latter-day pamphlets-第20章

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　God's　image　ought　to　do；　the　evil　never　would　have　been！　　Perhaps　few　Nations　have　ever　known　it　less　than　we；　for　a　good　while　back；　have　done。　　Hence　these　sorrows。

What　a　People　are　the　poor　Thibet　idolaters；　compared　with　us　and　our　〃religions；〃　which　issue　in　the　worship　of　King　Hudson　as　our　Dalai…Lama！　They；　across　such　hulls　of　abject　ignorance；　have　seen　into　the　heart　of　the　matter；　we；　with　our　torches　of　knowledge　everywhere　brandishing　themselves；　and　such　a　human　enlightenment　as　never　was　before；　have　quite　missed　it。　　Reverence　for　Human　Worth；　earnest　devout　search　for　it　and　encouragement　of　it；　loyal　furtherance　and　obedience　to　it：　　this；　I　say；　is　the　outcome　and　essence　of　all　true　〃religions；〃　and　was　and　ever　will　be。　　We　have　not　known　this。　　No；　loud　as　our　tongues　sometimes　go　in　that　direction；　we　have　no　true　reverence　for　Human　Intelligence；　for　Human　Worth　and　Wisdom：　　none；　or　too　little；and　I　pray　for　a　restoration　of　such　reverence；　as　for　the　change　from　Stygian　darkness　to　Heavenly　light；　as　for　the　return　of　life　to　poor　sick　moribund　Society　and　all　its　interests。　　Human　Intelligence　means　little　for　most　of　us　but　Beaver　Contrivance；　which　produces　spinning…mules；　cheap　cotton；　and　large　fortunes。　　Wisdom；　unless　it　give　us　railway　scrip；　is　not　wise。

True　nevertheless　it　forever　remains　that　Intellect　is　the　real　object　of　reverence；　and　of　devout　prayer；　and　zealous　wish　and　pursuit；　among　the　sons　of　men；　and　even；　well　understood；　the　one　object。　　It　is　the　Inspiration　of　the　Almighty　that　giveth　men　understanding。　　For　it　must　be　repeated；　and　ever　again　repeated　till　poor　mortals　get　to　discern　it；　and　awake　from　their　baleful　paralysis；　and　degradation　under　foul　enchantments；　That　a　man　of　Intellect；　of　real　and　not　sham　Intellect；　is　by　the　nature　of　him　likewise　inevitably　a　man　of　nobleness；　a　man　of　courage；　rectitude；　pious　strength；　who；　even　_because_　he　is　and　has　been　loyal　to　the　Laws　of　this　Universe；　is　initiated　into　_discernment_　of　the　same；　to　this　hour　a　Missioned　of　Heaven；　whom　if　men　follow；　it　will　be　well　with　them；　whom　if　men　do　not　follow；　it　will　not　be　well。　　Human　Intellect；　if　you　consider　it　well；　is　the　exact　summary　of　Human　_Worth_；　and　the　essence　of　all　worth…ships　and　worships　is　reverence　for　that　same。　This　much　surprises　you；　friend　Peter；　but　I　assure　you　it　is　the　fact；and　I　would　advise　you　to　consider　it；　and　to　try　if　you　too　do　not　gradually　find　it　so。　　With　me　it　has　long　been　an　article；　not　of　〃faith〃　only；　but　of　settled　insight；　of　conviction　as　to　what　the　ordainments　of　the　Maker　in　this　Universe　are。　　Ah；　could　you　and　the　rest　of　us　but　get　to　know　it；　and　everywhere　religiously　act　upon　it；as　our　_Fortieth_　Article；　which　includes　all　the　other　Thirty…nine；　and　without　which　the　Thirty…nine　are　good　for　almost　nothing；there　might　then　be　some　hope　for　us！　　In　this　world　there　is　but　one　appalling　creature：　　the　Stupid　man　_considered_　to　be　the　Missioned　of　Heaven；　and　followed　by　men。　　He　is　our　King；　men　say；　he；and　they　follow　him；　through　straight　or　winding　courses；　I　for　one　know　well　whitherward。

