on liberty-第20章

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too　much　ahead　of　the　power　which　society　then　possessed　of



disciplining　and　controlling　them。　There　has　been　a　time　when　the



element　of　spontaneity　and　individuality　was　in　excess；　and　the　social



principle　had　a　hard　struggle　with　it。　The　difficulty　then　was　to



induce　men　of　strong　bodies　or　minds　to　pay　obedience　to　any　rules



which　required　them　to　control　their　impulses。　To　overcome　this



difficulty；　law　and　discipline；　like　the　Popes　struggling　against



the　Emperors；　asserted　a　power　over　the　whole　man；　claiming　to　control



all　his　life　in　order　to　control　his　character…which　society　had　not



found　any　other　sufficient　means　of　binding。　But　society　has　now



fairly　got　the　better　of　individuality；　and　the　danger　which　threatens



human　nature　is　not　the　excess；　but　the　deficiency；　of　personal



impulses　and　preferences。　Things　are　vastly　changed　since　the　passions



of　those　who　were　strong　by　station　or　by　personal　endowment　were　in　a



state　of　habitual　rebellion　against　laws　and　ordinances；　and



required　to　be　rigorously　chained　up　to　enable　the　persons　within



their　reach　to　enjoy　any　particle　of　security。　In　our　times；　from



the　highest　class　of　society　down　to　the　lowest；　every　one　lives　as



under　the　eye　of　a　hostile　and　dreaded　censorship。　Not　only　in　what



concerns　others；　but　in　what　concerns　only　themselves；　the



individual　or　the　family　do　not　ask　themselves…　what　do　I　prefer？　or；



what　would　suit　my　character　and　disposition？　or；　what　would　allow　the



best　and　highest　in　me　to　have　fair　play；　and　enable　it　to　grow　and



thrive？　They　ask　themselves；　what　is　suitable　to　my　position？　what



is　usually　done　by　persons　of　my　station　and　pecuniary



circumstances？　or　（worse　still）　what　is　usually　done　by　persons　of　a



station　and　circumstances　superior　to　mine？　I　do　not　mean　that　they



choose　what　is　customary　in　preference　to　what　suits　their　own



inclination。　It　does　not　occur　to　them　to　have　any　inclination；　except



for　what　is　customary。　Thus　the　mind　itself　is　bowed　to　the　yoke：　even



in　what　people　do　for　pleasure；　conformity　is　the　first　thing



thought　of；　they　like　in　crowds；　they　exercise　choice　only　among



things　commonly　done：　peculiarity　of　taste；　eccentricity　of　conduct；



are　shunned　equally　with　crimes：　until　by　dint　of　not　following



their　own　nature　they　have　no　nature　to　follow：　their　human　capacities



are　withered　and　starved：　they　become　incapable　of　any　strong　wishes



or　native　pleasures；　and　are　generally　without　either　opinions　or



feelings　of　home　growth；　or　properly　their　own。　Now　is　this；　or　is



it　not；　the　desirable　condition　of　human　nature？



　　It　is　so；　on　the　Calvinistic　theory。　According　to　that；　the　one



great　offence　of　man　is　self…will。　All　the　good　of　which　humanity　is



capable　is　comprised　in　obedience。　You　have　no　choice；　thus　you　must



do；　and　no　otherwise：　〃whatever　is　not　a　duty；　is　a　sin。〃　Human　nature



being　radically　corrupt；　there　is　no　redemption　for　any　one　until



human　nature　is　killed　within　him。　To　one　holding　this　theory　of　life；



crushing　out　any　of　the　human　faculties；　capacities；　and



susceptibilities；　is　no　evil：　man　needs　no　capacity；　but　that　of



surrendering　himself　to　the　will　of　God：　and　if　he　uses　any　of　his



faculties　for　any　other　purpose　but　to　do　that　supposed　will　more



effectually；　he　is　better　without　them。　This　is　the　theory　of



Calvinism；　and　it　is　held；　in　a　mitigated　form；　by　many　who　do　not



consider　themselves　Calvinists；　the　mitigation　consisting　in　giving



a　less　ascetic　interpretation　to　the　alleged　will　of　God；　asserting　it



to　be　his　will　that　mankind　should　gratify　some　of　their　inclinations；



of　course　not　in　the　manner　they　themselves　prefer；　but　in　the　way



of　obedience；　that　is；　in　a　way　prescribed　to　them　by　authority；



and；　therefore；　by　the　necessary　condition　of　the　case；　the　same　for



all。



