gk chesterton - all is grist

7/31/2019 GK Chesterton - All is Grist

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N

D O TH E WH IT H OR E

N

I T

TH E R V I S

S TINGMA N

R U A DS

S S E L O N

PE A K ING

YO A TH E RB ROWN

O A TH E RB ROWN

A S TH UR DA Y

A NITY

E UNA TIC

TIONO ROM

DONQ UIX OT

T V E N ON

MA CA TH O IC

L E S

N A M R ICA

N GW I TH T H E W O R D

TT

A TH E RB ROWN

D PO M O G.K.CH E S T RTON

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N D C O MP A N Y , I O .

R S E R V E D

B O O K MA Y B E R P RO DU C D I NA N Y O RM

I O N I NW R I TI NG R OM T H E P UB L I H E R

NT D T A T S O A M R IC A

B A L L O U PR S S , I NC ., B I N GH A M TO N, N .Y .


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O L A N G . .. I

A N D O T T R I S . .. 7

1 3

S DUCA TION... .20

E C TO Y S T RD A Y. 26

. . . . 32

39

A V I OU RI T . .. . 45

S U R S O N O O NG R B E -

A N D U ND A M N TA L -

RO L O PE : H I T OR IA N . 6 5

O T H E W O R D . .. 71

I N U A R I TY . .. . 78

N C I N C . .. .8 4

S O RN A T IO N . . . 90

O PH Y v e rs us I CT IO N .. 9 6

D U N A C Y . . . . 10 2

RI L S O B O R D OM . .1 09

B O UT H E R D IT Y .. . Il 6

N D B E A T RI C . . . - 12 3

I NT H E H O M . . .I 30

RA L L Y A C C P T D MI T A K . I 37


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TION O PO M

CH I DH OOD .

NC ....

T S H IP

R IT Y.

P UR IT A N I M .

E G NDS .

C ON D UC T

P TI CI M

NA DA

ORGUDJ ).

. . ..

C OR UM .

R E S W I N B UR N


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O L A N G

somanythingswhich

e,which areevenabused

inrealityrathersnobbish,

at sort ofunconventionality

tooconventional.Themost

ampleisthefussabout di-

natelyaveryeverydaye -

divorceisnot that peopleare

but that peoplearepretend-

point ofit isnot inthe

nds,whichhasunfortu-

sformsinnearlyall the

epoint ofit isthecovering

oftheold labelofunion.

odshavehad occasionto

onthat seemedtothreaten

avehadoccasionto strike

mournfullanguageofMr.

children snurse,

elfanInfidel.


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L A N G

t socialtendencyisthat

Mr. andMrs. R upert" is

rthefact that thechildren s

afterthechildren.The

s not that Claudehaspro-

but,that Claudehas

tianwithahigher and

on,whichis tooe altedto

acraments,but whichdoes

dinaryrespectableA ngli-

ossiblyevenanA nglicanbishop.

t seemstomethat the

oftheordinarysocialposi-

d.A ndtothinkfirst about

theact ofascepticbut

matterstoamanwith afree

anandwomanareactually

orbishopis actuallyteach-

se somebodygetsanew

ercase retainsanolddog-

omparativelyconventional.

rlyallthe pleasforfree-

eas forunconventionality.

anyothere amplesof this

relationtoconvention.It

nners,but inthelanguage,

fsociety.Thereis aqueer


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L A N G

g,andmodernityshowsit

cingthefactsofnature.

time whenit wascus-

ather w hichseemstomea

ca ll ingaspadeaspade.

nyvariations,bothformal

mesandcommunities.

dalanguageasancient and

auw henhecrieda loud, H ast

, Omy father " Now as

hesocialauthoritieswho

GenerationandtheB right

obeconsideredamarkof

allyourfathera beanora

Dick,andH arry,inrefer-

e)tohisChristianname.

arent oftheprogressiveage

i " o r t o an y l ou d c ry a n d

n itselfaproofofprogress

dindeed.B ut loudcriesdo

ologic andin thiscasethe

isobvioustomethat call-

f a ther isfacingthefactsof

hat ca ll inghim bean is

re.It is,sofarasthat e -

ps,merelyweavinga

thefactsof nature.It is


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L A N G

oment that theH eavy

imensionsofMothand

ofconcealinghimselfinthe

ut that isadigressionwith-

e ception. V Thegenera ltruth

phrasesthat evadethefam-

vadethefactso f l if e You

s ifhewerea totalstran-

myouhadcomeratherto

B ut inthat case it isyou

on,andultimatelyina

ofyourrelationare rather

oignorethemis toignore

andnotable.A ndit isto

smuchmoresuperficial

cietyslangor fashionofthe

ct,to thinktherulesof

portant thanthelawsof

kemeasbeing natural to

.That doesnot impress

asbeingreadytogo

atherthanface areality.

andhistoricaspectsof

nanycase berathertoo

erstand.Thetruthisthat

waysfelt thesenatural

ywerebest e pressedin


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L A N G

gabout themindetaildid

but recognizingthem

ndtheverycarriageof the

e andneartonature.Men

theirfathersandmothers,

ialabout theharvest orthe

the scatteringoftheseed.

ut thesethingsbecause

eal becausetheyarethe

eyare thethingsby

whichwedie.In thesame

eintelligenceenabled

irparentswerethingswith-

erhavebeenalive.The

entirelyrealistic,not tosay

ecognitionofit hasalways

form.It hasbeenwhat I,

glydescribeasgoodform.

vatorswhomI should

ndwhat ismeant bygood

h tiedtoconventionto

nnot evenunderstand

onventionofthemoment

sy.B ut thesedeplorable

ygeneration andthe

oubtlesswhat theyalways

nnormallydisposedtodesert


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L A N G

velty.Thetroubleis that

ethemreallytothinkabout

mout inanyintelligent

mesblamedfornot follow-

ast generation towhich

theyarefollowingthe

tion.Therealtroubleis

econventionsfartoomuch,

enceaga inst the irfa therse cept

havenodefenceagainst

fashion.^ Thehabit ofutter-

ma warmandenthusi-

mbecarried onabsolutely

i ty,without anypause

ndwhat iswantedhereis

hment but forreflection.

saidforrapidity but it is

ofgraspingreality.People

ny age,havegenerally

pt themost art if icialande -

mofthat age.Menneedto

at theearthandto face


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A N D OT T R I S

ycontemporariesIhavenot

rty but Irecognizethema-

discussionabout liberties.

elibertiesvaluedbyone

edbyanotherisdoubtless

dernargument used

against commonde-

yfataltoanyidea oflib-

that becausetherearea

tobetrue, it istherefore

mshouldreally betrue.

earonthefaceofit tobe

ystroubledabout logic.

tosaythat becausesome

wasflat,andothers(rather

t wasround,andbecause

it istriangularorhe ago-

reit hasnoshapeat all

iscovered and,anyhow,

wronginsayingit isan

rldmust besomeshape,and

noother andit isnot self-

possiblyhit ontheright


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N D O TT RI S

appliestothematerialshape

sto themoralshapeofthe

scribesit maynot beright;

nst hislightnessthat a

ust bewrong.

dishargument isnow e -

yordecency.It isinsisted

mofa Romanmatronisnot

at o fa andwichIslander,

uperiorityin theoneover

blew ayofdecidingw hichisthe

ultimately,nomeaningor

yat all.Theconclusion

theargument wereap-

bee cusedforsuspecting

ut,asamatterof fact,the

oughtobe calledasophis-

ntlyuntenable for it rests

nemancannot beright

menare wrong.Inthis

at thequestioniscondi-

stancesandthat theprin-

ferent ways.Inthiscase

ythat thewholeworld

wecansaythat thewhole

t thisfashionableargu-

betrue. o farasthat


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N D O TT RI S

ht beonecostumesuitable

onecustomofwashing

ughsomemenneglect it

plainof,in that aspect,is

usestobe arationalist.

that,ifthis argument isfatal

thousandtimesfatalto

t thisorthat practice

place,ifwerefuseto look

calprincipleby whichthe

weshallfind thedefinition

dust ofdifferentiations

dIverymuchfearthat thisis

onoflibertywillreally do.

thingsaregoingat present,

nwillhavequiteaslittle idea

nt bydyingforliberty,as

what theirfathersmeant

undtheologyorthetrue

ge numberofmodern

dnotionofindependence,

somethingsimplyincon-

sible e actlyasthecham-

years ago,spokeofthe

Church.Indeed,it isquite

therationalisticheckler,

snonsenseasthat faithis


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N D O TT RI S

ltooeasy.That iswhat

hefirst inbothcases.B ut,

ethat variationgivesthe

othcases. jt iseasyto

l it ismuchlesseasyto

sal^

thesewordsinacoun-

trymenregardas utterly

uctiveofevery liberty.

