Superior talents
are not always a guarantee against that de-
gradation of nature which disposes blindly
of the existence of men, and leads them to
place their happiness lower than themselves.
are not always a guarantee against that de-
gradation of nature which disposes blindly
of the existence of men, and leads them to
place their happiness lower than themselves.
Madame de Stael - Germany
It is thus that the ima-
gination of the ancient world may be born
again, like the phcenix, from the ashes of all
errors. . . . .
The greater number of naturalists have
attempted to explain Nature like a good go-
vernment, in which every thing is conducted
according to wise principles of administra-
tion; but it is in vain that we try to transfer
this prosaic system to creation. Neither
the terrible, nor even the beautiful, can be
explained by this circumscribed theory; and
Nature is by turns too cruel and too magni-
ficent to permit us to subject her to that, sort
of calculation which directs our judgment in
the affairs of this world.
There are objects hideous in themselves,
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? CONTEMPLATION OV NATURE. 377
whose impression upon us is inexplicable.
Certain figures of animals, certain forms of
plants, certain combinations of colours, re-
volt our senses, without our being at all
able to give an account of the causes of this
repugnance: we would say, that these un-
graceful contours, these repulsive images,
suggest the ideas of baseness and perfidy;
although nothing in the analogies of reason
can explain such an association of ideas.
The physiognomy of man does not exclu-
sively depend (as some writers have pre-
tended) upon the stronger or weaker cha-
racter of the features; there is transmitted
through the look and the change of counte-
nance, I know not what expression of the
soul, impossible to be mistaken; and it is
above all, in the human form, that we are
taught what is extraordinary and unknown
in the. harmonies of mind and body.
Accidents and misfortunes, in the course
of nature, have something so rapid, so piti-
less, and so unexpected about them, that
they appear to be miraculous. Disease
and its furies are like a wicked life, which
seizes on a sudden upon a life of tranquillity.
The affections of the heart make us feel the
cruelty of that nature, which it is attempted
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? 378 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
to represent as so sweet and so gentle.
What dangers threaten a beloved person!
under how many shapes is death disguised
around us! there is not a fine day which
may not conceal the thunderbolt; not a
flower whose juices may not be empoisoned;
not a breath of air which may not bring a
fatal contagion: and Nature appears like a
jealous mistress, ready to pierce the bosom
of man at the very moment that she ani-
mates him with her kindness. How can we
comprehend the object of all these pheno-
mena, if we confine ourselves to the ordi-
nary connexion of our thoughts on these
subjects? How can we consider animals
without being plunged into the astonishment
which their mysterious existence causes? A
poet has called them the dreams of Nature,
and man her waking. For what end were
they created? what mean those looks which
seem covered with an obscure cloud, behind
which an idea strives to show itself? what
connexion have they with us? what part of
life is it they enjoy? A bird survives a man
of genius, and I know not what strange sort
of despair seizes the heart when we have lost
what we love, and when we see the breath
of existence still animate an insect which
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? CONTEMPLATION OF NATURE. 379
moves upon the earth, from which the most
noble object has disappeared. The contem-
plation of Nature overwhelms our thoughts.
We feel ourselves in a state of relation with
her, which does not depend upon the good
or evil which she can do; but her visible
soul endeavours to find ours in her bosom,
and holds converse with us. When dark-
ness alarms us, it is not always the peril to
which it exposes us that we dread, but it is
the sympathy of night with every sort of
privation, or grief, with which we are pe-
netrated. The sun, on the contrary, is like
an emanation from the Deity, like a glorious
messenger, who tells us that our prayer is
heard: his rays descend upon the earth not
only to direct the labours of man, but to
express a feeling of love for Nature. The
flowers turn towards the light, in order to
receive it; they are closed during the night,
and at morn and eve they seem in aromatic
perfume to breathe their hymns of praise.
When these flowers are reared in the shade,
they are of pallid hue, and no longer clad
in their accustomed colours; but when we
restore them to the day, in them the Sun
reflects his varied beams, as in the rain-
bow. And one should say, that he gazes
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? :580 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
upon himself with pride, in the mirror of
that beauty which he has conferred upon
them. The sleep of vegetables, during cer-
tain hours, and at certain seasons of the
year, is in accord with the motion of the
earth: the globe, in its revolving motion,
hurries away, through various regions, the
half of plants, of animals, and of men, asleep:
the passengers in this great vessel, which we
call the world, suffer themselves to be
rocked in the circle which their journeying
habitation describes.
The peace and discord, the harmony and
dissonance, which a secret bond unites, are
the first laws of Nature; and whether she
appears fearful, terrible, or attractive, the
sublime unity, which is her character, always
makes her known.
Fire rushes in waves, like the torrent:
the clouds that travel through the air some-
times assume the form of mountains and of
valleys, and appear to imitate in their sport
the image of the earth. It is said in Genesis,
that the Almighty divided the waters of
the earth from the waters of heaven, and
suspended these last in the air. The heavens
are in fact a noble ally of the ocean. The
azure of the firmament is reflected in the
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? CONTEMPLATION OF NATURE. 38 L
waters, and the waves are painted in the
clouds. Sometimes, when the storm is pre-
paring in the atmosphere, the sea trembles
at a distance, and one should say, that it
answers, by the agitation of its waves, to
the mysterious signal of the tempest which
it has received.
M. De Humboldt sa_ys, in his scientific
and poetical Views of Southern America,
that he has witnessed a phenomenon, which
is also to be observed in Egypt, and which
is called mirage. On a sudden, in the most
arid deserts, the reverberation of the air as-
sumes the appearance of a lake, or of the
sea; and the very animals, panting with.
thirst, rush towards these deceitful images,
hoping to allay that thirst. The different
figures that the hoar-frost traces on the
window, present another example of these
strange analogies. The vapours condensed
by the cold designate landscapes, like those
which are remarked in northern countries:
forests of pines, mountains bristling with ice,
reappear in their robes of white, and frozen
Nature takes pleasure in counterfeiting the
productions of animated nature.
Not only does Nature reflect herself, but
she seems to wish to imitate the works of
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? 382 RELIGION 4KB ENTHUSIASM.
man; and to give them, by these means, a
singular testimony of her correspondence
with them. It is related, that in the islands
near Japan, the clouds assume the appear-
ance of regular fortifications.
