heretics-第22章

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



of　the　simple　lifethe　simple　life　in　all　its　varied　forms；



from　vegetarianism　to　the　honourable　consistency　of　the　Doukhobors。



This　complaint　against　them　stands；　that　they　would　make　us　simple



in　the　unimportant　things；　but　complex　in　the　important　things。



They　would　make　us　simple　in　the　things　that　do　not　matter



that　is；　in　diet；　in　costume；　in　etiquette；　in　economic　system。



But　they　would　make　us　complex　in　the　things　that　do　matterin　philosophy；



in　loyalty；　in　spiritual　acceptance；　and　spiritual　rejection。



It　does　not　so　very　much　matter　whether　a　man　eats　a　grilled　tomato



or　a　plain　tomato；　it　does　very　much　matter　whether　he　eats　a　plain



tomato　with　a　grilled　mind。　　The　only　kind　of　simplicity　worth　preserving



is　the　simplicity　of　the　heart；　the　simplicity　which　accepts　and　enjoys。



There　may　be　a　reasonable　doubt　as　to　what　system　preserves　this；



there　can　surely　be　no　doubt　that　a　system　of　simplicity　destroys　it。



There　is　more　simplicity　in　the　man　who　eats　caviar　on



impulse　than　in　the　man　who　eats　grape…nuts　on　principle。



The　chief　error　of　these　people　is　to　be　found　in　the　very　phrase



to　which　they　are　most　attached〃plain　living　and　high　thinking。〃



These　people　do　not　stand　in　need　of；　will　not　be　improved　by；



plain　living　and　high　thinking。　　They　stand　in　need　of　the　contrary。



They　would　be　improved　by　high　living　and　plain　thinking。



A　little　high　living　（I　say；　having　a　full　sense　of　responsibility；



a　little　high　living）　would　teach　them　the　force　and　meaning



of　the　human　festivities；　of　the　banquet　that　has　gone　on　from



the　beginning　of　the　world。　　It　would　teach　them　the　historic　fact



that　the　artificial　is；　if　anything；　older　than　the　natural。



It　would　teach　them　that　the　loving…cup　is　as　old　as　any　hunger。



It　would　teach　them　that　ritualism　is　older　than　any　religion。



And　a　little　plain　thinking　would　teach　them　how　harsh　and　fanciful



are　the　mass　of　their　own　ethics；　how　very　civilized　and　very



complicated　must　be　the　brain　of　the　Tolstoyan　who　really　believes



it　to　be　evil　to　love　one's　country　and　wicked　to　strike　a　blow。







A　man　approaches；　wearing　sandals　and　simple　raiment；　a　raw



tomato　held　firmly　in　his　right　hand；　and　says；　〃The　affections



of　family　and　country　alike　are　hindrances　to　the　fuller　development



of　human　love；〃　but　the　plain　thinker　will　only　answer　him；



with　a　wonder　not　untinged　with　admiration；　〃What　a　great　deal



of　trouble　you　must　have　taken　in　order　to　feel　like　that。〃



High　living　will　reject　the　tomato。　　Plain　thinking　will　equally



decisively　reject　the　idea　of　the　invariable　sinfulness　of　war。



High　living　will　convince　us　that　nothing　is　more　materialistic



than　to　despise　a　pleasure　as　purely　material。　　And　plain　thinking



will　convince　us　that　nothing　is　more　materialistic　than　to　reserve



our　horror　chiefly　for　material　wounds。







The　only　simplicity　that　matters　is　the　simplicity　of　the　heart。



If　that　be　gone；　it　can　be　brought　back　by　no　turnips　or　cellular　clothing；



but　only　by　tears　and　terror　and　the　fires　that　are　not　quenched。



If　that　remain；　it　matters　very　little　if　a　few　Early　Victorian



armchairs　remain　along　with　it。　　Let　us　put　a　complex　entree　into



a　simple　old　gentleman；　let　us　not　put　a　simple　entree　into　a　complex



old　gentleman。　　So　long　as　human　society　will　leave　my　spiritual



inside　alone；　I　will　allow　it；　with　a　comparative　submission；　to　work



its　wild　will　with　my　physical　interior。　　I　will　submit　to　cigars。



I　will　meekly　embrace　a　bottle　of　Burgundy。　　I　will　humble　myself



to　a　hansom　cab。　　If　only　by　this　means　I　may　preserve　to　myself



the　virginity　of　the　spirit；　which　enjoys　with　astonishment　and　fear。



