the unknown guest-第15章

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ns　that　escape　our　perception；　but　by　other　unknown　means；　a　vague　presentiment　of　an　impending　peril；　or；　as　I　have　already　said；　a　partial；　intermittent　and　unsettled　vision　of　the　future　event；　and；　in　its　doubt；　may　utter　its　cry　of　alarm。

Whereupon　let　us　recognize　that　it　is　almost　forbidden　to　human　reason　to　stray　in　these　regions；　and　that　the　part　of　a　prophet　is；　next　to　that　of　a　commentator　of　prophecies；　one　of　the　most　difficult　and　thankless　that　a　man　can　attempt　to　sustain　the　world's　stage。

24

I　am　not　sure　if　it　is　really　necessary；　before　closing　this　chapter；　to　follow　in　the　wake　of　many　others　and　broach　the　problem　of　the　preexistence　of　the　future；　which　includes　those　of　fatality；　of　free　will；　of　time　and　of　space；　that　is　to　say；　all　the　points　that　touch　the　essential　sources　of　the　great　mystery　of　the　universe。　The　theologians　and　the　metaphysicians　have　tackled　these　problems　from　every　side　without　giving　us　the　least　hope　of　solving　them。　Among　those　which　life　sets　us；　there　is　none　to　which　our　brain　seems　more　definitely　and　strictly　closed；　and　they　remain；　if　not　as　unimaginable；　at　least　as　incomprehensible　as　on　the　day　when　they　were　first　perceived。　What　corresponds；　outside　us；　with　what　we　call　time　and　space？　We　know　nothing　about　it；　and　Kant；　speaking　in　the　name　of　the　〃apriorists；〃　who　hold　that　the　idea　of　time　is　innate　in　us；　does　not　teach　us　much　when　he　tells　us　that　time；　like　space；　is　an　a　priori　form　of　our　sensibility；　that　is　to　say；　an　intuition　preceding　experience；　even　as　Guyau；　among　the　〃empiricists；〃　who　consider　that　this　idea　is　acquired　only　by　experience；　does　not　enlighten　us　any　more　by　declaring　that　this　same　time　is　the　abstract　formula　of　the　changes　in　the　universe。　Whether　space；　as　Leibnitz　maintains；　be　an　order　of　coexistence　and　time　an　order　of　sequences；　whether　it　be　by　space　that　we　succeed　in　representing　time　or　whether　time　be　an　essential　form　of　any　representation；　whether　time　be　the　father　of　space　or　space　the　father　of　time；　one　thing　is　certain；　which　is　that　the　efforts　of　the　Kantian　or　neo…Kantian　apriorists　and　of　the　pure　empiricists　and　the　idealistic　empiricists　all　end　in　the　same　darkness；　that　all　the　philosophers　who　have　grappled　with　the　formidable　dual　problem；　among　whom　one　may　mention　indiscriminately　the　names　of　the　greatest　thinkers　of　yesterday　and　to…dayHerbert　Spencer；　Helmholtz；　Renouvier；　James　Sully；　Stumpf；　James　Ward；　William　James；　Stuart　Mill；　Ribot；　Fouillee；　Guyau；　Bain；　Lechalas；　Balmes；　Dunan　and　endless　othershave　been　unable　to　tame　it；　and　that；　however　much　their　theories　may　contradict　one　another；　they　are　all　equally　defensible　and　alike　struggle　vainly　in　the　darkness　against　shadows　that　are　not　of　our　world。

25

To　catch　a　glimpse　of　this　strange　problem　of　the　preexistence　of　the　future；　as　it　shows　itself　to　each　of　us；　let　us　essay　more　humbly　to　translate　it　into　tangible　images；　to　place　it　as　it　were　upon　the　stage。　I　am　writing　these　lines　sitting　on　a　stone；　in　the　shade　of　some　tall　beeches　that　overlook　a　little　Norman　village。　It　is　one　of　those　lovely　summer　days　when　the　sweetness　of　life　is　almost　visible　in　the　azure　vase　of　earth　and　sky。　In　the　distance　stretches　the　immense；　fertile　valley　of　the　Seine；　with　its　green　meadows　planted　with　restful　trees；　between　which　the　river　flows　like　a　long　path　of　gladness　leading　to　the　misty　hills　of　the　estuary。　I　am　looking　down　on　the　village…square；　with　its　ring　of　young　lime…trees。　A　procession　leaves　the　church　and；　amid　prayers　and　chanting；　they　carry　the　statue　of　the　Virgin　around　the　sacred　pile。　I　am　conscious　of　all　the　details　of　the　ceremony：　the　sly　old　cure　perfunctorily　bearing　a　small　reliquary；　four　choirmen　opening　their　mouths　to　bawl　forth　vacantly　the　Latin　words　which　convey　nothing　to　them；　two　mischievous　serving…boys　in　frayed　cassocks；　a　score　of　little　girls；　young　girls　and　old　maids　in　white；　all　starched　and　flounced；　followed　by　six　or　seven　village　notables　in　baggy　frockcoats。　The　pageant　disappears　behind　the　trees；　comes　into　sight　again　at　the　bend　of　the　road　and　hurries　back　into　the　church。　The　clock　in　the　steeple　strikes　five；　as　though　to　ring　down　the　curtain　and　mark　in　the　infinite　history　of　events　which　none　will　recollect　the　conclusion　of　a　spectacle　which　never　again；　until　the　end　of　the　world　and　of　the　universe　of　worlds；　will　be　just　what　it　was　during　those　seconds　when　it　beguiled　my　wandering　eyes。

