the critic as artist-第19章

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ttitudes　for　the　mind；　and　new　points　of　view。　　The　duty　of　imposing　form　upon　chaos　does　not　grow　less　as　the　world　advances。　There　was　never　a　time　when　Criticism　was　more　needed　than　it　is　now。　　It　is　only　by　its　means　that　Humanity　can　become　conscious　of　the　point　at　which　it　has　arrived。

Hours　ago；　Ernest；　you　asked　me　the　use　of　Criticism。　　You　might　just　as　well　have　asked　me　the　use　of　thought。　　It　is　Criticism；　as　Arnold　points　out；　that　creates　the　intellectual　atmosphere　of　the　age。　　It　is　Criticism；　as　I　hope　to　point　out　myself　some　day；　that

makes　the　mind　a　fine　instrument。　　We；　in　our　educational　system；　have　burdened　the　memory　with　a　load　of　unconnected　facts；　and　laboriously　striven　to　impart　our　laboriously…acquired　knowledge。　We　teach　people　how　to　remember；　we　never　teach　them　how　to　grow。　It　has　never　occurred　to　us　to　try　and　develop　in　the　mind　a　more　subtle　quality　of　apprehension　and　discernment。　　The　Greeks　did　this；　and　when　we　come　in　contact　with　the　Greek　critical　intellect；　we　cannot　but　be　conscious　that；　while　our　subject…　matter　is　in　every　respect　larger　and　more　varied　than　theirs；　theirs　is　the　only　method　by　which　this　subject…matter　can　be　interpreted。　　England　has　done　one　thing；　it　has　invented　and　established　Public　Opinion；　which　is　an　attempt　to　organise　the　ignorance　of　the　community；　and　to　elevate　it　to　the　dignity　of　physical　force。　　But　Wisdom　has　always　been　hidden　from　it。　Considered　as　an　instrument　of　thought；　the　English　mind　is　coarse　and　undeveloped。　　The　only　thing　that　can　purify　it　is　the　growth　of　the　critical　instinct。

It　is　Criticism；　again；　that；　by　concentration；　makes　culture　possible。　　It　takes　the　cumbersome　mass　of　creative　work；　and　distils　it　into　a　finer　essence。　　Who　that　desires　to　retain　any　sense　of　form　could　struggle　through　the　monstrous　multitudinous　books　that　the　world　has　produced；　books　in　which　thought　stammers　or　ignorance　brawls？　　The　thread　that　is　to　guide　us　across　the　wearisome　labyrinth　is　in　the　hands　of　Criticism。　　Nay　more；　where　there　is　no　record；　and　history　is　either　lost；　or　was　never　written；　Criticism　can　re…create　the　past　for　us　from　the　very　smallest　fragment　of　language　or　art；　just　as　surely　as　the　man　of　science　can　from　some　tiny　bone；　or　the　mere　impress　of　a　foot　upon　a　rock；　re…create　for　us　the　winged　dragon　or　Titan　lizard　that　once　made　the　earth　shake　beneath　its　tread；　can　call　Behemoth　out　of　his　cave；　and　make　Leviathan　swim　once　more　across　the　startled　sea。　　Prehistoric　history　belongs　to　the　philological　and　archaeological　critic。　　It　is　to　him　that　the　origins　of　things　are　revealed。　　The　self…conscious　deposits　of　an　age　are　nearly　always　misleading。　　Through　philological　criticism　alone　we　know　more　of　the　centuries　of　which　no　actual　record　has　been　preserved；　than　we　do　of　the　centuries　that　have　left　us　their　scrolls。　　It　can　do　for　us　what　can　be　done　neither　by　physics　nor　metaphysics。　　It　can　give　us　the　exact　science　of　mind　in　the　process　of　becoming。　　It　can　do　for　us　what　History　cannot　do。　　It　can　tell　us　what　man　thought　before　he　learned　how　to　write。　　You　have　asked　me　about　the　influence　of　Criticism。　　I　think　I　have　answered　that　question　already；　but　there　is　this　also　to　be　said。　　It　is　Criticism　that　makes　us　cosmopolitan。　　The　Manchester　school　tried　to　make　men　realise　the　brotherhood　of　humanity；　by　pointing　out　the　commercial　advantages　of　peace。　　It　sought　to　degrade　the　wonderful　world　into　a　common　market…place　for　the　buyer　and　the　seller。　　It　addressed　itself　to　the　lowest　instincts；　and　it　failed。　　War　followed　upon　war；　and　the　tradesman's　creed　did　not　prevent　France　and　Germany　from　clashing　together　in　blood…stained　battle。　　There　are　others　of　our　own　day　who　seek　to　appeal　to　mere　emotional　sympathies；　or　to　the　shallow　dogmas　of　some　vague　system　of　abstract　ethics。　They　have　their　Peace　Societies；　so　dear　to　the　sentimentalists；　and　their　proposals　for　unarmed　International　Arbitration；　so　popular　among　those　who　have　never　read　history。　　But　mere　emotional　sympathy　will　not　do。　　It　is　too　variable；　and　too　closely　connected　with　the　passions；　and　a　board　of　arbitrators　who；　for　the　general　welfare　of　the　race；　are　to　be　deprived　of　the　power　of　putting　their　decisions　into　execution；　will　not　be　of　much　avail。　　There　is　only　one　thing　worse　than　Injustice；　and　that　is　Justice　without　her　sword　in　her　hand。　　When　Right　is　not　Might；　it　is　Evil。

