第7章
Onehardlyknowswhichtogroanovermostsadly,——thetearingdownofoldmonuments,theshellingoftheParthenon,theoverthrowofthepillaredtemplesofRome,andinahumblerwaythedestructionoftheoldHancockhouse,ortheerectionofmonumentswhicharetobeaperpetualeyesoretoourselvesandourdescendants。
Wegottalkingonthesubjectofrealism,ofwhichsomuchhasbeensaidoflate。
Itseemstome,Isaid,thatthegreatadditionswhichhavebeenmadebyrealismtotheterritoryofliteratureconsistlargelyinswampy,malarious,ill—smellingpatchesofsoilwhichhadpreviouslybeenlefttoreptilesandvermin。Itisperfectlyeasytobeoriginalbyviolatingthelawsofdecencyandthecanonsofgoodtaste。Thegeneralconsentofcivilizedpeoplewassupposedtohavebanishedcertainsubjectsfromtheconversationofwell—bredpeopleandthepagesofrespectableliterature。Thereisnosubject,orhardlyany,whichmaynotbetreatedofatthepropertime,intheproperplace,bythefittingperson,fortherightkindoflistenerorreader。Butwhenthepoetorthestory—tellerinvadestheprovinceofthemanofscience,heisondangerousground。Ineedsaynothingoftheblundersheisprettysuretomake。Theimaginativewriterisaftereffects。Thescientificmanisaftertruth。Scienceisdecent,modest;doesnottrytostartle,buttoinstruct。Thesamescenesandobjectswhichoutrageeverysenseofdelicacyinthestoryteller"shighlycoloredparagraphscanbereadwithoutgivingoffenceinthechastelanguageofthephysiologistorthephysician。
Thereisaverycelebratednovel,"MadameBovary,"theworkofM。
Flaubert,whichisnotedforhavingbeenthesubjectofprosecutionasanimmoralwork。Thatithasaseriouslessonthereisnodoubt,ifonewilldrinkdowntothebottomofthecup。Butthehoneyofsensuousdescriptionisspreadsodeeplyoverthesurfaceofthegobletthatalargeproportionofitsreadersneverthinkofitsholdinganythingelse。Allthephasesofunhallowedpassionaredescribedinfulldetail。Thatiswhatthebookisboughtandreadfor,bythegreatmajorityofitspurchasers,asallbutsimpletonsverywellknow。Thatiswhatmakesitsellandbroughtitintothecourtsofjustice。Thisbookisfamousforitsrealism;infact,itisrecognizedasoneoftheearliestandmostbrilliantexamplesofthatmodernstyleofnovelwhich,beginningwhereBalzacleftoff,attemptedtodoforliteraturewhatthephotographhasdoneforart。
Forthosewhotakethetroubletodrinkoutofthecupbelowtherimofhoney,thereisascenewhererealismiscarriedtoitsextreme,——surpassedinhorrorbynowriter,unlessitbetheonewhosenamemustbelookedforatthebottomofthealphabet,asifitsnaturalplacewereaslowdowninthedregsofrealismasitcouldfinditself。Thisisthedeath—bedscene,whereMadameBovaryexpiresinconvulsions。Theauthormusthavevisitedthehospitalsforthepurposeofwatchingtheterribleagonieshewastodepict,trampingfromonebedtoanotheruntilhereachedtheonewherethecriesandcontortionswerethemostfrightful。Suchascenehehasreproduced。
Nohospitalphysicianwouldhavepicturedthestraggleinsuchcolors。Inthesameway,thatotherrealist,M。Zola,haspaintedapatientsufferingfromdeliriumtremens,thediseaseknowntocommonspeechas"thehorrors。"Indescribingthiscasehedoesallthatlanguagecandotomakeitmorehorriblethanthereality。Hegivesus,notrealism,butsuper—realism,ifsuchatermdoesnotcontradictitself。
