heroes and hero worship-第33部分

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　that　they　found　their　business　and　position　such　a　chaos。　　On　the　beaten　road　there　is　tolerable　travelling；　but　it　is　sore　work；　and　many　have　to　perish；　fashioning　a　path　through　the　impassable！

Our　pious　Fathers；　feeling　well　what　importance　lay　in　the　speaking　of　man　to　men；　founded　churches；　made　endowments；　regulations；　everywhere　in　the　civilized　world　there　is　a　Pulpit；　environed　with　all　manner　of　complex　dignified　appurtenances　and　furtherances；　that　therefrom　a　man　with　the　tongue　may；　to　best　advantage；　address　his　fellow…men。　　They　felt　that　this　was　the　most　important　thing；　that　without　this　there　was　no　good　thing。　It　is　a　right　pious　work；　that　of　theirs；　beautiful　to　behold！　　But　now　with　the　art　of　Writing；　with　the　art　of　Printing；　a　total　change　has　come　over　that　business。　　The　Writer　of　a　Book；　is　not　he　a　Preacher　preaching　not　to　this　parish　or　that；　on　this　day　or　that；　but　to　all　men　in　all　times　and　places？　　Surely　it　is　of　the　last　importance　that　_he_　do　his　work　right；　whoever　do　it　wrong；that　the　_eye_　report　not　falsely；　for　then　all　the　other　members　are　astray！　　Well；　how　he　may　do　his　work；　whether　he　do　it　right　or　wrong；　or　do　it　at　all；　is　a　point　which　no　man　in　the　world　has　taken　the　pains　to　think　of。　　To　a　certain　shopkeeper；　trying　to　get　some　money　for　his　books；　if　lucky；　he　is　of　some　importance；　to　no　other　man　of　any。　　Whence　he　came；　whither　he　is　bound；　by　what　ways　he　arrived；　by　what　he　might　be　furthered　on　his　course；　no　one　asks。　　He　is　an　accident　in　society。　　He　wanders　like　a　wild　Ishmaelite；　in　a　world　of　which　he　is　as　the　spiritual　light；　either　the　guidance　or　the　misguidance！

Certainly　the　Art　of　Writing　is　the　most　miraculous　of　all　things　man　has　devised。　　Odin's　_Runes_　were　the　first　form　of　the　work　of　a　Hero；　_Books_　written　words；　are　still　miraculous　_Runes_；　the　latest　form！　　In　Books　lies　the　_soul_　of　the　whole　Past　Time；　the　articulate　audible　voice　of　the　Past；　when　the　body　and　material　substance　of　it　has　altogether　vanished　like　a　dream。　　Mighty　fleets　and　armies；　harbors　and　arsenals；　vast　cities；　high…domed；　many…engined；they　are　precious；　great：　　but　what　do　they　become？　　Agamemnon；　the　many　Agamemnons；　Pericleses；　and　their　Greece；　all　is　gone　now　to　some　ruined　fragments；　dumb　mournful　wrecks　and　blocks：　　but　the　Books　of　Greece！　　There　Greece；　to　every　thinker；　still　very　literally　lives：　　can　be　called　up　again　into　life。　　No　magic　_Rune_　is　stranger　than　a　Book。　　All　that　Mankind　has　done；　thought；　gained　or　been：　　it　is　lying　as　in　magic　preservation　in　the　pages　of　Books。　　They　are　the　chosen　possession　of　men。

Do　not　Books　still　accomplish　_miracles_；　as　_Runes_　were　fabled　to　do？　They　persuade　men。　　Not　the　wretchedest　circulating…library　novel；　which　foolish　girls　thumb　and　con　in　remote　villages；　but　will　help　to　regulate　the　actual　practical　weddings　and　households　of　those　foolish　girls。　　So　〃Celia〃　felt；　so　〃Clifford〃　acted：　　the　foolish　Theorem　of　Life；　stamped　into　those　young　brains；　comes　out　as　a　solid　Practice　one　day。　　Consider　whether　any　_Rune_　in　the　wildest　imagination　of　Mythologist　ever　did　such　wonders　as；　on　the　actual　firm　Earth；　some　Books　have　done！　　What　built　St。　Paul's　Cathedral？　　Look　at　the　heart　of　the　matter；　it　was　that　divine　Hebrew　BOOK；the　word　partly　of　the　man　Moses；　an　outlaw　tending　his　Midianitish　herds；　four　thousand　years　ago；　in　the　wildernesses　of　Sinai！　It　is　the　strangest　of　things；　yet　nothing　is　truer。　　With　the　art　of　Writing；　of　which　Printing　is　a　simple；　an　inevitable　and　comparatively　insignificant　corollary；　the　true　reign　of　miracles　for　mankind　commenced。　It　related；　with　a　wondrous　new　contiguity　and　perpetual　closeness；　the　Past　and　Distant　with　the　Present　in　time　and　place；　all　times　and　all　places　with　this　our　actual　Here　and　Now。　　All　things　were　altered　for　men；　all　modes　of　important　work　of　men：　　teaching；　preaching；　governing；　and　all　else。

