lectures14+15-第14部分

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of　war　which　we　are　seeking。　　May　not　voluntarily　accepted



poverty　be　〃the　strenuous　life；〃　without　the　need　of　crushing



weaker　peoples？







Poverty　indeed　IS　the　strenuous　lifewithout　brass　bands　or



uniforms　or　hysteric　popular　applause　or　lies　or　circumlocutions；



and　when　one　sees　the　way　in　which　wealth…　getting　enters　as　an



ideal　into　the　very　bone　and　marrow　of　our　generation；　one



wonders　whether　a　revival　of　the　belief　that　poverty　is　a　worthy



religious　vocation　may　not　be　〃the　transformation　of　military



courage；〃　and　the　spiritual　reform　which　our　time　stands　most　in



need　of。







Among　us　English…speaking　peoples　especially　do　the　praises　of



poverty　need　once　more　to　be　boldly　sung。　　We　have　grown



literally　afraid　to　be　poor。　　We　despise　any　one　who　elects　to　be



poor　in　order　to　simplify　and　save　his　inner　life。　　If　he　does



not　join　the　general　scramble　and　pant　with　the　money…making



street；　we　deem　him　spiritless　and　lacking　in　ambition。　　We　have



lost　the　power　even　of　imagining　what　the　ancient　idealization　of



poverty　could　have　meant：　　the　liberation　from　material



attachments；　the　unbribed　soul；　the　manlier　indifference；　the



paying　our　way　by　what　we　are　or　do　and　not　by　what　we　have；　the



right　to　fling　away　our　life　at　any　moment　irresponsiblythe



more　athletic　trim；　in　short；　the　moral　fighting　shape。　　When　we



of　the　so…called　better　classes　are　scared　as　men　were　never



scared　in　history　at　material　ugliness　and　hardship；　when　we　put



off　marriage　until　our　house　can　be　artistic；　and　quake　at　the



thought　of　having　a　child　without　a　bank…account　and　doomed　to



manual　labor；　it　is　time　for　thinking　men　to　protest　against　so



unmanly　and　irreligious　a　state　of　opinion。







It　is　true　that　so　far　as　wealth　gives　time　for　ideal　ends　and



exercise　to　ideal　energies；　wealth　is　better　than　poverty　and



ought　to　be　chosen。　　But　wealth　does　this　in　only　a　portion　of



the　actual　cases。　　Elsewhere　the　desire　to　gain　wealth　and　the



fear　to　lose　it　are　our　chief　breeders　of　cowardice　and



propagators　of　corruption。　　There　are　thousands　of　conjunctures



in　which　a　wealth…bound　man　must　be　a　slave；　whilst　a　man　for



whom　poverty　has　no　terrors　becomes　a　freeman。　　Think　of　the



strength　which　personal　indifference　to　poverty　would　give　us　if



we　were　devoted　to　unpopular　causes。　　We　need　no　longer　hold　our



tongues　or　fear　to　vote　the　revolutionary　or　reformatory　ticket。　



Our　stocks　might　fall；　our　hopes　of　promotion　vanish；　our



salaries　stop；　our　club　doors　close　in　our　faces；　yet；　while　we



lived；　we　would　imperturbably　bear　witness　to　the　spirit；　and　our



example　would　help　to　set　free　our　generation。　　The　cause　would



need　its　funds；　but　we　its　servants　would　be　potent　in　proportion



as　we　personally　were　contented　with　our　poverty。







I　recommend　this　matter　to　your　serious　pondering；　for　it　is



certain　that　the　prevalent　fear　of　poverty　among　the　educated



classes　is　the　worst　moral　disease　from　which　our　civilization



suffers。







I　have　now　said　all　that　I　can　usefully　say　about　the　several



fruits　of　religion　as　they　are　manifested　in　saintly　lives；　so　I



will　make　a　brief　review　and　pass　to　my　more　general　conclusions。







Our　question；　you　will　remember；　is　as　to　whether　religion　stands