The fine arts also have their type in Na-
ture; and this luxury of existence is more
the object of her care than existence itself:
the symmetry of forms, in the vegetable and
mineral kingdoms, has served for a model
to architects; and the reflection of objects
and colours in the water, gives an idea of
the illusions of painting: the wind (whose
murmurs are prolonged in the trembling
leaves) discovers the secret of music. And,
it has been said, on the shores of Asia, where
the atmosphere is most pure, that sometimes,
in the evening, a plaintive and sweet har-
mony is heard, which Nature seems to
address to man, in order to tell him that she
herself breathes, that she herself loves, that
she herself suffers.
Often at the sight of a lovely country we
are tempted to believe that its only object is
to excite in man exalted and spotless senti-
ments: I know not what connexion it is
which exists between the heavens and the
pride of the human heart; between the rays
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? CONTEMPLATION OF NATURE. 383
of the moon, that repose upon the moun-
tain, and the calm of conscience; but these
objects hold a beautiful language to man,
and we are capable of wholly yielding to
the agitation which they cause: this aban-
donment would be good for the soul. When,
at eve, at the boundary of the landscape, the
heaven appears to recline bo closely on the
earth, imagination pictures beyond the hori-
zon an asylum of hope, a native land of love,
and Nature seems silently to repeat that
man is immortal.
The continual succession of birth and
death, of which the natural world is the
theatre, would produce the most mournful
impression, if we did not fancy we saw in
that world the indication of the resurrec-
tion of all things; and it is the truly religious
point of view, in the comtemplation of Na-
ture, to regard it in this manner. We
should end by dying of compassion, if we
were confined in every thing to the terrible
idea of what is irreparable: no animal pe-
rishes without our feeling it possible to re-
gret it; no tree falls, without the idea that
we shall never see it again in its beauty,
exciting in us a mournful reflection, lit a
word, inanimate objects themselves affect
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? 384 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
us when their decay obliges us to quit them'
the house, the chair, the table, which have
been used by those we loved, interest us;
and these objects even excite in us sometimes
a sort of compassion, independent of the re-
collections which they awaken; we regret
their well-known form, as if by this form
they were made into beings who have seen
our daily life, and who ought to have seen
us die. If eternity was not the antidote to
time, we should attach ourselves to every
moment in order to retain it; to every sound,
to prolong its vibrations; to every look, to
fix its radiance; and our enjoyments would
only last for that instant which is necessary
to make us feel that they are going, and to
bedew their traces with tears, traces which
the abyss of days must also swallow up.
A new thought struck me in some writings
which were communicated to me by an
author of a pensive and profound imagina-
tion: he is comparing the ruins of nature
with those of art, and of the human species.
"The first," he says, " are philosophical;
"the second poetical; the third mysterious. "
A thing highly worthy of remark, in fact, is
the very different action of years upon na-
ture, upon the works of genius, and upon
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? CONTEMPLATION OP NATURE. 385
living creatures. Time injures man alone:
when rocks are overturned, when mountains
sink into valiies, the earth only changes her
appearance; her new aspect excites new
thoughts in our minds, and the vivifying
force undergoes a metamorphose, but not a
destruction. The ruins of the fine arts ad-
dress the imagination: Art rebuilds what
time has defaced, and never, perhaps, did a
master-piece of art, in all its splendour, im-
press us with such grand ideas as its own
ruins. We picture to ourselves halt-destroyed
monuments adorned with all that beauty
which ever clothes the objects of our regret:
but how different is this from the ravages of
old age!
Scarcely can we believe that youth once
embellished that countenance, of which death
has already seized possession: some physi-
ognomies escape degradation by the lustre of
the soul; but the human figure, in its de-
cline, often assumes a vulgar expression
which hardly allows even of pity. Animals, it
is true, lose their strength and their activity
with years, but the glowing hue of life does
not with them change into livid colours, and
their dim eyes do not resemble funeral lamps,
VOL. III. c c
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? 386 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
throwing their pallid flashes over a withered
cheek.
Even when, in the flower of age, life is
withdrawn from the bosom of man, neither
the admiration excited by the convulsions of
nature, nor the interest awakened by the
wreck of monuments, can be made to belong
to the inanimate corpse of the most lovely
of created beings. The love which cherished
this enchanting form, love itself cannot en-
dure the remains of it; and nothing of man
exists after him on earth but what makes
even his friends tremble.
Ah! what a lesson do the horrors of de-
struction thus incarnate in the human race
afford! Is not this to announce to man that
his life is to be elsewhere? Would nature
humble him so low, if the Divinity were not
willing to raise him up again?
The true final causes of nature are these
relations with our soul and our immortal
destiny. Physical objects themselves have
a destination which is not bounded by the
contracted existence of man below; they
are placed here to assist in the developement
of our thoughts to the work of our moral
life. The phenomena of nature must not be
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? CONTEMPLATION OF NATURE. 387
understood according to the laws of matter
alone, however well combined those laws
may be ; they have a philosophical sense and
a religious end, of which the most attentive
contemplation will never know the extent.
cc 2
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? 388 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
CHAPTER X.
Of Enthusiasm.
Many people are prejudiced against En-
thusiasm; they confound it with Fanaticism,
which is a great mistake. Fanaticism is an
exclusive passion, the object of which is an
opinion; enthusiasm is connected with the
harmony of the universe: it is the love of
the beautiful, elevation of soul, enjoyment
of devotion, all united in one single feeling
which combines grandeur and repose. The
sense of this word amongst the Greeks affords
the noblest definition of it: enthusiasm sig-
nifies God in us. In fact, when the existence
of man is expansive, it has something
divine.
Whatever leads us to sacrifice our own
comfort, or our own life, is almost always
enthusiasm; for the high road of reason, to
the selfish, must be to make themselves the
object of all their efforts, and to value no-
thing in the world but health, riches, and
power. Without doubt, conscience is suf-
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? ENTHUSIASM. 389
ficient to lead the coldest character into the
track of virtue; but enthusiasm is to con-
science what honour is to duty: there is in
us << superfluity of soul which it is sweet to
consecrate to what is fine, when what is
good has been accomplished. Genius and
imagination also stand in need of a little care
for their welfare in the world; and the law
of duty, however sublime it may be, is not
sufficient to enable us to taste all the won-
ders of the heart, and of the thought.
