His ecclesiastical politics, as exhibited in the{184} services at St. Sebastian’s, are distinctly High. But they are also Broad, since for those of his parishioners who prefer it, there is an early celebration at 8 A.M. conducted by two of his curates. Matins, sung in plain-song by an admirable choir10, follows at 10 A.M., and this is usually attended by a packed congregation. By eleven, in any case, which is the hour for the sermon, there is not a seat to be had in the church, for Mr. Sandow invariably preaches himself, and from Pimlico and the wilds of South Kensington, from Bayswater and Regent’s Park, eager listeners flock to hear him. This is no quarter of an hour’s oration11: he seldom preaches less than fifty minutes, and often the large Louis Seize clock below the organ loft12, with its discreetly13 nude14 bronze figures of Apollo and Daphne in the vale of Tempe sprawling15 over it, chimes noon on its musical bells before he has finished. A short pause succeeds the conclusion of the sermon, and the choir enters the church again from the vestry in magnificent procession and panoply16 of banners, followed by the clergy17 in full vestments. Clouds of the most expensive incense18 befog the chancel, and if what is enacted19 there is not the Mass, it is an uncommonly20 good imitation of it.{185}
Mr. Sandow’s ecclesiastical doctrines21 thus preach themselves, so to speak, in the manner of this service, and there is little directly doctrinal in his sermons. He ranges the religions of the world, culling22 flowers from Buddhism23, Mohammedanism, Fire Worship, Christian24 Science, and has even been known to find something totemistic, if not positively25 sacramental, in the practice of cannibalism26. The first part of these sermons is always extremely erudite, and out of his erudition there springs a sort of sunlit Pantheism. He splits no hairs over it, and does not insist on any definitely limited meaning being attached to the word ‘immanent’; it satisfies him to prove the pervasiveness27 of Deity28. At other times, instead of rearing his creed29 as this substructure of world-religion, he mines into the sciences and gives his congregation delightful glimpses into the elements of astronomy, with amazing figures as to the distance of the fixed30 stars. Or he investigates botany, and Aquilegia rolls off his tongue as sonorously32 as Aldebaran. Out of the arts as well, from music, painting, sculpture he delves33 his gold, that gold which he finds so freely distributed throughout the entire universe. Having got it, he becomes the goldsmith, and shows his listeners how to turn their{186} lives into wondrous34 images of pure gold, the gold of the complete consciousness that there is nothing in this world common or unclean, or less than Divine. He snaps his fingers in the face of Satan, and tells him, as if he was a mere35 Mrs. Harris, that there is no ‘sich a person.’ All is divine, and therefore we must set about our businesses with joy and exultation36. Not only will sorrow and sighing flee away, but they actually have fled away: it is impossible that they should have a place in the world such as he has already proved the existence of by the aid of botany or music or cannibalism. Indeed if it were possible to conceive the existence of sin, we should, we could only expect to find it where, by reason of people not realizing the splendour of those realities, they allow themselves to be depressed37 or gloomy. And (since the Louis Seize clock has already chimed) Now.
There is no doubt that this robust38 joyousness39 suits his congregation very well, for the most of the inhabitants of his parish, the owners of nice houses in Curzon Street and Park Lane and other comfortably-situated homes, have really a great deal to be jolly about, and Mr. Sandow points out their causes for thankfulness in patches so purple that they almost explode with richness of{187} colour. Another great theme of his, when for a Sunday or two he has made his hearers feel how lucky all mankind is to be born into this glorious world, is the duty of kindliness40 and simplicity41. Indeed his collected sermons rather resemble the collected works of Ouida, who could write so charmingly about pairs of little wooden shoes, and with the same pen, make us swoon with the splendours of Russian princesses, and the gorgeousness of young guardsmen with their plumes42 of sunny hair, and their parties at the Star and Garter hotel where they throw the half-guinea peaches at the fireflies.[A] If joy is the violins in this perfect orchestra of a world, simplicity and kindliness are, according to Mr. Sandow, the horns and the trombones. Crowned heads are of no account to him if accompanied by cold hearts, but he has found (greatly to their credit) that the inhabitants of splendid houses, and the owners of broad acres are among the simplest and kindliest of mankind, and he often takes an opportunity to tell them so, ex cathedra, from his pulpit. And since it is impossible not to be gratified in hearing a professional testimonial, publicly delivered, to your merits, his unbounded popularity with his con{188}gregation is amply accounted for, and the offertories at St. Sebastian’s rain on him, as on some great male Danae, showers of gold.
