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第56章

sartor resartus-第56章

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〃First; therefore; of the Poor…Slave; who appears likewise to have been a species of Innkeeper。  I quote from the original:


POOR…SLAVE HOUSEHOLD。

〃'The furniture of this Caravansera consisted of a large iron Pot; two oaken Tables; two Benches; two Chairs; and a Potheen Noggin。  There was a Loft above (attainable by a ladder); upon which the inmates slept; and the space below was divided by a hurdle into two Apartments; the one for their cow and pig; the other for themselves and guests。  On entering the house we discovered the family; eleven in number; at dinner:  the father sitting at the top; the mother at the bottom; the children on each side; of a large oaken Board; which was scooped out in the middle; like a trough; to receive the contents of their Pot of Potatoes。  Little holes were cut at equal distances to contain Salt; and a bowl of Milk stood on the table:  all the luxuries of meat and beer; bread; knives and dishes were dispensed with。' The Poor…Slave himself our Traveller found; as he says; broad…backed; black…browed; of great personal strength; and mouth from ear to ear。  His Wife was a sun…browned but well…featured woman; and his young ones; bare and chubby; had the appetite of ravens。  Of their Philosophical or Religious tenets or observances; no notice or hint。

〃But now; secondly; of the Dandiacal Household; in which; truly; that often…mentioned Mystagogue and inspired Penman himself has his abode:


DANDIACAL HOUSEHOLD。

〃'A Dressing…room splendidly furnished; violet…colored curtains; chairs and ottomans of the same hue。  Two full…length Mirrors are placed; one on each side of a table; which supports the luxuries of the Toilet。  Several Bottles of Perfumes; arranged in a peculiar fashion; stand upon a smaller table of mother…of…pearl:  opposite to these are placed the appurtenances of Lavation richly wrought in frosted silver。  A Wardrobe of Buhl is on the left; the doors of which; being partly open; discover a profusion of Clothes; Shoes of a singularly small size monopolize the lower shelves。 Fronting the wardrobe a door ajar gives some slight glimpse of a Bath…room。 Folding…doors in the background。Enter the Author;' our Theogonist in person; 'obsequiously preceded by a French Valet; in white silk Jacket and cambric Apron。'

〃Such are the two Sects which; at this moment; divide the more unsettled portion of the British People; and agitate that ever…vexed country。  To the eye of the political Seer; their mutual relation; pregnant with the elements of discord and hostility; is far from consoling。  These two principles of Dandiacal Self…worship or Demon…worship; and Poor…Slavish or Drudgical Earth…worship; or whatever that same Drudgism may be; do as yet indeed manifest themselves under distant and nowise considerable shapes: nevertheless; in their roots and subterranean ramifications; they extend through the entire structure of Society; and work unweariedly in the secret depths of English national Existence; striving to separate and isolate it into two contradictory; uncommunicating masses。

〃In numbers; and even individual strength; the Poor…Slaves or Drudges; it would seem; are hourly increasing。  The Dandiacal; again; is by nature no proselytizing Sect; but it boasts of great hereditary resources; and is strong by union; whereas the Drudges; split into parties; have as yet no rallying…point; or at best only co…operate by means of partial secret affiliations。  If; indeed; there were to arise a _Communion of Drudges_; as there is already a Communion of Saints; what strangest effects would follow therefrom!  Dandyism as yet affects to look down on Drudgism:  but perhaps the hour of trial; when it will be practically seen which ought to look down; and which up; is not so distant。

〃To me it seems probable that the two Sects will one day part England between them; each recruiting itself from the intermediate ranks; till there be none left to enlist on either side。  Those Dandiacal Manicheans; with the host of Dandyizing Christians; will form one body:  the Drudges; gathering round them whosoever is Drudgical; be he Christian or Infidel Pagan; sweeping up likewise all manner of Utilitarians; Radicals; refractory Pot…wallopers; and so forth; into their general mass; will form another。  I could liken Dandyism and Drudgism to two bottomless boiling Whirlpools that had broken out on opposite quarters of the firm land:  as yet they appear only disquieted; foolishly bubbling wells; which man's art might cover in; yet mark them; their diameter is daily widening:  they are hollow Cones that boil up from the infinite Deep; over which your firm land is but a thin crust or rind!  Thus daily is the intermediate land crumbling in; daily the empire of the two Buchan…Bullers extending; till now there is but a foot…plank; a mere film of Land between them; this too is washed away:  and thenwe have the true Hell of Waters; and Noah's Deluge is out…deluged!

〃Or better; I might call them two boundless; and indeed unexampled Electric Machines (turned by the 'Machinery of Society'); with batteries of opposite quality; Drudgism the Negative; Dandyism the Positive; one attracts hourly towards it and appropriates all the Positive Electricity of the nation (namely; the Money thereof); the other is equally busy with the Negative (that is to say the Hunger); which is equally potent。  Hitherto you see only partial transient sparkles and sputters:  but wait a little; till the entire nation is in an electric state:  till your whole vital Electricity; no longer healthfully Neutral; is cut into two isolated portions of Positive and Negative (of Money and of Hunger); and stands there bottled up in two World…Batteries!  The stirring of a child's finger brings the two together; and thenWhat then?  The Earth is but shivered into impalpable smoke by that Doom's thunder…peal; the Sun misses one of his Planets in Space; and thenceforth there are no eclipses of the Moon。Or better still; I might liken〃

Oh; enough; enough of likenings and similitudes; in excess of which; truly; it is hard to say whether Teufelsdrockh or ourselves sin the more。

We have often blamed him for a habit of wire…drawing and over…refining; from of old we have been familiar with his tendency to Mysticism and Religiosity; whereby in everything he was still scenting out Religion:  but never perhaps did these amaurosis…suffusions so cloud and distort his otherwise most piercing vision; as in this of the _Dandiacal Body_!  Or was there something of intended satire; is the Professor and Seer not quite the blinkard he affects to be?  Of an ordinary mortal we should have decisively answered in the affirmative; but with a Teufelsdrockh there ever hovers some shade of doubt。  In the mean while; if satire were actually intended; the case is little better。  There are not wanting men who will answer: Does your Professor take us for simpletons?  His irony has overshot itself; we see through it; and perhaps through him。


CHAPTER XI。 TAILORS。

Thus; however; has our first Practical Inference from the Clothes…Philosophy; that which respects Dandies; been sufficiently drawn; and we come now to the second; concerning Tailors。  On this latter our opinion happily quite coincides with that of Teufelsdrockh himself; as expressed in the concluding page of his Volume; to whom; therefore; we willingly give place。  Let him speak his own last words; in his own way:


〃Upwards of a century;〃 says he; 〃must elapse; and still the bleeding fight of Freedom be fought; whoso is noblest perishing in the van; and thrones be hurled on altars like Pelion on Ossa; and the Moloch of Iniquity have his victims; and the Michael of Justice his martyrs; before Tailors can be admitted to their true prerogatives of manhood; and this last wound of suffering Humanity be closed。

〃If aught in the history of the world's blindness could surprise us; here might we indeed pause and wonder。  An idea has gone abroad; and fixed itself down into a wide…spreading rooted error; that Tailors are a distinct species in Physiology; not Men; but fractional Parts of a Man。  Call any one a _Schneider_ (Cutter; Tailor); is it not; in our dislocated; hoodwinked; and indeed delirious condition of Society; equivalen

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