yhasrestrainedtheliberty

silybearguedthat it hasre-

people.B ut it isquite

joy,andtakeforgranted,

tythat donot e ist in

nswouldthinkMussolini

teries, asthe nglishlaw

seemtothemverymuch

niswouldseemtous.

gardsthenotionof not

rbetweenthreeand si

gard theideaofnot being

esdaysandThursdays.It

it tyranny:becausethey

havearguedoften

elsewhere,andIam not

rticularpointsnow.Iam

out that,evenwherewe


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N D O TT RI S

issueagainst liberty,there

itywhenwecometoargue

meofthe andwichIs-

nst abstract decency,then

lotteryisanargument

hethousandand onere-

t religion,thenthethou-

ea caseagainst liberty.

aidthat,inthepresent mood

ycarryweight.It willbe

ist,ormoderntyrant,who

modernworld andwhen

nglishf reedomfromthe

nfreedomfromtheItalian,

y that,afterall,men

thedefinitionofbeingfree.

to think that there isarea l

psImayhavea shot at e -

say.But thetheoryisbound

andthemodernworld,hav-

ghtful,hasfallenbackon

ingpractical.A ndit looks

ufferinthat practicalage

fferedinthe ageofthe

neasilybederided,quite

riandecorumorthelegendof

thereareotherkinds of


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N D O TT RI S

andecorum,andyet asense

indthemall, sothere

dombesidesthat ofthe

ndyet leaveanultimatesig-

ingfree.B roadly,Ishould

thishealthyinwhich all

ut somethings,inthee act

stinguished. Manywhota lk

lyaristocraticdistinction

shion.But fashionisalmost

democracycanbedis-

e distinguishable ifeach

hichhereallychooses.To

large aspossibleisthe real

t,asthereis nospacehere

heromaniacdogmaonthis

kmyreaderstodoit for

kit out forthemselves.Idare

rstandit isnowlikelytobe

ndit wouldbedreadfulif

ereallowedtodowhat is

B ut ifanyonethinkshe

veliberty,Ishould be

d,surprised.


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dpapersthereisa con-

athermonotonousstream

advertisingthenew Gym-

meanthecult ofcranks

e oncertainnotionscon-

tome,moresuggestiveof

larticleabout themmight

agazine,asbeing inthe

ut theconcentratedattempt

stryis not agoodsignof

andseemsconnectedwith

ificationofthebodywhich

inweaknessinthe head

gsingularlyweak-minded

wemight almost say

w hiche perimentsof thissort are

alism.It seemsquitesuf-

eriousnessofanypersons

ments,aseriousnesswhichin-

dfanaticsandsmallpro-

Thus theadmiringad-

rysolemnlytheGerman

houghnot quitesoseriously


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donot laughat anything,

,andinthisthenature-

eundoubtedly,asthey

ture . > J ature isinferiorto

most ofallinrespect ofthe

r/ ortherest,goatishness

ofsymbolofpaganism but

wasnot regardedasthe

. H a lfabeast isthegreat

ry trulyobserved andthe

nceivedas beinghalf-

resumablyontheprinciple

hannobeastliness.Toa

udgment,it willnot appear

hat,inthedivisionofman-

wrongsideofthejudg-

fashionisconcernedwith

nsenseabout mankind.

ichusedtobecalled the

s,infact,revealitsfalsity at

merelymaterialaspect.

fartificialthings,evenin

akednessisnot evenprac-

occasionsthat areentirely

calconditionsofthe world

inmanthat isstrictlyto


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at isuniqueanddetached

usphysicalorder.It isnot

ut clothes,unlessit isna-

epneumoniainabout a

at allthroughthegreater

egreaterpart oftheglobe.

ehasbeenleft,as it were,

le cept what wecallarti-

nhiscasetheyc anhardly

isnot aquestionsomuch

sfromnature.^ but rather

ceofhumannature art,

eofman^

dnot e ist a t a ll , inthe

t discoveredthedreadful

iscalledfire.It wouldbe

philosophyagainst fireas

hes.Infact,the twothings

ose,but fireisbyfar the

ngerousofthetwo.It is

sactuallykilledbya hat

users.Therewas,indeed,

lledtheB oot; it wasused

cotland,andwehearagreat

sedbyRoyalistsupon

ut it whenit wasafterwards

alists.B ut eventhosewho


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.H .G.W ellscalledthe

ardlycompareit tobeing

ndcertainlynot tobeingsen-

ouldbeeasyenough,in

ricabout thesethings,to

eofordinarywarmthasin-

alperil.A llfuelwould,

ellofthe faggot.Tode-

defendthestake andany

ouldbere-lightingthe

chta lk wouldbenomore

ravingsof thereformers,

eingpersecutedas bythe

ntheyarerequiredto wear

Therewouldbeanynum-

gthefamiliarelement a

n.W here,isit alleged,is

andtormented whereis she

witheverytypeoftribaland

erebut a t thef ireside A

magery,appliedtothat

ughtosuggest ageneral

oberoastedlike alegof

businessofcookerywould

andfittingparallel.Cooking

clo thesareartificia l. omepeo-

hcookery,assome people


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hclothes.Thereareprigs

areprigswholive in

reagoodmanyotherhuman

ofthemareofopinionthat

thingwhichwecallculture.

yargueforeverabout w hether

owthat it is normal.

ltureis boundupwith

that heisnot himsejf,

selfcertainthingswhich

self.A sheis morepower-

with thosethings,sohe

ther creaturewithout

asyforthe wildphi-

verye istenceoffireis

uldbeeasyforhim to

therivalofA pollo.Ican

plaining,inanendless

ought not toneedany

onofthe raysofthesun

ecomeinto acondition

arenot suf f icient tous that

dsolarunityto tearaway

m agoldengarment.It

ttero f fact, thesun srays

l.But that isjust asmuch

onclothesastothe attack


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at thewholeofthisphi-

ot; iswrongin itswhole

ndpositionof manon

eveninitsre la tiontomatter

e cometothehigher

t, weshallnot besur-

oryisasfalse inmoralfact

humanbeing isnot even

t clothes,becausetheyhave

e symbolofpurelyhuman

desty,ofself-ownership,of

honour. veninthepurely

uldneverhavebecome

causetherangeofself-

cdecorationwouldhavebeen

erewouldhavebeennoout-

aryinstinctsabout colour

heresybeginsinmadness,

ny. omeactuallypraise

oulddullandblunt allsorts

,andshadesofsentiment;

admenwhowouldactually

thecentralcivilizationof

ytobedeeplydisturbed,in

linstincts,bythesecrudi-


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ak esa longtimetoe pla in

t,whenamandisregards

olaughat himandlock


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S D UC A TI ON

dout thefallacyofcrying

ted,what shouldbe

naproblemis reallybad

rwail andprayandcry

n.Thepractical manonly

tice just asmanyaman

could not mendit,still

eriousisthetrouble,the

meknowledgeofscientific

andthoughthetheorist will

ll probablybealsoindis-

llymeant byabusiness

thewayinwhichour par-

nessdoesgenerallywork.

simaginativeenoughto

whenit obviouslydoesnot

muchmisreadthesigns

eare sooncomingtoa

belookingforsomebody

ngelse.

Iappliedtotheunprac-

plied,byan unimpeach-

npractical instructor.Mr.


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D UC A TI ON

d-per-cent A merican,a

r,thevigorousagent ofa

dison inshort, amanw ith

ataofaRegularGuy,

e applicationofscience

stonishedhisfriendsby

thetruly admirabletitle,

n U n pr a ct i ca l d u ca t io n . I h a ve o n ly

rect form,but theyseem

emark s. Mycompla int w ould

thtoearna livingisnot

that aspecifictrainingmay

arningthebest kindof

t can t bedoneinschoo l

Iw ouldinf inite lypreferthat

pinessanddecencyinpov-

redthroughthe sacrifice

r. Thesearealmost

ls thoughwhat theywould

thoseshinyandstrenu-

ibed YouC anA ddTen

alary, or ThisMan

woW eeks, it isnot my

af fa irca lledB usiness du-

obesupportedin ngland

dinA merica,hasanother


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D UC A TI ON

y toe pla in. WhenIsay

citizenandnot thecity

somethinginthecity , I

Parker sjust andrational

tudentsto liverichlyand

broadlytothewelfareof

paid fortheireducation.

vivalof theoldrepublican

vetoe presstheA merican

mericanpoliticalparty)

wellas themeresocialen-

that totrainacitizen

w ho lepo int o fprjnrarmnjs

bstract anrjprernalsranrl-

ematerialand fugitive

tobeareformer,he must

hhedoesnot obtainmerely

unreformedinstitutions.

