the ancien regime-第11章

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the　old　bridge　has　not　been　repaired　since　it　was　blown　up　in　the

Seven　Years'　War；　and　there　is　but　a　single　lazy　barge　floating　down

the　stream；　owing　to　the　tolls　and　tariffs　of　his　Serene　Highness；

the　village　is　picturesque；　for　the　flower　of　the　young　men　are　at

the　wars；　and　the　place　is　tumbling　down；　and　the　two　old　peasants

in　the　foreground；　with　the　single　goat　and　the　hamper　of　vine…

twigs；　are　very　picturesque　likewise；　for　they　are　all　in　rags。



How　sad　to　see　the　picturesque　element　eliminated；　and　the　quiet

artistic　beauty　of　the　scene　destroyed；to　have　steamers　puffing　up

and　down　the　river；　and　a　railroad　hurrying　along　its　banks　the

wealth　of　the　Old　World；　in　exchange　for　the　wealth　of　the　Newor

hurrying；　it　may　be；　whole　regiments　of　free　and　educated　citizen…

soldiers；　who　fight；　they　know　for　what。　　How　sad　to　see　the　alto

schloss　desecrated　by　tourists；　and　the　neue　schloss　converted　into

a　cold…water　cure。　　How　sad　to　see　the　village；　church　and　all；

built　up　again　brand…new；　and　whitewashed　to　the　very　steeple…top；

a　new　school　at　the　town…enda　new　crucifix　by　the　wayside。　　How

sad　to　see　the　old　folk　well　clothed　in　the　fabrics　of　England　or

Belgium；　doing　an　easy　trade　in　milk　and　fruit；　because　the　land

they　till　has　become　their　own；　and　not　the　prince's；　while　their

sons　are　thriving　farmers　on　the　prairies　of　the　far　West。　　Very

unpicturesque；　no　doubt；　is　wealth　and　progress；　peace　and　safety；

cleanliness　and　comfort。　　But　they　possess　advantages　unknown　to　the

Ancien　Regime；　which　was；　if　nothing　else；　picturesque。　　Men　could

paint　amusing　and　often　pretty　pictures　of　its　people　and　its

places。



Consider　that　word；　〃picturesque。〃　　It；　and　the　notion　of　art　which

it　expresses；　are　the　children　of　the　Ancien　Regimeof　the　era　of

decay。　　The　healthy；　vigorous；　earnest；　progressive　Middle　Age　never

dreamed　of　admiring；　much　less　of　painting；　for　their　own　sake；　rags

and　ruins；　the　fashion　sprang　up　at　the　end　of　the　seventeenth

century；　it　lingered　on　during　the　first　quarter　of　our　century；

kept　alive　by　the　reaction　from　1815…25。　　It　is　all　but　dead　now；

before　the　return　of　vigorous　and　progressive　thought。　　An　admirer

of　the　Middle　Ages　now　does　not　build　a　sham　ruin　in　his　grounds；　he

restores　a　church；　blazing　with　colour；　like　a　medieval

illumination。　　He　has　learnt　to　look　on　that　which　went　by　the　name

of　picturesque　in　his　great…grandfather's　time；　as　an　old　Greek　or　a

Middle　Age　monk　would　have　doneas　something　squalid；　ugly；　a　sign

of　neglect；　disease；　death；　and　therefore　to　be　hated　and　abolished；

if　it　cannot　be　restored。　　At　Carcassone；　now；　M。　Viollet…le…Duc；

under　the　auspices　of　the　Emperor　of　the　French；　is　spending　his

vast　learning；　and　much　money；　simply　in　abolishing　the　picturesque；

in　restoring　stone　for　stone；　each　member　of　that　wonderful　museum

of　Middle　Age　architecture：　　Roman；　Visigothic；　Moslem；　Romaine；

Early　English；　later　French；　all　is　being　reproduced　exactly　as　it

must　have　existed　centuries　since。　　No　doubt　that　is　not　the　highest

function　of　art：　　but　it　is　a　preparation　for　the　highest；　a　step

toward　some　future　creative　school。　　As　the　early　Italian　artists；

by　careful　imitation；　absorbed　into　their　minds　the　beauty　and

meaning　of　old　Greek　and　Roman　art；　so　must　the　artists　of　our　days

by　the　art　of　the　Middle　Age　and　the　Renaissance。　　They　must　learn

to　copy；　before　they　can　learn　to　surpass；　and；　meanwhile；　they　must

learnindeed　they　have　learntthat　decay　is　ugliness；　and　the

imitation　of　decay；　a　making　money　out　of　the　public　shame。



