the unseen world and other essays-第52部分

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s；　therefore；　quietly　poisoned；　instead　of　being　hung；　beheaded；　or　broken　on　the　wheel。

Is　not　the　unapproachable　excellence　of　Greek　statuarythat　art　never　since　equalled；　and　most　likely；　from　the　absence　of　the　needful　social　stimulus；　destined　never　to　be　equalledalready　sufficiently　explained？　Consider；　says　our　author；　the　nature　of　the　Greek　sculptor's　preparation。　These　men　have　observed　the　human　body　naked　and　in　movement；　in　the　bath　and　the　gymnasium；　in　sacred　dances　and　public　games。　They　have　noted　those　forms　and　attitudes　in　which　are　revealed　vigour；　health；　and　activity。　And　during　three　or　four　hundred　years　they　have　thus　modified；　corrected　and　developed　their　notions　of　corporeal　beauty。　There　is；　therefore；　nothing　surprising　in　the　fact　that　Greek　sculpture　finally　arrived　at　the　ideal　model；　the　perfect　type；　as　it　was；　of　the　human　body。　Our　highest　notions　of　physical　beauty；　down　to　the　present　day；　have　been　bequeathed　to　us　by　the　Greeks。　The　earliest　modern　sculptors　who　abandoned　the　bony；　hideous；　starveling　figures　of　the　monkish　Middle　Ages；　learned　their　first　lessons　in　better　things　from　Greek　bas…reliefs。　And　if；　to…day；　forgetting　our　half…developed　bodies；　inefficiently　nourished；　because　of　our　excessive　brain…work；　and　with　their　muscles　weak　and　flabby　from　want　of　strenuous　exercise；　we　wish　to　contemplate　the　human　form　in　its　grandest　perfection；　we　must　go　to　Hellenic　art　for　our　models。

The　Greeks　were；　in　the　highest　sense　of　the　word；　an　intellectual　race；　but　they　never　allowed　the　mind　to　tyrannize　over　the　body。　Spiritual　perfection；　accompanied　by　corporeal　feebleness；　was　the　invention　of　asceticism；　and　the　Greeks　were　never　ascetics。　Diogenes　might　scorn　superfluous　luxuries；　but　if　he　ever　rolled　and　tumbled　his　tub　about　as　Rabelais　says　he　did；　it　is　clear　that　the　victory　of　spirit　over　body　formed　no　part　of　his　theory　of　things。　Such　an　idea　would　have　been　incomprehensible　to　a　Greek　in　Plato's　time。　Their　consciences　were　not　over　active。　They　were　not　burdened　with　a　sense　of　sinfulness。　Their　aspirations　were　decidedly　finite；　and　they　believed　in　securing　the　maximum　completeness　of　this　terrestrial　life。　Consequently　they　never　set　the　physical　below　the　intellectual。　To　return　to　our　author；　they　never；　in　their　statues；　subordinated　symmetry　to　expression；　the　body　to　the　head。　They　were　interested　not　only　in　the　prominence　of　the　brows；　the　width　of　the　forehead；　and　the　curvature　of　the　lips；　but　quite　as　much　in　the　massiveness　of　the　chest；　the　compactness　of　the　thighs；　and　the　solidity　of　the　arms　and　legs。　Not　only　the　face；　but　the　whole　body；　had　for　them　its　physiognomy。　They　left　picturesqueness　to　the　painter；　and　dramatic　fervour　to　the　poet；　and　keeping　strictly　before　their　eyes　the　narrow　but　exalted　problem　of　representing　the　beauty　of　symmetry；　they　filled　their　sanctuaries　and　public　places　with　those　grand　motionless　people　of　brass；　gold；　ivory；　copper；　and　marble；　in　whom　humanity　recognizes　its　highest　artistic　types。　Statuary　was　the　central　art　of　Greece。　No　other　art　was　so　popular；　or　so　completely　expressed　the　national　life。　The　number　of　statues　was　enormous。　In　later　days；　when　Rome　had　spoiled　the　Greek　world　of　its　treasures；　the　Imperial　City　possessed　a　population　of　statues　almost　equal　in　number　to　its　population　of　human　beings。　And　at　the　present　day；　after　all　the　destructive　accidents　of　so　many　intervening　centuries；　it　is　estimated　that　more　than　sixty　thousand　statues　have　been　obtained　from　Rome　and　its　suburbs　alone。

