latter-day pamphlets-第43章

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As　for　Protectionist　jargon；　who　in　these　earnest　days　would　occupy　many　moments　of　his　time　with　that？　　〃A　Costermonger　in　this　street；〃　says　Crabbe；　〃finding　lately　that　his　rope　of　onions；　which　he　hoped　would　have　brought　a　shilling；　was　to　go　for　only　sevenpence　henceforth；　burst　forth　into　lamentation；　execration　and　the　most　pathetic　tears。　　Throwing　up　the　window；　I　perceived　the　other　costermongers　preparing　impatiently　to　pack　this　one　out　of　their　company　as　a　disgrace　to　it；　if　he　would　not　hold　his　peace　and　take　the　market…rate　for　his　onions。　　I　looked　better　at　this　Costermonger。　　To　my　astonished　imagination；　a　star…and…garter　dawned　upon　the　dim　figure　of　the　man；　and　I　perceived　that　here　was　no　Costermonger　to　be　expelled　with　ignominy；　but　a　sublime　goddess…born　Ducal　Individual；　whom　I　forbear　to　name　at　this　moment！　　What　an　omen；nay　to　my　astonished　imagination；　there　dawned　still　fataler　omens。　　Surely；　of　all　human　trades　ever　heard　of；　the　trade　of　Owning　Land　in　England　ought　_not_　to　bully　us　for　drinkmoney　just　now！〃

〃Hansard's　Debates；〃　continues　Crabbe　farther　on；　〃present　many　inconsistencies　of　speech；　lamentable　unveracities　uttered　in　Parliament；　by　one　and　indeed　by　all；　in　which　sad　list　Sir　Robert　Peel　stands　for　his　share　among　others。　　Unveracities　not　a　few　were　spoken　in　Parliament：　　in　fact；　to　one　with　a　sense　of　what　is　called　God's　truth；　it　seemed　all　one　unveracity；　a　talking　from　the　teeth　outward；　not　as　the　convictions　but　as　the　expediencies　and　inward　astucities　directed；　and；　in　the　sense　of　God's　_truth_；　I　have　heard　no　true　word　uttered　in　Parliament　at　all。　　Most　lamentable　unveracities　continually　_spoken_　in　Parliament；　by　almost　every　one　that　had　to　open　his　mouth　there。　　But　the　largest　veracity　ever　_done_　in　Parliament　in　our　time；　as　we　all　know；　was　of　this　man's　doing；and　that；　you　will　find；　is　a　very　considerable　item　in　the　calculation！〃

Yes；　and　I　believe　England　in　her　dumb　way　remembers　that　too。　　And　〃the　Traitor　Peel〃　can　very　well　afford　to　let　innumerable　Ducal　Costermongers；　parliamentary　Adventurers；　and　lineal　representatives　of　the　Impenitent　Thief；　say　all　their　say　about　him；　and　do　all　their　do。　　With　a　virtual　England　at　his　back；　and　an　actual　eternal　sky　above　him；　there　is　not　much　in　the　total　net…amount　of　that。　　When　the　master　of　the　horse　rides　abroad；　many　dogs　in　the　village　bark；　but　he　pursues　his　journey　all　the　same。


＇May　1；　1850。＇　No。　V。　　STUMP…ORATOR。

It　lies　deep　in　our　habits；　confirmed　by　all　manner　of　educational　and　other　arrangements　for　several　centuries　back；　to　consider　human　talent　as　best　of　all　evincing　itself　by　the　faculty　of　eloquent　speech。　　Our　earliest　schoolmasters　teach　us；　as　the　one　gift　of　culture　they　have；　the　art　of　spelling　and　pronouncing；　the　rules　of　correct　speech；　rhetorics；　logics　follow；　sublime　mysteries　of　grammar；　whereby　we　may　not　only　speak　but　write。　　And　onward　to　the　last　of　our　schoolmasters　in　the　highest　university；　it　is　still　intrinsically　grammar；　under　various　figures　grammar。　　To　speak　in　various　languages；　on　various　things；　but　on　all　of　them　to　speak；　and　appropriately　deliver　ourselves　by　tongue　or　pen；this　is　the　sublime　goal　towards　which　all　manner　of　beneficent　preceptors　and　learned　professors；　from　the　lowest　hornbook　upwards；　are　continually　urging　and　guiding　us。　　Preceptor　or　professor；　looking　over　his　miraculous　seedplot；　seminary　as　he　well　calls　it；　or　crop　of　young　human　souls；　watches　with　attentive　view　one　organ　of　his　delightful　little　seedlings　growing　to　be　men；the　tongue。　　He　hopes　we　shall　all　get　to　speak　yet；　if　it　please　Heaven。　〃Some　of　you　shall　be　book…writers；　eloquent　review…writers；　and　astonish　mankind；　my　young　friends：　　others　in　white　neckcloths　shall　do　sermons　by　Blair　and　Lindley　Murray；　nay　by　Jeremy　Taylor　and　judicious　Hooker；　and　be　priests　to　guide　men　heavenward　by　skilfully　brandished　handkerchief　and　the　torch　of　rhetoric。　　For　others　there　is　Parliament　and　the　election　beer…barrel；　and　a　course　that　leads　men　very　high　indeed；　these　shall　shake　the　senate…house；　the　Morning　Newspapers；　shake　the　very　spheres；　and　by　dexterous　wagging　of　the　tongue　disenthrall　mankind；　and　lead　our　afflicted　country　and　us　on　the　way　we　are　to　go。　　The　way　if　not　where　noble　deeds　are　done；　yet　where　noble　words　are　spoken；leading　us　if　not　to　the　real　Home　of　the　Gods；　at　least　to　something　which　shall　more　or　less　deceptively　resemble　it！〃

