heroes and hero worship-第34部分

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Or　turning　now　to　the　Government　of　men。　　Witenagemote；　old　Parliament；　was　a　great　thing。　　The　affairs　of　the　nation　were　there　deliberated　and　decided；　what　we　were　to　_do_　as　a　nation。　　But　does　not；　though　the　name　Parliament　subsists；　the　parliamentary　debate　go　on　now；　everywhere　and　at　all　times；　in　a　far　more　comprehensive　way；　_out_　of　Parliament　altogether？　Burke　said　there　were　Three　Estates　in　Parliament；　but；　in　the　Reporters'　Gallery　yonder；　there　sat　a　_Fourth　Estate_　more　important　far　than　they　all。　　It　is　not　a　figure　of　speech；　or　a　witty　saying；　it　is　a　literal　fact；very　momentous　to　us　in　these　times。　　Literature　is　our　Parliament　too。　　Printing；　which　comes　necessarily　out　of　Writing；　I　say　often；　is　equivalent　to　Democracy：　　invent　Writing；　Democracy　is　inevitable。　　Writing　brings　Printing；　brings　universal　everyday　extempore　Printing；　as　we　see　at　present。　　Whoever　can　speak；　speaking　now　to　the　whole　nation；　becomes　a　power；　a　branch　of　government；　with　inalienable　weight　in　law…making；　in　all　acts　of　authority。　　It　matters　not　what　rank　he　has；　what　revenues　or　garnitures。　　the　requisite　thing　is；　that　he　have　a　tongue　which　others　will　listen　to；　this　and　nothing　more　is　requisite。　　The　nation　is　governed　by　all　that　has　tongue　in　the　nation：　　Democracy　is　virtually　_there_。　　Add　only；　that　whatsoever　power　exists　will　have　itself；　by　and　by；　organized；　working　secretly　under　bandages；　obscurations；　obstructions；　it　will　never　rest　till　it　get　to　work　free；　unencumbered；　visible　to　all。　　Democracy　virtually　extant　will　insist　on　becoming　palpably　extant。

On　all　sides；　are　we　not　driven　to　the　conclusion　that；　of　the　things　which　man　can　do　or　make　here　below；　by　far　the　most　momentous；　wonderful　and　worthy　are　the　things　we　call　Books！　　Those　poor　bits　of　rag…paper　with　black　ink　on　them；from　the　Daily　Newspaper　to　the　sacred　Hebrew　BOOK；　what　have　they　not　done；　what　are　they　not　doing！For　indeed；　whatever　be　the　outward　form　of　the　thing　（bits　of　paper；　as　we　say；　and　black　ink）；　is　it　not　verily；　at　bottom；　the　highest　act　of　man's　faculty　that　produces　a　Book？　　It　is　the　_Thought_　of　man；　the　true　thaumaturgic　virtue；　by　which　man　works　all　things　whatsoever。　　All　that　he　does；　and　brings　to　pass；　is　the　vesture　of　a　Thought。　　This　London　City；　with　all　its　houses；　palaces；　steam…engines；　cathedrals；　and　huge　immeasurable　traffic　and　tumult；　what　is　it　but　a　Thought；　but　millions　of　Thoughts　made　into　One；a　huge　immeasurable　Spirit　of　a　THOUGHT；　embodied　in　brick；　in　iron；　smoke；　dust；　Palaces；　Parliaments；　Hackney　Coaches；　Katherine　Docks；　and　the　rest　of　it！　Not　a　brick　was　made　but　some　man　had　to　_think_　of　the　making　of　that　brick。The　thing　we　called　〃bits　of　paper　with　traces　of　black　ink；〃　is　the　_purest_　embodiment　a　Thought　of　man　can　have。　　No　wonder　it　is；　in　all　ways；　the　activest　and　noblest。

