of honour and a diploma of nobility. To say 'I am a Christian' is
equivalent to saying 'I am a Roman citizen.' He who dares to call
himself a pagan or an atheist, will be regarded as a blockhead, an
old-fashioned ass, a conservative reactionary, a stick-in-the-mud."
=The Seduced Become Seducers.=--The pupil continued: "The reason
why it has been so hard for me and many others to become really
Christian, is that we are all directly descended from the pagans.
We were not acclimatised in the Christian atmosphere, but liable to
wild impulses; our flesh was too coarse to endure renunciation and
restraint. We had been educated in the evolutionary ape-theory, and
been taught that man belongs to the department of zoology and not
that of anthropology. We had also been told that the physical process
that precedes the New Birth of the soul, which is called conversion
from evil, was neurasthenia, and should be treated with warm baths or
bromkali. Veterinary doctors held professorships of philosophy and
introduced zoology as a compulsory subject in priests' examinations.
The servants of the Lord learnt that religion was a deposit from the
tertiary period, that animals were more religious than man, and that
man had created God. The seducer of our youth taught us that the
Life of Jesus was a lubricous novel, that the doctrine of the Bible
regarding Christ simply amounted to this--that He was a prominent
Galilæan; and finally, that the superman was the bandit who may commit
any outrage against others, provided he can prove a false alibi and has
no witnesses.
"It was a terrible period which recalled that of the Roman emperors,
and like that, heralded the arrival of Christianity. We, who had been
seduced, then became seducers. But we thank God that no harm was done.
Everything serves, and we had to serve as a terrifying example. There
is always something.
=Large-hearted Christianity.=--"But we ought not to frighten men
with Christianity, nor become hair-splitters. Let faith be a uniting
bond to lead us onward, let faith be hope in a better life after this,
a connecting-link with that which is higher. Let the fruits of faith
be seen to be humanity, resignation, mercifulness. But don't go and
count how many glasses of whisky your neighbour drinks; don't call him
a hypocrite if he once in a while gives way to the flesh, or if he is
angry and says hard words. Don't ask how often he goes to church; don't
spy on his words, if in an access of ill-humour he speaks otherwise
than he would. You cannot see whether in solitude he does not regret it
and chastens himself. A white lie or the embellishment of a story is
not a deadly sin; an impropriety can be so atoned for by imprisonment
that it ought to be forgotten. Do not secede from the Church because
of some dogmas which you do not understand. Don't form a sect with the
idea of raising yourself to the rank of shepherd, instead of forming
part of the flock. One should have a large-hearted Christianity for
daily use, and a stricter one for festival days.
"Don't talk about religion. It is too good for that.... Virtue consists
in striving, even when it does not always succeed."
"The noble Spirit now is free
And saved from evil scheming,
Whoer'er aspires unweariedly
Is not beyond redeeming.
And if he feels the grace of Love
That from on high is given,
The blessed hosts that wait above
Shall welcome him to heaven."
(_Faust_, Part II.)
=Reconnection with the Aërial Wire.=--The pupil spoke: "You said
once that the tramcar comes to a standstill if it loses connection
with the aërial wire. I know that very well. Would that my friends
who are atheists and pagans knew what a relief it is to find the
connection again. It is like diving in crystal-clear sea-water after
perspiring in the heat of the dog-days on a dusty high-road. The heart
grows light; the systematic ill-luck ceases; one has some success,
one's undertakings prosper, one can sleep at night, and neurasthenia
ceases. I remember how, after a night of debauchery, the most beautiful
landscape at sunrise looked ghastly; while after a night of quiet sleep
the same scene looked paradisal.
"When we gain the certainty, and the belief founded on certainty, that
life is continued on the other side, then we find it easier on this
one, and do not hunt after trifles till we are weary. Then we discover
the divine light-heartedness of which Goethe speaks, which finds
expression in a certain contempt of honours and distinction, promotion
and money. We become more in-sensible to blows and abuse. Everything
goes more softly and smoothly. However dark the surroundings may be, we
become self-luminous so to speak, and carry the little pocket-lamp hope
with us."
