essays on life, art and science-第24章

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was　equally　common。

Being　in　the　neighbourhood；　and　wishing　to　assure　myself　whether　the
sculptor　of　the　Saas…Fee　chapels　had　or　had　not　come　lower　down　the
valley；　I　examined　every　church　and　village　which　I　could　hear　of　as
containing　anything　that　might　throw　light　on　this　point。　　I　was
thus　led　to　Vispertimenen；　a　village　some　three　hours　above　either
Visp　or　Stalden。　　It　stands　very　high；　and　is　an　almost　untouched
example　of　a　medieval　village。　　The　altar…piece　of　the　main　church
is　even　more　floridly　ambitious　in　its　abundance　of　carving　and
gilding　than　the　many　other　ambitious　altar…pieces　with　which　the
Canton　Valais　abounds。　　The　Apostles　are　receiving　the　Holy　Ghost　on
the　first　storey　of　the　composition；　and　they　certainly　are
receiving　it　with　an　overjoyed　alacrity　and　hilarious　ecstasy　of
allegria　spirituale　which　it　would　not　be　easy　to　surpass。　　Above
the　village；　reaching　almost　to　the　limits　beyond　which　there　is　no
cultivation；　there　stands　a　series　of　chapels　like　those　I　have　been
describing　at　Saas…Fee；　only　much　larger　and　more　ambitious。　　They
are　twelve　in　number；　including　the　church　that　crowns　the　series。
The　figures　they　contain　are　of　wood　（so　I　was　assured；　but　I　did
not　go　inside　the　chapels）：　　they　are　life…size；　and　in　some　chapels
there　are　as　many　as　a　dozen　figures。　　I　should　think　they　belonged
to　the　later　half　of　the　last　century；　and　here；　one　would　say；
sculpture　touches　the　ground；　at　least；　it　is　not　easy　to　see　how
cheap　exaggeration　can　sink　an　art　more　deeply。　　The　only　things
that　at　all　pleased　me　were　a　smiling　donkey　and　an　ecstatic　cow　in
the　Nativity　chapel。　　Those　who　are　not　allured　by　the　prospect　of
seeing　perhaps　the　very　worst　that　can　be　done　in　its　own　line；　need
not　be　at　the　pains　of　climbing　up　to　Vispertimenen。　　Those；　on　the
other　hand；　who　may　find　this　sufficient　inducement　will　not　be
disappointed；　and　they　will　enjoy　magnificent　views　of　the　Weisshorn
and　the　mountains　near　the　Dom。

I　have　already　referred　to　the　triptych　at　Gliss。　　This　is　figured
in　Wolf's　work　on　Chamonix　and　the　Canton　Valais；　but　a　larger　and
clearer　reproduction　of　such　an　extraordinary　work　is　greatly　to　be
desired。　　The　small　wooden　statues　above　the　triptych；　as　also　those
above　its　modern　companion　in　the　south　transept；　are　not　less
admirable　than　the　triptych　itself。　　I　know　of　no　other　like　work　in
wood；　and　have　no　clue　whatever　as　to　who　the　author　can　have　been
beyond　the　fact　that　the　work　is　purely　German　and　eminently
Holbeinesque　in　character。

I　was　told　of　some　chapels　at　Rarogne；　five　or　six　miles　lower　down
the　valley　than　Visp。　　I　examined　them；　and　found　they　had　been
stripped　of　their　figures。　　The　few　that　remained　satisfied　me　that
we　have　had　no　loss。　　Above　Brieg　there　are　two　other　like　series　of
chapels。　　I　examined　the　higher　and　more　promising　of　the　two；　but
found　not　one　single　figure　left。　　I　was　told　by　my　driver　that　the
other　series；　close　to　the　Pont　Napoleon　on　the　Simplon　road；　had
been　also　stripped　of　its　figures；　and；　there　being　a　heavy　storm　at
the　time；　have　taken　his　word　for　it　that　this　was　so。



THOUGHT　AND　LANGUAGE　　｛16｝



Three　well…known　writers；　Professor　Max　Muller；　Professor　Mivart；
and　Mr。　Alfred　Russel　Wallace　have　lately　maintained　that　though　the
theory　of　descent　with　modification　accounts　for　the　development　of
all　vegetable　life；　and　of　all　animals　lower　than　man；　yet　that　man
cannotnot　at　least　in　respect　of　the　whole　of　his　naturebe　held
to　have　descended　from　any　animal　lower　than　himself；　inasmuch　as
none　lower　than　man　possesses　even　the　germs　of　language。　　Reason；
it　is　contendedmore　especially　by　Professor　Max　Muller　in　his
〃Science　of　Thought；〃　to　which　I　propose　confining　our　attention
this　eveningis　so　inseparably　connected　with　language；　that　the
two　are　in　point　of　fact　identical；　hence　it　is　argued　that；　as　the
lower　animals　have　no　germs　of　language；　they　can　have　no　germs　of
reason；　and　the　inference　is　drawn　that　man　cannot　be　conceived　as
having　derived　his　own　reasoning　powers　and　command　of　language
through　descent　from　beings　in　which　no　germ　of　either　can　be　found。
The　relations　therefore　between　thought　and　language；　interesting　in
themselves；　acquire　additional　importance　from　the　fact　of　their
having　become　the　battle…ground　between　those　who　say　that　the
theory　of　descent　breaks　down　with　man；　and　those　who　maintain　that
we　are　descended　from　some　ape…like　ancestor　long　since　extinct。

