Part 14 (1/2)

”And as for morality,” continued he, ”the knowledge which mesmerism gives of the influence of body on body, and consequently of mind on mind, will bring about a morality we have not yet dreamed of. And who shall disguise his nature and his acts when we cannot be sure at any moment that we are free from the clairvoyant eye of some one who is observing our actions and most secret thoughts; and our whole character and history may be read off at any moment!” (H. G. A. to H. M., p. 280.)

What an admirable subst.i.tute, thought I, for the idea of an omnipresent and omniscient Deity! Who will not abstain from lying and stealing when he thinks, there is possibly some clairvoyant at the antipodes in mesmeric rapport with his own spirit, and perhaps, by the way, in very sympathizing rapport, if the clairvoyant happen to be in Australia?

It was at this point that our young friend from Germany broke in.

”I hold that you are right, Sir,” he said to the last speaker, ”in saying that G.o.d is not a person; but then it is because, as Hegel says, he is personality itself--the universal personality which realizes itself in each human consciousness, as a separate thought of the one eternal mind. Our idea of the absolute is the absolute itself; apart from and out of the universe, therefore, there is no G.o.d.”

”I think we may grant you that,” said Harrington, laughing.

”Nor,” continued the other, ”is there any G.o.d apart from the universal consciousness of man. He--”

”Ought you not to say it?” said Harrington.

”It, then,” said our student, ”is the entire process of thought combining in itself the objective movement in nature with the logical subjective, and realizing itself in the spiritual totality of humanity. He (or it, if you will) is the eternal movement of the universal, ever raising itself to a subject, which first of all in the subject comes to objectivity and a real consistence, and accordingly absorbs the subject in its abstract individuality.

G.o.d is, therefore, not a person, but personality itself.”

n.o.body answered, for n.o.body understood.

”Q. E. D.,” said Harrington, with the utmost gravity.

Thus encouraged, our student was going on to show how much more clear Hegel's views are than those of Sch.e.l.ling. ”The only real existence,” he said, ”is the relation; subject and object, which seem contradictory, are really one,--not one in the sense of Sch.e.l.ling, as opposite poles of the same absolute existence, but one as the relation itself forms the very idea. Not but what in the threefold rhythm of universal existence there are affinities with the three potencies of Sch.e.l.ling; but----”

”Take a gla.s.s of wine.” said Harrington to his young acquaintance, ”take a gla.s.s of wine, as the Antiquary said to Sir Arthur Wardour, when he was trying to cough up the barbarous names of his Pictish ancestors, 'and wash down that bead-roll of unbaptized jargon which would choke a dog.'”

We laughed, for we could not help it.

Our young student looked offended, and muttered something about the inapt.i.tude of the English for a deep theosophy and philosophy.

”It is all very well.” said he, ”Mr. Harrington; but it is not in this way that the profound questions which, under some aspects, have divided such minds as Fichte, Sch.e.l.ling, and Hegel; and under others, Gosehel, Hinrichs, Erdmann, Marheineke, Schaller, Gabler -----”

Harrington burst out laughing. ”They divide a good many philosophers of that last name in England also,” said he.

”Why, what have I said?” replied the other, looking surprised and vexed.

”Nothing at all,” said Harrington, still laughing. ”Nothing that I know of; I am sure I may with truth affirm it. But I beg your pardon for laughing; only I could not help it, at finding you like so many other young philosophers born of German theology and philosophy, attempting to frighten me by a mere roll-call of formidable names.

Why, my friend, it is because these things have, as you say, divided these great minds so hopelessly, that I am in difficulty; if the philosophers had agreed about them, it would have been another story. One would think, to hear them invoked by many a youth here, that these powerful minds had convinced one another; instead of that, they have simply confounded one another. It was the very spectacle of their interminable disputes and distractions in philosophy and theology,--ever darker and darker, deeper and deeper, as system after system chased each other away, like the clouds they resemble through a winter sky;--I say it was the very spectacle of their distractions which first made me a sceptic; and I think I am hardly likely to be reconvinced by the mere sound of their names, ushered in by vague professions of profound admiration of their profundity! The praise is often oddly justified by citing something or other, which, obscure enough in the original, is absolute darkness when translated into English; and must, like some versions I have seen of the cla.s.sics, be examined in the original, in order to gain a glimpse of its meaning.”

The student acknowledged that there was certainly much vague admiration and pretension amongst young Englishmen in this matter; but thought that profounder views were to be gathered from these sources than was generally acknowledged.

”Very well,” replied Harrington; ”I do not deny it, perhaps it is so; and whenever you choose to justify that opinion by expressing in intelligible English the special views of the special author you think thus worthy of attention, whether he be from Germany or Timbuctoo, I humbly venture to say that I will (so far from laughing) examine them with as much patience as yourself. But if you wish to cure me of laughing, I beseech you to refrain from all vague appeals to wholesale authority.

”The most ludicrous circ.u.mstance, however,” he continued, ”connected with this German mania is, that in many cases our admiring countrymen are too late in changing their metaphysical fas.h.i.+ons; so that they sometimes take up with rapture a man whom the Germans are just beginning to cast aside. Our servile imitators live on the crumbs that fall from the German table, or run off with the well-picked bone to their kennel, as if it were a treasure, and growl and show their teeth to any one that approaches them, in very superfluous terror of being deprived of it. It would be well if they were to imitate the importers of Parisian fas.h.i.+ons, and let us know what is the philosophy or theology a la mode, that we may not run a chance of appearing perfect frights in the estimate even of the Germans themselves.”

Coffee was here brought in: and Harrington said, ”Thank you, gentlemen, for your candor, though your unanimity does not seem very admirable.

In one sentiment, indeed, you are pretty well agreed,--that the Bible is to be discarded; though you are infinitely at variance, as to the grounds on which you think so; Catholic friends deeming it too precious to be intrusted to every body's hands, and the rest of you, as a gift not worth receiving. But as to the systems you would subst.i.tute in its place, they are so portentously various that they are hardly likely to cure me of my scepticism; nor even my worthy relative here”--pointing to me--”of his old-fas.h.i.+oned orthodoxy.

He will say, 'Much as we theologians differ as to the interpretation of Scripture, our differences are neither so great nor so formidable as those of these gentlemen. I had better remain where I am.'”

Several of the guests stared at me as they would at the remains of a megatherium.

”Is it possible,” said one at last, ”that you, Sir, can retain a belief in the divine inspiration of the Bible,--excluding incidental errors of transcription and so on?”