Inthismatteroftheliteralreproductionofsightsandsceneswhichournaturalinstinctandourbetterinformedtasteandjudgmentteachustoavoid,arthasbeenfarinadvanceofliterature。ItisthreehundredyearssinceJosephRibera,morecommonlyknownasSpagnoletto,wasbornintheprovinceValencia,inSpain。WehadthemisfortuneofseeingapaintingofhisinacollectionbelongingtooneoftheFrenchprinces,andexhibitedattheArtMuseum。ItwasthatofamanperforminguponhimselftheoperationknowntotheJapaneseashararkiri。Manypersonswholookeduponthisrevoltingpicturewillnevergetridofitsremembrance,andwillregretthedaywhentheireyesfelluponit。IshouldsharetheoffenceofthepainterifIventuredtodescribeit。Riberawasfondofdepictingjustsuchodiousandfrightfulsubjects。"SaintLawrencewrithingonhisgridiron,SaintSebastianfullofarrows,wereequallyasourceofdelighttohim。Eveninsubjectswhichhadnosuchelementsofhorrorhefindsthematerialsforthedelectationofhisferociouspencil;hemakesupforthedefectbyrenderingwithabrutalrealismdeformityandugliness。"
Thefirstgreatmistakemadebytheultra—realists;likeFlaubertandZola,is,asIhavesaid,theirignoringthelineofdistinctionbetweenimaginativeartandscience。Wecanfindrealismenoughinbooksofanatomy,surgery,andmedicine。Instudyingthehumanfigure,wewanttoseeitclothedwithitsnaturalinteguments。Itiswellfortheartisttostudytheecorcheinthedissecting—room,butwedonotwanttheApolloortheVenustoleavetheirskinsbehindthemwhentheygointothegalleryforexhibition。Lancisi"sfiguresshowushowthegreatstatueslookwhendivestedoftheirnaturalcovering。Itisinstructive,butusefulchieflyasameanstoaidinthetrueartisticreproductionofnature。Whenthe,hospitalsareinvadedbythenovelist,heshouldlearnsomethingfromthephysicianaswellasfromthepatients。Sciencedelineatesinmonochrome。Sheneveruseshightintsandstrontianlightstoastonishlookers—on。SuchscenesasFlaubertandZoladescribewouldbereproducedintheiressentialcharacters,butnotdressedupinpicturesquephrases。Thatisthefirststumbling—blockinthewayofthereaderofsuchrealisticstoriesasthosetowhichIhavereferred。Therearesubjectswhichmustbeinvestigatedbyscientificmenwhichmosteducatedpersonswouldbegladtoknownothingabout。WhenarealisticwriterlikeZolasurpriseshisreaderintoakindofknowledgeheneverthoughtofwishingfor,hesometimesharmshimmorethanhehasanyideaofdoing。Hewantstoproduceasensation,andheleavesapermanentdisgustnottohegotridof。Whodoesnotrememberodiousimagesthatcanneverbewashedoutfromtheconsciousnesswhichtheyhavestained？Aman"svocabularyisterriblyretentiveofevilwords,andtheimagestheypresentclingtohismemoryandwillnotloosetheirhold。OnewhohashadthemischancetosoilhismindbyreadingcertainpoemsofSwiftwillnevercleanseittoitsoriginalwhiteness。Expressionsandthoughtsofacertaincharacterstainthefibreofthethinkingorgan,andinsomedegreeaffectthehueofeveryideathatpassesthroughthediscoloredtissues。
Thisisthegravestaccusationtobringagainstrealism,oldorrecent,whetherinthebrutalpaintingsofSpagnolettoorintheuncleanrevelationsofZola。Leavethedescriptionofthedrainsandcesspoolstothehygienicspecialist,thepainfulfactsofdiseasetothephysician,thedetailsofthelaundrytothewasherwoman。Ifwearetohaverealisminitstediousdescriptionsofunimportantparticulars,letitbeofparticularswhichdonotexcitedisgust。