The　picturesque　sprang　up；　as　far　as　I　can　discover；　suddenly；

during　the　time　of　exhaustion　and　recklessness　which　followed　the

great　struggles　of　the　sixteenth　century。　　Salvator　Rosa　and　Callot；

two　of　the　earliest　professors　of　picturesque　art；　have　never　been

since　surpassed。　　For　indeed；　they　drew　from　life。　　The　rags　and　the

ruins；　material；　and　alas！　spiritual；　were　all　around　them；　the

lands　and　the　creeds　alike　lay　waste。　　There　was　ruffianism　and

misery　among　the　masses　of　Europe；　unbelief　and　artificiality　among

the　upper　classes；　churches　and　monasteries　defiled；　cities　sacked；

farmsteads　plundered　and　ruinate；　and　all　the　wretchedness　which

Callot　has　immortalisedfor　a　warning　to　evil　rulersin　his

Miseres　de　la　Guerre。　　The　world　was　all　gone　wrong：　　but　as　for

setting　it　right　againwho　could　do　that？　　And　so　men　fell　into　a

sentimental　regret　for　the　past；　and　its　beauties；　all　exaggerated

by　the　foreshortening　of　time；　while　they　wanted　strength　or　faith

to　reproduce　it。　　At　last　they　became　so　accustomed　to　the　rags　and

ruins；　that　they　looked　on　them　as　the　normal　condition　of　humanity；

as　the　normal　field　for　painters。



Only　now　and　then；　and　especially　toward　the　latter　half　of　the

eighteenth　century；　when　thought　began　to　revive；　and　men　dreamed　of

putting　the　world　to　rights　once　more；　there　rose　before　them

glimpses　of　an　Arcadian　ideal。　　Country　lifethe　primaeval　calling

of　menhow　graceful　and　pure　it　might　be！　　How　gracefulif　not

pureit　once　had　been！　　The　boors　of　Teniers　and　the　beggars　of

Murillo　might　be　true　to　present　fact；　but　there　was　a　fairer　ideal；

which　once　had　been　fact；　in　the　Eclogues　of　Theocritus；　and　the

Loves　of　Daphnis　and　Chloe。　　And　so　men　took　to　dreaming　of

shepherds　and　shepherdesses；　and　painting　them　on　canvas；　and

modelling　them　in　china；　according　to　their　cockney　notions　of　what

they　had　been　once；　and　always　ought　to　be。　　We　smile　now　at　Sevres

and　Dresden　shepherdesses；　but　the　wise　man　will　surely　see　in　them

a　certain　pathos。　　They　indicated　a　craving　after　something　better

than　boorishness；　and　the　many　men　and　women　may　have　become　the

gentler　and　purer　by　looking　even　at　them；　and　have　said　sadly　to

themselves：　　〃Such　might　have　been　the　peasantry　of　half　Europe；　had

it　not　been　for　devastations　of　the　Palatinate；　wars　of　succession；

and　the　wicked　wills　of　emperors　and　kings。〃







LECTURE　IIITHE　EXPLOSIVE　FORCES







In　a　former　lecture　in　this　Institution；　I　said　that　the　human　race

owed　more　to　the　eighteenth　century　than　to　any　century　since　the

Christian　era。　　It　may　seem　a　bold　assertion　to　those　who　value　duly

the　century　which　followed　the　revival　of　Greek　literature；　and

consider　that　the　eighteenth　century　was　but　the　child；　or　rather

grandchild；　thereof。　　But　I　must　persist　in　my　opinion；　even　though

it　seem　to　be　inconsistent　with　my　description　of　the　very　same　era

as　one　of　decay　and　death。　　For　side　by　side　with　the　death；　there

was　manifold　fresh　birth；　side　by　side　with　the　decay　there　was

active　growth；side　by　side　with　them；　fostered　by　them；　though

generally　in　strong　opposition　to　them；　whether　conscious　or

unconscious。　　We　must　beware；　however；　of　trying　to　find　between

that　decay　and　that　growth　a　bond　of　cause　and　effect　where　there　is

really　none。　　The　general　decay　may　have　determined　the　course　of

many　men's　thoughts；　but　it　no　more　set　them　thinking　than　（as　I

have　heard　said）　the　decay　of　the　Ancien　Regime　produced　the　new

Regimea　loose　metaphor；　which；　like　all　metaphors；　will　not　hold

water；　and　must　not　be　taken　for　a　philosophic　truth。　　That　would　be

