eminent victorians-第41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！



service　for　the　religious　convictions　of　mankind。　She　had　long

noticedwith　regretthe　growing　tendency　towards　free…thinking

among　artisans。　With　regret；　but　not　altogether　with　surprise；

the　current　teaching　of　Christianity　was　sadly　to　seek；　nay；

Christianity　itself　was　not　without　its　defects。　She　would

rectify　these　errors。　She　would　correct　the　mistakes　of　the

Churches；　she　would　point　out　just　where　Christianity　was　wrong；

and　she　would　explain　to　the　artisans　what　the　facts　of　the　case

really　were。　Before　her　departure　for　the　Crimea；　she　had　begun

this　work；　and　now；　in　the　intervals　of　her　other　labours；　she

completed　it。　Her　'Suggestions　for　Thought　to　the　Searchers　After



Truth　Among　the　Artisans　of　England'　（1860）；　unravels；　in　the

course　of　three　portly　volumes；　the　difficulties　hitherto；

curiously　enough；　unsolvedconnected　with　such　matters　as　Belief

in　God；　the　Plan　of　Creation；　the　Origin　of　Evil；　the　Future　

Life；　Necessity　and　Free　Will；　Law；　and　the　Nature　of　Morality。



The　Origin　of　Evil；　in　particular；　held　no　perplexities　for　Miss

Nightingale。　'We　cannot　conceive；'　she　remarks；　'that　Omnipotent

Righteousness　would　find　satisfaction　in　solitary　existence。'