To　look　at　Teaching；　for　instance。　　Universities　are　a　notable；　respectable　product　of　the　modern　ages。　　Their　existence　too　is　modified；　to　the　very　basis　of　it；　by　the　existence　of　Books。　　Universities　arose　while　there　were　yet　no　Books　procurable；　while　a　man；　for　a　single　Book；　had　to　give　an　estate　of　land。　　That；　in　those　circumstances；　when　a　man　had　some　knowledge　to　communicate；　he　should　do　it　by　gathering　the　learners　round　him；　face　to　face；　was　a　necessity　for　him。　　If　you　wanted　to　know　what　Abelard　knew；　you　must　go　and　listen　to　Abelard。　　Thousands；　as　many　as　thirty　thousand；　went　to　hear　Abelard　and　that　metaphysical　theology　of　his。　　And　now　for　any　other　teacher　who　had　also　something　of　his　own　to　teach；　there　was　a　great　convenience　opened：　　so　many　thousands　eager　to　learn　were　already　assembled　yonder；　of　all　places　the　best　place　for　him　was　that。　　For　any　third　teacher　it　was　better　still；　and　grew　ever　the　better；　the　more　teachers　there　came。　　It　only　needed　now　that　the　King　took　notice　of　this　new　phenomenon；　combined　or　agglomerated　the　various　schools　into　one　school；　gave　it　edifices；　privileges；　encouragements；　and　named　it　_Universitas_；　or　School　of　all　Sciences：　　the　University　of　Paris；　in　its　essential　characters；　was　there。　　The　model　of　all　subsequent　Universities；　which　down　even　to　these　days；　for　six　centuries　now；　have　gone　on　to　found　themselves。　　Such；　I　conceive；　was　the　origin　of　Universities。

It　is　clear；　however；　that　with　this　simple　circumstance；　facility　of　getting　Books；　the　whole　conditions　of　the　business　from　top　to　bottom　were　changed。　　Once　invent　Printing；　you　metamorphosed　all　Universities；　or　superseded　them！　　The　Teacher　needed　not　now　to　gather　men　personally　round　him；　that　he　might　_speak_　to　them　what　he　knew：　　print　it　in　a　Book；　and　all　learners　far　and　wide；　for　a　trifle；　had　it　each　at　his　own　fireside；　much　more　effectually　to　learn　it！Doubtless　there　is　still　peculiar　virtue　in　Speech；　even　writers　of　Books　may　still；　in　some　circumstances；　find　it　convenient　to　speak　also；witness　our　present　meeting　here！　　There　is；　one　would　say；　and　must　ever　remain　while　man　has　a　tongue；　a　distinct　province　for　Speech　as　well　as　for　Writing　and　Printing。　　In　regard　to　all　things　this　must　remain；　to　Universities　among　others。　　But　the　limits　of　the　two　have　nowhere　yet　been　pointed　out；　ascertained；　much　less　put　in　practice：　　the　University　which　would　completely　take　in　that　great　new　fact；　of　the　existence　of　Printed　Books；　and　stand　on　a　clear　footing　for　the　Nineteenth　Century　as　the　Paris　one　did　for　the　Thirteenth；　has　not　yet　come　into　existence。　　If　we　think　of　it；　all　that　a　University；　or　final　highest　School　can　do　for　us；　is　still　but　what　the　first　School　began　doing；teach　us　to　_read_。　　We　learn　to　_read_；　in　various　languages；　in　various　sciences；　we　learn　the　alphabet　and　letters　of　all　manner　of　Books。　But　the　place　where　we　are　to　get　knowledge；　even　theoretic　knowledge；　is　the　Books　themselves！　　It　depends　on　what　we　read；　after　all　manner　of　Professors　have　done　their　best　for　us。　　The　true　University　of　these　days　is　a　Collection　of　Books。