ssomanyareask ing: What

ngallabout ancient A thens

dievalguildsandmonas-

dordistant things,whenhe

ientificplumberinPim-

bviousenough. Theuseof

epowerofcomparison,

t himfromsupposingthat

anet,but alsoenable


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D UC A TI ON

tothebeautiesandvir-

t that,hereandthere,as

periments,evenPimlico

adefect.

s notionofB usiness

orcertain trades,whether

that theywillprevent

cientlyactivetocriticize

y.Theybeginbystuffing

seofjustice bywhichhe

withthesenseofinevitable

chhe must accept that

ect oftheworld. ven

bank-clerk,andaccepts

w hichMr. oseph insbury

hebank er. veninthenurs-

naccountant; he lispsinnum-

e.B ut hecannot criticize

rentertainthe intellec-

nworldismadeto turn

anworshipofNumbers.

snever heardofthePythag-

ndeed,ofanyotherphi-

entaught tothink,but

a coldtempleofabstract

larsare columnsof

sic senseofComparative


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D UC A TI ON

ofthat tiresomephrase),

whetherhe isintheri ght

templefromanother.This

dealingwiththenormal

tity,theeternalfounda-

nent commerce which

nd abstract asPythagoras.

rousandperilouswhenwe

crambleof speculation

hiscalled businessin

w itha ll itsdegradingpub-

geroussecrecy.Tobegin

chinghimtoadmirethese

usiness ducation, ise -

worshipB aalandB apho-

e ligious ducation. A nd

mmercialtrainingisreally

nson,withtheassistanceof

fanA merican),givesavery

fit inTheW recker.H is

yresentsbeinglaughedat

theuout of co lour ; but

havehadabettercase

ther hadpaidlargesums

agambling-hell.

hematterwithB usiness

rrow sthemind w hereasthe


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D UC A TI ON

sto broadenthemind

t soastoenableit to

narrowness. verybody

eralviewofthehistoryof

and (asI,forone, should

Thismayenablehimto

ngsof slaveryinaslave

minacannibalcommunity,

mercialcommunity.Ifhe

othemysteriesofthese

heisswornin infancyto

hey takethemselves,if

nlybeforehebecomes

rehebecomesatrue

willneverbeableto

ns orevento improve

neverhavethe ideasorim-

andhustleandbustleand

resultedin thedeadfi ity


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L E C TO Y S T RD A Y

bettereducatedthanthe

oreintelligent thananyone

nerations Most ofthose

Yes. Most o f them, by

ngtothe present genera-

generation.Ihavenoa e

neithertheancestrala eof

dof hissons,northelatest

cha revolutionaryson

cutehisfather.Thereare

world haslatelyveered

somemattersinwhich

em.B ut Ihaveenoughin-

doubts,andcertainly

ns.

seformaintainingthis:i

dineverythinge cept

ties,andeven insocial

ertainkind),I thinkthere

a response.Ithinkit prob-

oplewhocan rapidlyget

styleofornament,who

ricartist isdrivingat,who


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C TO Y S T RD A Y

kedbyunusualmusic,is

ictoriantimes.B ut these

intellect.A ndIthink

moodbecausetheydo not

ymakesignalsto the

nnature,andthecodeof

requicklythan it would

enit comestoanythinglike

ssuch,Ithinkthat most

tupiderthanthosein the

ablyverymuch stupider

ygrandfather.Ihave

t illustratesmypoint that

ardlylistento along

eveI couldevenproveit,

enoughtolistentoproof.

that livelinessinthe

velinessinthecongregation.

remelivelinessinthepreacher

thecongregation.Iam

ce,that Mr. loydGeorge

ngspeakerthan Cobden.

loydGeorgespeak stomen

d.Cobdenspoketomen

ed.Thelistenersprovided

sneededtocarry them

cess.W hentherewas


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C TO Y S T RD A Y

s,astherewas insomeof

t kirks,thepreachercould

whenhisdiscoursewas a

c.It iswhenthecongre-

tobeamused.Cobden

chI donot myselffind

iencewasconvinced,it was

amancannot becon-

hout followingtheargu-

,evenif hegoestosleepin

t andwakesupjust in

Toriesdrinkingbeeror

ts.Ibelievethereis infinitely

ntionto anargument than

e,inthegreat modern

not nowarguingabout

e srevo lutioninjourna list ic

ciallygood.I onlysayit

ngwhichis intellectually

henIwasa boy,thepapers

eportsof speechesby

squith, oncomple con-

dfinance.Perhapsthey

perhapstheywerenot

ywereread.Now,it may

nt tohaveallGladstone s


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C TO Y S T RD A Y

aldistinctionsswept away

ndunfa il ingheadlineof

o ne a y i n 18 8 5 ' I t m a y

get alltheluminouslegal

andagreethat that statesman

slifee cept W ait and ee.

creasedintellectualactivity

thesimpleandsoothing

urfathersmayhavebeen

ntichair-splitting,but

ableofsplitting ahair.It

tunnedwithablowonthe

eoneof yourhairssplit

anybettertributetothe

fanybodye lse s.

st fromanothertypeofinquiry.

msbegantobuzzsuddenly

n,someofuswereenabled

ncehavebuzzedquiteas

Darw in. omeofusare

winismbecameafashion

ythought it wasafact.

ocietyladieswent about

winwasreallytoowonder-

went about sayingthat

really toow onderful. B ut,

comparisonbetweenthe


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C TO Y S T RD A Y

ofpeopledidreally attack

er toagreeordisagree

personina thousand

ghermathematicsin

tein.Peopledidtalkabout

t Darwin.Most ofthose

talkabout instein.They

meandthenotionthat

t hashappenedinconne ion

out Darwinmayhave

it wasscience,andit was

insteinmayratherbe

ehasnot madeastronomy

madebiologyreally popu-

ereasonisa certainin-

llect; that fewerpeople

inedlogicaldemonstra-

therwethinkthat the

onstrates.Inmyboyhood

unnylittle atheistsrun-

ertoprovewhat theyhad

Darw in. o therewere

le ree-Traderseagerto

nedfromthespeechesof

nowsoeagerto prove

st,toassuremethat they


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C TO Y S T RD A Y

t thisisapsychological

f anintellectualaw.It

dingmen,but ofsuggesting

isanageof uggestion

tionalpart ofman.

reeTradewasfalseortrue

ussw hether mpire ree

hetherit isboomingor

basedonanunderstanding

etheritsopponentsor

mericanscallPersonality.It

sdoubtlessa truthinit,

whateverelseit is,it isnot

aity , andanyo ld cotch

dfollowhisminister s

monto eventeenthlyand

rablybetterbrain.


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S U RP RI E S

posedtobetall tales but

allshort. Ihavenearly

onument orlandscape,

assomethingstranger

ndirect impressionof

st travellers taleswas

ything that everylizard

ysavagetribea raceof

ence isthat trave llersinastrange

etravelledin it long,tend

ngeness.Theybecomecon-

ls,andtendto takethe

thegreenleaves.The

hat amancanlive ina

ndgrowto remarkand

bout theirtribalta esor

des,and,at theendofhis

eventomentionthat they

rearethingstoobigandob-

peciallytherearethingstoo

embered.

manycasesinwhich


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sedoftellinglies, whichhave

ut tobetruths.Modern

edsomanymedievalrepu-

parationeventomedieval

olo,Ithink,whoreported

amenwhohadtheheads of

criticstreatedit asamani-

medto haveseenbirds

s.B ut it isverylikelyin-

wbaboons,orsomeofthe

criptionis reallymorescien-

ommonpopularimpression

orthehigherapes have

f-humanvisagewhichwe

theyoftenhaveanaggres-

noseandjaw,likethe

B ut evenheretheprinci-

It isonethingto readin

menandbelieveit ornot as

vebeenquiteanotherto seethe

hropo ids monstrous, mys-

tureprovocationtothemyth

dIrepeat that fo re ign

dmeasthe first apemust

plorer not necessarilyas

rming,but certainlyas

andentirelyune pected.


