heroes and hero worship-第41部分

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hat　this　world　is　a　steam…engine。　　There　is　a　God　in　this　world；　and　a　God's…sanction；　or　else　the　violation　of　such；　does　look　out　from　all　ruling　and　obedience；　from　all　moral　acts　of　men。　There　is　no　act　more　moral　between　men　than　that　of　rule　and　obedience。　Woe　to　him　that　claims　obedience　when　it　is　not　due；　woe　to　him　that　refuses　it　when　it　is！　　God's　law　is　in　that；　I　say；　however　the　Parchment…laws　may　run：　　there　is　a　Divine　Right　or　else　a　Diabolic　Wrong　at　the　heart　of　every　claim　that　one　man　makes　upon　another。

It　can　do　none　of　us　harm　to　reflect　on　this：　　in　all　the　relations　of　life　it　will　concern　us；　in　Loyalty　and　Royalty；　the　highest　of　these。　　I　esteem　the　modern　error；　That　all　goes　by　self…interest　and　the　checking　and　balancing　of　greedy　knaveries；　and　that　in　short；　there　is　nothing　divine　whatever　in　the　association　of　men；　a　still　more　despicable　error；　natural　as　it　is　to　an　unbelieving　century；　than　that　of　a　〃divine　right〃　in　people　_called_　Kings。　　I　say；　Find　me　the　true　_Konning_；　King；　or　Able…man；　and　he　_has_　a　divine　right　over　me。　　That　we　knew　in　some　tolerable　measure　how　to　find　him；　and　that　all　men　were　ready　to　acknowledge　his　divine　right　when　found：　　this　is　precisely　the　healing　which　a　sick　world　is　everywhere；　in　these　ages；　seeking　after！　　The　true　King；　as　guide　of　the　practical；　has　ever　something　of　the　Pontiff　in　him；guide　of　the　spiritual；　from　which　all　practice　has　its　rise。　　This　too　is　a　true　saying；　That　the　_King_　is　head　of　the　_Church_。But　we　will　leave　the　Polemic　stuff　of　a　dead　century　to　lie　quiet　on　its　bookshelves。


Certainly　it　is　a　fearful　business；　that　of　having　your　Ableman　to　_seek_；　and　not　knowing　in　what　manner　to　proceed　about　it！　　That　is　the　world's　sad　predicament　in　these　times　of　ours。　　They　are　times　of　revolution；　and　have　long　been。　　The　bricklayer　with　his　bricks；　no　longer　heedful　of　plummet　or　the　law　of　gravitation；　have　toppled；　tumbled；　and　it　all　welters　as　we　see！　　But　the　beginning　of　it　was　not　the　French　Revolution；　that　is　rather　the　_end_；　we　can　hope。　　It　were　truer　to　say；　the　_beginning_　was　three　centuries　farther　back：　　in　the　Reformation　of　Luther。　　That　the　thing　which　still　called　itself　Christian　Church　had　become　a　Falsehood；　and　brazenly　went　about　pretending　to　pardon　men's　sins　for　metallic　coined　money；　and　to　do　much　else　which　in　the　everlasting　truth　of　Nature　it　did　_not_　now　do：　　here　lay　the　vital　malady。　　The　inward　being　wrong；　all　outward　went　ever　more　and　more　wrong。　　Belief　died　away；　all　was　Doubt；　Disbelief。　　The　builder　cast　_away_　his　plummet；　said　to　himself；　〃What　is　gravitation？　　Brick　lies　on　brick　there！〃　　Alas；　does　it　not　still　sound　strange　to　many　of　us；　the　assertion　that　there　_is_　a　God's…truth　in　the　business　of　god…created　men；　that　all　is　not　a　kind　of　grimace；　an　〃expediency；〃　diplomacy；　one　knows　not　what！

