part05+-第24章

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be　judged　by　its　results　at　present；　that；　as　a　whole；　the



Mormons　are；　no　doubt；　the　most　laborious　and　decent　people　in



the　State　of　Utah；　but　that　this　is　their　heroic　period；　when



outside　pressure　keeps　them　firmly　together　and　arouses　their



devotion；　that　the　true　test　will　come　later；　when　there　is　less



pressure　and　more　knowledge；　and　when　the　young　men　who　are　now



arising　begin　to　ask　questions；　quarrel　with　each　other；　and



split　the　whole　body　into　sects　and　parties。







This　led　to　questions　in　regard　to　American　women　generally；　and



he　wished　to　know　something　of　their　condition　and　prospects。　I



explained　some　features　of　woman's　condition　among　us；　showing



its　evolution；　first　through　the　betterment　of　her　legal　status；



and　next　through　provision　for　her　advanced　education；　but　told



him　that　so　far　as　political　rights　are　concerned；　there　had　been



very　little　practical　advance　in　the　entire　East　and　South　of　the



country　during　the　last　fifty　years；　and　that　even　in　the　extreme



Western　States；　where　women　have　been　given　political　rights　and



duties　to　some　extent；　the　concessions　have　been　wavering　and



doubtful。







At　this；　he　took　up　his　parable　and　said　that　women　ought　to　have



all　other　rights　except　political；　that　they　are　unfit　to



discharge　political　duties；　that；　indeed；　one　of　the　great



difficulties　of　the　world　at　present　lies　in　their　possession　of



far　more　consideration　and　control　than　they　ought　to　have。　〃Go



into　the　streets　and　bazaars；〃　he　said；　〃and　you　will　see　the



vast　majority　of　shops　devoted　to　their　necessities。　In　France



everything　centers　in　women；　and　women　have　complete　control　of



life：　all　contemporary　French　literature　shows　this。　Woman　is　not



man's　equal　in　the　highest　qualities；　she　is　not　so



self…sacrificing　as　man。　Men　will；　at　times；　sacrifice　their



families　for　an　idea；　women　will　not。〃　On　my　demurring　to　this



latter　statement；　he　asked　me　if　I　ever　knew　a　woman　who　loved



other　people's　children　as　much　as　her　own。　I　gladly　answered　in



the　negative；　but　cited　Florence　Nightingale；　Sister　Dora；　and



others；　expressing　my　surprise　at　his　assertion　that　women　are



incapable　of　making　as　complete　sacrifices　for　any　good　cause　as



men。　I　pointed　to　the　persecutions　in　the　early　church；　when



women　showed　themselves　superior　to　men　in　suffering　torture；



degradation；　and　death　in　behalf　of　the　new　religion；　and　added



similar　instances　from　the　history　of　witchcraft。　To　this　he



answered　that　in　spite　of　all　such　history；　women　will　not　make



sacrifices　of　their　own　interest　for　a　good　cause　which　does　not



strikingly　appeal　to　their　feelings；　while　men　will　do　so；　that



he　had　known　but　two　or　three　really　self…sacrificing　women　in



his　life；　and　that　these　were　unmarried。　On　my　saying　that



observation　had　led　me　to　a　very　different　conclusion；　his



indictment　took　another　form。　He　insisted　that　woman　hangs　upon



the　past；　that　public　opinion　progresses；　but　that　women　are



prone　to　act　on　the　opinion　of　yesterday　or　of　last　year；　that



women　and　womanish　men　take　naturally　to　old　absurdities；　among



which　he　mentioned　the　doctrines　of　the　Trinity；　〃spiritism；〃　and



homeopathy。　At　this　I　expressed　a　belief　that　if；　instead　of



educating　women；　as　Bishop　Dupanloup　expressed　it；　〃in　the　lap　of



the　church　（sur　les　genoux　de　l'eglise）；〃　we　educate　them　in　the



highest　sense；　in　universities；　they　will　develop　more　and　more



intellectually；　and　so　become　a　controlling　element　in　the



formation　of　a　better　race；　that；　as　strong　men　generally　have



strong　mothers；　the　better　education　of　woman　physically；



intellectually；　and　morally　is　the　true　way　of　bettering　the　race



