lectures14+15-第13部分

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life；　and　he　is　able　〃to　fling　it　away　like　a　flower〃　as　caring



nothing　for　it；　we　account　him　in　the　deepest　way　our　born



superior。　　Each　of　us　in　his　own　person　feels　that　a　high…hearted



indifference　to　life　would　expiate　all　his　shortcomings。







The　metaphysical　mystery；　thus　recognized　by　common　sense；　that



he　who　feeds　on　death　that　feeds　on　men　possesses　life



supereminently　and　excellently；　and　meets　best　the　secret　demands



of　the　universe；　is　the　truth　of　which　asceticism　has　been　the



faithful　champion。　　The　folly　of　the　cross；　so　inexplicable　by



the　intellect；　has　yet　its　indestructible　vital　meaning。







Representatively；　then；　and　symbolically；　and　apart　from　the



vagaries　into　which　the　unenlightened　intellect　of　former　times



may　have　let　it　wander；　asceticism　must；　I　believe；　be



acknowledged　to　go　with　the　profounder　way　of　handling　the　gift



of　existence。　　Naturalistic　optimism　is　mere　syllabub　and



flattery　and　sponge…cake　in　comparison。　The　practical　course　of



action　for　us；　as　religious　men；　would　therefore；　it　seems　to　me；



not　be　simply　to　turn　our　backs　upon　the　ascetic　impulse；　as　most



of　us　to…day　turn　them；　but　rather　to　discover　some　outlet　for　it



of　which　the　fruits　in　the　way　of　privation　and　hardship　might　be



objectively　useful。　　The　older　monastic　asceticism　occupied



itself　with　pathetic　futilities；　or　terminated　in　the　mere



egotism　of　the　individual；　increasing　his　own　perfection。＇219＇　



But　is　it　not　possible　for　us　to　discard　most　of　these　older



forms　of　mortification；　and　yet　find　saner　channels　for　the



heroism　which　inspired　them？







＇219＇　〃The　vanities　of　all　others　may　die　out；　but　the　vanity　of



a　saint　as　regards　his　sainthood　is　hard　indeed　to　wear　away。〃



Ramakrishna　his　Life　and　Sayings；　1899；　p。　172。















Does　not；　for　example；　the　worship　of　material　luxury　and　wealth；



which　constitutes　so　large　a　portion　of　the　〃spirit〃　of　our　age；



make　somewhat　for　effeminacy　and　unmanliness？　　Is　not　the



exclusively　sympathetic　and　facetious　way　in　which　most　children



are　brought　up　to…dayso　different　from　the　education　of　a



hundred　years　ago；　especially　in　evangelical　circlesin　danger；



in　spite　of　its　many　advantages；　of　developing　a　certain



trashiness　of　fibre？　　Are　there　not　hereabouts　some　points　of



application　for　a　renovated　and　revised　ascetic　discipline？







Many　of　you　would　recognize　such　dangers；　but　would　point　to



athletics；　militarism；　and　individual　and　national　enterprise　and



adventure　as　the　remedies。　　These　contemporary　ideals　are　quite



as　remarkable　for　the　energy　with　which　they　make　for　heroic



standards　of　life；　as　contemporary　religion　is　remarkable　for　the



way　in　which　it　neglects　them。＇220＇　　War　and　adventure　assuredly



keep　all　who　engage　in　them　from　treating　themselves　too



tenderly。　　They　demand　such　incredible　efforts；　depth　beyond



depth　of　exertion；　both　in　degree　and　in　duration；　that　the　whole



scale　of　motivation　alters。　　Discomfort　and　annoyance；　hunger　and



wet；　pain　and　cold；　squalor　and　filth；　cease　to　have　any



deterrent　operation　whatever。　　Death　turns　into　a　commonplace



matter；　and　its　usual　power　to　check　our　action　vanishes。　With



the　annulling　of　these　customary　inhibitions；　ranges　of　new



