heroes and hero worship-第25部分

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he　accumulation　of　offences　is；　as　we　say；　too　literally　_exploded_；　blasted　asunder　volcanically；　and　there　are　long　troublous　periods；　before　matters　come　to　a　settlement　again。

Surely　it　were　mournful　enough　to　look　only　at　this　face　of　the　matter；　and　find　in　all　human　opinions　and　arrangements　merely　the　fact　that　they　were　uncertain；　temporary；　subject　to　the　law　of　death！　　At　bottom；　it　is　not　so：　　all　death；　here　too　we　find；　is　but　of　the　body；　not　of　the　essence　or　soul；　all　destruction；　by　violent　revolution　or　howsoever　it　be；　is　but　new　creation　on　a　wider　scale。　　Odinism　was　_Valor_；　Christianism　was　_Humility_；　a　nobler　kind　of　Valor。　　No　thought　that　ever　dwelt　honestly　as　true　in　the　heart　of　man　but　_was_　an　honest　insight　into　God's　truth　on　man's　part；　and　_has_　an　essential　truth　in　it　which　endures　through　all　changes；　an　everlasting　possession　for　us　all。　　And；　on　the　other　hand；　what　a　melancholy　notion　is　that；　which　has　to　represent　all　men；　in　all　countries　and　times　except　our　own；　as　having　spent　their　life　in　blind　condemnable　error；　mere　lost　Pagans；　Scandinavians；　Mahometans；　only　that　we　might　have　the　true　ultimate　knowledge！　　All　generations　of　men　were　lost　and　wrong；　only　that　this　present　little　section　of　a　generation　might　be　saved　and　right。　　They　all　marched　forward　there；　all　generations　since　the　beginning　of　the　world；　like　the　Russian　soldiers　into　the　ditch　of　Schweidnitz　Fort；　only　to　fill　up　the　ditch　with　their　dead　bodies；　that　we　might　march　over　and　take　the　place！　　It　is　an　incredible　hypothesis。

Such　incredible　hypothesis　we　have　seen　maintained　with　fierce　emphasis；　and　this　or　the　other　poor　individual　man；　with　his　sect　of　individual　men；　marching　as　over　the　dead　bodies　of　all　men；　towards　sure　victory　but　when　he　too；　with　his　hypothesis　and　ultimate　infallible　credo；　sank　into　the　ditch；　and　became　a　dead　body；　what　was　to　be　said？Withal；　it　is　an　important　fact　in　the　nature　of　man；　that　he　tends　to　reckon　his　own　insight　as　final；　and　goes　upon　it　as　such。　　He　will　always　do　it；　I　suppose；　in　one　or　the　other　way；　but　it　must　be　in　some　wider；　wiser　way　than　this。　　Are　not　all　true　men　that　live；　or　that　ever　lived；　soldiers　of　the　same　army；　enlisted；　under　Heaven's　captaincy；　to　do　battle　against　the　same　enemy；　the　empire　of　Darkness　and　Wrong？　　Why　should　we　misknow　one　another；　fight　not　against　the　enemy　but　against　ourselves；　from　mere　difference　of　uniform？　　All　uniforms　shall　be　good；　so　they　hold　in　them　true　valiant　men。　　All　fashions　of　arms；　the　Arab　turban　and　swift　scimetar；　Thor's　strong　hammer　smiting　down　_Jotuns_；　shall　be　welcome。　Luther's　battle…voice；　Dante's　march…melody；　all　genuine　things　are　with　us；　not　against　us。　　We　are　all　under　one　Captain。　　soldiers　of　the　same　host。Let　us　now　look　a　little　at　this　Luther's　fighting；　what　kind　of　battle　it　was；　and　how　he　comported　himself　in　it。　　Luther　too　was　of　our　spiritual　Heroes；　a　Prophet　to　his　country　and　time。