It cannot be denied that his own interests,
as an individual, surround a man on all sides;
there is even in what is vulgar a certain en-
joyment, of which many people are very sus-
ceptible, and the traces of ignoble passions
are often found under the appearance of the
most distinguished manners.
Superior talents
are not always a guarantee against that de-
gradation of nature which disposes blindly
of the existence of men, and leads them to
place their happiness lower than themselves.
Enthusiasm alone can counterbalance the
tendency to selfishness; and it is by this di-
vine sign that we recognise the creatures of
immortality. When you speak to any one
on subjects worthy of holy respect, you per-
ceive at once if he feels a noble trembling;
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? 390 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
if his heart beats with elevated sentiments;
if he has formed an alliance with the other
life, or if he has only that little portion of
mind which serves him to direct the me-
chanism of existence. And what then is
human nature when we see in it nothing
but a prudence, of which its own advantage
is the object? The instinct of animals is
of more worth, for it is sometimes generous
and proud; but this calculation, which
seems the attribute of reason, ends by ren-
dering us incapable of the first of virtues,
self-devotion.
Amongst those who endeavour to turn
exalted sentiments into ridicule, many are,
nevertheless, susceptible of them, though
unknown to themselves. War, undertaken
with personal views, always affords . some of
the enjoyments of enthusiasm; the trans-
port of a day of battle, the singular plea-
sure of exposing ourselves to death, when
our whole nature would enjoin to us the
love of life, can only be attributed to en-
thusiasm. The martial music, the neighing
of the steeds, the roar of the cannon, the
multitude of soldiers clothed in the same co-
lours, moved by the same desire, assembled
around the same. banners, inspire an emo-
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? ENTHUSIASM.
391
tion capable of triumphing over that instinct
which would preserve existence; and so
strong is this enjoyment, that neither fatigues,
nor sufferings, nor dangers, can withdraw the
soul from it. Whoever has once led this life
loves no other. The attainment of our object
never satisfies us; it is the action of risking
ourselves, which is necessary, it is that which
introduces enthusiasm into the blood; and
although it may be more pure at the bottom
of the soul, it is still of a noble nature,
when it is able to become an impulse almost
physical.
Sincere enthusiasm is often reproached
with what belongs only to affected enthu-
siasm: the more pure a sentiment is, the
more odious is a false imitation of it. To
tyrannize over the admiration of men is what
is most culpable, for we dry up in them the
source of good emotions when we make
them blush for having felt them. Besides,
nothing is more painful than the false sounds
which appear to proceed from the sanctuary
of the soul itself: Vanity may possess her-
self of whatever is external; conceit and dis-
grace are the only evils which will result
from it; but when she counterfeits our
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? 392 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
inward feelings, she appears to violate the
last asylum in which we can hope to escape
her. It is easy, nevertheless, to discover
sincerity in enthusiasm; it is a melody so
pure, that the smallest discord destroys its
whole charm; a word, an accent, a look,
express the concentrated emotion which an-
swers to a whole life. Persons who are
called severe in the world, very often have
in them something exalted. The strength
which reduces others to subjection may be
no more than cold calculation. The strength
which triumphs over ourselves is always in-
spired by a generous sentiment.
Enthusiasm, far from exciting a just sus-
picion of its excesses, perhaps leads in ge-
neral to a contemplative disposition, which
impairs the power of acting: the Germans
are a proof of it; no nation is more capable
of feeling or thinking; but when the moment
of taking a side is arrived, the very extent of
their conceptions detracts from the decision
of their character. Character and enthusiasm
differ in many respects; we ought to choose
our object by enthusiasm, but to approach
it by character: thought is nothing without
enthusiasm, and action without character;
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? ENTHUSIASM. 393
enthusiasm is every thing for literary nations,
character is every thing to those which are
active; free nations stand in need of both.
Selfishness takes pleasure in speaking in-
cessantly of the dangers of enthusiasm; this
affected fear is in truth derision; if the cun-
ning men of the world would be sincere, they
would say, that nothing suits them better
than to have to do with persons with whom
so many means are impossible, and who can
so easily renounce what occupies the greater
part of mankind.
This disposition of the mind has strength,
notwithstanding its sweetness; and he who
feels it knows how to draw from it a noble
constancy. The storms of the passions sub-
side, the pleasures of self-love fade away,
enthusiasm alone is unalterable; the mind
itself would be lost in physical existence, if
something proud and animated did not snatch
it away from the vulgar ascendancy of self-
ishness: that moral dignity, which is proof
against all attempts, is what is most ad-
mirable in the gift of existence; it is for
this that in the bitterest pains it is still
noble to have lived as it would be noble to
die.
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? 394 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
Let us now examine the influence of en-
thusiasm upon learning and happiness. These
last reflections will terminate the train of
thoughts to which the different subjects that
I had to discuss have led me.
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? INFLUENCE OF ENTHUSIASM, &C. 395
CHAPTER XI.
Of the Influence of Enthusiasm on Learning.
This chapter is, in some respects, the reca-
pitulation of my whole work; for enthusiasm.
being the quality which really distinguishes
the German nation, we may judge of the'
influence it exerts over learning, according .
to the progress of human nature in Germany.
Enthusiasm gives life to what is invisible,
and interest to what has no immediate action
on our comfort in this world; no sentiment,
therefore, is more adapted to the pursuit of
abstract truths; they are, therefore, culti-
vated in Germany with a remarkable ardour
and firmness.
The philosophers who are inspired by en-
thusiasm are'those, perhaps, who have the
most exactness and patience in their labours,
and at the same time those who the least
endeavour to shine; they love science for
itself, and set no value upon themselves,
when the object of their pursuit is in ques-
tion: physical nature pursues its own inva-
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? 396 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
liable march over the destruction of indi-
viduals; the thought of man assumes a sub-
lime character when it arrives at the power
of examining itself from an universal point
of view; it then silentljr assists the triumphs
of truth, and truth is, like nature, a force
which acts only by a progressive and regular
developement.