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ark s, V enice, Iambyno

but Iamquitesure

that it wasnot only

ngIhadever seen,but

ngIhadevere pected.

addin sPa lace inapanto-

onwasnot altogetherfalse

great merchant cityof

eanis, byaparado , stand-

teof the ast. Therew as

ooOrientalabout the

ndthis, it hasbeensuggested,

falllikeCarthagerather

ut,howeverthat maybe,

ksat theChristianChurch

rtledasif it w ereaC hinese

npictures ofit; photo-

photographs but these

traordinarythethingreally

ary thingisthat any thingso

at onewoulde pect

onedisgenerallythelast

rda thousandthings

ncemybabyhood,andseen

andreadcontroversies

orother,Ihad nevergot


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isamountaincity.A

annot behid but some-

couldbehid. A llthe

onsIhadseenwereli ke

bazaar andsuggesteda ll

at andstagnationandflat

e realcity,relativelyspeak-

stleonthe cragsofthe

herocksof pa in. rom

asy totak esim ila re amples.

w asapa lace Ididnot

orelikea prison but

hestrangejourneyinto

isreached,withthecon-

onandunearthlyloneliness

moodyKing.In short,

ydislikedthefamousspec-

thingIdislikedwas always

hingthat Iwase pected

nt that Igenerallycameat

eofthesamesort recently

ad visitedit before but I

OntheformeroccasionI

heUnited tates and

yinterestingabout the

gnifiedfussabout Prohibi-


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sionIw ent upthe t. aw -

owas athingIhad heard

thingIhadeverheard of

ereality . A sisusua lin

hee perience isa lmost a l-

fthee perienceisthat the

ward,almost asifhe

ole,orat least tofindthe

eseesicebergsandthe North-

esof thenorthernw aters a

theA rcticadventuresof

hentheshiptakesa sharp

of thesharpest turnsin

ew,anenormous,andyet

, asthef irst e plorersmust

worldset apart; that he

thcontainedanythingso

ndtheimpressionisnowin-

toappearupon thenarrow-

a,villagesandthespires of

getherlikeanythinghehas

wereanotherMediter-

zationinallits portsand

upthegreat t . aw rence,

,untilthebroadriver seems

ckofQ uebec.


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47/276

A ndthoughherwoods

nyCanadianpainterorpoet

travellerreallydoeshave

velledbeyondtheNorth


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dnamelessthing,with

tled,aswithaslippery

sthis, suddenlyheavedin

okonasort offormless

hesebrief glimpsesof

seldomlast longenough

ilofit.In thiscaseit ap

theDaily x press, w hich

ws:

What YouthWantsin

doesnot want sadness,cere-

wantstoknowonlyabout

about what happened

urchesforsakethesethings,

hem.

ky,and thewriterdoes

peoplewillflocktothe

00 yearsagoifonlythe

.H edoesactuallymean

raordinary)that theyoung

urchesmerelybecausethe


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theoriginalobjects of

y featureofeverychurch, f rom

hymn-bookleft ina

certainthingsthat hap-

ago.Ifwedonot want to

s,thenatural inference

yofthebuildingsbuilt

o farf romf lock ingtothem,

get awayfromthem or

way.B ut Icannot under-

chisunpopular^becauseof

mefrightfuITypopular

sanything.A W arMe-

ewar,andIcan imagine

ethememorymight merely

what wouldbethesense

enamesofthe deadwere

orials,hugepilgrimages

endsoftheearthto visit

ofnamesona memorial

teourshort summer

ofwhat hadoncebeen

at wedidnot want to

st people,indifferent to

tianchurches,waste

relybecausetheyhadceased


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entyof otherplacesin

s,andplenty ofotherre-

ecan flock,without flock-

edof alltracesoftheir

ewouldbea boldspirit

duchessbackfromthe

heseasidesun-cure,byoffer-

ofnoparticulardate,with

cha totalstrangerhad

omethingthat happened

howIdonot thinkthere

sses,oreventypists,at the

tiveedifice.A ndthismarks

ichbeset thisratherfash-

proposal. vensupposing

isunpopular,it doesnot

ftheologyispopular.This

eabsenceoftheologythan

gyor bacteriology,orany-

tohearaboretalking

oesnot followthat Iwant

ththeborewhenhe prom-

allism.Imaynot wishto

GeneticsandGenesis a t the

at Gum prings,111.,but

heCo-educationalCon-

ranywhereelse,evenifthere


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GeneticsandGenesis. A nd

ocentlyconfident ofthe

vereligionmight realize

oncanbeas muchofabore

canbeabout anything.

resubtle,moresunken

ssabout thiswayoflook-

aid before,it isonlyocca-

glimpseofits strange

moment inthisletter.The

kbackwards,fromeffect

usetoeffect.Thecauseof

hproducedit, thecause

rdedassomethingbad,

eabolished.Inthat case,

hat theChurchought to

peofthinkerdoes not begin

insw iththeresult, andthen

ndsit,asif thecausewere

eenaddedafterwardsto

hat theresult must destroy

ngforanothercause,inthe

t ofsomethingelse.It is

ewanderingabout theworld

nstandardof the acred

eB luePeterw erebending

lagoftruce withthesig-


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lag.

suchpeople,whocom-

gressive,areinthemost

e.Theycannot beartoalter

lytheideabehindit.They

htheUnion ack ortheWhite

eystandfor. o theysee

ckofbrickcalleda church.

cannot conceivearealre-

reevenreadytothrowthem-

emesformakingthismere

sothat peopleshall

andsthe irstrange loya lty in

ybybeingthere.I t isa

must bedonew ithit and

t bedoneforit.I npurerea-

bleassayingthat sincewe

betterturnit intoa

esuccessfulestablishment

atesourusingit asaturnip

andoesnot troubleabout

nfront,withanunsmiling

re unreason. orpure

reeofimagination,andnot

ructiveimagination.The

bleto thinkthings,but

st beimaginativeenough


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vecannot unthinkany-

his senses.H ecanonly

hit depends,becauseit

ot unimaginethebigbrick

actuallybulksinthe

maginethelandscapewithout

yimaginethechurchwithout

without thereason.In

lteranything,however

somethingfanciful.B ut

ut afact likeabrickbuild-

t, andmust bemadeaso lid

ducedto f lock to it ,

nto anaquariumoran

odohim justice,this

hemost disinterestedof

o willservesomething

sons.Ihematerialist isone

siblefornoreason.B ut

him,and,evenit hehas

chinto thechurchesof

doesalreadyflock agood

ecolumnsofthe newspapers.


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A V I O UR I T

newschoolofsceptics has

allyinA merica theycall

urists,andthelateMr.

themtheMisbehaviourists.

nd,theirphilosophyisrooted

thetheorythat thought

ment ofthebodyrather

isnothinginthebra in, I

tten, e cept a lo t o f

kwithourminds.W e

Thoseofus,that is,who

think at a ll. o rw ehave

tativesoftherising genera-

erythingcanbedonewith

body,not evenapsychol-

nthcentury,wouldaccuse

s.I amnot especiallycon-

lsehoodofthisfancy.

themajorityofsuch

ncedirectedtowardsortho-

yhasnosort ofimportance

ent e ampleof theruleabout

that arevaluedasnew


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I OU RI T

fictheoryneverdoesreally

ry.W hat it doesdoisto

destroy theo ldscientifictheory .

enameof that oldtheory

avebeendestroyed.The

odo y thehereticsonly

achother.

hristianwhetherGod

withhisbrainsor hisbig

rymuchtothe recent type

couldonlythinkwithhis

lybasingallsorts ofde-

analysisofwhat hecalled

matter inthebra in. He

rculePoiro t toThe itt le

w ithfarlessbril liant anden-

t theB ehaviourist doesis,

thebrainsofthe oldMa-

onof histouchingthe

dMaterialist,forthat

yasit doeseveryotherkind

ingthat oftheoldMa-

eabolishesisnot thesoul,

predecessordependedfor

erwedoreally cometo

flashingthroughourbi-

inaltheorycreepingupthe


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I OU RI T

ndtosomealittle funny,

t maketheslightest dif-

vethat Godmadeanin-

nvisibleorder.B ut it will

ndpagesofrecent realistic

mblinggrey matterproved

aitedeventheprimary

hesoulwassupposedto

r andkilledina cellunder

ibrariesofnineteenth-

becomesomuchlumber

n t.Paulabout theglori-

heleast affectedeither

toirreverent personsifmen

DifferentialCalculusin

concealajokesomewhere

.B ut it wouldonlycon-

hat alltruthswerein the

decayofbrain-stuff not

kescomefromman,orthat

thscomefromGod.

theraspect ofthisfancy,

gmorethana fancy,in

ggest aratherneglected

edto accept scientific

couldsometimesget some

ftheyoungscientist would


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I OU RI T

shypothesisasanythingso

ght sometimesreallybe

erhalf.If,insteadof

scoveredbyhise plana-

pleadingthat thereis

n,hewouldlookcon-

henthene t man, withthe

salonginabout thirtyyears.

n thesuggestionabout

heremaybe nothing

pt toaffirmmuscleand

k,that amongthelesser

cravingforcreative

retchthelimbs,to smite,

nggestures,tolift upthe

t.Thereisaninstinctive

wardsbetterandnobler

at sa id, Iw il l l i f t upmine

at divinecommandof

fo rmof S tretchforththine

nialgesturesofthehuman

ealth ofthehumansoul:

heguest inthegoblet;

ponthegrave that drew

rset upthecandlebefore

manactuallycan think

npraywithhismuscles he


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I OU RI T

andlament withhismus-

without that gesture,allPuri-

religionthat ragesat

ature.Ifanancient pagan

oandthetempleofPallas,

taintypeoftownofthe

t hewouldprobablyprefer

therthanaB aptist.

