Nowitisthissimpletruthwhich，likemanyothers，istoosimpleforourscientiststosee。Thisiswheretheygowrong，notonlyabouttruereligion，butaboutfalsereligionstoo；sothattheiraccountofmythologyismoremythicalthanthemythitself。Idonotconfinemyselftosayingthattheyarequiteincorrectwhentheystateforinstance
　　thatChristwasalegendofdyingandrevivingvegetation，likeAdonisorPersephone。IsaythatevenifAdoniswasagodofvegetation，theyhavegotthewholenotionofhimwrong。Nobody，tobeginwith，issufficientlyinterestedindecayingvegetables，assuch，tomakeanyparticularmysteryordisguiseaboutthem；andcertainlynotenoughtodisguisethemundertheimageofaveryhandsomeyoungman，whichisavastlymoreinterestingthing。IfAdoniswasconnectedwiththefallofleavesinautumnandthereturnofflowersinspring，theprocessofthoughtwasquitedifferent。Itisaprocessofthoughtwhichspringsupspontaneouslyinallchildrenandyoungartists；itspringsupspontaneouslyinallhealthysocieties。Itisverydifficulttoexplaininadiseasedsociety。
　　Thebrainofmanissubjecttoshortandstrangesnatchesofsleep。A
　　cloudsealsthecityofreasonorrestsupontheseaofimagination；adreamthatdarkensasmuch，whetheritisanightmareofatheismoraday-
　　dreamofidolatry。Andjustaswehaveallsprungfromsleepwithastartandfoundourselvessayingsomesentencethathasnomeaning，saveinthemadtonguesofthemidnight；sothehumanmindstartsfromitstrancesofstupiditywithsomecompletephraseuponitslips；acompletephrasewhichisacompletefolly。Unfortunatelyitisnotlikethedreamsentence，generallyforgottenintheputtingonofbootsortheputtinginofbreakfast。Thissenselessaphorism，inventedwhenman'smindwasasleep，stillhangsonhistongueandentanglesallhisrelationstorationalanddaylightthings。Allourcontroversiesareconfusedbycertainkindsofphraseswhicharenotmerelyuntrue，butwerealwaysunmeaning；whicharenotmerelyinapplicable，butwerealwaysintrinsicallyuseless。Werecognisethemwhereveramantalksof"thesurvivalofthefittest，"meaningonlythesurvivalofthesurvivors；orwhereveramansaysthattherich"haveastakeinthecountry，"asifthepoorcouldnotsufferfrommisgovernmentormilitarydefeat；orwhereamantalksabout"goingontowardsProgress，"whichonlymeansgoingontowardsgoingon；orwhenamantalksabout"governmentbythewisefew，"
　　asiftheycouldbepickedoutbytheirpantaloons。"Thewisefew"mustmeaneitherthefewwhomthefoolishthinkwiseortheveryfoolishwhothinkthemselveswise。
　　Thereisonepieceofnonsensethatmodernpeoplestillfindthemselvessaying，evenaftertheyaremoreorlessawake，bywhichIamparticularlyirritated。Itaroseinthepopularisedscienceofthenineteenthcentury，especiallyinconnectionwiththestudyofmythsandreligions。ThefragmentofgibberishtowhichIrefergenerallytakestheformofsaying"Thisgodorheroreallyrepresentsthesun。”Or"ApollokillingthePythonMEANSthatthesummerdrivesoutthewinter。”
　　Or"TheKingdyinginawesternbattleisaSYMBOLofthesunsettinginthewest。”NowIshouldreallyhavethoughtthateventheskepticalprofessors，whoseskullsareasshallowasfrying-pans，mighthavereflectedthathumanbeingsneverthinkorfeellikethis。Considerwhatisinvolvedinthissupposition。Itpresumesthatprimitivemanwentoutforawalkandsawwithgreatinterestabigburningspotonthesky。Hethensaidtoprimitivewoman，"Mydear，wehadbetterkeepthisquiet。
　　Wemustn'tletitgetabout。Thechildrenandtheslavesaresoverysharp。Theymightdiscoverthesunanyday，unlessweareverycareful。
