Past and Present: Thomas Carlyle's Collected Works, Vol. XIII.Carlyle, Thomas
Philosophy
Past and Present: Thomas Carlyle's Collected Works, Vol. XIII.
Carlyle, Thomas
Great Britain -- Social conditions -- 19th century; Social problems
One grand 'outline,' or even two, many earnest readers may perhaps, at
this stage of the business, be able to prefigure for themselves,--and
draw some guidance from. One prediction, or even two, are already
possible. For the Life-tree Igdrasil, in all its new developments, is
the selfsame world-old Life-tree: having found an element or elements
there, running from the very roots of it in Hela's Realms, in the Well
of Mimer and of the Three Nornas or Times, up to this present hour of
it in our own hearts, we conclude that such will have to continue. A
man has, in his own soul, an Eternal; can read something of the
Eternal there, if he will look! He already knows what will continue;
what cannot, by any means or appliance whatsoever, be made to
continue!
One wide and widest 'outline' ought really, in all ways, to be
becoming clear to us; this namely: That a 'Splendour of God,' in one
form or other, will have to unfold itself from the heart of these our
Industrial Ages too; or they will never get themselves 'organised;'
but continue chaotic, distressed, distracted evermore, and have to
perish in frantic suicidal dissolution. A second 'outline' or
prophecy, narrower, but also wide enough, seems not less certain:
That there will again _be_ a King in Israel; a system of Order and
Government; and every man shall, in some measure, see himself
constrained to do that which is right in the King's eyes. This too we
may call a sure element of the Future; for this too is of the
Eternal;--this too is of the Present, though hidden from most; and
without it no fibre of the Past ever was. An actual new Sovereignty,
Industrial Aristocracy, real not imaginary Aristocracy, is
indispensable and indubitable for us.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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