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  PREFACE

  Thisbookismeanttobeacompanionto\"Heretics,\"andtoputthepositivesideinadditiontothenegative。Manycriticscomplainedofthebookcalled\"Heretics\"becauseitmerelycriticisedcurrentphilosophieswithoutofferinganyalternativephilosophy。

  Thisbookisanattempttoanswerthechallenge。Itisunavoidablyaffirmativeandthereforeunavoidablyautobiographical。ThewriterhasbeendrivenbackuponsomewhatthesamedifficultyasthatwhichbesetNewmaninwritinghisApologia;hehasbeenforcedtobeegotisticalonlyinordertobesincere。Whileeverythingelsemaybedifferentthemotiveinbothcasesisthesame。Itisthepurposeofthewritertoattemptanexplanation,notofwhethertheChristianFaithcanbebelieved,butofhowhepersonallyhascometobelieveit。

  Thebookisthereforearrangeduponthepositiveprincipleofariddleanditsanswer。Itdealsfirstwithallthewriter’sownsolitaryandsincerespeculationsandthenwithallthestartlingstyleinwhichtheywereallsuddenlysatisfiedbytheChristianTheology。

  Thewriterregardsitasamountingtoaconvincingcreed。Butifitisnotthatitisatleastarepeatedandsurprisingcoincidence。

  GilbertK。Chesterton。

  CONTENTS

  I。IntroductioninDefenceofEverythingElseII。TheManiacIII。TheSuicideofThoughtIV。TheEthicsofElflandV。TheFlagoftheWorldVI。TheParadoxesofChristianityVII。TheEternalRevolutionVIII。TheRomanceofOrthodoxyIX。AuthorityandtheAdventurerORTHODOXY

  IINTRODUCTIONINDEFENCEOFEVERYTHINGELSE

  THEonlypossibleexcuseforthisbookisthatitisananswertoachallenge。Evenabadshotisdignifiedwhenheacceptsaduel。

  WhensometimeagoIpublishedaseriesofhastybutsincerepapers,underthenameof\"Heretics,\"severalcriticsforwhoseintellectIhaveawarmrespect(ImaymentionspeciallyMr。G。S。Street)

  saidthatitwasallverywellformetotelleverybodytoaffirmhiscosmictheory,butthatIhadcarefullyavoidedsupportingmypreceptswithexample。\"Iwillbegintoworryaboutmyphilosophy,\"

  saidMr。Street,\"whenMr。Chestertonhasgivenushis。\"

  Itwasperhapsanincautioussuggestiontomaketoapersononlytooreadytowritebooksuponthefeeblestprovocation。

  Butafterall,thoughMr。Streethasinspiredandcreatedthisbook,heneednotreadit。Ifhedoesreadit,hewillfindthatinitspagesIhaveattemptedinavagueandpersonalway,inasetofmentalpicturesratherthaninaseriesofdeductions,tostatethephilosophyinwhichIhavecometobelieve。Iwillnotcallitmyphilosophy;forIdidnotmakeit。Godandhumanitymadeit;

  anditmademe。

  IhaveoftenhadafancyforwritingaromanceaboutanEnglishyachtsmanwhoslightlymiscalculatedhiscourseanddiscoveredEnglandundertheimpressionthatitwasanewislandintheSouthSeas。

  Ialwaysfind,however,thatIameithertoobusyortoolazytowritethisfinework,soImayaswellgiveitawayforthepurposesofphilosophicalillustration。Therewillprobablybeageneralimpressionthatthemanwholanded(armedtotheteethandtalkingbysigns)toplanttheBritishflagonthatbarbarictemplewhichturnedouttobethePavilionatBrighton,feltratherafool。

  Iamnothereconcernedtodenythathelookedafool。Butifyouimaginethathefeltafool,oratanyratethatthesenseoffollywashissoleorhisdominantemotion,thenyouhavenotstudiedwithsufficientdelicacytherichromanticnatureoftheheroofthistale。Hismistakewasreallyamostenviablemistake;

  andheknewit,ifhewasthemanItakehimfor。Whatcouldbemoredelightfulthantohaveinthesamefewminutesallthefascinatingterrorsofgoingabroadcombinedwithallthehumanesecurityofcominghomeagain?WhatcouldbebetterthantohaveallthefunofdiscoveringSouthAfricawithoutthedisgustingnecessityoflandingthere?Whatcouldbemoregloriousthantobraceone’sselfuptodiscoverNewSouthWalesandthenrealize,withagushofhappytears,thatitwasreallyoldSouthWales。

  Thisatleastseemstomethemainproblemforphilosophers,andisinamannerthemainproblemofthisbook。Howcanwecontrivetobeatonceastonishedattheworldandyetathomeinit?

  Howcanthisqueercosmictown,withitsmany-leggedcitizens,withitsmonstrousandancientlamps,howcanthisworldgiveusatoncethefascinationofastrangetownandthecomfortandhonourofbeingourowntown?

  Toshowthatafaithoraphilosophyistruefromeverystandpointwouldbetoobiganundertakingevenforamuchbiggerbookthanthis;itisnecessarytofollowonepathofargument;

  andthisisthepaththatIhereproposetofollow。Iwishtosetforthmyfaithasparticularlyansweringthisdoublespiritualneed,theneedforthatmixtureofthefamiliarandtheunfamiliarwhichChristendomhasrightlynamedromance。Fortheveryword\"romance\"hasinitthemysteryandancientmeaningofRome。

  Anyonesettingouttodisputeanythingoughtalwaystobeginbysayingwhathedoesnotdispute。Beyondstatingwhatheproposestoproveheshouldalwaysstatewhathedoesnotproposetoprove。

  ThethingIdonotproposetoprove,thethingIproposetotakeascommongroundbetweenmyselfandanyaveragereader,isthisdesirabilityofanactiveandimaginativelife,picturesqueandfullofapoeticalcuriosity,alifesuchaswesternmanatanyratealwaysseemstohavedesired。Ifamansaysthatextinctionisbetterthanexistenceorblankexistencebetterthanvarietyandadventure,thenheisnotoneoftheordinarypeopletowhomIamtalking。

