“Of course,” replied M. Lantaigne, “you blame him for having explained this disaster as a lesson given by God against pride and infidelity. You think him wrong in describing the favoured people as being suddenly punished for their faithlessness and rebellion. Ought one, then, to give up attempting to trace a cause for such terrible events?”
“There are,” answered M. de Terremondre, “certain conventions which ought to be observed. The mere2 fact that the head of the State was present made a certain reserve incumbent3 on him.”
“It is true,” said M. Lantaigne, “that this monk4 actually dared to declare before the President213 and the ministers of the Republic, and before the rich and powerful, who are either the authors or accomplices5 of our shame, that France had failed in her age-long vocation6, when she turned her back on the Christians8 of the East who were being massacred by thousands, and, like a coward, supported the Crescent against the Cross. He dared to declare that this once Christian7 nation had driven the true God from both its schools and its councils. This is the speech that you consider a crime, you, Monsieur de Terremondre, one of the leaders of the Catholic party in our department.”
M. de Terremondre protested that he was deeply devoted11 to the interests of religion, but he still persisted in the opinion he had first held. In the first place, he was not for the Greeks, but for the Turks, or, if he could not go so far as that, he was at least for peace and order. And he knew many Catholics who regarded the Eastern Church with absolute indifference12. Ought one, then, to give offence to them by attacking perfectly13 lawful14 convictions? It is not incumbent on everyone to be friendly towards Greece. The Pope, for one, is not.
“I have listened, M. Lantaigne,” said he, “with all the deference15 in the world to your opinions. But I still think one ought to use a more214 conciliatory style when one has to preach on a day which was one of mourning and yet, at the same time, one full of a hope that bade fair to bring about the reconciliation16 of opposing classes....”
“Especially while stocks are going up, thus proving the wisdom of the course pursued by France and Europe on the Eastern question,” added M. Bergeret, with a malicious17 laugh.
“Exactly so,” answered M. de Terremondre. “A Government which fights the Socialists18 and in which religious and conservative ideas have made an undeniable advance ought to be treated with respect. Our préfet, M. Worms-Clavelin, although he is both a Jew and a freemason, shows keen anxiety to protect the rights of the Church. Madame Worms-Clavelin has not only had her daughter baptized, but has sent her to a Parisian convent, where she is receiving an excellent education. I know this to be the case, for Mademoiselle Jeanne Clavelin is in the same class as my nieces, the d’Ansey girls. Madame Worms-Clavelin is patroness of several of our institutions, and in spite of her origin and her official position, she scarcely attempts the slightest concealment19 of her aristocratic and religious sympathies.”
“I don’t doubt what you say in the least,” said215 M. Bergeret, “and you might even go so far as to say that at the present time French Catholicism has no stronger support than among the rich Jews.”
“You are not far wrong,” answered M. de Terremondre. “The Jews give generously in support of Catholic charities.... But the shocking part of Père Ollivier’s sermon is that he was ready, as it were, to imply that God Himself was the original author and inspirer of this disaster. According to his words, it would seem that the God of mercy Himself actually set fire to the bazaar20. My aunt d’Ansey, who was present at the service, came away in a great state of indignation. I feel sure, Monsieur l’abbé, that you cannot approve of such errors as these.”
Usually M. Lantaigne refused to rush into random21 theological discussions with worldly-minded people who knew nothing about the subject, and although he was an ardent22 controversialist, his priestly habit of mind deterred23 him from engaging in disputes on frivolous24 occasions, such as the present one. He therefore remained silent, and it was M. Bergeret who replied to M. de Terremondre:
“You would have preferred then,” said he, “that this monk should make excuses for a merciful God who had carelessly allowed a disaster216 to happen in a badly-inspected point in His creation. You think that he should have ascribed to the Almighty25 the sad, regretful, and chastened attitude of a police inspector26 who has made a mistake.”
“You are making fun of me now,” said M. de Terremondre. “But was it really necessary to talk about expiatory27 victims and the destroying angel? Surely these are ideas that belong to a past age?”
“They are Christian ideas,” said M. Bergeret. “M. Lantaigne won’t deny that.”
But as the priest was still silent, M. Bergeret continued:
“I advise you to read, in a book of whose teaching M. Lantaigne approves, in the famous Essai sur l’indifférence, a certain theory of expiation28. I remember one sentence in it which I can quote almost verbatim: “We are ruled,” said Lamennais, “by one law of destiny, an inexorable law whose tyranny we can never avoid: this law is expiation, the unbending axis29 of the moral world on which turns the whole destiny of humanity.”