　　Sowewon'tcallit'thesun，'butIwilldrawapictureofamankillingasnake；andwheneverIdothatyouwillknowwhatImean。Thesundoesn'tlookatalllikeamankillingasnake；sonobodycanpossiblyknow。Itwillbealittlesecretbetweenus；andwhiletheslavesandthechildrenfancyIamquiteexcitedwithagrandtaleOfawrithingdragonandawrestlingdemigod，IshallreallyMEANthisdeliciouslittlediscovery，thatthereisaroundyellowdiscupintheair。”Onedoesnotneedtoknowmuchmythologytoknowthatthisisamyth。ItiscommonlycalledtheSolarMyth。
　　Quiteplainly，ofcourse，thecasewasjusttheotherway。Thegodwasneverasymbolorhieroglyphrepresentingthesun。Thesunwasahieroglyphrepresentingthegod。PrimitivemanwithwhommyfriendDombeyisnodoubtwellacquaintedwentoutwithhisheadfullofgodsandheroes，becausethatisthechiefuseofhavingahead。Thenhesawthesuninsomegloriouscrisisofthedominanceofnoononthedistressofnightfall，andhe'said，"Thatishowthefaceofthegodwouldshinewhenhehadslainthedragon，"or"Thatishowthewholeworldwouldbleedtowestward，ifthegodwereslainatlast。”
　　NohumanbeingwaseverreallysounnaturalastoworshipNature。Noman，howeverindulgentasIamtocorpulency，everworshippedamanasroundasthesunorawomanasroundasthemoon。Noman，howeverattractedtoanartisticattenuation，everreallybelievedthattheDryadwasasleanandstiffasthetree。WehumanbeingshaveneverworshippedNature；andindeed，thereasonisverysimple。Itisthatallhumanbeingsaresuperhumanbeings。WehaveprintedourownimageuponNature，asGodhasprintedHisimageuponus。Wehavetoldtheenormoussuntostandstill；wehavefixedhimonourshields，caringnomoreforastarthanforastarfish。AndwhentherewerepowersofNaturewecouldnotforthetimecontrol，wehaveconceivedgreatbeingsinhumanshapecontrollingthem。Jupiterdoesnotmeanthunder。ThundermeansthemarchandvictoryofJupiter。Neptunedoesnotmeanthesea；theseaishis，andhemadeit。Inotherwords，whatthesavagereallysaidabouttheseawas，"OnlymyfetishMumbocouldraisesuchmountainsoutofmerewater。”Whatthesavagereallysaidaboutthesunwas，"Onlymygreat-
　　great-grandfatherJumbocoulddeservesuchablazingcrown。”
　　Aboutallthesemythsmyownpositionisutterlyandevensadlysimple。
　　Isayyoucannotreallyunderstandanymythstillyouhavefoundthatoneofthemisnotamyth。Turnipghostsmeannothingiftherearenorealghosts。Forgedbank-notesmeannothingiftherearenorealbank-notes。
　　Heathengodsmeannothing，andmustalwaysmeannothing，tothoseofusthatdenytheChristianGod。Whenonceagodisadmitted，evenafalsegod，theCosmosbeginstoknowitsplace:whichisthesecondplace。WhenonceitistherealGodtheCosmosfallsdownbeforeHim，offeringflowersinspringasflamesinwinter。"Myloveislikeared，redrose"
　　doesnotmeanthatthepoetispraisingrosesundertheallegoryofayounglady。"Myloveisanarbutus"doesnotmeanthattheauthorwasabotanistsopleasedwithaparticulararbutustreethathesaidhelovedit。"Whoartthemoonandregentofmysky"doesnotmeanthatJulietinventedRomeotoaccountfortheroundnessofthemoon。"ChrististheSunofEaster"doesnotmeanthattheworshipperispraisingthesunundertheemblemofChrist。Goddessorgodcanclothethemselveswiththespringorsummer；butthebodyismorethanraiment。ReligiontakesalmostdisdainfullythedressofNature；andindeedChristianityhasdoneaswellwiththesnowsofChristmasaswiththesnow-dropsofspring。
　　AndwhenIlookacrossthesun-struckfields，Iknowinmyinmostbonesthatmyjoyisnotsolelyinthespring，forspringalone，beingalwaysreturning，wouldbealwayssad。Thereissomebodyorsomethingwalkingthere，tobecrownedwithflowers:andmypleasureisinsomepromiseyetpossibleandintheresurrectionofthedead。
　　THEREALJOURNALIST
