lecture09-第3章

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and　from　which　he　works；　call　it　THE　HABITUAL　CENTRE　OF　HIS



PERSONAL　ENERGY。　　It　makes　a　great　difference　to　a　man　whether



one　set　of　his　ideas；　or　another；　be　the　centre　of　his　energy；



and　it　makes　a　great　difference；　as　regards　any　set　of　ideas



which　he　may　possess；　whether　they　become　central　or　remain



peripheral　in　him。　　To　say　that　a　man　is　〃converted〃　means；　in



these　terms；　that　religious　ideas；　previously　peripheral　in　his



consciousness；　now　take　a　central　place；　and　that　religious　aims



form　the　habitual　centre　of　his　energy。







Now　if　you　ask　of　psychology　just　HOW　the　excitement　shifts　in　a



man's　mental　system；　and　WHY　aims　that　were　peripheral　become　at



a　certain　moment　central；　psychology　has　to　reply　that　although



she　can　give　a　general　description　of　what　happens；　she　is　unable



in　a　given　case　to　account　accurately　for　all　the　single　forces



at　work。　　Neither　an　outside　observer　nor　the　Subject　who



undergoes　the　process　can　explain　fully　how　particular



experiences　are　able　to　change　one's　centre　of　energy　so



decisively；　or　why　they　so　often　have　to　bide　their　hour　to　do



so。　　We　have　a　thought；　or　we　perform　an　act；　repeatedly；　but　on



a　certain　day　the　real　meaning　of　the　thought　peals　through　us



for　the　first　time；　or　the　act　has　suddenly　turned　into　a　moral



impossibility。　　All　we　know　is　that　there　are　dead　feelings；　dead



ideas；　and　cold　beliefs；　and　there　are　hot　and　live　ones；　and



when　one　grows　hot　and　alive　within　us；　everything　has　to



re…crystallize　about　it。　　We　may　say　that　the　heat　and　liveliness



mean　only　the　〃motor　efficacy；〃　long　deferred　but　now　operative；



of　the　idea；　but　such　talk　itself　is　only　circumlocution；　for



whence　the　sudden　motor　efficacy？　　And　our　explanations　then　get



so　vague　and　general　that　one　realizes　all　the　more　the　intense



individuality　of　the　whole　phenomenon。







In　the　end　we　fall　back　on　the　hackneyed　symbolism　of　a



mechanical　equilibrium。　　A　mind　is　a　system　of　ideas；　each　with



the　excitement　it　arouses；　and　with　tendencies　impulsive　and



inhibitive；　which　mutually　check　or　reinforce　one　another。　　The



collection　of　ideas　alters　by　subtraction　or　by　addition　in　the



course　of　experience；　and　the　tendencies　alter　as　the　organism



gets　more　aged。　　A　mental　system　may　be　undermined　or　weakened　by



this　interstitial　alteration　just　as　a　building　is；　and　yet　for　a



time　keep　upright　by　dead　habit。　　But　a　new　perception；　a　sudden



emotional　shock；　or　an　occasion　which　lays　bare　the　organic



alteration；　will　make　the　whole　fabric　fall　together；　and　then



the　centre　of　gravity　sinks　into　an　attitude　more　stable；　for　the



new　ideas　that　reach　the　centre　in　the　rearrangement　seem　now　to



be　locked　there；　and　the　new　structure　remains　permanent。







Formed　associations　of　ideas　and　habits　are　usually　factors　of



retardation　in　such　changes　of　equilibrium。　　New　information；



however　acquired；　plays　an　accelerating　part　in　the　changes；　and



the　slow　mutation　of　our　instincts　and　propensities；　under　the



〃unimaginable　touch　of　time〃　has　an　enormous　influence。　



Moreover；　all　these　influences　may　work　subconsciously　or　half



unconsciously。＇99＇　And　when　you　get　a　Subject　in　whom　the



subconscious　lifeof　which　I　must　speak　more　fully　soonis



largely　developed；　and　in　whom　motives　habitually　ripen　in



silence；　you　get　a　case　of　which　you　can　never　give　a　full



account；　and　in　which；　both　to　the　Subject　and　the　onlookers；



there　may　appear　an　element　of　marvel。　　Emotional　occasions；



especially　violent　ones；　are　extremely　potent　in　precipitating



mental　rearrangements。　　The　sudden　and　explosive　ways　in　which



love；　jealousy；　guilt；　fear；　remorse；　or　anger　can　seize　upon　one



