some reminiscences-第25章

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distances　may　move　us　to　laughter　or　tears　（was　it　the　Walrus　or



the　Carpenter；　in　the　poem；　who　〃wept　to　see　such　quantities　of



sand〃？）；　or；　again；　to　a　properly　steeled　heart；　may　matter



nothing　at　all。







The　casual　quotation；　which　had　suggested　itself　out　of　a　poem



full　of　merit；　leads　me　to　remark　that　in　the　conception　of　a



purely　spectacular　universe；　where　inspiration　of　every　sort　has



a　rational　existence；　the　artist　of　every　kind　finds　a　natural



place；　and　amongst　them　the　poet　as　the　seer　par　excellence。



Even　the　writer　of　prose；　who　in　his　less　noble　and　more　toilsome



task　should　be　a　man　with　the　steeled　heart；　is　worthy　of　a



place；　providing　he　looks　on　with　undimmed　eyes　and　keeps



laughter　out　of　his　voice；　let　who　will　laugh　or　cry。　　Yes！　　Even



he；　the　prose　artist　of　fiction；　which　after　all　is　but　truth



often　dragged　out　of　a　well　and　clothed　in　the　painted　robe　of



imaged　phraseseven　he　has　his　place　amongst　kings；　demagogues；



priests；　charlatans；　dukes；　giraffes；　Cabinet　Ministers；　Fabians；



bricklayers；　apostles；　ants；　scientists；　Kaffirs；　soldiers；



sailors；　elephants；　lawyers；　dandies；　microbes　and　constellations



of　a　universe　whose　amazing　spectacle　is　a　moral　end　in　itself。







Here　I　perceive　（speaking　without　offence）　the　reader　assuming　a



subtle　expression；　as　if　the　cat　were　out　of　the　bag。　　I　take　the



novelist's　freedom　to　observe　the　reader's　mind　formulating　the



exclamation；　〃That's　it！　　The　fellow　talks　pro　domo。〃







Indeed　it　was　not　the　intention！　　When　I　shouldered　the　bag　I　was



not　aware　of　the　cat　inside。　　But；　after　all；　why　not？　　The　fair



courtyards　of　the　House　of　Art　are　thronged　by　many　humble



retainers。　　And　there　is　no　retainer　so　devoted　as　he　who　is



allowed　to　sit　on　the　doorstep。　　The　fellows　who　have　got　inside



are　apt　to　think　too　much　of　themselves。　　This　last　remark；　I　beg



to　state；　is　not　malicious　within　the　definition　of　the　law　of



libel。　　It's　fair　comment　on　a　matter　of　public　interest。　　But



never　mind。　　Pro　domo。　　So　be　it。　　For　his　house　tant　que　vous



voudrez。　　And　yet　in　truth　I　was　by　no　means　anxious　to　justify



my　existence。　　The　attempt　would　have　been　not　only　needless　and



absurd；　but　almost　inconceivable；　in　a　purely　spectacular



universe；　where　no　such　disagreeable　necessity　can　possibly



arise。　　It　is　sufficient　for　me　to　say　（and　I　am　saying　it　at



some　length　in　these　pages）：　　〃J'ai　vecu。〃　　I　have　existed；



obscure　amongst　the　wonders　and　terrors　of　my　time；　as　the　Abbe



Sieyes；　the　original　utterer　of　the　quoted　words；　had　managed　to



exist　through　the　violences；　the　crimes；　and　the　enthusiasms　of



the　French　Revolution。　　〃J'ai　vecu〃；　as　I　apprehend　most　of　us



manage　to　exist；　missing　all　along　the　varied　forms　of



destruction　by　a　hair's…breadth；　saving　my　body；　that's　clear；



and　perhaps　my　soul　also；　but　not　without　some　damage　here　and



there　to　the　fine　edge　of　my　conscience；　that　heirloom　of　the



ages；　of　the　race；　of　the　group；　of　the　family；　colourable　and



plastic；　fashioned　by　the　words；　the　looks；　the　acts；　and　even　by



the　silences　and　abstentions　surrounding　one's　childhood；　tinged



in　a　complete　scheme　of　delicate　shades　and　crude　colours　by　the



inherited　traditions；　beliefs；　or　prejudicesunaccountable；



despotic；　persuasive；　and　often；　in　its　texture；　romantic。







And　often　romantic！。　。　。The　matter　in　hand；　however；　is　to　keep



these　reminiscences　from　turning　into　confessions；　a　form　of



literary　activity　discredited　by　Jean　Jacques　Rousseau　on　account



of　the　extreme　thoroughness　he　brought　to　the　work　of　justifying



his　own　existence；　for　that　such　was　his　purpose　is　palpably；



even　grossly；　visible　to　an　unprejudiced　eye。　　But　then；　you　see；