energy　are　set　free；　and　life　seems　cast　upon　a　higher　plane　of



power。







＇220＇　〃When　a　church　has　to　be　run　by　oysters；　ice…cream；　and



fun；〃　I　read　in　an　American　religious　paper；　〃you　may　be　sure



that　it　is　running　away　from　Christ。〃　　Such；　if　one　may　judge



by　appearances；　is　the　present　plight　of　many　of　our　churches。















The　beauty　of　war　in　this　respect　is　that　it　is　so　congruous　with



ordinary　human　nature。　　Ancestral　evolution　has　made　us　all



potential　warriors；　so　the　most　insignificant　individual；　when



thrown　into　an　army　in　the　field；　is　weaned　from　whatever　excess



of　tenderness　toward　his　precious　person　he　may　bring　with　him；



and　may　easily　develop　into　a　monster　of　insensibility。















But　when　we　compare　the　military　type　of　self…severity　with　that



of　the　ascetic　saint；　we　find　a　world…wide　difference　in　all



their　spiritual　concomitants。







〃'Live　and　let　live；'〃　writes　a　clear…headed　Austrian　officer；



〃is　no　device　for　an　army。　　Contempt　for　one's　own　comrades；　for



the　troops　of　the　enemy；　and；　above　all；　fierce　contempt　for



one's　own　person；　are　what　war　demands　of　every　one。　　Far　better



is　it　for　an　army　to　be　too　savage；　too　cruel；　too　barbarous；



than　to　possess　too　much　sentimentality　and　human　reasonableness。







If　the　soldier　is　to　be　good　for　anything　as　a　soldier；　he　must



be　exactly　the　opposite　of　a　reasoning　and　thinking　man。　　The



measure　of　goodness　in　him　is　his　possible　use　in　war。　　War；　and



even　peace；　require　of　the　soldier　absolutely　peculiar　standards



of　morality。　　The　recruit　brings　with　him　common　moral　notions；



of　which　he　must　seek　immediately　to　get　rid。　　For　him　victory；



success；　must　be　EVERYTHING。　　The　most　barbaric　tendencies　in　men



come　to　life　again　in　war；　and　for　war's　uses　they　are



incommensurably　good。〃＇221＇







＇221＇　C。　V。　B。　K。：　　Friedens…und　Kriegs…moral　der　Heere。　　Quoted



by　Hamon：　　Psychologie　du　Militaire　professional；　1895；　p。　xli。















These　words　are　of　course　literally　true。　　The　immediate　aim　of



the　soldier's　life　is；　as　Moltke　said；　destruction；　and　nothing



but　destruction；　and　whatever　constructions　wars　result　in　are



remote　and　non…military。　　Consequently　the　soldier　cannot



train　himself　to　be　too　feelingless　to　all　those　usual　sympathies



and　respects；　whether　for　persons　or　for　things；　that　make　for



conservation。　　Yet　the　fact　remains　that　war　is　a　school　of



strenuous　life　and　heroism；　and；　being　in　the　line　of　aboriginal



instinct；　is　the　only　school　that　as　yet　is　universally



available。　　But　when　we　gravely　ask　ourselves　whether　this



wholesale　organization　of　irrationality　and　crime　be　our　only



bulwark　against　effeminacy；　we　stand　aghast　at　the　thought；　and



think　more　kindly　of　ascetic　religion。　　One　hears　of　the



mechanical　equivalent　of　heat。　　What　we　now　need　to　discover　in



the　social　realm　is　the　moral　equivalent　of　war：　　something



heroic　that　will　speak　to　men　as　universally　as　war　does；　and　yet



will　be　as　compatible　with　their　spiritual　selves　as　war　has



proved　itself　to　be　incompatible。　　I　have　often　thought　that　in



the　old　monkish　poverty…worship；　in　spite　of　the　pedantry　which



infested　it；　there　might　be　something　like　that　moral　equivalent



of　war　which　we　are　seeking。　　May　not　voluntarily　acc