01-fate-第2章

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these　strokes　are　not　to　be　parried　by　us；　they　must　be　feared。



　　　　　　　　But　these　shocks　and　ruins　are　less　destructive　to　us；　than　the

stealthy　power　of　other　laws　which　act　on　us　daily。　　An　expense　of

ends　to　means　is　fate；　　organization　tyrannizing　over　character。

The　menagerie；　or　forms　and　powers　of　the　spine；　is　a　book　of　fate：

the　bill　of　the　bird；　the　skull　of　the　snake；　determines　tyrannically

its　limits。　　So　is　the　scale　of　races；　of　temperaments；　so　is　sex；　so

is　climate；　so　is　the　reaction　of　talents　imprisoning　the　vital　power

in　certain　directions。　　Every　spirit　makes　its　house；　but　afterwards

the　house　confines　the　spirit。



　　　　　　　　The　gross　lines　are　legible　to　the　dull：　the　cabman　is

phrenologist　so　far：　he　looks　in　your　face　to　see　if　his　shilling　is

sure。　　A　dome　of　brow　denotes　one　thing；　a　pot…belly　another；　a

squint；　a　pug…nose；　mats　of　hair；　the　pigment　of　the　epidermis；

betray　character。　　People　seem　sheathed　in　their　tough　organization。

Ask　Spurzheim；　ask　the　doctors；　ask　Quetelet；　if　temperaments　decide

nothing？　or　if　there　be　any…thing　they　do　not　decide？　　Read　the

description　in　medical　books　of　the　four　temperaments；　and　you　will

think　you　are　reading　your　own　thoughts　which　you　had　not　yet　told。

Find　the　part　which　black　eyes；　and　which　blue　eyes；　play　severally

in　the　company。　　How　shall　a　man　escape　from　his　ancestors；　or　draw

off　from　his　veins　the　black　drop　which　he　drew　from　his　father's　or

his　mother's　life？　　It　often　appears　in　a　family；　as　if　all　the

qualities　of　the　progenitors　were　potted　in　several　jars；　　some

ruling　quality　in　each　son　or　daughter　of　the　house；　　and　sometimes

the　unmixed　temperament；　the　rank　unmitigated　elixir；　the　family

vice；　is　drawn　off　in　a　separate　individual；　and　the　others　are

proportionally　relieved。　　We　sometimes　see　a　change　of　expression　in

our　companion；　and　say；　his　father；　or　his　mother；　comes　to　the

windows　of　his　eyes；　and　sometimes　a　remote　relative。　　In　different

hours；　a　man　represents　each　of　several　of　his　ancestors；　as　if　there

were　seven　or　eight　of　us　rolled　up　in　each　man's　skin；　seven　or

eight　ancestors　at　least；　　and　they　constitute　the　variety　of　notes

for　that　new　piece　of　music　which　his　life　is。　　At　the　corner　of　the

street；　you　read　the　possibility　of　each　passenger；　in　the　facial

angle；　in　the　complexion；　in　the　depth　of　his　eye。　　His　parentage

determines　it。　　Men　are　what　their　mothers　made　them。　　You　may　as

well　ask　a　loom　which　weaves　huckaback；　why　it　does　not　make

cashmere；　as　expect　poetry　from　this　engineer；　or　a　chemical

discovery　from　that　jobber。　　Ask　the　digger　in　the　ditch　to　explain

Newton's　laws：　the　fine　organs　of　his　brain　have　been　pinched　by

overwork　and　squalid　poverty　from　father　to　son；　for　a　hundred　years。

When　each　comes　forth　from　his　mother's　womb；　the　gate　of　gifts

closes　behind　him。　　Let　him　value　his　hands　and　feet；　he　has　but　one

pair。　　So　he　has　but　one　future；　and　that　is　already　predetermined　in

his　lobes；　and　described　in　that　little　fatty　face；　pig…eye；　and

squat　form。　　All　the　privilege　and　all　the　legislation　of　the　world

cannot　meddle　or　help　to　make　a　poet　or　a　prince　of　him。



　　　　　　　　Jesus　said；　〃When　he　looketh　on　her；　he　hath　committed

adultery。〃　But　he　is　an　adulterer　before　he　has　yet　looked　on　the

woman；　by　the　superfluity　of　animal；　and　the　defect　of　thought；　in

his　constitution。　　Who　meets　him；　or　who　meets　her；　in　the　street；

sees　that　they　are　ripe　to　be　each　other's　victim。



　　　　　　　　In　certain　men；　digestion　and　sex　absorb　the　vital　force；　and

the　stronger　these　are；　the　individual　is　so　much　weaker。　　The　more

of　these　drones　perish；　the　better　for　the　hive。　　If；　later；　they

give　birth　to　some　superior　individual；　with　force　enough　to　add　to

this　animal　a　new　aim；　and　a　complete　apparatus　to　work　it　out；　all

the　ancestors　are　gladly　forgotten。　　Most　men　and　most　women　are

merely　one　couple　more。　　Now　and　then；　one　has　a　new　cell　or