SuchisthedescriptionofthevegetablesinZola"s"VentredeParis,"where,ifonewishestoseetheapotheosisofturnips,beets,andcabbages,hecanfindthemglorifiedassupremelyasiftheyhadbeensymbolsofsomanydeities;theirforms,theircolors,theirexpression,workeduponuntiltheyseemasiftheyweremadetobelookedatandworshippedratherthantobeboiledandeaten。
IampleasedtofindaFrenchcriticofM。Flaubertexpressingideaswithwhichmanyofmyownentirelycoincide。"Thegreatmistakeoftherealists,"hesays,"isthattheyprofesstotellthetruthbecausetheytelleverything。Thispuerilehuntingafterdetails,thiscoldandcynicalinventoryofallthewretchedconditionsinthemidstofwhichpoorhumanityvegetates,notonlydonothelpustounderstanditbetter,but,onthecontrary,theeffectonthespectatorsisakindofdazzledconfusionmingledwithfatigueanddisgust。ThematerialtruthfulnesstowhichtheschoolofM。
Flaubertmoreespeciallypretendsmissesitsaimingoingbeyondit。
Truthislostinitsownexcess。"
Ireturntomythoughtsontherelationsofimaginativeartinallitsformswithscience。Thesubjectwhichinthehandsofthescientificstudentishandleddecorously,——reverently,wemightalmostsay,——becomesrepulsive,shameful,anddebasingintheunscrupulousmanipulationsofthelow—bredmanofletters。
IconfessthatIamalittlejealousofcertaintendenciesinourownAmericanliterature,whichledoneoftheseverestandmostoutspokenofoursatiricalfellow—countrymen,nolongerlivingtobecalledtoaccountforit,tosay;inamomentofbitterness,thatthemissionofAmericawastovulgarizemankind。ImyselfhavesometimeswonderedatthepleasuresomeOldWorldcriticshaveprofessedtofindinthemostlawlessfreaksofNewWorldliterature。IhavequestionedwhethertheirdelightwasnotlikethatoftheSpartansinthedrunkenanticsoftheirHelots。ButIsupposeIbelongtoanotherage,andmustnotattempttojudgethepresentbymyold—
fashionedstandards。
Thecompanylistenedverycivillytotheseremarks,whethertheyagreedwiththemornot。IamnotsurethatIwantalltheyoungpeopletothinkjustasIdoinmattersofcriticaljudgment。Newwinedoesnotgowellintooldbottles,butifanoldcaskhasheldgoodwine,itmayimproveacrudejuicetostandawhileupontheleesofthatwhichoncefilledit。
Ithoughtthecompanyhadhadaboutenoughofthisdisquisition。
Theylistenedverydecorously,andtheProfessor,whoagreesverywellwithme,asIhappentoknow,inmyviewsonthisbusinessofrealism,thankedmeforgivingthemthebenefitofmyopinion。
ThesilencethatfollowedwasbrokenbyNumberSeven"ssuddenlyexclaiming,——
"Ishouldliketobosscreationforaweek！"
ThisexpressionwasanoutbreaksuggestedbysometrainofthoughtwhichNumberSevenhadbeenfollowingwhileIwasdiscoursing。Idonotthinkoneofthecompanylookedasifheorshewereshockedbyitasanirreligiousorevenprofanespeech。Itisabetterwayalways,indealingwithoneofthosesquintingbrains,toletitfollowoutitsownthought。Itwillkeeptoitforawhile;thenitwillquittherail,sotospeak,andruntoanyside—trackwhichmaypresentitself。
"Whatisthefirstthingyouwoulddo？"askedNumberFiveinapleasant,easyway。
"Thefirstthing？Pickoutafewthousandofthebestspecimensofthebestraces,anddrowntherestlikesomanyblindpuppies。"
"Why,"saidshe,"thatwastriedonce,anddoesnotseemtohaveworkedverywell。"
"Verylikely。YoumeanNoah"sflood,Isuppose。Morepeoplenowadays,andabetterlottopickfromthanNoahhad。"
"Dotelluswhomyouwouldtakewithyou,"saidNumberFive。
