a miscellany of men-第19部分

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s　not　realised　in　what　we　differ。　　That　nursery　tale　from　nowhere　about　St。　George　and　the　Dragon　really　expresses　best　the　relation　between　the　West　and　the　East。　There　were　many　other　differences；　calculated　to　arrest　even　the　superficial　eye；　between　a　saint　and　a　dragon。　　But　the　essential　difference　was　simply　this：　that　the　Dragon　did　want　to　eat　St。　　George；　whereas　St。　　George　would　have　felt　a　strong　distaste　for　eating　the　Dragon。　　In　most　of　the　stories　he　killed　the　Dragon。　　In　many　of　the　stories　he　not　only　spared；　but　baptised　it。　　But　in　neither　case　did　the　Christian　have　any　appetite　for　cold　dragon。　　The　Dragon；　however；　really　has　an　appetite　for　cold　Christianand　especially　for　cold　Christianity。　This　blind　intention　to　absorb；　to　change　the　shape　of　everything　and　digest　it　in　the　darkness　of　a　dragon's　stomach；　this　is　what　is　really　meant　by　the　Pantheism　and　Cosmic　Unity　of　the　East。　　The　Cosmos　as　such　is　cannibal；　as　old　Time　ate　his　children。　　The　Eastern　saints　were　saints　because　they　wanted　to　be　swallowed　up。　The　Western　saint；　like　St。　George；　was　sainted　by　the　Western　Church　precisely　because　he　refused　to　be　swallowed。　　The　same　process　of　thought　that　has　prevented　nationalities　disappearing　in　Christendom　has　prevented　the　complete　appearance　of　Pantheism。　　All　Christian　men　instinctively　resist　the　idea　of　being　absorbed　into　an　Empire；　an　Austrian；　a　Spanish；　a　British；　or　a　Turkish　Empire。　　But　there　is　one　empire；　much　larger　and　much　more　tyrannical；　which　free　men　will　resist　with　even　stronger　passion。　　The　free　man　violently　resists　being　absorbed　into　the　empire　which　is　called　the　Universe。　　He　demands　Home　Rule　for　his　nationality；　but　still　more　Home　Rule　for　his　home。　　Most　of　all　he　demands　Home　Rule　for　himself。　He　claims　the　right　to　be　saved；　in　spite　of　Moslem　fatalism。　　He　claims　the　right　to　be　damned　in　spite　of　theosophical　optimism。　　He　refuses　to　be　the　Cosmos；　because　he　refuses　to　forget　it。



THE　MUMMER


The　night　before　Christmas　Eve　I　heard　a　burst　of　musical　voices　so　close　that　they　might　as　well　have　been　inside　the　house　instead　of　just　outside；　so　I　asked　them　inside；　hoping　that　they　might　then　seem　farther　away。　　Then　I　realised　that　they　were　the　Christmas　Mummers；　who　come　every　year　in　country　parts　to　enact　the　rather　rigid　fragments　of　the　old　Christmas　play　of　St。　　George；　the　Turkish　Knight；　and　the　Very　Venal　Doctor。　　I　will　not　describe　it；　it　is　indescribable；　but　I　will　describe　my　parallel　sentiments　as　it　passed。