Abler　men　in　Downing　Street；　abler　men　to　govern　us：　　yes；　that；　sure　enough；　would　gradually　remove　the　dung…mountains；　however　high　they　are；　that　would　be　the　way；　nor　is　there　any　other　way；　to　remedy　whatsoever　has　gone　wrong　in　Downing　Street　and　in　the　wide　regions；　spiritual　and　temporal；　which　Downing　Street　presides　over！　　For　the　Able　Man；　meet　him　where　you　may；　is　definable　as　the　born　enemy　of　Falsity　and　Anarchy；　and　the　born　soldier　of　Truth　and　Order：　　into　what　absurdest　element　soever　you　put　him；　he　is　there　to　make　it　a　little　less　absurd；　to　fight　continually　with　it　till　it　become　a　little　sane　and　human　again。　　Peace　on　other　terms　he；　for　his　part；　cannot　make　with　it；　not　he；　while　he　continues　_able_；　or　possessed　of　real　intellect　and　not　imaginary。　　There　is　but　one　man　fraught　with　blessings　for　this　world；　fated　to　diminish　and　successively　abolish　the　curses　of　the　world；　and　it　is　he。　　For　him　make　search；　him　reverence　and　follow；　know　that　to　find　him　or　miss　him；　means　victory　or　defeat　for　you；　in　all　Downing　Streets；　and　establishments　and　enterprises　here　below。I　leave　your　Lordship　to　judge　whether　this　has　been　our　practice　hitherto；　and　would　humbly　inquire　what　your　Lordship　thinks　is　likely　to　be　the　consequence　of　continuing　to　neglect　this。　　It　ought　to　have　been　our　practice；　ought；　in　all　places　and　all　times；　to　be　the　practice　in　this　world；　so　says　the　fixed　law　of　things　forevermore：and　it　must　cease　to　be　_not_　the　practice；　your　Lordship；　and　cannot　too　speedily　do　so　I　think！

Much　has　been　done　in　the　way　of　reforming　Parliament　in　late　years；　but　that　of　itself　seems　to　avail　nothing；　or　almost　less。　　The　men　that　sit　in　Downing　Street；　governing　us；　are　not　abler　men　since　the　Reform　Bill　than　were　those　before　it。　　Precisely　the　same　kind　of　men；　obedient　formerly　to　Tory　traditions；　obedient　now　to　Whig　ditto　and　popular　clamors。　Respectable　men　of　office：　　respectably　commonplace　in　facility；while　the　situation　is　becoming　terribly　original！　　Rendering　their　outlooks；　and　ours；　more　ominous　every　day。

Indisputably　enough　the　meaning　of　all　reform…movement；　electing　and　electioneering；　of　popular　agitation；　parliamentary　eloquence；　and　all　political　effort　whatsoever；　is　that　you　may　get　the　ten　Ablest　Men　in　England　put　to　preside　over　your　ten　principal　departments　of　affairs。　　To　sift　and　riddle　the　Nation；　so　that　you　might　extricate　and　sift　out　the　true　ten　gold　grains；　or　ablest　men；　and　of　these　make　your　Governors　or　Public　Officers；　leaving　the　dross　and　common　sandy　or　silty　material　safely　aside；　as　the　thing　to　be　governed；　not　to　govern；　certainly　all　ballot…boxes；　caucuses；　Kennington…Common　meetings；　Parliamentary　debatings；　Red　Republics；　Russian　Despotisms；　and　constitutional　or　unconstitutional　methods　of　society　among　mankind；　are　intended　to　achieve　this　one　end；　and　some　of　them；　it　will　be　owned；　achieve　it　very　ill！If　you　have　got　your　gold　grains；　if　the　men　you　have　got　are　actually　the　ablest；　then　rejoice；　with　whatever　astonishment；　accept　your　Ten；　and　thank　the　gods；　under　this　Ten　your　destruction　will　at　least　be　milder　than　under　another。　　But　if　you　have　_not_　got　them；　if　you　are　very　far　from　having　got　them；　then　do　not　rejoice　at　all；　then　_lament_　very　much；　then　admit　that　your　sublime　political　constitutions　and　contrivances　do　not　prove　themselves　sublime；　but　ridiculous　and　contemptible；　that　your　world's　wonder　of　a　political　mill；　the　envy　of　surrounding　nations；　does　not　yield　you　real　meal；　yields　you　only　powder　of　millstones　（called　Hansard　Debatings）；　and　a　detestable　brown　substance　not　unlike　the　grindings　of　dried　horse…dung　or　prepared　street…mud；　which　though　sold　under　royal　patent；　and　much　recommended　by　the　trade；　is　quite　unfit　for　culinary　purposes！