It may be said, with some reason, that
enthusiasm leads to a systematizing spirit;
when we are much attached to our ideas,
we endeavour to connect every thing with
them; but, in general, it is easier to deal
with sincere opinions, than with opinions
adopted through vanity. If, in our relations
with men, we had to do only with what they
really think, we should easily understand
one another; it is what they affect to think
that breeds discord.
Enthusiasm has been often accused of
leading to error, but perhaps a superficial
interest is much more deceitful; for, to pe-
netrate the essence of things, it is necessary
there should be an impulse to excite our at-
tention to them with ardour. Besides, in
considering human destiny in general, I be-
lieve it may be affirmed, that we shall never
arrive at truth, but by elevation of soul;
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? INFLUENCE OF ENTHUSIASM, &C. 397
every thing that tends to lower us is false-
hood, and, whatever they may say of it, the
error lies on the side of vulgar sentiments.
Enthusiasm, I repeat, has no resemblance
to fanaticism, and cannot mislead as it does. .
Enthusiasm is tolerant, not through indiffer- .
enee, but because it makes us feel the in-
terest and the beauty of all things. Reason
does not give happiness in the place of that
which it deprives us of; enthusiasm finds,
in the musing of the heart, and in depth of
thought, what fanaticism and passion com-
prise in a single idea, or a single object. This
sentiment, on account even of its universality,
is very favourable to thought and to imagi-
nation.
Society developes wit, but it is contem- ,
plation alone that forms genius. Self-love is
the spring of countries where society pre-
vails, and self-love necessarily leads to jest-
ing, which destroys all enthusiasm.
Itis amusing enough, it cannot be denied,
to have a quick perception of what is ridi-
culous, and to paint it with grace and gaiety;
perhaps it would be better to deny ourselves
this pleasure, but, nevertheless, that is not
the kind of jesting the consequences of which
are the most to be feared; that which is at-
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? S98 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
tached to ideas and to sentiments is the most
fatal of all, for it insinuates itself into the
source of strong and devoted affections. Man
has a great empire over man: and of all the
evils he can do to his fellow-creature, the
greatest perhaps is to place the phantoms of
ridicule between generous emotions and the
actions they would inspire.
Love, genius, talent, distress itself, all
these sacred things are exposed to irony, and
it is impossible to calculate to what point
the empire of this irony may extend. There
is a relish in wickedness: there is something
weak in goodness. Admiration for great
things may be made the sport of wit; and he
who attaches no importance to any thing, has
the air of being superior to every thing: if,
therefore, our heart and our mind are not
defended by enthusiasm, they are exposed
on all sides to be surprised by this darkest
shade of the beautiful, which unites insolence
to gaiety.
The social spirit is so formed that we are
often commanded to laugh, and much oftener
are made ashamed of weeping: from what
does this proceed? From this--that self-
love thinks itself safer in pleasantry than in
emotion. A man must be able to rely well
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? INFLUENCE OP ENTHUSIASM, &C. 399
on his wit before he can dare to be serious
against a jest; it requires much strength to
disclose sentiments which may be turned
into ridicule. Fontenelle said, " 1 am eighty
"years old; lama Frenchman, and I have
"never, through all my life, treated the
"smallest virtue with the smallest ridicule. "
This sentence argued a profound knowledge
of society. Fontenelle was not a sensible
man, but he had a great deal of wit; and
whenever a man is endowed with any su-
periority, he feels the necessity of serious-
ness in human nature. It is only persons of
middling understanding who would wish
that the foundation of every thing should be
sand, in order that no man might leave upon
the earth a trace more durable than their
own.
The Germans have not to struggle amongst
themselves against the enemies of enthusiasm,
which is a great obstacle at least to distin-
guished men. Wit grows sharper by con-
test, but talent has need of confidence. It
is necessary to expect admiration, glory, im-
mortality, in order to experience the inspira-
tion of genius; and what makes the distinc-
tion between different ages is not nature,
which is always lavish of the same gifts, but
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? 400 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
the opinion which prevails at the epoch in
which we live: if the tendency of that opi-
nion is towards enthusiasm, great men spring
up on all sides; if discouragement is pro-
claimed in one country, when in others noble
efforts would be excited, nothing remains in
literature but judges of the time past.
The terrible events of which we have been
witnesses have dried up men's hearts, and
every thing that belongs to thought appeared
tarnished by the side of the omnipotence of
action. Difference of circumstances has Jed
minds to support all sides of the same ques-
tions; the consequence has been, that people
no longer believe in ideas, or consider them,
at best, as means. Conviction does not seem
to belong to our times; and when a man
says he is of such an opinion, that is under-
stood to be a delicate manner of expressing
that he has such an interest.
The most honest men, then, make to
themselves a system which changes their
idleness into dignity: they say that nothing
can be done with nothing; they repeat, with
the Hermit of Prague, in Shakspeare, that
what is, is, and that theories have no influ-
ence on the world. Such men leave off with
making what they say true; for with such a
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? INFLUENCE OF ENTHUSIASM, &C. 40l
mode of thinking they cannot act upon
others; and if wit consisted in seeing theybf
and against of every subject, it would make
the objects which encompass us turn round
in such a manner that we could not walk
with a firm step upon this tottering ground.
We also see young people, ambitious of
appearing free from all enthusiasm, affect a
philosophical contempt for exalted senti-
ments; they think by that to display a pre-
cocious force of reason; but it is a premature
decay of which they are boasting. They
treat talent like the old man who asked, if
Love still existed? The mind deprived of
imagination would gladly treat even Nature
with disdain, if Nature were not too strong
for it.
We certainly do great mischief to those
persons who are yet animated with noble
desires, by incessantly opposing them with
all the argument which can disturb the most
confiding hope; nevertheless, good faith
cannot grow weary of itself, for it is not
the appearance, but the reality of things
which employs her. With whatever atmo-
sphere we may be surrounded, a sincere
word was never completely lost; if there is
but one day on which success can be gained,
VOL. III. D D
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? 401 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
there are ages for the operation of the good
which may be done by truth.
The inhabitants of Mexico, as they pass
along the great road, each of them carry a
small stone to the grand pyramid which they
are raising in the midst of their country.