mofreligiousinvoca-

cerca lledhisA B C ,

ofapostrophestotheV irgin,

morning,weshallfeelthe

ofthissort ofancient or

.Thewordsseemtocarry

isimpossiblenot tofeel

mething is bowingtoa

uteasovereign islifting

anofferingdow n. uchan

yanda ll-mercyableQ ueen

ondthat ofthebrain,in

esuchinvocationis,among

st ancient humanhabits

broadande pansive

herpoetsbesidesChaucer,

sChaucer s.B ut it hasnot

icularmoderntypeofe pan-

it:


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I OU RI T

rks,Parent ofGood,

rlastingframe.

afterMilton,there isin

hat sort ofinvocation,

othersorts ofinspiration.

undredgoddesses,but he

ot evenaswellas theold

raytoV enus,Motherof

de it iesw ereabstractions they

tyor ove but theymight as

and ongDivision, so far

worshipgoes.Inthis,as

thematterwiththe new

gan hehasnot anyof the

apagan.Thereis alittle

most ironicinvocationsof

precise lybecause w inburne

inthenewpaganism,but

ast goneintothetemplesof

wastocursethe godsas

t,onthewhole,this gesture

neout ofpoetry andeven

ethewandwithanything

eystart toraisethedevil.


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S U R S O NO O NG R

NG

eadvancethroughmid-

hareveryseldomstatedin

theyarestatedin asenti-

alsuggestionthat alloldmen

ulsnowybeardslike a-

nunfathomablewisdom

causedtheyoungpeopleto

aladvantagesoftheold peo-

t ofthoseadvantages

wouldnot saythat oldmen

rowwise andmany

activechildishnessand

erlypeopleareoftenmuch

people,andsometimes

avingbeguntorealizehow

now.It isatrueproverb,

here isnofoo ll ik eano ld

nofoo lw ho isha lf sohappy

ise . B ut, how everthismaybe,

gesofmaturityarenot those

eveninpraise ofit,and

hey soundlikeanalmost


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I NG V E R Y YO UN G

reattachedtogrowing

seemtobegrowing

herandmorelivelythanwe

W ebegintosee signifi-

toseelife,in alargenum-

ns,ma ims,andcodesof

first daystobedead.A

worldthat oftenseemsto

rowsupamongproverbs

tobequitestiff andsense-

uf fedwithsta lethings tobe

steadof thebreadof

st o f thedeadpast; to live

erynaturalmistake,but

ageofadvancingyears

ditionsaretrue,andthere-

ditionisnot eventraditional

t isgreat funto f indout

eatedproverbsbecausethey

setheyarepractical.Until

wwhat ismeant bythe

lett ingasleepingdoglie, orthefable

ger.Nowthosedeadphrases

heyarepartsof aperfectly

Iwent toliveinthe

fthemeaningofthe


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63/276


ught theproverbsand

ff.A gainandagain,with

bothmyyoungfriendsand

childhoodthat fortuneis

hemselveswingsandfly,

denlyfromthepowerful,

, andinsolenceattracts

ds.B ut it wasallunmean-

rbsseemedstiffandstale,

edantiquities.W ehad

y,whichwas likethecrash

tlyrumblingthroughthe

nthew ordsof hak espeare ,

rittenby hak espeare w e

nednothingfromthem.

dtimes,tothe point of

etweentheNapoleonof

nofMoscow but we

ctedMoscowifwehadbeen

knewthat Charlesthe ifth

Charlesthe irst lost his

aveduly remark ed S ictransit

ncident,but not beforeit.

theR oman mpiredeclined,

mpiredisintegrated but no

dit totheGerman mpire,

t ish mpire. Thevery repeti-


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undliketheoldinter-

uisms.A ndyet theyare

eamazingandstartling

to seethedeadproverbs

ealizationsoflaterlife,

eyin wordstoanybody

thisway.It islikeadiffer-

,in whichsomething

lookedat,rather wearily,

becomea solid.It islike

nfromtheinorganicto the

esnakesandbirdsofsome

on begantoleapabout like

sadeadma imw hen

t becomesalivingma im

ath. venasw earedy ing,

o life.

is: that it isnot theyoung

wworld.Themodernsdo

yhaveneverknownany-

pedonto amovingplat-

owtobe moving,asa

movement oftheearth.

arpenoughiftheearthsud-

y.Theoldergeneration

membera timewhenthe


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y.Theydofeelsharply

his beginning,forthey

n.It isoneofthe artisticad-

theydoseethe newthings

background,theirshape

youngthese newthings

ackground,andarehardly

themost intelligent ofin-

mistakenabout thenature

sthat arereallynew.A nd

ftenindulgeina senile

eV illageOratorproclaim-

willsoonbe swept away

y forchemica ls. o rtheOld-

wellthat nobodywent to

childhoode cept out o f

isinhisoldagethat the

reto bethrongedwith

fOldest Inhabitant (with

oneinstanceofakindred

least asoldasI aminorder

diotic,inconceivable,and

emedthat anyeducated

dpersonshouldconfessthat

must benearlytheOld-

hwhat solidscornand

e parsondeniedthepos-


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theparsonevenmore

re.Thevillageghost was

gedrunkardor thevillage

ewthat thedeaddonot re-

Thosewhoremember

dtosee amanofscience

foundingquiteafashionable

ara youngmansaythe

thesupernatural.They

asreallymoved.


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N A N D U N DA -

n of undamentalismand

nreligionisratherantiquated.

at A mericanirreligionis

nA mericanreligion,and

oreofafossilthan thesec-

resects onlyrepresenting

insmanyotherbrighterand

tinlyA merica issuff iciently

us,especiallyincertainforms

anceanythingbelatedin

heory.B ut thebelated

obestil lunderthe il lusion

ms.Thereseemstillto be

he earthshakesifthein-

nstheunmentionableDar-

ymaynot bereferringto

t least abril l iant manof

wbetter.But he,Igather,

indefenceofthedeadand

eteenthcentury,andgal-

event A mericanscience


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N D U N DA M N TA L I M

s.H iswayofdoingit

w iththew ord S cientist"

rword liketheword

entist" isahorriblew ordtobedriven

nbeendriventouseit;

studyofsciencearein a

n.It wouldbeembarrass-

and bevisitedbya physi-

physicsandmetaphysics,

mmorelogical. ewofus

ste,summonedameta-

befarmorefrightfuland

ametaphysicist. ubject

f thelanguage,Ipresume

scientist eitheraman

ces (asomewhat alarming

reallyspecializesinone

.Mr.Menckenchoosesto

pallivingphysicists,who

strictlyscientificway.Ido

he scienceinanyway,

ehasnot studiedit in

e,he saysofthedistin-

studyofmatterhas not

at it onlyshowsthat they

beingscientists,it throws

nthat veryuglyword.


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amanwhosurveysall the

ticularstudyofthem,and

hisownmoral principlesor

provedthat Mr.Mencken

scientist; but inmytime

alist.

eallymeansis that the

rcaredforsciencebut only

ashe supposedthat material

lism,heroaredandbel-

accept theconclusionsof

t the least inclinedhimself to

science,iftheyhappen

deandclumsycreed.The

enhystericalwithhorror

st hadtoldthemthat Dar-

thout beingascientist.

dhavebeenatrociously

eckelwasnot reallyascien-

hlessclearthat hewasa

samonist.H ewas,any-

aprettyunscrupulous

ereallsupposedtoswallow

ausehewas cience.The

pagandists,but Mr.Menc-

gthemas cience,des-


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t themevenasscientists.

traordinaryposit ionforno

ept that theywillnot say

hemtosay, inthew orldof

ut it isratherhardto ask

ntificworkforfearthey

fMr.Mencken.

ameMr.Menckenfor

n thelast ditch,evenin

adeadmaterialism.Ifhe

dsciencewasright,he is

ashioned.But hewillhardly

at him,whenweconsider

ehardsfor beingreadyto

ught moredeepand

ow , apparently , ine actly

ere,e cept that ourprinci-

elligenceof teemingpopula-

rs,whilehis prejudicehas

w asset up. o farasthe

oncerned,it hasended

rmodernmonismandma-

ptedbysimplepeople,and

byscientificpeople.To

ylieundersucha compli-

usionsmaybe admired


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fqui otic but Mr. Mencken

that it isallowabletosmile

tionforMr.Mencken

eandstupiditythat I

strytomakehimselfout a

rreligiousirritation.H e

osefalse idealistswhocall

etheydemandtheProhibi-

anddarenot sayawordof

ings,ofhard bargains

ebrutal ethicstolerated

omuch withthisthat I

eingflourishedsometimes

tiously,likean auctioneer s

ndin thepresent casethat it

dscientificallyas ageologi-

mandthat it shouldgo

eright nailonthehead,

ewindyviolenceofsome

eH ammerofThor.I

beingdestructive,like

ehim.W hat Icomplain

structiveenough.H enot

hecannot evenbearto

ew blundersandblind


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nscience. The undamental-

the funniest thingabout

, w hateverelsethe unda-

damental.He iscontent

cripture thetransla tionofa

tohimbythe tradition

thout venturingtoask foritsorig-

Mencken,inhislatest phase,

undamentalist.Ishould

fhisinte ll igencetobesome-

reonlyafundamental

mentalsceptic,ashehas

India , orpossibly inthecavern

everbefrightenedbecause

matter leadstomathe-

bysses.H ewouldneverbe

dnowrevealedbythephysi-

It isthebusinessofthe

knowsnothing andhe

admit it touchingsciences

ciouslittle.A sit is,it

eretransformedintothe

nd provincialsort of

calledrespectfullythevillage

pect that Ishouldsympathize

freefight withthevillage


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geinn.B ut,just asI

that eventhevillage

about chemistry,orthe

ysic,Iwouldsuggest that

methingabout physics.