　　Ouragewhichhasboastedofrealismwillfailchieflythroughlackofreality。Never，Ifancy，hastherebeensograveandstartlingadivorcebetweentherealwayathingisdoneandthelookofitwhenitisdone。
　　Itakethenearestandmosttopicalinstancetohandanewspaper。
　　Nothinglooksmoreneatandregularthananewspaper，withitsparallelcolumns，itsmechanicalprinting，itsdetailedfactsandfigures，itsresponsible，polysyllabicleadingarticles。Nothing，asamatteroffact，goeseverynightthroughmoreagoniesofadventure，morehairbreadthescapes，desperateexpedients，crucialcouncils，randomcompromises，orbarelyavertedcatastrophes。Seenfromtheoutside，itseemstocomeroundasautomaticallyastheclockandassilentlyasthedawn。Seenfromtheinside，itgivesallitsorganisersagaspofreliefeverymorningtoseethatithascomeoutatall；thatithascomeoutwithouttheleadingarticleupsidedownorthePopecongratulatedondiscoveringtheNorthPole。
　　Iwillgiveaninstancemerelytoillustratemythesisofunreality
　　fromthepaperthatIknowbest。Hereisasimplestory，alittleepisodeinthelifeofajournalist，whichmaybeamusingandinstructive:
　　thetaleofhowImadeagreatmistakeinquotation。Therearereallytwostories:thestoryasseenfromtheoutside，byamanreadingthepaper；andthestoryseenfromtheinside，bythejournalistsshoutingandtelephoningandtakingnotesinshorthandthroughthenight。
　　Thisistheoutsidestory；anditreadslikeadreadfulquarrel。ThenotoriousG。K。Chesterton，areactionaryTorquemadawhoseonegloomypleasurewasinthedefenceoforthodoxyandthepursuitofheretics，longcalculatedandatlastlaunchedadenunciationofabrilliantleaderoftheNewTheologywhichhehatedwithallthefurnaceofhisfanaticsoul。InthisdocumentChestertondarkly，deliberately，andnothavingthefearofGodbeforehiseyes，assertedthatShakespearewrotetheline"thatwreathesitsoldfantasticrootssohigh。”ThishesaidbecausehehadbeenkeptinignorancebyPriests；or，perhaps，becausehethoughtcraftilythatnoneofhisdupescoulddiscoveracuriousandforgottenrhymecalled'ElegyinaCountryChurchyard'。Anyhow，thatorthodoxgentlemanmadeahowlingerror；andreceivedsometwentyfivelettersandpost-cardsfromkindcorrespondentswhopointedoutthemistake。
　　Buttheoddthingisthatscarcelyanyofthemcouldconceivethatitwasamistake。Thefirstwroteinthetoneofoneweariedofepigrams，andcried，"WhatisthejokeNOW？"Anotherprofessedandpractised，forallIknow，GodhelphimthathehadreadthroughallShakespeareandfailedtofindtheline。Athirdwroteinasortofmoraldistress，asking，asinconfidence，ifGraywasreallyaplagiarist。Theywereanoblecollection；buttheyallsubtlyassumedanelementofleisureandexactitudeintherecipient'sprofessionandcharacterwhichisfarfromthetruth。Letuspassontothenextactoftheexternaltragedy。
　　InMonday'sissueofthesamepaperappearedaletterfromthesameculprit。HeingenuouslyconfessedthatthelinedidnotbelongtoShakespeare，buttoapoetwhomhecalledGrey。Whichwasanothercropper——orwhopper。Thisstrangeandilliterateoutbreakwasprintedbytheeditorwiththejustlyscornfultitle，"Mr。Chesterton'Explains'？"
　　Anymanreadingthepaperatbreakfastsawatoncethemeaningofthesarcasticquotationmarks。Theymeant，ofcourse，"Hereisamanwhodoesn'tknowGrayfromShakespeare；hetriestopatchitupandhecan'tevenspellGray。AndthatiswhathecallsanExplanation。”Thatistheperfectlynaturalinferenceofthereaderfromtheletter，themistake，andtheheadline——asseenfromtheoutside。Thefalsehoodwasserious；
　　theeditorialrebukewasserious。Thesterneditorandthesombre，baffledcontributorconfronteachotherasthecurtainfalls。
