a miscellany of men-第26部分

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King　John　would　be　represented　in　a　modern　play　or　novel　as　a　kind　of　degenerate；　a　shiftyeyed　moral　maniac　with　a　twist　in　his　soul's　backbone　and　green　blood　in　his　veins。　　The　mediaevals　were　quite　capable　of　boiling　him　in　melted　lead；　but　they　would　have　been　quite　incapable　of　despairing　of　his　soul　in　the　modern　fashion。　　A　striking　a　fortiori　case　is　that　of　the　strange　mediaeval　legend　of　Robert　the　Devil。　　Robert　was　represented　as　a　monstrous　birth　sent　to　an　embittered　woman　actually　in　answer　to　prayers　to　Satan；　and　his　earlier　actions　are　simply　those　of　the　infernal　fire　let　loose　upon　earth。　　Yet　though　he　can　be　called　almost　literally　a　child　of　hell；　yet　the　climax　of　the　story　is　his　repentance　at　Rome　and　his　great　reparation。　　That　is　the　paradox　of　mediaeval　morals：　as　it　must　appear　to　the　moderns。　We　must　try　to　conceive　a　race　of　men　who　hated　John；　and　sought　his　blood；　and　believed　every　abomination　about　him；　who　would　have　been　quite　capable　of　assassinating　or　torturing　him　in　the　extremity　of　their　anger。　　And　yet　we　must　admit　that　they　would　not　really　have　been　fundamentally　surprised　if　he　had　shaved　his　head　in　humiliation；　given　all　his　goods　to　the　poor；　embraced　the　lepers　in　a　lazar…house；　and　been　canonised　as　a　saint　in　heaven。　　So　strongly　did　they　hold　that　the　pivot　of　Will　should　turn　freely；　which　now　is　rusted；　and　sticks。

For　we；　whatever　our　political　opinions；　certainly　never　think　of　our　public　men　like　that。　　If　we　hold　the　opinion　that　Mr。　Lloyd　George　is　a　noble　tribune　of　the　populace　and　protector　of　the　poor；　we　do　not　admit　that　he　can　ever　have　paltered　with　the　truth　or　bargained　with　the　powerful。　　If　we　hold　the　equally　idiotic　opinion　that　he　is　a　red　and　rabid　Socialist；　maddening　mobs　into　mutiny　and　theft；　then　we　expect　him　to　go　on　maddening　themand　us。　　We　do　not　expect　him；　let　us　say；　suddenly　to　go　into　a　monastery。　　We　have　lost　the　idea　of　repentance；　especially　in　public　things；　that　is　why　we　cannot　really　get　rid　of　our　great　national　abuses　of　economic　tyranny　and　aristocratic　avarice。　Progress　in　the　modern　sense　is　a　very　dismal　drudge；　and　mostly　consists　of　being　moved　on　by　the　police。　　We　move　on　because　we　are　not　allowed　to　move　back。　　But　the　really　ragged　prophets；　the　real　revolutionists　who　held　high　language　in　the　palaces　of　kings；　they　did　not　confine　themselves　to　saying；　〃Onward；　Christian　soldiers；〃　still　less；　〃Onward；　Futurist　soldiers〃；　what　they　said　to　high　emperors　and　to　whole　empires　was；　〃Turn　ye；　turn　ye；　why　will　ye　die？〃



THE　DIVINE　DETECTIVE


Every　person　of　sound　education　enjoys　detective　stories；　and　there　are　even　several　points　on　which　they　have　a　hearty　superiority　to　most　modern　books。　　A　detective　story　generally　describes　six　living　men　discussing　how　it　is　that　a　man　is　dead。　　A　modern　philosophic　story　generally　describes　six　dead　men　discussing　how　any　man　can　possibly　be　alive。　　But　those　who　have　enjoyed　the　roman　policier　must　have　noted　one　thing；　that　when　the　murderer　is　caught　he　is　hardly　ever　hanged。　　〃That；　〃　says　Sherlock　Holmes；　〃is　the　advantage　of　being　a　private　detective〃；　after　he　has　caught　he　can　set　free。　　The　Christian　Church　can　best　be　defined　as　an　enormous　private　detective；　correcting　that　official　detectivethe　State。　　This；　indeed；　is　one　of　the　injustices　done　to　historic　Christianity；　injustices　which　arise　from　looking　at　complex　exceptions　and　not　at　the　large　and　simple　fact。　　We　are　constantly　being　told　that　theologians　used　racks　and　thumbscrews；　and　so　they　did。　Theologians　used　racks　and　thumbscrews　just　as　they　used　thimbles　and　three…legged　stools；　because　everybody　else　used　them。　　Christianity　no　more　created　the　mediaeval　tortures　than　it　did　the　Chinese　tortures；　it　inherited　them　from　any　empire　as　heathen　as　the　Chinese。

