the unseen world and other essays-第47章

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nfants　were　put　to　death。　The　age　at　which　citizens　might　marry　was　prescribed　by　law；　and　the　State　paired　off　men　and　women　as　the　modern　breeder　pairs　off　horses；　with　a　sole　view　to　the　excellence　of　the　off…spring。　A　wife　was　not　a　helpmate；　but　a　bearer　of　athletes。　Women　boxed；　wrestled；　and　raced；　a　circumstance　referred　to　in　the　following　passage　of　Aristophanes；　as　rendered　by　Mr。　Felton：

LYSISTRATA。　　　Hail！　Lampito；　dearest　of　Lakonian　women。　　　How　shines　thy　beauty；　O　my　sweetest　friend！　　　How　fair　thy　colour；　full　of　life　thy　frame！　　　Why；　thou　couldst　choke　a　bull。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　LAMPITO。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Yes；　by　the　Twain；　　For　I　do　practice　the　gymnastic　art；　　And；　leaping；　strike　my　backbone　with　my　heels。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　LYSISTRATA。　　In　sooth；　thy　bust　is　lovely　to　behold。


The　young　men　lived　together；　like　soldiers　in　a　camp。　They　ate　out…of…doors；　at　a　public　table。　Their　fare　was　as　simple　as　that　of　a　modern　university　boat…crew　before　a　race。　They　slept　in　the　open　air；　and　spent　their　waking　hours　in　wrestling；　boxing；　running　races；　throwing　quoits；　and　engaging　in　mock　battles。　This　was　the　way　in　which　the　Spartans　lived；　and　though　no　other　city　carried　this　discipline　to　such　an　extent；　yet　in　all　a　very　large　portion　of　the　citizen's　life　was　spent　in　making　himself　hardy　and　robust。

The　ideal　man；　in　the　eyes　of　a　Greek；　was；　therefore　not　the　contemplative　or　delicately　susceptible　thinker　but　the　naked　athlete；　with　firm　flesh　and　swelling　muscles。　Most　of　their　barbarian　neighbours　were　ashamed　to　be　seen　undressed；　but　the　Greeks　seem　to　have　felt　little　embarrassment　in　appearing　naked　in　public。　Their　gymnastic　habits　entirely　transformed　their　sense　of　shame。　Their　Olympic　and　other　public　games　were　a　triumphant　display　of　naked　physical　perfection。　Young　men　of　the　noblest　families　and　from　the　farthest　Greek　colonies　came　to　them；　and　wrestled　and　ran；　undraped；　before　countless　multitudes　of　admiring　spectators。　Note；　too；　as　significant；　that　the　Greek　era　began　with　the　Olympic　games；　and　that　time　was　reckoned　by　the　intervals　between　them；　as　well　as　the　fact　that　the　grandest　lyric　poetry　of　antiquity　was　written　in　celebration　of　these　gymnastic　contests。　The　victor　in　the　foot…race　gave　his　name　to　the　current　Olympiad；　and　on　reaching　home；　was　received　by　his　fellow…citizens　as　if　he　had　been　a　general　returning　from　a　successful　campaign。　To　be　the　most　beautiful　man　in　Greece　was　in　the　eyes　of　a　Greek　the　height　of　human　felicity；　and　with　the　Greeks；　beauty　necessarily　included　strength。　So　ardently　did　this　gifted　people　admire　corporeal　perfection　that　they　actually　worshipped　it。　According　to　Herodotos；　a　young　Sicilian　was　deified　on　account　of　his　beauty；　and　after　his　death　altars　were　raised　to　him。　The　vast　intellectual　power　of　Plato　and　Sokrates　did　not　prevent　them　from　sharing　this　universal　enthusiasm。　Poets　like　Sophokles；　and　statesmen　like　Alexander；　thought　it　not　beneath　their　dignity　to　engage　publicly　in　gymnastic　sports。

Their　conceptions　of　divinity　were　framed　in　accordance　with　these　general　habits。　Though　sometimes；　as　in　the　case　of　Hephaistos；　the　exigencies　of　the　particular　myth　required　the　deity　to　be　physically　imperfect；　yet　ordinarily　the　Greek　god　was　simply　an　immortal　man；　complete　in　strength　and　beauty。　The　deity　was　not　invested　with　the　human　form　as　a　mere　symbol。　They　could　conceive　no　loftier　way　of　representing　him。　The　grandest　statue；　expressing　most　adequately　the　calmness　of　absolutely　unfettered　strength；　might　well；　in　their　eyes；　be　a　veritable　portrait　of　divinity。　To　a　Greek；　beauty　of　form　was　a　consecrated　thing。　More　than　once　a　culprit　got　off　with　his　life　because　it　would　have　been　thought　sacrilegious　to　put　an　end　to　such　a　symmetrical　creature。　And　for　a　similar　reason；　the　Greeks；　though　perhaps　not　more　humane　than　the　Europeans　of　the　Middle　Ages；　rarely　allowed　the　human　body　to　be　mutilated　or　tortured。　The　condemned　criminal　must　be　marred　as　little　as　possible；　and　he　was；　therefore；　quietly　poisoned；　instead　of　being　hung；　beheaded；　or　broken　on　the　wheel。