One　could　see　something　of　that　half…failure　that　haunts　our　artistic　revivals　of　mediaeval　dances；　carols；　or　Bethlehem　Plays。　　There　are　elements　in　all　that　has　come　to　us　from　the　more　morally　simple　society　of　the　Middle　Ages：　elements　which　moderns；　even　when　they　are　mediaevalists；　find　it　hard　to　understand　and　harder　to　imitate。　　The　first　is　the　primary　idea　of　Mummery　itself。　　If　you　will　observe　a　child　just　able　to　walk；　you　will　see　that　his　first　idea　is　not　to　dress　up　as　anybodybut　to　dress　up。　Afterwards；　of　course；　the　idea　of　being　the　King　or　Uncle　William　will　leap　to　his　lips。　　But　it　is　generally　suggested　by　the　hat　he　has　already　let　fall　over　his　nose；　from　far　deeper　motives。　Tommy　does　not　assume　the　hat　primarily　because　it　is　Uncle　William's　hat；　but　because　it　is　not　Tommy's　hat。　　It　is　a　ritual　investiture；　and　is　akin　to　those　Gorgon　masks　that　stiffened　the　dances　of　Greece　or　those　towering　mitres　that　came　from　the　mysteries　of　Persia。　For　the　essence　of　such　ritual　is　a　profound　paradox：　the　concealment　of　the　personality　combined　with　the　exaggeration　of　the　person。　　The　man　performing　a　rite　seeks　to　be　at　once　invisible　and　conspicuous。　　It　is　part　of　that　divine　madness　which　all　other　creatures　wonder　at　in　Man；　that　he　alone　parades　this　pomp　of　obliteration　and　anonymity。　　Man　is　not；　perhaps；　the　only　creature　who　dresses　himself；　but　he　is　the　only　creature　who　disguises　himself。　　Beasts　and　birds　do　indeed　take　the　colours　of　their　environment；　but　that　is　not　in　order　to　be　watched；　but　in　order　not　to　be　watched；　it　is　not　the　formalism　of　rejoicing；　but　the　formlessness　of　fear。　　It　is　not　so　with　men；　whose　nature　is　the　unnatural。　　Ancient　Britons　did　not　stain　themselves　blue　because　they　lived　in　blue　forests；　nor　did　Georgian　beaux　and　belles　powder　their　hair　to　match　an　Arctic　landscape；　the　Britons　were　not　dressing　up　as　kingfishers　nor　the　beaux　pretending　to　be　polar　bears。　　Nay；　even　when　modern　ladies　paint　their　faces　a　bright　mauve；　it　is　doubted　by　some　naturalists　whether　they　do　it　with　the　idea　of　escaping　notice。　　So　merry…makers　（or　Mummers）　adopt　their　costume　to　heighten　and　exaggerate　their　own　bodily　presence　and　identity；　not　to　sink　it；　primarily　speaking；　in　another　identity。　　It　is　not　Actingthat　comparatively　low　profession…comparatively　I　mean。　　It　is　Mummery；　and；　as　Mr。　Kensit　would　truly　say；　all　elaborate　religious　ritual　is　Mummery。　　That　is；　it　is　the　noble　conception　of　making　Man　something　other　and　more　than　himself　when　he　stands　at　the　limit　of　human　things。　　It　is　only　careful　faddists　and　feeble　German　philosophers　who　want　to　wear　no　clothes；　and　be　〃natural〃　in　their　Dionysian　revels。　　Natural　men；　really　vigorous　and　exultant　men；　want　to　wear　more　and　more　clothes　when　they　are　revelling。　They　want　worlds　of　waistcoats　and　forests　of　trousers　and　pagodas　of　tall　hats　toppling　up　to　the　stars。

Thus　it　is　with　the　lingering　Mummers　at　Christmas　in　the　country。　　If　our　more　refined　revivers　of　Miracle　Plays　or　Morrice　Dances　tried　to　reconstruct　the　old　Mummers'　Play　of　St。　　George　and　the　Turkish　Knight　（I　do　not　know　why　they　do　not）　they　would　think　at　once　of　picturesque　and　appropriate　dresses。　　St。　　George's　panoply　would　be　pictured　from　the　best　books　of　armour　and　blazonry：　the　Turkish　Knight's　arms　and　ornaments　would　be　traced　from　the　finest　Saracenic　arabesques。　　When　my　garden　door　opened　on　Christmas　Eve　and　St。　　George　of　England　entered；　the　appearance　of　that　champion　was　slightly　different。　　His　face　was　energetically　blacked　all　over　with　soot；　above　which　he　wore　an　aged　and　very　tall　top　hat；　he　wore　his　shirt　outside　his　coat　like　a　surplice；　and　he　flourished　a　thick　umbrella。　　Now　do　not；　I　beg　you；　talk　about　〃ignorance〃；　or　suppose　that　the　Mummer　in　question　（he　is　a　very　pleasant　Ratcatcher；　with　a　tenor　voice）　did　this　because　he　knew　no　better。　　Try　to　realise　that　even　a　Ratcatcher　knows　St。　　George　of　England　was　not　black；　and　did　not　kill　the　Dragon　with　an　umbrella。　The　Rat…catcher　is　not　under　this　delusion；　any　more　than　Paul　Veronese　thought　that　very　good　men　have　luminous　rings　round　their　heads；　any　more　than　the　Pope　thinks　that　Christ　washed　the　feet　of　the　twelve　in　a　Cathedral；　any　more　than　the　Duke　of　Norfolk　thinks　the　lions　on　a　tabard　are　like　the　lions　at　the　Zoo。　　These　things　are　denaturalised　because　they　are　symbols；　because　the　extraordinary　occasion　must　hide　or　even　disfigure　the　ordinary　people。　　Black　faces　were　to　mediaeval　mummeries　what　carved　masks　were　to　Greek　plays：　it　was　called　being　〃vizarded。〃　My　Rat…catcher　is　not　sufficiently　arrogant　to　suppose　for　a　moment　that　he　looks　like　St。　　George。　　But　he　is　sufficiently　humble　to　be　convinced　that　if　he　looks　as　little　like　himself　as　he　can；　he　will　be　on　the　right　road。

