heretics-第28章

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respected　in　the　Cannibal　Islands。　　But　the　poorer　a　man　is　the　more



likely　it　is　that　he　will　have　to　use　his　past　life　whenever　he　wants



to　get　a　bed　for　the　night。　　Honour　is　a　luxury　for　aristocrats；



but　it　is　a　necessity　for　hall…porters。　This　is　a　secondary　matter；



but　it　is　an　example　of　the　general　proposition　I　offer



the　proposition　that　an　enormous　amount　of　modern　ingenuity　is　expended



on　finding　defences　for　the　indefensible　conduct　of　the　powerful。



As　I　have　said　above；　these　defences　generally　exhibit　themselves



most　emphatically　in　the　form　of　appeals　to　physical　science。



And　of　all　the　forms　in　which　science；　or　pseudo…science；　has　come



to　the　rescue　of　the　rich　and　stupid；　there　is　none　so　singular



as　the　singular　invention　of　the　theory　of　races。







When　a　wealthy　nation　like　the　English　discovers　the　perfectly　patent



fact　that　it　is　making　a　ludicrous　mess　of　the　government　of　a　poorer



nation　like　the　Irish；　it　pauses　for　a　moment　in　consternation；



and　then　begins　to　talk　about　Celts　and　Teutons。　　As　far　as　I　can



understand　the　theory；　the　Irish　are　Celts　and　the　English　are　Teutons。



Of　course；　the　Irish　are　not　Celts　any　more　than　the　English　are　Teutons。



I　have　not　followed　the　ethnological　discussion　with　much　energy；



but　the　last　scientific　conclusion　which　I　read　inclined　on　the　whole



to　the　summary　that　the　English　were　mainly　Celtic　and　the　Irish



mainly　Teutonic。　　But　no　man　alive；　with　even　the　glimmering　of　a　real



scientific　sense；　would　ever　dream　of　applying　the　terms　〃Celtic〃



or　〃Teutonic〃　to　either　of　them　in　any　positive　or　useful　sense。







That　sort　of　thing　must　be　left　to　people　who　talk　about



the　Anglo…Saxon　race；　and　extend　the　expression　to　America。



How　much　of　the　blood　of　the　Angles　and　Saxons　（whoever　they　were）



there　remains　in　our　mixed　British；　Roman；　German；　Dane；　Norman；



and　Picard　stock　is　a　matter　only　interesting　to　wild　antiquaries。



And　how　much　of　that　diluted　blood　can　possibly　remain　in　that



roaring　whirlpool　of　America　into　which　a　cataract　of　Swedes；



Jews；　Germans；　Irishmen；　and　Italians　is　perpetually　pouring；



is　a　matter　only　interesting　to　lunatics。　　It　would　have　been　wiser



for　the　English　governing　class　to　have　called　upon　some　other　god。



All　other　gods；　however　weak　and　warring；　at　least　boast　of



being　constant。　　But　science　boasts　of　being　in　a　flux　for　ever；



boasts　of　being　unstable　as　water。







And　England　and　the　English　governing　class　never　did　call　on　this



absurd　deity　of　race　until　it　seemed；　for　an　instant；　that　they　had



no　other　god　to　call　on。　　All　the　most　genuine　Englishmen　in　history



would　have　yawned　or　laughed　in　your　face　if　you　had　begun　to　talk



about　Anglo…Saxons。　If　you　had　attempted　to　substitute　the　ideal



of　race　for　the　ideal　of　nationality；　I　really　do　not　like　to　think



what　they　would　have　said。　　I　certainly　should　not　like　to　have



been　the　officer　of　Nelson　who　suddenly　discovered　his　French



blood　on　the　eve　of　Trafalgar。　　I　should　not　like　to　have　been



the　Norfolk　or　Suffolk　gentleman　who　had　to　expound　to　Admiral



Blake　by　what　demonstrable　ties　of　genealogy　he　was　irrevocably



bound　to　the　Dutch。　　The　truth　of　the　whole　matter　is　very　simple。



Nationality　exists；　and　has　nothing　in　the　world　to　do　with　race。



Nationality　is　a　thing　like　a　church　or　a　secret　society；　it　is



a　product　of　the　human　soul　and　will；　it　is　a　spiritual　product。



And　there　are　men　in　the　modern　world　who　would　think　anything　and　do



anything　rather　than　admit　that　anything　could　be　a　spiritual　product。







A　nation；　however；　as　it　confronts　the　modern　world；　is　a　purely



spiritual　product。　　Sometimes　it　has　been　born　in　independence；



like　Scotland。　　Sometimes　it　has　been　born　in　dependence；