The　contention　of　those　who　refuse　to　admit　man　unreservedly　into
the　scheme　of　evolution　is　comparatively　recent。　　The　great
propounders　of　evolution；　Buffon；　Erasmus　Darwin　and　Lamarcknot　to
mention　a　score　of　others　who　wrote　at　the　close　of　the　last　and
early　part　of　this　present　centuryhad　no　qualms　about　admitting
man　into　their　system。　　They　have　been　followed　in　this　respect　by
the　late　Mr。　Charles　Darwin；　and　by　the　greatly　more　influential
part　of　our　modern　biologists；　who　hold　that　whatever　loss　of
dignity　we　may　incur　through　being　proved　to　be　of　humble　origin；　is
compensated　by　the　credit　we　may　claim　for　having　advanced　ourselves
to　such　a　high　pitch　of　civilisation；　this　bids　us　expect　still
further　progress；　and　glorifies　our　descendants　more　than　it　abases
our　ancestors。　　But　to　whichever　view　we　may　incline　on　sentimental
grounds　the　fact　remains　that；　while　Charles　Darwin　declared
language　to　form　no　impassable　barrier　between　man　and　the　lower
animals；　Professor　Max　Muller　calls　it　the　Rubicon　which　no　brute
dare　cross；　and　deduces　hence　the　conclusion　that　man　cannot　have
descended　from　an　unknown　but　certainly　speechless　ape。

It　may　perhaps　be　expected　that　I　should　begin　a　lecture　on　the
relations　between　thought　and　language　with　some　definition　of　both
these　things；　but　thought；　as　Sir　William　Grove　said　of　motion；　is　a
phenomenon　〃so　obvious　to　simple　apprehension；　that　to　define　it
would　make　it　more　obscure。〃　｛17｝　　Definitions　are　useful　where
things　are　new　to　us；　but　they　are　superfluous　about　those　that　are
already　familiar；　and　mischievous；　so　far　as　they　are　possible　at
all；　in　respect　of　all　those　things　that　enter　so　profoundly　and
intimately　into　our　being　that　in　them　we　must　either　live　or　bear
no　life。　　To　vivisect　the　more　vital　processes　of　thought　is　to
suspend；　if　not　to　destroy　them；　for　thought　can　think　about
everything　more　healthily　and　easily　than　about　itself。　　It　is　like
its　instrument　the　brain；　which　knows　nothing　of　any　injuries
inflicted　upon　itself。　　As　regards　what　is　new　to　us；　a　definition
will　sometimes　dilute　a　difficulty；　and　help　us　to　swallow　that
which　might　choke　us　undiluted；　but　to　define　when　we　have　once　well
swallowed　is　to　unsettle；　rather　than　settle；　our　digestion。
Definitions；　again；　are　like　steps　cut　in　a　steep　slope　of　ice；　or
shells　thrown　on　to　a　greasy　pavement；　they　give　us　foothold；　and
enable　us　to　advance；　but　when　we　are　at　our　journey's　end　we　want
them　no　longer。　　Again；　they　are　useful　as　mental　fluxes；　and　as
helping　us　to　fuse　new　ideas　with　our　older　ones。　　They　present　us
with　some　tags　and　ends　of　ideas　that　we　have　already　mastered；　on
to　which　we　can　hitch　our　new　ones；　but　to　multiply　them　in　respect
of　such　a　matter　as　thought；　is　like　scratching　the　bite　of　a　gnat；
the　more　we　scratch　the　more　we　want　to　scratch；　the　more　we　define
the　more　we　shall　have　to　go　on　defining　the　words　we　have　used　in
our　definitions；　and　shall　end　by　setting　up　a　serious　mental　raw　in
the　place　of　a　small　uneasiness　that　was　after　all　quite　endurable。
We　know　too　well　what　thought　is；　to　be　able　to　know　that　we　know
it；　and　I　am　persuaded　there　is　no　one　in　this　room　but　understands
what　is　meant　by　thought　and　thinking　well　enough　for　all　the
purposes　of　this　discussion。　　Whoever　does　not　know　this　without
words　will　not　learn　it　for　all　the　words　and　definitions　that　are
laid　before　him。　　The　more；　indeed；　he　hears；　the　more　confused　he
will　become。　　I　shall；　therefore；　merely　premise　that　I　use　the　word
〃thought〃　in　the　same　sense　as　that　in　which　it　is　generally　used　by
people　who　say　that　they　think　this