The　Church　did；　in　an　evil　hour；　consent　to　imitate　the　commonwealth　and　employ　cruelty。　　But　if　we　open　our　eyes　and　take　in　the　whole　picture；　if　we　look　at　the　general　shape　and　colour　of　the　thing；　the　real　difference　between　the　Church　and　the　State　is　huge　and　plain。　　The　State；　in　all　lands　and　ages；　has　created　a　machinery　of　punishment；　more　bloody　and　brutal　in　some　places　than　others；　but　bloody　and　brutal　everywhere。　　The　Church　is　the　only　institution　that　ever　attempted　to　create　a　machinery　of　pardon。　　The　Church　is　the　only　thing　that　ever　attempted　by　system　to　pursue　and　discover　crimes；　not　in　order　to　avenge；　but　in　order　to　forgive　them。　　The　stake　and　rack　were　merely　the　weaknesses　of　the　religion；　its　snobberies；　its　surrenders　to　the　world。　Its　specialityor；　if　you　like；　its　odditywas　this　merciless　mercy；　the　unrelenting　sleuthhound　who　seeks　to　save　and　not　slay。

I　can　best　illustrate　what　I　mean　by　referring　to　two　popular　plays　on　somewhat　parallel　topics；　which　have　been　successful　here　and　in　America。　The　Passing　of　the　Third　Floor　Back　is　a　humane　and　reverent　experiment；　dealing　with　the　influence　of　one　unknown　but　divine　figure　as　he　passes　through　a　group　of　Squalid　characters。　　I　have　no　desire　to　make　cheap　fun　of　the　extremely　abrupt　conversions　of　all　these　people；　that　is　a　point　of　art；　not　of　morals；　and；　after　all；　many　conversions　have　been　abrupt。　　This　saviour's　method　of　making　people　good　is　to　tell　them　how　good　they　are　already；　and　in　the　case　of　suicidal　outcasts；　whose　moral　backs　are　broken；　and　who　are　soaked　with　sincere　self…contempt；　I　can　imagine　that　this　might　be　quite　the　right　way。　　I　should　not　deliver　this　message　to　authors　or　members　of　Parliament；　because　they　would　so　heartily　agree　with　it。

Still；　it　is　not　altogether　here　that　I　differ　from　the　moral　of　Mr。　Jerome's　play。　　I　differ　vitally　from　his　story　because　it　is　not　a　detective　story。　　There　is　in　it　none　of　this　great　Christian　idea　of　tearing　their　evil　out　of　men；　it　lacks　the　realism　of　the　saints。　Redemption　should　bring　truth　as　well　as　peace；　and　truth　is　a　fine　thing；　though　the　materialists　did　go　mad　about　it。　　Things　must　be　faced；　even　in　order　to　be　forgiven；　the　great　objection　to　〃letting　sleeping　dogs　lie〃　is　that　they　lie　in　more　senses　than　one。　　But　in　Mr。　Jerome's　Passing　of　the　Third　Floor　Back　the　redeemer　is　not　a　divine　detective；　pitiless　in　his　resolve　to　know　and　pardon。　　Rather　he　is　a　sort　of　divine　dupe；　who　does　not　pardon　at　all；　because　he　does　not　see　anything　that　is　going　on。　　It　may；　or　may　not；　be　true　to　say；　〃Tout　comprendre　est　tout　pardonner。〃　　But　it　is　much　more　evidently　true　to　say；　〃Rien　comprendre　est　rien　Pardonner；〃　and　the　〃Third　Floor　Back〃　does　not　seem　to　comprehend　anything。　　He　might；　after　all；　be　a　quite　selfish　sentimentalist；　who　found　it　comforting　to　think　well　of　his　neighbours。　There　is　nothing　very　heroic　in　loving　after　you　have　been　deceived。　　The　heroic　business　is　to　love　after　you　have　been　undeceived。

