heretics-第21章

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The　truth　is　that　the　tradition　of　Christianity　（which　is　still　the　only



coherent　ethic　of　Europe）　rests　on　two　or　three　paradoxes　or　mysteries



which　can　easily　be　impugned　in　argument　and　as　easily　justified　in　life。



One　of　them；　for　instance；　is　the　paradox　of　hope　or　faith



that　the　more　hopeless　is　the　situation　the　more　hopeful　must　be　the　man。



Stevenson　understood　this；　and　consequently　Mr。　Moore　cannot



understand　Stevenson。　　Another　is　the　paradox　of　charity　or　chivalry



that　the　weaker　a　thing　is　the　more　it　should　be　respected；



that　the　more　indefensible　a　thing　is　the　more　it　should　appeal



to　us　for　a　certain　kind　of　defence。　　Thackeray　understood　this；



and　therefore　Mr。　Moore　does　not　understand　Thackeray。　　Now；　one　of



these　very　practical　and　working　mysteries　in　the　Christian　tradition；



and　one　which　the　Roman　Catholic　Church；　as　I　say；　has　done　her　best



work　in　singling　out；　is　the　conception　of　the　sinfulness　of　pride。



Pride　is　a　weakness　in　the　character；　it　dries　up　laughter；



it　dries　up　wonder；　it　dries　up　chivalry　and　energy。



The　Christian　tradition　understands　this；　therefore　Mr。　Moore　does



not　understand　the　Christian　tradition。







For　the　truth　is　much　stranger　even　than　it　appears　in　the　formal



doctrine　of　the　sin　of　pride。　　It　is　not　only　true　that



humility　is　a　much　wiser　and　more　vigorous　thing　than　pride。



It　is　also　true　that　vanity　is　a　much　wiser　and　more　vigorous　thing



than　pride。　　Vanity　is　socialit　is　almost　a　kind　of　comradeship；



pride　is　solitary　and　uncivilized。　　Vanity　is　active；



it　desires　the　applause　of　infinite　multitudes；　pride　is　passive；



desiring　only　the　applause　of　one　person；　which　it　already　has。



Vanity　is　humorous；　and　can　enjoy　the　joke　even　of　itself；



pride　is　dull；　and　cannot　even　smile。　　And　the　whole　of　this



difference　is　the　difference　between　Stevenson　and　Mr。　George　Moore；



who；　as　he　informs　us；　has　〃brushed　Stevenson　aside。〃　　I　do　not　know



where　he　has　been　brushed　to；　but　wherever　it　is　I　fancy　he　is　having



a　good　time；　because　he　had　the　wisdom　to　be　vain；　and　not　proud。



Stevenson　had　a　windy　vanity；　Mr。　Moore　has　a　dusty　egoism。



Hence　Stevenson　could　amuse　himself　as　well　as　us　with　his　vanity；



while　the　richest　effects　of　Mr。　Moore's　absurdity　are　hidden



from　his　eyes。







If　we　compare　this　solemn　folly　with　the　happy　folly　with　which



Stevenson　belauds　his　own　books　and　berates　his　own　critics；



we　shall　not　find　it　difficult　to　guess　why　it　is　that　Stevenson



at　least　found　a　final　philosophy　of　some　sort　to　live　by；



while　Mr。　Moore　is　always　walking　the　world　looking　for　a　new　one。



Stevenson　had　found　that　the　secret　of　life　lies　in　laughter　and　humility。



Self　is　the　gorgon。　　Vanity　sees　it　in　the　mirror　of　other　men　and　lives。



Pride　studies　it　for　itself　and　is　turned　to　stone。







It　is　necessary　to　dwell　on　this　defect　in　Mr。　Moore；　because　it



is　really　the　weakness　of　work　which　is　not　without　its　strength。



Mr。　Moore's　egoism　is　not　merely　a　moral　weakness；　it　is



a　very　constant　and　influential　aesthetic　weakness　as　well。



We　should　really　be　much　more　interested　in　Mr。　Moore　if　he　were



not　quite　so　interested　in　himself。　　We　feel　as　if　we　were　being



shown　through　a　gallery　of　really　fine　pictures；　into　each　of　which；



by　some　useless　and　discordant　convention；　the　artist　had　represented



the　same　figure　in　the　same　attitude。　　〃The　Grand　Canal　with　a　distant



view　of　Mr。　Moore；〃　〃Effect　of　Mr。　Moore　through　a　Scotch　Mist；〃



〃Mr。　Moore　by　Firelight；〃　〃Ruins　of　Mr。　Moore　by　Moonlight；〃



and　so　on；　seems　to　be　the　endless　series。　　He　would　no　doubt



reply　that　in　such　a　book　as　this　he　intended　to　reveal　himself。



But　the　answer　is　that　in　such　a　book　as　this　he　does　not　succeed。