[A] A fact.
At the convenient hour of six, so that devotional exercises should not interfere43 with tea or dinner, Vespers are celebrated44 with extreme magnificence. The church blazes with lights, which shine out through clouds of incense, and the air is sonorous31 with the splendour and shout of plain-song. And at eleven (evening dress optional) is sung Compline. Here Mr. Sandow makes a wise concession45 to the more Anglican section of his flock, and the psalms46 are sung to rich chants by Stainer and Havergal and the Rev. P. Henley, while the hymn47 is some popular favourite out of the Ancient and Modern book. Though evening dress is optional, and no beggar in rags, should such ever present himself, would be turned away, evening dress is the more general, for many people drop in on their way home from dinner, and the street is a perfect queue of motor-cars, as if a smart evening-party was going on. And then you shall see rows of brilliant dames48 in gorgeous gowns and tiaras, singing lustily, and young men and maidens49 and solid substantial fathers all in a row, with their fat chins rising and falling as they rumble50 away at{189} Rev. P. Henley in their throats. For certainly Mr. Sandow has succeeded in making religion, or at any rate attendance at Sunday services, fashionable in his parish: it is the Thing to go to church, though whether like other fashions, such as diabolo or jig-saw puzzles, it is a temporary enthusiasm remains51 to be seen.
On week-days the devotional needs of his congregation are not so sumptuously52 attended to, for Mr. Sandow, certainly as wise as most children of light, is aware that his flock are very busy people, and does not care to risk the institution of a failure. Besides he has very strong notions of the duty of every man and woman to do their work in the world, even if, apparently53, their work chiefly consists in the passionate54 pursuit of pleasure. But he likes splendour (as well as simplicity) in those advantageously situated, just as he likes splendour in his Sunday services. He is, too, himself, a very busy man, for since he makes it his duty to know his flock individually, and since his flock are that sort of sheep which gives luncheon55 and dinner-parties and balls in great profusion56, it follows that he has a great many invitations to these festivities, and accepts as many as he can possibly manage. But he always practises the observance of fasts, and never eats meat{190} on Fridays. To make meagre on Fridays and vigils therefore has become rather fashionable also, and since most of his entertainers have excellent chefs, Friday, though a meatless day, is an extremely well-fed one, for with salmon57 trout58 and caviare, and a dish of asparagus and some truffles, and an ice pudding and some soufflé of cheese, you can make a very decent pretence59 of lunching, especially if particularly good wines flow fast as a compensation for this ecclesiastical abstinence. It is a pastime for hostesses also to exercise the ingenuity60 of their chefs in producing dishes, strictly61 vegetarian62, in which a subtle combination of herbs and condiments63 produces a meaty flavour, and to observe Mr. Sandow’s face when he thinks he tastes veal64. But he is formally assured that no four-legged or two-legged animal has as much as walked into the stew-pot, and in consequence, with many compliments, he asks for a second helping65.
All this endears Mr. Sandow to his people; they say, ‘He is so very human and not the least like a clergyman.’ He would not be pleased with this expression if it came to his ears, though if he was told he was not in the least like most other clergymen there would be no complaint. For he thinks that the office of a priest is to enter{191} into the joys and pleasures of those he ministers to, not only to exact their attendance at church, and, as he modestly says of himself, ‘bore them stiff’ with his interminable sermons, and who shall say he is wrong? Indeed to see him at a ball, it is more the other guests that enter into his pleasures than he into theirs, for he is one of the best dancers that ever stepped, and there is a queue of ladies, as at the booking-office of Victoria Station on a Bank Holiday, waiting to have a turn with the Terpsichorean66 vicar. But, like some modified Cinderella, he keeps early hours, and vanishes on the stroke of one, in order to be up in good time in the morning, and at his work. For in addition to all his parties, his interviews, his dances, his Sunday services, his games of racquets, he has a further life of his own, being a voluminous and widely-read author.
