orthodoxy-第6部分

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He　has　permitted　the　twilight。　　He　has　always　had　one　foot　in　earth



and　the　other　in　fairyland。　　He　has　always　left　himself　free　to　doubt



his　gods；　but　（unlike　the　agnostic　of　to…day）　free　also　to　believe



in　them。　　He　has　always　cared　more　for　truth　than　for　consistency。　



If　he　saw　two　truths　that　seemed　to　contradict　each　other；



he　would　take　the　two　truths　and　the　contradiction　along　with　them。　



His　spiritual　sight　is　stereoscopic；　like　his　physical　sight：　



he　sees　two　different　pictures　at　once　and　yet　sees　all　the　better



for　that。　　Thus　he　has　always　believed　that　there　was　such　a　thing



as　fate；　but　such　a　thing　as　free　will　also。　　Thus　he　believed



that　children　were　indeed　the　kingdom　of　heaven；　but　nevertheless



ought　to　be　obedient　to　the　kingdom　of　earth。　　He　admired　youth



because　it　was　young　and　age　because　it　was　not。　　It　is　exactly



this　balance　of　apparent　contradictions　that　has　been　the　whole



buoyancy　of　the　healthy　man。　　The　whole　secret　of　mysticism　is　this：　



that　man　can　understand　everything　by　the　help　of　what　he　does



not　understand。　　The　morbid　logician　seeks　to　make　everything　lucid；



and　succeeds　in　making　everything　mysterious。　　The　mystic　allows



one　thing　to　be　mysterious；　and　everything　else　becomes　lucid。　



The　determinist　makes　the　theory　of　causation　quite　clear；



and　then　finds　that　he　cannot　say　〃if　you　please〃　to　the　housemaid。　



The　Christian　permits　free　will　to　remain　a　sacred　mystery；　but　because



of　this　his　relations　with　the　housemaid　become　of　a　sparkling　and



crystal　clearness。　　He　puts　the　seed　of　dogma　in　a　central　darkness；



but　it　branches　forth　in　all　directions　with　abounding　natural　health。　



As　we　have　taken　the　circle　as　the　symbol　of　reason　and　madness；



we　may　very　well　take　the　cross　as　the　symbol　at　once　of　mystery　and



of　health。　　Buddhism　is　centripetal；　but　Christianity　is　centrifugal：　



it　breaks　out。　　For　the　circle　is　perfect　and　infinite　in　its　nature；



but　it　is　fixed　for　ever　in　its　size；　it　can　never　be　larger



or　smaller。　　But　the　cross；　though　it　has　at　its　heart　a　collision



and　a　contradiction；　can　extend　its　four　arms　for　ever　without



altering　its　shape。　　Because　it　has　a　paradox　in　its　centre　it　can



grow　without　changing。　　The　circle　returns　upon　itself　and　is　bound。　



The　cross　opens　its　arms　to　the　four　winds；　it　is　a　signpost　for　free



travellers。







　　　　　Symbols　alone　are　of　even　a　cloudy　value　in　speaking　of　this



deep　matter；　and　another　symbol　from　physical　nature　will　express



sufficiently　well　the　real　place　of　mysticism　before　mankind。　



The　one　created　thing　which　we　cannot　look　at　is　the　one　thing　in



the　light　of　which　we　look　at　everything。　　Like　the　sun　at　noonday；



mysticism　explains　everything　else　by　the　blaze　of　its　own



victorious　invisibility。　　Detached　intellectualism　is　（in　the



exact　sense　of　a　popular　phrase）　all　moonshine；　for　it　is　light



without　heat；　and　it　is　secondary　light；　reflected　from　a　dead　world。　



But　the　Greeks　were　right　when　they　made　Apollo　the　god　both　of



imagination　and　of　sanity；　for　he　was　both　the　patron　of　poetry



and　the　patron　of　healing。　　Of　necessary　dogmas　and　a　special　creed



I　shall　speak　later。　　But　that　transcendentalism　by　which　all　men



live　has　primarily　much　the　position　of　the　sun　in　the　sky。　



We　are　conscious　of　it　as　of　a　kind　of　splendid　confusion；



it　is　something　both　shining　and　shapeless；　at　once　a　blaze　and



a　blur。　　But　the　circle　of　the　moon　is　as　clear　and　unmistakable；



as　recurrent　and　inevitable；　as　the　circle　of　Euclid　on　a　blackboard。　



For　the　moon　is　utterly　reasonable；　and　the　moon　is　the　mother



of　lunatics　and　has　given　to　them　all　her　name。















III　THE　SUICIDE　OF　THOUGHT











　　　　　The　phrases　of　the　street　are　not　only　forcible　but　subtle：　



for　a　figure　of　speech　can　often　get　into　a　crack　too　small　for



a　definition。　　Phrases　like　〃put　out〃　or　〃off　colour〃　might　have



been　coined　by　Mr。　Henry　James　in　an　agony　of　verbal　precision。　



And　there　is　no　more　subtle　truth　than　that　of　the　everyday　phrase



about　a　man　having　〃his　heart　in　the　right　place。〃　　It　involves　the



idea　of　normal　proportion；　not　only　does　a　certain　function　exist；



but　it　is　rightly　related　to　other　functions。　　Indeed；　the　negation



of　this　phrase　would　describe　with　peculiar　accuracy　the　somewhat　morbid



mercy　and　perverse　tenderness　of　the　most　representative　moderns。　



If；　for　instance；　I　had　to　describe　with　fairness　the　character



of　Mr。　Bernard　Shaw；　I　could　not　express　myself　more　exactly



than　by　saying　that　he　has　a　heroically　large　and　generous　heart；



but　not　a　heart　in　the　right　place。　　And　this　is　so　of　the　typical



