The Little Review, May, 1917 (Vol. 4, No. 1)Various
General
The Little Review, May, 1917 (Vol. 4, No. 1)
Various
Literature, Modern -- 20th century -- Periodicals
undone—a possibility which none of us realize until we face it
ourselves. For the man’s neighbors the important fact is what the man
killed her with? And at precisely what time? And who found the body? For
the “enlightened public” the case is merely evidence for the Drink
question, or Unemployment, or some other category of things to be
reformed. But the mediæval world, insisting on the eternity of
punishment, expressed something nearer the truth.
“What you say,” replied Appleplex, “commands my measured adherence. I
should think, in the case of the Spaniard, and in the many other
interesting cases which have come under our attention at the door of the
police station, what we grasp in that moment of pure observation on
which we pride ourselves, is not alien to the principle of
classification, but deeper. We could if we liked, make excellent comment
upon the nature of provincial Spaniards, or of destitution (as misery is
called by the philanthropists), or on homes for working girls. But such
is not our intention. We aim at experience in the particular centres in
which alone it is evil. We avoid classification. We do not deny it. But
when a man is classified something is lost. The majority of mankind live
on paper currency: they use terms which are merely good for so much
reality, they never see actual coinage.”
“I should go even further than that,” said Eeldrop. “The majority not
only have no language to express anything save generalized man; they are
for the most part unaware of themselves as anything but generalized men.
They are first of all government officials, or pillars of the church, or
trade unionists, or poets, or unemployed; this cataloguing is not only
satisfactory to other people for practical purposes, it is sufficient to
themselves for their ‘life of the spirit.’ Many are not quite real at
any moment. When Wolstrip married, I am sure he said to himself: ‘Now I
am consummating the union of two of the best families in Philadelphia.’”
“The question is,” said Appleplex, “what is to be our philosophy. This
must be settled at once. Mrs. Howexden recommends me to read Bergson. He
writes very entertainingly on the structure of the eye of the frog.”
“Not at all,” interrupted his friend. “Our philosophy is quite
irrelevant. The essential is, that our philosophy should spring from our
point of view and not return upon itself to explain our point of view. A
philosophy about intuition is somewhat less likely to be intuitive than
any other. We must avoid having a platform.”
“But at least,” said Appleplex, “we are....”
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