01-fate-第3章

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

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

positive　power　was　all。　　Now　we　learn；　that　negative　power；　or

circumstance；　is　half。　　Nature　is　the　tyrannous　circumstance；　the

thick　skull；　the　sheathed　snake；　the　ponderous；　rock…like　jaw；

necessitated　activity；　violent　direction；　the　conditions　of　a　tool；

like　the　locomotive；　strong　enough　on　its　track；　but　which　can　do

nothing　but　mischief　off　of　it；　or　skates；　which　are　wings　on　the

ice；　but　fetters　on　the　ground。



　　　　　　　　The　book　of　Nature　is　the　book　of　Fate。　　She　turns　the　gigantic

pages；　　leaf　after　leaf；　　never　returning　one。　　One　leaf　she　lays

down；　a　floor　of　granite；　then　a　thousand　ages；　and　a　bed　of　slate；　a

thousand　ages；　and　a　measure　of　coal；　a　thousand　ages；　and　a　layer　of

marl　and　mud：　vegetable　forms　appear；　her　first　misshapen　animals；

zoophyte；　trilobium；　fish；　then；　saurians；　　rude　forms；　in　which

she　has　only　blocked　her　future　statue；　concealing　under　these

unwieldly　monsters　the　fine　type　of　her　coming　king。　　The　face　of　the

planet　cools　and　dries；　the　races　meliorate；　and　man　is　born。　　But

when　a　race　has　lived　its　term；　it　comes　no　more　again。



　　　　　　　　The　population　of　the　world　is　a　conditional　population　not　the

best；　but　the　best　that　could　live　now；　and　the　scale　of　tribes；　and

the　steadiness　with　which　victory　adheres　to　one　tribe；　and　defeat　to

another；　is　as　uniform　as　the　superposition　of　strata。　　We　know　in

history　what　weight　belongs　to　race。　　We　see　the　English；　French；　and

Germans　planting　themselves　on　every　shore　and　market　of　America　and

Australia；　and　monopolizing　the　commerce　of　these　countries。　　We　like

the　nervous　and　victorious　habit　of　our　own　branch　of　the　family。　　We

follow　the　step　of　the　Jew；　of　the　Indian；　of　the　Negro。　　We　see　how

much　will　has　been　expended　to　extinguish　the　Jew；　in　vain。　　Look　at

the　unpalatable　conclusions　of　Knox；　in　his　〃Fragment　of　Races；〃　　a

rash　and　unsatisfactory　writer；　but　charged　with　pungent　and

unforgetable　truths。　　〃Nature　respects　race；　and　not　hybrids。〃　〃Every

race　has　its　own　_habitat_。〃　〃Detach　a　colony　from　the　race；　and　it

deteriorates　to　the　crab。〃　See　the　shades　of　the　picture。　　The　German

and　Irish　millions；　like　the　Negro；　have　a　great　deal　of　guano　in

their　destiny。　　They　are　ferried　over　the　Atlantic；　and　carted　over

America；　to　ditch　and　to　drudge；　to　make　corn　cheap；　and　then　to　lie

down　prematurely　to　make　a　spot　of　green　grass　on　the　prairie。



　　　　　　　　One　more　fagot　of　these　adamantine　bandages；　is；　the　new

science　of　Statistics。　　It　is　a　rule；　that　the　most　casual　and

extraordinary　events　　if　the　basis　of　population　is　broad　enough　

become　matter　of　fixed　calculation。　　It　would　not　be　safe　to　say　when

a　captain　like　Bonaparte；　a　singer　like　Jenny　Lind；　or　a　navigator

like　Bowditch；　would　be　born　in　Boston：　but；　on　a　population　of

twenty　or　two　hundred　millions；　something　like　accuracy　may　be　had。

（*）



　　　　　　　　（*）　〃Everything　which　pertains　to　the　human　species；　considered

as　a　whole；　belongs　to　the　order　of　physical　facts。　　The　greater　the

number　of　individuals；　the　more　does　the　influence　of　the　individual

will　disappear；　leaving　predominance　to　a　series　of　general　facts

dependent　on　causes　by　which　society　exists；　and　is　preserved。〃　

Quetelet。



　　　　　　　　'Tis　frivolous　to　fix　pedantically　the　date　of　particular

inventions。　　They　have　all　been　invented　over　and　over　fifty　times。

Man　is　the　arch　machine；　of　which　all　these　shifts　drawn　from　himself

are　toy　models。　　He　helps　himself　on　each　emergency　by　copying　or

duplicating　his　own　structure；　just　so　far　as　the　need　is。　　'Tis　hard

to　find　the　right　Homer　Zoroaster；　or　Menu；　harder　still　to　find　the

Tubal　Cain；　or　Vulcan；　or　Cadmus；　or　Copernicus；　or　Fust；　or　Fulton；

the　indisputable　inventor。　　There　are　scores　and　centuries　of　them。

〃The　air　is　full　of　men。〃　This　kind　of　talent　so　abounds；　this