  IfamanprefersnothingIcangivehimnothing。ButnearlyallpeopleIhaveevermetinthiswesternsocietyinwhichIlivewouldagreetothegeneralpropositionthatweneedthislifeofpracticalromance;thecombinationofsomethingthatisstrangewithsomethingthatissecure。Weneedsotoviewtheworldastocombineanideaofwonderandanideaofwelcome。Weneedtobehappyinthiswonderlandwithoutoncebeingmerelycomfortable。

  ItisTHISachievementofmycreedthatIshallchieflypursueinthesepages。

  ButIhaveapeculiarreasonformentioningthemaninayacht,whodiscoveredEngland。ForIamthatmaninayacht。

  IdiscoveredEngland。Idonotseehowthisbookcanavoidbeingegotistical;andIdonotquitesee(totellthetruth)

  howitcanavoidbeingdull。Dulnesswill,however,freemefromthechargewhichImostlament;thechargeofbeingflippant。

  MerelightsophistryisthethingthatIhappentodespisemostofallthings,anditisperhapsawholesomefactthatthisisthethingofwhichIamgenerallyaccused。Iknownothingsocontemptibleasamereparadox;amereingeniousdefenceoftheindefensible。

  Ifitweretrue(ashasbeensaid)thatMr。BernardShawliveduponparadox,thenheoughttobeamerecommonmillionaire;

  foramanofhismentalactivitycouldinventasophistryeverysixminutes。Itisaseasyaslying;becauseitislying。

  Thetruthis,ofcourse,thatMr。Shawiscruellyhamperedbythefactthathecannottellanylieunlesshethinksitisthetruth。

  Ifindmyselfunderthesameintolerablebondage。IneverinmylifesaidanythingmerelybecauseIthoughtitfunny;thoughofcourse,Ihavehadordinaryhumanvainglory,andmayhavethoughtitfunnybecauseIhadsaidit。Itisonethingtodescribeaninterviewwithagorgonoragriffin,acreaturewhodoesnotexist。

  Itisanotherthingtodiscoverthattherhinocerosdoesexistandthentakepleasureinthefactthathelooksasifhedidn’t。

  Onesearchesfortruth,butitmaybethatonepursuesinstinctivelythemoreextraordinarytruths。AndIofferthisbookwiththeheartiestsentimentstoallthejollypeoplewhohatewhatIwrite,andregardit(veryjustly,forallIknow),asapieceofpoorclowningorasingletiresomejoke。

  Forifthisbookisajokeitisajokeagainstme。

  Iamthemanwhowiththeutmostdaringdiscoveredwhathadbeendiscoveredbefore。Ifthereisanelementoffarceinwhatfollows,thefarceisatmyownexpense;forthisbookexplainshowIfanciedI

  wasthefirsttosetfootinBrightonandthenfoundIwasthelast。

  Itrecountsmyelephantineadventuresinpursuitoftheobvious。

  NoonecanthinkmycasemoreludicrousthanIthinkitmyself;

  noreadercanaccusemehereoftryingtomakeafoolofhim:

  Iamthefoolofthisstory,andnorebelshallhurlmefrommythrone。Ifreelyconfessalltheidioticambitionsoftheendofthenineteenthcentury。Idid,likeallothersolemnlittleboys,trytobeinadvanceoftheage。LikethemItriedtobesometenminutesinadvanceofthetruth。AndIfoundthatIwaseighteenhundredyearsbehindit。Ididstrainmyvoicewithapainfullyjuvenileexaggerationinutteringmytruths。AndIwaspunishedinthefittestandfunniestway,forIhavekeptmytruths:

  butIhavediscovered,notthattheywerenottruths,butsimplythattheywerenotmine。WhenIfanciedthatIstoodaloneIwasreallyintheridiculouspositionofbeingbackedupbyallChristendom。

  Itmaybe,Heavenforgiveme,thatIdidtrytobeoriginal;

  butIonlysucceededininventingallbymyselfaninferiorcopyoftheexistingtraditionsofcivilizedreligion。ThemanfromtheyachtthoughthewasthefirsttofindEngland;IthoughtIwasthefirsttofindEurope。Ididtrytofoundaheresyofmyown;

  andwhenIhadputthelasttouchestoit,Idiscoveredthatitwasorthodoxy。

  Itmaybethatsomebodywillbeentertainedbytheaccountofthishappyfiasco。ItmightamuseafriendoranenemytoreadhowIgraduallylearntfromthetruthofsomestraylegendorfromthefalsehoodofsomedominantphilosophy,thingsthatI

  mighthavelearntfrommycatechism——ifIhadeverlearntit。

  TheremayormaynotbesomeentertainmentinreadinghowI

  foundatlastinananarchistcluboraBabyloniantemplewhatI

  mighthavefoundinthenearestparishchurch。Ifanyoneisentertainedbylearninghowtheflowersofthefieldorthephrasesinanomnibus,theaccidentsofpoliticsorthepainsofyouthcametogetherinacertainordertoproduceacertainconvictionofChristianorthodoxy,hemaypossiblyreadthisbook。

  Butthereisineverythingareasonabledivisionoflabour。

  Ihavewrittenthebook,andnothingonearthwouldinducemetoreadit。

  Iaddonepurelypedanticnotewhichcomes,asanotenaturallyshould,atthebeginningofthebook。TheseessaysareconcernedonlytodiscusstheactualfactthatthecentralChristiantheology(sufficientlysummarizedintheApostles’Creed)isthebestrootofenergyandsoundethics。Theyarenotintendedtodiscusstheveryfascinatingbutquitedifferentquestionofwhatisthepresentseatofauthorityfortheproclamationofthatcreed。Whentheword\"orthodoxy\"isusedhereitmeanstheApostles’Creed,asunderstoodbyeverybodycallinghimselfChristianuntilaveryshorttimeagoandthegeneralhistoricconductofthosewhoheldsuchacreed。IhavebeenforcedbymerespacetoconfinemyselftowhatIhavegotfromthiscreed;

