heretics-第7章

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shows　most　men　to　be　tame　and　timid　and　excessively　peaceable。



The　professional　soldier　gains　more　and　more　power　as　the　general



courage　of　a　community　declines。　　Thus　the　Pretorian　guard　became



more　and　more　important　in　Rome　as　Rome　became　more　and　more



luxurious　and　feeble。　　The　military　man　gains　the　civil　power



in　proportion　as　the　civilian　loses　the　military　virtues。



And　as　it　was　in　ancient　Rome　so　it　is　in　contemporary　Europe。



There　never　was　a　time　when　nations　were　more　militarist。



There　never　was　a　time　when　men　were　less　brave。　　All　ages　and　all　epics



have　sung　of　arms　and　the　man；　but　we　have　effected　simultaneously



the　deterioration　of　the　man　and　the　fantastic　perfection　of　the　arms。



Militarism　demonstrated　the　decadence　of　Rome；　and　it　demonstrates



the　decadence　of　Prussia。







And　unconsciously　Mr。　Kipling　has　proved　this；　and　proved　it　admirably。



For　in　so　far　as　his　work　is　earnestly　understood　the　military　trade



does　not　by　any　means　emerge　as　the　most　important　or　attractive。



He　has　not　written　so　well　about　soldiers　as　he　has　about



railway　men　or　bridge　builders；　or　even　journalists。



The　fact　is　that　what　attracts　Mr。　Kipling　to　militarism



is　not　the　idea　of　courage；　but　the　idea　of　discipline。



There　was　far　more　courage　to　the　square　mile　in　the　Middle　Ages；



when　no　king　had　a　standing　army；　but　every　man　had　a　bow　or　sword。



But　the　fascination　of　the　standing　army　upon　Mr。　Kipling　is



not　courage；　which　scarcely　interests　him；　but　discipline；　which　is；



when　all　is　said　and　done；　his　primary　theme。　　The　modern　army



is　not　a　miracle　of　courage；　it　has　not　enough　opportunities；



owing　to　the　cowardice　of　everybody　else。　　But　it　is　really



a　miracle　of　organization；　and　that　is　the　truly　Kiplingite　ideal。



Kipling's　subject　is　not　that　valour　which　properly　belongs　to　war；



but　that　interdependence　and　efficiency　which　belongs　quite



as　much　to　engineers；　or　sailors；　or　mules；　or　railway　engines。



And　thus　it　is　that　when　he　writes　of　engineers；　or　sailors；



or　mules；　or　steam…engines；　he　writes　at　his　best。　　The　real　poetry；



the　〃true　romance〃　which　Mr。　Kipling　has　taught；　is　the　romance



of　the　division　of　labour　and　the　discipline　of　all　the　trades。



He　sings　the　arts　of　peace　much　more　accurately　than　the　arts　of　war。



And　his　main　contention　is　vital　and　valuable。　　Every　thing　is　military



in　the　sense　that　everything　depends　upon　obedience。　　There　is　no



perfectly　epicurean　corner；　there　is　no　perfectly　irresponsible　place。



Everywhere　men　have　made　the　way　for　us　with　sweat　and　submission。



We　may　fling　ourselves　into　a　hammock　in　a　fit　of　divine　carelessness。



But　we　are　glad　that　the　net…maker　did　not　make　the　hammock　in　a　fit　of



divine　carelessness。　　We　may　jump　upon　a　child's　rocking…horse　for　a　joke。



But　we　are　glad　that　the　carpenter　did　not　leave　the　legs　of　it



unglued　for　a　joke。　　So　far　from　having　merely　preached　that　a　soldier



cleaning　his　side…arm　is　to　be　adored　because　he　is　military；



Kipling　at　his　best　and　clearest　has　preached　that　the　baker　baking



loaves　and　the　tailor　cutting　coats　is　as　military　as　anybody。







Being　devoted　to　this　multitudinous　vision　of　duty；　Mr。　Kipling



is　naturally　a　cosmopolitan。　　He　happens　to　find　his　examples



in　the　British　Empire；　but　almost　any　other　empire　would



do　as　well；　or；　indeed；　any　other　highly　civilized　country。



That　which　he　admires　in　the　British　army　he　would　find　even　more



apparent　in　the　German　army；　that　which　he　desires　in　the　British



police　he　would　find　flourishing；　in　the　French　police。



The　ideal　of　discipline　is　not　the　whole　of　life；　but　it　is　spread



over　the　whole　of　the　world。　　And　the　worship　of　it　tends　to　confirm