"You,ifyouwouldgo,"heanswered,andIthoughtIsawaslightflushonhischeek。"ButIdidn"tsaythatIshouldgoaboardthenewarkmyself。IamnotsurethatIshould。No,IamprettysurethatIshouldn"t。Idon"tbelieve,onthewhole,itwouldpaymetosavemyself。Iain"tofmuchaccount。ButIcouldpickoutsomethatwere。"
Andjustnowhewassayingthatheshouldliketobosstheuniverse！
Allthishasnothingverywonderfulaboutit。Everyoneofusissubjecttoalternationsofovervaluationandundervaluationofourselves。Doyounotremembersoliloquiessomethinglikethis？
"Wasthereeversuchasenseless,stupidcreatureasIam？HowhaveImanagedtokeepsolongoutoftheidiotasylum？Undertooktowriteapoem,andstuckfastatthefirstverse。Hadacallfromafriendwhohadjustbeenroundtheworld。Didn"taskhimonewordaboutwhathehadseenorheard,butgavehimfulldetailsofmyprivatehistory,Ihavingneverbeenoffmyownhearth—rugformorethananhourortwoatatime,whilehewascircumnavigatingandcircumrailroadingtheglobe。Yes,ifanybodycanclaimthetitle,I
amcertainlytheprizeidiot。"Iamafraidthatweallsaysuchthingsasthistoourselvesattimes。Dowenotusemoreemphaticwordsthantheseinourself—depreciation？Icannotsayhowitiswithothers,butmyvocabularyofself—reproachandhumiliationissorichinenergeticexpressionsthatIshouldbesorrytohaveaninterviewerpresentatanoutburstofoneofitsraginggeysers,itssavagesoliloquies。Amanisakindofinvertedthermometer,thebulbuppermost,andthecolumnofself—valuationisallthetimegoingupanddown。NumberSevenisverymuchlikeotherpeopleinthisrespect,——verymuchlikeyouandme。
ThistrainofreflectionsmustnotcarrymeawayfromNumberSeven。
"IfIcan"tgetachancetobossthisplanetforaweekorso,"hebeganagain,"Ithink1couldwriteitshistory,——yes,thehistoryoftheworld,inlesscompassthananyonewhohastrieditsofar。"
"YouknowSirWalterRaleigh"s"HistoryoftheWorld,"ofcourse？"
saidtheProfessor。
"Moreorless,——moreorless,"saidNumberSevenprudently。"ButI
don"tcarewhohaswrittenitbeforeme。Iwillagreetowritethestoryoftwoworlds,thisandthenext,insuchacompactwaythatyoucancommitthemboth,tomemoryinlesstimethanyoucanlearntheanswertothefirstquestionintheCatechism。"
Whathehadgotintohisheadwecouldnotguess,buttherewasnolittlecuriositytodiscovertheparticularbeewhichwasbuzzinginhisbonnet。Heevidentlyenjoyedourcuriosity,andmeanttokeepuswaitingawhilebeforerevealingthegreatsecret。
"HowmanywordsdoyouthinkIshallwant？"
Itisaformula,Isuppose,Isaid,andIwillgrantyouahundredwords。
"Twenty,"saidtheProfessor。"ThatwasmorethanthewisemenofGreecewantedfortheirgrandutterances。"
ThetwoAnnexeswhisperedtogether,andtheAmericanAnnexgavetheirjointresult。Onethousandwasthenumbertheyhadfixedon。Theywereusedtohearinglectures,andcouldhardlyconceivethatanysubjectcouldbetreatedwithouttakingupagoodpartofanhour。
"Lessthanten,"saidNumberFive。"Iftherearetobemorethanten,Idon"tbelievethatNumberSevenwouldthinkthesurprisewouldbeuptoourexpectations。"
"Guessasmuchasyoulike,"saidNumberSeven。
"Theanswerwillkeep。Idon"tmeantosaywhatitisuntilwearereadytoleavethetable。"Hetookablankcardfromhispocket—book,wrotesomethingonit,orappeared,atanyrate,towrite,andhandedit,facedown,totheMistress。Whatwasonthecardwillbefoundneartheendofthispaper。Iwonderifanybodywillbecuriousenoughtolookfurtheralongtofindoutwhatitwasbeforeshereadsthenextparagraph？
