heroes and hero worship-第32部分

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me　of　them　have　ceased　to　be　possible　long　since；　and　cannot　any　more　show　themselves　in　this　world。　　The　Hero　as　_Man　of　Letters_；　again；　of　which　class　we　are　to　speak　to…day；　is　altogether　a　product　of　these　new　ages；　and　so　long　as　the　wondrous　art　of　_Writing_；　or　of　Ready…writing　which　we　call　_Printing_；　subsists；　he　may　be　expected　to　continue；　as　one　of　the　main　forms　of　Heroism　for　all　future　ages。　　He　is；　in　various　respects；　a　very　singular　phenomenon。

He　is　new；　I　say；　he　has　hardly　lasted　above　a　century　in　the　world　yet。　Never；　till　about　a　hundred　years　ago；　was　there　seen　any　figure　of　a　Great　Soul　living　apart　in　that　anomalous　manner；　endeavoring　to　speak　forth　the　inspiration　that　was　in　him　by　Printed　Books；　and　find　place　and　subsistence　by　what　the　world　would　please　to　give　him　for　doing　that。　Much　had　been　sold　and　bought；　and　left　to　make　its　own　bargain　in　the　market…place；　but　the　inspired　wisdom　of　a　Heroic　Soul　never　till　then；　in　that　naked　manner。　　He；　with　his　copy…rights　and　copy…wrongs；　in　his　squalid　garret；　in　his　rusty　coat；　ruling　（for　this　is　what　he　does）；　from　his　grave；　after　death；　whole　nations　and　generations　who　would；　or　would　not；　give　him　bread　while　living；is　a　rather　curious　spectacle！　　Few　shapes　of　Heroism　can　be　more　unexpected。

Alas；　the　Hero　from　of　old　has　had　to　cramp　himself　into　strange　shapes：　the　world　knows　not　well　at　any　time　what　to　do　with　him；　so　foreign　is　his　aspect　in　the　world！　　It　seemed　absurd　to　us；　that　men；　in　their　rude　admiration；　should　take　some　wise　great　Odin　for　a　god；　and　worship　him　as　such；　some　wise　great　Mahomet　for　one　god…inspired；　and　religiously　follow　his　Law　for　twelve　centuries：　　but　that　a　wise　great　Johnson；　a　Burns；　a　Rousseau；　should　be　taken　for　some　idle　nondescript；　extant　in　the　world　to　amuse　idleness；　and　have　a　few　coins　and　applauses　thrown　him；　that　he　might　live　thereby；　_this_　perhaps；　as　before　hinted；　will　one　day　seem　a　still　absurder　phasis　of　things！Meanwhile；　since　it　is　the　spiritual　always　that　determines　the　material；　this　same　Man…of…Letters　Hero　must　be　regarded　as　our　most　important　modern　person。　　He；　such　as　he　may　be；　is　the　soul　of　all。　　What　he　teaches；　the　whole　world　will　do　and　make。　　The　world's　manner　of　dealing　with　him　is　the　most　significant　feature　of　the　world's　general　position。　　Looking　well　at　his　life；　we　may　get　a　glance；　as　deep　as　is　readily　possible　for　us；　into　the　life　of　those　singular　centuries　which　have　produced　him；　in　which　we　ourselves　live　and　work。

There　are　genuine　Men　of　Letters；　and　not　genuine；　as　in　every　kind　there　is　a　genuine　and　a　spurious。　　If　_hero_　be　taken　to　mean　genuine；　then　I　say　the　Hero　as　Man　of　Letters　will　be　found　discharging　a　function　for　us　which　is　ever　honorable；　ever　the　highest；　and　was　once　well　known　to　be　the　highest。　　He　is　uttering　forth；　in　such　way　as　he　has；　the　inspired　soul　of　him；　all　that　a　man；　in　any　case；　can　do。　　I　say　_inspired_；　for　what　we　call　〃originality；〃　〃sincerity；〃　〃genius；〃　the　heroic　quality　we　have　no　good　name　for；　signifies　that。　　The　Hero　is　he　who　lives　in　the　inward　sphere　of　things；　in　the　True；　Divine　and　Eternal；　which　exists　always；　unseen　to　most；　under　the　Temporary；　Trivial：　　his　being　is　in　that；　he　declares　that　abroad；　by　act　or　speech　as　it　may　be　in　declaring　himself　abroad。　　His　life；　as　we　said　before；　is　a　piece　of　the　everlasting　heart　of　Nature　herself：　　all　men's　life　is；but　the　weak　many　know　not　the　fact；　and　are　untrue　to　it；　in　most　times；　the　strong　few　are　strong；　heroic；　perennial；　because　it　cannot　be　hidden　from　them。　　The　Man　of　Letters；　like　every　Hero；　is　there　to　proclaim　this　in　such　sort　as　he　can。　Intrinsically　it　is　the　same　function　which　the　old　generations　named　a　man　Prophet；　Priest；　Divinity　for　doing；　which　all　manner　of　Heroes；　by　speech　or　by　act；　are　sent　into　the　world　to　do。

