non entia enim licet quodaxnmodo levibusque ho-minibus faci1ius atque incuriosius verbis reddere quam en-tia, verumtamen pio diIi- -gentique rerum scriptori planealiter res se habet: nihil tantum r- epugnat ne verbis hadem illus-trenehil, se at - inum oculos pro-ponere ut certas quasdam res, quas esse neque demon- strari neque probari potest, quae contra eo ipso, quod piidiligent-e sque viri illas quasi ut entia tractant, entinascendique facultati paululum appropinquant. - -ed. Clangor et Collof. lib. I. cap. 28 Translation written by Joseph Knecht himself: In general, for the superficial, it may be easier to describe things that do not exist than concrete things , for he can put it into words irresponsibly, whereas, for the pious and serious historian, the opposite is the case.But it is more necessary, though more difficult, to tell people about something whose existence can neither be confirmed nor predicted.Pious and serious people discuss them to a certain extent as existing things, which just brings them a step closer to existing and possible new births.

Albertos Secundos Our wish is to take what little information we can gather about the life of Joseph Knecht, or the Game Master Joseph III as he is called in the Archives of the Glass Bead Game, Write in the book. Of course we are aware that this attempt somewhat violates the governance principles and habits of the Glass Bead Game group, and even runs counter to it.Because it is one of our most important guiding principles to eliminate individualism as much as possible and to integrate individuals into groups of experts and scholars as much as possible.Because this principle has been strictly observed throughout the long history, it is almost impossible to find the biography and spiritual thought materials of some people who played an outstanding leadership role in this group today. It is almost impossible; often it is not even possible to determine the original names of these characters.Anonymity is one of the spiritual signs that this group obeys, and it has almost 100% realized its ideal.

It is not out of any kind of personality cult or deliberate rebellion against convention that we so persistently try to establish certain facts about Joseph III the Game Master, and to sketch at least roughly the general outline of his person; we are convinced that we are entirely in the service of the truth with science.The ancients said: The more deeply and thoroughly people explore a proposition, the more irresistibly they fall into the misunderstanding of the antithesis.We not only approve but respect the idea of ​​anonymity, which is the foundation of our community and our spiritual life.But a brief survey of the early history of this spiritual group, the development of the glass bead game, shows us irrefutably that at every stage of development, at every expansion, every change In every important link of progress or conservativeness, there is no doubt that the personal traces of each host have been left. Although this matter is not his own creation, he undoubtedly guided this change and played a role in promoting it. Its perfect function.

There is no doubt that our understanding of the role of the individual today is very different from that of biographers and historians of previous generations.Authors of previous ages, especially those who preferred to write about personal lives, we have to say that they always saw and took as their essence only the peculiarities of the individual, such as: his obstinacy, his erratic manners, his peculiar Personality, yes, and often simply related to his pathology.We moderns, on the contrary, don't even write about the unique personalities of these people, unless we meet special people who have reached the shore beyond all normality and uniqueness. A personal impeccable mission.As long as we observe carefully, we will find such ideals that existed in ancient times, for example, the images of "sages" or "sages" in ancient Chinese; Little differs from our ideals today, and many great spiritual organizations, such as the Roman Catholic Church, had similar basic principles in their heyday, and indeed many of the great figures who came out of that sect, such as the holy Thomas That, too, looks to us like ancient Greek sculpture, more of a typical representation than an individual character.

Nevertheless, long before the reformation of spiritual life that began in the twentieth century—of which we are all heirs—it is evident that such truly ancient ideals died out.How surprised we are when we look at the biographies of previous years, but we can see that the author recounts in detail how many brothers and sisters the protagonist has, or during his childhood and adolescence, in his struggle for love and status, What kind of psychological trauma and scars are left behind.We moderns are not interested in the pathologies and family history of an ancient figure, nor in his instincts, digestion, and sleep.Even his cultural background, the educational disciplines that have influenced him throughout his life, his beloved books, and other circumstances are not particularly important to us.We respect and take special interest only in a hero whose nature and subsequent education dissolve him almost completely in his corporate functions without depriving himself of his purely individual character. The fresh and lively powerful punch, it makes each individual fragrance and valuable.Therefore, whenever there is a conflict between an individual and a group, we can just use this as a touchstone to examine whether his personality is outstanding.We disapprove of traitors who are driven by desire and greed to destroy order, and we only miss those who are dedicated, and they are the truly tragic figures.

