heretics-第15章

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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　we　may　happen　to　belong。



But　we　perceive　clearly　that　the　Savile　Club　did　not　make　the　stars



and　does　not　fill　the　universe。　　And　it　is　surely　unreasonable　to　attack



the　doctrine　of　the　Trinity　as　a　piece　of　bewildering　mysticism；



and　then　to　ask　men　to　worship　a　being　who　is　ninety　million　persons



in　one　God；　neither　confounding　the　persons　nor　dividing　the　substance。







But　if　the　wisdom　of　Comte　was　insufficient；　the　folly　of　Comte



was　wisdom。　　In　an　age　of　dusty　modernity；　when　beauty　was　thought



of　as　something　barbaric　and　ugliness　as　something　sensible；



he　alone　saw　that　men　must　always　have　the　sacredness　of　mummery。



He　saw　that　while　the　brutes　have　all　the　useful　things；　the　things



that　are　truly　human　are　the　useless　ones。　　He　saw　the　falsehood



of　that　almost　universal　notion　of　to…day；　the　notion　that　rites



and　forms　are　something　artificial；　additional；　and　corrupt。



Ritual　is　really　much　older　than　thought；　it　is　much　simpler　and　much



wilder　than　thought。　　A　feeling　touching　the　nature　of　things　does



not　only　make　men　feel　that　there　are　certain　proper　things　to　say；



it　makes　them　feel　that　there　are　certain　proper　things　to　do。



The　more　agreeable　of　these　consist　of　dancing；　building　temples；



and　shouting　very　loud；　the　less　agreeable；　of　wearing



green　carnations　and　burning　other　philosophers　alive。



But　everywhere　the　religious　dance　came　before　the　religious　hymn；



and　man　was　a　ritualist　before　he　could　speak。　　If　Comtism　had　spread



the　world　would　have　been　converted；　not　by　the　Comtist　philosophy；



but　by　the　Comtist　calendar。　　By　discouraging　what　they　conceive



to　be　the　weakness　of　their　master；　the　English　Positivists



have　broken　the　strength　of　their　religion。　　A　man　who　has　faith



must　be　prepared　not　only　to　be　a　martyr；　but　to　be　a　fool。



It　is　absurd　to　say　that　a　man　is　ready　to　toil　and　die　for　his　convictions



when　he　is　not　even　ready　to　wear　a　wreath　round　his　head　for　them。



I　myself；　to　take　a　corpus　vile；　am　very　certain　that　I　would　not



read　the　works　of　Comte　through　for　any　consideration　whatever。



But　I　can　easily　imagine　myself　with　the　greatest　enthusiasm　lighting



a　bonfire　on　Darwin　Day。







That　splendid　effort　failed；　and　nothing　in　the　style　of　it　has　succeeded。



There　has　been　no　rationalist　festival；　no　rationalist　ecstasy。



Men　are　still　in　black　for　the　death　of　God。　　When　Christianity　was　heavily



bombarded　in　the　last　century　upon　no　point　was　it　more　persistently　and



brilliantly　attacked　than　upon　that　of　its　alleged　enmity　to　human　joy。



Shelley　and　Swinburne　and　all　their　armies　have　passed　again　and　again



over　the　ground；　but　they　have　not　altered　it。　　They　have　not　set　up



a　single　new　trophy　or　ensign　for　the　world's　merriment　to　rally　to。



They　have　not　given　a　name　or　a　new　occasion　of　gaiety。