sartor resartus-第22章

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er　may　imagine。

So　much　we　can　see；　darkly；　as　through　the　foliage　of　some　wavering　thicket：　　a　youth　of　no　common　endowment；　who　has　passed　happily　through　Childhood；　less　happily　yet　still　vigorously　through　Boyhood；　now　at　length　perfect　in　〃dead　vocables；〃　and　set　down；　as　he　hopes；　by　the　living　Fountain；　there　to　superadd　Ideas　and　Capabilities。　　From　such　Fountain　he　draws；　diligently；　thirstily；　yet　never　or　seldom　with　his　whole　heart；　for　the　water　nowise　suits　his　palate；　discouragements；　entanglements；　aberrations　are　discoverable　or　supposable。　　Nor　perhaps　are　even　pecuniary　distresses　wanting；　for　〃the　good　Gretchen；　who　in　spite　of　advices　from　not　disinterested　relatives　has　sent　him　hither；　must　after　a　time　withdraw　her　willing　but　too　feeble　hand。〃　　Nevertheless　in　an　atmosphere　of　Poverty　and　manifold　Chagrin；　the　Humor　of　that　young　Soul；　what　character　is　in　him；　first　decisively　reveals　itself；　and；　like　strong　sunshine　in　weeping　skies；　gives　out　variety　of　colors；　some　of　which　are　prismatic。　　Thus；　with　the　aid　of　Time　and　of　what　Time　brings；　has　the　stripling　Diogenes　Teufelsdrockh　waxed　into　manly　stature；　and　into　so　questionable　an　aspect；　that　we　ask　with　new　eagerness；　How　he　specially　came　by　it；　and　regret　anew　that　there　is　no　more　explicit　answer。　　Certain　of　the　intelligible　and　partially　significant　fragments；　which　are　few　in　number；　shall　be　extracted　from　that　Limbo　of　a　Paper…bag；　and　presented　with　the　usual　preparation。

As　if；　in　the　Bag　_Scorpio_；　Teufelsdrockh　had　not　already　expectorated　his　antipedagogic　spleen；　as　if；　from　the　name　_Sagittarius_；　he　had　thought　himself　called　upon　to　shoot　arrows；　we　here　again　fall　in　with　such　matter　as　this：　　〃The　University　where　I　was　educated　still　stands　vivid　enough　in　my　remembrance；　and　I　know　its　name　well；　which　name；　however；　I；　from　tenderness　to　existing　interests　and　persons；　shall　in　nowise　divulge。　　It　is　my　painful　duty　to　say　that；　out　of　England　and　Spain；　ours　was　the　worst　of　all　hitherto　discovered　Universities。　　This　is　indeed　a　time　when　right　Education　is；　as　nearly　as　may　be；　impossible：　　however；　in　degrees　of　wrongness　there　is　no　limit：　　nay；　I　can　conceive　a　worse　system　than　that　of　the　Nameless　itself；　as　poisoned　victual　may　be　worse　than　absolute　hunger。

〃It　is　written；　When　the　blind　lead　the　blind；　both　shall　fall　into　the　ditch：　　wherefore；　in　such　circumstances；　may　it　not　sometimes　be　safer；　if　both　leader　and　led　simplysit　still？　　Had　you；　anywhere　in　Crim　Tartary；　walled　in　a　square　enclosure；　furnished　it　with　a　small；　ill…chosen　Library；　and　then　turned　loose　into　it　eleven　hundred　Christian　striplings；　to　tumble　about　as　they　listed；　from　three　to　seven　years：　　certain　persons；　under　the　title　of　Professors；　being　stationed　at　the　gates；　to　declare　aloud　that　it　was　a　University；　and　exact　considerable　admission…fees；you　had；　not　indeed　in　mechanical　structure；　yet　in　spirit　and　result；　some　imperfect　resemblance　of　our　High　Seminary。　　I　say；　imperfect；　for　if　our　mechanical　structure　was　quite　other；　so　neither　was　our　result　altogether　the　same：　　unhappily；　we　were　not　in　Crim　Tartary；　but　in　a　corrupt　European　city；　full　of　smoke　and　sin；　moreover；　in　the　middle　of　a　Public；　which；　without　far　costlier　apparatus　than　that　of　the　Square　Enclosure；　and　Declaration　aloud；　you　could　not　be　sure　of　gulling。

