heretics-第8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！
comes incidentally the peculiar insistence on the Superman。
After belabouring a great many people for a great many years for
being unprogressive； Mr。 Shaw has discovered； with characteristic sense；
that it is very doubtful whether any existing human being with two
legs can be progressive at all。 Having come to doubt whether
humanity can be combined with progress； most people； easily pleased；
would have elected to abandon progress and remain with humanity。
Mr。 Shaw； not being easily pleased； decides to throw over humanity
with all its limitations and go in for progress for its own sake。
If man； as we know him； is incapable of the philosophy of progress；
Mr。 Shaw asks； not for a new kind of philosophy； but for a new kind
of man。 It is rather as if a nurse had tried a rather bitter
food for some years on a baby； and on discovering that it was
not suitable； should not throw away the food and ask for a new food；
but throw the baby out of window； and ask for a new baby。
Mr。 Shaw cannot understand that the thing which is valuable
and lovable in our eyes is manthe old beer…drinking；
creed…making； fighting； failing； sensual； respectable man。
And the things that have been founded on this creature immortally remain；
the things that have been founded on the fancy of the Superman have
died with the dying civilizations which alone have given them birth。
When Christ at a symbolic moment was establishing His great society；
He chose for its comer…stone neither the brilliant Paul nor
the mystic John； but a shuffler； a snob a cowardin a word； a man。
And upon this rock He has built His Church； and the gates of Hell
have not prevailed against it。 All the empires and the kingdoms
have failed； because of this inherent and continual weakness；
that they were founded by strong men and upon strong men。
But this one thing； the historic Christian Church； was founded
on a weak man； and for that reason it is indestructible。
For no chain is stronger than its weakest link。
V。 Mr。 H。 G。 Wells and the Giants
We ought to see far enough into a hypocrite to see even his sincerity。
We ought to be interested in that darkest and most real part
of a man in which dwell not the vices that he does not display；
but the virtues that he cannot。 And the more we approach the problems
of human history with this keen and piercing charity； the smaller
and smaller space we shall allow to pure hypocrisy of any kind。
The hypocrites shall not deceive us into thinking them saints；
but neither shall they deceive us into thinking them hypocrites。
And an increasing number of cases will crowd into our field of inquiry；
cases in which there is really no question of hypocrisy at all；
cases in which people were so ingenuous that they seemed absurd；
and so absurd that they seemed disingenuous。
There is one striking instance of an unfair charge of hypocrisy。
It is always urged against the religious in the past； as a point of
inconsistency and duplicity； that they combined a profession of almost
crawling humility with a keen struggle for earthly success and considerable
triumph in attaining it。 It is felt as a piece of humbug； that a man
should be very punctilious in calling himself a miserable sinner；
and also very punctilious in calling himself King of France。
But the truth is that there is no more conscious inconsistency between
the humility of a Christian and the rapacity of a Christian than there
is between the humility of a lover and the rapacity of a lover。
The truth is that there are no things for which men will make such
herculean efforts as the things of which they know they are unworthy。
There never was a man in love who did not declare that； if he strained
every nerve to breaking； he was going to have his desire。
And there never was a man in love who did not declare also that he ought
not to have it。 The whole secret of the practical success of Christendom
lies in the Christian humility； however imperfectly fulfilled。
For with the removal of all question of merit or payment； the soul
is suddenly released for incredible voyages。 If we ask a sane man
how much he merits； his mind shrinks instinctively and instantaneously。
It is doubtful whether he merits six feet of earth。
But if you ask him what he can conquerhe can conquer the stars。
Thus comes the thing called Romance； a purely Christian product。
A man cannot deserve adventures； he cannot earn dragons and hippogriffs。
The mediaeval Europe which asserted humility gained Romance；
the civilization which gained Romance has gained the habitable globe。
How different the Pagan and Stoical feeling was from this has
been admirably expressed in a famous quotation。 Addison makes
the great Stoic say
〃'Tis not in mortals to command success；
But we'll do more； Sempronius； we'll deserve it。〃
But the spirit of Romance and Christendom； the spirit which is in
every lover； the spirit which has bestridden the earth with European
adventure； is quite opposite。 'Tis not in mortals to deserve success。
But we'll do more； Sempronius； we'll obtain it。