Is　not　the　unapproachable　excellence　of　Greek　statuarythat　art　never　since　equalled；　and　most　likely；　from　the　absence　of　the　needful　social　stimulus；　destined　never　to　be　equalledalready　sufficiently　explained？　Consider；　says　our　author；　the　nature　of　the　Greek　sculptor's　preparation。　These　men　have　observed　the　human　body　naked　and　in　movement；　in　the　bath　and　the　gymnasium；　in　sacred　dances　and　public　games。　They　have　noted　those　forms　and　attitudes　in　which　are　revealed　vigour；　health；　and　activity。　And　during　three　or　four　hundred　years　they　have　thus　modified；　corrected　and　developed　their　notions　of　corporeal　beauty。　There　is；　therefore；　nothing　surprising　in　the　fact　that　Greek　sculpture　finally　arrived　at　the　ideal　model；　the　perfect　type；　as　it　was；　of　the　human　body。　Our　highest　notions　of　physical　beauty；　down　to　the　present　day；　have　been　bequeathed　to　us　by　the　Greeks。　The　earliest　modern　sculptors　who　abandoned　the　bony；　hideous；　starveling　figures　of　the　monkish　Middle　Ages；　learned　their　first　lessons　in　better　things　from　Greek　bas…reliefs。　And　if；　to…day；　forgetting　our　half…developed　bodies；　inefficiently　nourished；　because　of　our　excessive　brain…work；　and　with　their　muscles　weak　and　flabby　from　want　of　strenuous　exercise；　we　wish　to　contemplate　the　human　form　in　its　grandest　perfection；　we　must　go　to　Hellenic　art　for　our　models。

The　Greeks　were；　in　the　highest　sense　of　the　word；　an　intellectual　race；　but　they　never　allowed　the　mind　to　tyrannize　over　the　body。　Spiritual　perfection；　accompanied　by　corporeal　feebleness；　was　the　invention　of　asceticism；　and　the　Greeks　were　never　ascetics。　Diogenes　might　scorn　superfluous　luxuries；　but　if　he　ever　rolled　and　tumbled　his　tub　about　as　Rabelais　says　he　did；　it　is　clear　that　the　victory　of　spirit　over　body　formed　no　part　of　his　theory　of　things。　Such　an　idea　would　have　been　incomprehensible　to　a　Greek　in　Plato's　time。　Their　consciences　were　not　over　active。　They　were　not　burdened　with　a　sense　of　sinfulness。　Their　aspirations　were　decidedly　finite；　and　they　believed　in　securing　the　maximum　completeness　of　this　terrestrial　life。　Consequently　they　never　set　the　physical　below　the　intellectual。　To　return　to　our　author；　they　never；　in　their　statues；　subordinated　symmetry　to　expression；　the　body　to　the　head。　They　were　interested　not　only　in　the　prominence　of　the　brows；　the　width　of　the　forehead；　and　the　curvature　of　the　lips；　but　quite　as　much　in　the　massiveness　of　the　chest；　the　compactness　of　the　thighs；　and　the　solidity　of　the　arms　and　legs。　Not　only　the　face；　but　the　whole　body；　had　for　them　its　physiognomy。　They　left　picturesqueness　to　the　painter；　and　dramatic　fervour　to　the　poet；　and　keeping　strictly　before　their　eyes　the　narrow　but　exalted　problem　of　representing　the　beauty　of　symmetry；　they　filled　their　sanctuaries　and　public　places　with　those　grand　motionless　people　of　brass；　gold；　ivory；　copper；　and　marble；　in　whom　humanity　recognizes　its　highest　artistic　types。　Statuary　was　the　central　art　of　Greece。　No　other　art　was　so　popular；　or　so　completely　expressed　the　national　life。　The　number　of　statues　was　enormous。　In　later　days；　when　Rome　had　spoiled　the　Greek　world　of　its　treasures；　the　Imperial　City　possessed　a　population　of　statues　almost　equal　in　number　to　its　population　of　human　beings。　And　at　the　present　day；　after　all　the　destructive　accidents　of　so　many　intervening　centuries；　it　is　estimated　that　more　than　sixty　thousand　statues　have　been　obtained　from　Rome　and　its　suburbs　alone。