InthemeantimethereisatrainofthoughtsuggestedbyNumberSevenandhiswhims。Ifyouwanttoknowhowtoaccountforyourself,studythecharactersofyourrelations。Allofourbrainssquintmoreorless。Thereisnotoneinahundred,certainly,thatdoesnotsometimesseethingsdistortedbydoublerefraction,outofplumboroutoffocus,orwithcolorswhichdonotbelongtoit,orinsomewaybetrayingthatthetwohalvesofthebrainarenotactinginharmonywitheachother。Youwonderattheeccentricitiesofthisorthatconnectionofyourown。Watchyourself,andyouwillfindimpulseswhich,butfortherestraintsyouputuponthem,wouldmakeyoudothesamefoolishthingswhichyoulaughatinthatcousinofyours。Ioncelivedinthesamehousewiththenearrelativeofaverydistinguishedperson,whosenameisstillhonoredandreveredamongus。Hisbrainwasanactiveone,likethatofhisfamousrelative,butitwasfullofrandomideas,unconnectedtrainsofthought,whims,crotchets,erraticsuggestions。Knowinghim,Icouldinterpretthementalcharacteristicsofthewholefamilyconnectioninthelightofitsexaggeratedpeculiaritiesasexhibitedinmyoddfellow—boarder。Squintingbrainsareagreatdealmorecommonthanweshouldatfirstsightbelieve。Hereisagreatbook,asolidoctavooffivehundredpages,fullofthevagariesofthisclassoforganizations。Ihopetorefertothisworkhereafter,butjustnowIwillonlysaythat,afterreadingtilloneistiredthestrangefanciesofthesquarersofthecircle,theinventorsofperpetualmotion,andtherestofthemoonstruckdreamers,mostpersonswillconfesstothemselvesthattheyhavehadnotionsaswild,conceptionsasextravagant,theoriesasbaseless,astheleastrationalofthosewhicharehererecorded。
SomedayIwanttotalkaboutmylibrary。Itissuchacuriouscollectionofoldandnewbooks,suchamosaicoflearningandfanciesandfollies,thataglanceoveritwouldinterestthecompany。PerhapsImayhereaftergiveyouatalkabutbooks,butwhileIamsayingafewpassingwordsuponthesubjectthegreatestbibliographicaleventthateverhappenedinthebook—marketoftheNewWorldistakingplaceunderoureyes。HereisMr。BernardQuaritchjustcomefromhiswell—knownhabitat,No。15Piccadilly,withsuchacollectionofrare,beautiful,andsomewhatexpensivevolumesastheWesternContinentneversawbeforeontheshelvesofabibliopole。
Webookwormsareallofusnowandthenbetrayedintoanextravagance。Thekeentradesmenwhotemptusarelikethefishermenwhodangleaminnow,afrog,orawormbeforetheperchorpickerelwhomaybeonthelookoutforhisbreakfast。ButMr。Quaritchcomesamonguslikethatformidableanglerofwhomitissaid,Hishookhebaitedwithadragon"stail,Andsatuponarockandbobbedforwhale。
Thetwocatalogueswhichheraldhiscomingarethemselvesinterestingliterarydocuments。Onecangooutwithafewshillingsinhispocket,andventureamongthebooksofthefirstofthesecatalogueswithoutbeingashamedtoshowhimselfwithnolargerfurnishingofthemeansforindulginghistastes,——hewillfindbooksenoughatcomparativelymodestprices。Butifonefeelsveryrich,sorichthatitrequiresagooddealtofrightenhim,lethimtaketheothercatalogueandseehowmanybooksheproposestoaddtohislibraryatthepricesaffixed。HereisaLatinPsalterwiththeCanticles,fromthepressofFustandSchoeffer,thesecondbookissuedfromtheirpress,thesecondbookprintedwithadate,thatdatebeing1459。
Thereareonlyeightcopiesofthisworkknowntoexist;youcanhaveoneofthem,ifsodisposed,andifyouhavechangeenoughinyourpocket。Twenty—sixthousandtwohundredandfiftydollarswillmakeyouthehappyownerofthispreciousvolume。Ifthisismorethanyouwanttopay,youcanhavetheGoldGospelsofHenryVIII。,onpurplevellum,forabouthalfthemoney。Therearepagesonpagesoftitlesofworksanyoneofwhichwouldbeasnuglittlepropertyifturnedintomoneyatitscatalogueprice。