But　the　disease　at　least　is　not　mysterious；　whatever　the　remedy　be。　　Our　disease；alas；　is　it　not　clear　as　the　sun；　that　we　suffer　under　what　is　the　disease　of　all　the　miserable　in　this　world；　_want　of　wisdom_；　that　in　the　Head　there　is　no　vision；　and　that　thereby　all　the　members　are　dark　and　in　bonds？　　No　vision　in　the　head；　heroism；　faith；　devout　insight　to　discern　what　is　needful；　noble　courage　to　do　it；　greatly　defective　there：　　not　seeing　eyes　there；　but　spectacles　constitutionally　ground；　which；　to　the　unwary；　_seem_　to　see。　　A　quite　fatal　circumstance；　had　you　never　so　many　Parliaments！　　How　is　your　ship　to　be　steered　by　a　Pilot　with　no　_eyes_　but　a　pair　of　glass　ones　got　from　the　constitutional　optician？　　He　must　steer　by　the　_ear_；　I　think；　rather　than　by　the　eye；　by　the　shoutings　he　catches　from　the　shore；　or　from　the　Parliamentary　benches　nearer　hand：one　of　the　frightfulest　objects　to　see　steering　in　a　difficult　sea！　　Reformed　Parliaments　in　that　case；　reform…leagues；　outer　agitations　and　excitements　in　never　such　abundance；　cannot　profit：　　all　this　is　but　the　writhing；　and　painful　blind　convulsion　of　the　limbs　that　are　in　bonds；　that　are　all　in　dark　misery　till　the　head　be　delivered；　till　the　pressure　on　the　brain　be　removed。

Or　perhaps　there　is　now　no　heroic　wisdom　left　in　England；　England；　once　the　land　of　heroes；　is　itself　sunk　now　to　a　dim　owlery；　and　habitation　of　doleful　creatures；　intent　only　on　money…making　and　other　forms　of　catching　mice；　for　whom　the　proper　gospel　is　the　gospel　of　M'Croudy；　and　all　nobler　impulses　and　insights　are　forbidden　henceforth？　　Perhaps　these　present　agreeable　Occupants　of　Downing　Street；　such　as　the　parliamentary　mill　has　yielded　them；　are　the　_best_　the　miserable　soil　had　grown？　　The　most　Herculean　Ten　Men　that　could　be　found　among　the　English　Twenty…seven　Millions；　are　these？　　There　_are_　not；　in　any　place；　under　any　figure；　ten　diviner　men　among　us？　　Well；　in　that　case；　the　riddling　and　searching　of　the　twenty…seven　millions　has　been　_successful_。　　Here　are　our　ten　divinest　men；　with　these；　unhappily　not　divine　enough；　we　must　even　content　ourselves　and　die　in　peace；　what　help　is　there？　　No　help；　no　hope；　in　that　case。

But；　again；　if　these　are　_not_　our　divinest　men；　then　evidently　there　always　is　hope；　there　always　is　possibility　of　help；　and　ruin　never　is　quite　inevitable；　till　we　_have_　sifted　out　our

actually　divinest　ten；　and　set　these　to　try　their　band　at　governing！That　this　has　been　achieved；　that　these　ten　men　are　the　most　Herculean　souls　the　English　population　held　within　it；　is　a　proposition　credible　to　no　mortal。　　No；　thank　God；　low　as　we　are　sunk　in　many　ways；　this　is　not　yet　credible！　　Evidently　the　reverse　of　this　proposition　is　the　fact。　　Ten　much　diviner　men　do　certainly　exist。　By　some　conceivable；　not　forever　impossible；　method　and　methods；　ten　very　much　diviner　men　could　be　sifted　out！Courage；　let　us　fix　our　eyes　on　that　important　fact；　and　strive　all　thitherward　as　towards　a　door　of　hope！


Parliaments；　I　think；　have　proved　too　well；　in　late　years；　that　they　are　not　the　remedy。　　It　is　not　Parliaments；　reformed　or　other；　that　will　ever　send　Herculean　men　to　Downing　Street；　to　reform　Downing　Street　for　us；　to　diffuse　therefrom　a　light　of　Heavenly　Order；　instead　of　the　murk　of　Stygian　Anarchy；　over　this　sad　world　of　ours。　　That　function　does　not　lie　in　the　capacities　of　Parliment。　　That　is　the　function　of　a　_King_；if　we　could　get　such　a　priceless　entity；　which　we　cannot　just　now！　　Failing　which；　Statesmen；　or　Temporary　Kings；　and　at　the　very　lowest　one　real　Statesman；　to　shape　the　dim　tendencies　of　Parliament；　and　guide　them　wisely　to　the　goal：　　he；　I　perceive；　will　be　a　primary　condition；　indispensable　for　any　progress　whatsoever。

One　such；　perhaps；　might　be　attained；　one　such　might　prove　discoverable　among　our　Parliamentary　populations？　　That　one；　in　such　an　enterprise　as　this　of　Downing　Street；　might　be　invaluable！　　One　noble　man；　at　once　of　natural　wisdom　and　practical　experience；　one　Intellect　still　really　human；　and　not　red…tapish；　owlish　and　pedantical；　appearing　there　in　that　dim　chaos；　with　word　of　command；　to　brandish　Hercules…like　the　divine　broom　and　shovel；　and　turn　running　water　in　upon　the　place；　and　say　as　with　a　fiat；　〃Here　shall　be　truth；　and　real　work；　and　talent