  IdonottouchthemattermuchdisputedamongmodernChristians,ofwhereweourselvesgotit。Thisisnotanecclesiasticaltreatisebutasortofslovenlyautobiography。Butifanyonewantsmyopinionsabouttheactualnatureoftheauthority,Mr。G。S。Streethasonlytothrowmeanotherchallenge,andIwillwritehimanotherbook。

  IITHEMANIAC

  Thoroughlyworldlypeopleneverunderstandeventheworld;

  theyrelyaltogetheronafewcynicalmaximswhicharenottrue。

  OnceIrememberwalkingwithaprosperouspublisher,whomadearemarkwhichIhadoftenheardbefore;itis,indeed,almostamottoofthemodernworld。YetIhadhearditoncetoooften,andIsawsuddenlythattherewasnothinginit。Thepublishersaidofsomebody,\"Thatmanwillgeton;hebelievesinhimself。\"

  AndIrememberthatasIliftedmyheadtolisten,myeyecaughtanomnibusonwhichwaswritten\"Hanwell。\"Isaidtohim,\"ShallItellyouwherethemenarewhobelievemostinthemselves?

  ForIcantellyou。IknowofmenwhobelieveinthemselvesmorecolossallythanNapoleonorCaesar。Iknowwhereflamesthefixedstarofcertaintyandsuccess。IcanguideyoutothethronesoftheSuper-men。Themenwhoreallybelieveinthemselvesareallinlunaticasylums。\"Hesaidmildlythattherewereagoodmanymenafterallwhobelievedinthemselvesandwhowerenotinlunaticasylums。

  \"Yes,thereare,\"Iretorted,\"andyouofallmenoughttoknowthem。

  Thatdrunkenpoetfromwhomyouwouldnottakeadrearytragedy,hebelievedinhimself。Thatelderlyministerwithanepicfromwhomyouwerehidinginabackroom,hebelievedinhimself。

  Ifyouconsultedyourbusinessexperienceinsteadofyouruglyindividualisticphilosophy,youwouldknowthatbelievinginhimselfisoneofthecommonestsignsofarotter。Actorswhocan’tactbelieveinthemselves;anddebtorswhowon’tpay。Itwouldbemuchtruertosaythatamanwillcertainlyfail,becausehebelievesinhimself。Completeself-confidenceisnotmerelyasin;

  completeself-confidenceisaweakness。Believingutterlyinone’sselfisahystericalandsuperstitiousbelieflikebelievinginJoannaSouthcote:themanwhohasithas`Hanwell’writtenonhisfaceasplainasitiswrittenonthatomnibus。\"Andtoallthismyfriendthepublishermadethisverydeepandeffectivereply,\"Well,ifamanisnottobelieveinhimself,inwhatishetobelieve?\"

  AfteralongpauseIreplied,\"Iwillgohomeandwriteabookinanswertothatquestion。\"ThisisthebookthatIhavewritteninanswertoit。

  ButIthinkthisbookmaywellstartwhereourargumentstarted——

  intheneighbourhoodofthemad-house。Modernmastersofsciencearemuchimpressedwiththeneedofbeginningallinquirywithafact。

  Theancientmastersofreligionwerequiteequallyimpressedwiththatnecessity。Theybeganwiththefactofsin——afactaspracticalaspotatoes。Whetherornomancouldbewashedinmiraculouswaters,therewasnodoubtatanyratethathewantedwashing。

  ButcertainreligiousleadersinLondon,notmerematerialists,havebeguninourdaynottodenythehighlydisputablewater,buttodenytheindisputabledirt。Certainnewtheologiansdisputeoriginalsin,whichistheonlypartofChristiantheologywhichcanreallybeproved。SomefollowersoftheReverendR。J。Campbell,intheiralmosttoofastidiousspirituality,admitdivinesinlessness,whichtheycannotseeevenintheirdreams。Buttheyessentiallydenyhumansin,whichtheycanseeinthestreet。Thestrongestsaintsandthestrongestscepticsaliketookpositiveevilasthestarting-pointoftheirargument。Ifitbetrue(asitcertainlyis)

  thatamancanfeelexquisitehappinessinskinningacat,thenthereligiousphilosophercanonlydrawoneoftwodeductions。

  HemusteitherdenytheexistenceofGod,asallatheistsdo;orhemustdenythepresentunionbetweenGodandman,asallChristiansdo。

  Thenewtheologiansseemtothinkitahighlyrationalisticsolutiontodenythecat。

  Inthisremarkablesituationitisplainlynotnowpossible(withanyhopeofauniversalappeal)tostart,asourfathersdid,withthefactofsin。Thisveryfactwhichwastothem(andistome)

  asplainasapikestaff,istheveryfactthathasbeenspeciallydilutedordenied。Butthoughmodernsdenytheexistenceofsin,Idonotthinkthattheyhaveyetdeniedtheexistenceofalunaticasylum。Weallagreestillthatthereisacollapseoftheintellectasunmistakableasafallinghouse。Mendenyhell,butnot,asyet,Hanwell。Forthepurposeofourprimaryargumenttheonemayverywellstandwheretheotherstood。Imeanthatasallthoughtsandtheorieswereoncejudgedbywhethertheytendedtomakeamanlosehissoul,soforourpresentpurposeallmodernthoughtsandtheoriesmaybejudgedbywhethertheytendtomakeamanlosehiswits。

  Itistruethatsomespeaklightlyandlooselyofinsanityasinitselfattractive。Butamoment’sthoughtwillshowthatifdiseaseisbeautiful,itisgenerallysomeoneelse’sdisease。

  Ablindmanmaybepicturesque;butitrequirestwoeyestoseethepicture。Andsimilarlyeventhewildestpoetryofinsanitycanonlybeenjoyedbythesane。Totheinsanemanhisinsanityisquiteprosaic,becauseitisquitetrue。Amanwhothinkshimselfachickenistohimselfasordinaryasachicken。Amanwhothinksheisabitofglassistohimselfasdullasabitofglass。

