Reverend Hale
Reverend Hale evil are relative, ever-changing, and always joined to the same
evil are relative, ever-changing, and always joined to the same
evil the same
phenomenon—such a concept is still reserved to the physical
phenomenon—such a concept is still reserved to the physical
phenomenon—such physical
Mr. Hale is nearing forty, a tight-skinned, eager-eyed sciences and to the few who have grasped the history of ideas.
sciences and to the few who have grasped the history of ideas.
sciences and of ideas.
intellectual. This is a beloved errand for him; on being called When it is recalled that until the Christian era the underworld
When it is recalled that until the Christian era the underworld
When the underworld
here to ascertain witchcraft he felt the pride of the specialist was never regarded as a hostile area, that all gods were useful
was never regarded as a hostile area, that all gods were useful
was useful
whose unique knowledge has at last been publicly called for. and essentially friendly to man despite occasional lapses; when
and essentially friendly to man despite occasional lapses; when
and when
Like almost all men of learning, he spent a good deal of his we see the steady and methodical inculcation into humanity of
we see the steady and methodical inculcation into humanity of
we see of
the idea worthlessness—until redeemed—the necessity of
the idea of of man’s worthlessness—until redeemed—the
the of
time pondering the invisible world, especially since he had the man s of the may becomebecome evident as a weapon, a
himself encountered a witch in his parish not long before. That necessity Devil Devil may evident as a weapon, a weapon
the weapon
designed and used time and time again again in every whip
designeddesigned and used time and timein every age to age to
weapon whip
woman, however, turned into a mere pest under his searching men into a surrender to a particular church or church-state.
men into a surrender to a particularparticular church or church-
church or church-state.
scrutiny, and the child she had allegedly been afflicting whip men into a surrender to a
recovered her normal behavior after Hale had given her his
Our
state. difficulty in believing the—for want of a better word— word—
political inspirationbelieving the—for want of apart to the fact
political inspiration of the Devil is due in great better word—
Our difficulty in fact
kindness and a few days of rest in his own house. However,
that experience never raised a doubt in his mind as to the
is called of and damned not great by to social
that he is called up and damned not only part our social
that he inspiration up the Devil is due in only by our the fact
political
reality of the underworld or the existence of Lucifer’s many-
antagonists but by our own side, not only may be. The
that he is called our own side, whatever it may be. The
antagonists but by up and damnedwhatever it by our social
Catholic Church, through side, whatever is famous for
antagonists but by through its Inquisition, it may be. The
our
Catholic Church, as the own its Inquisition,Church’s enemies
faced lieutenants. And his belief is not to his discredit. Better cultivating Lucifer through its Inquisition, is famous for
Catholic Church, as the arch-fiend, but the Church’s enemies
arch-fiend, is famous for
minds than Hale’s were—and still are—convinced that there is relied no Lucifer as the arch-fiend, but the Church’s enemies
cultivating less upon the Old Boy to keep the human mind
cultivating Lucifer but the
a society of spirits beyond our ken. One cannot help noting relied no less upon the Old Boy to keep the human Hell,
relied no less upon the Old Boy to keepalliance with mind
enthralled. Luther was himself accused of the human mind
that one of his lines has never yet raised a laugh in any and he in turn accused his accused alliance with matters
enthralled. Luther was himself accusedTo alliance with Hell,
enthralled. Luther was himselfenemies. of of complicateHell, and
audience that has seen this play; it is his assurance that “We and turn accused his enemies.enemies. To with the further, he
further, in turn accused his To complicate matters Devil and
he in he he believed that he had had contact complicate matters
cannot look to superstition in this. The Devil is precise.” further, that he had had contact with the Devil and had for at
had argued theology with him. am contact with at Devil and
believedhe believed that he hadIhad not surprised thethis,argued
Evidently we are not quite certain even now whether my argued theologya professorI of history—a Lutheran,
had own university Iwith not surprised at this, for at byown
theology with assemble his graduate students, draw themyfor at
am him. am not surprised at this,
the
diabolism is holy and not to be scoffed at. And it is no way—used to him. a professor of history—a Lutheran,shades,
my own a professor of history—a Lutheran,
universityuniversity classroom with Erasmus.by the way—used by the
accident that we should be so bemused. in
and commune assemble his graduate students, He was never, to
way—used to his the graduate students, draw draw the shades,
to assemble officially scoffed at for this, thethe shades, that and
Like Reverend Hale and the others on this stage, we conceive my commune
and knowledge,in the classroom with Erasmus. reason being to
He was never,
the Devil as a necessary part of a respectable view of cosmology. university officials, like most at us, He the never, of a
the knowledge, classroom with Erasmus.are was reason being
commune in the officially scoffed of for this, the childrento my
my
Ours is a divided empire in which certain ideas and emotions history university sucks at at Devil’s teats. the children the
that the which stillofficials, the most of us, are At this thatof a
knowledge, officially scoffedlikefor this, the reason beingwriting,