　　AndnowIwilltellyouexactlywhatreallyhappened。Itishonestlyratheramusing；itisastoryofwhatjournalsandjournalistsreallyare。
　　AmonstrouslylazymanlivesinSouthBuckspartlybywritingacolumnintheSaturdayDailyNews。Atthetimeheusuallywritesitwhichisalwaysatthelastmomenthishouseisunexpectedlyinvadedbyinfantsofallshapesandsizes。HisSecretaryiscalledaway；andhehastocopewiththeinvadingpigmies。Playingwithchildrenisagloriousthing；butthejournalistinquestionhasneverunderstoodwhyitwasconsideredasoothingoridyllicone。Itremindshim，notofwateringlittlebuddingflowers，butofwrestlingforhourswithgiganticangelsanddevils。Moralproblemsofthemostmonstrouscomplexitybesiegehimincessantly。Hehastodecidebeforetheawfuleyesofinnocence，whether，whenasisterhasknockeddownabrother'sbricks，inrevengeforthebrotherhavingtakentwosweetsoutofhisturn，itisendurablethatthebrothershouldretaliatebyscribblingonthesister'spicture-
　　book，andwhethersuchconductdoesnotjustifythesisterinblowingoutthebrother'sunlawfullylightedmatch。
　　Justasheissolvingthisproblemuponprinciplesofthehighestmorality，itoccurstohimsuddenlythathehasnotwrittenhisSaturdayarticle；andthatthereisonlyaboutanhourtodoitin。Hewildlycallstosomebodyprobablythegardenertotelephonetosomewhereforamessenger；hebarricadeshimselfinanotherroomandtearshishair，wonderingwhatonearthheshallwriteabout。Adrummingoffistsonthedooroutsideandacheerfulbellowingencourageandclarifyhisthoughts；
　　andheisabletoobservesomenewspapersandcircularsinwrapperslyingonthetable。Oneisadingybookcatalogue；thesecondisashinypamphletaboutpetrol；thethirdisapapercalledTheChristianCommonwealth。Heopensitanyhow，andseesinthemiddleofapageasentencewithwhichhehonestlydisagrees。ItsaysthatthesenseofbeautyinNatureisanewthing，hardlyfeltbeforeWordsworth。Astreamofimagesandpicturespourthroughhishead，likeskieschasingeachotherorforestsrunningby。"NotfeltbeforeWordsworth!"hethinks。
　　"Oh，butthiswon'tdo……bareruinedchoirswherelatethesweetbirdssang……night'scandlesareburntout……glowedwithlivingsapphires。
　　leavingtheirmoon-lovedmaze……antiquerootsfantastic……antiquerootswreathedhigh……whatisitinAsYouLikeIt？"
　　Hesitsdowndesperately；themessengerringsatthebell；thechildrendrumonthedoor；theservantsrunupfromtimetotimetosaythemessengerisgettingbored；andthepencilstaggersalong，makingtheworldapresentoffifteenhundredunimportantwords，andmakingShakespeareapresentofaportionofGray'sElegy；putting"fantasticrootswreathedhigh"insteadof"antiquerootspeepout。”Thenthejournalistsendsoffhiscopyandturnshisattentiontotheenigmaofwhetherabrothershouldcommandeerasister'snecklacebecausethesisterpinchedhimatLittlehampton。Thatisthefirstscene；thatishowanarticleisreallywritten。
　　Thescenenowchangestothenewspaperoffice。Thewriterofthearticlehasdiscoveredhismistakeandwantstocorrectitbythenextday:butthenextdayisSunday。Hecannotpostaletter，soheringsupthepaperanddictatesaletterbytelephone。Heleavesthetitletohisfriendsattheotherend；heknowsthattheycanspell"Gray，"asnodoubttheycan:buttheletterisputdownbyjournalisticcustominapencilscribbleandthevowelmaywellbedoubtful。Thefriendwritesatthetopoftheletter"'G。K。C。'Explains，"puttingtheinitialsinquotationmarks。ThenextmanpassingitforpressisboredwiththeseinitialsIamwithhimthereandcrossesthemout，substitutingwithausterecivility，"Mr。ChestertonExplains。”