in　general。　In　this　idea　he　expressed　his　disbelief；　and　said



that　education　would　not　change　women；　that　women　are　illogical



by　nature。　At　this　I　cited　an　example　showing　that　women　can　be



exceedingly　logical　and　close　in　argument；　but　he　still　adhered



to　his　opinion。　On　my　mentioning　the　name　of　George　Eliot；　he



expressed　a　liking　for　her。







On　our　next　walk；　he　took　me　to　the　funeral　of　one　of　his



friends。　He　said　that　to　look　upon　the　dead　should　rather　give



pleasure　than　pain；　that　memento　mori　is　a　wise　maxim；　and



looking　upon　the　faces　of　the　dead　a　good　way　of　putting　it　in



practice。　I　asked　him　if　he　had　formed　a　theory　as　to　a　future



life；　and　he　said　in　substance　that　he　had　not；　but　that；　as　we



came　at　birth　from　beyond　the　forms　of　space　and　time；　so　at



death　we　returned　whence　we　came。　I　said；　〃You　use　the　word



'forms'　in　the　Kantian　sense？〃　〃Yes；〃　he　said；　〃space　and　time



have　no　reality。〃







We　arrived　just　too　late　at　the　house　of　mourning。　The　dead　man



had　been　taken　away；　but　many　of　those　who　had　come　to　do　him



honor　still　lingered；　and　were　evidently　enjoying　the　〃funeral



baked　meats。〃　There　were　clear　signs　of　a　carousal。　The　friends



who　came　out　to　meet　us　had；　most　of　them；　flushed　faces；　and　one



young　man　in　military　uniform；　coming　down　the　stairs；　staggered



and　seemed　likely　to　break　his　neck。







Tolstoi　refused　to　go　in；　and；　as　we　turned　away；　expressed



disgust　at　the　whole　system；　saying；　as　well　he　might；　that　it



was　utterly　barbarous。　He　seemed　despondent　over　it；　and　I　tried



to　cheer　him　by　showing　how　the　same　custom　of　drinking　strong



liquors　at　funerals　had；　only　a　few　generations　since；　prevailed



in　large　districts　of　England　and　America；　but　that　better　ideas



of　living　had　swept　it　away。







On　our　way　through　the　street；　we　passed　a　shrine　at　which　a　mob



of　peasants　were　adoring　a　sacred　picture。　He　dwelt　on　the



fetishism　involved　in　this；　and　said　that　Jesus　Christ　would　be



infinitely　surprised　and　pained　were　he　to　return　to　earth　and



see　what　men　were　worshiping　in　his　name。　He　added　a　story　of　a



converted　pagan　who；　being　asked　how　many　gods　he　worshiped；



said：　〃One；　and　I　ate　him　this　morning。〃　At　this　I　cited



Browning's　lines　put　into　the　mouth　of　the　bishop　who　wished；



from　his　tomb；







　　　　　　　　　　〃To　hear　the　blessed　mutter　of　the　mass；



　　　　　　　　　　　And　see　God　made　and　eaten　all　day　long。〃











I　reminded　him　of　his　definition　of　religion　given　me　on　one　of



our　previous　walks；　and　he　repeated　it；　declaring　religion　to　be



the　feeling　which　man　has　regarding　his　relation　to　the　universe；



including　his　fellow…men；　and　to　the　power　which　governs　all。







The　afternoon　was　closed　with　a　visit　to　a　Raskolnik；　or　Old



Believer；　and　of　all　our　experiences　this　turned　out　to　be　the



most　curious。　The　Raskolniks；　or　Old　Believers；　compose　that



wide…spread　sect　which　broke　off　from　the　main　body　of　the



Russian　Church　when　the　patriarch　of　Moscow；　Nikon；　in　the



seventeenth　century　attempted　to　remove　various　textual　errors



from　the　Bible　and　ceremonial　books。　These　books　had　been　copied



and　recopied　during　centuries　until　their　condition　had　become



monstrous。　Through　a　mistake　of　some　careless　transcriber；　even



the　name　of　Jesus　had　been　travestied　and　had　come　to　be　spelled



with　two　e's；　the　crudest　absurdities　had　been　copied　into　the



test；　important　parts　had　become　unintelligible；　and　the　time　had



evidently　arrived　for　a　revision。　Nikon　saw　this；　and　in　good



faith　summoned　scholars　from　Constantinople　to　prepare　more



correct　editions；　but　these　revised　works　met　the　fate　which



attends　such　revisions　generally。　The　great　body　of　the　people



were　attached　to　the　old　forms；　they　preferred　them；　just　as　in



these　days　the　great　body　of　English…s