the coming race-第15章

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I　have　said　that　these　dramas　are　of　great　antiquity。　　No　new　plays；　indeed　no　imaginative　works　sufficiently　important　to　survive　their　immediate　day；　appear　to　have　been　composed　for　several　generations。　　In　fact；　though　there　is　no　lack　of　new　publications；　and　they　have　even　what　may　be　called　newspapers；　these　are　chiefly　devoted　to　mechanical　science；　reports　of　new　inventions；　announcements　respecting　various　details　of　business…　in　short；　to　practical　matters。　　Sometimes　a　child　writes　a　little　tale　of　adventure；　or　a　young　Gy　vents　her　amorous　hopes　or　fears　in　a　poem；　but　these　effusions　are　of　very　little　merit；　and　are　seldom　read　except　by　children　and　maiden　Gy…ei。　　The　most　interesting　works　of　a　purely　literary　character　are　those　of　explorations　and　travels　into　other　regions　of　this　nether　world；　which　are　generally　written　by　84young　emigrants；　and　are　read　with　great　avidity　by　the　relations　and　friends　they　have　left　behind。

I　could　not　help　expressing　to　Aph…Lin　my　surprise　that　a　community　in　which　mechanical　science　had　made　so　marvellous　a　progress；　and　in　which　intellectual　civilisation　had　exhibited　itself　in　realising　those　objects　for　the　happiness　of　the　people；　which　the　political　philosophers　above　ground　had；　after　ages　of　struggle；　pretty　generally　agreed　to　consider　unattainable　visions；　should；　nevertheless；　be　so　wholly　without　a　contemporaneous　literature；　despite　the　excellence　to　which　culture　had　brought　a　language　at　once　so　rich　and　simple；　vigourous　and　musical。

My　host　replied…　〃Do　you　not　percieve　that　a　literature　such　as　you　mean　would　be　wholly　incompatible　with　that　perfection　of　social　or　political　felicity　at　which　you　do　us　the　honour　to　think　we　have　arrived？　We　have　at　last；　after　centuries　of　struggle；　settled　into　a　form　of　government　with　which　we　are　content；　and　in　which；　as　we　allow　no　differences　of　rank；　and　no　honours　are　paid　to　administrators　distinguishing　them　from　others；　there　is　no　stimulus　given　to　individual　ambition。　　No　one　would　read　works　advocating　theories　that　involved　any　political　or　social　change；　and　therefore　no　one　writes　them。　　If　now　and　then　an　An　feels　himself　dissatisfied　with　our　tranquil　mode　of　life；　he　does　not　attack　it；　he　goes　away。　　Thus　all　that　part　of　literature　（and　to　judge　by　the　ancient　books　in　our　public　libraries；　it　was　once　a　very　large　part）；　which　relates　to　speculative　theories　on　society　is　become　utterly　extinct。　　Again；　formerly　there　was　a　vast　deal　written　respecting　the　attributes　and　essence　of　the　All…Good；　and　the　arguments　for　and　against　a　future　state；　but　now　we　all　recognise　two　facts；　that　there　IS　a　Divine　Being；　and　there　IS　a　future　state；　and　we　all　equally　agree　that　if　we　wrote　our　fingers　to　the　bone；　we　could　not　throw　any　light　upon　the　nature　and　conditions　of　that　future　state；　or　quicken　our　apprehensions　of　the　attributes　and　essence　of　that　Divine　85Being。　　Thus　another　part　of　literature　has　become　also　extinct；　happily　for　our　race；　for　in　the　time　when　so　much　was　written　on　subjects　which　no　one　could　determine；　people　seemed　to　live　in　a　perpetual　state　of　quarrel　and　contention。　　So；　too；　a　vast　part　of　our　ancient　literature　consists　of　historical　records　of　wars　an　revolutions　during　the　times　when　the　Ana　lived　in　large　and　turbulent　societies；　each　seeking　aggrandisement　at　the　expense　of　the　other。　　You　see　our　serene　mode　of　life　now；　such　it　has　been　for　ages。　　We　have　no　events　to　chronicle。　　What　more　of　us　can　be　said　than　that；　'they　were　born；　they　were　happy；　they　died？'　Coming　next　to　that　part　of　literature　which　is　more　under　the　control　of　the　imagination；　such　as　what　we　call　Glaubsila；　or　colloquially　'Glaubs；'　and　you　call　poetry；　the　reasons　for　its　decline　amongst　us　are　abundantly　obvious。