And this gay humility； this holding of ourselves lightly and yet ready
for an infinity of unmerited triumphs； this secret is so simple that every
one has supposed that it must be something quite sinister and mysterious。
Humility is so practical a virtue that men think it must be a vice。
Humility is so successful that it is mistaken for pride。
It is mistaken for it all the more easily because it generally goes
with a certain simple love of splendour which amounts to vanity。
Humility will always； by preference； go clad in scarlet and gold；
pride is that which refuses to let gold and scarlet impress it or please
it too much。 In a word； the failure of this virtue actually lies
in its success； it is too successful as an investment to be believed
in as a virtue。 Humility is not merely too good for this world；
it is too practical for this world； I had almost said it is too
worldly for this world。
The instance most quoted in our day is the thing called the humility
of the man of science； and certainly it is a good instance as well
as a modern one。 Men find it extremely difficult to believe
that a man who is obviously uprooting mountains and dividing seas；
tearing down temples and stretching out hands to the stars；
is really a quiet old gentleman who only asks to be allowed to
indulge his harmless old hobby and follow his harmless old nose。
When a man splits a grain of sand and the universe is turned upside down
in consequence； it is difficult to realize that to the man who did it；
the splitting of the grain is the great affair； and the capsizing
of the cosmos quite a small one。 It is hard to enter into the feelings
of a man who regards a new heaven and a new earth in the light of a
by…product。 But undoubtedly it was to this almost eerie innocence
of the intellect that the great men of the great scientific period；
which now appears to be closing； owed their enormous power and triumph。
If they had brought the heavens down like a house of cards
their plea was not even that they had done it on principle；
their quite unanswerable plea was that they had done it by accident。
Whenever there was in them the least touch of pride in what
they had done； there was a good ground for attacking them；
but so long as they were wholly humble； they were wholly victorious。
There were possible answers to Huxley； there was no answer possible
to Darwin。 He was convincing because of his unconsciousness；
one might almost say because of his dulness。 This childlike
and prosaic mind is beginning to wane in the world of science。
Men of science are beginning to see themselves； as the fine phrase is；
in the part； they are beginning to be proud of their humility。
They are beginning to be aesthetic； like the rest of the world；
beginning to spell truth with a capital T； beginning to talk
of the creeds they imagine themselves to have destroyed；
of the discoveries that their forbears made。 Like the modern English；
they are beginning to be soft about their own hardness。
They are becoming conscious of their own strengththat is；
they are growing weaker。 But one purely modern man has emerged
in the strictly modern decades who does carry into our world the clear
personal simplicity of the old world of science。 One man of genius
we have who is an artist； but who was a man of science； and who seems
to be marked above all things with this great scientific humility。
I mean Mr。 H。 G。 Wells。 And in his case； as in the others above
spoken of； there must be a great preliminary difficulty in convincing
the ordinary person that such a virtue is predicable of such a man。
Mr。 Wells began his literary work with violent visionsvisions of
the last pangs of this planet； can it be that a man who begins
with violent visions is humble？ He went on to wilder and wilder
stories about carving beasts into men and shooting angels like birds。
Is the man who shoots angels and carves beasts into men humble？
Since then he has done something bolder than either of these blasphemies；
he has prophesied the political future of all men； prophesied it
with aggressive authority and a ringing decision of detail。
Is the prophet of the future of all men humble ？ It will indeed
be difficult； in the present condition of current thought about
such things as pride and humility； to answer the query of how a man
can be humble who does such big things and such bold things。
For the only answer is the answer which I gave at the beginning
of this essay。 It is the humble man who does the big things。
It is the humble man who does the bold things。 It is the humble
man who has the sensational sights vouchsafed to him； and this
for three obvious reasons： first； that he strains his eyes more
than any other men to see them； second； that he is more overwhelmed
and uplifted with them when they come； third； that he records
them more exactly and sincerely and with less adulteration
from his more commonplace and more conceited everyday self。
Adventures are to those to whom they are most unexpectedthat is；
most romantic。 Adventures are to the shy： in this sense adventures
are to the unadventurous。
Now； this arresting； mental humility
