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.
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.
Madame de Stael - Germany
org/access_use#pd-google
? CONTEMPLATION OF NATURE. 369
tion, where are those causes bounded*
which are effects, and those effects which
are causes? If we choose to refer every
thing to the preservation of man, we shall
find it difficult to conceive what he has in
common with the majority of beings: be-
sides, it is to attach too much value to ma-
terial existence, to assign that as the ulti-
mate object of creation* Those who, not-
withstanding the great crowd of particular
misfortunes, attribute a certain sort of good-
ness to Nature, consider her as a merchant,
who, making speculations on a large scale,
balances small losses by greater advantages.
This system is not suitable even to the go-
vernments of men; and scrupulous writers
in political economy have opposed it. What
then will be the case, if we consider the in-
tentions of the Deity? A man, regarded in
a religious light, is as much as the human
race; and from the moment that we have
conceived the idea of an immortal soul, we
have no right to decide what is the degree
of importance which an individual holds in
his relation to the whole body. Every in-
telligent being is of an infinite value, be-
cause his soul is eternal. It is then in
the most elevated point of view that the
VOL. III. B B
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? 370 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
German philosophers have considered the
universe. There are those who believe
they see in every thing two principles, that
of good and that of evil, continually op-
posing each other; and whether we attribute
this contest to an infernal power, or whe-
ther, according to a simpler thought, the
natural world may be the image of the good
and bad propensities of man, it is true that
the universe always offers to our observation
two faces, which are absolutely contrary to
each other. There is, we cannot deny it, a
terrible side in nature as well as in the
human heart, and we feel there a dreadful
power of anger. However good may be
the intention of the partisans of optimism,
more depth is apparent, I think, in those
who do not deny evil, but who acknow-
ledge the connexion of this evil with the
liberty of man, with the immortality which
he may deserve by the right use of that
liberty. The mystical writers, of whom I
have spoken in the preceding chapter, see
in man the abridgment of the world, and in
the world, the emblem of the doctrines of
Christianity. Nature seems to them the cor-
poreal image of the Deity, and they are
continually plunging further. into the pro-
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? CONTEMPLATION OF NATURE. 371
found signification of things and beings.
Amongst the German writers, who have been
employed upon the contemplation of nature
under a religious point of view, there are two
who merit particular attention : Novalis as a
poet, and Schubert as a naturalist. Novalis,
who was a man of noble birth, was initiated
from his youth in the studies of every kind,
which the new school has developed in
Germany; but his pious soul has given a
great character of simplicity to^his poems.
He died at the age of twenty-six; and, when
he was no more, the religious hymns, which
he bad composed, acquired a striking cele-
brity in Germany. This young man's father
is a Moravian; and, some time after the
death of his son, he went to visit a commu-
nity of that persuasion, and heard his son's
'hymns sung in their church; the Moravians
having chosen them for their own edification,
without knowing the author of them.