〃We　find；　by　referring　to　the　great　masterpieces　in　that　department　of　literature　which　we　all　still　read　with　pleasure；　but　of　which　none　would　tolerate　imitations；　that　they　consist　in　the　portraiture　of　passions　which　we　no　longer　experience…　ambition；　vengeance；　unhallowed　love；　the　thirst　for　warlike　renown；　and　suchlike。　　The　old　poets　lived　in　an　atmosphere　impregnated　with　these　passions；　and　felt　vividly　what　they　expressed　glowingly。　　No　one　can　express　such　passions　now；　for　no　one　can　feel　them；　or　meet　with　any　sympathy　in　his　readers　if　he　did。　　Again；　the　old　poetry　has　a　main　element　in　its　dissection　of　those　complex　mysteries　of　human　character　which　conduce　to　abnormal　vices　and　crimes；　or　lead　to　signal　and　extraordinary　virtues。　　But　our　society；　having　got　rid　of　temptations　to　any　prominent　vices　and　crimes；　has　necessarily　rendered　the　moral　average　so　equal；　that　there　are　no　very　salient　virtues。　　Without　its　ancient　food　of　strong　passions；　vast　crimes；　heroic　excellences；　poetry　therefore　is；　if　not　actually　starved　to　death；　reduced　to　a　very　meagre　diet。　　There　is　still　the　poetry　of　description…　description　of　rocks；　and　trees；　and　waters；　and　common　household　life；　and　our　young　Gy…ei　weave　much　of　this　insipid　kind　of　composition　into　their　love　verses。〃　86　〃Such　poetry；〃　said　I；　〃might　surely　be　made　very　charming；　and　we　have　critics　amongst　us　who　consider　it　a　higher　kind　than　that　which　depicts　the　crimes；　or　analyses　the　passions；　of　man。　　At　all　events；　poetry　of　the　inspired　kind　you　mention　is　a　poetry　that　nowadays　commands　more　readers　than　any　other　among　the　people　I　have　left　above　ground。〃

〃Possibly；　but　then　I　suppose　the　writers　take　great　pains　with　the　language　they　employ；　and　devote　themselves　to　the　culture　and　polish　of　words　and　rhythms　of　an　art？〃

〃Certainly　they　do：　all　great　poets　do　that。　　Though　the　gift　of　poetry　may　be　inborn；　the　gift　requires　as　much　care　to　make　it　available　as　a　block　of　metal　does　to　be　made　into　one　of　your　engines。〃

〃And　doubtless　your　poets　have　some　incentive　to　bestow　all　those　pains　upon　such　verbal　prettinesses？〃

〃Well；　I　presume　their　instinct　of　song　would　make　them　sing　as　the　bird　does；　but　to　cultivate　the　song　into　verbal　or　artificial　prettiness；　probably　does　need　an　inducement　from　without；　and　our　poets　find　it　in　the　love　of　fame…　perhaps；　now　and　then；　in　the　want　of　money。〃

〃Precisely　so。　　But　in　our　society　we　attach　fame　to　nothing　which　man；　in　that　moment　of　his　duration　which　is　called　'life；'　can　perform。　　We　should　soon　lose　that　equality　which　constitutes　the　felicitous　essence　of　our　commonwealth　if　we　selected　any　individual　for　pre…eminent　praise：　pre…eminent　praise　would　confer　pre…eminent　power；　and　the　moment　it　were　given；　evil　passions；　now　dormant；　would　awake：　other　men　would　immediately　covet　praise；　then　would　arise　envy；　and　with　envy　hate；　and　with　hate　calumny　and　persecution。　　Our　history　tells　us　that　most　of　the　poets　and　most　of　the　writers　who；　in　the　old　time；　were　favoured　with　the　greatest　praise；　were　also　assailed　by　the　greatest　vituperation；　and　even；　on　the　whole；　87rendered　very　unhappy；　partly　by　the　attacks　of　jealous　rivals；　partly　by　the　diseased　mental　constitution　which　an　acquired　sensitiveness　to　praise　and　to　blame　tends　to　engender。　　As　for　the　stimulus　of　want；　in　the　first　place；　no　man　in　our　community　knows　the　goad　of　poverty；　and；　secondly；　if　he　did；　almost　every　occupation　would　be　more　lucrative　than　writing。

〃Our　public　libraries　contain　all　the　books　of　the　past　which　time　has　preserved；　those　books；　for　the　reasons　above　stated；　are　infinitely　better　than　any　can　write　nowadays；　and　they　are　open　to　all　to　read　without　cost。　　We　are　not　such　fools　as　to　pay　for　reading　inferior　books；　when　we　can　read　superior　books　for　nothing。〃