It is only natural that we discover the hero, the true model of humanity, and take an interest in his name, person, appearance, and manner.For from this we also realize that this perfect community without conflict is not a machine made up of many worthless and lifeless parts, but a living flesh and blood body, although assembled from parts, Each with identity and freedom of action, each participates in the miracle of life.Based on the above knowledge, we set out to collect biographical material of Joseph Knecht, the master of the glass bead game, especially what he wrote himself, and we did find some manuscripts worth reading.

Our reports on Knecht's life and personality must have been known or generally known to the members of this group, especially the players in the glass bead game. For this reason, the object of this book is not limited to the group. , we hope to expand to readers with a sense of empathy. For the few insiders, neither introduction nor notes are needed.However, in order to let readers outside the group understand the life and achievements of the protagonist in this book, we had to undertake the somewhat difficult task of adding a short and easy-to-understand preface to the front of the book, so that those who don't know Readers get a glimpse of the history and significance of the glass bead game.We must stress that this preface is aimed at a general audience and that it is neither intended nor necessary to clarify any debate within the community concerning issues of game history and meaning.

It is too early to make an objective report on this subject. One should not expect to read from us a complete history and theory of the glass bead game, not even from writers of higher talent and stature than we are today.This task can only be left to the posterity of the next century, if all the original data and spiritual and ideological premises have not disappeared by then.You should not regard our book as a textbook on the glass bead game. No one will write such a book. There is no shortcut for people to learn the rules of this game. They can only follow the usual learning path. It will take several years. Probably no expert can simplify the rules of the game to a common level.

The rules of the game (the symbolic language and grammar of the game) are a highly developed secret language, synthesized by many sciences and arts - especially mathematics and music (music science, to be exact) - so that not only can It expresses everything, and can also establish interconnected relationships between content and results between nearly all disciplines. In short, the glass bead game is a game with the contents and values ​​of our entire culture as a painter in his heyday plays with colors on his palette.All the knowledge, noble ideas and artistic works produced by human beings in their creative period, until the subsequent academic research and the spiritual wealth they transform into are the contents of the game. The glass bead player gathers all spiritual values ​​in this way It is like an organist playing a pipe organ, and this is a pipe organ of unimaginable perfection. Its keyboards and pedals explore the entire spiritual universe, and its number of stops is beyond calculation. Theoretically, Analytical, this instrument can reproduce the spiritual content of the entire universe during its performance.Now, its keyboard, pedals and sound stops have been fixed, and it is only theoretically possible to change its numbers and programs, or try to make it absolutely perfect.Because the highest administrative authority of the glass bead game is extremely strict in controlling all ideas that want to update the content to enrich the game language.On the other hand, within this fixed structure, or to use the picture that we can easily imagine, within the complex machinery of this huge pipe organ, each player is endowed with the possibility to combine and use the entire universe, so we must It is almost impossible to find more than two superficially similar games in a thousand rigorously completed games.Even if the following happens: two players happen to choose the same narrow theme as the content of their own game, the result is that the two games will still present completely different appearances and development path.

To which historical period the historian wishes to trace the origins of the glass bead game and its origins is purely a matter of choice.Just as any great thought has no beginning, because every thought is eternal. We find thought taking the form of expectations and premonitions as early as ancient centuries, for example, in the writings of Pythagoras, and later, in the late Greco-Roman Traces of it were found in Gnostic circles, as well as in ancient Chinese culture, and then traces of it were seen in several peaks of Arabian Moorish culture.Its footprints have continued to extend from prehistoric times, through scholastic philosophy and humanism, to the society of mathematicians in the 17th and 18th centuries, to romantic philosophy and Novalis' dreamy text.Every movement that moves the mind toward the general purpose of the universe, every Platonist society, every gathering of intellectual elites, every attempt to combine practical and ideal science, every attempt to reconcile science and art or religion and science All attempts are based on this eternal thought, and the glass bead game we see is a concrete embodiment of all of the above.Undoubtedly, everyone knows that philosophers like Abelard, Leibniz, and Hegel dreamed of concentrating the spiritual universe into a system of thought, combining the vivid beauty of culture and art with the magic of rigorous and precise science. The forces combine.And the era when music and mathematics reached the peak of classicism almost at the same time makes us realize that there is often mutual communication and mutual complementarity between the two principles.We can also read the same atmosphere in the writings of that Nicholas von Koes two centuries ago, for example, when he said: "The mind is composed of potentialities, so that everything can be measured by potentialities, It is also an absolute necessity, by which all things are weighed in a state of unity, harmony and simplicity, as God does, and a necessity of union, by which all things are weighed in their unique individuality, and finally, It can also limit this potential, and thereby measure all related things in existence. What is more, the mind can also measure symbolically by means of comparative forms, just as they can be equal to other things by numbers and geometric figures. The same." Moreover, it seems not only that this idea comes close to suggesting that our glass bead game either fits into this thought game, or originates from a similar fantasy.We can find many, if not many, parallels of this kind in his writings.Even his fondness for mathematics, his fondness for and his adept at applying the figures and principles of Euclidean geometry to theological-philosophical concepts in a metaphorical way, seems to be very close to the mental state of playing the glass bead game.Sometimes his peculiar Latin (he invents so many new words without any Latin scholar misunderstanding their meaning) also reminds us of the arbitrary plasticity of the language of the glass bead game.

