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the ancien regime-第16章

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causes progress; it merely spreads and makes popular the results of

progress。  Progress is inward; of the soul。  And; therefore;

improved constitutions; and improved book instructionnow miscalled

educationare not progress:  they are at best only fruits and signs

thereof。  For they are outward; material; and progress; I say; is

inward。  The self…help and self…determination of the independent

soulthat is the root of progress; and the more human beings who

have that; the more progress there is in the world。  Give me a man

who; though he can neither read nor write; yet dares think for

himself; and do the thing he believes:  that man will help forward

the human race more than any thousand men who have read; or written

either; a thousand books apiece; but have not dared to think for

themselves。  And better for his race; and better; I believe; in the

sight of God; the confusions and mistakes of that one sincere brave

man; than the second…hand and cowardly correctness of all the

thousand。



As for the 〃triumphs of science;〃 let us honour; with astonishment

and awe; the genius of those who invented them; but let us remember

that the things themselves are as a gun or a sword; with which we

can kill our enemy; but with which also our enemy can kill us。  Like

all outward and material things; they are equally fit for good and

for evil。  In England herethey have been as yet; as far as I can

see; nothing but blessings:  but I have my very serious doubts

whether they are likely to be blessings to the whole human race; for

many an age to come。  I can conceive themmay God avert the omen!

the instruments of a more crushing executive centralisation; of a

more utter oppression of the bodies and souls of men; than the world

has yet seen。  I can conceivemay God avert the omen!centuries

hence; some future world…ruler sitting at the junction of all

railroads; at the centre of all telegraph…wiresa world…spider in

the omphalos of his world…wide web; and smiting from thence

everything that dared to lift its head; or utter a cry of pain; with

a swiftness and surety to which the craft of a Justinian or a Philip

II。 were but clumsy and impotent。



All; all outward things; be sure of it; are good or evil; exactly as

far as they are in the hands of good men or of bad。



Moreover; paradoxical as it may seem; railroads and telegraphs;

instead of inaugurating an era of progress; may possibly only retard

it。  〃Rester sur un grand succes;〃 which was Rossini's advice to a

young singer who had achieved a triumph; is a maxim which the world

often follows; not only from prudence; but from necessity。  They

have done so much that it seems neither prudent nor possible to do

more。  They will rest and be thankful。



Thus; gunpowder and printing made rapid changes enough; but those

changes had no farther development。  The new art of war; the new art

of literature; remained stationary; or rather receded and

degenerated; till the end of the eighteenth century。



And so it may be with our means of locomotion and intercommunion;

and what depends on them。  The vast and unprecedented amount of

capital; of social interest; of actual human intellect investedI

may say locked upin these railroads; and telegraphs; and other

triumphs of industry and science; will not enter into competition

against themselves。  They will not set themselves free to seek new

discoveries in directions which are often actually opposed to their

own; always foreign to it。  If the money of thousands are locked up

in these great works; the brains of hundreds of thousands; and of

the very shrewdest too; are equally locked up therein likewise; and

are to be subtracted from the gross material of social development;

and added (without personal fault of their owners; who may be very

good men) to the dead weight of vested selfishness; ignorance; and

dislike of change。



Yes。  A Byzantine and stationary age is possible yet。  Perhaps we

are now entering upon it; an age in which mankind shall be satisfied

with the 〃triumphs of science;〃 and shall look merely to the

greatest comfort (call it not happiness) of the greatest number; and

like the debased Jews of old; 〃having found the life of their hand;

be therewith content;〃 no matter in what mud…hole of slavery and

superstition。



But one hope there is; and more than a hopeone certainty; that

however satisfied enlightened public opinion may become with the

results of science; and the progress of the human race; there will

be always a more enlightened private opinion or opinions; which will

not be satisfied therewith at all; a few men of genius; a few

children of light; it may be a few persecuted; and a few martyrs for

new truths; who will wish the world not to rest and be thankful; but

to be discontented with itself; ashamed of itself; striving and

toiling upward; without present hope of gain; till it has reached

that unknown goal which Bacon saw afar off; and like all other

heroes; died in faith; not having received the promises; but seeking

still a polity which has foundations; whose builder and maker is

God。



These will be the men of science; whether physical or spiritual。

Not merely the men who utilise and apply that which is known (useful

as they plainly are); but the men who themselves discover that which

was unknown; and are generally deemed useless; if not hurtful; to

their race。  They will keep the sacred lamp burning unobserved in

quiet studies; while all the world is gazing only at the gaslights

flaring in the street。  They will pass that lamp on from hand to

hand; modestly; almost stealthily; till the day comes round again;

when the obscure student shall be discovered once more to be; as he

has always been; the strongest man on earth。  For they follow a

mistress whose footsteps may often slip; yet never fall; for she

walks forward on the eternal facts of Nature; which are the acted

will of God。  A giantess she is; young indeed; but humble as yet:

cautious and modest beyond her years。  She is accused of trying to

scale Olympus; by some who fancy that they have already scaled it

themselves; and will; of course; brook no rival in their fancied

monopoly of wisdom。



The accusation; I believe; is unjust。  And yet science may scale

Olympus after all。  Without intending it; almost without knowing it;

she may find herself hereafter upon a summit of which she never

dreamed; surveying the universe of God in the light of Him who made

it and her; and remakes them both for ever and ever。  On that summit

she may stand hereafter; if only she goes on; as she goes now; in

humility and in patience; doing the duty which lies nearest her;

lured along the upward road; not by ambition; vanity; or greed; but

by reverent curiosity for every new pebble; and flower; and child;

and savage; around her feet。







Footnotes:



{1}  Mr。 H。 Reeve's translation of De Tocqueville's 〃France before

the Revolution of 1789。〃  p。 280。









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