One　of　the　thousand　objections　to　the　sin　of　pride　lies



precisely　in　this；　that　self…consciousness　of　necessity　destroys



self…revelation。　A　man　who　thinks　a　great　deal　about　himself



will　try　to　be　many…sided；　attempt　a　theatrical　excellence　at



all　points；　will　try　to　be　an　encyclopaedia　of　culture；　and　his



own　real　personality　will　be　lost　in　that　false　universalism。



Thinking　about　himself　will　lead　to　trying　to　be　the　universe；



trying　to　be　the　universe　will　lead　to　ceasing　to　be　anything。



If；　on　the　other　hand；　a　man　is　sensible　enough　to　think　only　about



the　universe；　he　will　think　about　it　in　his　own　individual　way。



He　will　keep　virgin　the　secret　of　God；　he　will　see　the　grass　as　no



other　man　can　see　it；　and　look　at　a　sun　that　no　man　has　ever　known。



This　fact　is　very　practically　brought　out　in　Mr。　Moore's　〃Confessions。〃



In　reading　them　we　do　not　feel　the　presence　of　a　clean…cut



personality　like　that　of　Thackeray　and　Matthew　Arnold。



We　only　read　a　number　of　quite　clever　and　largely　conflicting　opinions



which　might　be　uttered　by　any　clever　person；　but　which　we　are　called



upon　to　admire　specifically；　because　they　are　uttered　by　Mr。　Moore。



He　is　the　only　thread　that　connects　Catholicism　and　Protestantism；



realism　and　mysticismhe　or　rather　his　name。　　He　is　profoundly



absorbed　even　in　views　he　no　longer　holds；　and　he　expects　us　to　be。



And　he　intrudes　the　capital　〃I〃　even　where　it　need　not　be　intruded



even　where　it　weakens　the　force　of　a　plain　statement。



Where　another　man　would　say；　〃It　is　a　fine　day；〃　Mr。　Moore　says；



〃Seen　through　my　temperament；　the　day　appeared　fine。〃



Where　another　man　would　say　〃Milton　has　obviously　a　fine　style；〃



Mr。　Moore　would　say；　〃As　a　stylist　Milton　had　always　impressed　me。〃



The　Nemesis　of　this　self…centred　spirit　is　that　of　being



totally　ineffectual。　　Mr。　Moore　has　started　many　interesting　crusades；



but　he　has　abandoned　them　before　his　disciples　could　begin。



Even　when　he　is　on　the　side　of　the　truth　he　is　as　fickle　as　the　children



of　falsehood。　　Even　when　he　has　found　reality　he　cannot　find　rest。



One　Irish　quality　he　has　which　no　Irishman　was　ever　withoutpugnacity；



and　that　is　certainly　a　great　virtue；　especially　in　the　present　age。



But　he　has　not　the　tenacity　of　conviction　which　goes　with　the　fighting



spirit　in　a　man　like　Bernard　Shaw。　　His　weakness　of　introspection



and　selfishness　in　all　their　glory　cannot　prevent　him　fighting；



but　they　will　always　prevent　him　winning。















X。　On　Sandals　and　Simplicity











The　great　misfortune　of　the　modern　English　is　not　at　all



that　they　are　more　boastful　than　other　people　（they　are　not）；



it　is　that　they　are　boastful　about　those　particular　things　which



nobody　can　boast　of　without　losing　them。　　A　Frenchman　can　be　proud



of　being　bold　and　logical；　and　still　remain　bold　and　logical。



A　German　can　be　proud　of　being　reflective　and　orderly；　and　still



remain　reflective　and　orderly。　　But　an　Englishman　cannot　be　proud



of　being　simple　and　direct；　and　still　remain　simple　and　direct。



In　the　matter　of　these　strange　virtues；　to　know　them　is　to　kill　them。



A　man　may　be　conscious　of　being　heroic　or　conscious　of　being　divine；



but　he　cannot　（in　spite　of　all　the　Anglo…Saxon　poets）　be　conscious



of　being　unconscious。







Now；　I　do　not　think　that　it　can　be　honestly　denied　that　some　portion



of　this　impossibility　attaches　to　a　class　very　different　in　their



own　opinion；　at　least；　to　the　school　of　Anglo…Saxonism。　I　mean



that　school　of　the　simple　life；　commonly　associated　with　Tolstoy。



If　a　perpetual　talk　about　one's　own　robustness　leads　to　being



less　robust；　it　is　even　more　true　that　a　perpetual　talking



about　one's　own　simplicity　leads　to　being　less　simple。



One　great　complaint；　I　think；　must　stand　against　the　modern　upholders