heretics-第12章
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as leisure and larkiness should always have a religious origin。
Rationally there appears no reason why we should not sing and give
each other presents in honour of anythingthe birth of Michael
Angelo or the opening of Euston Station。 But it does not work。
As a fact； men only become greedily and gloriously material about
something spiritualistic。 Take away the Nicene Creed and similar things；
and you do some strange wrong to the sellers of sausages。
Take away the strange beauty of the saints； and what has
remained to us is the far stranger ugliness of Wandsworth。
Take away the supernatural； and what remains is the unnatural。
And now I have to touch upon a very sad matter。 There are in the modern
world an admirable class of persons who really make protest on behalf
of that antiqua pulchritudo of which Augustine spoke； who do long
for the old feasts and formalities of the childhood of the world。
William Morris and his followers showed how much brighter were
the dark ages than the age of Manchester。 Mr。 W。 B。 Yeats frames
his steps in prehistoric dances； but no man knows and joins his voice
to forgotten choruses that no one but he can hear。 Mr。 George Moore
collects every fragment of Irish paganism that the forgetfulness
of the Catholic Church has left or possibly her wisdom preserved。
There are innumerable persons with eye…glasses and green garments
who pray for the return of the maypole or the Olympian games。
But there is about these people a haunting and alarming something
which suggests that it is just possible that they do not keep Christmas。
It is painful to regard human nature in such a light；
but it seems somehow possible that Mr。 George Moore does
not wave his spoon and shout when the pudding is set alight。
It is even possible that Mr。 W。 B。 Yeats never pulls crackers。
If so； where is the sense of all their dreams of festive traditions？
Here is a solid and ancient festive tradition still plying
a roaring trade in the streets； and they think it vulgar。
if this is so； let them be very certain of this； that they are
the kind of people who in the time of the maypole would have thought
the maypole vulgar； who in the time of the Canterbury pilgrimage
would have thought the Canterbury pilgrimage vulgar； who in the time
of the Olympian games would have thought the Olympian games vulgar。
Nor can there be any reasonable doubt that they were vulgar。
Let no man deceive himself； if by vulgarity we mean coarseness of speech；
rowdiness of behaviour； gossip； horseplay； and some heavy drinking；
vulgarity there always was wherever there was joy； wherever there was
faith in the gods。 Wherever you have belief you will have hilarity；
wherever you have hilarity you will have some dangers。 And as creed
and mythology produce this gross and vigorous life； so in its turn
this gross and vigorous life will always produce creed and mythology。
If we ever get the English back on to the English land they will become
again a religious people； if all goes well； a superstitious people。
The absence from modern life of both the higher and lower forms of faith
is largely due to a divorce from nature and the trees and clouds。
If we have no more turnip ghosts it is chiefly from the lack of turnips。
VII。 Omar and the Sacred Vine
A new morality has burst upon us with some violence in connection
with the problem of strong drink； and enthusiasts in the matter
range from the man who is violently thrown out at 12。30； to the lady
who smashes American bars with an axe。 In these discussions it
is almost always felt that one very wise and moderate position is
to say that wine or such stuff should only be drunk as a medicine。
With this I should venture to disagree with a peculiar ferocity。
The one genuinely dangerous and immoral way of drinking wine is to drink
it as a medicine。 And for this reason； If a man drinks wine in order
to obtain pleasure； he is trying to obtain something exceptional；
something he does not expect every hour of the day； something which；
unless he is a little insane； he will not try to get every hour
of the day。 But if a man drinks wine in order to obtain health；
he is trying to get something natural； something； that is；
that he ought not to be without； something that he may find it
difficult to reconcile himself to being without。 The man may not
be seduced who has seen the ecstasy of being ecstatic； it is more
dazzling to catch a glimpse of the ecstasy of being ordinary。
If there were a magic ointment； and we took it to a strong man；
and said； 〃This will enable you to jump off the Monument；〃
doubtless he would jump off the Monument； but he would not jump
off the Monument all day long to the delight of the City。
But if we took it to a blind man； saying； 〃This will enable you to see；〃
he would be under a heavier temptation。 It would be hard for him
not to rub it on his eyes whenever he heard the hoof of a noble
horse or the birds singing at daybreak。 It is easy to deny one's
self festivity； it is difficult to deny one's self normality。