　　In　some　such　insidious　form　there　is　at　present　a　strong　tendency　to



this　narrow　theory　of　life；　and　to　the　pinched　and　hidebound　type　of



human　character　which　it　patronises。　Many　persons；　no　doubt；　sincerely



think　that　human　beings　thus　cramped　and　dwarfed　are　as　their　Maker



designed　them　to　be；　just　as　many　have　thought　that　trees　are　a　much



finer　thing　when　clipped　into　pollards；　or　cut　out　into　figures　of



animals；　than　as　nature　made　them。　But　if　it　be　any　part　of　religion



to　believe　that　man　was　made　by　a　good　Being；　it　is　more　consistent



with　that　faith　to　believe　that　this　Being　gave　all　human　faculties



that　they　might　be　cultivated　and　unfolded；　not　rooted　out　and



consumed；　and　that　he　takes　delight　in　every　nearer　approach　made　by



his　creatures　to　the　ideal　conception　embodied　in　them；　every　increase



in　any　of　their　capabilities　of　comprehension；　of　action；　or　of



enjoyment。　There　is　a　different　type　of　human　excellence　from　the



Calvinistic：　a　conception　of　humanity　as　having　its　nature　bestowed　on



it　for　other　purposes　than　merely　to　be　abnegated。　〃Pagan



self…assertion〃　is　one　of　the　elements　of　human　worth；　as　well　as



〃Christian　self…denial。〃*　There　is　a　Greek　ideal　of



self…development；　which　the　Platonic　and　Christian　ideal　of



self…government　blends　with；　but　does　not　supersede。　It　may　be



better　to　be　a　John　Knox　than　an　Alcibiades；　but　it　is　better　to　be



a　Pericles　than　either；　nor　would　a　Pericles；　if　we　had　one　in　these



days；　be　without　anything　good　which　belonged　to　John　Knox。







　　*　Sterling's　Essays。







　　It　is　not　by　wearing　down　into　uniformity　all　that　is　individual



in　themselves；　but　by　cultivating　it；　and　calling　it　forth；　within　the



limits　imposed　by　the　rights　and　interests　of　others；　that　human



beings　become　a　noble　and　beautiful　object　of　contemplation；　and　as



the　works　partake　the　character　of　those　who　do　them；　by　the　same



process　human　life　also　becomes　rich；　diversified；　and　animating；



furnishing　more　abundant　aliment　to　high　thoughts　and　elevating



feelings；　and　strengthening　the　tie　which　binds　every　individual　to



the　race；　by　making　the　race　infinitely　better　worth　belonging　to。



In　proportion　to　the　development　of　his　individuality；　each　person



becomes　more　valuable　to　himself；　and　is　therefore　capable　of　being



more　valuable　to　others。　There　is　a　greater　fulness　of　life　about



his　own　existence；　and　when　there　is　more　life　in　the　units　there　is



more　in　the　mass　which　is　composed　of　them。　As　much　compression　as



is　necessary　to　prevent　the　stronger　specimens　of　human　nature　from



encroaching　on　the　rights　of　others　cannot　be　dispensed　with；　but



for　this　there　is　ample　compensation　even　in　the　point　of　view　of



human　development。　The　means　of　development　which　the　individual　loses



by　being　prevented　from　gratifying　his　inclinations　to　the　injury　of



others；　are　chiefly　obtained　at　the　expense　of　the　development　of



other　people。　And　even　to　himself　there　is　a　full　equivalent　in　the



better　development　of　the　social　part　of　his　nature；　rendered　possible



by　the　restraint　put　upon　the　selfish　part。　To　be　held　to　rigid



rules　of　justice　for　the　sake　of　others；　develops　the　feelings　and



capacities　which　have　the　good　of　others　for　their　object。　But　to　be



restrained　in　things　not　affecting　their　good；　by　their　mere



displeasure；　develops　nothing　valuable；　except　such　force　of　character



as　may　unfold　itself　in　resisting　the　restraint。　If　acquiesced　in；



it　dulls　and　blunts　the　whole　nature。　To　give　any　fair　play　to　the



nature　of　each；　it　is　essential　that　different　persons　should　be



allowed　to　lead　different　lives。　In　proportion　as　this　latitude　has



been　exercised　in　any　age；　has　that　age　been　noteworthy　to



posterity。　Even　despotism　does　not　produce　its　worst　effects；　so



long　as　individuality　exists　under　it；　and　whatever　crushes



individuality　is　despotism；　by　whatever　name　it　may　be　called；　and



whether　it　profess