^Amongst the works of Novalis, some
Hymns to Night are distinguished, which
very forcibly depict the train of recollections
which it awakens in the mind. The blaze
of day may agree with the joyous doctrines
of Paganism; but the starry heaven seems
the real temple of the purest worship. It is
t j -1 b b 2
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? 372 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
in the darkness of night, says a German
poet, that immortality is revealed to man;
the light of the sun dazzles the eyes, which
imagine they see. Some stanzas of No-
valis, on the life of Miners, contain some
spirited poetry, of very great effect. He
questions the earth which is found in the
deep caverns, because it has been the wit-
ness of the different revolutions which na-
ture has undergone; and he expresses a
vehement desire to penetrate still farther to-
wards the centre of the globe. The con-
trast of this boundless curiosity with the
frail life, which is to be exposed to gratify
it, causes a sublime emotion. Man is placed
on earth between infinity in the heavens
and infinity in the abysses; and his life,
spent under the influence of time, is likewise
between two eternities. Surrounded on all
sides by boundless ideas and objects, innu-
merable thoughts appear to him like millions
of lights, which throw their blaze together
to dazzle him. Novalis has written much
upon nature in general; he calls himself,
with reason, the disciple of Sais, because in
this city the temple of Isis was built, and
the traditions that remain of the Egyptian
mysteries lead us to believe that their priests
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? CONTEMPLATION OF NATURE. 373
had a profound knowledge of the laws of
44 Man," says Novalis, "is united tb Na-
44 ture by relations almost as various, almost
"as inconceivable, as those which he main-
44 tains with his kind: as she brings herself
44 down to the comprehension of children,
44 and takes delight in their simple hearts, so
"does she appear sublime to exalted minds,
"and divine to divine beings. The love of
44 Nature assumes various forms, and while
"it excites in some persons nothing but joy
"and pleasure, it inspires the arts with the
"most pious religion, with that which gives
"a direction and a support to the whole of
44 life. Long since, among the ancient na-
"tions, there have been men of serious
"spirit, for whom the universe was the
44 image of the Deity; and others, who be-
"lieved they were only invited to the ban-
"quet of the world: the air, for these con-
"vivial guests of existence, was only a re-
44 freshing draught; the stars were only
44 torches which lit the dance during the
44 night; and plants and animals only the
44 magnificent preparations for a splendid
44 feast: Nature did not present herself to
44 their eyes as a majestic and tranquil temple,
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? 374 RELIGION AND ENTHIJSIA6M.
"but as the brilliant theatre of ever novel
"entertainments.
"At the same time, however, some more
"profound minds were employed, without
"relaxation, in rebuilding that ideal world,
"the traces of which had already disap~
"peared; they partook, like brothers, the
"most sacred labours ; some endeavoured to
"reproduce, in music, the voice of the woods
"and winds; others impressed the image
"and the presentiment of a more noble race
"upon stone and brass; changed the rocks
"into edifices; and brought to light the
"treasures hidden under the earth. Nature,
"civilized by man, seemed to answer his de-
sires: the imagination of the artist dared
"to question her, and the golden age seemed
"to reappear, by the help of thought.
"In order to understand Nature, we must
"be incorporated with her. A poetical and
'' reflective life, a holy and religious soul,
"all the strength and all the bloom of hu-
4i man existence, are necessary to attain
"this comprehension; and the true observer
"is he who can discover the analogy of that
nature with man, and that of man with
"Meaven. v . ?
Schubert has composed a book upon Na-
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? CONTEMPLATION OF NATURE. 375
ture, that never tires in the perusal; so
filled is it with ideas that excite meditation:
he presents the picture of new facts, the
concatenation of which is conceived under
new points of view. We derive two prin-
cipal ideas from his work. The Indians
believe in a descending metempsychosis,
that is, in the condemnation of the soul of
man to pass into animals and plants, as a
punishment for having misused this life. It
would be difficult for us to imagine a system
of more profound misery; and the writings
of the Indians bear the melancholy stamp of
their doctrine. They believe they see every
where, in animals as in plants, thought as
as a captive, and feeling enslaved, vainly
endeavouring to disengage themselves from
the gross and silent forms which imprison
them. The system of Schubert is more
consolatory. He represents Nature as an
ascending metempsychosis, in which, from
the stone to human life, there is a continual
promotion, which makes the vital principle
advance by degrees, even to the most com-
plete perfection.
Schubert also believes that there have
been epochs, where man had so lively and
so delicate a feeling of existing phenomena,
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? 376 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
that, by his own impressions, he conjec-
tured the most hidden secrets of Nature.
