sartor resartus-第46章

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use？　　Where　each；　isolated；　regardless　of　his　neighbor；　turned　against　his　neighbor；　clutches　what　he　can　get；　and　cries　'Mine！'　and　calls　it　Peace；　because；　in　the　cut…purse　and　cut…throat　Scramble；　no　steel　knives；　but　only　a　far　cunninger　sort；　can　be　employed？　Where　Friendship；　Communion；　has　become　an　incredible　tradition；　and　your　holiest　Sacramental　Supper　is　a　smoking　Tavern　Dinner；　with　Cook　for　Evangelist？　　Where　your　Priest　has　no　tongue　but　for　plate…licking：　　and　your　high　Guides　and　Governors　cannot　guide；　but　on　all　hands　hear　it　passionately　proclaimed：　　_Laissez　faire_；　Leave　us　alone　of　_your_　guidance；　such　light　is　darker　than　darkness；　eat　you　your　wages；　and　sleep！

〃Thus；　too；〃　continues　he；　〃does　an　observant　eye　discern　everywhere　that　saddest　spectacle：　　The　Poor　perishing；　like　neglected；　foundered　Draught…Cattle；　of　Hunger　and　Overwork；　the　Rich；　still　more　wretchedly；　of　Idleness；　Satiety；　and　Overgrowth。　　The　Highest　in　rank；　at　length；　without　honor　from　the　Lowest；　scarcely；　with　a　little　mouth…honor；　as　from　tavern…waiters　who　expect　to　put　it　in　the　bill。　　Once…sacred　Symbols　fluttering　as　empty　Pageants；　whereof　men　grudge　even　the　expense；　a　World　becoming　dismantled：　　in　one　word；　the　STATE　fallen　speechless；　from　obesity　and　apoplexy；　the　STATE　shrunken　into　a　Police…Office；　straitened　to　get　its　pay！〃

We　might　ask；　are　there　many　〃observant　eyes；〃　belonging　to　practical　men　in　England　or　elsewhere；　which　have　descried　these　phenomena；　or　is　it　only　from　the　mystic　elevation　of　a　German　_Wahngasse_　that　such　wonders　are　visible？　　Teufelsdrockh　contends　that　the　aspect　of　a　〃deceased　or　expiring　Society〃　fronts　us　everywhere；　so　that　whoso　runs　may　read。　　〃What；　for　example；〃　says　he；　〃is　the　universally　arrogated　Virtue；　almost　the　sole　remaining　Catholic　Virtue；　of　these　days？　　For　some　half…century；　it　has　been　the　thing　you　name　'Independence。'　　Suspicion　of　'Servility；'　of　reverence　for　Superiors；　the　very　dog…leech　is　anxious　to　disavow。　　Fools！　Were　your　Superiors　worthy　to　govern；　and　you　worthy　to　obey；　reverence　for　them　were　even　your　only　possible　freedom。　　Independence；　in　all　kinds；　is　rebellion；　if　unjust　rebellion；　why　parade　it；　and　everywhere　prescribe　it？〃

But　what　then？　　Are　we　returning；　as　Rousseau　prayed；　to　the　state　of　Nature？　　〃The　Soul　Politic　having　departed；〃　says　Teufelsdrockh；　〃what　can　follow　but　that　the　Body　Politic　be　decently　interred；　to　avoid　putrescence？　　Liberals；　Economists；　Utilitarians　enough　I　see　marching　with　its　bier；　and　chanting　loud　paeans；　towards　the　funeral　pile；　where；　amid　wailings　from　some；　and　saturnalian　revelries　from　the　most；　the　venerable　Corpse　is　to　be　burnt。　　Or；　in　plain　words；　that　these　men；　Liberals；　Utilitarians；　or　whatsoever　they　are　called；　will　ultimately　carry　their　point；　and　dissever　and　destroy　most　existing　Institutions　of　Society；　seems　a　thing　which　has　some　time　ago　ceased　to　be　doubtful。

〃Do　we　not　see　a　little　subdivision　of　the　grand　Utilitarian　Armament　come　to　light　even　in　insulated　England？　　A　living　nucleus；　that　will　attract　and　grow；　does　at　length　appear　there　also；　and　under　curious　phasis；　properly　as　the　inconsiderable　fag…end；　and　so　far　in　the　rear　of　the　others　as　to　fancy　itself　the　van。　　Our　European　Mechanizers　are　a　sect　of　boundless　diffusion；　activity；　and　co…operative　spirit：　　has　not　Utilitarianism　flourished　in　high　places　of　Thought；　here　among　ourselves；　and　in　every　European　country；　at　some　time　or　other；　within　the　last　fifty　years？　　If　now　in　all　countries；　except　perhaps　England；　it　has　ceased　to　flourish；　or　indeed　to　exist；　among　Thinkers；　and　sunk　to　Journalists　and　the　popular　mass；who　sees　not　that；　as　hereby　it　no　longer　preaches；　so　the　reason　is；　it　now　needs　no　Preaching；　but　is　in　full　universal　Action；　the　doctrine　everywhere　known；　and　enthusiastically　laid　to　heart？　　The　fit　pabulum；　in　these　times；　for　a　certain　rugged　workshop　intellect　and　heart；　nowise　without　their　corresponding　workshop　strength　and　ferocity；　it　requires　but　to　be　stated　in　such　scenes　to　make　proselytes　enough。　Admirably　calculated　for　destroying；　only　not　for　rebuilding！　　It　spreads　like　a　sort　of　Dog…madness；　till　the　whole　World…kennel　will　be　rabid：　then　woe　to　the　Huntsmen；　with　or　without　their　whips！　　They　should　have　given　the　quadrupeds　water；〃　adds　he；　〃the　water；　namely；　of　Knowledge　and　of　Life；　while　it　was　yet　time。〃