No individual will confer his name upon it:
but all will have contributed to this monu-
ment, which must survive them all.
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? INFLUENCE. OF ENTHUSIASM.
gination of the ancient world may be born
again, like the phcenix, from the ashes of all
errors. . . . .
The greater number of naturalists have
attempted to explain Nature like a good go-
vernment, in which every thing is conducted
according to wise principles of administra-
tion; but it is in vain that we try to transfer
this prosaic system to creation. Neither
the terrible, nor even the beautiful, can be
explained by this circumscribed theory; and
Nature is by turns too cruel and too magni-
ficent to permit us to subject her to that, sort
of calculation which directs our judgment in
the affairs of this world.
There are objects hideous in themselves,
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? CONTEMPLATION OV NATURE. 377
whose impression upon us is inexplicable.
Certain figures of animals, certain forms of
plants, certain combinations of colours, re-
volt our senses, without our being at all
able to give an account of the causes of this
repugnance: we would say, that these un-
graceful contours, these repulsive images,
suggest the ideas of baseness and perfidy;
although nothing in the analogies of reason
can explain such an association of ideas.
The physiognomy of man does not exclu-
sively depend (as some writers have pre-
tended) upon the stronger or weaker cha-
racter of the features; there is transmitted
through the look and the change of counte-
nance, I know not what expression of the
soul, impossible to be mistaken; and it is
above all, in the human form, that we are
taught what is extraordinary and unknown
in the. harmonies of mind and body.
Accidents and misfortunes, in the course
of nature, have something so rapid, so piti-
less, and so unexpected about them, that
they appear to be miraculous. Disease
and its furies are like a wicked life, which
seizes on a sudden upon a life of tranquillity.
The affections of the heart make us feel the
cruelty of that nature, which it is attempted
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? 378 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
to represent as so sweet and so gentle.
What dangers threaten a beloved person!
under how many shapes is death disguised
around us! there is not a fine day which
may not conceal the thunderbolt; not a
flower whose juices may not be empoisoned;
not a breath of air which may not bring a
fatal contagion: and Nature appears like a
jealous mistress, ready to pierce the bosom
of man at the very moment that she ani-
mates him with her kindness. How can we
comprehend the object of all these pheno-
mena, if we confine ourselves to the ordi-
nary connexion of our thoughts on these
subjects? How can we consider animals
without being plunged into the astonishment
which their mysterious existence causes? A
poet has called them the dreams of Nature,
and man her waking. For what end were
they created? what mean those looks which
seem covered with an obscure cloud, behind
which an idea strives to show itself? what
connexion have they with us? what part of
life is it they enjoy? A bird survives a man
of genius, and I know not what strange sort
of despair seizes the heart when we have lost
what we love, and when we see the breath
of existence still animate an insect which
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? CONTEMPLATION OF NATURE. 379
moves upon the earth, from which the most
noble object has disappeared. The contem-
plation of Nature overwhelms our thoughts.
We feel ourselves in a state of relation with
her, which does not depend upon the good
or evil which she can do; but her visible
soul endeavours to find ours in her bosom,
and holds converse with us. When dark-
ness alarms us, it is not always the peril to
which it exposes us that we dread, but it is
the sympathy of night with every sort of
privation, or grief, with which we are pe-
netrated. The sun, on the contrary, is like
an emanation from the Deity, like a glorious
messenger, who tells us that our prayer is
heard: his rays descend upon the earth not
only to direct the labours of man, but to
express a feeling of love for Nature. The
flowers turn towards the light, in order to
receive it; they are closed during the night,
and at morn and eve they seem in aromatic
perfume to breathe their hymns of praise.
When these flowers are reared in the shade,
they are of pallid hue, and no longer clad
in their accustomed colours; but when we
restore them to the day, in them the Sun
reflects his varied beams, as in the rain-
bow. And one should say, that he gazes
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? :580 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
upon himself with pride, in the mirror of
that beauty which he has conferred upon
them. The sleep of vegetables, during cer-
tain hours, and at certain seasons of the
year, is in accord with the motion of the
earth: the globe, in its revolving motion,
hurries away, through various regions, the
half of plants, of animals, and of men, asleep:
the passengers in this great vessel, which we
call the world, suffer themselves to be
rocked in the circle which their journeying
habitation describes.
The peace and discord, the harmony and
dissonance, which a secret bond unites, are
the first laws of Nature; and whether she
appears fearful, terrible, or attractive, the
sublime unity, which is her character, always
makes her known.
Fire rushes in waves, like the torrent:
the clouds that travel through the air some-
times assume the form of mountains and of
valleys, and appear to imitate in their sport
the image of the earth. It is said in Genesis,
that the Almighty divided the waters of
the earth from the waters of heaven, and
suspended these last in the air. The heavens
are in fact a noble ally of the ocean. The
azure of the firmament is reflected in the
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? CONTEMPLATION OF NATURE. 38 L
waters, and the waves are painted in the
clouds. Sometimes, when the storm is pre-
paring in the atmosphere, the sea trembles
at a distance, and one should say, that it
answers, by the agitation of its waves, to
the mysterious signal of the tempest which
it has received.
M. De Humboldt sa_ys, in his scientific
and poetical Views of Southern America,
that he has witnessed a phenomenon, which
is also to be observed in Egypt, and which
is called mirage. On a sudden, in the most
arid deserts, the reverberation of the air as-
sumes the appearance of a lake, or of the
sea; and the very animals, panting with.
thirst, rush towards these deceitful images,
hoping to allay that thirst. The different
figures that the hoar-frost traces on the
window, present another example of these
strange analogies. The vapours condensed
by the cold designate landscapes, like those
which are remarked in northern countries:
forests of pines, mountains bristling with ice,
reappear in their robes of white, and frozen
Nature takes pleasure in counterfeiting the
productions of animated nature.
Not only does Nature reflect herself, but
she seems to wish to imitate the works of
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? 382 RELIGION 4KB ENTHUSIASM.
man; and to give them, by these means, a
singular testimony of her correspondence
with them. It is related, that in the islands
near Japan, the clouds assume the appear-
ance of regular fortifications.