This literary profession of his is no mere matter of a parish-magazine, or of letters to the Guardian67 about the Eastward68 position, or the Spectator about early buttercups, but he publishes on his own account at least two volumes every year. Usually those take the form of essays, written in the second or pair-of-wooden-shoes manner, and probably each of them contains a greater number of true and edifying69 reflections than have{192} ever before appeared between the covers of a single volume. It is no disparagement70 of them to say that they seem to go on for ever, for so do the waters of a spring, except in times of such severe drought as is unknown to the pen of this ready writer. They all begin in an enticing71 manner, for Mr. Sandow tells you how he was walking across the Park one morning, when he observed two sparrows quarrelling over a piece of bread that some kind bystander had thrown them. This naturally gives rise to reflections as to the distressing72 manner in which ill-temper spoils our day. The kind bystander is, of course, Providence73, who throws quantities of bread, and Mr. Sandow tells us that it is the truer wisdom not to behave like silly sparrows and all wrangle74 over one piece, but hop7 cheerfully away, with a blessing75, in the certainty of finding plenty more. Or again Mr. Sandow describes how he was hurrying to the station to catch a train, fussing himself with the thought that he would not be in time for it, and not noticing the limpid76 blue of the sky and the white clouds that floated across it. When he came to the station he found he had still five minutes to spare and so need not have hurried at all, but drunk in the gladness of God’s spring. From this lesson, he humbly77 hopes,{193} he will be less disposed to fuss in the future, but trust to the wise hand that guides him. We are not told what would have been the moral if Mr. Sandow had missed his train, but then, after all he did not write about that, and one can only conjecture78 that it would have been a lesson to him as to how to wait patiently (picking up edifying crumbs79 at the station) for the next train. Or he sees a house in process of being pulled down, with gaping80 wall showing the internal decoration, and tenderly wonders what sweet private converse81 took place in front of the denuded82 fire-place. His vivid imagination pictures charming scenes: on one wall on the third storey was a paper with repeated images of Jack83 and Jill and Red Riding Hood84 and Little Miss Muffit, and he conjectures85 that here was the nursery, and the paper looked down on children at play. But the children are grown up now; they have outlived their nursery, as we all do, but instead of regretting days that are no more we must go on from strength to strength, till we reach the imperishable house of many mansions86 which nobody will ever pull down. At the end of each of these musings written in the pair-of-wooden-shoes mode comes a passage of this kind in the second manner, a sudden purple patch about im{194}perishable houses, or the towers of Beulah, or the dawning of the everlasting87 day.
It is just possible that this skeleton-analysis of Mr. Sandow’s works may faintly produce the impression that there is something a shade commonplace about them, that they lack the clarion88 of romance, of excitement, of distinction in thought, or whatever it is that we look for when we read books. And it is idle to deny that this impression is ill-founded: no flash of blinding revelation ever surprises the reader, nor does he ever feel that the perusal89 of them has added a new element to or presented a fresh aspect of life; only that here, gracefully90 expressed, is precisely91 what he had always thought. This probably is the secret of their amazing popularity, for there is nothing more pleasing than to find oneself in complete harmony with one’s author. Anybody might have written them, provided only he had a fluent pen and an edifying mind. Mr. Sandow never gave one of his readers, even the most squeamish and sensitive, the smallest sense of discomfort92 or anxiety. He flows pleasantly along, faintly stimulating93, and though he suggests no soul-questionings that could possibly keep anybody awake o’ nights, a very large number of the public are delighted to read a little more in the morning. For Mr.{195} Sandow never fails you; his fund of mild and pleasant reflection is absolutely unending, and if from a mental point of view the study of his works is rather like eating jam from a spoon, you can at least be certain that you will never bite on a stone and jar your teeth. And if you do not by way of intellectual provender94 like eating jam, why, you need not read Mr. Sandow’s books, but those of somebody else.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
situated
|
|
| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
excellence
|
|
| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
rev
|
|
| v.发动机旋转，加快速度 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
prefixes
|
|
| n.前缀( prefix的名词复数 )；人名前的称谓；前置代号（置于前面的单词或字母、数字） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
athletic
|
|
| adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
bishop
|
|
| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
hop
|
|
| n.单脚跳，跳跃；vi.单脚跳，跳跃；着手做某事；vt.跳跃，跃过 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
sumptuousness
|
|
| 奢侈，豪华 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
delightful
|
|
| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
choir
|
|
| n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
oration
|
|
| n.演说，致辞，叙述法 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
loft
|
|
| n.阁楼，顶楼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
discreetly
|
|
| ad.(言行)审慎地，慎重地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
nude
|
|
| adj.裸体的；n.裸体者，裸体艺术品 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
sprawling
|
|
| adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
panoply
|
|
| n.全副甲胄，礼服 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
clergy
|
|