〃Gullible；　however；　by　fit　apparatus；　all　Publics　are；　and　gulled；　with　the　most　surprising　profit。　　Towards　anything　like　a　_Statistics　of　Imposture_；　indeed；　little　as　yet　has　been　done：　　with　a　strange　indifference；　our　Economists；　nigh　buried　under　Tables　for　minor　Branches　of　Industry；　have　altogether　overlooked　the　grand　all…overtopping　Hypocrisy　Branch；　as　if　our　whole　arts　of　Puffery；　of　Quackery；　Priestcraft；　Kingcraft；　and　the　innumerable　other　crafts　and　mysteries　of　that　genus；　had　not　ranked　in　Productive　Industry　at　all！　　Can　any　one；　for　example；　so　much　as　say；　What　moneys；　in　Literature　and　Shoeblacking；　are　realized　by　actual　Instruction　and　actual　jet　Polish；　what　by　fictitious…persuasive　Proclamation　of　such；　specifying；　in　distinct　items；　the　distributions；　circulations；　disbursements；　incomings　of　said　moneys；　with　the　smallest　approach　to　accuracy？　　But　to　ask；　How　far；　in　all　the　several　infinitely　complected　departments　of　social　business；　in　government；　education；　in　manual；　commercial；　intellectual　fabrication　of　every　sort；　man's　Want　is　supplied　by　true　Ware；　how　far　by　the　mere　Appearance　of　true　Ware：in　other　words；　To　what　extent；　by　what　methods；　with　what　effects；　in　various　times　and　countries；　Deception　takes　the　place　of　wages　of　Performance：　　here　truly　is　an　Inquiry　big　with　results　for　the　future　time；　but　to　which　hitherto　only　the　vaguest　answer　can　be　given。　　If　for　the　present；　in　our　Europe；　we　estimate　the　ratio　of　Ware　to　Appearance　of　Ware　so　high　even　as　at　One　to　a　Hundred　（which；　considering　the　Wages　of　a　Pope；　Russian　Autocrat；　or　English　Game…Preserver；　is　probably　not　far　from　the　mark）；what　almost　prodigious　saving　may　there　not　be　anticipated；　as　the　_Statistics　of　Imposture_　advances；　and　so　the　manufacturing　of　Shams　（that　of　Realities　rising　into　clearer　and　clearer　distinction　therefrom）　gradually　declines；　and　at　length　becomes　all　but　wholly　unnecessary！

〃This　for　the　coming　golden　ages。　　What　I　had　to　remark；　for　the　present　brazen　one；　is；　that　in　several　provinces；　as　in　Education；　Polity；　Religion；　where　so　much　is　wanted　and　indispensable；　and　so　little　can　as　yet　be　furnished；　probably　Imposture　is　of　sanative；　anodyne　nature；　and　man's　Gullibility　not　his　worst　blessing。　　Suppose　your　sinews　of　war　quite　broken；　I　mean　your　military　chest　insolvent；　forage　all　but　exhausted；　and　that　the　whole　army　is　about　to　mutiny；　disband；　and　cut　your　and　each　other's　throat；then　were　it　not　well　could　you；　as　if　by　miracle；　pay　them　in　any　sort　of　fairy…money；　feed　them　on　coagulated　water；　or　mere　imagination　of　meat；　whereby；　till　the　real　supply　came　up；　they　might　be　kept　together　and　quiet？　　Such　perhaps　was　the　aim　of　Nature；　who　does　nothing　without　aim；　in　furnishing　her　favorite；　Man；　with　this　his　so　omnipotent　or　rather　omnipatient　Talent　of　being　Gulled。

〃How　beautifully　it　works；　with　a　little　mechanism；　nay；　almost　makes　mechanism　for　itself！　　These　Professors　in　the　Nameless　lived　with　ease；　with　safety；　by　a　mere　Reputation；　constructed　in　past　times；　and　then　too　with　no　great　effort；　by　quite　another　class　of　persons。　　Which　Reputation；　like　a　strong　brisk…going　undershot　wheel；　sunk　into　the　general　current；　bade　fair；　with　only　a　little　annual　re…painting　on　their　part；　to　hold　long　together；　and　of　its　own　accord　assiduously　grind　for　them。　　Happy　that　it　was　so；　for　the　Millers！　　They　themselves　needed　not　to　work；　their　attempts　at　working；　at　what　they　called　Educating；　now　when　I　look　back　on　it；　fill　me　with　a　certain　mute　admiration。

〃Besides　all　this；　we　boasted　ourselves　a　Rational　University；　in　the　highest　degree　hostile　to　Mysticism；　thus　was　the　young　vacant　mind　furnished　with　much　talk　about　Progress　of　the　Species；　Dark　Ages；　Prejudice；　and　the　like；　so　that　all　were　quickly　enough　blown　out　into　a　state　of　windy　argumentativeness；　whereby　the　better　sort　had　soon　to　end　in　sick；　impotent　Scepticism；　the　worser　sort　explode　（_erepiren_）　in　finished　Self…conceit；　and　to　all　spiritual　intents　become　dead。But　this　too　is　portion　of　mankind's　lot。　　If　our　era　is　the　Era　of　Unbelief；　why　murmur　under　it；　is　there　not　a　better　coming；　nay　come？　　As　in　long…drawn　systole　and　long…drawn　diastole；　must　the　period　of　Faith　alternate　with　the　period　of　Denial；　must　the　vernal　growth；　the　summer　luxuriance　of　all　Opinions；　Spiritual　Representations　and　Creations；　be　followed　by；　and　again　follow；　the　autumnal　decay；　the　winter　dissolution。　　For　man　lives　in　Time；　has　his　whole　earthly　being；　endeavor　and　destiny　shaped　for　him　by　Time：　　only　in　the　transitory　Time…Symbol　is　the　ever…motionless　Eternity　we　stand　on　made　manifest。　And　yet；　in　such　winter…seasons　of　Denial；　it　is　for　the　nobler…minded　perhaps　a　comparative　misery　to　have　been　born；　and　to　be　awake　and　work；　and　for　the　duller　a　felicity；　i