But　to　the　Church　itself；　as　I　hinted　already；　all　is　changed；　in　its　preaching；　in　its　working；　by　the　introduction　of　Books。　　The　Church　is　the　working　recognized　Union　of　our　Priests　or　Prophets；　of　those　who　by　wise　teaching　guide　the　souls　of　men。　　While　there　was　no　Writing；　even　while　there　was　no　Easy…writing；　or　_Printing_；　the　preaching　of　the　voice　was　the　natural　sole　method　of　performing　this。　　But　now　with　Books！　He　that　can　write　a　true　Book；　to　persuade　England；　is　not　he　the　Bishop　and　Archbishop；　the　Primate　of　England　and　of　All　England？　　I　many　a　time　say；　the　writers　of　Newspapers；　Pamphlets；　Poems；　Books；　these　_are_　the　real　working　effective　Church　of　a　modern　country。　　Nay　not　only　our　preaching；　but　even　our　worship；　is　not　it　too　accomplished　by　means　of　Printed　Books？　The　noble　sentiment　which　a　gifted　soul　has　clothed　for　us　in　melodious　words；　which　brings　melody　into　our　hearts；is　not　this　essentially；　if　we　will　understand　it；　of　the　nature　of　worship？　　There　are　many；　in　all　countries；　who；　in　this　confused　time；　have　no　other　method　of　worship。　　He　who；　in　any　way；　shows　us　better　than　we　knew　before　that　a　lily　of　the　fields　is　beautiful；　does　he　not　show　it　us　as　an　effluence　of　the　Fountain　of　all　Beauty；　as　the　_handwriting_；　made　visible　there；　of　the　great　Maker　of　the　Universe？　　He　has　sung　for　us；　made　us　sing　with　him；　a　little　verse　of　a　sacred　Psalm。　　Essentially　so。　　How　much　more　he　who　sings；　who　says；　or　in　any　way　brings　home　to　our　heart　the　noble　doings；　feelings；　darings　and　endurances　of　a　brother　man！　　He　has　verily　touched　our　hearts　as　with　a　live　coal　_from　the　altar_。　　Perhaps　there　is　no　worship　more　authentic。

Literature；　so　far　as　it　is　Literature；　is　an　〃apocalypse　of　Nature；〃　a　revealing　of　the　〃open　secret。〃　　It　may　well　enough　be　named；　in　Fichte's　style；　a　〃continuous　revelation〃　of　the　Godlike　in　the　Terrestrial　and　Common。　　The　Godlike　does　ever；　in　very　truth；　endure　there；　is　brought　out；　now　in　this　dialect；　now　in　that；　with　various　degrees　of　clearness：　all　true　gifted　Singers　and　Speakers　are；　consciously　or　unconsciously；　doing　so。　　The　dark　stormful　indignation　of　a　Byron；　so　wayward　and　perverse；　may　have　touches　of　it；　nay　the　withered　mockery　of　a　French　sceptic；his　mockery　of　the　False；　a　love　and　worship　of　the　True。　　How　much　more　the　sphere…harmony　of　a　Shakspeare；　of　a　Goethe；　the　cathedral　music　of　a　Milton！　　They　are　something　too；　those　humble　genuine　lark…notes　of　a　Burns；skylark；　starting　from　the　humble　furrow；　far　overhead　into　the　blue　depths；　and　singing　to　us　so　genuinely　there！　　For　all　true　singing　is　of　the　nature　of　worship；　as　indeed　all　true　_working_　may　be　said　to　be；whereof　such　_singing_　is　but　the　record；　and　fit　melodious　representation；　to　us。　　Fragments　of　a　real　〃Church　Liturgy〃　and　〃Body　of　Homilies；〃　strangely　disguised　from　the　common　eye；　are　to　be　found　weltering　in　that　huge　froth…ocean　of　Printed　Speech　we　loosely　call　Literature！　　Books　are　our　Church　too。

Or　turning　now　to　the　Government　of　men。　　Witenagemote；　old　Parliament；　was　a　great　thing。　　The　affairs　of　the　nation　were　there　delibera