All　this；　of　the　importance　and　supreme　importance　of　the　Man　of　Letters　in　modern　Society；　and　how　the　Press　is　to　such　a　degree　superseding　the　Pulpit；　the　Senate；　the　_Senatus　Academicus_　and　much　else；　has　been　admitted　for　a　good　while；　and　recognized　often　enough；　in　late　times；　with　a　sort　of　sentimental　triumph　and　wonderment。　　It　seems　to　me；　the　Sentimental　by　and　by　will　have　to　give　place　to　the　Practical。　　If　Men　of　Letters　_are_　so　incalculably　influential；　actually　performing　such　work　for　us　from　age　to　age；　and　even　from　day　to　day；　then　I　think　we　may　conclude　that　Men　of　Letters　will　not　always　wander　like　unrecognized　unregulated　Ishmaelites　among　us！　　Whatsoever　thing；　as　I　said　above；　has　virtual　unnoticed　power　will　cast　off　its　wrappages；　bandages；　and　step　forth　one　day　with　palpably　articulated；　universally　visible　power。　　That　one　man　wear　the　clothes；　and　take　the　wages；　of　a　function　which　is　done　by　quite　another：　　there　can　be　no　profit　in　this；　this　is　not　right；　it　is　wrong。　　And　yet；　alas；　the　_making_　of　it　right；what　a　business；　for　long　times　to　come！　　Sure　enough；　this　that　we　call　Organization　of　the　Literary　Guild　is　still　a　great　way　off；　encumbered　with　all　manner　of　complexities。　If　you　asked　me　what　were　the　best　possible　organization　for　the　Men　of　Letters　in　modern　society；　the　arrangement　of　furtherance　and　regulation；　grounded　the　most　accurately　on　the　actual　facts　of　their　position　and　of　the　world's　position；I　should　beg　to　say　that　the　problem　far　exceeded　my　faculty！　　It　is　not　one　man's　faculty；　it　is　that　of　many　successive　men　turned　earnestly　upon　it；　that　will　bring　out　even　an　approximate　solution。　What　the　best　arrangement　were；　none　of　us　could　say。　　But　if　you　ask；　Which　is　the　worst？　　I　answer：　　This　which　we　now　have；　that　Chaos　should　sit　umpire　in　it；　this　is　the　worst。　　To　the　best；　or　any　good　one；　there　is　yet　a　long　way。

One　remark　I　must　not　omit；　That　royal　or　parliamentary　grants　of　money　are　by　no　means　the　chief　thing　wanted！　　To　give　our　Men　of　Letters　stipends；　endowments　and　all　furtherance　of　cash；　will　do　little　towards　the　business。　　On　the　whole；　one　is　weary　of　hearing　about　the　omnipotence　of　money。　　I　will　say　rather　that；　for　a　genuine　man；　it　is　no　evil　to　be　poor；　that　there　ought　to　be　Literary　Men　poor；to　show　whether　they　are　genuine　or　not！　　Mendicant　Orders；　bodies　of　good　men　doomed　to　beg；　were　instituted　in　the　Christian　Church；　a　most　natural　and　even　necessary　development　of　the　spirit　of　Christianity。　　It　was　itself　founded　on　Poverty；　on　Sorrow；　Contradiction；　Crucifixion；　every　species　of　worldly　Distress　and　Degradation。　　We　may　say；　that　he　who　has　not　known　those　things；　and　learned　from　them　the　priceless　lessons　they　have　to　teach；　has　missed　a　good　opportunity　of　schooling。　　To　beg；　and　go　barefoot；　in　coarse　woollen　cloak　with　a　rope　round　your　loins；　and　be　despised　of　all　the　world；　was　no　beautiful　business；nor　an　honorable　one　in　any　eye；　till　the　nobleness　of　those　who　did　so　had　made　it　honored　of　some！

Begging　is　not　in　our　course　at　the　present　time：　　but　for　the　rest　of　it；　who　will　say　that　a　Johnson　is　not　perhaps　the　better　for　being　poor？　　It　is　needful　for　him；　at　all　rates；　to　know　that　outward　profit；　that　success　of　any　kind　is　_not_　the　goal　he　has　to　aim　at。　　Pride；　vanity；　ill…conditioned　egoism　of　all　sorts；　are　bred　in　his　heart；　as　in　every　heart；　need；　above　all；　to　be　cast　out　of　his　heart；to　be；　with　whatever　pangs；　torn　out　of　it；　cast　forth　from　it；　as　a　thing　worthless。　　Byron；　born　rich　and　noble；　made　out　even　less　than　Burns；　poor　and　plebeian。　　Who　knows　but；　in　that　same　〃best　possible　organization〃　as　yet　far　off；　Poverty　may　still　enter　as　an　important　element？　　What　if　our　Men　of　Letters；　men　setting　up　to　be　Spiritual　Heroes；　were　still　_then_；　as　they　now　are；　a　kind　of　〃involuntary　monastic　order；〃　bound　still　to　this　same　ugly　Poverty；till　they　had　tried　what　was　in　it　too；　till　they　had　learned　to　make　it　too　do　for　them！　　Money；　in　truth；　can　do　much；　but　it　cannot　do　all。　　We　must　know　the　province　of　it；　and　confine　it　there；　and　even　spurn　it　back；　when　it　wishes　to　get　farther。