“That may be so,” said M. de Terremondre. “But is it possible that God can have actually willed to aim a blow at honourable30 and charitable women like my cousin Courtrai and my217 nieces Laneux and Felissay, who were terribly burnt in this fire? God is neither cruel nor unjust.”
M. Lantaigne gripped his breviary under his left arm and made a movement as if to go away. Then, changing his mind, he turned towards M. de Terremondre and lifting his right hand said solemnly:
“God was neither cruel nor unjust towards these women when, in His mercy, He made them sacrificial offerings and types of the Victim without stain or spot. But since even Christians have lost, not only the sentiment of sacrifice, but also the practice of contrition31, since they have become utterly32 ignorant of the most holy mysteries of religion, before we utterly despair of their salvation33, we must expect warnings still more terrible, admonitions still more urgent, portents34 of still greater significance. Good-bye, Monsieur de Terremondre. I leave you with M. Bergeret, who, having no religion at all, at any rate avoids the misery35 and shame of an easy-going faith, and who will play at the game of refuting your arguments with the feeble resources of the intellect unsupported by the instincts of the heart.”
When he had finished his speech, he walked away with a firm, stiff gait.
“What is the matter with him?” said M. de218 Terremondre, as he looked after him. “I believe he has a grudge36 against me. He is very difficult to get on with, although he is a man worthy37 of all respect. The incessant38 disputes he engages in have soured his temper and he is at loggerheads with his Archbishop, with the professors at the college, and with half the clergy40 in the diocese. It is more than doubtful if he will get the bishopric, and I really begin to think that, for the Church’s sake, as well as for his own, it is better to leave him where he is. His intolerance would make him a dangerous bishop39. What a strange notion to approve of Père Ollivier’s sermon!”
“I also approve of his sermon,” said M. Bergeret.
“It’s quite a different matter in your case,” said M. de Terremondre. “You are merely amusing yourself. You are not a religious man.”
“I am not religious,” said M. Bergeret, “but I am a theologian.”
“On my side,” said M. de Terremondre, “it may be said that I am religious, but not a theologian; and I am revolted when I hear it said in the pulpit that God destroyed some poor women by fire, in order that He might punish our country for her crimes, inasmuch as she no longer takes the lead in Europe. Does Père Ollivier really believe that,219 as things now are, it is so very easy to take the lead in Europe?”
“He would make a great mistake if he did believe it,” said M. Bergeret. “But you are, as you have just been told, one of the leading members of the Catholic party in the department, and therefore you ought to know that your God used in Biblical times to show a lively taste for human sacrifices and that He rejoiced in the smell of blood. Massacre9 was one of His chief joys, and He particularly revelled42 in extermination43. Such was His character, Monsieur de Terremondre. He was as bloodthirsty as M. de Gromance, who, from the beginning of the year to the end, spends his time in shooting deer, partridges, rabbits, quails44, wild ducks, pheasants, grouse45 and cuckoos—all according to the season. So God sacrificed the innocent and the guilty, warriors46 and virgins47, fur and feather. It even appears that He savoured the blood of Jephthah’s daughter with delight.”
“There you are wrong,” said M. de Terremondre. “It is true that she was dedicated48 to Him, but that was not a sacrifice of blood.”
“They argue so, I know,” said M. Bergeret; “but that is just out of regard for your sensitiveness. But, as a matter of actual fact, she was butchered, and Jehovah showed Himself a regular220 epicure49 for fresh meat. Little Joas, who had been brought up in the temple, knew perfectly well the way in which this God showed His love for children, and when good Jehosheba began to try on him the kingly fillet, he was much disturbed, and asked this pointed50 question:
And must I now, as once did Jephthah’s daughter,
[10] Est-ce qu’en holocauste aujourd’hui présenté,
Je dois, comme autrefois la fille de Jephté,
“At this time Jehovah bears the closest resemblance to His rival Chamos; he was a savage55 being, compact of cruelty and injustice56. This was what he said: ‘You may know that I am the Lord by the corpses57 laid out along your path.’ Don’t make any mistake about this, Monsieur de Terremondre—in passing down from Judaism to Christianity, He still retains His savagery58, and about Him there still lingers a taste for blood. I don’t go so far as to say that in the present century, at the close of the age, He has not become somewhat softened59. We are all, nowadays, gliding60 downwards61 on an inclined plane of tolerance41 and indifference, and Jehovah along with us. At any rate, He has ceased to pour out a perpetual flood of threats and curses, and at the present221 moment He only proclaims His vengeance62 through the mouth of Mademoiselle Deniseau, and no one listens to her. But His principles are the same as of old, and there has been no essential change in His moral system.”
