The Moon And Sixpence 14.4

Nor with such aman could you expect the appeal to conscience to be effective. You might aswell ask for a reflection without a mirror. I take it that conscience is theguardian in the individual of the rules which the community has evolved for itsown preservation. It is the policeman in all our hearts, set there to watchthat we do not break its laws. It is the spy seated in the central strongholdof the ego. Man's desire for the approval of his fellows is so strong, hisdread of their censure so violent, that he himself has brought his enemy withinhis gates; and it keeps watch over him, vigilant always in the interests of itsmaster to crush any half-formed desire to break away from the herd. It willforce him to place the good of society before his own. It is the very stronglink that attaches the individual to the whole. And man, subservient tointerests he has persuaded himself are greater than his own, makes himself aslave to his taskmaster. He sits him in a seat of honour. At last, like acourtier fawning on the royal stick that is laid about his shoulders, he prideshimself on the sensitiveness of his conscience. Then he has no words hardenough for the man who does not recognise its sway; for, a member of societynow, he realises accurately enough that against him he is powerless. When I sawthat Strickland was really indifferent to the blame his conduct must excite, Icould only draw back in horror as from a monster of hardly human shape.The last wordshe said to me when I bade him good-night were:"Tell Amyit's no good coming after me. Anyhow, I shall change my hotel, so she wouldn'tbe able to find me. ""My ownimpression is that she's well rid of you, " I said."My dearfellow, I only hope you'll be able to make her see it. But women are very unintelligent."对于这样一个人，想要诉诸他的良心也是毫无效果的。这就象不借助镜子而想看到自己的反影一样。我把良心看作是一个人心灵中的卫兵，社会为要存在下去制订出的一套礼规全靠它来监督执行。良心是我们每人心头的岗哨，它在那里值勤站岗，监视着我们别做出违法的事情来。它是安插在自我的中心堡垒中的暗探。因为人们过于看重别人对他的意见，过于害怕舆论对他的指责，结果自己把敌人引进大门里来；于是它就在那里监视着，高度警觉地卫护着它主人的利益，一个人只要有半分离开大溜儿的想法，就马上受到它严厉苛责。它逼迫着每一个人把社会利益置于个人之上。它是把个人拘系于整体的一条牢固的链条。人们说服自己，相信某种利益大于个人利益，甘心为它效劳，结果沦为这个主子的奴隶。他把他高举到荣誉的宝座上。最后，正如同宫廷里的弄臣赞颂皇帝按在他肩头的御杖一样，他也为自己有着敏感的良心而异常骄傲。到了这一地步，对那些不肯受良心约束的人，他就会觉得怎样责骂也不过分，因为他已经是社会的一名成员，他知道得很清楚，绝对没有力量造自己的反了。当我看到思特里克兰德对他的行为肯定会引起的斥责真的无动于衷的时候，我就象见到一个奇异的怪物一样，吓得毛骨悚然，赶快缩了回去。那天晚上在我向他告别的时候，他最后对我说的话是：“告诉阿美，到这儿来找我是没有用的。反正我要搬家了，她是不会找到我的。”“我的看法是，她摆脱开你未尝不是件好事，”我说。“我亲爱的老伙计，我就希望你能够叫她看清这一点。可惜女人总是不太明智的。”