the　man　was　not　a　writer　of　fiction。　　He　was　an　artless　moralist；



as　is　clearly　demonstrated　by　his　anniversaries　being　celebrated



with　marked　emphasis　by　the　heirs　of　the　French　Revolution；　which



was　not　a　political　movement　at　all；　but　a　great　outburst　of



morality。　　He　had　no　imagination；　as　the　most　casual　perusal　of



〃Emile〃　will　prove。　　He　was　no　novelist；　whose　first　virtue　is



the　exact　understanding　of　the　limits　traced　by　the　reality　of



his　time　to　the　play　of　his　invention。　　Inspiration　comes　from



the　earth；　which　has　a　past；　a　history；　a　future；　not　from　the



cold　and　immutable　heaven。　　A　writer　of　imaginative　prose　（even



more　than　any　other　sort　of　artist）　stands　confessed　in　his



works。　　His　conscience；　his　deeper　sense　of　things；　lawful　and



unlawful；　gives　him　his　attitude　before　the　world。　　Indeed；　every



one　who　puts　pen　to　paper　for　the　reading　of　strangers　（unless　a



moralist；　who；　generally　speaking；　has　no　conscience　except　the



one　he　is　at　pains　to　produce　for　the　use　of　others）　can　speak　of



nothing　else。　　It　is　M。　Anatole　France；　the　most　eloquent　and



just　of　French　prose　writers；　who　says　that　we　must　recognise　at



last　that；　〃failing　the　resolution　to　hold　our　peace；　we　can　only



talk　of　ourselves。〃







This　remark；　if　I　remember　rightly；　was　made　in　the　course　of　a



sparring　match　with　the　late　Ferdinand　Brunetiere　over　the



principles　and　rules　of　literary　criticism。　　As　was　fitting　for　a



man　to　whom　we　owe　the　memorable　saying；　〃The　good　critic　is　he



who　relates　the　adventures　of　his　soul　amongst　masterpieces；〃　M。



Anatole　France　maintained　that　there　were　no　rules　and　no



principles。　　And　that　may　be　very　true。　　Rules；　principles　and



standards　die　and　vanish　every　day。　　Perhaps　they　are　all　dead



and　vanished　by　this　time。　　These；　if　ever；　are　the　brave；　free



days　of　destroyed　landmarks；　while　the　ingenious　minds　are　busy



inventing　the　forms　of　the　new　beacons　which；　it　is　consoling　to



think；　will　be　set　up　presently　in　the　old　places。　　But　what　is



interesting　to　a　writer　is　the　possession　of　an　inward　certitude



that　literary　criticism　will　never　die；　for　man　（so　variously



defined）　is；　before　everything　else；　a　critical　animal。　　And；　as



long　as　distinguished　minds　are　ready　to　treat　it　in　the　spirit



of　high　adventure；　literary　criticism　shall　appeal　to　us　with　all



the　charm　and　wisdom　of　a　well…told　tale　of　personal　experience。







For　Englishmen　especially；　of　all　the　races　of　the　earth；　a　task；



any　task；　undertaken　in　an　adventurous　spirit　acquires　the　merit



of　romance。　　But　the　critics　as　a　rule　exhibit　but　little　of　an



adventurous　spirit。　　They　take　risks；　of　courseone　can　hardly



live　without　that。　　The　daily　bread　is　served　out　to　us　（however



sparingly）　with　a　pinch　of　salt。　　Otherwise　one　would　get　sick　of



the　diet　one　prays　for；　and　that　would　be　not　only　improper；　but



impious。　　From　impiety　of　that　or　any　other　kindsave　us！　　An



ideal　of　reserved　manner；　adhered　to　from　a　sense　of　proprieties；



from　shyness；　perhaps；　or　caution；　or　simply　from　weariness；



induces；　I　suspect；　some　writers　of　criticism　to　conceal　the



adventurous　side　of　their　calling；　and　then　the　criticism　becomes



a　mere　〃notice；〃　as　it　were　the　relation　of　a　journey　where



nothing　but　the　distances　and　the　geology　of　a　new　country　should



be　set　down；　the　glimpses　of　strange　beasts；　the　dangers　of　flood



and　field；　the　hair's…breadth　escapes；　and　the　sufferings　（oh；



the　sufferings　too！　　I　have　no　doubt　of　the　sufferings）　of　the



traveller　being　carefully　kept　out；　no　shady　spot；　no　fruitful



plant　being　ever　mentioned　either；　so　that　the　whole　performance



looks　like　a　mere　feat　of　agility　on　the　part　of　a　trained　pen



running　in　a　desert。　　A　cruel　spectaclea　most　deplorable



adventure。　　〃Life；〃　in　the　words　of