and actions are of God, and their opposites are of Lucifer. It is only which has held of
historyEngland still sucks atback Devil’s the At thisawriting,
university officials, like most theus,before teats. temptations of
are the children of history
as impossible for most men to conceive of a morality without In the teats. At of temptations of
contemporary diabolism. Devil’s countriesthe the Communist
only still sucks at the
which England has held back before this writing, only
sin as of an earth without “sky.” Since 1692 a great but of any
ideology, all diabolism. In import is linked to the totally
contemporary resistancebefore the countries of the Communist
Englandcapitalist succubi, andthe America any of contemporary
has held back temptations man who is not
superficial change has wiped out God’s beard and the Devil’s malign in
ideology, In the countriesany the Communist ideology, all
is linked
diabolism. all resistance of openimport charge of to the totally
reactionary in hissuccubi,isandof to the
views alliance with
horns, but the world is still gripped between two diametrically malign capitalist in America any man who is not
the Red hell. any views is open thereby, is given an capitalist
Political opposition, to the charge of alliance with
resistance ofin hisimport is linked to the totally maligninhumane
reactionary
opposed absolutes. The concept of unity, in which positive and
negative are attributes of the same force, in which good and overlay and Political opposition, who is of reactionary
the Red hell. in America any man thereby, is all normally in his
succubi, which then justifies the abrogationnotgiven an inhumane
views is open to the charge of alliance with the Red hell.
j
Political opposition, thereby, is given an inhumane overlay
which then justifies the abrogation of all normally
overlay which then justifies the abrogation of all normally rightly as a resurgence of the Dionysiac forces it had crushed
applied customs of civilized intercourse. A political policy is long before. Sex, sin, and the Devil were early linked, and so
equated with moral right, and opposition to it with diabolical they continued to be in Salem, and are today. From all accounts
malevolence. Once such an equation is effectively made, there are no more puritanical mores in the world than those
society becomes a congerie of plots and counterplots, and the enforced by the Communists in Russia, where women’s fashions,
main role of government changes from that of the arbiter to that for instance, are as prudent and all-covering as any American
of the scourge of God. Baptist would desire. The divorce laws lay a tremendous
The results of this process are no different now from what responsibility on the father for the care of his children. Even
they ever were, except sometimes in the degree of cruelty the laxity of divorce regulations in the early years of the
inflicted, and not always even in that department. Normally revolution was undoubtedly a revulsion from the nineteenth-
the actions and deeds of a man were all that society felt century Victorian immobility of marriage and the consequent
comfortable in judging. The secret intent of an action was left hypocrisy that developed from it. If for no other reasons, a state
to the ministers, priests, and rabbis to deal with. When so powerful, so jealous of the uniformity of its citizens, cannot
diabolism rises, however, actions are the least important long tolerate the atomization of the family. And yet, in American
manifests of the true nature of a man. The Devil, as Reverend eyes at least, there remains the conviction that the Russian
Hale said, is a wily one, and, until an hour before he fell, even attitude toward women is lascivious. It is the Devil working
God thought him beautiful in Heaven. again, just as he is working within the Slav who is shocked at
The analogy, however, seems to falter when one considers the very idea of a woman’s disrobing herself in a burlesque
that, while there were no witches then, there are Communists show. Our opposites are always robed in sexual sin, and it is
and capitalists now, and in each camp there is certain proof that from this unconscious conviction that demonology gains both
spies of each side are at work undermining the other. But this is its attractive sensuality and its capacity to infuriate and
a snobbish objection and not at all warranted by the facts. I have frighten.
no doubt that people were communing with, and even Coming into Salem now, Reverend Hale conceives of
worshiping, the Devil in Salem, and if the whole truth could be himself much as a young doctor on his first call. His painfully
known in this case, as it is in others, we should discover a acquired armory of symptoms, catchwords, and diagnostic
regular and conventionalized propitiation of the dark spirit. One procedures is now to be put to use at last. The road from
certain evidence of this is the confession of Tituba, the slave of Beverly is unusually busy this morning, and he has passed a
Reverend Parris, and another is the behavior of the children hundred rumors that make him smile at the ignorance of the
who were known to have indulged in sorceries with her. yeomanry in this most precise science. He feels himself allied
There are accounts of similar klatches in Europe, where the with the best minds of Europe—kings, philosophers, scientists,
daughters of the towns would assemble at night and, sometimes and ecclesiasts of all churches. His goal is light, goodness and
with fetishes, sometimes with a selected young man, give its preservation, and he knows the exaltation of the blessed
themselves to love, with some bastardly results. The Church, whose intelligence, sharpened by minute examinations of
sharp-eyed as it must be when gods long dead are brought to enormous tracts, is finally called upon to face what may be a
life, condemned these orgies as witchcraft and interpreted them bloody fight with the Fiend himself.