  Itisthehomogeneityofhismindwhichmakeshimdull,andwhichmakeshimmad。Itisonlybecauseweseetheironyofhisideathatwethinkhimevenamusing;itisonlybecausehedoesnotseetheironyofhisideathatheisputinHanwellatall。Inshort,odditiesonlystrikeordinarypeople。Odditiesdonotstrikeoddpeople。Thisiswhyordinarypeoplehaveamuchmoreexcitingtime;

  whileoddpeoplearealwayscomplainingofthedulnessoflife。

  Thisisalsowhythenewnovelsdiesoquickly,andwhytheoldfairytalesendureforever。Theoldfairytalemakestheheroanormalhumanboy;itishisadventuresthatarestartling;

  theystartlehimbecauseheisnormal。Butinthemodernpsychologicalnoveltheheroisabnormal;thecentreisnotcentral。

  Hencethefiercestadventuresfailtoaffecthimadequately,andthebookismonotonous。Youcanmakeastoryoutofaheroamongdragons;butnotoutofadragonamongdragons。Thefairytalediscusseswhatasanemanwilldoinamadworld。Thesoberrealisticnovelofto-daydiscusseswhatanessentiallunaticwilldoinadullworld。

  Letusbegin,then,withthemad-house;fromthisevilandfantasticinnletussetforthonourintellectualjourney。Now,ifwearetoglanceatthephilosophyofsanity,thefirstthingtodointhematteristoblotoutonebigandcommonmistake。Thereisanotionadrifteverywherethatimagination,especiallymysticalimagination,isdangeroustoman’smentalbalance。Poetsarecommonlyspokenofaspsychologicallyunreliable;andgenerallythereisavagueassociationbetweenwreathinglaurelsinyourhairandstickingstrawsinit。

  Factsandhistoryutterlycontradictthisview。Mostoftheverygreatpoetshavebeennotonlysane,butextremelybusiness-like;

  andifShakespeareeverreallyheldhorses,itwasbecausehewasmuchthesafestmantoholdthem。Imaginationdoesnotbreedinsanity。

  Exactlywhatdoesbreedinsanityisreason。Poetsdonotgomad;

  butchess-playersdo。Mathematiciansgomad,andcashiers;

  butcreativeartistsveryseldom。Iamnot,aswillbeseen,inanysenseattackinglogic:Ionlysaythatthisdangerdoeslieinlogic,notinimagination。Artisticpaternityisaswholesomeasphysicalpaternity。Moreover,itisworthyofremarkthatwhenapoetreallywasmorbiditwascommonlybecausehehadsomeweakspotofrationalityonhisbrain。Poe,forinstance,reallywasmorbid;notbecausehewaspoetical,butbecausehewasspeciallyanalytical。Evenchesswastoopoeticalforhim;

  hedislikedchessbecauseitwasfullofknightsandcastles,likeapoem。Heavowedlypreferredtheblackdiscsofdraughts,becausetheyweremorelikethemereblackdotsonadiagram。

  Perhapsthestrongestcaseofallisthis:thatonlyonegreatEnglishpoetwentmad,Cowper。Andhewasdefinitelydrivenmadbylogic,bytheuglyandalienlogicofpredestination。Poetrywasnotthedisease,butthemedicine;poetrypartlykepthiminhealth。

  HecouldsometimesforgettheredandthirstyhelltowhichhishideousnecessitarianismdraggedhimamongthewidewatersandthewhiteflatliliesoftheOuse。HewasdamnedbyJohnCalvin;

  hewasalmostsavedbyJohnGilpin。Everywhereweseethatmendonotgomadbydreaming。Criticsaremuchmadderthanpoets。

  Homeriscompleteandcalmenough;itishiscriticswhotearhimintoextravaganttatters。Shakespeareisquitehimself;itisonlysomeofhiscriticswhohavediscoveredthathewassomebodyelse。

  AndthoughSt。JohntheEvangelistsawmanystrangemonstersinhisvision,hesawnocreaturesowildasoneofhisowncommentators。

  Thegeneralfactissimple。Poetryissanebecauseitfloatseasilyinaninfinitesea;reasonseekstocrosstheinfinitesea,andsomakeitfinite。Theresultismentalexhaustion,likethephysicalexhaustionofMr。Holbein。Toaccepteverythingisanexercise,tounderstandeverythingastrain。Thepoetonlydesiresexaltationandexpansion,aworldtostretchhimselfin。

  Thepoetonlyaskstogethisheadintotheheavens。Itisthelogicianwhoseekstogettheheavensintohishead。Anditishisheadthatsplits。

  Itisasmallmatter,butnotirrelevant,thatthisstrikingmistakeiscommonlysupportedbyastrikingmisquotation。WehaveallheardpeoplecitethecelebratedlineofDrydenas\"Greatgeniusistomadnessnearallied。\"ButDrydendidnotsaythatgreatgeniuswastomadnessnearallied。Drydenwasagreatgeniushimself,andknewbetter。Itwouldhavebeenhardtofindamanmoreromanticthanhe,ormoresensible。WhatDrydensaidwasthis,\"Greatwitsareofttomadnessnearallied\";andthatistrue。Itisthepurepromptitudeoftheintellectthatisinperilofabreakdown。

  AlsopeoplemightrememberofwhatsortofmanDrydenwastalking。

  HewasnottalkingofanyunworldlyvisionarylikeVaughanorGeorgeHerbert。Hewastalkingofacynicalmanoftheworld,asceptic,adiplomatist,agreatpracticalpolitician。Suchmenareindeedtomadnessnearallied。Theirincessantcalculationoftheirownbrainsandotherpeople’sbrainsisadangeroustrade。

  Itisalwaysperiloustothemindtoreckonupthemind。Aflippantpersonhasaskedwhywesay,\"Asmadasahatter。\"Amoreflippantpersonmightanswerthatahatterismadbecausehehastomeasurethehumanhead。