WhywillnotourmultimillionaireslookoverthiscatalogueofMr。
Quaritch,anddetainsomeofitstreasuresonthissideoftheAtlanticforsomeofourpubliclibraries？WedecantthechoicestwinesofEuropeintoourcellars;weoughttobealwaysdecantingtheprecioustreasuresofherlibrariesandgalleriesintoourown,aswehaveopportunityandmeans。Astothemeans,therearesomanyrichpeoplewhohardlyknowwhattodowiththeirmoneythatitiswelltosuggesttothemanynewusefulendtowhichtheirsuperfluitymaycontribute。IamnotinalliancewithMr。Quaritch;infact,Iamafraidofhim,forifIstayedasinglehourinhislibrary,whereI
neverwasbutonce,andthenforfifteenminutesonly,IshouldleaveitsomuchpoorerthanIentereditthatIshouldberemindedofthepictureinthetitlepageofFuller"s"HistorieoftheHolyWarre:
"Wewentoutfull。Wereturnedempty。"
——Aftertheteacupswereallemptied,thecardcontainingNumberSeven"sabridgedhistoryoftwoworlds,thisandthenext,washandedround。
Thiswasallitheld:
Afterallhadlookedatit,itwaspassedbacktome。"LetTheDictatorinterpretit,"theyallsaid。
ThisiswhatIannouncedasmyinterpretation:
Twoworlds,thehigherandthelower,separatedbythethinnestofpartitions。Thelowerworldisthatofquestions;theupperworldisthatofanswers。Endlessdoubtandunrestherebelow;wondering,admiring,adoringcertaintyabove。——AmInotright？
"Youareright,"answeredNumberSevensolemnly。"Thatismyrevelation。"
Thefollowingpoemwasfoundinthesugar—bowl。
Ireadittothecompany。Therewasmuchwhisperingandthereweremanyconjecturesastoitsauthorship,buteveryTeacuplookedinnocent,andweseparatedeachwithhisorherprivateconviction。
Ihadmine,butIwillnotmentionit。
THEROSEANDTHEFERN。
Lady,life"ssweetestlessonwouldstthoulearn,ComethouwithmetoLove"senchantedbower:
Highoverheadthetrellisedrosesburn;
Beneaththyfeetbeholdthefeatheryfern,Aleafwithoutaflower。
Whatthoughtheroseleavesfall？Theystillaresweet,Andhavebeenlovelyintheirbeauteousprime,Whilethebarefrondseemsevertorepeat,"Forusnobud,noblossom,wakestogreetThejoyousfloweringtime！"
Heedthouthelesson。LifehasleavestotreadAndflowerstocherish;summerroundtheeglows;
Waitnottillautumn"sfadingrobesareshed,ButwhileitspetalsstillareburningredGatherlife"sfull—blownrose！
VI
Ofcoursethereadingofthepoemattheendofthelastpaperhasleftadeepimpression。Istronglysuspectthatsomethingverymuchlikelove—makingisgoingonatourtable。Apeepunderthelidofthesugar—bowlhasshownmethatthereisanotherpoemreadyforthecompany。ThatreceptacleislookeduponwithanalmosttremulousexcitementbymorethanoneofTheTeacups。ThetwoAnnexesturntowardsthemysticurnasifthelotswhichweretodeterminetheirdestinywereshutupinit。NumberFive,quieter,andnotbetrayingmorecuriositythanbelongstothesexatallages,glancesatthesugarbowlnowandthen;lookingsolikeaclairvoyant,thatsometimesIcannothelpthinkingshemustbeone。ThereisaslylookaboutthatyoungDoctor"seyes,whichmightimplythatheknowssomethingaboutwhatthesilvervesselholds,orisgoingtohold。TheTutornaturallyfallsundersuspicion,asheisknowntohavewrittenandpublishedpoems。IsupposetheProfessorandmyselfhavehardlybeensuspectedofwritinglove—poems;butthereisnotelling,——thereisnotelling。WhymaynotsomeoneoftheladyTeacupshaveplayedthepartofamasculinelover？GeorgeSand,GeorgeEliot,CharlesEgbertCraddock,madeprettygoodmeninprint。Theauthoressof"JaneEyre"wastakenforamanbymanypersons。CanNumberFivebemasqueradinginverse？OrisoneofthetwoAnnexesthemake。
