lectures14+15-第12章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！





potential　warriors；　so　the　most　insignificant　individual；　when



thrown　into　an　army　in　the　field；　is　weaned　from　whatever　excess



of　tenderness　toward　his　precious　person　he　may　bring　with　him；



and　may　easily　develop　into　a　monster　of　insensibility。















But　when　we　compare　the　military　type　of　self…severity　with　that



of　the　ascetic　saint；　we　find　a　world…wide　difference　in　all



their　spiritual　concomitants。







〃'Live　and　let　live；'〃　writes　a　clear…headed　Austrian　officer；



〃is　no　device　for　an　army。　　Contempt　for　one's　own　comrades；　for



the　troops　of　the　enemy；　and；　above　all；　fierce　contempt　for



one's　own　person；　are　what　war　demands　of　every　one。　　Far　better



is　it　for　an　army　to　be　too　savage；　too　cruel；　too　barbarous；



than　to　possess　too　much　sentimentality　and　human　reasonableness。







If　the　soldier　is　to　be　good　for　anything　as　a　soldier；　he　must



be　exactly　the　opposite　of　a　reasoning　and　thinking　man。　　The



measure　of　goodness　in　him　is　his　possible　use　in　war。　　War；　and



even　peace；　require　of　the　soldier　absolutely　peculiar　standards



of　morality。　　The　recruit　brings　with　him　common　moral　notions；



of　which　he　must　seek　immediately　to　get　rid。　　For　him　victory；



success；　must　be　EVERYTHING。　　The　most　barbaric　tendencies　in　men



come　to　life　again　in　war；　and　for　war's　uses　they　are



incommensurably　good。〃＇221＇







＇221＇　C。　V。　B。　K。：　　Friedens…und　Kriegs…moral　der　Heere。　　Quoted



by　Hamon：　　Psychologie　du　Militaire　professional；　1895；　p。　xli。















These　words　are　of　course　literally　true。　　The　immediate　aim　of



the　soldier's　life　is；　as　Moltke　said；　destruction；　and　nothing



but　destruction；　and　whatever　constructions　wars　result　in　are



remote　and　non…military。　　Consequently　the　soldier　cannot



train　himself　to　be　too　feelingless　to　all　those　usual　sympathies



and　respects；　whether　for　persons　or　for　things；　that　make　for



conservation。　　Yet　the　fact　remains　that　war　is　a　school　of



strenuous　life　and　heroism；　and；　being　in　the　line　of　aboriginal



instinct；　is　the　only　school　that　as　yet　is　universally



available。　　But　when　we　gravely　ask　ourselves　whether　this



wholesale　organization　of　irrationality　and　crime　be　our　only



bulwark　against　effeminacy；　we　stand　aghast　at　the　thought；　and



think　more　kindly　of　ascetic　religion。　　One　hears　of　the



mechanical　equivalent　of　heat。　　What　we　now　need　to　discover　in



the　social　realm　is　the　moral　equivalent　of　war：　　something



heroic　that　will　speak　to　men　as　universally　as　war　does；　and　yet



will　be　as　compatible　with　their　spiritual　selves　as　war　has



proved　itself　to　be　incompatible。　　I　have　often　thought　that　in



the　old　monkish　poverty…worship；　in　spite　of　the　pedantry　which



infested　it；　there　might　be　something　like　that　moral　equivalent



of　war　which　we　are　seeking。　　May　not　voluntarily　accepted



poverty　be　〃the　strenuous　life；〃　without　the　need　of　crushing



weaker　peoples？







Poverty　indeed　IS　the　strenuous　lifewithout　brass　bands　or



uniforms　or　hysteric　popular　applause　or　lies　or　circumlocutions；



and　when　one　sees　the　way　in　which　wealth…　getting　enters　as　an



ideal　into　the　very　bone　and　marrow　of　our　generation；　one



wonders　whether　a　revival　of　the　belief　that　poverty　is　a　worthy



religious　vocation　may　not　be　〃the　transformation　of　military



courage；〃　and　the　spiritual　reform　which　our　time　stands　most　in



need　of。







Among　us　English…speaking　peoples　especially　do　the　praises　of



poverty　need　once　more　to　be　boldly　sung。　　We　have　grown



literally　afraid　to　be　poor。　　We　despise　any　one　who　elects　to　be



poor　in　order　to　simplify　and　save　his　inner　life。　　If　he　does



not　join　the　general　scramble　and　pant　with　the　money…making