Besides；　were　the　money…furtherances；　the　proper　season　for　them；　the　fit　assigner　of　them；　all　settled；how　is　the　Burns　to　be　recognized　that　merits　these？　　He　must　pass　through　the　ordeal；　and　prove　himself。　　_This_　ordeal；　this　wild　welter　of　a　chaos　which　is　called　Literary　Life：　　this　too　is　a　kind　of　ordeal！　　There　is　clear　truth　in　the　idea　that　a　struggle　from　the　lower　classes　of　society；　towards　the　upper　regions　and　rewards　of　society；　must　ever　continue。　　Strong　men　are　born　there；　who　ought　to　stand　elsewhere　than　there。　　The　manifold；　inextricably　complex；　universal　struggle　of　these　constitutes；　and　must　constitute；　what　is　called　the　progress　of　society。　　For　Men　of　Letters；　as　for　all　other　sorts　of　men。　How　to　regulate　that　struggle？　　There　is　the　whole　question。　　To　leave　it　as　it　is；　at　the　mercy　of　blind　Chance；　a　whirl　of　distracted　atoms；　one　cancelling　the　other；　one　of　the　thousand　arriving　saved；　nine　hundred　and　ninety…nine　lost　by　the　way；　your　royal　Johnson　languishing　inactive　in　garrets；　or　harnessed　to　the　yoke　of　Printer　Cave；　your　Burns　dying　broken…hearted　as　a　Gauger；　your　Rousseau　driven　into　mad　exasperation；　kindling　French　Revolutions　by　his　paradoxes：　　this；　as　we　said；　is　clearly　enough　the　_worst_　regulation。　　The　_best_；　alas；　is　far　from　us！

And　yet　there　can　be　no　doubt　but　it　is　coming；　advancing　on　us；　as　yet　hidden　in　the　bosom　of　centuries：　　this　is　a　prophecy　one　can　risk。　　For　so　soon　as　men　get　to　discern　the　importance　of　a　thing；　they　do　infallibly　set　about　arranging　it；　facilitating；　forwarding　it；　and　rest　not　till；　in　some　approximate　degree；　they　have　accomplished　that。　　I　say；　of　all　Priesthoods；　Aristocracies；　Governing　Classes　at　present　extant　in　the　world；　there　is　no　class　comparable　for　importance　to　that　Priesthood　of　the　Writers　of　Books。　　This　is　a　fact　which　he　who　runs　may　read；and　draw　inferences　from。　　〃Literature　will　take　care　of　itself；〃　answered　Mr。　Pitt；　when　applied　to　for　some　help　for　Burns。　　〃Yes；〃　adds　Mr。　Southey；　〃it　will　take　care　of　itself；　_and　of　you　too_；　if　you　do　not　look　to　it！〃

The　result　to　individual　Men　of　Letters　is　not　the　momentous　one；　they　are　but　individuals；　an　infinitesimal　fraction　of　the　great　body；　they　can　struggle　on；　and　live　or　else　die；　as　they　have　been　wont。　　But　it　deeply　concerns　the　whole　society；　whether　it　will　set　its　_light_　on　high　places；　to　walk　thereby；　or　trample　it　under　foot；　and　scatter　it　in　all　ways　of　wild　waste　（not　without　conflagration）；　as　heretofore！　　Light　is　the　one　thing　wanted　for　the　world。　　Put　wisdom　in　the　head　of　the　world；　the　world　will　fight　its　battle　victoriously；　and　be　the　best　world　man　can　make　it。　I　called　this　anomaly　of　a　disorganic　Literary　Class　the　heart　of　all　other　anomalies；　at　once　product　and　parent；　some　good　arrangement　for　that　would　be　as　the　_punctum　saliens_　of　a　new　vitality　and　just　arrangement　for　all。　Already；　in　some　European　countries；　in　France；　in　Prussia；　one　traces　some　beginnings　of　an　arrangement　for　the　Literary　Class；　indicating　the　gradual　possibility　of　such。　　I　believe　that　it　is　possible；　that　it　will　have　to　be　possible。

By　far　the　most　interesting　fact　I　hear　about　the