From　that　first　necessary　assertion　of　Luther's；　〃You；　self…styled　_Papa_；　you　are　no　Father　in　God　at　all；　you　area　Chimera；　whom　I　know　not　how　to　name　in　polite　language！〃from　that　onwards　to　the　shout　which　rose　round　Camille　Desmoulins　in　the　Palais…Royal；　〃_Aux　armes_！〃　when　the　people　had　burst　up　against　_all_　manner　of　Chimeras；I　find　a　natural　historical　sequence。　　That　shout　too；　so　frightful；　half…infernal；　was　a　great　matter。　Once　more　the　voice　of　awakened　nations；starting　confusedly；　as　out　of　nightmare；　as　out　of　death…sleep；　into　some　dim　feeling　that　Life　was　real；　that　God's…world　was　not　an　expediency　and　diplomacy！　　Infernal；yes；　since　they　would　not　have　it　otherwise。　　Infernal；　since　not　celestial　or　terrestrial！　　Hollowness；　insincerity　_has_　to　cease；　sincerity　of　some　sort　has　to　begin。　　Cost　what　it　may；　reigns　of　terror；　horrors　of　French　Revolution　or　what　else；　we　have　to　return　to　truth。　　Here　is　a　Truth；　as　I　said：　　a　Truth　clad　in　hell…fire；　since　they　would　not　but　have　it　so！

A　common　theory　among　considerable　parties　of　men　in　England　and　elsewhere　used　to　be；　that　the　French　Nation　had；　in　those　days；　as　it　were　gone　_mad_；　that　the　French　Revolution　was　a　general　act　of　insanity；　a　temporary　conversion　of　France　and　large　sections　of　the　world　into　a　kind　of　Bedlam。　　The　Event　had　risen　and　raged；　but　was　a　madness　and　nonentity；gone　now　happily　into　the　region　of　Dreams　and　the　Picturesque！To　such　comfortable　philosophers；　the　Three　Days　of　July；　183O；　must　have　been　a　surprising　phenomenon。　　Here　is　the　French　Nation　risen　again；　in　musketry　and　death…struggle；　out　shooting　and　being　shot；　to　make　that　same　mad　French　Revolution　good！　　The　sons　and　grandsons　of　those　men；　it　would　seem；　persist　in　the　enterprise：　　they　do　not　disown　it；　they　will　have　it　made　good；　will　have　themselves　shot；　if　it　be　not　made　good。　　To　philosophers　who　had　made　up　their　life…system；　on　that　〃madness〃　quietus；　no　phenomenon　could　be　more　alarming。　　Poor　Niebuhr；　they　say；　the　Prussian　Professor　and　Historian；　fell　broken…hearted　in　consequence；　sickened；　if　we　can　believe　it；　and　died　of　the　Three　Days！　It　was　surely　not　a　very　heroic　death；little　better　than　Racine's；　dying　because　Louis　Fourteenth　looked　sternly　on　him　once。　　The　world　had　stood　some　considerable　shocks；　in　its　time；　might　have　been　expected　to　survive　the　Three　Days　too；　and　be　found　turning　on　its　axis　after　even　them！　　The　Three　Days　told　all　mortals　that　the　old　French　Revolution；　mad　as　it　might　look；　was　not　a　transitory　ebullition　of　Bedlam；　but　a　genuine　product　of　this　Earth　where　we　all　live；　that　it　was　verily　a　Fact；　and　that　the　world　in　general　would　do　well　everywhere　to　regard　it　as　such。

Truly；　without　the　French　Revolution；　one　would　not　know　what　to　make　of　an　age　like　this　at　all。　　We　will　hail　the　French　Revolution；　as　shipwrecked　mariners　might　the　sternest　rock；　in　a　world　otherwise　all　of　baseless　sea　and　waves。　　A　true　Apocalypse；　though　a　terrible　one；　to　this　false　withered　artificial　time；　testifying　once　more　that　Nature　is　_preter_natural；　if　not　divine；　then　diabolic；　that　Semblance　is　not　Reality；　that　it　has　to　become　Reality；　or　the　world　will　take　fire　under　it；burn　_it_　into　what　it　is；　namely　Nothing！　　Plausibility　has　ended；　empty　Routine　has　ended；　much　has　ended。　　This；　as　with　a　Trump　of　Doom；　has　been　proclaimed　to　all　men。　　They　are　the　wisest　who　will　learn　it　soonest。　　Long　confused　generations　before　it　be　learned；　peace　impossible　till　it　be！　　The　earnest　man；　surrounded；　as　ever；　with　a　world　of　inconsistencies；　can　await　patiently；　patiently　strive　to　do　_his_　work；　in　the　midst　of　that。　　Sentence　of　Death　is　written　down　in　Heaven　against　all　that；　sentence　of　Death　is　now　proclaimed　on　the　Earth　against　it：　　this　he　with　his　eyes　may　see。　　And　surely；　I　should　say；　considering　the　other　side　of　the　matter；　what　enormous　difficulties　lie　there；　and　how　fast；　fearfully　fast；　in　all　countries；　the　inexorable　demand　for　solution　of　them　is　pressing　on；he　may　easily　find　other　work　to　do　than　laboring　in　the　Sansculottic　province　at　this　time　of　day！