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O L O PE : H I T O-

articleonA nthonyTrol-

haveappearedinliterary

vediscoveredthat hiswork

,whenthey usedonlyto

ratherraree ampleofa

moreseriouslyafterhis

e.TheV ictorianstended

iterature,andThackeray

seriousliterature.The

rongly,aredisposedto

sly,andevenDickensand

fcourse,Trollopeis

ccordingtothe tasteofthe

ehascultivatedtheTrol-

t ande ample and ather

most elaborateanddetailed

annotatedit withsternqueries

ksolongtoget toPlum-

Mr.Greshamwasdoingon

eyParsonage.Thesearenot

orI, a las havenot thepower-

ntarybra inof atherKno .


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O PE : H I T OR IA N

Trollopehasagainattracted

spects.A ndyet thereis

chIthink hasbeenen-

hIthink isofverygreat

history of ngland.

ofTrollope,truly

e scarcelyconcernedhim-

s Wemayaddthat the

squirearchyscarcelycon-

rorders oronly inthe

ningwayasTrollope.B ut

isva luesw erethoseof the

esthepo int thepo int w hich

nglishhistory.It isnot

hischaracterswere

aidmoretrulythat Dick-

middleclass,thoughdoubt-

ower middleclass,and

t Trollopereallydealswith

sofarasit isattachedto

Greshamwasnot middle

rchdeaconGrantlyw ould

risedtobe toldhewas.

fMrs. Proudie,who

avebeenevenmorein-

nifit happenedtobetrue.

arysense,of thepro-


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but weareneverallowedto

olderandprouderthan

eGovernment clerksare

raticclassfromwhichGov-

osomee tent stillare,

ds,weshall not learn

omTrollopetill werealize

nglandasanaristocratic

rf riendstheC ommunistsw ould

te. B ut there isa furtherde-

truth,which Ithink

arswitnesstoa bighis-

t,anddoesit allthemore

sehehas nonotionthat

theV ictoriantimes

srepresentedbyitsGreat

aristocracy.That was

acy.Neverdid agovern-

letely,bysayingit didnot

class nglishmanwasal-

round whiletherulers

nd.It wasthemiddle-class

letterstoTheT imes it w as

Times.It wasthemiddle-

epoliticalmeeting it was

candidate.Thegoverning


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ectlysimpleprinciple of

thingstothemselves and

publicunimportant things

a lfour(oneof the last great

class)saidlanguidlythat

pers,everybodylaughed,

ouldnot readthealphabet.

rreadthenewspapersbe-

tatepapers. Whyshouldhe

wasservedout tothepublic

secretswhichwerekept as

zedthat the nglandof

ratic ngland,thereisa

rollopenevernotices,but

evidenceisaloneenoughto

nandthewholeW hig

t intheschools.Thereally

edfromTrollopeis this.

andisnot acountryinwhich

ya iberalm iddleclasson

orynobilityledbyDukes

Thediv isionof thepartiesis

nsciouslybetraysthereal

teenth,but oftheeight-

nturies.It betraysthetruth

utionof1688,and thenature


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reallyintroduced.The

amesIItoWill iamIII.

res,it wascut up:it wascut

rollopecarefully,notewhat

hepartieswas.There isa

entry,whomaybe called

arecertainlynumerous

parsons,smallsquires,

f plainandhard-working

areallTories.Theyinherit

yaltytoaking,which

-classpeoplelikeDr. ohn-

raboveallthesepeople,

higherbeings livingon

o orthreepeoplewhoare

ance,likeemperorsor

dyelseintalking about

ondescensionofasover-

pleistheDukeof Omnium.

ngagreat princelypart like

enyhimthecredit,but we

that hisimportancerested

llionaire.Morepresent-

ionaireswhoareflattered

fall nglandbecauseheis

kindof manisalwaysa


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anshavedisguisedthe

cted.Theirhistoriesare

tory.That isthetruth

consciouswitnesstowhat

nglishhistory w hy they

e tuarts w hy theyw ere

montraditionalTorieslike

volutiondidwasobviously

acy not eventoestablish

ry not eventoestablish

t wastoestablishcertain

ealthandpowerwasfar

ftheordinarygentleman,

en.Theyownedevery-

hat otherpossible

eofTheDukeof Om-

ewit.W hat possibleother

nesatiricf lourish, Iam

ow Ishouldlik etobe " ?

rierson theContinent knew

wasintheA rabianNights

Mlord verybodyseemsto

hepeoplewhotaught his-

versitiesof ngland.


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O T H E W O R D

fIrememberright,who

ephrase thewaythe

oforsocialreformersonlytoo

ofor snobs.It isnot really

safe,guide as canbeeasily

fterall,ifit comestothat,

inginthe timeofMatthew

noughfromit to look back to

to it,theworldseemsto

It wascertainlyatime

called them,themiddle-

softheschoolof Cobdenand

gfromvictoryto victory.

iberalcenturyw ascrowned,

o journa lismof theKipling

lism,andeverythingthat

. Inonesensetheworld

entific ineverysenseit

dscientific andyet the

tionincreasedsteadilyfrom

enwelookbackonthat

aneddy,orawelterof

onis paddlinghisown


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TH E W O R D

wndirection.A rnoldwanted

New mantogoback toR ome

andinav ia chopenhauerto

chetogoback tochaos. I

dominant influenceamong

aythat it wasnot sosimple

erpeoplethought it ; and, so

ithdistance,it seems

dizzy anddistracted.

rifting,it wastotheplace

whereinthe worldarewe

hiscomple ity that a lw ays

chthe abstract assump-

ontradictedbyitsconcrete

s.Thesuperficiale amples

orythisis theageofPro-

stheageofCocktails.In

gintheworldon an

ualitywithmen.Inprac-

ingthenovelsof Miss

tsofrubbishytalesand

onofsheikhsandcavemen.

eenpracticallysecularized

dthreadbarething,dis-

yotherparagraphasa lum-

mas. Inpracticenonews-

tswaywithout plastering


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TH E W O R D

sand captionsabout the

enatureofChrist,the im-

ture oftheChurches,

yofportraitsof popular

neparticularcontradic-

re,betweenthetoneof

ndsomethingelsethat

tualliterature.A t amo-

igion,orat least thereligion

ess,all pointsoneway,

rnandindependent artists

ewspapersareallGodand

devilsandnoGod.

ournalism,orwhatever

at peoplecallOptimism.

sometimesstandfora

t myselfinotherdays,merely

,andasmeaningthe pri-

worthlivingand the

ortsforit . B ut now adays

more or,rather,some-

t meansasort ofcheap

whichthere isacurious

eality.Menboastedof

war which islikebeing

er.A manmaytryto be

hunderstorm but these


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TH E W O R D

ouldprevent athunder-

hosewhoproposeto be

htningintroducea more

oplenowboast ofbeingOp-

sismorevulgarbut less

setradeisa lessrealthing

prisedthat thesameA meri-

uceChristian cienceand

p.But infact Christian ci-

alsalesmanship.B othrest

beconjuredawaybymoods

ect cientist persuadesa

t what hehasgot.Theper-

sa manthat hedoeswant

tWemayca ll it , inacom-

werofspirit overmatter.

omplimentaryphrase,the

ut thisspirit ofpersuasion,

urtime ingoodandbad

epopularreligiousform.