constructive　tool…making　efficiency；　as　if　it　adhered　to　the　chemic

atoms；　as　if　the　air　he　breathes　were　made　of　Vaucansons；　Franklins；

and　Watts。



　　　　　　　　Doubtless；　in　every　million　there　will　be　an　astronomer；　a

mathematician；　a　comic　poet；　a　mystic。　　No　one　can　read　the　history

of　astronomy；　without　perceiving　that　Copernicus；　Newton；　Laplace；

are　not　new　men；　or　a　new　kind　of　men；　but　that　Thales；　Anaximenes；

Hipparchus；　Empedocles；　Aristarchus；　Pythagoras；　；oEnopides；　had

anticipated　them；　each　had　the　same　tense　geometrical　brain；　apt　for

the　same　vigorous　computation　and　logic；　a　mind　parallel　to　the

movement　of　the　world。　　The　Roman　mile　probably　rested　on　a　measure

of　a　degree　of　the　meridian。　　Mahometan　and　Chinese　know　what　we　know

of　leap…year；　of　the　Gregorian　calendar；　and　of　the　precession　of　the

equinoxes。　　As；　in　every　barrel　of　cowries；　brought　to　New　Bedford；

there　shall　be　one　_orangia_；　so　there　will；　in　a　dozen　millions　of

Malays　and　Mahometans；　be　one　or　two　astronomical　skulls。　　In　a　large

city；　the　most　casual　things；　and　things　whose　beauty　lies　in　their

casualty；　are　produced　as　punctually　and　to　order　as　the　baker's

muffin　for　breakfast。　　Punch　makes　exactly　one　capital　joke　a　week；

and　the　journals　contrive　to　furnish　one　good　piece　of　news　every

day。



　　　　　　　　And　not　less　work　the　laws　of　repression；　the　penalties　of

violated　functions。　　Famine；　typhus；　frost；　war；　suicide；　and　effete

races；　must　be　reckoned　calculable　parts　of　the　system　of　the　world。



　　　　　　　　These　are　pebbles　from　the　mountain；　hints　of　the　terms　by

which　our　life　is　walled　up；　and　which　show　a　kind　of　mechanical

exactness；　as　of　a　loom　or　mill；　in　what　we　call　casual　or　fortuitous

events。



　　　　　　　　The　force　with　which　we　resist　these　torrents　of　tendency　looks

so　ridiculously　inadequate；　that　it　amounts　to　little　more　than　a

criticism　or　a　protest　made　by　a　minority　of　one；　under　compulsion　of

millions。　　I　seemed；　in　the　height　of　a　tempest；　to　see　men　overboard

struggling　in　the　waves；　and　driven　about　here　and　there。　　They

glanced　intelligently　at　each　other；　but　'twas　little　they　could　do

for　one　another；　'twas　much　if　each　could　keep　afloat　alone。　　Well；

they　had　a　right　to　their　eye…beams；　and　all　the　rest　was　Fate。



　　　　　　　　We　cannot　trifle　with　this　reality；　this　cropping…out　in　our

planted　gardens　of　the　core　of　the　world。　　No　picture　of　life　can

have　any　veracity　that　does　not　admit　the　odious　facts。　　A　man's

power　is　hooped　in　by　a　necessity；　which；　by　many　experiments；　he

touches　on　every　side；　until　he　learns　its　arc。



　　　　　　　　The　element　running　through　entire　nature；　which　we　popularly

call　Fate；　is　known　to　us　as　limitation。　　Whatever　limits　us；　we　call

Fate。　　If　we　are　brute　and　barbarous；　the　fate　takes　a　brute　and

dreadful　shape。　　As　we　refine；　our　checks　become　finer。　　If　we　rise

to　spiritual　culture；　the　antagonism　takes　a　spiritual　form。　　In　the

Hindoo　fables；　Vishnu　follows　Maya　through　all　her　ascending　changes；

from　insect　and　crawfish　up　to　elephant；　whatever　form　she　took；　he

took　the　male　form　of　that　kind；　until　she　became　at　last　woman　and

goddess；　and　he　a　man　and　a　god。　　The　limitations　refine　as　the　soul

purifies；　but　the　ring　of　necessity　is　always　perched　at　the　top。



　　　　　　　　When　the　gods　in　the　Norse　heaven　were　unable　to　bind　the

Fenris　Wolf　with　steel　or　with　weight　of　mountains；　　the　one　he

snapped　and　the　other　he　spurned　with　his　heel；they　put　round　his

foot　a　limp　band　softer　than　silk　or　cobweb；　and　this　held　him：　the

more　he　spurned　it；　the　stiffer　it　drew。　　So　soft　and　so　stanch　is

the　ring　of　Fate。　　Neither　brandy；　nor　nectar；　nor　sulphuric　ether；

nor　hell…fire；　nor　ichor；　nor　poetry；　nor　genius；　can　get　rid　of　this

limp　band。　　For　if　we　give　it　the　high　sense　in　which　the　poets　use

it；　even　thought　itself　is　not　above　Fate：　that　too　must　act

according　to　eternal　laws；　and　all　that　is　wilful　and　fantastic　in　it