approved　by　its　fruits；　as　these　are　exhibited　in　the　saintly



type　of　character。　　Single　attributes　of　saintliness　may；　it　is



true；　be　temperamental　endowments；　found　in　non…religious



individuals。　　But　the　whole　group　of　them　forms　a　combination



which；　as　such；　is　religious；　for　it　seems　to　flow　from　the　sense



of　the　divine　as　from　its　psychological　centre。　　Whoever



possesses　strongly　this　sense　comes　naturally　to　think　that　the



smallest　details　of　this　world　derive　infinite　significance　from



their　relation　to　an　unseen　divine　order。　　The　thought　of　this



order　yields　him　a　superior　denomination　of　happiness；　and　a



steadfastness　of　soul　with　which　no　other　can　compare。　　In　social



relations　his　serviceability　is　exemplary；　he　abounds　in　impulses



to　help。　His　help　is　inward　as　well　as　outward；　for　his　sympathy



reaches　souls　as　well　as　bodies；　and　kindles　unsuspected



faculties　therein。　　Instead　of　placing　happiness　where　common　men



place　it；　in　comfort；　he　places　it　in　a　higher　kind　of　inner



excitement；　which　converts　discomforts　into　sources　of　cheer　and



annuls　unhappiness。　　So　he　turns　his　back　upon　no　duty；　however



thankless；　and　when　we　are　in　need　of　assistance；　we　can　count



upon　the　saint　lending　his　hand　with　more　certainty　than　we　can



count　upon　any　other　person。　　Finally；　his　humble…mindedness　and



his　ascetic　tendencies　save　him　from　the　petty　personal



pretensions　which　so　obstruct　our　ordinary　social　intercourse；



and　his　purity　gives　us　in　him　a　clean　man　for　a　companion。　



Felicity；　purity；　charity；　patience；　self…severitythese　are



splendid　excellencies；　and　the　saint　of　all　men　shows　them　in　the



completest　possible　measure。







But；　as　we　saw；　all　these　things　together　do　not　make　saints



infallible。　　When　their　intellectual　outlook　is　narrow；　they　fall



into　all　sorts　of　holy　excesses；　fanaticism　or　theopathic



absorption；　self…torment；　prudery；　scrupulosity；　gullibility；　and



morbid　inability　to　meet　the　world。　　By　the　very　intensity　of　his



fidelity　to　the　paltry　ideals　with　which　an　inferior　intellect



may　inspire　him；　a　saint　can　be　even　more　objectionable　and



damnable　than　a　superficial　carnal　man　would　be　in　the　same



situation。　　We　must　judge　him　not　sentimentally　only；　and　not　in



isolation；　but　using　our　own　intellectual　standards；　placing　him



in　his　environment；　and　estimating　his　total　function。







Now　in　the　matter　of　intellectual　standards；　we　must　bear　in　mind



that　it　is　unfair；　where　we　find　narrowness　of　mind；　always　to



impute　it　as　a　vice　to　the　individual；　for　in　religious　and



theological　matters　he　probably　absorbs　his　narrowness　from　his



generation。　　Moreover；　we　must　not　confound　the　essentials　of



saintliness；　which　are　those　general　passions　of　which　I　have



spoken；　with　its　accidents；　which　are　the　special　determinations



of　these　passions　at　any　historical　moment。　　In　these



determinations　the　saints　will　usually　be　loyal　to　the　temporary



idols　of　their　tribe。　　Taking　refuge　in　monasteries　was　as　much



an　idol　of　the　tribe　in　the　middle　ages；　as　bearing　a　hand　in　the



world's　work　is　to…day。　　Saint　Francis　or　Saint　Bernard；　were



they　living　to…day；　would　undoubtedly　be　leading　consecrated



lives　of　some　sort；　but　quite　as　undoubtedly　they　would　not　lead



them　in　retirement。　　Our　a