登陆注册
5382300000260

第260章 CHAPTER XXXIV(4)

This was the ridiculous side of the movement, but underneath the absurdities there was something serious. These young men and women, who were themselves terribly in earnest, were systematically hostile not only to accepted conventionalities in the matter of dress, but to all manner of shams, hypocrisy, and cant in the broad Carlylean sense of those terms. To the "beautiful souls" of the older generation, who had habitually, in conversation and literature, shed pathetic tears over the defects of Russian social and political organisation without ever moving a finger to correct them--especially the landed proprietors who talked and wrote about civilisation, culture, and justice while living comfortably on the revenues provided for them by their unfortunate serfs--these had the strongest aversion; and this naturally led them to condemn in strong language the worship of aesthetic culture. But here again they fell into exaggeration. Professing extreme utilitarianism, they explained that the humble shoemaker who practises his craft diligently is, in the true sense, a greater man than a Shakespeare, or a Goethe, because humanity has more need of shoes than of dramas and poetry.

Such silly paradoxes provoked, of course, merely a smile of compassion; what alarmed the sensible, respectable "Philistine" was the method of cleansing the Augean stable recommended by these enthusiasts. Having discovered in the course of their desultory reading that most of the ills that flesh is heir to proceed directly or indirectly from uncontrolled sexual passion and the lust of gain, they proposed to seal hermetically these two great sources of crime and misery by abolishing the old-fashioned institutions of marriage and private property. When society, they argued, should be so organised that all the healthy instincts of human nature could find complete and untrammelled satisfaction, there would be no motive or inducement for committing crimes or misdemeanours. For thousands of years humanity had been sailing on a wrong tack. The great law-givers of the world, religious and civil, in their ignorance of physical science and positivist methods, had created institutions, commonly known as law and morality, which were utterly unfitted to human nature, and then the magistrate and the moralist had endeavoured to compel or persuade men and women to conform to them, but their efforts had failed most signally. In vain the police had threatened and punished and the priests had preached and admonished. Human nature had systematically and obstinately rebelled, and still rebels, against the unnatural constraint. It is time, therefore, to try a new system. Instead of continuing, as has been done for thousands of years, to force men and women, as it were, into badly fitting, unelastic clothes which cause intense discomfort and prevent all healthy muscular action, why not adapt the costume to the anatomy and physiology of the human frame? Then the clothes will no longer be rent, and those who wear them will be contented and happy.

Unfortunately for the progress of humanity there are serious obstacles in the way of this radical change of system. The absurd, antiquated and pernicious institutions and customs are supported by abstruse metaphysical reasons and enshrined in mystical romantic sentiment, and in this way they may still be preserved for generations unless the axe be laid to the root of the tree. Now is the critical moment. Russia must be made to rise at once from the metaphysical to the positivist stage of intellectual development;

metaphysical reasoning and romantic sentiment must be rigorously discarded; and everything must be brought to the touchstone of naked practical utility.

One might naturally suppose that men holding such opinions must be materialists of the grossest type--and, indeed, many of them gloried in the name of materialist and atheist--but such an inference would be erroneous. While denouncing metaphysics, they were themselves metaphysicians in so far as they were constantly juggling with abstract conceptions, and letting themselves be guided in their walk and conversation by a priori deductions; while ridiculing romanticism, they had romantic sentiment enough to make them sacrifice their time, their property, and sometimes even their life, to the attainment of an unrealisable ideal; and while congratulating themselves on having passed from the religious to the positivist stage of intellectual development, they frequently showed themselves animated with the spirit of the early martyrs!

Rarely have the strange inconsistencies of human nature been so strikingly exemplified as in these unpractical, anti-religious fanatics. In dealing with them I might easily, without very great exaggeration, produce a most amusing caricature, but I prefer describing them as they really were. A few years after the period here referred to I knew some of them intimately, and I must say that, without at all sharing or sympathising with their opinions, I

could not help respecting them as honourable, upright, quixotic men and women who had made great sacrifices for their convictions. One of them whom I have specially in view at this moment suffered patiently for years from the utter shipwreck of his generous illusions, and when he could no longer hope to see the dawn of a brighter day, he ended by committing suicide. Yet that man believed himself to be a Realist, a Materialist, and a Utilitarian of the purest water, and habitually professed a scathing contempt for every form of romantic sentiment! In reality he was one of the best and most sympathetic men I have ever known.

同类推荐
  • 今古学考

    今古学考

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 前明正德白牡丹

    前明正德白牡丹

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 评注产科心法

    评注产科心法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 四明仁岳异说丛书目次

    四明仁岳异说丛书目次

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 九流绪论

    九流绪论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 秘藏通玄变化六阴洞微遁甲真经

    秘藏通玄变化六阴洞微遁甲真经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 婚途漫漫:妻子的谎言

    婚途漫漫:妻子的谎言

    群里面发现有一个小视频里面的女主像极了妻子,她最近变得很奇怪,夜晚下班很晚才回家,穿出去的丝袜没有穿回家……
  • 钻石总裁别缠我

    钻石总裁别缠我

    天光已经放亮,城市在枚儿胡思乱想中不知不觉开始喧闹起来,树上不知名的小鸟也被滴滴的汽车声吓得无影无踪,枚儿几不可闻的叹了口气,向家所在的小区走去……打开房门,扑鼻的是一股淡淡的绿茶的清香,这是枚儿的味道,她喜欢的味道。这让她感觉这里的一切还是属于她的。看到茶几上放置了一天一夜的手机,枚儿觉察不到的心动了一下,拿起来,屏幕上显示出她和承平相拥而笑的模样,枚儿发觉怎么她笑的那样……
  • 血灵神