=The Art of Conversion.=--The pupil continued: "Plato describes
earthly life as follows: 'Men sit in a cavern with their backs towards
the light. Therefore they only see the shadows or simulacra of what
passes in front of the cavern. Whoever hits on the brilliant idea of
turning round, sees the originals, the realities in themselves, the
light.'
"So simple is it! Only to turn round, or be converted, in a word.
But it is not necessary on that account to become a monk, ascetic,
or hermit. I almost agree with Luther that faith is everything. Our
deeds lag far behind, and need only consist in refraining from all
deliberate evil. As a beginning, one may be content with not stealing,
lying, or bearing false witness. If we have greater claims and wish to
train ourselves into supermen, we may. But if we do not succeed, we
should not throw the whole system over-board, but ceaselessly commence
anew, never despair, try to smile at our vain efforts, be patient with
ourselves, and believe good of God.
"When the religious man falls, he gets up again, brushes himself, and
goes on; the irreligious one remains lying in the dirt. Thus the whole
art of life consists in not turning one's back to the light.
=The Superman.=--"The gentlemen who talk about development say
that Christianity is out of date and lies behind us. No! Christianity
is everywhere; behind us, near us, before us.
"Pagans of all kinds really created their gods in their own likeness.
But with Christianity came the transcendent God and revealed Himself
to men who had the goodwill to understand Him. Therefore Christianity
is the beginning of the world's history, its middle, and its end.
'Whither and whence everything streams,' as Hegel says.
"The multiplication-table is still older, but is not out of date; it
is still used, though logarithms have been discovered. The laws of
thought, atomic weights, oscillations of waves of light and sound, have
not been left behind us, but are still continually close to us.
"But if one does reattach oneself to Christianity, one should take it
without refining--stock and barrel, dogmas and miracles. One should
swallow it uncritically, naïvely, in great gulps, then it goes down
like castor-oil in hot coffee. 'Open your mouth and shut your eyes.'
That is the only way.
"I am a Christian, _i.e._ I am a nobleman; I belong to the upper
class; I have been vaccinated; I have served my time in the army;
I am a citizen and of full age; I am a white man; I have a clean
birth-certificate; I am a superman."
To be a Christian Is not to be a Pietist.--The pupil continued: "If my
pagan friends would only give up the idea that a Christian must be a
pietist, they would come into our pantheon in crowds. Luther ate and
drank what was set before him, as St. Paul enjoins; he played, sang,
hunted, and played skittles. He swore also; but notice well, he never
asked God to curse him, or the Devil to take him; he only said, 'Curse
such and such a thing,' or 'To the devil with it!' Certainly I think he
might have modified that habit, as it created annoyance, and he was a
chief priest and prophet.
"It is a standing error to think that we lay-men should live every
day like priests. We cannot; we have neither the time nor the means;
it is a shame to demand it. But with the priest it is otherwise. He
has devoted his life to the service of the Lord. He should spend the
six days of the week in so preparing his sermon that he can say it by
heart. I will not compare the clergyman with the actor, but on Sunday
he ought at any rate be able to repeat his rôle verbatim. For doing
that he gets his bread. If the congregation see that he reads his
sermon, they think, 'We could do that too; there is no art in that!'
And the minister of the Lord must take good heed to himself else he
arouses annoyance. People will not take it ill if he is austere, and
refrains from society, for he is a representative, not a private
person. With the layman it is otherwise. He is a poor sinful man, of
whom too much cannot be demanded as he drags his daily burden through
the wicked world."
=Strength and Value of Words.=--The teacher said: "Thought is an
act of the mind, and words are congealed thoughts. The uttered word can
have an effect like a charm or an adjuration. There are men who are so
sensitive that they are aware at a distance whether people are speaking
well or ill of them. There are men who are not afraid of committing a
crime, but are startled at the word which names it. Weak men cannot
endure hard words; they make them ill. A word may kill. If I were a
judge, I would always first ask the man-slayer, 'What did he say which
made you strike him down?' And then I should allow for extenuating
circumstances, or even acquit the man, if the deadly word caused the
deadly blow as a reflex-action. If for fifty years I have cherished the
memory of my parents, and my family, property, and honour is based on
my relationship to them, and then someone comes and tells me I am not
my father's son, he has killed me; the whole edifice of my emotional
life collapses. He has paralysed my energy and willingness to sacrifice
myself; he has imposed upon me the monstrous task of radically changing
my views of the world and men; he has rooted-up my filial affection;
with a single word he has annihilated my whole life. If he has lied, he
is simply a murderer!"