  Andifgreatreasonersareoftenmaniacal,itisequallytruethatmaniacsarecommonlygreatreasoners。WhenIwasengagedinacontroversywiththeCLARIONonthematteroffreewill,thatablewriterMr。R。B。Sutherssaidthatfreewillwaslunacy,becauseitmeantcauselessactions,andtheactionsofalunaticwouldbecauseless。Idonotdwellhereuponthedisastrouslapseindeterministlogic。Obviouslyifanyactions,evenalunatic’s,canbecauseless,determinismisdonefor。Ifthechainofcausationcanbebrokenforamadman,itcanbebrokenforaman。

  Butmypurposeistopointoutsomethingmorepractical。

  Itwasnatural,perhaps,thatamodernMarxianSocialistshouldnotknowanythingaboutfreewill。ButitwascertainlyremarkablethatamodernMarxianSocialistshouldnotknowanythingaboutlunatics。

  Mr。Suthersevidentlydidnotknowanythingaboutlunatics。

  Thelastthingthatcanbesaidofalunaticisthathisactionsarecauseless。Ifanyhumanactsmaylooselybecalledcauseless,theyaretheminoractsofahealthyman;whistlingashewalks;

  slashingthegrasswithastick;kickinghisheelsorrubbinghishands。Itisthehappymanwhodoestheuselessthings;

  thesickmanisnotstrongenoughtobeidle。Itisexactlysuchcarelessandcauselessactionsthatthemadmancouldneverunderstand;

  forthemadman(likethedeterminist)generallyseestoomuchcauseineverything。Themadmanwouldreadaconspiratorialsignificanceintothoseemptyactivities。Hewouldthinkthattheloppingofthegrasswasanattackonprivateproperty。Hewouldthinkthatthekickingoftheheelswasasignaltoanaccomplice。

  Ifthemadmancouldforaninstantbecomecareless,hewouldbecomesane。Everyonewhohashadthemisfortunetotalkwithpeopleintheheartorontheedgeofmentaldisorder,knowsthattheirmostsinisterqualityisahorribleclarityofdetail;aconnectingofonethingwithanotherinamapmoreelaboratethanamaze。

  Ifyouarguewithamadman,itisextremelyprobablethatyouwillgettheworstofit;forinmanywayshismindmovesallthequickerfornotbeingdelayedbythethingsthatgowithgoodjudgment。

  Heisnothamperedbyasenseofhumourorbycharity,orbythedumbcertaintiesofexperience。Heisthemorelogicalforlosingcertainsaneaffections。Indeed,thecommonphraseforinsanityisinthisrespectamisleadingone。Themadmanisnotthemanwhohaslosthisreason。Themadmanisthemanwhohaslosteverythingexcepthisreason。

  Themadman’sexplanationofathingisalwayscomplete,andofteninapurelyrationalsensesatisfactory。Or,tospeakmorestrictly,theinsaneexplanation,ifnotconclusive,isatleastunanswerable;

  thismaybeobservedspeciallyinthetwoorthreecommonestkindsofmadness。Ifamansays(forinstance)thatmenhaveaconspiracyagainsthim,youcannotdisputeitexceptbysayingthatallthemendenythattheyareconspirators;whichisexactlywhatconspiratorswoulddo。Hisexplanationcoversthefactsasmuchasyours。

  OrifamansaysthatheistherightfulKingofEngland,itisnocompleteanswertosaythattheexistingauthoritiescallhimmad;

  forifhewereKingofEnglandthatmightbethewisestthingfortheexistingauthoritiestodo。OrifamansaysthatheisJesusChrist,itisnoanswertotellhimthattheworlddenieshisdivinity;

  fortheworlddeniedChrist’s。

  Neverthelessheiswrong。Butifweattempttotracehiserrorinexactterms,weshallnotfinditquitesoeasyaswehadsupposed。

  Perhapsthenearestwecangettoexpressingitistosaythis:

  thathismindmovesinaperfectbutnarrowcircle。Asmallcircleisquiteasinfiniteasalargecircle;but,thoughitisquiteasinfinite,itisnotsolarge。Inthesamewaytheinsaneexplanationisquiteascompleteasthesaneone,butitisnotsolarge。

  Abulletisquiteasroundastheworld,butitisnottheworld。

  Thereissuchathingasanarrowuniversality;thereissuchathingasasmallandcrampedeternity;youmayseeitinmanymodernreligions。Now,speakingquiteexternallyandempirically,wemaysaythatthestrongestandmostunmistakableMARKofmadnessisthiscombinationbetweenalogicalcompletenessandaspiritualcontraction。Thelunatic’stheoryexplainsalargenumberofthings,butitdoesnotexplaintheminalargeway。ImeanthatifyouorIweredealingwithamindthatwasgrowingmorbid,weshouldbechieflyconcernednotsomuchtogiveitargumentsastogiveitair,toconvinceitthattherewassomethingcleanerandcooleroutsidethesuffocationofasingleargument。Suppose,forinstance,itwerethefirstcasethatItookastypical;supposeitwerethecaseofamanwhoaccusedeverybodyofconspiringagainsthim。

  Ifwecouldexpressourdeepestfeelingsofprotestandappealagainstthisobsession,Isupposeweshouldsaysomethinglikethis:

  \"Oh,Iadmitthatyouhaveyourcaseandhaveitbyheart,andthatmanythingsdofitintootherthingsasyousay。Iadmitthatyourexplanationexplainsagreatdeal;butwhatagreatdealitleavesout!Aretherenootherstoriesintheworldexceptyours;

  andareallmenbusywithyourbusiness?Supposewegrantthedetails;

  perhapswhenthemaninthestreetdidnotseemtoseeyouitwasonlyhiscunning;perhapswhenthepolicemanaskedyouyournameitwasonlybecauseheknewitalready。Buthowmuchhappieryouwouldbeifyouonlyknewthatthesepeoplecarednothingaboutyou!

  Howmuchlargeryourlifewouldbeifyourselfcouldbecomesmallerinit;ifyoucouldreallylookatothermenwithcommoncuriosityandpleasure;ifyoucouldseethemwalkingastheyareintheirsunnyselfishnessandtheirvirileindifference!Youwouldbegintobeinterestedinthem,becausetheywerenotinterestedinyou。

  Youwouldbreakoutofthistinyandtawdrytheatreinwhichyourownlittleplotisalwaysbeingplayed,andyouwouldfindyourselfunderafreersky,inastreetfullofsplendidstrangers。\"

  Orsupposeitwerethesecondcaseofmadness,thatofamanwhoclaimsthecrown,yourimpulsewouldbetoanswer,\"Allright!

