Collected Works (Vol. II)

270 TIME not easily grasp Western ideas. What is a “year”? Scept. Hm! Well, ah, the earth moves round importance of believing the truth? But Mr. Crowley has got something into his soul stronger even than the beautiful passion of the man who believes in Buddhism; he has the passion of the man who does not believe in Christianity. He adds one more testimony to the endless series of testimonies to the fas- cination and vitality of the faith. For some mysterious reason no man can contrive to be agnostic about Christianity. He always tries to prove something about it—that it is un- philosophical or immoral or disastrous—which is not true. He can never say simply that it does not convince him—which is true. - A casual carpenter wandered about a string of villages and suddenly a horde of rich men and sceptics and Sadducees and respectable persons rushed at him and nailed him up like vermin; then people saw that he was a god. He had proved that he was not a common man, for he was murdered. And ever since his creed has proved that it is not a common hypothesis, for it is hated. Next week I hope to make a fuller study of Mr. Crowley’s interpretation of Buddhism, for I have not room for it in this column to-day. Suffice it for the moment to say that if this be indeed a true interpretation of the creed, as it is certainly a capable one, I need go no further than its pages for examples of how a change of abstract belief might break a civilisation to pieces. Under the influence of this book earnest modern philosophers may, I think, begin to perceive the outlines of two vast and mystical philosophies, which if they were subtly and slowly worked out in two continents through many centuries, might possibly, under special circumstances, make the East and West almost as different as they really are. THE CREED OF MR. CHESTERTON By ALEISTER CROWLEY When a battle is all but lost and won, the victor is sometimes aware of a brilliancy and dash in the last forlorn hope which was lacking in those initial manoeuvres which decided the fortune of the day. Hence comes it that Our Reviewer’s apology for Christianity compares so favourably with the methods of ponderous blunder on which people like Paley and Gladstone have relied. But alas! the very vivacity of the attack may leave the column without that support which might enable it, if checked, to retire in good order; and it is with true pity for a gallant Myst. Wow long. have you been a sectary astronomical? oo | Scept. Exr—what? Myst, You are then an astronomer? opponent—who would be wiser to surrender— that I find myself compelled to despatch half a squadron (no more !) to take him in flank. Our Author’s main argument for the Christian religion is that it is hated. To bring me as a witness to this colossal enthymeme, he has the sublime courage to state that my ‘‘ Sword of Song” begins with an effort to expound Buddhism, but that my hatred of Christianity overcame me as I went on, and that I end up literally raving. My book is possibly difficult in many ways, but only Mr. Chesterton would have tried to understand it by reading it backward. Repartee apart, it is surely an ascertainable fact that while the first 29 pages* are almost exclusively occupied with an attack on Chris- tianity as bitter and violent as I can make it, the remaining 161 are composed of (a) an attack on materialism, (4) an essay in metaphysics opposing advaitism, (c) an attempt to demon- strate the close analogy bétween the canonical Buddhist doctrine and that of modern Agnos- tics. None of these+ deal with Christianity at all, save for a chance and casual word. I look forward with pleasure to a new History of England, in which it will be pointed out how the warlike enthusiasm aroused liv the Tibetan expedition led to the disastrous plunge into the Boer War; disastrous because the separation of the Transvaal which resulted therefrom left us so weak that we fell an easy prey to William the Conqueror. Our Novelist should really makea strong effort to materialise his creation in ‘‘ The Napoleon of Notting Hill” of the gentlemen weeping by the graves of their descendants. Any sound.-philosophy must be first destruc- tive of previous error, then constructive by harmonising truths into Truth. Nor can the human mind rest content with negation; I honour him rather whose early emotion is hatred of Christianity, bred of compulsion to it, but who subdues that nega- tive passion, and forces his way to a positive creed, were it but the cult of Kali or Priapus. Here, indeed, modern Agnostics are at fault. They. sensibly enough reject error; but they are over-proud of their lofty attitude, and, letting slip the real problems of life, busy themselves with side-issues, or try to satisfy the spiritual part of the brain (which needs food like any other part) with the husks of hate. * Pp. 144-163 in this volume. t Pp. 164-184, 233-243, and 244~261 respectively, in this volume.