Thus；　if　Professor　Teufelsdrockh　can　be　relied　on；　we　are　at　this　hour　in　a　most　critical　condition；　beleaguered　by　that　boundless　〃Armament　of　Mechanizers〃　and　Unbelievers；　threatening　to　strip　us　bare！　　〃The　World；〃　says　he；　〃as　it　needs　must；　is　under　a　process　of　devastation　and　waste。　which；　whether　by　silent　assiduous　corrosion；　or　open　quicker　combustion；　as　the　case　chances；　will　effectually　enough　annihilate　the　past　Forms　of　Society；　replace　them　with　what　it　may。　　For　the　present；　it　is　contemplated　that　when　man's　whole　Spiritual　Interests　are　once　_divested_；　these　innumerable　stript…off　Garments　shall　mostly　be　burnt；　but　the　sounder　Rags　among　them　be　quilted　together　into　one　huge　Irish　watch…coat　for　the　defence　of　the　Body　only！〃This；　we　think；　is　but　Job's…news　to　the　humane　reader。

〃Nevertheless；〃　cries　Teufelsdrockh；　〃who　can　hinder　it；　who　is　there　that　can　clutch　into　the　wheelspokes　of　Destiny；　and　say　to　the　Spirit　of　the　Time：　　Turn　back；　I　command　thee？Wiser　were　it　that　we　yielded　to　the　Inevitable　and　Inexorable；　and　accounted　even　this　the　best。〃

Nay；　might　not　an　attentive　Editor；　drawing　his　own　inferences　from　what　stands　written；　conjecture　that　Teufelsdrockh；　individually　had　yielded　to　this　same　〃Inevitable　and　Inexorable〃　heartily　enough；　and　now　sat　waiting　the　issue；　with　his　natural　diabolico…angelical　Indifference；　if　not　even　Placidity？　　Did　we　not　hear　him　complain　that　the　World　was　a　〃huge　Ragfair；〃　and　the　〃rags　and　tatters　of　old　Symbols〃　were　raining　down　everywhere；　like　to　drift　him　in；　and　suffocate　him？　　What　with　those　〃unhunted　Helots〃　of　his；　and　the　uneven　_sic　vos　non　vobis_　pressure　and　hard…crashing　collision　he　is　pleased　to　discern　in　existing　things；　what　with　the　so　hateful　〃empty　Masks；〃　full　of　beetles　and　spiders；　yet　glaring　out　on　him；　from　their　glass　eyes；　〃with　a　ghastly　affectation　of　life；〃we　feel　entitled　to　conclude　him　even　willing　that　much　should　be　thrown　to　the　Devil；　so　it　were　but　done　gently！　　Safe　himself　in　that　〃Pinnacle　of　Weissnichtwo；〃　he　would　consent；　with　a　tragic　solemnity；　that　the　monster　UTILITARIA；　held　back；　indeed；　and　moderated　by　nose…rings；　halters；　foot…shackles；　and　every　conceivable　modification　of　rope；　should　go　forth　to　do　her　work；to　tread　down　old　ruinous　Palaces　and　Temples　with　her　broad　hoof；　till　the　whole　were　trodden　down；　that　new　and　better　might　be　built！　　Remarkable　in　this　point　of　view　are　the　following　sentences。

〃Society；〃　says　he；　〃is　not　dead：　　that　Carcass；　which　you　call　dead　Society；　is　but　her　mortal　coil　which　she　has　shuffled　off；　to　assume　a　nobler；　she　herself；　through　perpetual　metamorphoses；　in　fairer　and　fairer　development；　has　to　live　till　Time　also　merge　in　Eternity。　　Wheresoever　two　or　three　Living　Men　are　gathered　together；　there　is　Society；　or　there　it　will　be；　with　its　cunning　mechanisms　and　stupendous　structures；　overspreading　this　little　Globe；　and　reaching　upwards　to　Heaven　and　downwards　to　Gehenna：　　for　always；　under　one　or　the　other　figure；　it　has　two　authentic　Revelations；　of　a　God　and　of　a　Devil；　the　Pulpit；　namely；　and　the　Gallows。〃

Indeed；　we　already　heard　him　speak　of　〃Religion；　in　unnoticed　nooks；　weaving　for　herself　new　Vestures；〃Teufelsdrockh　himself　being　one　of　the　loom…treadles？　　Elsewhere　he　quotes　without　censure　that　strange　aphorism　of　Saint　Simon's；　concerning　which　and　whom　so　much　were　to　be　said：　〃_L'age　d'or；　qu'une　aveugle　tradition　a　place　jusqu'ici　dans　le　passe；　est　devant　nous_；　The　golden　age；　which　a　blind　tradition　has　hitherto　placed　in　the　Past；　is　Before　us。〃But　listen　again：

〃When　the　Phoenix　is　fanning　her　funeral　pyre；　will　there　not　be　sparks　flying！　　Alas；　some　millions　of　men；　and　among　them　such　as　a　Napoleon；　have　already　been　licked　into　that　high…eddying　Fla