  PerhapsyouknowthatyouaretheKingofEngland;butwhydoyoucare?

  Makeonemagnificenteffortandyouwillbeahumanbeingandlookdownonallthekingsoftheearth。\"Oritmightbethethirdcase,ofthemadmanwhocalledhimselfChrist。Ifwesaidwhatwefelt,weshouldsay,\"SoyouaretheCreatorandRedeemeroftheworld:

  butwhatasmallworlditmustbe!Whatalittleheavenyoumustinhabit,withangelsnobiggerthanbutterflies!HowsaditmustbetobeGod;

  andaninadequateGod!Istherereallynolifefullerandnolovemoremarvellousthanyours;andisitreallyinyoursmallandpainfulpitythatallfleshmustputitsfaith?Howmuchhappieryouwouldbe,howmuchmoreofyoutherewouldbe,ifthehammerofahigherGodcouldsmashyoursmallcosmos,scatteringthestarslikespangles,andleaveyouintheopen,freelikeothermentolookupaswellasdown!\"

  Anditmustberememberedthatthemostpurelypracticalsciencedoestakethisviewofmentalevil;itdoesnotseektoarguewithitlikeaheresybutsimplytosnapitlikeaspell。Neithermodernsciencenorancientreligionbelievesincompletefreethought。

  Theologyrebukescertainthoughtsbycallingthemblasphemous。

  Sciencerebukescertainthoughtsbycallingthemmorbid。Forexample,somereligioussocietiesdiscouragedmenmoreorlessfromthinkingaboutsex。Thenewscientificsocietydefinitelydiscouragesmenfromthinkingaboutdeath;itisafact,butitisconsideredamorbidfact。

  Andindealingwiththosewhosemorbidityhasatouchofmania,modernsciencecaresfarlessforpurelogicthanadancingDervish。

  Inthesecasesitisnotenoughthattheunhappymanshoulddesiretruth;

  hemustdesirehealth。Nothingcansavehimbutablindhungerfornormality,likethatofabeast。Amancannotthinkhimselfoutofmentalevil;foritisactuallytheorganofthoughtthathasbecomediseased,ungovernable,and,asitwere,independent。Hecanonlybesavedbywillorfaith。Themomenthismerereasonmoves,itmovesintheoldcircularrut;hewillgoroundandroundhislogicalcircle,justasamaninathird-classcarriageontheInnerCirclewillgoroundandroundtheInnerCircleunlessheperformsthevoluntary,vigorous,andmysticalactofgettingoutatGowerStreet。

  Decisionisthewholebusinesshere;adoormustbeshutforever。

  Everyremedyisadesperateremedy。Everycureisamiraculouscure。

  Curingamadmanisnotarguingwithaphilosopher;itiscastingoutadevil。Andhoweverquietlydoctorsandpsychologistsmaygotoworkinthematter,theirattitudeisprofoundlyintolerant——

  asintolerantasBloodyMary。Theirattitudeisreallythis:

  thatthemanmuststopthinking,ifheistogoonliving。

  Theircounselisoneofintellectualamputation。IfthyHEAD

  offendthee,cutitoff;foritisbetter,notmerelytoentertheKingdomofHeavenasachild,buttoenteritasanimbecile,ratherthanwithyourwholeintellecttobecastintohell——

  orintoHanwell。

  Suchisthemadmanofexperience;heiscommonlyareasoner,frequentlyasuccessfulreasoner。Doubtlesshecouldbevanquishedinmerereason,andthecaseagainsthimputlogically。Butitcanbeputmuchmorepreciselyinmoregeneralandevenaestheticterms。

  Heisinthecleanandwell-litprisonofoneidea:heissharpenedtoonepainfulpoint。Heiswithouthealthyhesitationandhealthycomplexity。Now,asIexplainintheintroduction,Ihavedeterminedintheseearlychapterstogivenotsomuchadiagramofadoctrineassomepicturesofapointofview。AndI

  havedescribedatlengthmyvisionofthemaniacforthisreason:

  thatjustasIamaffectedbythemaniac,soIamaffectedbymostmodernthinkers。ThatunmistakablemoodornotethatIhearfromHanwell,Ihearalsofromhalfthechairsofscienceandseatsoflearningto-day;andmostofthemaddoctorsaremaddoctorsinmoresensesthanone。Theyallhaveexactlythatcombinationwehavenoted:thecombinationofanexpansiveandexhaustivereasonwithacontractedcommonsense。Theyareuniversalonlyinthesensethattheytakeonethinexplanationandcarryitveryfar。

  Butapatterncanstretchforeverandstillbeasmallpattern。

  Theyseeachess-boardwhiteonblack,andiftheuniverseispavedwithit,itisstillwhiteonblack。Likethelunatic,theycannotaltertheirstandpoint;theycannotmakeamentaleffortandsuddenlyseeitblackonwhite。

  Takefirstthemoreobviouscaseofmaterialism。Asanexplanationoftheworld,materialismhasasortofinsanesimplicity。Ithasjustthequalityofthemadman’sargument;wehaveatoncethesenseofitcoveringeverythingandthesenseofitleavingeverythingout。

  Contemplatesomeableandsincerematerialist,as,forinstance,Mr。McCabe,andyouwillhaveexactlythisuniquesensation。

  Heunderstandseverything,andeverythingdoesnotseemworthunderstanding。Hiscosmosmaybecompleteineveryrivetandcog-wheel,butstillhiscosmosissmallerthanourworld。

  Somehowhisscheme,likethelucidschemeofthemadman,seemsunconsciousofthealienenergiesandthelargeindifferenceoftheearth;

  itisnotthinkingoftherealthingsoftheearth,offightingpeoplesorproudmothers,orfirstloveorfearuponthesea。

