universe；　for　if　he　does　he　will　have　a　religion；　and　be　lost。



Everything　mattersexcept　everything。







Examples　are　scarcely　needed　of　this　total　levity　on　the　subject



of　cosmic　philosophy。　　Examples　are　scarcely　needed　to　show　that；



whatever　else　we　think　of　as　affecting　practical　affairs；　we　do



not　think　it　matters　whether　a　man　is　a　pessimist　or　an　optimist；



a　Cartesian　or　a　Hegelian；　a　materialist　or　a