Fichte　the　German　Philosopher　delivered；　some　forty　years　ago　at　Erlangen；　a　highly　remarkable　Course　of　Lectures　on　this　subject：　　〃_Ueber　das　Wesen　des　Gelehrten_；　On　the　Nature　of　the　Literary　Man。〃　　Fichte；　in　conformity　with　the　Transcendental　Philosophy；　of　which　he　was　a　distinguished　teacher；　declares　first：　　That　all　things　which　we　see　or　work　with　in　this　Earth；　especially　we　ourselves　and　all　persons；　are　as　a　kind　of　vesture　or　sensuous　Appearance：　　that　under　all　there　lies；　as　the　essence　of　them；　what　he　calls　the　〃Divine　Idea　of　the　World；〃　this　is　the　Reality　which　〃lies　at　the　bottom　of　all　Appearance。〃　　To　the　mass　of　men　no　such　Divine　Idea　is　recognizable　in　the　world；　they　live　merely；　says　Fichte；　among　the　superficialities；　practicalities　and　shows　of　the　world；　not　dreaming　that　there　is　anything　divine　under　them。　　But　the　Man　of　Letters　is　sent　hither　specially　that　he　may　discern　for　himself；　and　make　manifest　to　us；　this　same　Divine　Idea：　　in　every　new　generation　it　will　manifest　itself　in　a　new　dialect；　and　he　is　there　for　the　purpose　of　doing　that。　　Such　is　Fichte's　phraseology；　with　which　we　need　not　quarrel。　　It　is　his　way　of　naming　what　I　here；　by　other　words；　am　striving　imperfectly　to　name；　what　there　is　at　present　no　name　for：　　The　unspeakable　Divine　Significance；　full　of　splendor；　of　wonder　and　terror；　that　lies　in　the　being　of　every　man；　of　every　thing；the　Presence　of　the　God　who　made　every　man　and　thing。　Mahomet　taught　this　in　his　dialect；　Odin　in　his：　　it　is　the　thing　which　all　thinking　hearts；　in　one　dialect　or　another；　are　here　to　teach。

Fichte　calls　the　Man　of　Letters；　therefore；　a　Prophet；　or　as　he　prefers　to　phrase　it；　a　Priest；　continually　unfolding　the　Godlike　to　men：　　Men　of　Letters　are　a　perpetual　Priesthood；　from　age　to　age；　teaching　all　men　that　a　God　is　still　present　in　their　life；　that　all　〃Appearance；〃　whatsoever　we　see　in　the　world；　is　but　as　a　vesture　for　the　〃Divine　Idea　of　the　World；〃　for　〃that　which　lies　at　the　bottom　of　Appearance。〃　　In　the　true　Literary　Man　there　is　thus　ever；　acknowledged　or　not　by　the　world；　a　sacredness：　　he　is　the　light　of　the　world；　the　world's　Priest；guiding　it；　like　a　sacred　Pillar　of　Fire；　in　its　dark　pilgrimage　through　the　waste　of　Time。　　Fichte　discriminates　with　sharp　zeal　the　_true_　Literary　Man；　what　we　here　call　the　_Hero_　as　Man　of　Letters；　from　multitudes　of　false　unheroic。　　Whoever　lives　not　wholly　in　this　Divine　Idea；　or　living　partially　in　it；　struggles　not；　as　for　the　one　good；　to　live　wholly　in　it；he　is；　let　him　live　where　else　he　like；　in　what　pomps　and　prosperities　he　like；　no　Literary　Man；　he　is；　says　Fichte；　a　〃Bungler；　_Stumper_。〃　　Or　at　best；　if　he　belong　to　the　prosaic　provinces；　he　may　be　a　〃Hodman；　〃　Fichte　even　calls　him　elsewhere　a　〃Nonentity；〃　and　has　in　short　no　mercy　for　him；　no　wish　that　_he_　should　continue　happy　among　us！　　This　is　Fichte's　notion　of　the　Man　of　Letters。　It　means；　in　its　own　form；　precisely　what　we　here　mean。

