the foundations of personality-第79章

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r　to　contest　the　case；　and　because　he　began　to　believe　that　the　courts　and　lawyers　were　in　league　against　him；　he　studied　law　and　was　admitted　to　the　bar。　He　had　meanwhile　married　a　rich　woman　who　was　wholly　taken　in　by　his　keen　logical　exposition　of　his　〃wrongs；〃　his　imposing　manner　of　speech　and　action；　and　perhaps　she　really　fell　in　love　with　the　able；　aggressive　and　handsome　man。　She　financed　his　law　school　studies；　for　it　was　necessary　for　him　to　give　up　most　of　his　practice　meanwhile。　As　soon　as　he　could　appear　before　the　Bar　he　did　so　in　his　own　behalf；　for　this　case　had　now　reached　the　proportions　where　it　had　spread　out　into　half　a　dozen　cases。　He　refused　to　pay　his　lawyers；　and　they　sued。　One　of　them　dropped　the　statement　that　L。　was　〃crazy；〃　and　he　brought　a　suit　against　the　lawyer。　Moreover；　he　began　to　believe；　because　of　the　adverse　judgments；　that　the　courts　were　against　him；　and　he　wrote　article　after　article　in　the　radical　journals　on　the　corruptness　of　the　courts　and　entered　a　strenuous　campaign　to　provide　for　the　public　election　and　recall　of　judges。　These　activities　brought　him　in　close　relations　with　a　group　of　unbalanced　people　operating　under　the　high…sounding　name　League　of　Freedom。　These　people；　led　by　a　man；　J。；　eagerly　welcomed　L。；　largely　because　his　wife　was　still　financing　his　ventures。　Here　comes　a　curious　fact；　and　one　prominent　in　the　history　of　man；　for　this　group；　led　by　two　unbalanced　men；　actually　engineered　a　real　reform；　for　they　brought　about　a　codification　of　the　laws　of　their　State；　a　simple　codification　that　made　it　possible　to　know　what　the　laws　on　any　matter　really　are。　This　may　be　stated：　the　average　balanced　person　is　apt　to　weigh　consequences　to　himself；　but　the　paranoid　does　not；　and　so；　when　accident　or　circumstances＇1＇　enlist　him　in　a　good　cause；　he　is　a　fighter　without　fear　and　is　enormously　valuable。　＇1＇　See　Lombroso's　〃Man　of　Genius〃　for　many　such　cases。

This　success　brought　L。's　paranoia　to　the　pinnacle　of　unreason。　He　attacked　the　courts　boldly；　openly　and　publicly　accused　the　judges　of　corruption；　said　they　were　in　conspiracy　with　the　Bar　and　the　medical　societies　to　do　him　up；　added　to　this　list　of　his　enemies　the　Irish　and　the　Catholic　Church；　because　the　prosecuting　attorney　in　one　county　and　the　judge　in　that　court　were　Irish　and　Catholic；　and　then　turned　against　his　wife　because　she　now　began　to　doubt　his　sanity。　He　brought　suits　in　every　superior　court　in　the　State；　and　at　the　time　he　was　committed　to　an　Insane　Hospital　he　had　forty　trials　on；　had　innumerable　manuscripts　of　his　contemplated　reforms；　in　which　were　included　the　doing　away　with　Insane　Hospitals；　the　examination　of　all　persons　in　the　State　for　venereal　disease　and　their　cure　by　a　new　remedy　of　his　own；　the　reform　of　the　judiciary；　etc。；　etc。　He　accused　his　wife　of　infidelity；　felt　that　he　was　being　followed　by　spies　and　police；　claimed　that　dictagraphs　were　installed　everywhere　to　spy　on　him　and　had　a　classical　delusional　state。　He　was　committed；　but　later　he　escaped　from　the　hospital　and　is　now　at　large。　The　State　officials　are　making　no　effort　to　find　him；　mainly　because　they　are　glad　to　get　rid　of　him。　While　the　cases　like　L。　are　not　common；　the　〃mildly〃　paranoid　personality　is　common。　Everywhere　one　finds　the　man　or　woman　whose　abilities　are　not　recognized；　who　is　discriminated　against；　who　finds　an　enemy　in　every　one　who　does　not　kotow　and　who　interprets　as　hostile　every　action　not　directly　conciliating　or　friendly。　In　every　group　of　people　there　is　one　whose　paranoid　temperament　must　be　reckoned　with；　who　is　distrustful；　conceited　and　disruptive。　Often　they　are　high…minded；　perhaps　devoted　to　an　ideal；　and　if　they　convince　others　of　their　wrongs　they　increase　the　social　disharmonies　by　creating　new　social　wars；　large　or　small　according　to　their　influence；　intelligence　and　other　circumstances。　The　type　of　the　trusting　need　not　be　here　illustrated　by　any　case　history。　Dickens　has　given　us　an　immortal　figure　in　the　genial；　generous　and　impulsive　Mr。　