To　me；　in　these　circumstances；　that　of　〃Hero…worship〃　becomes　a　fact　inexpressibly　precious；　the　most　solacing　fact　one　sees　in　the　world　at　present。　　There　is　an　everlasting　hope　in　it　for　the　management　of　the　world。　　Had　all　traditions；　arrangements；　creeds；　societies　that　men　ever　instituted；　sunk　away；　this　would　remain。　　The　certainty　of　Heroes　being　sent　us；　our　faculty；　our　necessity；　to　reverence　Heroes　when　sent：　　it　shines　like　a　polestar　through　smoke…clouds；　dust…clouds；　and　all　manner　of　down…rushing　and　conflagration。

Hero…worship　would　have　sounded　very　strange　to　those　workers　and　fighters　in　the　French　Revolution。　　Not　reverence　for　Great　Men；　not　any　hope　or　belief；　or　even　wish；　that　Great　Men　could　again　appear　in　the　world！　Nature；　turned　into　a　〃Machine；〃　was　as　if　effete　now；　could　not　any　longer　produce　Great　Men：I　can　tell　her；　she　may　give　up　the　trade　altogether；　then；　we　cannot　do　without　Great　Men！But　neither　have　I　any　quarrel　with　that　of　〃Liberty　and　Equality；〃　with　the　faith　that；　wise　great　men　being　impossible；　a　level　immensity　of　foolish　small　men　would　suffice。　　It　was　a　natural　faith　then　and　there。　　〃Liberty　and　Equality；　no　Authority　needed　any　longer。　　Hero…worship；　reverence　for　_such_　Authorities；　has　proved　false；　is　itself　a　falsehood；　no　more　of　it！　　We　have　had　such　_forgeries_；　we　will　now　trust　nothing。　　So　many　base　plated　coins　passing　in　the　market；　the　belief　has　now　become　common　that　no　gold　any　longer　exists；and　even　that　we　can　do　very　well　without　gold！〃　　I　find　this；　among　other　things；　in　that　universal　cry　of　Liberty　and　Equality；　and　find　it　very　natural；　as　matters　then　stood。

And　yet　surely　it　is　but　the　_transition_　from　false　to　true。　　　Considered　as　the　whole　truth；　it　is　false　altogether；the　product　of　entire　sceptical　blindness；　as　yet　only　_struggling_　to　see。　　Hero…worship　exists　forever；　and　everywhere：　　not　Loyalty　alone；　it　extends　from　divine　adoration　down　to　the　lowest　practical　regions　of　life。　　〃Bending　before　men；〃　if　it　is　not　to　be　a　mere　empty　grimace；　better　dispensed　with　than　practiced；　is　Hero…worship；a　recognition　that　there　does　dwell　in　that　presence　of　our　brother　something　divine；　that　every　created　man；　as　Novalis　said；　is　a　〃revelation　in　the　Flesh。〃　　They　were　Poets　too；　that　devised　all　those　graceful　courtesies　which　make　life　noble！　　Courtesy　is　not　a　falsehood　or　grimace；　it　need　not　be　such。　　And　Loyalty；　religious　Worship　itself；　are　still　possible；　nay　still　inevitable。

May　we　not　say；　moreover；　while　so　many　of　our　late　Heroes　have　worked　rather　as　revolutionary　men；　that　nevertheless　every　Great　Man；　every　genuine　man；　is　by　the　nature　of　him　a　son　of　Order；　not　of　Disorder？　　It　is　a　tragical　position　for　a　true　man　to　work　in　revolutions。　　He　seems　an　anarchist；　and　indeed　a　painful　element　of　anarchy　does　encumber　him　at　every　step；him　to　whose　whole　soul　anarchy　is　hostile；　hateful。　　His　mission　is　Order；　every　man's　is。　　He　is　here　to　make　what　was　disorderly；　chaotic；　into　a　thing　ruled；　regular。　　He　is　the　missionary　of　Order。　　Is　not　all　work　of　man　in　this　world　a　_making　of　Order_？　　The　carpenter　finds　rough　trees；　shapes　them；　constrains　them　into　square　fitness；　into　pur