are　known　to　everybody。＇100＇　　Hope；　happiness；　security；　resolve；



emotions　characteristic　of　conversion；　can　be　equally　explosive。　



And　emotions　that　come　in　this　explosive　way　seldom　leave　things



as　they　found　them。







＇99＇　Jouffroy　is　an　example：　　〃Down　this　slope　it　was　that　my



intelligence　had　glided；　and　little　by　little　it　had　got　far　from



its　first　faith。　　But　this　melancholy　revolution　had　not　taken



place　in　the　broad　daylight　of　my　consciousness；　too　many



scruples；　too　many　guides　and　sacred　affections　had　made　it



dreadful　to　me；　so　that　I　was　far　from　avowing　to　myself　the



progress　it　had　made。　　It　had　gone　on　in　silence；　by　an



involuntary　elaboration　of　which　I　was　not　the　accomplice；　and



although　I　had　in　reality　long　ceased　to　be　a　Christian；　yet；　in



the　innocence　of　my　intention；　I　should　have　shuddered　to　suspect



it；　and　thought　it　calumny　had　I　been　accused　of　such　a　falling



away。〃　　Then　follows　Jouffroy's　account　of　his



counter…conversion；　quoted　above　on　p。　173。







＇100＇　One　hardly　needs　examples；　but　for　love；　see　p。　176；　note；



for　fear；　p。　161　；　for　remorse；　see　Othello　after　the　murder；



for　anger　see　Lear　after　Cordelia's　first　speech　to　him；　for



resolve；　see　p。　175　（J。　Foster　case）。　　Here　is　a　pathological



case　in　which　GUILT　was　the　feeling　that　suddenly　exploded：　　〃One



night　I　was　seized　on　entering　bed　with　a　rigor；　such　as



Swedenborg　describes　as　coming　over　him　with　a　sense　of　holiness；



but　over　me　with　a　sense　of　GUILT。　During　that　whole　night　I　lay



under　the　influence　of　the　rigor；　and　from　its　inception　I　felt



that　I　was　under　the　curse　of　God。　　I　have　never　done　one　act　of



duty　in　my　lifesins　against　God　and　man　beginning　as　far　as　my



memory　goes　backa　wildcat　in　human　shape。〃















In　his　recent　work　on　the　Psychology　of　Religion；　Professor



Starbuck　of　California　has　shown　by　a　statistical　inquiry　how



closely　parallel　in　its　manifestations　the　ordinary　〃conversion〃



which　occurs　in　young　people　brought　up　in　evangelical　circles　is



to　that　growth　into　a　larger　spiritual　life　which　is　a　normal



phase　of　adolescence　in　every　class　of　human　beings。　　The　age　is



the　same；　falling　usually　between　fourteen　and　seventeen。　　The



symptoms　are　the　same；sense　of　incompleteness　and　imperfection；



brooding；　depression；　morbid　introspection；　and　sense　of　sin；



anxiety　about　the　hereafter；　distress　over　doubts；　and　the　like。　



And　the　result　is　the　samea　happy　relief　and　objectivity；　as



the　confidence　in　self　gets　greater　through　the　adjustment　of　the



faculties　to　the　wider　outlook。　　In　spontaneous　religious



awakening；　apart　from　revivalistic　examples；　and　in　the　ordinary



storm　and　stress　and　moulting…time　of　adolescence；　we　also　may



meet　with　mystical　experiences；　astonishing　the　subjects　by　their



suddenness；　just　as　in　revivalistic　conversion。　　The　analogy；　in



fact；　is　complete；　and　Starbuck's　conclusion　as　to　these　ordinary



youthful　conversions　would　seem　to　be　the　only　sound　one：　



Conversion　is　in　its　essence　a　normal　adolescent　phenomenon；



incidental　to　the　passage　from　the　child's　small　universe　to　the



wider　intellectual　and　spiritual　life　of　maturity。







〃Theology；〃　says　Dr。　Starbuck；　〃takes　the　adolescent　tendencies



and　builds　upon　them；　it　sees　that　the　essential　thing　in



adolescent　growth　is　bringing　the　person　out　of　childhood　into



the　new　life　of　maturity　and　personal　insight。　　It　accordingly



brings　those　means　to　bear　which　will　intensify　the　normal



tendencies。　　It　shortens　up　the　period　of　duration　of　storm　and



stress。〃　　The　conversion　phenomena　of　〃conviction　of　sin〃　last；



by　this　investigator's　statistics；　about　one　fifth　as　long　as　the



periods　of　adolescent　storm　and　stress　phenomena　of　which　he　also



got　statistics；　but　they　are　very　much　more　intense。　　Bodily