The fine arts also have their type in Na-
ture; and this luxury of existence is more
the object of her care than existence itself:
the symmetry of forms, in the vegetable and
mineral kingdoms, has served for a model
to architects; and the reflection of objects
and colours in the water, gives an idea of
the illusions of painting: the wind (whose
murmurs are prolonged in the trembling
leaves) discovers the secret of music. And,
it has been said, on the shores of Asia, where
the atmosphere is most pure, that sometimes,
in the evening, a plaintive and sweet har-
mony is heard, which Nature seems to
address to man, in order to tell him that she
herself breathes, that she herself loves, that
she herself suffers.
Often at the sight of a lovely country we
are tempted to believe that its only object is
to excite in man exalted and spotless senti-
ments: I know not what connexion it is
which exists between the heavens and the
pride of the human heart; between the rays
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? CONTEMPLATION OF NATURE. 383
of the moon, that repose upon the moun-
tain, and the calm of conscience; but these
objects hold a beautiful language to man,
and we are capable of wholly yielding to
the agitation which they cause: this aban-
donment would be good for the soul. When,
at eve, at the boundary of the landscape, the
heaven appears to recline bo closely on the
earth, imagination pictures beyond the hori-
zon an asylum of hope, a native land of love,
and Nature seems silently to repeat that
man is immortal.
The continual succession of birth and
death, of which the natural world is the
theatre, would produce the most mournful
impression, if we did not fancy we saw in
that world the indication of the resurrec-
tion of all things; and it is the truly religious
point of view, in the comtemplation of Na-
ture, to regard it in this manner. We
should end by dying of compassion, if we
were confined in every thing to the terrible
idea of what is irreparable: no animal pe-
rishes without our feeling it possible to re-
gret it; no tree falls, without the idea that
we shall never see it again in its beauty,
exciting in us a mournful reflection, lit a
word, inanimate objects themselves affect
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? 384 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
us when their decay obliges us to quit them'
the house, the chair, the table, which have
been used by those we loved, interest us;
and these objects even excite in us sometimes
a sort of compassion, independent of the re-
collections which they awaken; we regret
their well-known form, as if by this form
they were made into beings who have seen
our daily life, and who ought to have seen
us die. If eternity was not the antidote to
time, we should attach ourselves to every
moment in order to retain it; to every sound,
to prolong its vibrations; to every look, to
fix its radiance; and our enjoyments would
only last for that instant which is necessary
to make us feel that they are going, and to
bedew their traces with tears, traces which
the abyss of days must also swallow up.
A new thought struck me in some writings
which were communicated to me by an
author of a pensive and profound imagina-
tion: he is comparing the ruins of nature
with those of art, and of the human species.
"The first," he says, " are philosophical;
"the second poetical; the third mysterious. "
A thing highly worthy of remark, in fact, is
the very different action of years upon na-
ture, upon the works of genius, and upon
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? CONTEMPLATION OP NATURE. 385
living creatures. Time injures man alone:
when rocks are overturned, when mountains
sink into valiies, the earth only changes her
appearance; her new aspect excites new
thoughts in our minds, and the vivifying
force undergoes a metamorphose, but not a
destruction. The ruins of the fine arts ad-
dress the imagination: Art rebuilds what
time has defaced, and never, perhaps, did a
master-piece of art, in all its splendour, im-
press us with such grand ideas as its own
ruins. We picture to ourselves halt-destroyed
monuments adorned with all that beauty
which ever clothes the objects of our regret:
but how different is this from the ravages of
old age!
Scarcely can we believe that youth once
embellished that countenance, of which death
has already seized possession: some physi-
ognomies escape degradation by the lustre of
the soul; but the human figure, in its de-
cline, often assumes a vulgar expression
which hardly allows even of pity. Animals, it
is true, lose their strength and their activity
with years, but the glowing hue of life does
not with them change into livid colours, and
their dim eyes do not resemble funeral lamps,
VOL. III. c c
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? 386 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
throwing their pallid flashes over a withered
cheek.
Even when, in the flower of age, life is
withdrawn from the bosom of man, neither
the admiration excited by the convulsions of
nature, nor the interest awakened by the
wreck of monuments, can be made to belong
to the inanimate corpse of the most lovely
of created beings. The love which cherished
this enchanting form, love itself cannot en-
dure the remains of it; and nothing of man
exists after him on earth but what makes
even his friends tremble.
Ah! what a lesson do the horrors of de-
struction thus incarnate in the human race
afford! Is not this to announce to man that
his life is to be elsewhere? Would nature
humble him so low, if the Divinity were not
willing to raise him up again?
The true final causes of nature are these
relations with our soul and our immortal
destiny. Physical objects themselves have
a destination which is not bounded by the
contracted existence of man below; they
are placed here to assist in the developement
of our thoughts to the work of our moral
life. The phenomena of nature must not be
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? CONTEMPLATION OF NATURE. 387
understood according to the laws of matter
alone, however well combined those laws
may be ; they have a philosophical sense and
a religious end, of which the most attentive
contemplation will never know the extent.
cc 2
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? 388 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
CHAPTER X.
Of Enthusiasm.
Many people are prejudiced against En-
thusiasm; they confound it with Fanaticism,
which is a great mistake. Fanaticism is an
exclusive passion, the object of which is an
opinion; enthusiasm is connected with the
harmony of the universe: it is the love of
the beautiful, elevation of soul, enjoyment
of devotion, all united in one single feeling
which combines grandeur and repose. The
sense of this word amongst the Greeks affords
the noblest definition of it: enthusiasm sig-
nifies God in us. In fact, when the existence
of man is expansive, it has something
divine.
Whatever leads us to sacrifice our own
comfort, or our own life, is almost always
enthusiasm; for the high road of reason, to
the selfish, must be to make themselves the
object of all their efforts, and to value no-
thing in the world but health, riches, and
power. Without doubt, conscience is suf-
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? ENTHUSIASM. 389
ficient to lead the coldest character into the
track of virtue; but enthusiasm is to con-
science what honour is to duty: there is in
us << superfluity of soul which it is sweet to
consecrate to what is fine, when what is
good has been accomplished. Genius and
imagination also stand in need of a little care
for their welfare in the world; and the law
of duty, however sublime it may be, is not
sufficient to enable us to taste all the won-
ders of the heart, and of the thought.
