the haunted bookshop(闹鬼的书店)-第24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！
war was very glorious as well as very terrible。 I've known lots of men
who went over； knowing well what they were to face； and yet went gladly
and humbly in the thought they were going for a true cause。〃
〃A cause which is so true shouldn't need the sacrifice of millions of
fine lives；〃 said Roger gravely。 〃Don't imagine I don't see the dreadful
nobility of it。 But poor humanity shouldn't be asked to be noble at such a
cost。 That's the most pitiful tragedy of it all。 Don't you suppose the
Germans thought they too were marching off for a noble cause when they
began it and forced this misery on the world？ They had been educated to
believe so； for a generation。 That's the terrible hypnotism of war； the brute
mass…impulse； the pride and national spirit； the instinctive simplicity of
men that makes them worship what is their own above everything else。
I've thrilled and shouted with patriotic pride； like everyone。 Music and
flags and men marching in step have bewitched me； as they do all of us。
And then I've gone home and sworn to root this evil instinct out of my
soul。 God help us let's love the world； love humanitynot just our own
country！ That's why I'm so keen about the part we're going to play at the
74
… Page 75…
THE HAUNTED BOOKSHOP
Peace Conference。 Our motto over there will be America Last！ Hurrah
for us； I say； for we shall be the only nation over there with absolutely no
axe to grind。 Nothing but a pax to grind！〃
It argued well for Titania's breadth of mind that she was not dismayed
nor alarmed at the poor bookseller's anguished harangue。 She surmised
sagely that he was cleansing his bosom of much perilous stuff。 In some
mysterious way she had learned the greatest and rarest of the spirit's gifts
toleration。
〃You can't help loving your country；〃 she said。
〃Let's go indoors；〃 he answered。 〃You'll catch cold out here。 I want
to show you my alcove of books on the war。〃
〃Of course one can't help loving one's country；〃 he added。 〃I love mine
so much that I want to see her take the lead in making a new era possible。
She has sacrificed least for war； she should be ready to sacrifice most for
peace。 As for me；〃 he said； smiling； 〃I'd be willing to sacrifice the whole
Republican party！〃
〃I don't see why you call the war an absurdity；〃 said Titania。 〃We HAD
to beat Germany； or where would civilization have been？〃
〃We had to beat Germany； yes； but the absurdity lies in the fact that we
had to beat ourselves in doing it。 The first thing you'll find； when the
Peace Conference gets to work； will be that we shall have to help
Germany onto her feet again so that she can be punished in an orderly way。
We shall have to feed her and admit her to commerce so that she can pay
her indemnitieswe shall have to police her cities to prevent revolution
from burning her upand the upshot of it all will be that men will have
fought the most terrible war in history； and endured nameless horrors； for
the privilege of nursing their enemy back to health。 If that isn't an
absurdity； what is？ That's what happens when a great nation like Germany
goes insane。
〃Well； we're up against some terribly complicated problems。 My only
consolation is that I think the bookseller can play as useful a part as any
man in rebuilding the world's sanity。 When I was fretting over what I
could do to help things along； I came across two lines in my favourite poet
75
… Page 76…
THE HAUNTED BOOKSHOP
that encouraged me。 Good old George Herbert says：
〃A grain of glory mixed with humblenesse Cures both a fever
and lethargicknesse。
〃Certainly running a second…hand bookstore is a pretty humble
calling； but I've mixed a grain of glory with it； in my own imagination at
any rate。 You see； books contain the thoughts and dreams of men； their
hopes and strivings and all their immortal parts。 It's in books that most of
us learn how splendidly worth…while life is。 I never realized the greatness
of the human spirit； the indomitable grandeur of man's mind； until I read
Milton's Areopagitica。 To read that great outburst of splendid anger
ennobles the meanest of us simply because we belong to the same species
of animal as Milton。 Books are the immortality of the race； the father
and mother of most that is worth while cherishing in our hearts。 To spread
good books about； to sow them on fertile minds； to propagate
understanding and a carefulness of life and beauty； isn't that high enough
mission for a man？ The bookseller is the real Mr。 Valiant…For…Truth。
〃Here's my War…alcove；〃 he went on。 〃I've stacked up here most of
the really good books the War has brought out。 If humanity has sense
enough to take these books to heart； it will never get itself into this mess
again。 Printer's ink has been running a race against gunpowder these
many； many years。 Ink is handicapped； in a way； because you can blow
up a man with gunpowder in half a second； while it may take twenty years
to blow him up with a book。 But the gunpowder destroys itself along with
its victim； while a book can keep on exploding for centuries。 There's
Hardy's Dynasts for example。 When you read that book you can feel it
blowing up your mind。 It leaves you gasping； ill； nauseatedoh； it's not
pleasant to feel some really pure intellect filtered into one's brain！ It hurts！
There's enough T。 N。 T。 in that book to blast war from the face of the globe。
But there's a slow fuse attached to it。 It hasn't really exploded yet。
Maybe it won't for another fifty years。
〃In regard to the War； think what books have accomplished。 What was
the first thing all the governments started to do publish books！ Blue
Books； Yellow Books； White Books； Red Books everything but Black
76
… Page 77…
THE HAUNTED BOOKSHOP
Books； which would have been appropriate in Berlin。 They knew that guns
and troops were helpless unless they could get the books on their side； too。
Books did as much as anything else to bring America into the war。 Some
German books helped to wipe the Kaiser off his throne_I_ Accuse； and
Dr。 Muehlon's magnificent outburst The Vandal of Europe； and
Lichnowsky's private memorandum； that shook Germany to her
foundations； simply because he told the truth。 Here's that book Men in War；
written I believe by a Hungarian officer； with its noble dedication 〃To
Friend and Foe。〃 Here are some of the French booksbooks in which the
clear； passionate intellect of that race； with its savage irony； burns like a
flame。 Romain Rolland's Au…Dessus de la Melee； written in exile in
Switzerland； Barbusse's terrible Le Feu； Duhamel's bitter Civilization；
Bourget's strangely fascinating novel The Meaning of Death。 And the
noble books that have come out of England： A St