In　citing　this　admirable　exposition　as　a　specimen　of　M。　Taine's　method　of　dealing　with　his　subject；　we　have　refrained　from　disturbing　the　pellucid　current　of　thought　by　criticisms　of　our　own。　We　think　the　foregoing　explanation　correct　enough；　so　far　as　it　goes；　though　it　deals　with　the　merest　rudiments　of　the　subject；　and　really　does　nothing　toward　elucidating　the　deeper　mysteries　of　artistic　production。　For　this　there　is　needed　a　profounder　psychology　than　M。　Taine's。　But　whether　his　theory　of　art　be　adequate　or　not；　there　can　be　but　one　opinion　as　to　the　brilliant　eloquence　with　which　it　is　set　forth。　　　　　　　June；　1868。



XIV。

ATHENIAN　AND　AMERICAN　LIFE。

IN　a　very　interesting　essay　on　British　and　Foreign　Characteristics；　published　a　few　years　ago；　Mr。　W。　R。　Greg　quotes　the　famous　letter　of　the　Turkish　cadi　to　Mr。　Layard；　with　the　comment　that　〃it　contains　the　germ　and　element　of　a　wisdom　to　which　our　busy　and　bustling　existence　is　a　stranger〃；　and　he　uses　it　as　a　text　for　an　instructive　sermon　on　the　〃gospel　of　leisure。〃　He　urges；　with　justice；　that　the　too　eager　and　restless　modern　man；　absorbed　in　problems　of　industrial　development；　may　learn　a　wholesome　lesson　from　the　contemplation　of　his　Oriental　brother；　who　cares　not　to　say；　〃Behold；　this　star　spinneth　round　that　star；　and　this　other　star　with　a　tail　cometh　and　goeth　in　so　many　years〃；　who　aspires　not　after　a　〃double　stomach；〃　nor　hopes　to　attain　to　Paradise　by　〃seeking　with　his　eyes。〃　If　any　one　may　be　thought　to　stand　in　need　of　some　such　lesson；　it　is　the　American　of　to…day。　Just　as　far　as　the　Turk　carries　his　apathy　to　excess；　does　the　American　carry　to　excess　his　restlessness。　But　just　because　the　incurious　idleness　of　the　Turk　is　excessive；　so　as　to　be　detrimental　to　completeness　of　living；　it　is　unfit　to　supply　us　with　the　hints　we　need　concerning　the　causes；　character；　and　effects　of　our　over…activity。　A　sermon　of　leisure；　if　it　is　to　be　of　practical　use　to　us；　must　not　be　a　sermon　of　laziness。　The　Oriental　state　of　mind　is　incompatible　with　progressive　improvement　of　any　sort；　physical；　intellectual；　or　moral。　It　is　one　of　the　phenomena　attendant　upon　the　arrival　of　a　community　at　a　stationary　condition　before　it　has　acquired　a　complex　civilization。　And　it　appears　serviceable　rather　as　a　background　upon　which　to　exhibit　in　relief　our　modern　turmoil；　than　by　reason　of　any　lesson　which　it　is　itself　likely　to　convey。　Let　us　in　preference　study　one　of　the　most　eminently　progressive　of　all　the　communities　that　have　existed。　Let　us　take　an　example　quite　different　from　any　that　can　be　drawn　from　Oriental　life；　but　almost　equally　contrasted　with　any　that　can　be　found　among　ourselves；　and　let　us；　with　the　aid　of　it；　examine　the　respective　effects　of　leisure　and　of　hurry　upon　the　culture　of　the　community。