In　this　point　of　view；　I　consider　that；　for　the　last　hundred　years；　by　far　the　notablest　of　all　Literary　Men　is　Fichte's　countryman；　Goethe。　　To　that　man　too；　in　a　strange　way；　there　was　given　what　we　may　call　a　life　in　the　Divine　Idea　of　the　World；　vision　of　the　inward　divine　mystery：　　and　strangely；　out　of　his　Books；　the　world　rises　imaged　once　more　as　godlike；　the　workmanship　and　temple　of　a　God。　　Illuminated　all；　not　in　fierce　impure　fire…splendor　as　of　Mahomet；　but　in　mild　celestial　radiance；really　a　Prophecy　in　these　most　unprophetic　times；　to　my　mind；　by　far　the　greatest；　though　one　of　the　quietest；　among　all　the　great　things　that　have　come　to　pass　in　them。　　Our　chosen　specimen　of　the　Hero　as　Literary　Man　would　be　this　Goethe。　　And　it　were　a　very　pleasant　plan　for　me　here　to　discourse　of　his　heroism：　　for　I　consider　him　to　be　a　true　Hero；　heroic　in　what　he　said　and　did；　and　perhaps　still　more　in　what　he　did　not　say　and　did　not　do；　to　me　a　noble　spectacle：　　a　great　heroic　ancient　man；　speaking　and　keeping　silence　as　an　ancient　Hero；　in　the　guise　of　a　most　modern；　high…bred；　high…cultivated　Man　of　Letters！　　We　have　had　no　such　spectacle；　no　man　capable　of　affording　such；　for　the　last　hundred　and　fifty　years。

But　at　present；　such　is　the　general　state　of　knowledge　about　Goethe；　it　were　worse　than　useless　to　attempt　speaking　of　him　in　this　case。　　Speak　as　I　might；　Goethe；　to　the　great　majority　of　you；　would　remain　problematic；　vague；　no　impression　but　a　false　one　could　be　realized。　　Him　we　must　leave　to　future　times。　　Johnson；　Burns；　Rousseau；　three　great　figures　from　a　prior　time；　from　a　far　inferior　state　of　circumstances；　will　suit　us　better　here。　　Three　men　of　the　Eighteenth　Century；　the　conditions　of　their　life　far　more　resemble　what　those　of　ours　still　are　in　England；　than　what　Goethe's　in　Germany　were。　　Alas；　these　men　did　not　conquer　like　him；　they　fought　bravely；　and　fell。　　They　were　not　heroic　bringers　of　the　light；　but　heroic　seekers　of　it。　　They　lived　under　galling　conditions；　struggling　as　under　mountains　of　impediment；　and　could　not　unfold　themselves　into　clearness；　or　victorious　interpretation　of　that　〃Divine　Idea。〃　　It　is　rather　the　_Tombs_　of　three　Literary　Heroes　that　I　have　to　show　you。　　There　are　the　monumental　heaps；　under　which　three　spiritual　giants　lie　buried。　Very　mournful；　but　also　great　and　full　of　interest　for　us。　　We　will　linger　by　them　for　a　while。


Complaint　is　often　made；　in　these　times；　of　what　we　call　the　disorganized　condition　of　society：　　how　ill　many　forces　of　society　fulfil　their　work；　how　many　powerful　are　seen　working　in　a　wasteful；　chaotic；　altogether　unarranged　manner。　　It　is　too　just　a　complaint；　as　we　all　know。　　But　perhaps　if　we　look　at　this　of　Books　and　the　Writers　of　Books；　we　shall　find　here；　as　it　were；　the　summary　of　all　other　disorganizations；a　sort　of　_heart_；　from　which；　and　to　which　all　other　confusion　circulates　in　the　world！　　Considering　what　Book　writers　do　in　the　world；　and　what　the　world　does　with　Book　writers；　I　should　say；　It　is　the　most　anomalous　thing　the　world　at　present　has　to　show。We　should　get　into　a　sea　far　beyond　sounding；　did　we　attempt　to　give　account　of　this：　　but　we　must　glance　at　it　for　the　sake　of　our　subject。　　The　worst　element　in　the　life　of　these　three　Literary　Heroes　was；　that　they　found　their　business　and　position　such　a　chaos。　　On　the　beaten　road　there　is　tolerable　tr