This　being；　so；　the　only　question　remaining　to　be　asked　is：　'What

beings　should　we　then　conceive　that　God　would　create？'　Now；　He

cannot　create　perfect　beings；　'since；　essentially；　perfection　is

one'；　if　He　did　so；　He　would　only　be　adding　to　Himself。　Thus　the

conclusion　is　obvious：　He　must　create　imperfect　ones。　Omnipotent

Righteousness；　faced　by　the　intolerable　impasse　of　a　solitary

existence；　finds　itself　bound　by　the　very　nature　of　the　cause；　to

create　the　hospitals　at　Scutari。　Whether　this　argument　would　have

satisfied　the　artisans　was　never　discovered；　for　only　a　very　few

copies　of　the　book　were　printed　for　private　circulation。　One　copy

was　sent　to　Mr。　Mill；　who　acknowledged　it　in　an　extremely　polite

letter。　He　felt　himself　obliged；　however；　to　confess　that　he　had

not　been　altogether　convinced　by　Miss　Nightingale's　proof　of　the

existence　of　God。　Miss　Nightingale　was　surprised　and　mortified；

she　had　thought　better　of　Mr。　Mill；　for　surely　her　proof　of　the

existence　of　God　could　hardly　be　improved　upon。　'A　law；'　she　had

pointed　out；　'implies　a　lawgiver。'　Now　the　Universe　is　full　of

lawsthe　law　of　gravitation；　the　law　of　the　excluded　middle；　and

many　others；　hence　it　follows　that　the　Universe　has　a　law…giver

and　what　would　Mr。　Mill　be　satisfied　with；　if　he　was　not

satisfied　with　that？



Perhaps　Mr。　Mill　might　have　asked　why　the　argument　had　not　been

pushed　to　its　logical　conclusion。　Clearly；　if　we　are　to　trust　the

analogy　of　human　institutions；　we　must　remember　that　laws　are；　as

a　matter　of　fact；　not　dispensed　by　lawgivers；　but　passed　by　Act

of　Parliament。　Miss　Nightingale；　however；　with　all　her　experience

of　public　life；　never　stopped　to　consider　the　question　whether

God　might　not　be　a　Limited　Monarchy。Yet　her　conception　of　God　was

certainly　not　orthodox。　She　felt　towards　Him　as　she　might　have

felt　towards　a　glorified　sanitary　engineer；　and　in　some　of　her

speculations　she　seems　hardly　to　distinguish　between　the　Deity

and　the　Drains。　As　one　turns　over　these　singular　pages；　one　has

the　impression　that　Miss　Nightingale　has　got　the　Almighty　too

into　her　clutches；　and　that；　if　He　is　not　careful；　she　will　kill

Him　with　overwork。



Then；　suddenly；　in　the　very　midst　of　the　ramifying　generalities

of　her　metaphysical　disquisitions；　there　is　an　unexpected　turn

and　the　reader　is　plunged　all　at　once　into　something　particular；

something　personal；　something　impregnated　with　intense

experience　a　virulent　invective　upon　the　position　of　women　in

the　upper　ranks　of　society。　Forgetful　alike　of　her　high　argument

and　of　the　artisans；　the　bitter　creature　rails　through　a　hundred

pages　of　close　print　at　the　falsities　of　family　life；　the

ineptitudes　of　marriage；　the　emptinesses　of　convention；　in　the

spirit　of　an　Ibsen　or　a　Samuel　Butler。　Her　fierce　pen；　shaking

with　intimate　anger；　depicts　in　biting　sentences　the　fearful　fate

of　an　unmarried　girl　in　a　wealthy　household。　It　is　a　cri　du

coeur；　and　then；　as　suddenly；　she　returns　once　more　to　instruct

the　artisans　upon　the　nature　ofOmnipotent　Righteousness。



Her　mind　was；　indeed；　better　qualified　to　dissect　the　concrete

and　distasteful　fruits　of　actual　life　than　to　construct　a

coherent　system　of　abstract　philosophy。　In　spite　of　her　respect

for　Law；　she　was　never　at　home　with　a　generalisation。　Thus；

though　the　great　achievement　of　her　life　lay　in　the　immense

impetus　which　she　gave　to　the　scientific　treatment　of　sickness；　a

true　comprehension　of　the　scientific　method　itself　was　alien　to

her　spirit。　Like　most　great　men　of　actionperhaps　like　allshe

was　simply　an　empiricist。　She　believed　in　what　she　saw；　and　she

acted　accordingly；　beyond　that　she　would　not　go。　She　had　found　in

Scutari　that　fresh　air　and　light　played　an　effective　part　in　the

prevention　of　the　maladies　with　which　she　had　to　deal；　and　that

was　enough　for　her；　she　would　not　inquire　further；　what　were　the

general　principles　underlying　that　factor　even　whether　there

were　anyshe　refused　to　consider。　Years　after　the　discoveries　of

Pasteur　and　Lister；　she　laughed　at　what　she　called　the　'germ…

fetish'。　There　was　no　such　thing　as　'infection'；　she　had　never

seen　it；　therefore　it　did　not　exist。　But　she　had　seen　the　good

effects　of　fresh　air；　therefore；　there　could　be　no　doubt　about

them；　and　therefore；　it　was　essential　that　the　bedrooms　of

patients　should　be　well　ventilated。　Such　was　her　doctrine；　and　in

those　days　of　hermetically　scaled　windows　it　was　a　very　valuable

one。　But　it　was　a　purely　empirical　doctrine；　and　thus　it　led　to

some　unfortunate　results。　When；　for　instance；　her　influence　in

India　was　at　its　height；　she　issued　orders　that　all　hospital

windows　should　be　invariably　kept　open。　The　authorities；　who　knew

what　an　open　window　in　the　hot　weather　meant；　protested；　but　in

vain；　Miss　Nightingale　was　incredulous。　She　knew　nothing　of　the

hot　weather；　but　she　did　know　the　value　of　fresh　airfrom

personal　experience；　the　authorities　were　talking　nonsense；　and

the　windows　must　be　kept　open　all　the　year　round。　There　was　a

great　outcry　from　all　the　doctors　in　India；　but　she　was　firm；　and

for　a　moment　it　seemed　possible　that　her　terrible　commands　would

have　to　be　put　into　execution。　Lord　Lawrence；　however；　was

Viceroy；　and　he　was　able　to　intimate　to　Miss　Nightingale；　with

sufficient　authority；　that　himself　had　decided　upon　the　question；

and　that　his　decision　must　stand；　even　against　her　own。　Upon　that

she　gave　way；　but　reluctantly　and　quite　unconvinced；　she　was　only

puzzled　by　the　unexpected　weakness　of　Lord　Lawrence。　No　doubt；　if

she　had　lived　today；　and　if　her　experience　had　lain；　not　among

cholera　cases　at　Scutari；　but　among　yellow…fever　cases　in　Panama；

she　would　have　declared　fresh　air　a　fetish；　and　would　have

maintained　to　her　dying　day　that　the　only　really　effective　way　of

dealing　with　disease　was　by　the　destruction　of　mosquitoes。



Yet　her　mind；　so　positive；　so　realistic；　so　ultra…practical；　had

its　singular　revulsions；　its　mysterious　moods　of　mysticism　and　of

doubt。　At　times；　lying　sleepless　in　the　early　hours；　she　fell

into　long；　strange；　agonised　meditations；　and　then；　seizing　a

pencil；　she　would　commit　to　paper　the　confessions　of　her　soul。

The　morbid　longings　of　her　pre…Crimean　days　came　over　her　once

more；　she　filled　page　after　page　with　self…examination；　self…

criticism；　self…surrender。　'Oh　Father；'　she　wrote；　'I　submit；　I

resign　myself；　I　accept　with　all　my　heart；　thisstretching　out　of

Thy　hand　to　save　me。　。。。　0h　how　vain　it　is；　the　vanity　of

vanities；　to　live　in　men's　thoughts　instead　of　God's！'



She　was　lonely；　she　was　miserable。　'Thou　knowest　that　through　all

these　horrible　twenty　years；　I　have　been　supported　by　the　belief

that　I　was　working　with　Thee　who　would　bring　everyone；　even　our