This　is　the　soul　of　Mumming；　the　ostentatious　secrecy　of　men　in　disguise。　There　are；　of　course；　other　mediaeval　elements　in　it　which　are　also　difficult　to　explain　to　the　fastidious　mediaevalists　of　to…day。　　There　is；　for　instance；　a　certain　output　of　violence　into　the　void。　　It　can　best　be　defined　as　a　raging　thirst　to　knock　men　down　without　the　faintest　desire　to　hurt　them。　　All　the　rhymes　with　the　old　ring　have　the　trick　of　turning　on　everything　in　which　the　rhymsters　most　sincerely　believed；　merely　for　the　pleasure　of　blowing　off　steam　in　startling　yet　careless　phrases。　　When　Tennyson　says　that　King　Arthur　〃drew　all　the　petty　princedoms　under　him；〃　and　〃made　a　realm　and　ruled；〃　his　grave　Royalism　is　quite　modern。　　Many　mediaevals；　outside　the　mediaeval　republics；　believed　in　monarchy　as　solemnly　as　Tennyson。　　But　that　older　verse…

　　When　good　King　Arthur　ruled　this　land　　　He　was　a　goodly　King　　　He　stole　three　pecks　of　barley…meal　　　To　make　a　bag…pudding。

is　far　more　Arthurian　than　anything　in　The　Idylls　of　the　King。　　There　are　other　elements；　especially　that　sacred　thing　that　can　perhaps　be　called　Anachronism。　　All　that　to　us　is　Anachronism　was　to　mediaevals　merely　Eternity。　　But　the　main　excellence　of　the　Mumming　Play　lies　still；　I　think；　in　its　uproarious　secrecy。　　If　we　cannot　hide　our　hearts　in　healthy　darkness；　at　least　we　can　hide　our　faces　in　healthy　blacking。　　If　you　cannot　escape　like　a　philosopher　into　a　forest；　at　least　you　can　carry　the　forest　with　you；　like　a　Jack…in…the…Green。　　It　is　well　to　walk　under　universal　ensigns；　and　there　is　an　old　tale　of　a　tyrant　to　whom　a　walking　forest　was　the　witness　of　doom。　　That；　indeed；　is　the　very　intensity　of　the　notion：　a　masked　man　is　ominous；　but　who　shall　face　a　mob　of　masks？



THE　ARISTOCRATIC　'ARRY


The　Cheap　Tripper；　pursued　by　the　curses　of　the　aesthetes　and　the　antiquaries；　really　is；　I　suppose；　a　symptom　of　the　strange　and　almost　unearthly　ugliness　of　our　diseased　society。　　The　costumes　and　customs　of　a　hundred　peasantries　are　there　to　prove　that　such　ugliness　does　not　necessarily　follow　from　mere　poverty；　or　mere　democracy；　or　mere　unlettered　simplicity　of　mind。

But　though　the　tripper；　artistically　considered；　is　a　sign　of　our　decadence；　he　is　not　one　of　its　worst　signs；　but　relatively　one　of　its　best；　one　of　its　most　innocent　and　most　sincere。　　Compared　with　many　of　the　philosophers　and　artists　who　denounce　him；　he　looks　like　a　God　fearing　fisher　or　a　noble　mountaineer。　　His　an…　tics　with　donkeys　and　concertinas；　crowded　char…abancs；　and　exchanged　hats；　though　clumsy；　are　not　so　vicious　or　even　so　fundamentally　vulgar　as　many　of　the　amusements　of　the　overeducated。　　People　are　not　more　crowded　on　a　char…a…banc　than　they　are　at　a　political　〃At　Home；〃　or　even　an　artistic　soiree；　and　if　the　female　trippers　are　overdressed；　at　least　they　are　not　overdressed　and　underdressed　a