“You are a great enemy to our religion,” said M. de Terremondre.
“Not at all,” said M. Bergeret. “It is true that I find in it what I will call moral and intellectual stumbling-blocks. I even find cruelty in it. But this cruelty is now an ancient thing, polished by the centuries, rolled smooth like a pebble63 with all its points blunted. It has become almost harmless. I should be much more afraid of a new religion, framed with scrupulous64 exactitude. Such a religion, even if it were based on the most beautiful and kindly65 morality, would act at first with inconvenient66 austerity and painful accuracy. I prefer intolerance rubbed smooth, to charity with a fresh edge to it. Taking one thing with another, it is Abbé Lantaigne who is in the wrong, it is I who am wrong, and it is you, Monsieur de Terremondre, who are right. Over this ancient Judaic-Christian religion so many centuries of human passions, of human hatreds67 and earthly adorations, so many civilisations—barbaric or refined, austere68 or self-indulgent, pitiless or tolerant, humble69 or proud, agricultural, pastoral, warlike, mercantile, industrial,222 oligarchical70, aristocratic, democratic—have passed, that all is now rolled smooth. Religions have practically no effect on systems of morality and they merely become what morality makes them....”
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1
dame
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| n.女士 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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incumbent
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| adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的 | |
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monk
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| n.和尚，僧侣，修道士 | |
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accomplices
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| 从犯，帮凶，同谋( accomplice的名词复数 ) | |
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vocation
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| n.职业，行业 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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massacre
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| n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀 | |
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par
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| n.标准，票面价值，平均数量；adj.票面的，平常的，标准的 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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lawful
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| adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的 | |
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deference
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| n.尊重，顺从；敬意 | |
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reconciliation
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| n.和解，和谐，一致 | |
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malicious
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| adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的 | |
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socialists
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| 社会主义者( socialist的名词复数 ) | |
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concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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bazaar
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| n.集市，商店集中区 | |
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random
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| adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动 | |
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ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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deterred
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| v.阻止，制止( deter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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frivolous
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| adj.轻薄的；轻率的 | |
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almighty
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| adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的 | |
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inspector
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| n.检查员，监察员，视察员 | |
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expiatory
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| adj.赎罪的，补偿的 | |
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expiation
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| n.赎罪，补偿 | |
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axis
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| n.轴，轴线，中心线；坐标轴，基准线 | |
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honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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contrition
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| n.悔罪，痛悔 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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portents
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| n.预兆( portent的名词复数 )；征兆；怪事；奇物 | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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grudge
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| n.不满，怨恨，妒嫉；vt.勉强给，不情愿做 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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clergy
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| n.[总称]牧师，神职人员 | |
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tolerance
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| n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差 | |
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revelled
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| v.作乐( revel的过去式和过去分词 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉 | |
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extermination
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| n.消灭，根绝 | |
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quails
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| 鹌鹑( quail的名词复数 )； 鹌鹑肉 | |
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grouse
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| n.松鸡；v.牢骚，诉苦 | |
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warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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virgins
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| 处女，童男( virgin的名词复数 )； 童贞玛利亚（耶稣之母） | |
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48
dedicated
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| adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的 | |
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epicure
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| n.行家，美食家 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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holocaust
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| n.大破坏；大屠杀 | |
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assuage
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| v.缓和，减轻，镇定 | |
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fervent
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| adj.热的，热烈的，热情的 | |
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wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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corpses
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| n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 ) | |
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savagery
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| n.野性 | |
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softened
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| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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60
gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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61
downwards
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| adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地） | |
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vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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pebble
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| n.卵石，小圆石 | |
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scrupulous
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| adj.审慎的，小心翼翼的，完全的，纯粹的 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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inconvenient
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| adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的 | |
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hatreds
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| n.仇恨，憎恶( hatred的名词复数 )；厌恶的事 | |
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austere
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| adj.艰苦的；朴素的，朴实无华的；严峻的 | |
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humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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oligarchical
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| adj.寡头政治的，主张寡头政治的 | |
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