believelover？Ordidthesegirlslaytheirheadstogether,andsendthepoemwehadatourlastsittingtopuzzlethecompany？ItiscertainthattheMistressdidnotwritethepoem。ItisevidentthatNumberSeven,whoissosevereinhistalkaboutrhymesters,wouldnot,ifhecould,makesuchafoolofhimselfastosetupfora"poet。"WhyshouldnottheCounsellorfallinloveandwriteverses？
Agoodmanylawyershavebeen"poets。"
Perhapsthenextpoem,whichmaybelookedforinitsproperplace,mayhelpustoformajudgment。Wemayhaveseveralverse—writersamongus,andifsotherewillbeagoodopportunityfortheexerciseofjudgmentindistributingtheirproductionsamongthelegitimateclaimants。Inthemeantime,wemustnotletthelove—makingandthesong—writinginterferewiththemoreseriousmatterswhichthesepapersareexpectedtocontain。
NumberSeven"scompendiousandcomprehensivesymbolismprovedsuggestive,ashiswhimsicalnotionsoftendo。ItalwayspleasesmetotakesomehintfromanythinghesayswhenIcan,andcarryitoutinadirectionnotunlikethatofhisownremark。Iremindedthecompanyofhisenigmaticalsymbol。
Youcandividemankindinthesameway,Isaid。Twowords,eachoftwoletters,willservetodistinguishtwoclassesofhumanbeingswhoconstitutetheprincipaldivisionsofmankind。Cananyofyoutellwhatthosetwowordsare？
"Givemefiveletters,"criedNumberSeven,"andIcansolveyourproblem！F—o—o—1—s,——thosefiveletterswillgiveyouthefirstandlargesthalf。Fortheotherfraction"——
Oh,but,saidI,Irestrictyouabsolutelytotwoletters。Ifyouaregoingtotakefive,youmayaswelltaketwentyorahundred。
Afterafewattempts,thecompanygaveitup。ThenearestapproachtothecorrectanswerwasNumberFive"sguessofOhandAh:Ohsignifyingeternalstrivingafteranideal,whichbelongstoonekindofnature;andAhthesatisfactionoftheotherkindofnature,whichrestsateaseinwhatithasattained。
Good！IsaidtoNumberFive,butnottheanswerIamafter。ThegreatdivisionbetweenhumanbeingsisintotheIfsandtheAses。
Isthelastwordtobespeltwithoneortwos"s？"askedtheyoungDoctor。
Thecompanylaughedfeeblyatthisquestion。Ianswereditsoberly。
Withones。TherearemorefoolishpeopleamongtheIfsthanthereareamongtheAses。
Thecompanylookedpuzzled,andaskedforanexplanation。
ThisisthemeaningofthosetwowordsasIinterpretthem:
Ifitwere,——ifitmightbe,——ifitcouldbe,——ifithadbeen。Oneportionofmankindgothroughlifealwaysregretting,alwayswhining,alwaysimagining。Thesearethepeoplewhosebackbonesremaincartilaginousalltheirliveslong,asdothoseofcertainothervertebrateanimals,——thesturgeons,forinstance。Agoodmanypoetsmustbeclassedwiththisgroupofvertebrates。
Asitis,——thisisthewayinwhichtheotherclassofpeoplelookattheconditionsinwhichtheyfindthemselves。Theymaybeoptimistsorpessimists,theyareverylargelyoptimists,——but,takingthingsjustastheyfindthem,theyadjustthefactstotheirwishesiftheycan;andiftheycannot,thentheyadjustthemselvestothefacts。I
venturetosaythatifoneshouldcounttheIfsandtheAsesintheconversationofhisacquaintances,hewouldfindthemoreableandimportantpersonsamongthem——statesmen,generals,menofbusiness——