When　I　saw　this　play　it　was　natural　to　compare　it　with　another　play　which　I　had　not　seen；　but　which　I　have　read　in　its　printed　version。　　I　mean　Mr。　Rann　Kennedy's　Servant　in　the　House；　the　success　of　which　sprawls　over　so　many　of　the　American　newspapers。　　This　also　is　concerned　with　a　dim；　yet　evidently　divine；　figure　changing　the　destinies　of　a　whole　group　of　persons。　　It　is　a　better　play　structurally　than　the　other；　in　fact；　it　is　a　very　fine　play　indeed；　but　there　is　nothing　aesthetic　or　fastidious　about　it。　　It　is　as　much　or　more　than　the　other　sensational；　democratic；　and　（I　use　the　word　in　a　sound　and　good　sense）　Salvationist。

But　the　difference　lies　precisely　in　thisthat　the　Christ　of　Mr。　Kennedy's　play　insists　on　really　knowing　all　the　souls　that　he　loves；　he　declines　to　conquer　by　a　kind　of　supernatural　stupidity。　　He　pardons　evil；　but　he　will　not　ignore　it。　　In　other　words；　be　is　a　Christian；　and　not　a　Christian　Scientist。　　The　distinction　doubtless　is　partly　explained　by　the　problems　severally　selected。　　Mr。　Jerome　practically　supposes　Christ　to　be　trying　to　save　disreputable　people；　and　that；　of　course；　is　naturally　a　simple　business。　　Mr。　Kennedy　supposes　Him　to　be　trying　to　save　the　reputable　people；　which　is　a　much　larger　affair。　　The　chief　characters　in　The　Servant　in　the　House　are　a　popular　and　strenuous　vicar；　universally　respected；　and　his　fashionable　and　forcible　wife。　　It　would　have　been　no　good　to　tell　these　people　they　had　some　good　in　themfor　that　was　what　they　were　telling　themselves　all　day　long。　　They　had　to　be　reminded　that　they　had　some　bad　in　theminstinctive　idolatries　and　silent　treasons　which　they　always　tried　to　forget。　　It　is　in　connection　with　these　crimes　of　wealth　and　culture　that　we　face　the　real　problem　of　positive　evil。　　The　whole　of　Mr。　Blatchford's　controversy　about　sin　was　vitiated　throughout　by　one's　consciousness　that　whenever　he　wrote　the　word　〃sinner〃　he　thought　of　a　man　in　rags。　　But　here；　again；　we　can　find　truth　merely　by　referring　to　vulgar　literatureits　unfailing　fountain。　Whoever　read　a　detective　story　about　poor　people？　　The　poor　have　crimes；　but　the　poor　have　no　secrets。　　And　it　is　because　the　proud　have　secrets　that　they　need　to　be　detected　before　they　are　forgiven。



THE　ELF　OF　JAPAN


There　are　things　in　this　world　of　which　I　can　say　seriously　that　I　love　them　but　I　do　not　like　them。　The　point　is　not　merely　verbal；　but　psychologically　quite　valid。　　Cats　are　the　first　things　that　occur　to　me　as　examples　of　the　principle。　　Cats　are　so　beautiful　that　a　creature　from　another　star　might　fall　in　love　with　them；　and　so　incalculable　that　he　might　kill　them。　　Some　of　my　friends　take　quite　a　high　moral　line　about　cats。　　Some；　like　Mr。　Titterton；　I　think；　admire　a　cat　for　its　moral　independence　and　readiness　to　scratch　anybody　〃if　he　does　not　behave　himself。〃　　Others；　like　Mr。　Belloe；　regard　the　cat　as　cruel　and　secret；　a　fit　friend　for　witches；　one　who　will　devour　everything；　except；　indeed；　poisoned　food；　〃so　utterly　lacking　is　it　in　Christian　simplicity　and　humility。〃　　For　my　part；　I　have　neither　of　these　feelings。　　I　admire　cats　as　I　admire　catkins；　those　little　fluffy　things　that　hang　on　trees。　　They　are　both　pretty　and　both　furry；　and　both　declare　the　glory　of　God。　　And　this　abstract　exultation　in　all　living　things　is　truly　to　be　called　Love；　for　it　is　a　higher　feeling　than　me