友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!
恐怖书库 返回本书目录 加入书签 我的书架 我的书签 TXT全本下载 『收藏到我的浏览器』

latter-day pamphlets-第60部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完,想下次继续接着阅读,可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能!


e thought of his heart is not its wisest; not even _its_ wisest; it is its foolishest;and even of that we have a false and foolish copy。  And it is Nature's Fact; or the Thought of the Eternal; which we want to arrive at in regard to the matter;which if we do _not_ arrive at; we shall not save the matter; we shall drive the matter into shipwreck!

The practice of modern Parliaments; with reporters sitting among them; and twenty…seven millions mostly fools listening to them; fills me with amazement。  In regard to no _thing_; or fact as God and Nature have made it; can you get so much as the real thought of any honorable head;even so far as _it_; the said honorable head; still has capacity of thought。  What the honorable gentleman's wisest thought is or would have been; had he led from birth a life of piety and earnest veracity and heroic virtue; you; and he himself poor deep…sunk creature; vainly conjecture as from immense dim distances far in the rear of what he is led to _say_。  And again; far in the rear of what his thought is;surely long infinitudes beyond all _he_ could ever think;lies the Thought of God Almighty; the Image itself of the Fact; the thing you are in quest of; and must find or do worse!  Even his; the honorable gentleman's; actual bewildered; falsified; vague surmise or quasi…thought; even this is not given you; but only some falsified copy of this; such as he fancies may suit the reporters and twenty…seven millions mostly fools。  And upon that latter you are to act;with what success; do you expect?  That is the thought you are to take for the Thought of the Eternal Mind;that double…distilled falsity of a blockheadism from one who is false even as a blockhead!

Do I make myself plain to Mr。 Peter's understanding?  Perhaps it will surprise him less that parliamentary eloquence excites more wonder than admiration in me; that the fate of countries governed by that sublime alchemy does not appear the hopefulest just now。  Not by that method; I should apprehend; will the Heavens be scaled and the Earth vanquished; not by that; but by another。


A benevolent man once proposed to me; but without pointing out the methods how; this plan of reform for our benighted world:  To cut from one generation; whether the current one or the next; all the tongues away; prohibiting Literature too; and appoint at least one generation to pass its life in silence。  〃There; thou one blessed generation; from the vain jargon of babble thou art beneficently freed。  Whatsoever of truth; traditionary or original; thy own god…given intellect shall point out to thee as true; that thou wilt go and do。  In doing of it there will be a verdict for thee; if a verdict of True; thou wilt hold by it; and ever again do it; if of Untrue; thou wilt never try it more; but be eternally delivered from it。 To do aught because the vain hearsays order thee; and the big clamors of the sanhedrim of fools; is not thy lot;what worlds of misery are spared thee!  Nature's voice heard in thy own inner being; and the sacred Commandment of thy Maker:  these shall be thy guidances; thou happy tongueless generation。  What is good and beautiful thou shalt know; not merely what is said to be so。  Not to talk of thy doings; and become the envy of surrounding flunkies; but to taste of the fruit of thy doings themselves; is thine。  What the Eternal Laws will sanction for thee; do; what the Froth Gospels and multitudinous long…eared Hearsays never so loudly bid; all this is already chaff for thee;drifting rapidly along; thou knowest whitherward; on the eternal winds。〃

Good Heavens; if such a plan were practicable; how the chaff might be winnowed out of every man; and out of all human things; and ninety…nine hundredths of our whole big Universe; spiritual and practical; might blow itself away; as mere torrents of chaff whole trade…winds of chaff; many miles deep; rushing continually with the voice of whirlwinds towards a certain FIRE; which knows how to deal with it!  Ninety…nine hundredths blown away; all the lies blown away; and some skeleton of a spiritual and practical Universe left standing for us which were true:  O Heavens; is it forever impossible; then?  By a generation that had no tongue it really might be done; but not so easily by one that had。  Tongues; platforms; parliaments; and fourth…estates; unfettered presses; periodical and stationary literatures:  we are nearly all gone to tongue; I think; and our fate is very questionable。


Truly; it is little known at present; and ought forthwith to become better known; what ruin to all nobleness and fruitfulness and blessedness in the genius of a poor mortal you generally bring about; by ordering him to speak; to do all things with a view to their being seen!  Few good and fruitful things ever were done; or could be done; on those terms。  Silence; silence; and be distant ye profane; with your jargonings and superficial babblements; when a man has anything to do!  Eye…service;dost thou know what that is; poor England?eye…service is all the man can do in these sad circumstances; grows to be all he has the idea of doing; of his or any other man's ever doing; or ever having done; in any circumstances。  Sad; enough。  Alas; it is our saddest woe of all;too sad for being spoken of at present; while all or nearly all men consider it an imaginary sorrow on my part!

Let the young English soul; in whatever logic…shop and nonsense…verse establishment of an Eton; Oxford; Edinburgh; Halle; Salamanca; or other High Finishing…School; he may be getting his young idea taught how to speak and spout; and print sermons and review…articles; and thereby show himself and fond patrons that it _is_ an idea;lay this solemnly to heart; this is my deepest counsel to him!  The idea you have once spoken; if it even were an idea; is no longer yours; it is gone from you; so much life and virtue is gone; and the vital circulations of your self and your destiny and activity are henceforth deprived of it。  If you could not get it spoken; if you could still constrain it into silence; so much the richer are you。 Better keep your idea while you can:  let it still circulate in your blood; and there fructify; inarticulately inciting you to good activities; giving to your whole spiritual life a ruddier health。  When the time does come for speaking it; you will speak it all the more concisely; the more expressively; appropriately; and if such a time should never come; have you not already acted it; and uttered it as no words can?  Think of this; my young friend; for there is nothing truer; nothing more forgotten in these shabby gold…laced days。  Incontinence is half of all the sins of man。  And among the many kinds of that base vice; I know none baser; or at present half so fell and fatal; as that same Incontinence of Tongue。  〃Public speaking;〃 〃parliamentary eloquence:〃  it is a Moloch; before whom young souls are made to pass through the fire。  They enter; weeping or rejoicing; fond parents consecrating them to the red…hot Idol; as to the Highest God: and they come out spiritually _dead_。  Dead enough; to live thenceforth a galvanic life of mere Stump…Oratory; screeching and gibbering; words without wisdom; without veracity; without conviction m
返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 2 1
快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!