As　introductory　to　the　whole；　a　remark　about　Idolatry　will　perhaps　be　in　place　here。　　One　of　Mahomet's　characteristics；　which　indeed　belongs　to　all　Prophets；　is　unlimited　implacable　zeal　against　Idolatry。　　It　is　the　grand　theme　of　Prophets：　　Idolatry；　the　worshipping　of　dead　Idols　as　the　Divinity；　is　a　thing　they　cannot　away　with；　but　have　to　denounce　continually；　and　brand　with　inexpiable　reprobation；　it　is　the　chief　of　all　the　sins　they　see　done　under　the　sun。　　This　is　worth　noting。　　We　will　not　enter　here　into　the　theological　question　about　Idolatry。　　Idol　is　_Eidolon_；　a　thing　seen；　a　symbol。　　It　is　not　God；　but　a　Symbol　of　God；　and　perhaps　one　may　question　whether　any　the　most　benighted　mortal　ever　took　it　for　more　than　a　Symbol。　　I　fancy；　he　did　not　think　that　the　poor　image　his　own　hands　had　made　_was_　God；　but　that　God　was　emblemed　by　it；　that　God　was　in　it　some　way　or　other。　　And　now　in　this　sense；　one　may　ask；　Is　not　all　worship　whatsoever　a　worship　by　Symbols；　by　_eidola_；　or　things　seen？　Whether　_seen_；　rendered　visible　as　an　image　or　picture　to　the　bodily　eye；　or　visible　only　to　the　inward　eye；　to　the　imagination；　to　the　intellect：　this　makes　a　superficial；　but　no　substantial　difference。　　It　is　still　a　Thing　Seen；　significant　of　Godhead；　an　Idol。　　The　most　rigorous　Puritan　has　his　Confession　of　Faith；　and　intellectual　Representation　of　Divine　things；　and　worships　thereby；　thereby　is　worship　first　made　possible　for　him。　　All　creeds；　liturgies；　religious　forms；　conceptions　that　fitly　invest　religious　feelings；　are　in　this　sense　_eidola_；　things　seen。　　All　worship　whatsoever　must　proceed　by　Symbols；　by　Idols：we　may　say；　all　Idolatry　is　comparative；　and　the　worst　Idolatry　is　only　_more_　idolatrous。

Where；　then；　lies　the　evil　of　it？　　Some　fatal　evil　must　lie　in　it；　or　earnest　prophetic　men　would　not　on　all　hands　so　reprobate　it。　　Why　is　Idolatry　so　hateful　to　Prophets？　　It　seems　to　me　as　if；　in　the　worship　of　those　poor　wooden　symbols；　the　thing　that　had　chiefly　provoked　the　Prophet；　and　filled　his　inmost　soul　with　indignation　and　aversion；　was　not　exactly　what　suggested　itself　to　his　own　thought；　and　came　out　of　him　in　words　to　others；　as　the　thing。　　The　rudest　heathen　that　worshipped　Canopus；　or　the　Caabah　Black…Stone；　he；　as　we　saw；　was　superior　to　the　horse　that　worshipped　nothing　at　all！　　Nay　there　was　a　kind　of　lasting　merit　in　that　poor　act　of　his；　analogous　to　what　is　still　meritorious　in　Poets：　recognition　of　a　certain　endless　_divine_　beauty　and　significance　in　stars　and　all　natural　objects　whatsoever。　　Why　should　the　Prophet　so　mercilessly　condemn　him？　　The　poorest　mortal　worshipping　his　Fetish；　while　his　heart　is　full　of　it；　may　be　an　object　of　pity；　of　contempt　and　avoidance；　if　you　will；　but　cannot　surely　be　an　object　of　hatred。　　Let　his　heart　_be_　honestly　full　of　it；　the　whole　space　of　his　dark　narrow　mind　illuminated　thereby；　in　one　word；　let　him　entirely　_believe_　in　his　Fetish；it　will　then　be；　I　should　say；　if　not　well　with　him；　yet　as　well　as　it　can　readily　be　made　to　be；　and　you　will　leave　him　alone；　unmolested　there。