    血灵神

    她,诞生于冥天禁地,血雾迷池之中…黑发紫眸,何其妖娆,却被冥界视为不洁之物…百年镇压,血灵戾气最终爆发,惊天地泣鬼神,毁万鬼,破乾坤…缘起缘灭,怀揣着冥界禁物再次转生于菲斯大陆。再次转世的她,摇身一变混世魔王,成为人尽皆知的废材郡主,却是那战神世家最珍爱的小公主。一场阴谋迫害,让她一夕之间再次化身为魔,为了还活着和已经失去的亲人,从此走上了一条通天的血腥征途。顺我者昌逆我者亡!秦王,灭!仙阁,殇!修罗界,我做主!天神耐我何?他,神秘的南丰国师,一个风一般飘渺的冷清男子,为了她甘愿堕入无尽深渊化身为魔!他,修罗界的真正王者,一个邪魅而冷酷的黑暗主宰,为了她拼尽所有,血雨腥风,奉上了一颗最为炙热的修罗之心!一场血腥的征途,一场血色的浪漫,成就了一个永恒的绯色传奇…★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★本文世界、职业设定比较复杂与一般玄文设定可能有所不同,非废材文,另类穿越,女主冷酷、腹黑非善类,不喜者慎入!本文为玄幻文,自然以女主成长历程为主线,除了爱情,亲情、友情也是她不断前行的源动力,文风轻快偶有搞笑却不小白,过程美男多多O(∩_∩)O~,结局一对一!★★★推荐音的完结文★★★《魔疫》★★★好友好文推荐★★★沐血夜《凤麟》暗夜萧然《灵师》瑞夜楠《逆天毒尊》瑞夜楠《异世御神》宋颖雪《星帝的崛起》清洛妃《誘宠傲娇小尤物》瑞夜楠《书记,我不爱你》(都市文)烟然心醉《丑女戏邪君》(穿越)★★★领养榜★★★★黎殇梦领养冥天★xiao5128275领养上官灵★飞飞2324领养血释天★铁梦雅领养宫羽墨★wanwan817领养碧野★暮光123领养上官惊鸿★诺简爱领养上官惊云★米虫虫123领养花堇幽★鹤我爱你领养沙迦
  • 庶女不傲

    庶女不傲

    她好好的一个特种兵,死后穿越不算,还被人夺清白,被迫成了八岁孩子的“娘子”。她挣扎在生与死的边沿时,一身黑衣的他总会如期而至,她对他说:“我做你的解药吧,没有条件!”,却在他靠近时,一把拉下他的黑面纱,他竟然是前世的爱人,可他起身提剑指着她吼:“滚!”前世的恩怨,今生的痴缠,是缘还是孽?【情节虚构,请勿模仿】
  • 万世缘之混沌尊帝

    万世缘之混沌尊帝

    缘分有三生三世,一世便是一百年,那么有没有能够延续一百万年的缘分呢?苍生选择听风,还是听风选择苍生?一切都不过一个缘字...
  • 历代兴衰演义

    历代兴衰演义

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 颤抖吧王爷

    颤抖吧王爷

    “诈尸啦!”某ET好不容易才控制了躺在那里的尸体,正咬牙努力而又僵硬地跨出棺材,然后她就暴露了……愚蠢的人类,不带这么欺负外星人的!不就是借个尸还个魂变成了叱诧沙场的女将月无霜么!凭啥啊,被那狗屁皇帝赐给八郡王,然后转眼就被休了。新婚夜还被三亲王暴打,扬言见一次打一次。身在异乡的ET朋友要做个任务容易嘛!还有那谁谁谁,仗着自己是罗魃国的王子,带着杀手跑来做什么贴身侍卫是想闹哪样啊!最最可恶的,还是该死的七亲王,你怎么可以被虫族附身啊,杀不得留不得,你还让不让人做任务啊!切~~渺小的人类,不搭理你们不是因为ET傻,是因为ET不会说地球话!王爷们,等到ET绝地反击的那一天,颤抖吧!
  • 娘子驾到:假面王爷傻傻妃

    娘子驾到:假面王爷傻傻妃

    (温馨提醒:本文是轻松小白文,不喜慎入。)她相府三小姐从小痴傻,空有倾城之姿,有人避她如蛇蝎,也有人把她当作乐子。当她把扑倒在地的五王爷压在她身下的那一刻,五王爷毫不怜香惜玉就是一脚,断送了她的小命。再次睁开双眸她已不再是她,看她如何大放异彩。
  • 20世纪中国文学民族性与现代性的双重变奏

    20世纪中国文学民族性与现代性的双重变奏

    本书是国家社会科学基金项目,结合中国近代以来的历史与学术背景,重点研究中国现代文学理论发展进程中的现代性与民族性问题。本书的方法与特色是:第一,由单薄的个案研究与历史描述模式转向以问题为中心的研究模式。第二,坚持了马克思主义的辩证统一观和历史与逻辑相统一的原则。第三,贯彻了中外对话的理论生原则和方法原则。本书既有明晰的历史线索,又有厚重的观念辩析,为今后中国文学理论的发展提供了必要的历史参照和观念指导。