For　in　vain　will　they　repeat　the　procession　next　year　and　every　year　after：　never　again　will　it　be　the　same。　Not　only　will　several　of　the　actors　probably　have　disappeared；　but　all　those　who　resume　their　old　places　in　the　ranks　will　have　undergone　the　thousand　little　visible　and　invisible　changes　wrought　by　the　passing　days　and　weeks。　In　a　word；　this　insignificant　moment　is　unique；　irrecoverable；　inimitable；　as　are　all　the　moments　in　the　existence　of　all　things；　and　this　little　picture；　enduring　for　a　few　seconds　suspended　in　boundless　duration；　has　lapsed　into　eternity；　where　henceforth　it　will　remain　in　its　entirety　to　the　end　of　time；　so　much　so　that；　if　a　man　could　one　day　recapture　in　the　past；　among　what　some　one　has　called　the　〃astral　negatives；〃　the　image　of　what　it　was；　he　would　find　it　intact；　unchanged；　ineffaceable　and　undeniable。

26

It　is　not　difficult　for　us　to　conceive　that　one　can　thus　go　back　and　seeagain　the　astral　negative　of　an　event　that　is　no　more；　and　retrospective　clairvoyance　appears　to　us　a　wonderful　but　not　an　impossible　thing。　It　astonishes　but　does　not　stagger　our　reason。　But；　when　it　becomes　a　question　of　discovering　the　same　picture　in　the　future；　the　boldest　imagination　flounders　at　the　first　step。　How　are　we　to　admit　that　there　exists　somewhere　a　representation　or　reproduction　of　that　which　has　not　yet　existed？　Nevertheless；　some　of　the　incidents　which　we　have　just　been　considering　seem　to　prove　in　an　almost　conclusive　manner　not　only　that　such　representations　are　possible；　but　that　we　may　arrive　at　them　more　frequently；　not　to　say　more　conveniently；　than　at　those　of　the　past。　Now；　once　this　representation　preexists；　as　we　are　obliged　to　admit　in　the　case　of　certain　number　of　premonitions；　the　riddle　remains　the　same　whether　the　preexistence　be　one　of　a　few　hours；　a　few　years　or　several　centuries。　It　is　therefore　possiblefor；　in　these　matters；　we　must　go　straight　to　extremes　or　else　leave　them　aloneit　is　therefore　possible　that　a　seer　mightier　than　any　of　to…day；　some　god；　demigod　or　demon；　some　unknown；　universal　or　vagrant　intelligence；　saw　that　procession　a　million　years　ago；　at　a　time　when　nothing　existed　of　that　which　composes　and　surrounds　it　and　when　the　very　earth　on　which　it　moves　had　not　yet　risen　from　the　ocean　depths。　And　other　seers；　as　mighty　as　the　first；　who　from　age　to　age　contemplated　the　same　spot　and　the　same　moment；　would　always　have　perceived；　through　the　vicissitudes　and　upheavals　of　seas；　shores　and　forests；　the　same　procession　going　round　the　same　little　church　that　still　lay　slumbering　in　the　oceanic　ooze　and　made　up　of　the　same　persons　sprung　from　a　race　that　was　perhaps　not　yet　represented　on　the　earth。