camarilla　opened　in　his　brain；　　an　architectural；　a　musical；　or　a

philological　knack；　some　stray　taste　or　talent　for　flowers；　or

chemistry；　or　pigments；　or　story…telling；　a　good　hand　for　drawing；　a

good　foot　for　dancing；　an　athletic　frame　for　wide　journeying；　&c。　　

which　skill　nowise　alters　rank　in　the　scale　of　nature；　but　serves　to

pass　the　time；　the　life　of　sensation　going　on　as　before。　　At　last；

these　hints　and　tendencies　are　fixed　in　one；　or　in　a　succession。

Each　absorbs　so　much　food　and　force；　as　to　become　itself　a　new

centre。　　The　new　talent　draws　off　so　rapidly　the　vital　force；　that

not　enough　remains　for　the　animal　functions；　hardly　enough　for

health；　so　that；　in　the　second　generation；　if　the　like　genius　appear；

the　health　is　visibly　deteriorated；　and　the　generative　force

impaired。



　　　　　　　　People　are　born　with　the　moral　or　with　the　material　bias；　

uterine　brothers　with　this　diverging　destination：　and　I　suppose；　with

high　magnifiers；　Mr。　Frauenhofer　or　Dr。　Carpenter　might　come　to

distinguish　in　the　embryo　at　the　fourth　day；　this　is　a　Whig；　and　that

a　Free…soiler。



　　　　　　　　It　was　a　poetic　attempt　to　lift　this　mountain　of　Fate；　to

reconcile　this　despotism　of　race　with　liberty；　which　led　the　Hindoos

to　say；　〃Fate　is　nothing　but　the　deeds　committed　in　a　prior　state　of

existence。〃　I　find　the　coincidence　of　the　extremes　of　eastern　and

western　speculation　in　the　daring　statement　of　Schelling；　〃there　is

in　every　man　a　certain　feeling；　that　he　has　been　what　he　is　from　all

eternity；　and　by　no　means　became　such　in　time。〃　To　say　it　less

sublimely；　　in　the　history　of　the　individual　is　always　an　account

of　his　condition；　and　he　knows　himself　to　be　a　party　to　his　present

estate。



　　　　　　　　A　good　deal　of　our　politics　is　physiological。　　Now　and　then；　a

man　of　wealth　in　the　heyday　of　youth　adopts　the　tenet　of　broadest

freedom。　　In　England；　there　is　always　some　man　of　wealth　and　large

connection　planting　himself；　during　all　his　years　of　health；　on　the

side　of　progress；　who；　as　soon　as　he　begins　to　die；　checks　his

forward　play；　calls　in　his　troops；　and　becomes　conservative。　　All

conservatives　are　such　from　personal　defects。　　They　have　been

effeminated　by　position　or　nature；　born　halt　and　blind；　through

luxury　of　their　parents；　and　can　only；　like　invalids；　act　on　the

defensive。　　But　strong　natures；　backwoodsmen；　New　Hampshire　giants；

Napoleons；　Burkes；　Broughams；　Websters；　Kossuths；　are　inevitable

patriots；　until　their　life　ebbs；　and　their　defects　and　gout；　palsy

and　money；　warp　them。



　　　　　　　　The　strongest　idea　incarnates　itself　in　majorities　and　nations；

in　the　healthiest　and　strongest。　　Probably；　the　election　goes　by

avoirdupois　weight；　and；　if　you　could　weigh　bodily　the　tonnage　of　any

hundred　of　the　Whig　and　the　Democratic　party　in　a　town；　on　the

Dearborn　balance；　as　they　passed　the　hayscales；　you　could　predict

with　certainty　which　party　would　carry　it。　　On　the　whole；　it　would　be

rather　the　speediest　way　of　deciding　the　vote；　to　put　the　selectmen

or　the　mayor　and　aldermen　at　the　hayscales。



　　　　　　　　In　science；　we　have　to　consider　two　things：　power　and

circumstance。　　All　we　know　of　the　egg；　from　each　successive

discovery；　is；　_another　vesicle_；　and　if；　after　five　hundred　years；

you　get　a　better　observer；　or　a　better　glass；　he　finds　within　the

last　observed　another。　　In　vegetable　and　animal　tissue；　it　is　just

alike；　and　all　that　the　primary　power　or　spasm　operates；　is；　still；

vesicles；　vesicles。　　Yes；　　but　the　tyrannical　Circumstance！　　A

vesicle　in　new　circumstances；　a　vesicle　lodged　in　darkness；　Oken

thought；　became　animal；　in　light；　a　plant。　　Lodged　in　the　parent

animal；　it　suffers　changes；　which　end　in　unsheathing　miraculous

capability　in　the　unaltered　vesicle；　and　it　unlocks　itself　to　fish；

bird；　or　quadruped；　head　and　foot；　eye　and　claw。　　The　Circumstance　is

Nature。　　Nature　is；　what　you　may　do。　　There　is　much　you　may　not。　　We

have　two　things；　　the　circumstance；　and　the　life。　　Once　we