in　subjugation；　like　Ireland。　　Sometimes　it　is　a　large　thing



cohering　out　of　many　smaller　things；　like　Italy。　　Sometimes　it



is　a　small　thing　breaking　away　from　larger　things；　like　Poland。



But　in　each　and　every　case　its　quality　is　purely　spiritual；　or；



if　you　will；　purely　psychological。　　It　is　a　moment　when　five　men



become　a　sixth　man。　　Every　one　knows　it　who　has　ever　founded



a　club。　　It　is　a　moment　when　five　places　become　one　place。



Every　one　must　know　it　who　has　ever　had　to　repel　an　invasion。



Mr。　Timothy　Healy；　the　most　serious　intellect　in　the　present



House　of　Commons；　summed　up　nationality　to　perfection　when



he　simply　called　it　something　for　which　people　will　die；



As　he　excellently　said　in　reply　to　Lord　Hugh　Cecil；　〃No　one；



not　even　the　noble　lord；　would　die　for　the　meridian　of　Greenwich。〃



And　that　is　the　great　tribute　to　its　purely　psychological　character。



It　is　idle　to　ask　why　Greenwich　should　not　cohere　in　this　spiritual



manner　while　Athens　or　Sparta　did。　　It　is　like　asking　why　a　man



falls　in　love　with　one　woman　and　not　with　another。







Now；　of　this　great　spiritual　coherence；　independent　of　external



circumstances；　or　of　race；　or　of　any　obvious　physical　thing；　Ireland　is



the　most　remarkable　example。　　Rome　conquered　nations；　but　Ireland



has　conquered　races。　　The　Norman　has　gone　there　and　become　Irish；



the　Scotchman　has　gone　there　and　become　Irish；　the　Spaniard　has　gone



there　and　become　Irish；　even　the　bitter　soldier　of　Cromwell　has　gone



there　and　become　Irish。　　Ireland；　which　did　not　exist　even　politically；



has　been　stronger　than　all　the　races　that　existed　scientifically。



The　purest　Germanic　blood；　the　purest　Norman　blood；　the　purest



blood　of　the　passionate　Scotch　patriot；　has　not　been　so　attractive



as　a　nation　without　a　flag。　　Ireland；　unrecognized　and　oppressed；



has　easily　absorbed　races；　as　such　trifles　are　easily　absorbed。



She　has　easily　disposed　of　physical　science；　as　such　superstitions



are　easily　disposed　of。　　Nationality　in　its　weakness　has　been



stronger　than　ethnology　in　its　strength。　　Five　triumphant　races



have　been　absorbed；　have　been　defeated　by　a　defeated　nationality。







This　being　the　true　and　strange　glory　of　Ireland；　it　is　impossible



to　hear　without　impatience　of　the　attempt　so　constantly　made



among　her　modern　sympathizers　to　talk　about　Celts　and　Celticism。



Who　were　the　Celts？　　I　defy　anybody　to　say。　　Who　are　the　Irish？



I　defy　any　one　to　be　indifferent；　or　to　pretend　not　to　know。



Mr。　W。　B。　Yeats；　the　great　Irish　genius　who　has　appeared　in　our　time；



shows　his　own　admirable　penetration　in　discarding　altogether　the　argument



from　a　Celtic　race。　　But　he　does　not　wholly　escape；　and　his　followers



hardly　ever　escape；　the　general　objection　to　the　Celtic　argument。



The　tendency　of　that　argument　is　to　represent　the　Irish　or　the　Celts



as　a　strange　and　separate　race；　as　a　tribe　of　eccentrics　in



the　modern　world　immersed　in　dim　legends　and　fruitless　dreams。



Its　tendency　is　to　exhibit　the　Irish　as　odd；　because　they　see



the　fairies。　　Its　trend　is　to　make　the　Irish　seem　weird　and　wild



because　they　sing　old　songs　and　join　in　strange　dances。



But　this　is　quite　an　error；　indeed；　it　is　the　opposite　of　the　truth。



It　is　the　English　who　are　odd　because　they　do　not　see　the　fairies。



It　is　the　inhabitants　of　Kensington　who　are　weird　and　wild



because　they　do　not　sing　old　songs　and　join　in　strange　dances。



In　all　this　the　Irish　are　not　in　the　least　strange　and　separate；



are　not　in　the　least　Celtic；　as　the　word　is　commonly　and　popularly　used。



In　all　this　the　Irish　are　simply　an　ordinary　sensible　nation；



living　the　life　of　any　other　ordinary　and　sensible　nation



which　has　not　been　either　sodden　with　smoke　or　oppressed　by



money…lenders；　or　otherwise　corrupted　with　wealth　and　science。