These primitive faculties have become dull;
and it is often the sickly irritability of the
nerves, which, while it weakens the power
of reasoning, restores to man that instinct
which he formerly owed to the very pleni-
tude of his strength. The labours of philo-
sophers, of learned men, and of poets, in
Germany, aim at diminishing the dry power
of argumentation, without in the least ob-
scuring knowledge. 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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? CONTEMPLATION OF NATURE. 369
tion, where are those causes bounded*
which are effects, and those effects which
are causes? If we choose to refer every
thing to the preservation of man, we shall
find it difficult to conceive what he has in
common with the majority of beings: be-
sides, it is to attach too much value to ma-
terial existence, to assign that as the ulti-
mate object of creation* Those who, not-
withstanding the great crowd of particular
misfortunes, attribute a certain sort of good-
ness to Nature, consider her as a merchant,
who, making speculations on a large scale,
balances small losses by greater advantages.
This system is not suitable even to the go-
vernments of men; and scrupulous writers
in political economy have opposed it. What
then will be the case, if we consider the in-
tentions of the Deity? A man, regarded in
a religious light, is as much as the human
race; and from the moment that we have
conceived the idea of an immortal soul, we
have no right to decide what is the degree
of importance which an individual holds in
his relation to the whole body. Every in-
telligent being is of an infinite value, be-
cause his soul is eternal. It is then in
the most elevated point of view that the
VOL. III. B B
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? 370 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
German philosophers have considered the
universe. There are those who believe
they see in every thing two principles, that
of good and that of evil, continually op-
posing each other; and whether we attribute
this contest to an infernal power, or whe-
ther, according to a simpler thought, the
natural world may be the image of the good
and bad propensities of man, it is true that
the universe always offers to our observation
two faces, which are absolutely contrary to
each other. There is, we cannot deny it, a
terrible side in nature as well as in the
human heart, and we feel there a dreadful
power of anger. However good may be
the intention of the partisans of optimism,
more depth is apparent, I think, in those
who do not deny evil, but who acknow-
ledge the connexion of this evil with the
liberty of man, with the immortality which
he may deserve by the right use of that
liberty. The mystical writers, of whom I
have spoken in the preceding chapter, see
in man the abridgment of the world, and in
the world, the emblem of the doctrines of
Christianity. Nature seems to them the cor-
poreal image of the Deity, and they are
continually plunging further. into the pro-
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? CONTEMPLATION OF NATURE. 371
found signification of things and beings.
Amongst the German writers, who have been
employed upon the contemplation of nature
under a religious point of view, there are two
who merit particular attention : Novalis as a
poet, and Schubert as a naturalist. Novalis,
who was a man of noble birth, was initiated
from his youth in the studies of every kind,
which the new school has developed in
Germany; but his pious soul has given a
great character of simplicity to^his poems.
He died at the age of twenty-six; and, when
he was no more, the religious hymns, which
he bad composed, acquired a striking cele-
brity in Germany. This young man's father
is a Moravian; and, some time after the
death of his son, he went to visit a commu-
nity of that persuasion, and heard his son's
'hymns sung in their church; the Moravians
having chosen them for their own edification,
without knowing the author of them.