street；　we　deem　him　spiritless　and　lacking　in　ambition。　　We　have



lost　the　power　even　of　imagining　what　the　ancient　idealization　of



poverty　could　have　meant：　　the　liberation　from　material



attachments；　the　unbribed　soul；　the　manlier　indifference；　the



paying　our　way　by　what　we　are　or　do　and　not　by　what　we　have；　the



right　to　fling　away　our　life　at　any　moment　irresponsiblythe



more　athletic　trim；　in　short；　the　moral　fighting　shape。　　When　we



of　the　so…called　better　classes　are　scared　as　men　were　never



scared　in　history　at　material　ugliness　and　hardship；　when　we　put



off　marriage　until　our　house　can　be　artistic；　and　quake　at　the



thought　of　having　a　child　without　a　bank…account　and　doomed　to



manual　labor；　it　is　time　for　thinking　men　to　protest　against　so



unmanly　and　irreligious　a　state　of　opinion。







It　is　true　that　so　far　as　wealth　gives　time　for　ideal　ends　and



exercise　to　ideal　energies；　wealth　is　better　than　poverty　and



ought　to　be　chosen。　　But　wealth　does　this　in　only　a　portion　of



the　actual　cases。　　Elsewhere　the　desire　to　gain　wealth　and　the



fear　to　lose　it　are　our　chief　breeders　of　cowardice　and



propagators　of　corruption。　　There　are　thousands　of　conjunctures



in　which　a　wealth…bound　man　must　be　a　slave；　whilst　a　man　for



whom　poverty　has　no　terrors　becomes　a　freeman。　　Think　of　the



strength　which　personal　indifference　to　poverty　would　give　us　if



we　were　devoted　to　unpopular　causes。　　We　need　no　longer　hold　our



tongues　or　fear　to　vote　the　revolutionary　or　reformatory　ticket。　



Our　stocks　might　fall；　our　hopes　of　promotion　vanish；　our



salaries　stop；　our　club　doors　close　in　our　faces；　yet；　while　we



lived；　we　would　imperturbably　bear　witness　to　the　spirit；　and　our



example　would　help　to　set　free　our　generation。　　The　cause　would



need　its　funds；　but　we　its　servants　would　be　potent　in　proportion



as　we　personally　were　contented　with　our　poverty。







I　recommend　this　matter　to　your　serious　pondering；　for　it　is



certain　that　the　prevalent　fear　of　poverty　among　the　educated



classes　is　the　worst　moral　disease　from　which　our　civilization



suffers。







I　have　now　said　all　that　I　can　usefully　say　about　the　several



fruits　of　religion　as　they　are　manifested　in　saintly　lives；　so　I



will　make　a　brief　review　and　pass　to　my　more　general　conclusions。







Our　question；　you　will　remember；　is　as　to　whether　religion　stands



approved　by　its　fruits；　as　these　are　exhibited　in　the　saintly



type　of　character。　　Single　attributes　of　saintliness　may；　it　is



true；　be　temperamental　endowments；　found　in　non…religious



individuals。　　But　the　whole　group　of　them　forms　a　combination



which；　as　such；　is　religious；　for　it　seems　to　flow　from　the　sense



of　the　divine　as　from　its　psychological　centre。　　Whoever



possesses　strongly　this　sense　comes　naturally　to　think　that　the



smallest　details　of　this　world　derive　infinite　significance　from



their　relation　to　an　unseen　divine　order。　　The　thought　of　this



order　yields　him　a　superior　denomination　of　happiness；　and　a



steadfastness　of　soul　with　which　no　other　can　compare。　　In　social



relations　his　serviceability　is　exemplary；　he　abounds　in　impulses



to　help。　His　help　is　inward　as　well　as　outward；　for　his　sympathy



reaches　souls　as　well　as　bodies；　and　kindles　unsuspected



faculties　therein。　　Instead　of　placing　happiness　where　common　men



place　it；　in　comfort；　he　places　it　in　a　higher　kind　of　inner



excitement；　which　converts　discomforts　into　sources　of　cheer　and



annuls　unhappiness。　　So　he　turns　his　back　upon　no　duty；　however



thankless；　and　when　we　are　in　need　of　assistance；　we　can　count



upon　the　saint　lending　his　hand　with　more　certainty　than　we　can



count　upon　any　other　person。　　Finally；　his　humble…mindedness　and



his　ascetic　tendencies　save　him　from　the　petty　personal



pretensions　which　so　obstruct　our　ordinary　soc