THE EVERLASTING MAN

THE
EVERLASTING MAN

BY
G. K. CHESTERTON


HODDER AND STOUGHTON
LIMITED LONDON


Made and Printed in Great Britain
T. and A. Constable Ltd., Printers, Edinburgh

PREFATORY NOTE

This book needs a preliminary note that its scope be not misunderstood.The view suggested is historical rather than theological, and does notdeal directly with a religious change which has been the chief event ofmy own life; and about which I am already writing a more purelycontroversial volume. It is impossible, I hope, for any Catholic towrite any book on any subject, above all this subject, without showingthat he is a Catholic; but this study is not specially concerned withthe differences between a Catholic and a Protestant. Much of it isdevoted to many sorts of Pagans rather than any sort of Christians; andits thesis is that those who say that Christ stands side by side withsimilar myths, and his religion side by side with similar religions, areonly repeating a very stale formula contradicted by a very strikingfact. To suggest this I have not needed to go much beyond matters knownto us all; I make no claim to learning; and have to depend for somethings, as has rather become the fashion, on those who are more learned.As I have more than once differed from Mr. H. G. Wells in his view ofhistory, it is the more right that I should here congratulate him on thecourage and constructive imagination which carried through his vast andvaried and intensely interesting work; but still more on having assertedthe reasonable right of the amateur to do what he can with the factswhich the specialists provide.

CONTENTS