So　fares　it　with　the　son　of　Adam；　in　these　bewildered　epochs；　so；　from　the　first　opening　of　his　eyes　in　this　world；　to　his　last　closing　of　them；　and　departure　hence。　　Speak；　speak；　oh　speak；if　thou　have　any　faculty；　speak　it；　or　thou　diest　and　it　is　no　faculty！　　So　in　universities；　and　all　manner　of　dames'　and　other　schools；　of　the　very　highest　class　as　of　the　very　lowest；　and　Society　at　large；　when　we　enter　there；　confirms　with　all　its　brilliant　review…articles；　successful　publications；　intellectual　tea…circles；　literary　gazettes；　parliamentary　eloquences；　the　grand　lesson　we　had。　　Other　lesson　in　fact　we　have　none；　in　these　times。　　If　there　be　a　human　talent；　let　it　get　into　the　tongue；　and　make　melody　with　that　organ。　The　talent　that　can　say　nothing　for　itself；　what　is　it？　　Nothing；　or　a　thing　that　can　do　mere　drudgeries；　and　at　best　make　money　by　railways。

All　this　is　deep…rooted　in　our　habits；　in　our　social；　educational　and　other　arrangements；　and　all　this；　when　we　look　at　it　impartially；　is　astonishing。　Directly　in　the　teeth　of　all　this　it　may　be　asserted　that　speaking　is　by　no　means　the　chief　faculty　a　human　being　can　attain　to；　that　his　excellence　therein　is　by　no　means　the　best　test　of　his　general　human　excellence；　or　availability　in　this　world；　nay　that；　unless　we　look　well；　it　is　liable　to　become　the　very　worst　test　ever　devised　for　said　availability。　　The　matter　extends　very　far；　down　to　the　very　roots　of　the　world；　whither　the　British　reader　cannot　conveniently　follow　me　just　now；　but　I　will　venture　to　assert　the　three　following　things；　and　invite　him　to　consider　well　what　truth　he　can　gradually　find　in　them：

First；　that　excellent　speech；　even　speech　_really_　excellent；　is　not；　and　never　was；　the　chief　test　of　human　faculty；　or　the　measure　of　a　man's　ability；　for　any　true　function　whatsoever；　on　the　contrary；　that　excellent　_silence_　needed　always　to　accompany　excellent　speech；　and　was　and　is　a　much　rarer　and　more　difficult　gift。

_Secondly_；　that　really　excellent　speechwhich　I；　being　possessed　of　the　Hebrew　Bible　or　Book；　as　well　as　of　other　books　in　my　own　and　foreign　languages；　and　having　occasionally　heard　a　wise　man's　word　among　the　crowd　of　unwise；　do　almost　unspeakably　esteem；　as　a　human　giftis　terribly　apt　to　get　confounded　with　its　counterfeit；　sham…excellent　speech！　　And　furthermore；　that　if　really　excellent　human　speech　is　among　the　best　of　human　things；　then　sham…excellent　ditto　deserves　to　be　ranked　with　the　very　worst。　　False　speech；capable　of　becoming；　as　some　one　has　said；　the　falsest　and　basest　of　all　human　things：put　the　case；　one　were　listening　to　_that_　as　to　the　truest　and　noblest！　　Which；　little　as　we　are　conscious　of　it；　I　take　to　be　the　sad　lot　of　many　excellent　souls　among　us　just　now。　So　many　as　admire　parliamentary　eloquence；　divine　popular　literature；　and　such　like；　are　dreadfully　liable　to　it　just　now：　　and　whole　nations　and　generations　seem　as　if　getting　themselves　_asphyxiaed_；　constitutionally　into　their　last　sleep；　by　means　of　it　just　now！

For　alas；　much　as　we　worship　speech　on　all　hands；　here　is　a　_third_　assertion　which　a　man　may　venture　to　make；　and　invite　considerate　men　to　reflect　upon：　　That　in　these　times；　and　for　several　generations　back；　there　has　been；　strictly　considered；　no　really　excellent　speech　at　all；　but　sham…excellent　merely；　that　is　to　say；　false　or　quasi…false　speech　getting　itself　admired　and　worshipped；　instead　of　detested　and　suppressed。　　A　truly　alarming　predicament；　and　not　the　less　so　if　we　find　it　a　quite　pleasant　one　for　the　time　being；　and　welcome　the　advent　of　asphyxia；　as　we　would　that　of　comfortable　natural　sleep；as；　in　so　many　senses；　we　are　doing！　Surly　judges　there　have　been　who　did　not　much　admire　the　〃