Latter-Day Pamphlets

第26章

Forthesmartmustbeborne;someonemustbearit,assureasGodlives。Everywordofmaniseitheranoteoraforgednote:——havetheseeternalskiesforgottentobeinearnest,thinkyou,becausemengogrinninglikeenchantedapes?Foolishsouls,thisnowasofoldistheunalterablelawofyourexistence。Ifyouknowthetruthanddoit,theUniverseitselfsecondsyou,bearsyouontosurevictoryeverywhere:——and,observe,tosuredefeateverywhereifyoudonotdothetruth。Andalas,ifyou_know_onlytheeloquentfallacioussemblanceofthetruth,whatchanceisthereofyoureverdoingit?Youwilldosomethingverydifferentfromit,Ithink!——Hewhowellconsiders,willfindthissame“artofspeech,“aswemodernshaveit,tobeatrulyastonishingproductoftheAges;andthelongerheconsidersit,themoreastonishingandalarming。Ireckonitthesaddestofallthecursesthatnowlieheavyonus。Withhorrorandamazement,oneperceivesthatthismuch-celebrated“art,“sodiligentlypractisedinallcornersoftheworldjustnow,isthechiefdestroyerofwhatevergoodisborntous(softly,swiftlyshuttingupallnascentgood,asifunderexhaustedglassreceivers,theretochokeanddie);andthegrandparentmanufactoryofeviltous,——asitwere,thelastfinishingandvarnishingworkshopofalltheDevil’swarethatcirculatesunderthesun。NoDevil’sshamisfitforthemarkettillithavebeenpolishedandenamelledhere;thisisthegeneralassaying-houseforsuch,wheretheartistsexamineandanswer,“Fitforthemarket;notfit!“Wordswillnotexpresswhatmischiefsthemisuseofwordshasdone,andisdoing,intheseheavy-ladengenerations。

Doyouwantaman_not_topractisewhathebelieves,thenencouragehimtokeepoftenspeakingitinwords。Everytimehespeaksit,thetendencytodoitwillgrowless。Hisemptyspeechofwhathebelieves,willbeawearinessandanafflictiontothewiseman。Butdoyouwishhisemptyspeechofwhathebelieves,tobecomefartheraninsincerespeechofwhathedoesnotbelieve?Celebratetohimhisgiftofspeech;assurehimthatheshallriseinParliamentbymeansofit,andachievegreatthingswithoutanyperformance;thateloquentspeech,whetherperformedornot,isadmirable。Myfriends,eloquentunperformedspeech,inParliamentorelsewhere,ishorrible!Theeloquentmanthatdelivers,inParliamentorelsewhere,abeautifulspeech,andwillperformnothingofit,butleavesitasifalreadyperformed,——whatcanyoumakeofthatman?Hehasenrolledhimselfamongthe_IgnesFatui_andChildrenoftheWind;meanstoserve,asbeautifullyilluminatedChineseLantern,inthatcorpshenceforth。Ithink,theserviceablethingyoucoulddotothatman,ifpermissible,wouldbeasevereone:Toclipoffabitofhiseloquenttonguebywayofpenanceandwarning;anotherbit,ifheagainspokewithoutperforming;andsoagain,tillyouhadcliptthewholetongueawayfromhim,——andweredelivered,youandhe,fromatleastonemiserablemockery:

“There,eloquentfriend,seenowinsilenceiftherebeanyredeemingdeedinthee;ofblasphemouswind-eloquence,atleast,weshallhavenomore!“Howmanyprettymenhavegonethisroad,escortedbythebeautifulestmarchingmusicfromallthe“publicorgans;“andhavefoundatlastthatitended——where?Itisthe_broad_road,thatleadsdirecttoLimboandtheKingdomoftheInane。Giftedmen,andoncevaliantnations,andasitwerethewholeworldwithoneaccord,aremarchingthither,inmelodioustriumph,allthedrumsandhautboysgivingouttheircheerfulest_Ca-ira_。Itistheuniversalhumoroftheworldjustnow。Myfriends,Iamverysureyouwill_arrive_,unlessyouhalt!——

Consideredasthelastfinishofeducation,orofhumanculture,worthandacquirement,theartofspeechisnoble,andevendivine;itislikethekindlingofaHeaven’slighttoshowuswhatagloriousworldexists,andhasperfecteditself,inaman。Butifnoworldexistintheman;ifnothingbutcontinentsofemptyvapor,ofgreedyself-conceits,common-placehearsays,andindistinctloomingsofasordid_chaos_existinhim,whatwillbetheuseof“light“toshowusthat?Betterathousandtimesthatsuchamandonotspeak;butkeephisemptyvaporandhissordidchaostohimself,hiddentotheutmostfromallbeholders。Tolookonthat,canbegoodfornohumanbeholder;

tolookawayfromthat,mustbegood。Andif,bydelusivesemblancesofrhetoric,logic,first-classdegrees,andtheaidofelocution-mastersandparliamentaryreporters,thepoorproprietorofsaidchaosshouldbeledtopersuadehimself,andgetotherspersuaded,——whichitisthenatureofhissadtasktodo,andwhich,incertainerasoftheworld,itisfatallypossibletodo,——thatthisisacosmoswhichheowns;that_he_,beingsoperfectintongue-exerciseandfullofcollege-honors,isan“educated“man,andpearlofgreatpriceinhisgeneration;

thatroundhim,andhisparliamentemulouslylisteningtohim,asroundsomedivineappleofgoldsetinapictureofsilver,alltheworldshouldgathertoadore:whatislikelytobecomeofhimandthegatheringworld?AnappleofSodomsetintheclustersofGomorrah:that,littleashesuspectsit,isthedefi

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