27

It　is　obviously　difficult　for　us　to　understand　that　the　future　can　thus　precede　chaos；　that　the　present　is　at　the　same　time　the　future　and　the　past；　or　that　that　which　does　not　yet　exists　already　at　the　same　time　at　which　it　is　no　more。　But；　on　the　other　hand；　it　is　just　as　hard　to　conceive　that　the　future　does　not　preexist；　that　there　is　nothing　before　the　present　and　that　everything　is　only　present　or　past。　It　is　very　probable　that；　to　a　more　universal　intelligence　than　ours；　everything　is　but　an　eternal　present；　an　immense　punctum　stans；　as　the　metaphysicians　say；　in　which　all　the　events　are　on　one　plane；　but　it　is　no　less　probable　that　we　ourselves；　so　long　as　we　are　men；　in　order　to　understand　anything　of　this　eternal　present；　will　always　be　obliged　to　divide　it　into　three　parts。　Thus　caught　between　two　mysteries　equally　baffling　to　our　intelligence；　whether　we　deny　or　admit　the　preexistence　of　the　future；　we　are　really　only　wrangling　over　words：　in　the　one　case；　we　give　the　name　of　〃present；〃　from　the　point　of　view　of　a　perfect　intelligence；　to　that　which　to　us　is　the　future；　in　the　other；　we　give　the　name　of　〃future〃　to　that　which；　from　the　point　of　view　of　a　perfect　intelligence；　is　the　present。　But；　after　all；　it　is　incontestable　in　both　cases　that；　at　least　from　our　point　of　view；　the　future　preexists；　since　preexistence　is　the　only　name　by　which　we　can　describe　and　the　only　form　under　which　we　can　conceive　that　which　we　do　not　yet　see　in　the　present。

28

Attempts　have　been　made　to　shed　light　on　the　riddle　by　transferring　it　to　space。　It　is　true　that　it　there　loses　the　greater　part　of　its　obscurity；　but　this　apparently　is　because；　in　changing　its　environment；　it　has　completely　changed　its　nature　and　no　longer　bears　any　relation　to　what　it　was　when　it　was　placed　in　time。　We　are　told；　for　instance；　that　innumerable　cities　distributed　over　the　surface　of　the　earth　are　to　us　as　if　they　were　not；　so　long　as　we　have　not　seen　them；　and　only　begin　to　exist　on　the　day　when　we　visit　them。　That　is　true；　but　space；　outside　all　metaphysical　speculations；　has　realities　for　us　which　time　does　not　possess。　Space；　although　very　mysterious　and　incomprehensible　once　we　pass　certain　limits；　is　nevertheless　not；　like　time；　incomprehensible　and　illusory　in　all　its　parts。　We　are　certainly　quite　able　to　conceive　that　those　towns　which　we　have　never　seen　and　doubtless　never　will　see　indubitably　exist；　whereas　we　find　it　much　more　difficult　to　imagine　that　the　catastrophe　which；　fifty　years　hence；　will　annihilate　one　of　them　already　exists　as　really　as　the　town　itself。　We　are　capable　of　picturing　a　spot　whence；　with　keener　eyes　than　these　which　we　boast　to…day；　we　should　see　in　one　glance　all　the　cities　of　the　earth　and　even　those　of　other　worlds；　but　it　is　much　less　easy　for　us　to　imagine　a　point　in　the　ages　whence　we　should　simultaneously　discover　the　past；　the　present　and　the　future　because　the　past；　the　present　and　the　future　are　three　orders　of　duration　which　cannot　find　room　at　the　same　time　in　our　intelligence　and　which　inevitably　devour　one　other。　How　can　we　picture　to　ourselves；　for　instance；　a　point　in　eternity　at　which　our　little　procession　already　exists；　while　it　is　not　yet　and　although　it　is　no　more？　Add　to　this　the　thought　that　it　is　necessary　and　inevitable；　from　the　millenaries　which　had　no　beginning；　that；　at　a　given　moment；　at　a　given　place；　the　little　procession　should　leave　the　little　church　in　a　given　manner　and　that　no　known　or　imaginable　will　can　change　anything　in　it；　in　the　future　any　more　than　in　the　past；　and　we　begin　to　understand　that　there　is　no　hope　of　understanding。

29

We　find　among　the　cases　collected　by　M。　Bozzano　a　singular　premonition　wherein　the　unknown　factors　of　space　and　time　are　continued　in　a　very　curious　fashion。　In　August；　1910；　Cavalliere　Giovanni　de　Figueroa；　one　of　the　most　famous　fencing　masters　at　Palermo；　dreamt　that　he　was　in　the　country；　going　along　a　road　white　with　dust；　which　brought　him　to　a　broad　ploughed　field。　In　the　middle　of　the　field　stood　a　rusti