What　do　modern　critics　mean　by　the　〃healthy　completeness〃　of　ancient　life；　which　they　are　so　fond　of　contrasting　with　the　〃heated；〃　〃discontented；〃　or　imperfect　and　one…sided　existence　of　modern　communities？　Is　this　a　mere　set　of　phrases；　suited　to　some　imaginary　want　of　the　literary　critic；　but　answering　to　nothing　real？　Are　they　to　be　summarily　disposed　of　as　resting　upon　some　tacit　assumption　of　that　old…grannyism　which　delights　in　asseverating　that　times　are　not　what　they　used　to　be？　Is　the　contrast　an　imaginary　one；　due　to　the　softened；　cheerful　light　with　which　we　are　wont　to　contemplate　classic　antiquity　through　the　charmed　medium　of　its　incomparable　literature？　Or　is　it　a　real　contrast；　worthy　of　the　attention　and　analysis　of　the　historical　inquirer？　The　answer　to　these　queries　will　lead　us　far　into　the　discussion　of　the　subject　which　we　have　propounded；　and　we　shall　best　reach　it　by　considering　some　aspects　of　the　social　condition　of　ancient　Greece。　The　lessons　to　be　learned　from　that　wonderful　country　are　not　yet　exhausted　Each　time　that　we　return　to　that　richest　of　historic　mines；　and　delve　faithfully　and　carefully；　we　shall　be　sure　to　dig　up　some　jewel　worth　carrying　away。

And　in　considering　ancient　Greece；　we　shall　do　well　to　confine　our　attention；　for　the　sake　of　definiteness　of　conception；　to　a　single　city。　Comparatively　homogeneous　as　Greek　civilization　was；　there　was　nevertheless　a　great　deal　of　difference　between　the　social　circumstances　of　sundry　of　its　civic　communities。　What　was　true　of　Athens　was　frequently　not　true　of　Sparta　or　Thebes；　and　general　assertions　about　ancient　Greece　are　often　likely　to　be　collect　only　in　a　loose　and　general　way。　In　speaking；　therefore；　of　Greece；　I　must　be　understood　in　the　main　as　referring　to　Athens；　the　eye　and　light　of　Greece；　the　nucleus　and　centre　of　Hellenic　culture。

Let　us　note　first　that　Athens　was　a　large　city　surrounded　by　pleasant　village…suburbs；the　demes　of　Attika；very　much　as　Boston　is　closely　girdled　by　rural　places　like　Brookline；　Jamaica　Plain；　and　the　rest；　village　after　village　rather　thickly　covering　a　circuit　of　from　ten　to　twenty　miles'　radius。　The　population　of　Athens　with　its　suburbs　may　perhaps　have　exceeded　half　a　million；　but　the　number　of　adult　freemen　bearing　arms　did　not　exceed　twenty…five　thousand。＇67＇　For　every　one　of　these　freemen　there　were　four　or　five　slaves；　not　ignorant；　degraded　labourers；　belonging　to　an　inferior　type　of　humanity；　and　bearing　the　marks　of　a　lower　caste　in　their　very　personal　formation　and　in　the　colour　of　their　skin；　like　our　lately…enslaved　negroes；　but　intelligent；　skilled　labourers；　belonging　usually　to　the　Hellenic；　and　at　any　rate　to　the　Aryan　race；　as　fair　and　perhaps　as　handsome　as　their　masters；　and　not　subjected　to　especial　ignominy　or　hardship。　These　slaves；　of　whom　there　were　at　least　one　hundred　thousand　adult　males；　relieved　the　twenty…five　thousand　freemen　of　nearly　all　the　severe　drudgery　of　life；　and　the　result　was　an　amount　of　leisure　perhaps　never　since　known　on　an　equal　scale　in　history。

＇67＇　See　Herod。　V。　97；　Aristoph。　Ekkl。　432；　Thukyd。　II。　13；　Plutarch；　Perikl。　37。


The　relations　of　master　and　slave　in　ancient　Athens　constituted；　of　course；　a　very　different　phenomenon　from　anything　which　the　history　of　our　own　Southern　States　has　to　offer　us。　Our　Southern　slaveholders　lived　in　an　age　of　industrial　development；　they　were　money…makers：　they　had　their　full　share　of　business　in　managing　the　operations　for　which　their　labourers　supplied　the　crude　physical　force。　It　was　not　so　in　Athens。　The　era　of　civilization　founded　upon　organized　industry　had　not　begun；　money…making　had　not　come　to　be；　with　the　Greeks；　the　one　all…important　end　of　life；　and　mere　subsistence；　which　is　now　difficult；　was　then　easy。　The　Athenian　lived　in　a　mild；　genial；　healthy　climate；　in　a　country　which　has　always　been　not