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。
End