It cannot be denied that his own interests,
as an individual, surround a man on all sides;
there is even in what is vulgar a certain en-
joyment, of which many people are very sus-
ceptible, and the traces of ignoble passions
are often found under the appearance of the
most distinguished manners.
Superior talents
are not always a guarantee against that de-
gradation of nature which disposes blindly
of the existence of men, and leads them to
place their happiness lower than themselves.
Enthusiasm alone can counterbalance the
tendency to selfishness; and it is by this di-
vine sign that we recognise the creatures of
immortality. When you speak to any one
on subjects worthy of holy respect, you per-
ceive at once if he feels a noble trembling;
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? 390 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
if his heart beats with elevated sentiments;
if he has formed an alliance with the other
life, or if he has only that little portion of
mind which serves him to direct the me-
chanism of existence. And what then is
human nature when we see in it nothing
but a prudence, of which its own advantage
is the object? The instinct of animals is
of more worth, for it is sometimes generous
and proud; but this calculation, which
seems the attribute of reason, ends by ren-
dering us incapable of the first of virtues,
self-devotion.
Amongst those who endeavour to turn
exalted sentiments into ridicule, many are,
nevertheless, susceptible of them, though
unknown to themselves. War, undertaken
with personal views, always affords . some of
the enjoyments of enthusiasm; the trans-
port of a day of battle, the singular plea-
sure of exposing ourselves to death, when
our whole nature would enjoin to us the
love of life, can only be attributed to en-
thusiasm. The martial music, the neighing
of the steeds, the roar of the cannon, the
multitude of soldiers clothed in the same co-
lours, moved by the same desire, assembled
around the same. banners, inspire an emo-
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? ENTHUSIASM.
391
tion capable of triumphing over that instinct
which would preserve existence; and so
strong is this enjoyment, that neither fatigues,
nor sufferings, nor dangers, can withdraw the
soul from it. Whoever has once led this life
loves no other. The attainment of our object
never satisfies us; it is the action of risking
ourselves, which is necessary, it is that which
introduces enthusiasm into the blood; and
although it may be more pure at the bottom
of the soul, it is still of a noble nature,
when it is able to become an impulse almost
physical.
Sincere enthusiasm is often reproached
with what belongs only to affected enthu-
siasm: the more pure a sentiment is, the
more odious is a false imitation of it. To
tyrannize over the admiration of men is what
is most culpable, for we dry up in them the
source of good emotions when we make
them blush for having felt them. Besides,
nothing is more painful than the false sounds
which appear to proceed from the sanctuary
of the soul itself: Vanity may possess her-
self of whatever is external; conceit and dis-
grace are the only evils which will result
from it; but when she counterfeits our
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? 392 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
inward feelings, she appears to violate the
last asylum in which we can hope to escape
her. It is easy, nevertheless, to discover
sincerity in enthusiasm; it is a melody so
pure, that the smallest discord destroys its
whole charm; a word, an accent, a look,
express the concentrated emotion which an-
swers to a whole life. Persons who are
called severe in the world, very often have
in them something exalted. The strength
which reduces others to subjection may be
no more than cold calculation. The strength
which triumphs over ourselves is always in-
spired by a generous sentiment.
Enthusiasm, far from exciting a just sus-
picion of its excesses, perhaps leads in ge-
neral to a contemplative disposition, which
impairs the power of acting: the Germans
are a proof of it; no nation is more capable
of feeling or thinking; but when the moment
of taking a side is arrived, the very extent of
their conceptions detracts from the decision
of their character. Character and enthusiasm
differ in many respects; we ought to choose
our object by enthusiasm, but to approach
it by character: thought is nothing without
enthusiasm, and action without character;
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? ENTHUSIASM. 393
enthusiasm is every thing for literary nations,
character is every thing to those which are
active; free nations stand in need of both.
Selfishness takes pleasure in speaking in-
cessantly of the dangers of enthusiasm; this
affected fear is in truth derision; if the cun-
ning men of the world would be sincere, they
would say, that nothing suits them better
than to have to do with persons with whom
so many means are impossible, and who can
so easily renounce what occupies the greater
part of mankind.
This disposition of the mind has strength,
notwithstanding its sweetness; and he who
feels it knows how to draw from it a noble
constancy. The storms of the passions sub-
side, the pleasures of self-love fade away,
enthusiasm alone is unalterable; the mind
itself would be lost in physical existence, if
something proud and animated did not snatch
it away from the vulgar ascendancy of self-
ishness: that moral dignity, which is proof
against all attempts, is what is most ad-
mirable in the gift of existence; it is for
this that in the bitterest pains it is still
noble to have lived as it would be noble to
die.
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? 394 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
Let us now examine the influence of en-
thusiasm upon learning and happiness. These
last reflections will terminate the train of
thoughts to which the different subjects that
I had to discuss have led me.
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? INFLUENCE OF ENTHUSIASM, &C. 395
CHAPTER XI.
Of the Influence of Enthusiasm on Learning.
This chapter is, in some respects, the reca-
pitulation of my whole work; for enthusiasm.
being the quality which really distinguishes
the German nation, we may judge of the'
influence it exerts over learning, according .
to the progress of human nature in Germany.
Enthusiasm gives life to what is invisible,
and interest to what has no immediate action
on our comfort in this world; no sentiment,
therefore, is more adapted to the pursuit of
abstract truths; they are, therefore, culti-
vated in Germany with a remarkable ardour
and firmness.
The philosophers who are inspired by en-
thusiasm are'those, perhaps, who have the
most exactness and patience in their labours,
and at the same time those who the least
endeavour to shine; they love science for
itself, and set no value upon themselves,
when the object of their pursuit is in ques-
tion: physical nature pursues its own inva-
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? 396 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
liable march over the destruction of indi-
viduals; the thought of man assumes a sub-
lime character when it arrives at the power
of examining itself from an universal point
of view; it then silentljr assists the triumphs
of truth, and truth is, like nature, a force
which acts only by a progressive and regular
developement.