  Theearthissoverylarge,andthecosmosissoverysmall。

  Thecosmosisaboutthesmallestholethatamancanhidehisheadin。

  ItmustbeunderstoodthatIamnotnowdiscussingtherelationofthesecreedstotruth;but,forthepresent,solelytheirrelationtohealth。LaterintheargumentIhopetoattackthequestionofobjectiveverity;hereIspeakonlyofaphenomenonofpsychology。

  IdonotforthepresentattempttoprovetoHaeckelthatmaterialismisuntrue,anymorethanIattemptedtoprovetothemanwhothoughthewasChristthathewaslabouringunderanerror。Imerelyremarkhereonthefactthatbothcaseshavethesamekindofcompletenessandthesamekindofincompleteness。Youcanexplainaman’sdetentionatHanwellbyanindifferentpublicbysayingthatitisthecrucifixionofagodofwhomtheworldisnotworthy。

  Theexplanationdoesexplain。Similarlyyoumayexplaintheorderintheuniversebysayingthatallthings,eventhesoulsofmen,areleavesinevitablyunfoldingonanutterlyunconscioustree——

  theblinddestinyofmatter。Theexplanationdoesexplain,thoughnot,ofcourse,socompletelyasthemadman’s。Butthepointhereisthatthenormalhumanmindnotonlyobjectstoboth,butfeelstoboththesameobjection。ItsapproximatestatementisthatifthemaninHanwellistherealGod,heisnotmuchofagod。And,similarly,ifthecosmosofthematerialististherealcosmos,itisnotmuchofacosmos。Thethinghasshrunk。

  Thedeityislessdivinethanmanymen;and(accordingtoHaeckel)

  thewholeoflifeissomethingmuchmoregrey,narrow,andtrivialthanmanyseparateaspectsofit。Thepartsseemgreaterthanthewhole。

  Forwemustrememberthatthematerialistphilosophy(whethertrueornot)iscertainlymuchmorelimitingthananyreligion。

  Inonesense,ofcourse,allintelligentideasarenarrow。

  Theycannotbebroaderthanthemselves。AChristianisonlyrestrictedinthesamesensethatanatheistisrestricted。

  HecannotthinkChristianityfalseandcontinuetobeaChristian;

  andtheatheistcannotthinkatheismfalseandcontinuetobeanatheist。Butasithappens,thereisaveryspecialsenseinwhichmaterialismhasmorerestrictionsthanspiritualism。

  Mr。McCabethinksmeaslavebecauseIamnotallowedtobelieveindeterminism。IthinkMr。McCabeaslavebecauseheisnotallowedtobelieveinfairies。Butifweexaminethetwovetoesweshallseethathisisreallymuchmoreofapurevetothanmine。

  TheChristianisquitefreetobelievethatthereisaconsiderableamountofsettledorderandinevitabledevelopmentintheuniverse。

  Butthematerialistisnotallowedtoadmitintohisspotlessmachinetheslightestspeckofspiritualismormiracle。PoorMr。McCabeisnotallowedtoretaineventhetiniestimp,thoughitmightbehidinginapimpernel。TheChristianadmitsthattheuniverseismanifoldandevenmiscellaneous,justasasanemanknowsthatheiscomplex。Thesanemanknowsthathehasatouchofthebeast,atouchofthedevil,atouchofthesaint,atouchofthecitizen。

  Nay,thereallysanemanknowsthathehasatouchofthemadman。

  Butthematerialist’sworldisquitesimpleandsolid,justasthemadmanisquitesureheissane。Thematerialistissurethathistoryhasbeensimplyandsolelyachainofcausation,justastheinterestingpersonbeforementionedisquitesurethatheissimplyandsolelyachicken。Materialistsandmadmenneverhavedoubts。

  Spiritualdoctrinesdonotactuallylimitthemindasdomaterialisticdenials。EvenifIbelieveinimmortalityIneednotthinkaboutit。ButifIdisbelieveinimmortalityImustnotthinkaboutit。

  InthefirstcasetheroadisopenandIcangoasfarasIlike;

  inthesecondtheroadisshut。Butthecaseisevenstronger,andtheparallelwithmadnessisyetmorestrange。Foritwasourcaseagainsttheexhaustiveandlogicaltheoryofthelunaticthat,rightorwrong,itgraduallydestroyedhishumanity。Nowitisthechargeagainstthemaindeductionsofthematerialistthat,rightorwrong,theygraduallydestroyhishumanity;Idonotmeanonlykindness,Imeanhope,courage,poetry,initiative,allthatishuman。

  Forinstance,whenmaterialismleadsmentocompletefatalism(asitgenerallydoes),itisquiteidletopretendthatitisinanysensealiberatingforce。Itisabsurdtosaythatyouareespeciallyadvancingfreedomwhenyouonlyusefreethoughttodestroyfreewill。

  Thedeterministscometobind,nottoloose。Theymaywellcalltheirlawthe\"chain\"ofcausation。Itistheworstchainthateverfetteredahumanbeing。Youmayusethelanguageofliberty,ifyoulike,aboutmaterialisticteaching,butitisobviousthatthisisjustasinapplicabletoitasawholeasthesamelanguagewhenappliedtoamanlockedupinamad-house。Youmaysay,ifyoulike,thatthemanisfreetothinkhimselfapoachedegg。Butitissurelyamoremassiveandimportantfactthatifheisapoachedeggheisnotfreetoeat,drink,sleep,walk,orsmokeacigarette。

  Similarlyyoumaysay,ifyoulike,thatthebolddeterministspeculatorisfreetodisbelieveintherealityofthewill。

  Butitisamuchmoremassiveandimportantfactthatheisnotfreetoraise,tocurse,tothank,tojustify,tourge,topunish,toresisttemptations,toincitemobs,tomakeNewYearresolutions,topardonsinners,torebuketyrants,oreventosay\"thankyou\"

  forthemustard。

  InpassingfromthissubjectImaynotethatthereisaqueerfallacytotheeffectthatmaterialisticfatalismisinsomewayfavourabletomercy,totheabolitionofcruelpunishmentsorpunishmentsofanykind。Thisisstartlinglythereverseofthetruth。