=The Black Illuminati.=--The teacher said: "Everything serves,
and error often helps forward truth. At the end of the last century,
the materialists began to sniff about in the occult. One day they
discovered the capacity of men, when in a hypnotic state, of seeing
at a distance, of beholding the invisible, and of penetrating the
future. Then they accomplished, curiously enough, the honourable task
of establishing the truth of clairvoyance and prophecy, as well as the
possibility of miracles. The theosophists, who really at a terrible
period of the 'black illumination' sought to penetrate behind phenomena
and dug up useful fragments of ancient wisdom, were however hostile
to Christianity. They went so far as to send one of their prophets to
India to warn the natives against the missionaries.
"But in course of time they began to investigate Christianity again;
they were now provided with the proper means for understanding the
mysteries of Christ's incarnation and atoning death, of sacraments
and miracles. And see now! their latest prophetess has written a
book to explain and defend Christianity! All roads seem to lead to
Christ. No one has done such good service to Christianity as the
materialistic occultists and the atheistic theosophists. Young France
has been Christianised by the pagans. The last apostle of the rustic
intelligence stands isolated there in his damnable infatuation,
believing himself to be the only 'illuminated' one in the world. Let us
hope that he is the last of the 'Illuminati.'"
"Yes, let us hope so."
=Anthropomorphism.=--"Man is inclined to make everything after
his own likeness. When the heathen made themselves gods, the latter
resembled their creators in all their defects and sins. That is called
Anthropomorphism. The artist who paints a portrait, always puts
something of his own into it. I know a sculptor who always used to
model his own undersized figure with its two short legs, whether he
was representing mountaineers, fauns, men of science, or kings. The
plumper he became in course of time, the more rotund his figures grew.
I know a photographer who always retouches his portraits of people
till they resemble himself. He must admire his own exterior, and wish
to have it taken as a standard-type. The critic when he describes an
author, proceeds in a similar fashion. Every point in which the author
resembles him is reckoned a merit; everyone in which he differs, a
fault.
"When anyone says, 'This poet is the best I know; you must read him!'
that means, 'This poet has my views; you must share them, for they are
the best in the world.' Everyone would like to fashion humanity and the
world in his own image. But if everyone had his way, what would the
world look like?"
=Fury-worship as a Penal Hallucination.=--The teacher said:
"Swedenborg describes, in his fashion, how the greatest tyrant arrived
in Hades. He wished to stir up hell against heaven, and he was punished
by having a terrible woman sent to rule him, whom he worshipped.
She was a compendium of original sin, deliberate falsehood, wilful
deceit, ugliness, uncleanness, destructiveness. But he was compelled
to see in her the good, the beautiful, the lovable; he called her 'my
angel.' All his adherents were obliged to worship her, or he called
them 'woman-haters.' Whence Swedenborg derived his narratives, I know
not, but his descriptions are like photographs of our everyday life.
The modern worship of women does not come down from the Christian
ages of chivalry, for those romanticists honoured womanhood in its
virtues. Our new gyneolatry is derived from the heathen; it is a kind
of fury-worship imposed on us as a penal hallucination. The sons of
the Lord of Dung deify their furies, and praise their faults. In their
view sin is virtue, wickedness is character, deceitfulness is a proof
of intelligence, coarseness is strength. He who will not join in
this devil-worship is called a woman-hater. Chaste wives and mothers
are called old-fashioned and perverse. Euripides describes in the
_Hippolytus_ how this king's son dedicated his devotion to the chaste
Diana and fled the demotic Venus. This impure goddess avenged herself
by accusing the innocent Hippolytus of incest and then caused him to be
put to death. Euripides on account of writing this tragedy was called a
'woman-hater,' and is said to have been tom in pieces by female dogs.
