Because they leave the path on opposite sides, they do not see
how much alike is their error; but that they do both leave the path is
my point, and it is well we should consider it. It would be difficult to
deal with both sides at once; so I will consider the propagandist first.
What I have to charge against him is that his work is insincere, that he
is afraid to do justice to the other side, that he makes ridicule of our
exemplars, that he helps to keep the _poseur_ in being; and to conclude,
that only by a saving sense of humour can we find our way back to the
truth.
II
When we judge literature we do so by reference to the eternal truth, not
by what the writer considers the present phase of truth; and if
literature so tested is found guilty of suppression, evasion or
misinterpretation, we call the work insincere, though the author may
have written in perfect good faith. That is a necessary distinction to
keep in mind. If you call a man's work insincere, the superficial critic
will take it as calling the man himself insincere; but the two are
distinct, and it needs to be emphasised, for sincere men are making
these propagandist plays, of which the manifest and glaring untruth is
working mischief to the national mind. A type of such a play is familiar
enough in these days when we like to ridicule the West Briton. We are
served up puppets representing the shoneen with a lisp set over against
the patriot who says all the proper things suitable to the occasion.
Pages:
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121