It may be said, with some reason, that
enthusiasm leads to a systematizing spirit;
when we are much attached to our ideas,
we endeavour to connect every thing with
them; but, in general, it is easier to deal
with sincere opinions, than with opinions
adopted through vanity. If, in our relations
with men, we had to do only with what they
really think, we should easily understand
one another; it is what they affect to think
that breeds discord.
Enthusiasm has been often accused of
leading to error, but perhaps a superficial
interest is much more deceitful; for, to pe-
netrate the essence of things, it is necessary
there should be an impulse to excite our at-
tention to them with ardour. Besides, in
considering human destiny in general, I be-
lieve it may be affirmed, that we shall never
arrive at truth, but by elevation of soul;
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? INFLUENCE OF ENTHUSIASM, &C. 397
every thing that tends to lower us is false-
hood, and, whatever they may say of it, the
error lies on the side of vulgar sentiments.
Enthusiasm, I repeat, has no resemblance
to fanaticism, and cannot mislead as it does. .
Enthusiasm is tolerant, not through indiffer- .
enee, but because it makes us feel the in-
terest and the beauty of all things. Reason
does not give happiness in the place of that
which it deprives us of; enthusiasm finds,
in the musing of the heart, and in depth of
thought, what fanaticism and passion com-
prise in a single idea, or a single object. This
sentiment, on account even of its universality,
is very favourable to thought and to imagi-
nation.
Society developes wit, but it is contem- ,
plation alone that forms genius. Self-love is
the spring of countries where society pre-
vails, and self-love necessarily leads to jest-
ing, which destroys all enthusiasm.
Itis amusing enough, it cannot be denied,
to have a quick perception of what is ridi-
culous, and to paint it with grace and gaiety;
perhaps it would be better to deny ourselves
this pleasure, but, nevertheless, that is not
the kind of jesting the consequences of which
are the most to be feared; that which is at-
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? S98 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
tached to ideas and to sentiments is the most
fatal of all, for it insinuates itself into the
source of strong and devoted affections. Man
has a great empire over man: and of all the
evils he can do to his fellow-creature, the
greatest perhaps is to place the phantoms of
ridicule between generous emotions and the
actions they would inspire.
Love, genius, talent, distress itself, all
these sacred things are exposed to irony, and
it is impossible to calculate to what point
the empire of this irony may extend. There
is a relish in wickedness: there is something
weak in goodness. Admiration for great
things may be made the sport of wit; and he
who attaches no importance to any thing, has
the air of being superior to every thing: if,
therefore, our heart and our mind are not
defended by enthusiasm, they are exposed
on all sides to be surprised by this darkest
shade of the beautiful, which unites insolence
to gaiety.
The social spirit is so formed that we are
often commanded to laugh, and much oftener
are made ashamed of weeping: from what
does this proceed? From this--that self-
love thinks itself safer in pleasantry than in
emotion. A man must be able to rely well
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? INFLUENCE OP ENTHUSIASM, &C. 399
on his wit before he can dare to be serious
against a jest; it requires much strength to
disclose sentiments which may be turned
into ridicule. Fontenelle said, " 1 am eighty
"years old; lama Frenchman, and I have
"never, through all my life, treated the
"smallest virtue with the smallest ridicule. "
This sentence argued a profound knowledge
of society. Fontenelle was not a sensible
man, but he had a great deal of wit; and
whenever a man is endowed with any su-
periority, he feels the necessity of serious-
ness in human nature. It is only persons of
middling understanding who would wish
that the foundation of every thing should be
sand, in order that no man might leave upon
the earth a trace more durable than their
own.
The Germans have not to struggle amongst
themselves against the enemies of enthusiasm,
which is a great obstacle at least to distin-
guished men. Wit grows sharper by con-
test, but talent has need of confidence. It
is necessary to expect admiration, glory, im-
mortality, in order to experience the inspira-
tion of genius; and what makes the distinc-
tion between different ages is not nature,
which is always lavish of the same gifts, but
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? 400 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
the opinion which prevails at the epoch in
which we live: if the tendency of that opi-
nion is towards enthusiasm, great men spring
up on all sides; if discouragement is pro-
claimed in one country, when in others noble
efforts would be excited, nothing remains in
literature but judges of the time past.
The terrible events of which we have been
witnesses have dried up men's hearts, and
every thing that belongs to thought appeared
tarnished by the side of the omnipotence of
action. Difference of circumstances has Jed
minds to support all sides of the same ques-
tions; the consequence has been, that people
no longer believe in ideas, or consider them,
at best, as means. Conviction does not seem
to belong to our times; and when a man
says he is of such an opinion, that is under-
stood to be a delicate manner of expressing
that he has such an interest.
The most honest men, then, make to
themselves a system which changes their
idleness into dignity: they say that nothing
can be done with nothing; they repeat, with
the Hermit of Prague, in Shakspeare, that
what is, is, and that theories have no influ-
ence on the world. Such men leave off with
making what they say true; for with such a
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? INFLUENCE OF ENTHUSIASM, &C. 40l
mode of thinking they cannot act upon
others; and if wit consisted in seeing theybf
and against of every subject, it would make
the objects which encompass us turn round
in such a manner that we could not walk
with a firm step upon this tottering ground.
We also see young people, ambitious of
appearing free from all enthusiasm, affect a
philosophical contempt for exalted senti-
ments; they think by that to display a pre-
cocious force of reason; but it is a premature
decay of which they are boasting. They
treat talent like the old man who asked, if
Love still existed? The mind deprived of
imagination would gladly treat even Nature
with disdain, if Nature were not too strong
for it.
We certainly do great mischief to those
persons who are yet animated with noble
desires, by incessantly opposing them with
all the argument which can disturb the most
confiding hope; nevertheless, good faith
cannot grow weary of itself, for it is not
the appearance, but the reality of things
which employs her. With whatever atmo-
sphere we may be surrounded, a sincere
word was never completely lost; if there is
but one day on which success can be gained,
VOL. III. D D
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? 401 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
there are ages for the operation of the good
which may be done by truth.
The inhabitants of Mexico, as they pass
along the great road, each of them carry a
small stone to the grand pyramid which they
are raising in the midst of their country.
No individual will confer his name upon it:
but all will have contributed to this monu-
ment, which must survive them all.
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? INFLUENCE. OF ENTHUSIASM.