ButandnowhehearstheironlaughteroftheFates，fortheblindboltisabouttofall——butheneglectstocrossoutthesecond"quote"aswecallitanditgoesuptopresswitha"quote"betweenthelastwords。Anotherquotationmarkattheendof"explains"wastheworkofonemerrymomentfortheprintersupstairs。Sotheinvertedcommaswereliftedentirelyoffonewordontotheotherandatotallyinnocenttitlesuddenlyturnedintoablastingsneer。Butthatwouldhavematterednothingsofar，fortherewasnothingtosneerat。Inthesamedarkhour，however，therewasaprinterwhowasIsupposesodevotedtothisGovernmentthathecouldthinkofnoGraybutSirEdwardGrey。Hespeltit"Grey"byameremisprint，andthewholetalewascomplete:firstblunder，secondblunder，andfinalcondemnation。
　　Thatisalittletaleofjournalismasitis；ifyoucallitegotisticandaskwhatistheuseofitIthinkIcouldtellyou。Youmightrememberitwhennextsomeordinaryyoungworkmanisgoingtobehangedbytheneckoncircumstantialevidence。
　　THESENTIMENTALSCOT
　　OfallthegreatnationsofChristendom，theScotcharebyfarthemostromantic。IhavejustenoughScotchexperienceandjustenoughScotchbloodtoknowthisintheonlywayinwhichathingcanreallybeknown；
　　thatis，whentheouterworldandtheinnerworldareatone。IknowitisalwayssaidthattheScotcharepractical，prosaic，andpuritan；thattheyhaveaneyetobusiness。Ilikethatphrase"aneye"tobusiness。
　　Polyphemushadaneyeforbusiness；itwasinthemiddleofhisforehead。
　　Itservedhimadmirablyfortheonlytwodutieswhicharedemandedinamodernfinancierandcaptainofindustry:thetwodutiesofcountingsheepandofeatingmen。Butwhenthatoneeyewasputouthewasdonefor。ButtheScotcharenotone-eyedpracticalmen，thoughtheirbestfriendsmustadmitthattheyareoccasionallybusiness-like。Theyare，quitefundamentally，romanticandsentimental，andthisisprovedbytheveryeconomicargumentthatisusedtoprovetheirharshnessandhungerforthematerial。ThemassofScotshaveacceptedtheindustrialcivilisation，withitsfactorychimneysanditsfamineprices，withitssteamandsmokeandsteel——andstrikes。ThemassoftheIrishhavenotacceptedit。ThemassoftheIrishhaveclungtoagriculturewithclawsofiron；andhavesucceededinkeepingit。ThatisbecausetheIrish，thoughfarinferiortotheScotchinartandliterature，arehugelysuperiortotheminpracticalpolitics。Youdoneedtobeveryromantictoaccepttheindustrialcivilisation。ItdoesreallyrequirealltheoldGaelicglamourtomakementhinkthatGlasgowisagrandplace。Yetthemiracleisachieved；andwhileIwasinGlasgowIsharedtheillusion。
　　IhaveneverhadthefaintestillusionaboutLeedsorBirmingham。TheindustrialdreamsuitedtheScots。Herewasareallyromanticvista，suitedtoaromanticpeople；avisionofhigherandhigherchimneystakingholdupontheheavens，offiercerandfiercerfiresinwhichadamantcouldevaporatelikedew。Hereweretallerandtallerenginesthatbeganalreadytoshriekandgesticulatelikegiants。Herewerethunderboltsofcommunicationwhichalreadyflashedtoandfrolikethoughts。Itwasunreasonabletoexpecttherapt，dreamy，romanticScottostandstillinsuchawhirlofwizardrytoaskwhetherhe，theordinaryScot，wouldbeanythericher。
　　He，theordinaryScot，isverymuchthepoorer。Glasgowisnotarichcity。Itisaparticularlypoorcityruledbyafewparticularlyrichmen。Itisnot，perhaps，quitesopooracityasLiverpool，London，Manchester，Birmingham，orBolton。ItisvastlypoorerthanRome，Rouen，Munich，orCologne。AcertaincivicvitalitynotableinGlasgowmay，perhaps，beduetothefactthatthehighpoeticpatriotismoftheScotshastherebeenreinforcedbythecuttingcommonsenseandindependenceoftheIrish。Inanycase，Ithinktherecanbenodoubtofthemainhistoricalfact。TheScotchweretemptedbytheenormousbutunequalopportunitiesofindustrialism，becausetheScotchareromantic。TheIrishrefusedthoseenormousandunequalopportunities，becausetheIrishareclear-sighted。TheywouldnotneedveryclearsightbythistimetoseethatinEnglandandScotlandthetemptationhasbeenabetrayal。Theindustrialsystemhasfailed。
　　IwascomingtheotherdayalongagreatvalleyroadthatstrikesoutofthewestlandcountiesaboutGlasgow，moreorlesstowardstheeastandthewideningoftheForth。Itmay，forallIknowIamusedmyselfwiththefancy，bethewayalongwhichWallacecamewithhiscrudearmy，whenhegavebattlebeforeStirlingBrig；and，inthemidstofmediaevaldiplomacies，madeanewnationpossible。Anyhow，theromanticqualityofScotlandrolledallaboutme，asmuchinthelastreekofGlasgowasinthefirstrainuponthehills。Thetallfactorychimneysseemedtryingtobetallerthanthemountainpeaks；asifthislandscapewerefullasitshistoryhasbeenfulloftheverymadnessofambition。Thewage-
　　slaveryweliveinisawickedthing。Butthereisnothing-inwhichtheScotcharemorepiercingandpoetical，Imightsaymoreperfect，thanintheirScotchwickedness。ItiswhatmakestheMasterofBallantraethemostthrillingofallfictitiousvillains。ItiswhatmakestheMasterofLovatthemostthrillingofallhistoricalvillains。Itispoetry。
　　Itisanintensitywhichisontheedgeofmadnessorwhatisworse
　　magic。Well，theScotchhavemanagedtoapplysomethingofthisfierceromanticismeventothelowestofalllordshipsandserfdoms；theproletarianinequalityoftoday。Youdomeetnowandthen，inScotland，themanyounevermeetanywhereelsebutinnovels；Imeantheself-mademan；thehard，insatiableman，mercilesstohimselfaswellastoothers。
　　Itisnot"enterprise"；itiskleptomania。Heisquitemad，andamuchmoreobviouspublicpestthananyotherkindofkleptomaniac；butthoughheisacheat，heisnotanillusion。Hedoesexist；Ihavemetquitetwoofhim。Himaloneamongmodernmerchantswedonotweaklyflatterwhenwecallhimabandit。Somethingoftheirresponsibilityofthetruedarkagesreallyclingsabouthim。Ourscientificcivilisationisnotacivilisation；itisasmokenuisance。Likesmokeitischokingus；likesmokeitwillpassaway。OnlyofoneortwoScotsmen，inmyexperience，wasittruethatwherethereissmokethereisfire。
　　Butthereareotherkindsoffire；andbetter。Theonegreatadvantageofthisstrangenationaltemperisthat，fromthebeginningofallchronicles，ithasprovidedresistanceaswellascruelty。InScotlandnearlyeverythinghasalwaysbeeninrevolt——especiallyloyalty。IfthesepeoplearecapableofmakingGlasgow，theyarealsocapableofwreckingit；andthethoughtofmymanygoodfriendsinthatcitymakesmereallydoubtfulaboutwhichwouldfigureinhumanmemoriesasthemorehugecalamityofthetwo。InScotlandtherearemanyrichmensoweakastocallthemselvesstrong。Buttherearenotsomanypoormenweakenoughtobelievethem。
　　AsIcameoutofGlasgowIsawmenstandingabouttheroad。Theyhadlittlelanternstiedtothefrontsoftheircaps，likethefairieswhousedtodanceintheoldfairypantomimes]Theywerenot，however，strictlyspeaking，fairies。Theymighthavebeencalledgnomes，sincetheyworkedinthechasmsofthosepurpleandchaotichills。Theyworkedintheminesfromwhencecomesthefuelofourfires。JustatthemomentwhenIsawthem，moreover，theywerenotdancing；norweretheyworking。
　　Theyweredoingnothing。Which，inmyopinionandItrustyours，wasthefinestthingtheycoulddo。
　　THESECTARIANOFSOCIETY