In　citing　this　admirable　exposition　as　a　specimen　of　M。　Taine's　method　of　dealing　with　his　subject；　we　have　refrained　from　disturbing　the　pellucid　current　of　thought　by　criticisms　of　our　own。　We　think　the　foregoing　explanation　correct　enough；　so　far　as　it　goes；　though　it　deals　with　the　merest　rudiments　of　the　subject；　and　really　does　nothing　toward　elucidating　the　deeper　mysteries　of　artistic　production。　For　this　there　is　needed　a　profounder　psychology　than　M。　Taine's。　But　whether　his　theory　of　art　be　adequate　or　not；　there　can　be　but　one　opinion　as　to　the　brilliant　eloquence　with　which　it　is　set　forth。　　　　　　　June；　1868。



XIV。

ATHENIAN　AND　AMERICAN　LIFE。

IN　a　very　interesting　essay　on　British　and　Foreign　Characteristics；　published　a　few　years　ago；　Mr。　W。　R。　Greg　quotes　the　famous　letter　of　the　Turkish　cadi　to　Mr。　Layard；　with　the　comment　that　〃it　contains　the　germ　and　element　of　a　wisdom　to　which　our　busy　and　bustling　existence　is　a　stranger〃；　and　he　uses　it　as　a　text　for　an　instructive　sermon　on　the　〃gospel　of　leisure。〃　He　urges；　with　justice；　that　the　too　eager　and　restless　modern　man；　absorbed　in　problems　of　industrial　development；　may　learn　a　wholesome　lesson　from　the　contemplation　of　his　Oriental　brother；　who　cares　not　to　say；　〃Behold；　this　star　spinneth　round　that　star；　and　this　other　star　with　a　tail　cometh　and　goeth　in　so　many　years〃；　who　aspires　not　after　a　〃double　stomach；〃　nor　hopes　to　attain　to　Paradise　by　〃seeking　with　his　eyes。〃　If　any　one　may　be　thought　to　stand　in　need　of　some　such　lesson；　it　is　the　American　of　to…day。　Just　as　far　as　the　Turk　carries　his　apathy　to　excess；　does　the　American　carry　to　excess　his　restlessness。　But　just　because　the　incurious　idleness　of　the　Turk　is　excessive；　so　as　to　be　detrimental　to　completeness　of　living；　it　is　unfit　to　supply　us　with　the　hints　we　need　concerning　the　causes；　character；　and　effects　of　our　over…activity。　A　sermon　of　leisure；　if　it　is　to　be　of　practical　use　to　us；　must　not　be　a　sermon　of　laziness。　The　Oriental　state　of　mind　is　incompatible　with　progressive　improvement　of　any　sort；　physical；　intellectual；　or　moral。　It　is　one　of　the　phenomena　attendant　upon　the　arrival　of　a　community　at　a　stationary　condition　before　it　has　acquired　a　complex　civilization。　And　it　appears　serviceable　rather　as　a　background　upon　which　to　exhibit　in　relief　our　modern　turmoil；　than　by　reason　of　any　lesson　which　it　is　itself　likely　to　convey。　Let　us　in　preference　study　one　of　the　most　eminently　progressive　of　all　the　communities　that　have　existed。　Let　us　take　an　example　quite　different　from　any　that　can　be　drawn　from　Oriental　life；　but　almost　equally　contrasted　with　any　that　can　be　found　among　ourselves；　and　let　us；　with　the　aid　of　it；　examine　the　respective　effects　of　leisure　and　of　hurry　upon　the　culture　of　the　community。

What　do　modern　critics　mean　by　the　〃healthy　completeness〃　of　ancient　life；　which　they　are　so　fond　of　contrasting　with　the　〃heated；〃　〃discontented；〃　or　imperfect　and　one…sided　existence　of　modern　communities？　Is　this　a　mere　set　of　phrases；　suited　to　some　imaginary　want　of　the　literary　critic；　but　answering　to　nothing　real？　Are　they　to　be　summarily　disposed　of　as　resting　upon　some　tacit　assumption　of　that　old…grannyism　which　delights　in　asseverating　that　times　are　not　what　they　used　to　be？　Is　the　contrast　an　imaginary　one；　due　to　the　softened；　cheerful　light　with　which　we　are　wont　to　contemplate　classic　antiquity　through　the　charmed　medium　of　its　incomparable　literature？　Or　is　it　a　real　contrast；　worthy　of　the　attention　and　analysis　of　the　historical　inquirer？　The　answer　to　these　queries　will　lead　us　far　into　the　discus