heretics-第9章

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It　is　said　that　he　cannot　be　taken　seriously；　that　he　will　defend　anything



or　attack　anything；　that　he　will　do　anything　to　startle　and　amuse。



All　this　is　not　only　untrue；　but　it　is；　glaringly；　the　opposite　of



the　truth；　it　is　as　wild　as　to　say　that　Dickens　had　not　the　boisterous



masculinity　of　Jane　Austen。　　The　whole　force　and　triumph　of　Mr。　Bernard



Shaw　lie　in　the　fact　that　he　is　a　thoroughly　consistent　man。



So　far　from　his　power　consisting　in　jumping　through　hoops　or　standing　on



his　head；　his　power　consists　in　holding　his　own　fortress　night　and　day。



He　puts　the　Shaw　test　rapidly　and　rigorously　to　everything



that　happens　in　heaven　or　earth。　　His　standard　never　varies。



The　thing　which　weak…minded　revolutionists　and　weak…minded　Conservatives



really　hate　（and　fear）　in　him；　is　exactly　this；　that　his　scales；



such　as　they　are；　are　held　even；　and　that　his　law；　such　as　it　is；



is　justly　enforced。　　You　may　attack　his　principles；　as　I　do；　but　I



do　not　know　of　any　instance　in　which　you　can　attack　their　application。



If　he　dislikes　lawlessness；　he　dislikes　the　lawlessness　of　Socialists



as　much　as　that　of　Individualists。　　If　he　dislikes　the　fever　of　patriotism；



he　dislikes　it　in　Boers　and　Irishmen　as　well　as　in　Englishmen。



If　he　dislikes　the　vows　and　bonds　of　marriage；　he　dislikes　still



more　the　fiercer　bonds　and　wilder　vows　that　are　made　by　lawless　love。



If　he　laughs　at　the　authority　of　priests；　he　laughs　louder　at　the　pomposity



of　men　of　science。　　If　he　condemns　the　irresponsibility　of　faith；



he　condemns　with　a　sane　consistency　the　equal　irresponsibility　of　art。



He　has　pleased　all　the　bohemians　by　saying　that　women　are　equal　to　men；



but　he　has　infuriated　them　by　suggesting　that　men　are　equal　to　women。



He　is　almost　mechanically　just；　he　has　something　of　the　terrible



quality　of　a　machine。　　The　man　who　is　really　wild　and　whirling；



the　man　who　is　really　fantastic　and　incalculable；　is　not　Mr。　Shaw；



but　the　average　Cabinet　Minister。　　It　is　Sir　Michael　Hicks…Beach　who



jumps　through　hoops。　　It　is　Sir　Henry　Fowler　who　stands　on　his　head。



The　solid　and　respectable　statesman　of　that　type　does　really



leap　from　position　to　position；　he　is　really　ready　to　defend



anything　or　nothing；　he　is　really　not　to　be　taken　seriously。



I　know　perfectly　well　what　Mr。　Bernard　Shaw　will　be　saying



thirty　years　hence；　he　will　be　saying　what　he　has　always　said。



If　thirty　years　hence　I　meet　Mr。　Shaw；　a　reverent　being



with　a　silver　beard　sweeping　the　earth；　and　say　to　him；



〃One　can　never；　of　course；　make　a　verbal　attack　upon　a　lady；〃



the　patriarch　will　lift　his　aged　hand　and　fell　me　to　the　earth。



We　know；　I　say；　what　Mr。　Shaw　will　be；　saying　thirty　years　hence。



But　is　there　any　one　so　darkly　read　in　stars　and　oracles　that　he　will



dare　to　predict　what　Mr。　Asquith　will　be　saying　thirty　years　hence？







The　truth　is；　that　it　is　quite　an　error　to　suppose　that　absence



of　definite　convictions　gives　the　mind　freedom　and　agility。



A　man　who　believes　something　is　ready　and　witty；　because　he　has



all　his　weapons　about　him。　　he　can　apply　his　test　in　an　instant。



The　man　engaged　in　conflict　with　a　man　like　Mr。　Bernard　Shaw　may



fancy　he　has　ten　faces；　similarly　a　man　engaged　against　a　brilliant



duellist　may　fancy　that　the　sword　of　his　foe　has　turned　to　ten　swords



in　his　hand。　　But　this　is　not　really　because　the　man　is　playing



with　ten　swords；　it　is　because　he　is　aiming　very　straight　with　one。



Moreover；　a　man　with　a　definite　belief　always　appears　bizarre；



because　he　does　not　change　with　the　world；　he　has　climbed　into



a　fixed　star；　and　the　earth　whizzes　below　him　like　a　zoetrope。



Millions　of　mild　black…coated　men　call　themselves　sane　and　sensible



merely　because　they　always　catch　the　fashionable　insanity；