No：　　the　emotions　will　not　make　us　cosmopolitan；　any　more　than　the　greed　for　gain　could　do　so。　　It　is　only　by　the　cultivation　of　the　habit　of　intellectual　criticism　that　we　shall　be　able　to　rise　superior　to　race…prejudices。　　Goethe　…　you　will　not　misunderstand　what　I　say　…　was　a　German　of　the　Germans。　　He　loved　his　country　…　no　man　more　so。　　Its　people　were　dear　to　him；　and　he　led　them。　Yet；　when　the　iron　hoof　of　Napoleon　trampled　upon　vineyard　and　cornfield；　his　lips　were　silent。　　'How　can　one　write　songs　of　hatred　without　hating？'　he　said　to　Eckermann；　'and　how　could　I；　to　whom　culture　and　barbarism　are　alone　of　importance；　hate　a　nation　which　is　among　the　most　cultivated　of　the　earth　and　to　which　I　owe　so　great　a　part　of　my　own　cultivation？'　　This　note；　sounded　in　the　modern　world　by　Goethe　first；　will　become；　I　think；　the　starting　point　for　the　cosmopolitanism　of　the　future。　　Criticism　will　annihilate　race…prejudices；　by　insisting　upon　the　unity　of　the　human　mind　in　the　variety　of　its　forms。　　If　we　are　tempted　to　make　war　upon　another　nation；　we　shall　remember　that　we　are　seeking　to　destroy　an　element　of　our　own　culture；　and　possibly　its　most　important　element。　　As　long　as　war　is　regarded　as　wicked；　it　will　always　have　its　fascination。　　When　it　is　looked　upon　as　vulgar；　it　will　cease　to　be　popular。　　The　change　will　of　course　be　slow；　and　people　will　not　be　conscious　of　it。　　They　will　not　say　'We　will　not　war　against　France　because　her　prose　is　perfect；'　but　because　the　prose　of　France　is　perfect；　they　will　not　hate　the　land。　Intellectual　criticism　will　bind　Europe　together　in　bonds　far　closer　than　those　that　can　be　forged　by　shopman　or　sentimentalist。　It　will　give　us　the　peace　that　springs　from　understanding。

Nor　is　this　all。　　It　is　Criticism　that；　recognising　no　position　as　final；　and　refusing　to　bind　itself　by　the　shallow　shibboleths　of　any　sect　or　school；　creates　that　serene　philosophic　temper　which　loves　truth　for　its　own　sake；　and　loves　it　not　the　less　because　it　knows　it　to　be　unattainable。　　How　little　we　have　of　this　temper　in　England；　and　how　much　we　need　it！　　The　English　mind　is　always　in　a　rage。　　The　intellect　of　the　race　is　wasted　in　the　sordid　and　stupid　quarrels　of　second…rate　politicians　or　third…rate　theologians。　　It　was　reserved　for　a　man　of　science　to　show　us　the　supreme　example　of　that　'sweet　reasonableness'　of　which　Arnold　spoke　so　wisely；　and；　alas！　to　so　little　effect。　　The　author　of　the　ORIGIN　OF　SPECIES　had；　at　any　rate；　the　philosophic　temper。　　If　one　contemplates　the　ordinary　pulpits　and　platforms　of　England；　one　can　but　feel　the　contempt　of　Julian；　or　the　indifference　of　Montaigne。　　We　are　dominated　by　the　fanatic；　whose　worst　vice　is　his　sincerity。　Anything　approaching　to　the　free　play　of　the　mind　is　practically　unknown　amongst　us。　　People　cry　out　against　the　sinner；　yet　it　is　not　the　sinful；　but　the　stupid；　who　are　our　shame。　　There　is　no　sin　except　stupidity。

ERNEST。　　Ah！　what　an　antinomian　you　are！

GILBERT。　　The　artistic　critic；　like　the　mystic；　is　an　antinomian　always。　　To　be　good；　according　to　the　vulgar　standard　of　goodness；　is　obviously　quite　easy。　　It　merely　requires　a　certain　amount　of　sordid　terror；　a　certain　lack　of　imaginative　thought；　and　a　certain　low　passion　for　middle…class　respectability。　　Aesthetics　are　higher　than　ethics。　　They　belong　to　a　more　spiritual　sphere。　　To　discern　the　beauty　of　a　thing　is　the　finest　point　to　which　we　can　arrive。　Even　a　colour…sense　is　more　important；　in　the　development　of　the　individual；　than　a　sense　of　right　and　wrong。　　Aesthetics；　in　fact；　are　to　Ethics　in　the　sphere　of　conscious　civilisation；　what；　in　the　sphere　of　the　external　world；　sexual　is　to　natural　selection。　Ethics；　like　natural　selection；　make　existence　possible。　Aesthetics；