第18部分(第4/7 頁)

ion　later　on。　What；　however；　of　the　multitudes　who　aim　only　at　wealth；　for　the　power　and　the　pride　and　the　material　pleasures　which　it　represents？　We　know　very　well　that　few　indeed　are　successful　in　that　aim；　and；　missing　it；　do　they　not　miss　everything？　For　them；　are　not　Goethe's　words　mere　mockery？

Apply　them　to　mankind　at　large；　and　perhaps；　after　all；　they　are　true。　The　fact　of　national　prosperity　and　contentment　implies；　necessarily；　the　prosperity　and　contentment　of　the　greater　number　of　the　individuals　of　which　the　nation　consists。　In　other　words；　the　average　man　who　is　past　middle　life　has　obtained　what　he　strove　for…　…success　in　his　calling。　As　a　young　man；　he　would　not；　perhaps；　have　set　forth　his　aspirations　so　moderately；　but　do　they　not；　as　a　fact；　amount　to　this？　In　defence　of　the　optimistic　view；　one　may　urge　how　rare　it　is　to　meet　with　an　elderly　man　who　harbours　a　repining　spirit。　True；　but　I　have　always　regarded　as　a　fact　of　infinite　pathos　the　ability　men　have　to　subdue　themselves　to　the　conditions　of　life。　Contentment　so　often　means　resignation；　abandonment　of　the　hope　seen　to　be　forbidden。

I　cannot　resolve　this　doubt。

VIII

I　have　been　reading　Sainte…Beuve's　Port　Royal；　a　book　I　have　often　thought　of　reading；　but　its　length；　and　my　slight　interest　in　that　period；　always　held　me　aloof。　Happily；　chance　and　mood　came　together；　and　I　am　richer　by　a　bit　of　knowledge　well　worth　acquiring。　It　is　the　kind　of　book　which；　one　may　reasonably　say；　tends　to　edification。　One　is　better　for　having　lived　a　while　with　〃Messieurs　de　Port…Royal〃；　the　best　of　them　were；　surely；　not　far　from　the　Kingdom　of　Heaven。

Theirs　is　not；　indeed；　the　Christianity　of　the　first　age；　we　are　among　theologians；　and　the　shadow　of　dogma　has　dimmed　those