〃With　us；　novelty　has　an　attraction；　and　a　new　book；　if　bad；　is　read　when　an　old　book；　though　good；　is　neglected。〃

〃Novelty；　to　barbarous　states　of　society　struggling　in　despair　for　something　better；　has　no　doubt　an　attraction；　denied　to　us；　who　see　nothing　to　gain　in　novelties；　but　after　all；　it　is　observed　by　one　of　our　great　authors　four　thousand　years　ago；　that　'he　who　studies　old　books　will　always　find　in　them　something　new；　and　he　who　reads　new　books　will　always　find　in　them　something　old。'　But　to　return　to　the　question　you　have　raised；　there　being　then　amongst　us　no　stimulus　to　painstaking　labour；　whether　in　desire　of　fame　or　in　pressure　of　want；　such　as　have　the　poetic　temperament；　no　doubt　vent　it　in　song；　as　you　say　the　bird　sings；　but　for　lack　of　elaborate　culture　it　fails　of　an　audience；　and；　failing　of　an　audience；　dies　out；　of　itself；　amidst　the　ordinary　avocations　of　life。〃

〃But　how　is　it　that　these　discouragements　to　the　cultivation　of　literature　do　not　operate　against　that　of　science？〃

〃Your　question　amazes　me。　　The　motive　to　science　is　the　love　of　truth　apart　from　all　consideration　of　fame；　and　science　with　us　too　is　devoted　almost　solely　to　practical　uses；　essential　to　our　social　conversation　and　the　comforts　of　our　daily　life。　　No　88fame　is　asked　by　the　inventor；　and　none　is　given　to　him；　he　enjoys　an　occupation　congenial　to　his　tastes；　and　needing　no　wear　and　tear　of　the　passions。　　Man　must　have　exercise　for　his　mind　as　well　as　body；　and　continuous　exercise；　rather　than　violent；　is　best　for　both。　　Our　most　ingenious　cultivators　of　science　are；　as　a　general　rule；　the　longest　lived　and　the　most　free　from　disease。　　Painting　is　an　amusement　to　many；　but　the　art　is　not　what　it　was　in　former　times；　when　the　great　painters　in　our　various　communities　vied　with　each　other　for　the　prize　of　a　golden　crown；　which　gave　them　a　social　rank　equal　to　that　of　the　kings　under　whom　they　lived。　　You　will　thus　doubtless　have　observed　in　our　archaeological　department　how　superior　in　point　of　art　the　pictures　were　several　thousand　years　ago。　　Perhaps　it　is　because　music　is；　in　reality；　more　allied　to　science　than　it　is　to　poetry；　that；　of　all　the　pleasurable　arts；　music　is　that　which　flourishes　the　most　amongst　us。　　Still；　even　in　music　the　absence　of　stimulus　in　praise　or　fame　has　served　to　prevent　any　great　superiority　of　one　individual　over　another；　and　we　rather　excel　in　choral　music；　with　the　aid　of　our　vast　mechanical　instruments；　in　which　we　make　great　use　of　the　agency　of　water；*　than　in　single　performers。〃

*　This　may　remind　the　student　of　Nero's　invention　of　a　musical　machine；　by　which　water　was　made　to　perform　the　part　of　an　orchestra；　and　on　which　he　was　employed　when　the　conspiracy　against　him　broke　out。

〃We　have　had　scarcely　any　original　composer　for　some　ages。　　Our　favorite　airs　are　very　ancient　in　substance；　but　have　admitted　many　complicated　variations　by　inferior；　though　ingenious；　musicians。〃

〃Are　there　no　political　societies　among　the　Ana　which　are　animated　by　those　passions；　subjected　to　those　crimes；　and　admitting　those　disparities　in　condition；　in　intellect；　and　in　morality；　which　the　state　of　your　tribe；　or　indeed　of　the　Vril…ya　generally；　has　left　behind　in　its　progress　to　perfection？　If　so；　among　such　societies　perhaps　Poetry　and　her　sister　arts　still　continue　to　be　honoured　and　to　improve？〃　89　〃There　are　such　societies　in　remote　regions；　but　we　do　not　admit　them　within　the　pale　of　civilised　communities；　we　scarcely　even　give　them　the　name　of　Ana；　and　certainly　not　that　of　Vril…ya。　　They　are　savages；　living　chiefly　in　that　low　stage　o