at piritualism,forin-

ffirmthat all piritsare

nore thesuggestionthat

willbeagreedthat thegeneral

anityandNewReligions

persratherleavesout the

sbad.Onewouldinfer


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TH E W O R D

at thereisnodifficulty

onlyaccompaniedby

w ritersdea lw iththetre-

parado o f the oveof

ct offaithinthe Godof

nlyperfectlyself-evident,but

t e cept tomakeusself-

sriddleof the E st Deus

abovethedyingB randaf ter

akofhisperfect renuncia-

hirpily everymorningto

whowillbe sufficiently

nsteadofgoingto church.

plewhowereat easein

onismthink sit enoughtoprove

e inZ ionat a ll. What-

ge,thedreadofdevilryor

thing that it doesnot

dreamsandfilesof thenew

ot findevenamentionof

wasfelt byallourfathers.

w ay theworldissupposed

ut whenwereadthe

ciallywhenit isreally

gquitethecontrary.The

etters,the novelistsor

nomoredefinite beliefs


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TH E W O R D

ers.Theyarequiteaspure

gma,orintellectuallyin-

h.Most ofthemareprob-

at sensedonot believein

ndyet theyareperpetu-

Theyarealwaysat it.B ook

hichthe themeissome

kedness,encouragedmore

ngepsychicalinfluence.One

tesabookabout Pan,asa

hlyunpleasant influence,

associationwithPanic.

ovelist devotesanotherimag-

dterriblede ityo f the outh

informerageswithtorture

asterpiecesofthelast twenty

standout inmyownmem-

ealmost allofthemstories

possession,oftenwritten

e religiousaffiliations,but

ingallthesolidity ofcon-

wholeofthat long

edtothe skywithnews-

ingcheerfulnessandop

vil.A ndthetwothings

moryfortheirsolidityand

glikestonegargoylesof


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TH E W O R D

hingsthat seemtoface

olerecent movement of

eal literarythrillwhichI

TheTurnof the crew,

eagainlongafter,under

o f eaton sA unt.


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U A R IT Y

dadventure andbeun-

encouldsacrifice allother

ngsinturn.It maybe

nderstandwhyourfathers

ot intheleast under-

es.

hsthat areevennow

emind.Thereare certain

sfar astheygo,andeven

asfaras theygo,which

usedtostopthe mindfrom

ese,for e ample,isthe

seologyofallourliterature

dmoderncommunicationsare

heworld nearerandnearer

w daystogoto iberiaby

few hourstogothereby

gat theendsoftheearth,

rt o f suburblik e urbiton.

k himse lfw hether iberia

inw hat respect it isrea lly

veall,whetherit isnot in

oreunlik e urbiton. or

,parallel totheprocessof

s, andit isthedisconne ionjaf

akeofargument,that some

urerfrom urbitonhad


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U A R IT Y

dyearsago.Doubtlesshe

pletheresomethinglike

toorefinedsuburbaneye,

t fromthebeastsofthe

aiminganyantiquarian

mewhat obscuredistrict,I

at thereweresomeideas

andthe uburban. Ishould

heA siaticsavageshad

privateproperty.Isuspect

esaid, Thisismyspear,

rbitonianwouldhavesaid,

It isprobablethat therew as

iberia,asit isprobablethat

onin urbiton.Thetravel-

mesmorequick ly tothe i-

dhave got thereahundred

absolutelycertainthat he

ngsif hegot there.H e

Communist village,not

seofacommunalvillage

a lsenseofaB o lshev ist v il lage.

rsbeingdogmatically

olshevism taught that it is

brellaor stillmorewicked

ht find,foralmost thefirst

oplebeing systematically


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U A R IT Y

t thereisneitherGod

t thevillage,whichis

arer,isnowphilosophically

thisisdue toanewdivision

totheriseofanew sect

holecivilizationfromthe

Therearemanymodern

ortionatesizeofsuchqueer

therathercomice ampleof

truthto saythat Amer-

rerto urope, asshipsf ly

eA tlantic. A shiptook

get from nglandto

heA mericanR evolutionand

blic. B ut thetrave llerinthe

rinkingwineinhishouse

shehadle f t o rdNorthdrink-

ondon. If youhadto ld

drinkwine,W ashington

sNorthwouldhavestaredat

emmoralityhad not then

ntic, todiv ideA merica f rom

icker thanwater.It

culture andthe nglish

ceanwasonlydividedby

nB rit ishpo lit icshave


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U A R IT Y

oughthefact that adivi-

nification.W ehaveseen

ndandtheninthe caseof

hetimewhentheywere

werehardest tohold.No

rom ustonortheboats

rthefact that ourfollyal-

herandfartheraway,in

w asasremoteasa outh

apstoomuchtoe pect that

rstandIndia but inthe

derstoodhowmuchwe

ahostilecritic likesto

dthat weshouldcontinue

t least somethingwasunder-

nt welteranddissolutionof

osaythat nothingisun-

moreof ariddlethan

ygrowsmoremysteriousas

venmorenew. orw eare

ughtofeelthe fullforceof

t sort ofsilent shockofcol-

closercommunicationsall

eis,moreover,asIhave

o thegrowthofnewideas.

ctiveresistanceofH yder

swere fightingwiththe


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92/276

U A R IT Y

ameworld.W henwedeal

eofGandhithe Mahatma,

miliarasmagic.

spara lle lo f contractionande -

ough.It followsonthe

newildspiritualspecula-

ificorder.Philosophy

rydirection,and science

letogether.Menwere

alties,andthen it didnot

erescattered.A clanor

yover awholemoorland

uldbeasso litaryasahermit-

mitsof thesamecreed.

ick uparowof villasall

etogetherfor convenience

B ut themanlivinginthe

ddhist,andintheseconda

atheist,andinthe fourth

llaisanisolateduniverse.^


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93/276

N C I N C

ciencesayproudlythat

eChristian cientists.The

esay,unkindly,that Chris-

goodbusinessmen. Iw il lnot

onlytwowaysofsaying

hetherit isanicething to

iantlytorowsand rowsof

reverentlylisteningtoread-

ea lth, undertherathere -

at thepresenceofmillion-

hat Christian cienceis

la inthat Mrs. ddy , though

hee istenceofmatter,was

thee istenceofmoney.I

nguponthese purelyper-

shouldliketopoint out that

ne ionbetweenthetwo

ondthedefinedboundaries

remoreinvisible (andthere-

piritual)formsofmoney

suchasdues, debts, e -

shoes,mortgage,usury,eco-

ail,andallthe otherpurer


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I N C

sofw ealth sothereare

fluencesofChristian ci-

hodonot professtobe

without someimplication

hristians.

nseChristian cience

ecomethereligion ofthe

owofnecessitythat this

e.Idonot meanbythis

diedandacceptedMrs.

physics if , indeed, theyw ere

eallyMrs. ddy s. t i l l less

acceptstheoriginalmorals

rIamto ldthat theyareno

hristian cientists.The

t obviouslyforbadethem

ddybrok eherleg, since

thebreak,orpossiblyboth,

d.W hethertherereally

velet amanbleedto

wasaresult ofthemere

emydoubts but that

someoftheoriginal

nderstand,insomeof

hem.B ut thispractical

esnot hereconcernme,

cticalit maybe.What I


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I N C

sistheage ofChristian

t peoplelivinginit areinany

ts. | meanthat thew orldis

chC hrist ian cience isthe

geratio n t isnot somuchthat

oreaccommodatingre-

couldnot findamore

enhavesometimestalked

ristiansbeforeChrist,

recertainlyanynumberof

cientistsbeforeChristian

ethinginthewholeair and

ndespeciallyofthat nation,

nd,sweeping,andab-

her likeawhirlwind

rlikeawhirlpool.It had

ssthat wasratherthat

y that rushedheadlong,

atendencyor afate.In-

kessooftento befound

ere isnonemorequa intlye -

ameofMrs. ddy .

ncywasthis:that the

of Commerce.And there

isiblethingthat maybe

it it sometimesmeansno

Trick.It dependsonfaith,


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I N C

faith.It doesnot depend

lfact ande perience.

rchof Christ cientist

eaded Ihavemyselfa

hersoft-headed.B ut,any-

alinhardware theydo

maybecalledsoft goods.

silyreceiveimpressions

ciallysensitivetothe im-

ressions.Theydealin

gs,infictitiousvalues,in

sthat areneverwhat they

actlywhat theypromise.

dreamsaremadeon,andits

slump.

sanestateofaffairsis

the generaladvicetothe

ng.Ifheleft offsmiling

ight blight themarket for

Thewholeconditionhas

mospheric not inthe

ngfromthe atmosphere,

gsenseofmenmaking

hythewholeofthis com-

thestubborndissatisfac-

fthemorerootedrural

t thefarmeralwaysgrum-


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98/276

I N C

ons,apart fromanyac-

rcreed but it wasobviously

articularcreedthanwith

selyakintoall that aston-

ent andsuggestionabout

rand alltherest whichwe

yA mericanbooksand

st that thereligionisre-

magesor icons.The

portraitsofmenwhohave

why theya ll look e actlya lik e .

hat theworldisnow

yof theMindratherthan

Thisiswhat ismeant by

hology.It isalsowhat is

mewhat sinistersense,

rk s. It isanervousandun-

at isthusperpetuallytry-

ntheobjectiveuniverse,

treet, isl iabletoreactions

C hrist ian ciencedidfora

esnot foranylongperiod

d, w ereturntousingthe

ctoringit withdrugs.