in　Mr。　Kipling　a　certain　note　of　worldly　wisdom；　of　the　experience



of　the　wanderer；　which　is　one　of　the　genuine　charms　of　his　best　work。







The　great　gap　in　his　mind　is　what　may　be　roughly　called　the　lack



of　patriotismthat　is　to　say；　he　lacks　altogether　the　faculty　of　attaching



himself　to　any　cause　or　community　finally　and　tragically；　for　all



finality　must　be　tragic。　　He　admires　England；　but　he　does　not　love　her；



for　we　admire　things　with　reasons；　but　love　them　without　reasons。



He　admires　England　because　she　is　strong；　not　because　she　is　English。



There　is　no　harshness　in　saying　this；　for；　to　do　him　justice；　he　avows



it　with　his　usual　picturesque　candour。　　In　a　very　interesting　poem；



he　says　that







　　〃If　England　was　what　England　seems〃







that　is；　weak　and　inefficient；　if　England　were　not　what　（as　he　believes）



she　isthat　is；　powerful　and　practical







　　〃How　quick　we'd　chuck　'er！　But　she　ain't！〃







He　admits；　that　is；　that　his　devotion　is　the　result　of　a　criticism；



and　this　is　quite　enough　to　put　it　in　another　category　altogether　from



the　patriotism　of　the　Boers；　whom　he　hounded　down　in　South　Africa。



In　speaking　of　the　really　patriotic　peoples；　such　as　the　Irish；　he　has



some　difficulty　in　keeping　a　shrill　irritation　out　of　his　language。



The　frame　of　mind　which　he　really　describes　with　beauty　and



nobility　is　the　frame　of　mind　of　the　cosmopolitan　man　who　has　seen



men　and　cities。







　　〃For　to　admire　and　for　to　see；



　　　For　to　be'old　this　world　so　wide。〃







He　is　a　perfect　master　of　that　light　melancholy　with　which　a　man



looks　back　on　having　been　the　citizen　of　many　communities；



of　that　light　melancholy　with　which　a　man　looks　back　on　having　been



the　lover　of　many　women。　　He　is　the　philanderer　of　the　nations。



But　a　man　may　have　learnt　much　about　women　in　flirtations；



and　still　be　ignorant　of　first　love；　a　man　may　have　known　as　many



lands　as　Ulysses；　and　still　be　ignorant　of　patriotism。







Mr。　Rudyard　Kipling　has　asked　in　a　celebrated　epigram　what　they　can



know　of　England　who　know　England　only。　　It　is　a　far　deeper　and　sharper



question　to　ask；　〃What　can　they　know　of　England　who　know　only　the　world？〃



for　the　world　does　not　include　England　any　more　than　it　includes



the　Church。　　The　moment　we　care　for　anything　deeply；　the　world



that　is；　all　the　other　miscellaneous　interestsbecomes　our　enemy。



Christians　showed　it　when　they　talked　of　keeping　one's　self



〃unspotted　from　the　world；〃　but　lovers　talk　of　it　just　as　much



when　they　talk　of　the　〃world　well　lost。〃　　Astronomically　speaking；



I　understand　that　England　is　situated　on　the　world；　similarly；　I　suppose



that　the　Church　was　a　part　of　the　world；　and　even　the　lovers



inhabitants　of　that　orb。　　But　they　all　felt　a　certain　truth



the　truth　that　the　moment　you　love　anything　the　world　becomes　your　foe。



Thus　Mr。　Kipling　does　certainly　know　the　world；　he　is　a　man　of　the　world；



with　all　the　narrowness　that　belongs　to　those　imprisoned　in　that　planet。



He　knows　England　as　an　intelligent　English　gentleman　knows　Venice。



He　has　been　to　England　a　great　many　times；　he　has　stopped　there



for　long　visits。　　But　he　does　not　belong　to　it；　or　to　any　place；



and　the　proof　of　it　is　this；　that　he　thinks　of　England　as　a　place。



The　moment　we　are　rooted　in　a　place；　the　place　vanishes。



We　live　like　a　tree　with　the　whole　strength　of　the　universe。







The　globe…trotter　lives　in　a　smaller　world　than　the　peasant。



He　is　always　breathing；　an　air　of　locality。　　London　is　a　place；　to　be



compared　to　Chicago；　Chicago　is　a　place；　to　be　compared　to　Timbuctoo。



But　Timbuctoo　is　not　a　place；　since　there；　at　least；　live　men



who　regard　it　as　the　universe；　and　breathe；　not　an　air　of　locality；



but　the　winds　of　the　world。　　The　man　in　the　saloon　steamer　has



seen　all　the　races　of　men；　and　he　is　thinking　of　the　t