That is a pretty legend!"
=Amerigo or Columbus.=--The teacher said: "Human greatness and
the way of becoming great is something very remarkable. Often envious
hatred of the deserving seems to be converted into immense love for
the undeserving. The infatuation of hatred may go so far that when
the deserving has done a good work, the undeserving gets the glory of
it. But often also there are secret reasons for this abnormal result.
Every schoolboy has asked why America was not named after Columbus,
who discovered it. I also made that inquiry, and while I served the
Lord of Dung I found it quite natural that the undeserving cartographer
Vespucci should have the honour of the discovery.
"But when I recovered my reason (and men called me mad), I read the
biography of Columbus again. There I found that, together with his
merits, he had great faults. Like David, he sinned by pride, avarice,
cruelty, and deceit. His pride was boundless. Before undertaking his
doubtful voyage, he laid down as a condition that he was to be Viceroy
(he, the weaver's son!) and receive a tithe of the revenues. Well, he
never learnt that he had discovered a new quarter of the globe. He died
and was forgotten.
"Vespucci, on the other hand, was not only a cartographer, but
sailed round South America, and discovered that the New World was
not India. He seems to have been a good-natured, upright, and modest
man. Toscanelli, his contemporary, is also said to have announced the
existence of a new world, but that is not so certain."
=A Circumnavigator of the Globe.=--The pupil said: "Can you
resolve my discords?"
"I will call you a circumnavigator of the globe. You have sailed round
it, and returned to the point whence you set out. No one can go further
than that. But you return with a freight of experience, knowledge,
and wisdom. Therefore the journey was not in vain, or to speak more
correctly, it has fulfilled its object. Max Muller, who at the time of
the decadence was the scapegoat for all the atheists, concludes his
history of religion thus: 'It is easy to say that the completest faith
is a child's faith. Nothing can be truer. The older we grow, the more
we learn to comprehend the wisdom of children's faith.' And in another
place he says: 'To explain religion by referring it to a religious
impulse, or a religious capacity, is merely to explain the known by the
less known. The real religious impulse or instinct is the apprehension
of the infinite.' Thank your misfortunes that you have arrived at the
infinite. 'The fortunate do not believe that miracles still happen, for
only in misery we recognise God's hand and finger, which leads good men
to good.'"
"Do you know who said that?"
"No; is it Luther?"
"No; it is Goethe in _Hermann and Dorothea._ And the 'great pagan'
wrote in 1779 to Lavater: 'My God, to whom I have been ever faithful,
has in secret richly blessed me. For my destiny is quite hidden from
men; they can neither hear nor see at all, how it is determined.' The
Lice-King omits such expressions when he wishes to incorporate Goethe
among his slimy larvæ."
=The Poet's Children.=--The teacher continued: "Moreover, as I
have already told you, you are a poet, and must pass through your
reincarnations here. You have a right to invent poetic personalities,
and at every stage to speak the speech of the one you represent.
Shakespeare has done so, whether he did it consciously, or whether life
assigned him the various roles he played. At one time he is a cheerful
optimist; at another, the misogynist Timon, or the world-despiser
Hamlet; he is the jealous Othello, the amorous Romeo, so-and-so the
panegyrist of women, and so-and-so the misogynist. I believe indeed
that he has, by way of experiment, been the murderer Macbeth, and the
monster Richard III. He utters the malignant speeches of the last with
real relish. Every rascal may defend himself, and Shakespeare is his
advocate.
"There the poet should have no grave; his ashes should be strewn to
all the winds of heaven. He should only live in his works, if they
possess vital power. Men should accustom themselves to look upon him as
something different from an ordinary man; they ought not to judge him,
but regard him as something which they cannot understand. You remember
the dying Epaminondas. When they condoled with him because he left no
children, he answered: 'Children? I have Leuktra and Mantinea.'"