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R S O R NA T I O N

theoryofProgress,for all

thefuturehaveaveryhope-

hepast.Thereis evena

thedoctrineof pengler,

hat thereisnosuch thing

resses.That is,thereis

ationbecomingcompletely

ndthengettingout ofthe

tallydifferent civilization.

thenseemsfatedtobea

seemsfatedtobea pessi-

indnessbowsdownto

erwords,heispitifully

estudy ofbotanyand

evenpassesfrombotanyto

nthropology.Now,in

dthings,it ismoreorless

ss,but onlyProgresses.

necompletedphasewith

kwhetheroldredsandstone

aregreen.The fossilthat

cannot calltoeachother

htheremay be,inone


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100/276

O R NA T I O N

evolution,it isnot aspir-

keeswouldsay,alivewire.

fest manner,at least,a

thereisamemoryofman-

ompletelyperishasthe

oownthecave-drawings

sdonot ownthefossil

here isatruthinthat substi-

gress.

bethis:that mendo

ecialefforts theseare

s,andwhentheyare

generallyendin failure.

dethe questionoftheordi-

istedbeforetheeffort and

t.Romemadeagreat effort

oftheworld,andtheeffort

k A ges. B ut theDark A ges

morethantheRoman

n.It hasbeensaidbyhis-

mplicityoftheDarkA ges

eep.It iscertainlytrue

vigorousand hopefulat

period ofdeclineand

ledaperiod ofneglect.

sand hopefulat thismo-

hevast industrialfieldof


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O R NA T I O N

ssfulsocieties. painmade

eenthcentury,andopeneda

scovery thenit began

ut paniardswerenot

sinthe timeofGoyaany

e lasquez. V ery lik e ly the

he paniardswillmake

is purposeit islikelyenough

ment willhaveleft them

most otherpeople.In

or conceptioninhistory

ricalholiday.Perhapsthe

y,ifthey werealittlelike

ut thereissomethingto

enintheliteralsense ofa

kit e tremelyprobablethat

paga inasf reshaspaint,

uez.Theyhavenot beenso

pressedbyourdismalindus-

t capitalist responsibilities.

andrejuvenatedbyalittle

ghlyenjoyedthemselvesfor

nation.

ereonsubstituting,for

ofthe Revolution,thisdis-

oryoftheRest Cure.No

e.Peoplemight goon


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102/276

O R NA T I O N

nd degeneratemorethan

alth.I proposeonlya

n acautiousandtemper-

arism.Therearemany

omthemerest touchof

st soupconofcorruptionand

ghtoreassureme.B ut

oplewhoarea great deal

uitecertainlydevouringand

ththenonsenseofnovelty,

f somethinglaterthan

siblygrowingold inorder

h.Theyarewastingaway

tlenothingto do.Ifonly

persuadethemto go

superstitionandignorance,

kA ges,theymight come

dby somethingthat the

re,likeGothicarchitecture

terburyTales.

hingtobesaid forthis

erpriseofhumanity.One

esettlesinasaneproportion

sdiscussedin anearlier

realcasefortheNoble

sconceptionofareturntoNa-

menmerelydespisedsav-


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103/276

O R NA T I O N

missionarieswhowere

m),thecaseseemedsim-

oplewerealwaysmore

las moreclumsyandig-

waspossibletopresent

hicheverydayandin

tterandbetter.B ut (asI

nthestoryofsimpletribes

evidenceofsimpletribes

theirpunishmentsthan

childrenthanw eare or

ntlywere.B ut thoughthis

vetheorythat wecivilized

savagesin allrespects,

contraryconclusionthat

nweare inallrespects.It

nmarchedout onaspecial

pt aspecialdiscipline.

wayshavemoresevere

seriousproblems.There

olearn,becausetherewas

ogressivetribe might be

econservativetribewas

theformermight nonethe

omisedland.

tiresomejournalistichabit

elves,andfatuouslyde-


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O R NA T I O N

sewenolonger hangaman

,it wasnot anearlyprimi-

essivehabit,tohang a

unishingforgerywith

nour history,andwasa

ilization.It wasahighly

orforgerydidnot be-

t untilfinanceandcom-

kingbusinessofall sorts,

mveryglad that menare

ry.B ut Icanquiteimagine

ofsavagesamongwhom

herman shandwriting

nocent asmakingfacesin

sface. IfHiaw athaw rote

onthe smoothbarkof

beno particularharmin

ghisfriend sparticular

morarisingsun. No there

heNoble avage there is

appy avage. B ut that

beshouldnot sacrifice

nthe Great pirit bidsit go


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O PH Y V E R U I C TI ON

nd wastedlife,Irealizethat

neglectingtoreadnovels.

vels forsucholdlumber

ustenIk now fa irlyw ell. If

timeover pamphlets

peration,plungingfor

ealthye citement oftheo-

orenjoyingthe empty

andandCzechoslovakia,

doingmydutyandread-

sout,Imight beamore

hanIam to-day.Ifinstead

omething,merelybecause

e,Ihad walkedstifflyand

ng ibrary,andput my-

rmorepassionatelady

mebeas intenseasthey.

ouslife,scrappingwith

ism,orDeanIngeabout ci-

thingI wastoldabout

youngwomaninan

,Imight nowhaveamore

plicity.Novelsarethe


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E R U I C TI ON

mazingcredulityofthe

lebelievethemquiteseriously

pretendtobetrue.

s that Ihavefailedto fo l-

pment ofseriousfiction.I

ntirelyfailedtofollowthe

cts.Not onlyhaveIdis-

ocia lists, o r ciencewith ci-

withmyselfabout other

t I cannot get anybody

Theworld-widepowerof

ngthat isneverattacked

emstohavebeencom-

gbeenproposed we

vingbeenbegun.The

ndestroyedinthetwenti-

yeomanwasdestroyedin

ut fortheyeomanthere

great poetssanghisdirge,

bett diedtryingtoavenge

rndestructivechangesseem

d.Perhapstheyaretoo

Idonot think it canbe

ectedthemost recent

seemsratherthereal

aven,tothemore


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E R U I C TI ON

nnyor frivolousfiction

adingeverythingfromthe

stothe last storyofMr.

t richersense inwhichthe jok e

e,a blood-stainedhat-peg,

tsofa three-leggedmanin

munificent patronoffic-

nd haveevenpresentedthe

oofmyown.Inshort, the

perienceisaltogetheron

riousnovel especiallythat

all about thepsychology

oingtojazzdances.I have

aringtitleslike ocialism:

ciety:TheW ayIn or apanese

thus orC anniba lismthe

arricide:A Contributionto

cProblem: The x ampleof

e D r in k ; o r h o ul d W e

r e a th e a n d al l t ho s e gr a ve a n d

lsoreadhundredsof

hoKilledH umphrey

loodontheB lott ing-paper

ilyC ircus orTheC lueof

andsoonandsoon. B ut I

nt regularity,diligence

ooksthat beartitleslike


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E R U I C TI ON

raceB ellow,orThe

of y lphide queak orDear

e e o f a mu el t ub bi n o r

l-Thie f o rTheH ypnotist o f

esegraveandlaborious, and

kscomeout seasonafter

w Ihavemissedthem. ome-

whenhurledat myhead

todenythat Isometimes

haveareason,of areason-

hinkit isareallyreasonable

theyboreme. orIdid

m andIgot lost. Onerea-

nall literatureasort of

t fromthemeremoralizing

yanovelwithapurpose.

planoftheideathat is

dpointinglike anarrow.

re,orat least topoint

not onlyinthemodernsense

edievalsenseofafruition.

thelessintellectual

erethemoreintellectual

riterofdetectivestories,

edH umphreyH iggles-

ytelling uswhodidit,

geofsayingit wasH um-


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E R U I C TI ON

theseriousnovelist asksa

answer oftenthat heis

w er. These o f amuel

ninconsiderabledoubt,in

alpassages,andthe

ylphideseemstohavenoth-

eprospect ofhereighth.

riterstoscoffat theold

ette,inwhichthestory

esoundof churchbells.

st standardsofheroicor

eektragediesor thegreat

allyfarsuperiorto the

hacerta ingoa l themar-

ll itsreallyvitalculmina-

milyandavowto God

einteresting becausethey

nwhichwas,bylegitimate

mmation.

bothofthe religiousvow

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