Pickwick；　and　Cervantes　satirized　knighthood　by　depicting　the　trusting；　credulous　Don　Quixote。　We　laugh　at　these　figures；　but　we　love　them；　they　preserve　for　us　the　sweetness　of　childhood　and　hurt　only　themselves　and　their　own。　Trust　in　one's　fellows　is　not　common；　because　the　world　is　organized　on　egoism　more　than　on　fellowship。　Where　fellowship　becomes　a　code；　as　in　the　relations　of　men　associated　together　for　some　great　purpose；　then　a　noble　trust　appears。　So　I　pass　over　those　whose　mood　runs　all　one　way　the　hopeful；　the　despondent；　the　pessimist　and　the　optimistto　other　types。　We　shall　then　consider　the　two　great　directions　of　interest；　introspection　and　extrospection；　and　those　whose　lives　are　characterized　by　one　or　the　other　direction。　1。　The　introspective　personality　is　no　more　of　a　unit　than　any　other　type。　Intelligence；　energy　and　a　host　of　other　matters　play　their　part　in　the　sum　total　of　the　character　here　as　elsewhere。　H。　I。　is　what　might　be　called　the　intellectual　introspective　personality。　From　the　very　earliest　days　he　became　interested　in　himself　as　a　thinker。　〃How　do　my　words　mean　anything？〃　he　asked　of　his　perplexed　father　at　the　investigative　age　of　five。　〃Where　do　my　thoughts　go　to　when　I　do　not　think　them？〃　was　the　problem　he　floored　a　learned　uncle　with　a　year　later。　This　type　of　curiosity　is　not　uncommon　in　children；　in　fact；　it　is　the　conventionality　and　laziness　of　the　elders　that　stops　children　in　their　study　of　the　fundamentals。　H。　was　not　stopped；　for　the　zeal　of　his　interest　was　heightened　as　time　went　on。　He　played　with　other　boys　but　early　found　their　conclusions　and　discussions　primitive。　He　became　an　ardent　bookworm；　reading　incessantly　or　rather　at　such　times　when　his　parents　permitted；　for　they　were　simple　folk　who　were　rather　alarmed　at　their　boy's　interests　and　zeal。　No　noticeable　difference　from　other　boys　was　noted　aside　from　precocity　in　study；　yet　even　at　the　age　of　ten　life　was　running　in　two　great　currents　for　this　boy。　The　one　current　was　the　outer　world　with　its　ever　varied　happenings；　the　other　was　the　inner　world　of　thoughts　and　moods；　deeply；　fascinatingly　interesting。　It　seemed　to　H。　I。　that　there　were　〃two　I's；　one　of　which　sat　just　over　my　head　and　looking　down　on　the　other　I；　watching　its　strivings；　its　emotions；　its　thoughts　with　a　detached　and　yet　palpitating　interest。　When　I　watched　the　other　boys　at　play　I　wondered　whether　they　too　had　this　dual　existence；　whether　they　chewed　the　cud　of　life　over　and　over　again　as　I　did。〃　Came　puberty　with　the　great　sex　passions。　The　vibrating　life　within　him　suddenly　became　tinged　with　new　interests。　One　day　at　a　party　a　vixen　of　a　girl　threw　herself　boldly　in　his　arms　and　tried　to　push　him　into　a　chair。　The　bodily　contact　and　the　swift　bodily　reaction　threw　him　into　a　panic；　for　the　passion　that　was　aroused　was　so　powerful　that　he　seemed　to　himself　stripped　of　all　thought　and　reflection　and　impelled　to　actions　against　which　he　rebelled。　For　he　was　fully　acquainted；　at　second　hand；　with　sex；　he　knew　boys　and　girls　who　had　made　excursions　into　its　most　intimate　practices　and　despised　them。　This　episode　gave　his　introspective　trends　a　new　direction。　From　now　on　sex　was　the　theme　his　fancy　embroidered。　Curiously　enough；　he　became　more　austere　than　ever；　shunned　girls　and　especially　the　heroine　of　his　adventure；　and　even　avoided　the　company　of　boys　who　spoke　habitually　and　〃vulgarly〃　of　sex。　His　mind　built　up　sex　phantasies；　sex　adventures　in　which　he　was　the　hero　and　in　which　girls　he　knew　and　those　he　imagined　were　the　heroines；　but　at　the　same　time；　standing　aloof　as　it　were；　another　part　of　him　seemed　to　watch　his　own　reactions　until　〃I　nearly　went　crazy。〃　He　became　obsessed　by　a　feeling　of　unreality　and　adopted　a　Berkleyan　philosophy　of　idealism：　nothing　seemed　to　exist　except　his　own　consciousness；　and　that　seemed　of　doubtful　existence。　He　took　long　walks　by　himself；　read　philosophy　and　science　with　avidity；　yet　turned　by　preference　to　these　dreams　of　sex　adventure；　palpitating；　alluring；　and　yet　so　unreal　to　his　critical　self。　To　others　he　was　merely　a　bit　moody　and　detached；　though　friendly　and　kind。　He　went　to　college；　and　his　interest　in　sex　became　secondary　almo