^Amongst the works of Novalis, some
Hymns to Night are distinguished, which
very forcibly depict the train of recollections
which it awakens in the mind. The blaze
of day may agree with the joyous doctrines
of Paganism; but the starry heaven seems
the real temple of the purest worship. It is
t j -1 b b 2
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? 372 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
in the darkness of night, says a German
poet, that immortality is revealed to man;
the light of the sun dazzles the eyes, which
imagine they see. Some stanzas of No-
valis, on the life of Miners, contain some
spirited poetry, of very great effect. He
questions the earth which is found in the
deep caverns, because it has been the wit-
ness of the different revolutions which na-
ture has undergone; and he expresses a
vehement desire to penetrate still farther to-
wards the centre of the globe. The con-
trast of this boundless curiosity with the
frail life, which is to be exposed to gratify
it, causes a sublime emotion. Man is placed
on earth between infinity in the heavens
and infinity in the abysses; and his life,
spent under the influence of time, is likewise
between two eternities. Surrounded on all
sides by boundless ideas and objects, innu-
merable thoughts appear to him like millions
of lights, which throw their blaze together
to dazzle him. Novalis has written much
upon nature in general; he calls himself,
with reason, the disciple of Sais, because in
this city the temple of Isis was built, and
the traditions that remain of the Egyptian
mysteries lead us to believe that their priests
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? CONTEMPLATION OF NATURE. 373
had a profound knowledge of the laws of
44 Man," says Novalis, "is united tb Na-
44 ture by relations almost as various, almost
"as inconceivable, as those which he main-
44 tains with his kind: as she brings herself
44 down to the comprehension of children,
44 and takes delight in their simple hearts, so
"does she appear sublime to exalted minds,
"and divine to divine beings. The love of
44 Nature assumes various forms, and while
"it excites in some persons nothing but joy
"and pleasure, it inspires the arts with the
"most pious religion, with that which gives
"a direction and a support to the whole of
44 life. Long since, among the ancient na-
"tions, there have been men of serious
"spirit, for whom the universe was the
44 image of the Deity; and others, who be-
"lieved they were only invited to the ban-
"quet of the world: the air, for these con-
"vivial guests of existence, was only a re-
44 freshing draught; the stars were only
44 torches which lit the dance during the
44 night; and plants and animals only the
44 magnificent preparations for a splendid
44 feast: Nature did not present herself to
44 their eyes as a majestic and tranquil temple,
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? 374 RELIGION AND ENTHIJSIA6M.
"but as the brilliant theatre of ever novel
"entertainments.
"At the same time, however, some more
"profound minds were employed, without
"relaxation, in rebuilding that ideal world,
"the traces of which had already disap~
"peared; they partook, like brothers, the
"most sacred labours ; some endeavoured to
"reproduce, in music, the voice of the woods
"and winds; others impressed the image
"and the presentiment of a more noble race
"upon stone and brass; changed the rocks
"into edifices; and brought to light the
"treasures hidden under the earth. Nature,
"civilized by man, seemed to answer his de-
sires: the imagination of the artist dared
"to question her, and the golden age seemed
"to reappear, by the help of thought.
"In order to understand Nature, we must
"be incorporated with her. A poetical and
'' reflective life, a holy and religious soul,
"all the strength and all the bloom of hu-
4i man existence, are necessary to attain
"this comprehension; and the true observer
"is he who can discover the analogy of that
nature with man, and that of man with
"Meaven. v . ?
Schubert has composed a book upon Na-
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? CONTEMPLATION OF NATURE. 375
ture, that never tires in the perusal; so
filled is it with ideas that excite meditation:
he presents the picture of new facts, the
concatenation of which is conceived under
new points of view. We derive two prin-
cipal ideas from his work. The Indians
believe in a descending metempsychosis,
that is, in the condemnation of the soul of
man to pass into animals and plants, as a
punishment for having misused this life. It
would be difficult for us to imagine a system
of more profound misery; and the writings
of the Indians bear the melancholy stamp of
their doctrine. They believe they see every
where, in animals as in plants, thought as
as a captive, and feeling enslaved, vainly
endeavouring to disengage themselves from
the gross and silent forms which imprison
them. The system of Schubert is more
consolatory. He represents Nature as an
ascending metempsychosis, in which, from
the stone to human life, there is a continual
promotion, which makes the vital principle
advance by degrees, even to the most com-
plete perfection.
Schubert also believes that there have
been epochs, where man had so lively and
so delicate a feeling of existing phenomena,
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? 376 RELIGION AND ENTHUSIASM.
that, by his own impressions, he conjec-
tured the most hidden secrets of Nature.
These primitive faculties have become dull;
and it is often the sickly irritability of the
nerves, which, while it weakens the power
of reasoning, restores to man that instinct
which he formerly owed to the very pleni-
tude of his strength. The labours of philo-
sophers, of learned men, and of poets, in
Germany, aim at diminishing the dry power
of argumentation, without in the least ob-
scuring knowledge. 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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