to　confess　manwhat　I　shall　never　confess　him　to　bethe　creature

of　circumstances；　it　would　be　to　fall　into　the　same　fallacy　of

spontaneous　generation　as　did　the　ancients；　when　they　believed　that

bees　were　bred　from　the　carcass　of　a　dead　ox。　　In　the　first　place；

the　bees　were　no　bees；　but　fliesunless　when　some　true　swarm　of

honey　bees　may　have　taken　up　their　abode　within　the　empty　ribs；　as

Samson's　bees　did　in　that　of　the　lion。　　But　bees　or　flies；　each

sprang　from　an　egg；　independent　of　the　carcass；　having　a　vitality　of

its　own：　　it　was　fostered　by　the　carcass　it　fed　on　during

development；　but　bred　from　it　it　was　not；　any　more　than　Marat　was

bred　from　the　decay　of　the　Ancien　Regime。　　There　are　flies　which；　by

feeding　on　putridity；　become　poisonous　themselves；　as　did　Marat：

but　even　they　owe　their　vitality　and　organisation　to　something

higher　than　that　on　which　they　feed；　and　each　of　them；　however；

defaced　and　debased；　was　at　first　a　〃thought　of　God。〃　　All　true

manhood　consists　in　the　defiance　of　circumstances；　and　if　any　man　be

the　creature　of　circumstances；　it　is　because　he　has　become　so；　like

the　drunkard；　because　he　has　ceased　to　be　a　man；　and　sunk　downward

toward　the　brute。



Accordingly　we　shall　find；　throughout　the　18th　century；　a　stirring

of　thought；　an　originality；　a　resistance　to　circumstances；　an

indignant　defiance　of　circumstances；　which　would　have　been

impossible；　had　circumstances　been　the　true　lords　and　shapers　of

mankind。　　Had　that　latter　been　the　case；　the　downward　progress　of

the　Ancien　Regime　would　have　been　irremediable。　　Each　generation；

conformed　more　and　more　to　the　element　in　which　it　lived；　would　have

sunk　deeper　in　dull　acquiescence　to　evil；　in　ignorance　of　all

cravings　save　those　of　the　senses；　and　if　at　any　time　intolerable

wrong　or　want　had　driven　it　to　revolt；　it　would　have　issued；　not　in

the　proclamation　of　new　and　vast　ideas；　but　in　an　anarchic　struggle

for　revenge　and　bread。



There　are　races；　alas！　which　seem；　for　the　present　at　least；

mastered　by　circumstances。　　Some；　like　the　Chinese；　have　sunk　back

into　that　state；　some；　like　the　negro　in　Africa；　seem　not　yet　to

have　emerged　from　it；　but　in　Europe；　during　the　eighteenth　century；

were　working　not　merely　new　forces　and　vitalities　（abstractions

which　mislead　rather　than　explain）；　but　living　persons　in　plenty；

men　and　women；　with　independent　and　original　hearts　and　brains；

instinct；　in　spite　of　all　circumstances；　with　power　which　we　shall

most　wisely　ascribe　directly　to　Him　who　is　the　Lord　and　Giver　of

Life。



Such　persons　seemedI　only　say　seemedmost　numerous　in　England　and

in　Germany。　　But　there　were　enough　of　them　in　France　to　change　the

destiny　of　that　great　nation　for　awhileperhaps　for　ever。



M。　de　Tocqueville　has　a　whole　chapter；　and　a　very　remarkable　one；

which　appears　at　first　sight　to　militate　against　my　beliefa

chapter　〃showing　that　France　was　the　country　in　which　men　had　become

most　alike。〃



〃The　men；〃　he　says；　〃of　that　time；　especially　those　belonging　to　the

upper　and　middle　ranks　of　society；　who　alone　were　at　all

conspicuous；　were　all　exactly　alike。〃



And　it　must　be　allowed；　that　if　this　were　true　of　the　upper　and

middle　classes；　it　must　have　been　still　more　true　of　the　mass　of　the

lowest　population；　who；　being　most　animal；　are　always　most　moulded

or　rather　crushedby　their　own　circumstances；　by　public　opinion；

and　by　the　wants　of　five　senses；　common　to　all　alike。



But　when　M。　de　Tocqueville　attributes　this　curious　fact　to　the

circumstances　of　their　political　stateto　that　〃government　of　one

man　which　in　the　end　has　the　inevitable　effect　of　rendering　all　men

alike；