I　do　not　say　that　these　are　the　only　methods　of　preserving　it。



I　incline　to　the　belief　that　there　are　others。　　But　I　will　have



nothing　to　do　with　simplicity　which　lacks　the　fear；　the　astonishment；



and　the　joy　alike。　　I　will　have　nothing　to　do　with　the　devilish



vision　of　a　child　who　is　too　simple　to　like　toys。







The　child　is；　indeed；　in　these；　and　many　other　matters；　the　best　guide。



And　in　nothing　is　the　child　so　righteously　childlike；　in　nothing



does　he　exhibit　more　accurately　the　sounder　order　of　simplicity；



than　in　the　fact　that　he　sees　everything　with　a　simple　pleasure；



even　the　complex　things。　　The　false　type　of　naturalness　harps



always　on　the　distinction　between　the　natural　and　the　artificial。



The　higher　kind　of　naturalness　ignores　that　distinction。



To　the　child　the　tree　and　the　lamp…post　are　as　natural　and　as



artificial　as　each　other；　or　rather；　neither　of　them　are　natural



but　both　supernatural。　　For　both　are　splendid　and　unexplained。



The　flower　with　which　God　crowns　the　one；　and　the　flame　with　which



Sam　the　lamplighter　crowns　the　other；　are　equally　of　the　gold



of　fairy…tales。　In　the　middle　of　the　wildest　fields　the　most　rustic



child　is；　ten　to　one；　playing　at　steam…engines。　And　the　only　spiritual



or　philosophical　objection　to　steam…engines　is　not　that　men　pay



for　them　or　work　at　them；　or　make　them　very　ugly；　or　even　that　men



are　killed　by　them；　but　merely　that　men　do　not　play　at　them。



The　evil　is　that　the　childish　poetry　of　clockwork　does　not　remain。



The　wrong　is　not　that　engines　are　too　much　admired；　but　that　they



are　not　admired　enough。　　The　sin　is　not　that　engines　are　mechanical；



but　that　men　are　mechanical。







In　this　matter；　then；　as　in　all　the　other　matters　treated　in　this　book；



our　main　conclusion　is　that　it　is　a　fundamental　point　of　view；



a　philosophy　or　religion　which　is　needed；　and　not　any　change　in　habit



or　social　routine。　　The　things　we　need　most　for　immediate　practical



purposes　are　all　abstractions。　　We　need　a　right　view　of　the　human　lot；



a　right　view　of　the　human　society；　and　if　we　were　living　eagerly



and　angrily　in　the　enthusiasm　of　those　things；　we　should；



ipso　facto；　be　living　simply　in　the　genuine　and　spiritual　sense。



Desire　and　danger　make　every　one　simple。　　And　to　those　who　talk　to　us



with　interfering　eloquence　about　Jaeger　and　the　pores　of　the　skin；



and　about　Plasmon　and　the　coats　of　the　stomach；　at　them　shall　only



be　hurled　the　words　that　are　hurled　at　fops　and　gluttons；　〃Take　no



thought　what　ye　shall　eat　or　what　ye　shall　drink；　or　wherewithal　ye



shall　be　clothed。　　For　after　all　these　things　do　the　Gentiles　seek。



But　seek　first　the　kingdom　of　God　and　His　righteousness；



and　all　these　things　shall　be　added　unto　you。〃　　Those　amazing



words　are　not　only　extraordinarily　good；　practical　politics；



they　are　also　superlatively　good　hygiene。　　The　one　supreme　way



of　making　all　those　processes　go　right；　the　processes　of　health；



and　strength；　and　grace；　and　beauty；　the　one　and　only　way　of　making



certain　of　their　accuracy；　is　to　think　about　something　else。



If　a　man　is　bent　on　climbing　into　the　seventh　heaven；　he　may　be



quite　easy　about　the　pores　of　his　skin。　　If　he　harnesses　his　waggon



to　a　star；　the　process　will　have　a　most　satisfactory　effect　upon



the　coats　of　his　stomach。　　For　the　thing　called　〃taking　thought；〃



the　thing　for　which　the　best　modern　word　is　〃rationalizing；〃



is　in　its　nature；　inapplicable　to　all　plain　and　urgent　things。



Men　take　thought　and　ponder　rationalistically；　touching　remote　things



things　that　only　theoretically　matter；　such　as　the　transit　of　Venus。



But　only　at　their　peril　can　men　rationalize　about　so　practical



a　matter　as　health。















XI　Science　and　the　Savages











A　permanent　disadvantage　of　the　study　of　folk…lor