society　of　our　time。







　　　　　The　modern　world　is　not　evil；　in　some　ways　the　modern



world　is　far　too　good。　　It　is　full　of　wild　and　wasted　virtues。　



When　a　religious　scheme　is　shattered　（as　Christianity　was　shattered



at　the　Reformation）；　it　is　not　merely　the　vices　that　are　let　loose。　



The　vices　are；　indeed；　let　loose；　and　they　wander　and　do　damage。　



But　the　virtues　are　let　loose　also；　and　the　virtues　wander



more　wildly；　and　the　virtues　do　more　terrible　damage。　　The　modern



world　is　full　of　the　old　Christian　virtues　gone　mad。　　The　virtues



have　gone　mad　because　they　have　been　isolated　from　each　other



and　are　wandering　alone。　　Thus　some　scientists　care　for　truth；



and　their　truth　is　pitiless。　　Thus　some　humanitarians　only　care



for　pity；　and　their　pity　（I　am　sorry　to　say）　is　often　untruthful。　



For　example；　Mr。　Blatchford　attacks　Christianity　because　he　is　mad



on　one　Christian　virtue：　　the　merely　mystical　and　almost　irrational



virtue　of　charity。　　He　has　a　strange　idea　that　he　will　make　it



easier　to　forgive　sins　by　saying　that　there　are　no　sins　to　forgive。　



Mr。　Blatchford　is　not　only　an　early　Christian；　he　is　the　only



early　Christian　who　ought　really　to　have　been　eaten　by　lions。　



For　in　his　case　the　pagan　accusation　is　really　true：　　his　mercy



would　mean　mere　anarchy。　　He　really　is　the　enemy　of　the　human　race



because　he　is　so　human。　　As　the　other　extreme；　we　may　take



the　acrid　realist；　who　has　deliberately　killed　in　himself　all



human　pleasure　in　happy　tales　or　in　the　healing　of　the　heart。　



Torquemada　tortured　people　physically　for　the　sake　of　moral　truth。　



Zola　tortured　people　morally　for　the　sake　of　physical　truth。　



But　in　Torquemada's　time　there　was　at　least　a　system　that　could



to　some　extent　make　righteousness　and　peace　kiss　each　other。　



Now　they　do　not　even　bow。　　But　a　much　stronger　case　than　these　two　of



truth　and　pity　can　be　found　in　the　remarkable　case　of　the　dislocation



of　humility。







　　　　　It　is　only　with　one　aspect　of　humility　that　we　are　here　concerned。　



Humility　was　largely　meant　as　a　restraint　upon　the　arrogance



and　infinity　of　the　appetite　of　man。　　He　was　always　outstripping



his　mercies　with　his　own　newly　invented　needs。　　His　very　power



of　enjoyment　destroyed　half　his　joys。　　By　asking　for　pleasure；



he　lost　the　chief　pleasure；　for　the　chief　pleasure　is　surprise。　



Hence　it　became　evident　that　if　a　man　would　make　his　world　large；



he　must　be　always　making　himself　small。　　Even　the　haughty　visions；



the　tall　cities；　and　the　toppling　pinnacles　are　the　creations



of　humility。　　Giants　that　tread　down　forests　like　grass　are



the　creations　of　humility。　　Towers　that　vanish　upwards　above



the　loneliest　star　are　the　creations　of　humility。　　For　towers



are　not　tall　unless　we　look　up　at　them；　and　giants　are　not　giants



unless　they　are　larger　than　we。　　All　this　gigantesque　imagination；



which　is；　perhaps；　the　mightiest　of　the　pleasures　of　man；　is　at　bottom



entirely　humble。　　It　is　impossible　without　humility　to　enjoy　anything



even　pride。







　　　　　But　what　we　suffer　from　to…day　is　humility　in　the　wrong　place。　



Modesty　has　moved　from　the　organ　of　ambition。　　Modesty　has　settled



upon　the　organ　of　conviction；　where　it　was　never　meant　to　be。　



A　man　was　meant　to　be　doubtful　about　himself；　but　undoubting　about



the　truth；　this　has　been　exactly　reversed。　　Nowadays　the　part



of　a　man　that　a　man　does　assert　is　exactly　the　part　he　ought　not



to　asserthimself。　　The　part　he　doubts　is　exactly　the　part　he



ought　not　to　doubtthe　Divine　Reason。　　Huxley　preached　a　humility



content　to　learn　from　Nature。　　But　the　new　sceptic　is　so　humble



that　he　doubts　if　he　can　even　learn。　　Thus　we　should　be　wrong　if　we



had　said　hastily　that　there　is　no　humility　typical　of　our　time。　



The　truth　is　that　there　is　a　real　humility　typical　of　our　time；



but　it　so　happens　that　it　is　practically　a　more　poisonous　humility



than　the　wildest　prostrations　of　the　ascetic。　　The　old　humility　was



a　spur　that　prevented　a　man　from　stopping；　not　a　nail　in　his　boot



that　prevented　him　from　going　on。　　For　the　old　humility　made　a　man



doubtful　about　his　efforts；　which　might　make　him　work　harder。　



But　the　new　humility　makes　a　man　doubtful　about　his　aims；　which　will　make



him　stop　working　altogether。







　　　　　At　any　street　corner　we　may　meet　a　man　who　utters　the　frantic



and　blasphemous　statement　that　he　may　be　wrong。　　Every　day　one



comes　across　somebody　who　says　that　of　course　his　view　may　not



be　the　right　one。　　Of　course　his　view　must　be　the　right　one；



or　it　is　not　his　view。　　We　are　on　the　road　to　producing　a　race



of　men　too　mentally　modest　to　believe　in　the　multiplication　table。　



We　are　in　danger　of　seeing　philosophers　who　doubt　the　law　of　gravity



as　being　a　mere　fancy　of　their