Hence comes the fact which every doctor knows； that it is often
perilous to give alcohol to the sick even when they need it。
I need hardly say that I do not mean that I think the giving
of alcohol to the sick for stimulus is necessarily unjustifiable。
But I do mean that giving it to the healthy for fun is the proper
use of it； and a great deal more consistent with health。
The sound rule in the matter would appear to be like many other
sound rulesa paradox。 Drink because you are happy； but never because
you are miserable。 Never drink when you are wretched without it；
or you will be like the grey…faced gin…drinker in the slum；
but drink when you would be happy without it； and you will be like
the laughing peasant of Italy。 Never drink because you need it；
for this is rational drinking； and the way to death and hell。
But drink because you do not need it； for this is irrational drinking；
and the ancient health of the world。
For more than thirty years the shadow and glory of a great
Eastern figure has lain upon our English literature。
Fitzgerald's translation of Omar Khayyam concentrated into an
immortal poignancy all the dark and drifting hedonism of our time。
Of the literary splendour of that work it would be merely banal to speak；
in few other of the books of men has there been anything so combining
the gay pugnacity of an epigram with the vague sadness of a song。
But of its philosophical； ethical； and religious influence which has
been almost as great as its brilliancy； I should like to say a word；
and that word； I confess； one of uncompromising hostility。
There are a great many things which might be said against
the spirit of the Rubaiyat； and against its prodigious influence。
But one matter of indictment towers ominously above the rest
a genuine disgrace to it； a genuine calamity to us。 This is the terrible
blow that this great poem has struck against sociability and the joy
of life。 Some one called Omar 〃the sad； glad old Persian。〃
Sad he is； glad he is not； in any sense of the word whatever。
He has been a worse foe to gladness than the Puritans。
A pensive and graceful Oriental lies under the rose…tree
with his wine…pot and his scroll of poems。 It may seem strange
that any one's thoughts should； at the moment of regarding him；
fly back to the dark bedside where the doctor doles out brandy。
It may seem stranger still that they should go back
to the grey wastrel shaking with gin in Houndsditch。
But a great philosophical unity links the three in an evil bond。
Omar Khayyam's wine…bibbing is bad； not because it is wine…bibbing。
It is bad； and very bad； because it is medical wine…bibbing。 It
is the drinking of a man who drinks because he is not happy。
His is the wine that shuts out the universe； not the wine that reveals it。
It is not poetical drinking； which is joyous and instinctive；
it is rational drinking； which is as prosaic as an investment；
as unsavoury as a dose of camomile。 Whole heavens above it；
from the point of view of sentiment； though not of style；
rises the splendour of some old English drinking…song
〃Then pass the bowl； my comrades all；
And let the zider vlow。〃
For this song was caught up by happy men to express the worth
of truly worthy things； of brotherhood and garrulity； and the brief
and kindly leisure of the poor。 Of course； the great part of
the more stolid reproaches directed against the Omarite morality
are as false and babyish as such reproaches usually are。 One critic；
whose work I have read； had the incredible foolishness to call Omar
an atheist and a materialist。 It is almost impossible for an Oriental
to be either； the East understands metaphysics too well for that。
Of course； the real objection which a philosophical Christian
would bring against the religion of Omar； is not that he gives
no place to God； it is that he gives too much place to God。
His is that terrible theism which can imagine nothing else but deity；
and which denies altogether the outlines of human personality
and human will。
〃The ball no question makes of Ayes or Noes；
But Here or There as strikes the Player goes；
And He that tossed you down into the field；
He knows about it allhe knowshe knows。〃
A Christian thinker such as Augustine or Dante would object to this
because it ignores free…will； which is the valour and dignity of the soul。
The quarrel of the highest Christianity with this scepticism is
not in the least that the scepticism denies the existence of God；
it is that it denies the existence of man。
In this cult of the pessimistic pleasure…seeker the Rubaiyat
stands first in our time； but it does not stand alone。
Many of the most brilliant intellects of our time have urged
us to the same self…conscious snatching at a rare delight。
Walter Pater said that we were all under sentence of death；
and the only course was to enjoy exquisite moments simply
for those moments' sake。 The same lesson was taught by the
very powerful and very desolate philosophy of Oscar Wilde。
It is the carpe diem religion； but the carpe diem religion is
not the religion of happy people； but of very unhappy people