=Faithful in Little Things.=--The pupil said: "I had a friend,
who died lately at the age of sixty. According to my view, he has in
his own way realised the type of a good citizen and a good man. He was
a tradesman, and had passed through a youth of hardship, being from
six in the morning till ten at night in the shop, the doors of which
were open even in winter. Under his first master he quickly discovered
that dishonest tricks did not pay. Therefore he became rigidly honest,
studied the details of his trade, made rapid progress, kept sober and
wide-awake. Accordingly he soon became his own master, and wealth came
of itself. He married and had children, who turned out excellently in
consequence of their father's example. Now, this man lived his whole
life according to the teaching he had received in school and church.
He did his duty, honoured father and mother, obeyed law and authority,
never criticised those who managed the government of the country,
which he did not profess to understand. He took no notice of selfish
agitations, did not worry himself about the riddle of the universe, and
warned his children not to be eager after novelties. He also possessed
positive virtues; he was merciful and helpful, faithful and modest.
"When his sons began to study, he did not attempt to vie with them in
learning. But when they attacked his childlike faith, he defended it
like a man. He never ventured to occupy a public post, for he knew his
limits. He never sought for distinctions, nor did he obtain any. Well,
what name do the larvæ of the snake-worm give such a blameless, good,
faithful man? They call him 'a servile rascal.' Is that just?"
The teacher answered: "No! it is flagrantly unjust! But there are other
types of character, which are also laudable."
"Yes, indeed, but that does not lessen the value of his life; he was
faithful in small things."
=The Unpracticalness of Husk-eating.=--The teacher said: "Young
people say, 'What do we want with the wisdom of age? We want to learn
for ourselves.' I generally answer, 'Yes, learn for yourselves--from
us! What good-fortune to be able to inherit the rich experiences of
others, and not to make these expensive, dirty experiments for oneself!
If the young commenced where we left off, the world and humanity would
progress with giant strides. Instead of this everyone begins afresh,
that is, in the moral sphere. When it is a question of making a new
incandescent lamp, we do not begin with a machine for generating
electricity, but continue from the latest discovery of our predecessors.
"I have also asked myself whether it is necessary first to be burnt
in order to dread the fire. I have never seen my children go to the
oven and lay hold of the red dampers to see whether they would be
burnt. They let themselves be warned, and therefore escaped the painful
experience. I have asked myself whether one must first feed with the
swine before one can appreciate the food of the household, and whether
the Prodigal Son is a necessary transitionary type. But to all these
stupid and impertinent questions life has given a negative answer.
"Swedenborg says that all sin and wickedness leave traces behind
them, but that these are not apparent in the human face till old age.
Subsequently, in the disrobing-room on the other side, they look as if
they had been thrown through a magnifying-glass on a white screen. I
once looked into an attic-room; the curtain was drawn aside, and an old
man put out his head in order to look at the sun. When he saw me he hid
his face immediately.
"That was a face!... God protect us!"
=A Youthful Dream for Seven Shillings.=--The teacher said: "There
are people who carry about with them a measuring-rule for everything.
They demand exactness and order; they love perfection in all things.
They are called discontented, carping, pedantic. But it is unfair to
blame them. If one is content with the mediocre, one will at last only
get the worst. Men give only as little as they can, and the whole of
life is defective. Conscientious men are not happy, for they cannot
lower their demands; they appear to simpletons who have not learnt,
that nothing is what it gives itself out to be, that nothing answers
the expectations we formed of it. One is inclined to ask whether such
men bring with them at birth recollections of a place or a condition
where ideal perfection existed. When I was seven years old, I often
remained standing fascinated before a music-dealer's shop window,
and contemplated a hunter's horn which was hung up there. There was
something charming in the proportions of these curved lines. This brass
tube tapered off beautifully from the great width of its bell-mouth to
its narrowed mouthpiece. In the gloomy street it made me hear nature's
music in woods and fields; I loved the instrument. But when a boy told
me that it cost thirty shillings, I wondered whether life would ever
fulfil my desire, for in order to buy it I would have to go for two and
a half years without breakfast. Finally I got to be thirty years old,
and had some money to spare for the first time in my life. I bought the
hunting-horn; it cost only seven shillings; the boy had told a lie.
But the instrument had only three notes. When I got tired of my prize
it was consigned to the attic.
"It was, at any rate, the fulfilment of a youthful dream!"