| n.[总称]牧师，神职人员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
incense
|
|
| v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
enacted
|
|
| 制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
uncommonly
|
|
| adv. 稀罕(极，非常) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
doctrines
|
|
| n.教条( doctrine的名词复数 )；教义；学说；（政府政策的）正式声明 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
culling
|
|
| n.选择，大批物品中剔出劣质货v.挑选，剔除( cull的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
Buddhism
|
|
| n.佛教（教义） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
Christian
|
|
| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
positively
|
|
| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
cannibalism
|
|
| n.同类相食；吃人肉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
pervasiveness
|
|
| n.无处不在，遍布 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
deity
|
|
| n.神，神性；被奉若神明的人(或物) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
creed
|
|
| n.信条；信念，纲领 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
fixed
|
|
| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
sonorous
|
|
| adj.响亮的，回响的；adv.圆润低沉地；感人地；n.感人，堂皇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
sonorously
|
|
| adv.圆润低沉地；感人地；堂皇地；朗朗地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
delves
|
|
| v.深入探究，钻研( delve的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
wondrous
|
|
| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
mere
|
|
| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
exultation
|
|
| n.狂喜，得意 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
depressed
|
|
| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
robust
|
|
| adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
joyousness
|
|
| 快乐，使人喜悦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
kindliness
|
|
| n.厚道，亲切，友好的行为 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
simplicity
|
|
| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
plumes
|
|
| 羽毛( plume的名词复数 )； 羽毛饰； 羽毛状物； 升上空中的羽状物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
interfere
|
|
| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
celebrated
|
|
| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
concession
|
|
| n.让步，妥协；特许(权) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
psalms
|
|
| n.赞美诗( psalm的名词复数 )；圣诗；圣歌；(中的) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
hymn
|
|
| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
dames
|
|
| n.（在英国）夫人（一种封号），夫人（爵士妻子的称号）( dame的名词复数 )；女人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
maidens
|
|
| 处女( maiden的名词复数 )； 少女； 未婚女子； （板球运动）未得分的一轮投球 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
rumble
|
|
| n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
remains
|
|
| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
sumptuously
|
|
| 奢侈地，豪华地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
apparently
|
|
| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
passionate
|
|
| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
luncheon
|
|
| n.午宴，午餐，便宴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
profusion
|
|
| n.挥霍；丰富 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
salmon
|
|
| n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
trout
|
|
| n.鳟鱼；鲑鱼(属) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
pretence
|
|
| n.假装，作假；借口，口实；虚伪；虚饰 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
ingenuity
|
|
| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
strictly
|
|
| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
vegetarian
|
|
| n.素食者；adj.素食的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
condiments
|
|
| n.调味品 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
veal
|
|
| n.小牛肉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
helping
|
|
| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
terpsichorean
|
|
| adj.舞蹈的；n.舞蹈家 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
guardian
|
|
| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
eastward
|
|
| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
edifying
|
|
| adj.有教训意味的，教训性的，有益的v.开导，启发( edify的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
disparagement
|
|
| n.轻视，轻蔑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
enticing
|
|
| adj.迷人的；诱人的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
distressing
|
|
| a.使人痛苦的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
providence
|
|
| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
wrangle
|
|
| vi.争吵 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
blessing
|
|
| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
limpid
|
|
| adj.清澈的，透明的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
humbly
|
|
| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
conjecture
|
|
| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
crumbs
|
|
| int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
gaping
|
|
| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
81
converse
|
|
| vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
82
denuded
|
|
| adj.[医]变光的，裸露的v.使赤裸( denude的过去式和过去分词 )；剥光覆盖物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
83
jack
|
|
| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
84
hood
|
|
| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
85
conjectures
|
|
| 推测，猜想( conjecture的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
86
mansions
|
|
| n.宅第，公馆，大厦( mansion的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
87
everlasting
|
|
| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
88
clarion
|
|
| n.尖音小号声；尖音小号 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
89
perusal
|
|
| n.细读，熟读；目测 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
90
gracefully
|
|
| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
91
precisely
|
|
| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
92
discomfort
|
|
| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
93
stimulating
|
|
| adj.有启发性的，能激发人思考的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
94
provender
|
|
| n.刍草；秣料 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |