Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-21
BY G. X. CHESTERTON.
Author OF Many Famous Books.

r WAS amused to note the other day
that a writer In a newspaper, ap-
parently unacquainted with a quo
tation very common in other news
papers, actually attributed to me
the authority of that ancient def1ni-
ton Of metaphysics, Looking In
dark room for black hat that isn't
there" II I had ever written any
thing as good as that 1t would be super
huous for me to go on producing more
trivial and tedious works. might al
simple phrase craven on my simple
headstone in the quiet churchyard.
The journalist in question must have
been indulging in a quotation from a
quotation, and one which I probably
thought too familiar for quotation
marks. 1t is mistake that many ex-
cellent journalists have made, and I
shall not be surprised to see some other
scribe writing, in the same fashion,
Mr.. G. K. Chesterton has happily OBJ
served that a rose, even If designated in
characteristic fragrance" Or, "Only
Mr.. Chesterton would have ventured on
the paradox that patriotism is the last
refuge Of the scoundrel" Or possibly
even, England as Mr.. Chesterton OBJ
served on a famous occasion. expects
every man to discharge his moral obli-
cations"
have quite as little claim to the
epigram about metaphysics as to any
of these great sayings; but have often
noticed that views of mine are often
attributed to a personal perversity,
when it would be easy to support them
with sayings of equally ancient author
ity. When / am called paradoxical for
saying that domesticity gives to wom-
an a position of domination, why does
nobody mention that I fixed this truth
in the fresh and unexpected figure of
speech, THE gray mare is the better
horse?
When my critics refuse to give me
credit for being serious in saving that
the public house is human and normal
like the private house. why do they
not at least give me credit for my
bold originality in inventing the phrase
mine ease at mine inn? The truth
is that If most of these views are
frivolous. 1t is not through being too
young to be serious; like their present
champion. they are at least old enough
to know better.
Material Science Misleading.
But introduced the metaphysical ex-
ample with another purpose. When I
mentioned the metaphysician and his
black hat, on the occasion presumably
referred to, I was really saying some
thing else which still venture to think
was worth saying. was not attacking
metaphysics, but rather, If anything, de-
Tending it by comparison with physics,
in the sense Of physical science.
pointed out that material science is
really far more mystifying and even
misleading; for 1t talks of its abstrac-
lions as if they were actualitieS and
even material actualities; and then dis
credits its own material objects as
myths. Scientists first talked about
atoms as if they were alligators Or an
telopes; then they dismissed them as
dragons and hippogriffs. and told us
that nothing exists except electrons.
The metaphysical thing is at least ad-
mittedly mystery: the material thing
can only be called mistake, and a
rather extraordinary mistake. What
said about metaphysics was merely this:
The metaphysical may be looking in a
dark room for black hat that isn't
there. But the physical scientist actu-
ally announces that he has found the