A FRENCH VIEW OF G. K. C.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 639, 16 October 1909, Page 11

A FRENCH VIEW OF G. K. C.

' Mr.'G.-.K.-Chesterton" has shown on several, occasions'.that he! takes his hn'mbur! very seriously.''''; He; .therefore, will probably •■.not .be .surprised—as .'many-'of; his' admirers, ■will—at; finding 'his philosophy, made.' the subject '.of the-longest-' article,.in one of'the■ big French■: reviews—the.: "Kevuede. Paris" .for;: July. ..'.lt '| is., always'-iritcrestihg ;to ,look'at an English-' man' through.' a. Frenchman's eyesj and '•• 'this particular; '-Frenchman,' II;'. Andre Chevrillori, has- .remarkably clear-seeing eyes, and -. a cap- ! able', bram-at the back .of them ; his '.article is therefore .'.well-worth -reading, not. .merely for' 'it's account .of <Mr. Chesterton,'.but also, and' more-especially, for,its.contrast of British'arid Continental/theology, -It -is'-not'lfr.^.Chester-' ton-, the humorist, -but:; ;Mr.'. Chesterton ,the theologi'an,;':he. : ;is .'concerned' with; : - l not- with "The.vKapoleon■•■•.ofoNotting- Hill," ivhich is -a' .work.!of genius,-but -with .".Orthodoxy,''-; whi'ch : is not.,-.-Ile..has nothing, tosay about - the quail- 1 ties', wa all revere in Mr. .Chesterton—his infections ■' gaiety "of '-disposition/'his. fresh : 'and original .strain'-of .humour,-' his''nimble wit,' His;, incomparable 'intellectual,, agility/ his iunI, fajlipg'-; fund.;;oi.;dtoll. 'and!, grotesque, and '.fantastib ,•?• the .writer., has.idis'ceried ,a; thing..whichTiMr: Chesterton's Eng-' lish'-Vfe'sders :are,,ap'l;',,to,.'-overloQk.:';.that-what-; , ever, ; wild'.caperi he Im'ay/.ciit, ■.whatever- weird ;war;W hob™:'he "may;.utter,', however, riotously ihb.'moy.:dance,renud : his'oppohtntj: he'is 'yet : a. serious: combatant, fighting for. a cause which |hti.has' seriously at heart, and'by.ho meahs'to .he; riujnbercd^wjthishalldw.'iestcrs; and., rasa bavin -wits." In. a word, the writer,' deals' with ; Mr.-Ghisterton/; nbti'.M'it hurabrist,; a I characteristically. English 'writer of", the'h'our. '•',■ ; •■ For 1 -' the.' /peculiarity:-; of ..'.'Englishmen' /is,.- -it seems/ thaf'thej' 'all' jvant; to'''reforin' , .the.;world; '.TOch!/Mne^was'-.,rn" i '^hgiap > '>Vlady.'.asked ; him ■ in! a. ;10ud';>p.ice,.';acr6ss.-. a;.... dirt.ner-table, "But how.; are .you 'taurig ;to'.save;.the' world,"thereby Indicating clearlyj.thit -he' was 'not. ah.' ! Englishman; to,;M/Chevrillpti,,the . culture -which - has- prevailed- among- the -.: na-: • tions,.of, the'.Cohtinent'i'eyer.since:.the;Be rials/ 'sancB t -.is".;n'ot .a,-cultures/which inoites.aimah ■tb-save: theworld;' but rather to; contemplate 'it;,'and;.to understand -it ,and-- to appreciate the 'beauty? of-'it; ~ The culture -which "has' prevailed/in England/ on the other- hand/is prapitfoal; it. has .conduct'for/its'object; it : "drives' at/practice.'.' 'as.Mitthew''Arnold said. "/The mention of Arnold .reminds one of that weli--wprn.'- distinction of; his,.-the '.'Hebraic'.'' spirit and the "Hellenic" spirit.; .The..spirit.of English culture, is' Hebraic';, 'the: spirit', bf Contiri.ental culture : is Hellenic'.,. ..-.':

' Thus .faT,.we may. perhaps agree with.-toe writer.' Savingrtho -world, is. a-;very.- English hobby; i thqugh- l .ndt < .conblusively .English;. 'M. Chevrillon's own* nation, for, example, took up the/game,.-with: some.- enthusiasm,.rather more' than: ,a; century .ago; it -was; not on' strictly Hellenio principles that the -Bastille: fell. Still; let',:Us : :admit:;that while mother.;nations 'have had .sharp.'attacks -of the.: reforming .mania, with : England: it is. chronic' -'Let us-admtt ■that Mr..Chesterton, ■ in, his inability" to 'make a;'joke without, a* didaotic- intention, shows himself'a. : true-blue Britisher."",Bu't..when 'll.* ChevrillonVgoes; : further; .and- .endeavours', '.to prove, that,.-Mr.:' Chesterton's , defence 'of re-' ligipus .orthodoxy:,is -also,-,peculiarly English, let -us resolutely refuse, to-'.agree. For what does -that- defence amount to?■• Religion is es-sential'-to .the .'life of., a ..nation;-it yrotects >.a. nation'-'from'vice -and miserv.;' and) all 'toe forcesV.qf .degensratiop;'it,;is, the source of; the I great;,p,ivilising energies; without'nt, a people must quickly go" to, the- wall"; and so' forth; I submit: that this, is -a very.vile defence-of religion A Our.- business, •: when'a .'oreed' is-'put iil- : front of-Vus, is --not -.to'' ask—"Will it pay to '.believe ■ this ?''■ but—','is it, true ?" - Mr. Ches-' tertpn-confounds truth with efficacy;' or rather if he-finds, a. belief efficacious, he .thinks, the qucstion.'pf .its.truth or falsehood'.an irrelevancy. . To say that this attitude is" oharacter-' istically..*English is:- a • libel. Many ■ Englishmen .have.gone:to',the stake for"Truth's sake,' as'they: conceived it; but does the whole history ~of-.:thtination.show an • Englishman so' mad .as. to go -to .the.stake for Efficacy' 6 sake? Mr.,' Chesterton's .philosophy .is. ' pragmatism, - and this. French critic - sets us all? down (halfapprovingly, it would ; seem) as:, pr'agmarists. Smco pragmatism to beatrabout- the bush—on--- the whole the''meanest, the ■'■ most cowardly, "and the most, pernicious of • all the' "isms" .put' forward, in this -crank-ridden, age; .patriotism^compels; us .to" protest.. Still,' the article': is, worth ■reading.—"Elzevir,"- in the Melbourne-."Argus." :■':.-.-:. . •■'■".:•••