But　here　enters　the　fatal　circumstance　of　Idolatry；　that；　in　the　era　of　the　Prophets；　no　man's　mind　_is_　any　longer　honestly　filled　with　his　Idol　or　Symbol。　　Before　the　Prophet　can　arise　who；　seeing　through　it；　knows　it　to　be　mere　wood；　many　men　must　have　begun　dimly　to　doubt　that　it　was　little　more。　　Condemnable　Idolatry　is　_insincere_　Idolatry。　　Doubt　has　eaten　out　the　heart　of　it：　　a　human　soul　is　seen　clinging　spasmodically　to　an　Ark　of　the　Covenant；　which　it　half　feels　now　to　have　become　a　Phantasm。　　This　is　one　of　the　balefulest　sights。　　Souls　are　no　longer　filled　with　their　Fetish；　but　only　pretend　to　be　filled；　and　would　fain　make　themselves　feel　that　they　are　filled。　　〃You　do　not　believe；〃　said　Coleridge；　〃you　only　believe　that　you　believe。〃　　It　is　the　final　scene　in　all　kinds　of　Worship　and　Symbolism；　the　sure　symptom　that　death　is　now　nigh。　　It　is　equivalent　to　what　we　call　Formulism；　and　Worship　of　Formulas；　in　these　days　of　ours。　No　more　immoral　act　can　be　done　by　a　human　creature；　for　it　is　the　beginning　of　all　immorality；　or　rather　it　is　the　impossibility　henceforth　of　any　morality　whatsoever：　　the　innermost　moral　soul　is　paralyzed　thereby；　cast　into　fatal　magnetic　sleep！　　Men　are　no　longer　_sincere_　men。　　I　do　not　wonder　that　the　earnest　man　denounces　this；　brands　it；　prosecutes　it　with　inextinguishable　aversion。　　He　and　it；　all　good　and　it；　are　at　death…feud。　Blamable　Idolatry　is　_Cant_；　and　even　what　one　may　call　Sincere…Cant。　Sincere…Cant：　　that　is　worth　thinking　of！　　Every　sort　of　Worship　ends　with　this　phasis。

I　find　Luther　to　have　been　a　Breaker　of　Idols；　no　less　than　any　other　Prophet。　　The　wooden　gods　of　the　Koreish；　made　of　timber　and　bees…wax；　were　not　more　hateful　to　Mahomet　than　Tetzel's　Pardons　of　Sin；　made　of　sheepskin　and　ink；　were　to　Luther。　　It　is　the　property　of　every　Hero；　in　every　time；　in　every　place　and　situation；　that　he　come　back　to　reality；　that　he　stand　upon　things；　and　not　shows　of　things。　　According　as　he　loves；　and　venerates；　articulately　or　with　deep　speechless　thought；　the　awful　realities　of　things；　so　will　the　hollow　shows　of　things；　however　regular；　decorous；　accredited　by　Koreishes　or　Conclaves；　be　intolerable　and　detestable　to　him。　　Protestantism；　too；　is　the　work　of　a　Prophet：　　the　prophet…work　of　that　sixteenth　century。　　The　first　stroke　of　honest　demolition　to　an　ancient　thing　grown　false　and　idolatrous；　preparatory　afar　off　to　a　new　thing；　which　shall　be　true；　and　authentically　divine！

At　first　view　it　might　seem　as　if　Protestantism　were　entirely　destructive　to　this　that　we　call　Hero…worship；　and　represent　as　the　basis　of　all　possible　good；　religious　or　social；　for　mankind。　　One　often　hears　it　said　that　Protestantism　introduced　a　new　era；　radically　different　from　any　the　world　had　ever　seen　before：　　the　era　of　〃private　judgment；〃　as　they　call　it。　　By　this　revolt　against　the　Pope；　every　man　became　his　own　Pope；　and　learnt；　among　other　things；　that　he　must　never　trust　any　Pope；　or　spiritual　Hero…captain；　any　more！　　Whereby；　is　not　spiritual　union；　all　hierarchy　and　subordination　among　men；　henceforth　an　impossibility？　　So　we　hear　it　said。Now　I　need　not　deny　that　Protestantism　was　a　revolt　against　spiritual　sovereignties；　Popes　and　much　else。　　Nay　I　will　grant　that　English　Puritanism；　revolt　against　earthly　sovereignties；　was　the　second　act　of　it；　that　the　enormous　French　Revolution　itself　was　the　third　act；　whereby　all　sovereignties　earthly　and　spiritual　were；　as　might　seem；　abolished　or　made　sure　of　abolition。　　Protestantism　is　the　grand　root　from　which　our　whole　subsequent　European　History　branches　out。　　For　the　spiritual　will　always　body　itself　forth　in　the　temporal　history　of　men；　the　spiritual　is　the　beginning　of　the　temporal。　　And　now；　sure　enough；　the　cry　is　everywhere　for　Liberty　and　Equality；　Independence　and　so　forth；　instead　of　_Kings_；　Ballot…boxes　and　Electoral　suffrages：　　it　seems　made　out　that　any　Hero…sovereign；　or　loyal　obedience　of　men　to　a　man；　in　things　temporal　or　things　spiritual；　has　passed　away　forever　from　the　world。　　I　should　despair　of　the　world　altogether；　if　so。　　One　of　my　deepest　convictions　is；　that　it　is　not　so。　　Without　sovereigns；　true　sovereigns；