  Itisquitetenablethatthedoctrineofnecessitymakesnodifferenceatall;thatitleavesthefloggerfloggingandthekindfriendexhortingasbefore。Butobviouslyifitstopseitherofthemitstopsthekindexhortation。Thatthesinsareinevitabledoesnotpreventpunishment;ifitpreventsanythingitpreventspersuasion。

  Determinismisquiteaslikelytoleadtocrueltyasitiscertaintoleadtocowardice。Determinismisnotinconsistentwiththecrueltreatmentofcriminals。Whatitis(perhaps)inconsistentwithisthegeneroustreatmentofcriminals;withanyappealtotheirbetterfeelingsorencouragementintheirmoralstruggle。

  Thedeterministdoesnotbelieveinappealingtothewill,buthedoesbelieveinchangingtheenvironment。Hemustnotsaytothesinner,\"Goandsinnomore,\"becausethesinnercannothelpit。Buthecanputhiminboilingoil;forboilingoilisanenvironment。

  Consideredasafigure,therefore,thematerialisthasthefantasticoutlineofthefigureofthemadman。Bothtakeupapositionatonceunanswerableandintolerable。

  Ofcourseitisnotonlyofthematerialistthatallthisistrue。

  Thesamewouldapplytotheotherextremeofspeculativelogic。

  Thereisascepticfarmoreterriblethanhewhobelievesthateverythingbeganinmatter。Itispossibletomeetthescepticwhobelievesthateverythingbeganinhimself。Hedoubtsnottheexistenceofangelsordevils,buttheexistenceofmenandcows。

  Forhimhisownfriendsareamythologymadeupbyhimself。

  Hecreatedhisownfatherandhisownmother。Thishorriblefancyhasinitsomethingdecidedlyattractivetothesomewhatmysticalegoismofourday。Thatpublisherwhothoughtthatmenwouldgetoniftheybelievedinthemselves,thoseseekersaftertheSupermanwhoarealwayslookingforhiminthelooking-glass,thosewriterswhotalkaboutimpressingtheirpersonalitiesinsteadofcreatinglifefortheworld,allthesepeoplehavereallyonlyaninchbetweenthemandthisawfulemptiness。Thenwhenthiskindlyworldallroundthemanhasbeenblackenedoutlikealie;

  whenfriendsfadeintoghosts,andthefoundationsoftheworldfail;

  thenwhentheman,believinginnothingandinnoman,isaloneinhisownnightmare,thenthegreatindividualisticmottoshallbewrittenoverhiminavengingirony。Thestarswillbeonlydotsintheblacknessofhisownbrain;hismother’sfacewillbeonlyasketchfromhisowninsanepencilonthewallsofhiscell。

  Butoverhiscellshallbewritten,withdreadfultruth,\"Hebelievesinhimself。\"

  Allthatconcernsushere,however,istonotethatthispanegoisticextremeofthoughtexhibitsthesameparadoxastheotherextremeofmaterialism。Itisequallycompleteintheoryandequallycripplinginpractice。Forthesakeofsimplicity,itiseasiertostatethenotionbysayingthatamancanbelievethatheisalwaysinadream。Now,obviouslytherecanbenopositiveproofgiventohimthatheisnotinadream,forthesimplereasonthatnoproofcanbeofferedthatmightnotbeofferedinadream。

  ButifthemanbegantoburndownLondonandsaythathishousekeeperwouldsooncallhimtobreakfast,weshouldtakehimandputhimwithotherlogiciansinaplacewhichhasoftenbeenalludedtointhecourseofthischapter。Themanwhocannotbelievehissenses,andthemanwhocannotbelieveanythingelse,arebothinsane,buttheirinsanityisprovednotbyanyerrorintheirargument,butbythemanifestmistakeoftheirwholelives。Theyhavebothlockedthemselvesupintwoboxes,paintedinsidewiththesunandstars;theyarebothunabletogetout,theoneintothehealthandhappinessofheaven,theotherevenintothehealthandhappinessoftheearth。Theirpositionisquitereasonable;

  nay,inasenseitisinfinitelyreasonable,justasathreepennybitisinfinitelycircular。Butthereissuchathingasameaninfinity,abaseandslavisheternity。Itisamusingtonoticethatmanyofthemoderns,whetherscepticsormystics,havetakenastheirsignacertaineasternsymbol,whichistheverysymbolofthisultimatenullity。Whentheywishtorepresenteternity,theyrepresentitbyaserpentwithhistailinhismouth。Thereisastartlingsarcasmintheimageofthatveryunsatisfactorymeal。

  Theeternityofthematerialfatalists,theeternityoftheeasternpessimists,theeternityofthesupercilioustheosophistsandhigherscientistsofto-dayis,indeed,verywellpresentedbyaserpenteatinghistail,adegradedanimalwhodestroysevenhimself。

  Thischapterispurelypracticalandisconcernedwithwhatactuallyisthechiefmarkandelementofinsanity;wemaysayinsummarythatitisreasonusedwithoutroot,reasoninthevoid。

  Themanwhobeginstothinkwithouttheproperfirstprinciplesgoesmad;

  hebeginstothinkatthewrongend。Andfortherestofthesepageswehavetotryanddiscoverwhatistherightend。Butwemayaskinconclusion,ifthisbewhatdrivesmenmad,whatisitthatkeepsthemsane?BytheendofthisbookIhopetogiveadefinite,somewillthinkafartoodefinite,answer。Butforthemomentitispossibleinthesamesolelypracticalmannertogiveageneralanswertouchingwhatinactualhumanhistorykeepsmensane。

  Mysticismkeepsmensane。Aslongasyouhavemysteryyouhavehealth;

  whenyoudestroymysteryyoucreatemorbidity。Theordinarymanhasalwaysbeensanebecausetheordinarymanhasalwaysbeenamystic。

  Hehaspermittedthetwilight。Hehasalwayshadonefootinearthandtheotherinfairyland。Hehasalwayslefthimselffreetodoubthisgods;but(unliketheagnosticofto-day)freealsotobelieveinthem。Hehasalwayscaredmorefortruththanforconsistency。

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