chapter 35

  Araordinaryjudgmentwhichusedtobepasseduponeseliteraturewas,thatitwasexcessivelyover-moral.Thustheesepeoplewereactuallyaccusedofovermorality,whileatthesametimemostfnersareprettywellagreedthattheeseareanationofliars!Butweowexplainthisbythefactthat,besidesthetrashynovelswehavealreadynoticed,theworkoftranslationa-mongstudentsofesewasformerlyfinedexclusivelytothefuClassievertheless,thereareofcreatmanyotherthingsinthesewritingsbesidesmorality,and,withalldefereoMr.Balfour,wethinkthat"theadmirabledoes"thesebookstainaredecidedlynot"utilitarianandworldly"astheyhavebeenjudgedtobe.WewilljustsubmittwosentendaskMr.Balfourifhereallythinksthem"utilitarianandmundane.""HewhosinsagainstHeaven,"saidfuciusinaoaMinister,"hewhosinsagainstHeavenhasnoplacewhereheturntoandpray."Again,Menciussays:"!lovelife,butIalsolhteousness:butifIotkeepthemboth,Iwouldgiveuplifeandchhteousness."

  WehavethoughtitworthwhiletodigresssofarioprotestagainstMr.Balfoursjudgment,becausewethinkthatsuchsmartphrasesas"abondslavetoantiquity,""apast-masterincasuistry"shouldscarcelybeemployedinaworkpurposelyphilosophical,muchlessappliedtothemostveednameina.Mr.BalfourrobablyledastraybyhisadmirationoftheProphetofNan-hua,and,inhiseageroemphasizethesuperiorityoftheTaoistover

  theorthodoxschool,hehasbeerayedintotheuseofexpressionswhich,wearesure,hiscalmerjudgmentmustn.

  Buttoreturnfrression.Wehavesaidthattheeseliteraturemustbestudiedasaectedwhole.MoreoverwehavehatthepeopleofEuropeareacedtoceiveandformtheirjudgmentoftheliteratureofasolelyfromthosewritingswithwhichthenameoffuciusisassociated;but,infact,theliteraryactivityoftheesehadonlyjustbegunwiththelaboursoffucius,andhassiihrougheighteendynasties,includingmorethantwothousandyears.Atthetimeoffucius,theliteraryformofwritingwasstillveryimperfectlyuood.

  Hereletusremarkthat,iudyofaliterature,thereisoneimportantpointtobeatteo,butwhichhashithertobeenpletelylostsightofbyfnstudentsofese;heformoftheliterarywritings."Tobesure,"saidthepoetWordsworth,"itwasthematter,butthenyouknowthematteralwaysesoutofthemanner."Nowitistruethattheearlywritingswithwhichthenameoffuciusisassociateddonotpretendtoanydegreeofperfe,asfarastheliteraryformised:theyaresideredasclassicalorstandardworksnotsomuchfortheirclassicalelegayleorperfeofliteraryform,asforthevalueofthemattertheytaiherofSuTung-po,oftheSungdynasty,remarksthatsomethingapproagtotheformationofaprosestylemaybetrathedialoguesofMencius.helesseseliterarywritings,bothinproseary,havesincebeendevelopedintomanyformsandstyles.ThewritingsoftheWesternHans,forinstance,differfromtheessaysoftheSungperiod,muthesamewayastheproseofLordBaisdifferentfromtheproseofAddisoldsmith.Thewildexaggerationandharshdiofthepoetryofthesixdynastiesareasuhepurity,vigour,andbrilliancyoftheTasastheearlywreakandimmaturemannerofKeatsisuhestrong,clear,andcorrectsplendourofTennyson.

  Havingthus,aswehaveshown,equippedhimselfwiththeprimaryprinciplesandnotionsofthepeople,thestudentwillthenbeinapositiontodirecthisstudytothesocialrelationsofthepeople;toseehowtheseprinciplesareappliedandcarriedout.Butthesocialinstitutions,mannersandsofapeopledonotgrowup,likemushrooms,inanight,butaredevelopedandformedintowhattheyare,throughlouries.Itisthereforenecessarytostudythehistoryofthepeople.NowthehistoryoftheesepeopleisasyetalmostunknowntoEuropeanscholars.Theso-calledHistoryofa,byMr.DemetriusBoulger,publishedretly,isperhapstheworsthistorythatcouldhavebeenwrittenofacivilisedpeopleliketheese.SuchahistoryasMr.BoulgerhaswrittenmightbetoleratedifwrittenofsomesuchsavagepeopleastheHottentots.Theveryfactthatsuchahistoryofacouldhavebeenpublished,servesonlytoshowhowveryfarfrombeingperfectyetistheknowledgeofeseamongEuropeans.Withoutaknowledgeoftheirhistory,therefore,nocorrectjudgmentbeformedofthesocialinstitutionsofapeople.SuchworksasDr.WilliamssMiddleKingdomandotherworksonafromwantofsuowledge,arenotonlyuselessforthepurposeofthescholar,butareevenmisleadingforthemassofgeneralreaders.Justtotakeoahesocialceremonyofthepeople.Theesearecertainlyaceremoniouspeople,anditistruethattheyowethistotheinflueheteagoffucius.NowMr.Balfourmayspeakofthepettifoggingobservancesofaceremoniallifeasmuchashepleases;heless,even"thebowsandscrapesofexternalde,"asMr.Gilescallsthem,havetheirrootsdeepintheuniversalnatureofman,inthatsideofhumannature,namely,whichwehavedefihesehebeautiful."Intheuseofceremony,"saysadiscipleoffucius,"whatisimportant,istobenatural;thisiswhatisreallybeautifulinthewaysoftheaEm-perors."Again,itissaidsomewhereintheClassics:"Ceremonyissimplytheexpressionofreverence."(theEhrfurchtofGoethesWilkelmMeister)Wenowseehowevidentitisthatajudgmentofthemannersandsofanationshouldbefoundedupontheknowledgeofthemoralprinciplesofthepeople-Moreoverthestudy,oftheGoverandpolitistitutionsofatry,_which,wehavesaidshouldbereservedbythestudenttothelaststageofhislabours,_mustalsobefoundeduponaandingoftheirphilosophicalprinciplesandaknowledgeoftheirhistory.松语文学www.16sy.coM免费小说阅读

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