　　Afixedcreedisabsolutelyindispensabletofreedom。Forwhilemenareandshouldbevarious，theremustbesomecommunicationbetweenthemiftheyaretogetanypleasureoutoftheirvariety。Andanintellectualformulaistheonlythingthatcancreateacommunicationthatdoesnotdependonmereblood，class，orcapricioussympathy。Ifweallstarkwiththeagreementthatthesunandmoonexist，wecantalkaboutourdifferentvisionsofthem。Thestrong-eyedmancanboastthatheseesthesunasaperfectcircle。Theshortsightedmanmaysayorifheisanimpressionist，boastthatheseesthemoonasasilverblur。Thecolour-blindmanmayrejoiceinthefairy-trickwhichenableshimtoliveunderagreensunandabluemoon。Butifonceitbeheldthatthereisnothingbutasilverblurinoneman'seyeorabrightcirclelikeamonocleintheotherman's，thenneitherisfree，foreachisshutupinthecellofaseparateuniverse。
　　But，indeed，anevenworsefate，practicallyconsidered，followsfromthedenimoftheoriginalintellectualformula。Notonlydoestheindividualbecomenarrow，buthespreadsnarrownessacrosstheworldlikeacloud；
　　hecausesnarrownesstoincreaseandmultiplylikeaweed。Forwhathappensisthis:thatalltheshortsightedpeoplecometogetherandbuildacitycalledMyopia，wheretheytakeshort-sightednessforgrantedandpaintshort-sightedpicturesandpursueveryshort-sightedpolicies。
　　MeanwhileallthemenwhocanstareatthesungettogetheronSalisburyPlainanddonothingbutstareatthesun；andallthemenwhoseeabluemoonbandthemselvestogetherandassertthebluemoon，notonceinabluemoon，butincessantly。Sothatinsteadofasmallandvariedgroup，youhaveenormousmonotonousgroups。Insteadofthelibertyofdogma，youhavethetyrannyoftaste。
　　Allegoryapart，instancesofwhatImeanwilloccurtoeveryone；perhapsthemostobviousisSocialism。Socialismmeanstheownershipbytheorganofgovernmentwhateveritisofallthingsnecessarytoproduction。IfamanclaimstobeaSocialistinthatsensehecanbeanykindofmanhelikesinanyothersense——abookie，aMahatma，amanabouttown，anarchbishop，aMargatenigger。Withoutrecallingatthemomentclear-headedSocialistsinallofthesecapacities，itisobviousthataclear-headedSocialistthatis，aSocialistwithacreedcanbeasoldier，likeMr。Blatchford，oraDon，likeMr。Ball，oraBath-
　　chairmanlikeMr。Meeke，oraclergymanlikeMr。ConradNoel，oranartistictradesmanlikethelateMr。WilliamMorris。
　　ButsomepeoplecallthemselvesSocialists，andwillnotbeboundbywhattheycallanarrowdogma；theysaythatSocialismmeansfar，farmorethanthis；allthatishigh，allthatisfree，allthatis:etc。，etc。
　　Nowmarktheirdreadfulfate；fortheybecometotallyunfittobetradesmen，orsoldiers，orclergymen，oranyotherstrickenhumanthing，butbecomeaparticularsortofpersonwhoisalwaysthesame。WhenonceithasbeendiscoveredthatSocialismdoesnotmeananarroweconomicformula，itisalsodiscoveredthatSocialismdoesmeanwearingoneparticularkindofclothes，readingoneparticularkindofbooks，hanginguponeparticularkindofpictures，andinthemajorityofcaseseveneatingoneparticularkindoffood。Formenmustrecogniseeachothersomehow。Thesemenwillnotknoweachotherbyaprinciple，likefellowcitizens。Theycannotknoweachotherbyasmell，likedogs。Sotheyhavetofallbackongeneralcolouring；onthefactthatamanoftheirsortwillhaveawifeinpalegreenandWalterCrane's"TriumphofLabour"hanginginthehall。
　　Thereare，ofcourse，manyotherinstances；formodernsocietyisalmostmadeupoftheselargemonochromepatches。ThusI，forone，regretthesupersessionoftheoldPuritanunity，foundedontheology，butembracingalltypesfromMiltontothegrocer，bythatnewerPuritanunitywhichisfoundedratheroncertainsocialhabits，certaincommonnotions，bothpermissiveandprohibitive，inconnectionwithParticularsocialpleasures。