Page:The collected works of Henrik Ibsen (Volume 8).djvu/168

 Aslaksen.

It seems to me that the honourable speaker is wandering rather far from the subject.

Burgomaster. I beg to endorse the Chairman's remark.

Dr. Stockmann.

Why you're surely mad, Peter! I'm keeping as closely to my text as I possibly can; for my text is precisely this—that the masses, the majority, this devil's own compact majority—it's that, I say, that's poisoning the sources of our spiritual life, and making a plague-spot of the ground beneath our feet.

Hovstad.

And you make this charge against the great, independent majority, just because they have the sense to accept only certain and acknowledged truths?

Dr. Stockmann.

Ah, my dear Mr. Hovstad, don't talk about certain truths! The truths acknowledged by the masses, the multitude, were certain truths to the vanguard in our grandfathers' days. We, the vanguard of to-day, don't acknowledge them any longer; and I don't believe there exists any other certain truth but this—that no society can live a healthy life upon truths so old and and marrowless.

Hovstad.

But instead of all this vague talk, suppose you were to give us some specimens of these old marrowless truths that we are living upon.

[Approval from several quarters.