because　they　are　hurried　into　madness　after　madness　by　the　maelstrom



of　the　world。







People　accuse　Mr。　Shaw　and　many　much　sillier　persons　of　〃proving　that　black



is　white。〃　　But　they　never　ask　whether　the　current　colour…language　is



always　correct。　　Ordinary　sensible　phraseology　sometimes　calls　black　white；



it　certainly　calls　yellow　white　and　green　white　and　reddish…brown　white。



We　call　wine　〃white　wine〃　which　is　as　yellow　as　a　Blue…coat　boy's　legs。



We　call　grapes　〃white　grapes〃　which　are　manifestly　pale　green。



We　give　to　the　European；　whose　complexion　is　a　sort　of　pink　drab；



the　horrible　title　of　a　〃white　man〃a　picture　more　blood…curdling



than　any　spectre　in　Poe。







Now；　it　is　undoubtedly　true　that　if　a　man　asked　a　waiter　in　a　restaurant



for　a　bottle　of　yellow　wine　and　some　greenish…yellow　grapes；　the　waiter



would　think　him　mad。　　It　is　undoubtedly　true　that　if　a　Government　official；



reporting　on　the　Europeans　in　Burmah；　said；　〃There　are　only　two



thousand　pinkish　men　here〃　he　would　be　accused　of　cracking　jokes；



and　kicked　out　of　his　post。　　But　it　is　equally　obvious　that　both



men　would　have　come　to　grief　through　telling　the　strict　truth。



That　too　truthful　man　in　the　restaurant；　that　too　truthful　man



in　Burmah；　is　Mr。　Bernard　Shaw。　　He　appears　eccentric　and　grotesque



because　he　will　not　accept　the　general　belief　that　white　is　yellow。



He　has　based　all　his　brilliancy　and　solidity　upon　the　hackneyed；



but　yet　forgotten；　fact　that　truth　is　stranger　than　fiction。



Truth；　of　course；　must　of　necessity　be　stranger　than　fiction；



for　we　have　made　fiction　to　suit　ourselves。







So　much　then　a　reasonable　appreciation　will　find　in　Mr。　Shaw



to　be　bracing　and　excellent。　　He　claims　to　see　things　as　they　are；



and　some　things；　at　any　rate；　he　does　see　as　they　are；



which　the　whole　of　our　civilization　does　not　see　at　all。



But　in　Mr。　Shaw's　realism　there　is　something　lacking；　and　that　thing



which　is　lacking　is　serious。







Mr。　Shaw's　old　and　recognized　philosophy　was　that　powerfully



presented　in　〃The　Quintessence　of　Ibsenism。〃　　It　was；　in　brief；



that　conservative　ideals　were　bad；　not　because　They　were　conservative；



but　because　they　were　ideals。　　Every　ideal　prevented　men　from　judging



justly　the　particular　case；　every　moral　generalization　oppressed



the　individual；　the　golden　rule　was　there　was　no　golden　rule。



And　the　objection　to　this　is　simply　that　it　pretends　to　free　men；



but　really　restrains　them　from　doing　the　only　thing　that　men　want　to　do。



What　is　the　good　of　telling　a　community　that　it　has　every　liberty



except　the　liberty　to　make　laws？　　The　liberty　to　make　laws　is　what



constitutes　a　free　people。　　And　what　is　the　good　of　telling　a　man



（or　a　philosopher）　that　he　has　every　liberty　except　the　liberty　to



make　generalizations。　　Making　generalizations　is　what　makes　him　a　man。



In　short；　when　Mr。　Shaw　forbids　men　to　have　strict　moral　ideals；



he　is　acting　like　one　who　should　forbid　them　to　have　children。



The　saying　that　〃the　golden　rule　is　that　there　is　no　golden　rule；〃



can；　indeed；　be　simply　answered　by　being　turned　round。



That　there　is　no　golden　rule　is　itself　a　golden　rule；　or　rather



it　is　much　worse　than　a　golden　rule。　　It　is　an　iron　rule；



a　fetter　on　the　first　movement　of　a　man。







But　the　sensation　connected　with　Mr。　Shaw　in　recent　years　has



been　his　sudden　development　of　the　religion　of　the　Superman。



He　who　had　to　all　appearance　mocked　at　the　faiths　in　the　forgotten



past　discovered　a　new　god　in　the　unimaginable　future。　　He　who　had　laid



all　the　blame　on　ideals　set　up　the　most　impossible　of　all　ideals；



the　ideal　of　a　new　creature。　　But　the　truth；　nevertheless；　is　that　any



one　who　knows　Mr。　Shaw's　mind　adequately；　and　admires　it　properly；



must　have　guessed　all　this　long　ago。







For　the　truth　is　tha