Albertos Secundos undoubtedly belonged to one of the influential ancestors of the glass bead game, as is shown by the inscription earlier in this article.And we speculate, although it cannot be proven, that the idea of ​​the glass bead game also controlled the minds of learned musicians in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, because their music creation was based on mathematical speculation. .From time to time we read, here and there, in ancient books, anecdotes of magical games of wit, invented and tried by some scholar, monk, or thoughtful prince, some of whom took the form of Chess form, but the pieces and board contain secret meanings in addition to their general functions.We are all familiar with the many legends, myths and fables of the origins of human civilizations, when the power of music far surpassed all other artistic techniques and became the power over souls and countries, music was a secret regent or A code of law that both people and their nation must obey.From the most ancient times of China to the period of Greek mythology, the concept of letting music rule people to live a happy and heavenly life has always played an important role.The glass bead game is also most intrinsically linked to this cult of music (the mystical power of song beckoning to us on earth in eternal change - Novalis). Although we also recognize that the idea of ​​the glass bead game is eternal, and that it existed long before its realization, its development to the form we know today clearly has its definite historical trajectory. Here we try to summarize its main The historical stages are briefly described as follows: This ideological movement, with the establishment of game groups and the invention of the glass bead game as its main achievements, began with the "Age of Supplementary Words" studied and named by the literary historian Prinius Chiegenhaus. a historical period.Although this appellation is beautiful, it is dangerous. It is often easy to induce people to erroneously observe the living conditions of that past age. Thought.However, according to Chiegenhaus, that era had little consideration for spiritual thought, or rather it did not know how to properly arrange the position of spiritual thought between life and state structure and make it work.Frankly speaking, we know very little about that era, although it is the soil that almost nurtured all subsequent cultures, and all spiritual life today is inscribed with its marks. Chiegenhaus believes that this is an extremely civilized society, an era of widespread surrender to individualism. When we understand its atmosphere according to the characteristics described by Chiegenhaus, then we will at least understand Be sure that many of the features in his pen are not invented, nor are they exaggerated or distorted, because they are the conclusions of a great scholar who has studied a large number of historical materials.We approached him because he is the only historian to date who has seriously studied this "supplementary writing" society.At the same time, we have to remind everyone not to sneer at the mistakes and barbarism of the times that have passed away, it is very rash and extremely stupid. After the Middle Ages, the spiritual life in Europe seemed to follow two paths of different development tendencies.One is the freedom of thought and belief, breaking away from all authority, that is, the struggle against the rule of the Roman Church from the standpoint of rationalism that feels mature.Another tendency is to secretly and passionately search for how to legally obtain this freedom, how to establish a new authority that is compatible with reason.In general, we can assert that it is always the spiritual mind that wins this often contradictory struggle for different purposes. Is it worth it to exchange countless sacrifices for this kind of victory?Is our spiritual life perfect today, and can it be further developed?All the pain of the past.Aren't convulsions and perversions, from the trials of heretics to the burning of the stake, forcing many "geniuses" to needlessly sacrifice, go mad or commit suicide?History is history, whether it's true or not, whether it probably shouldn't have happened, or whether we want to acknowledge its "meaning" or not.Either way, humanity's struggle for spiritual "freedom" is finally happening.It has been developed until the era of what was later called "supplementary writing". Although people have gained unprecedented freedom, they find it unbearable.Because although everyone has completely got rid of the supervision of the church and part of the control of the state, they have still not been able to establish the real norms that they are willing to abide by-a truly new authority and legitimacy.Chigenhaus recounts countless examples of spiritual depravity, corruption, and self-indignity in that era, some of which are truly staggering. We must admit that we cannot give a clear explanation for the spiritual products of the so-called "supplementary text" era.They are by far the most popular part of the daily newspaper pages, with millions of readers, and a major source of food for thought for the less educated.The items of knowledge they describe, or rather "ramble on," exceed a thousand.The more intelligent of these supplement writers often mock their own work, and Chigenhaus at least admits, having seen many such works, that while they are certainly incomprehensible, they show the writers' egoistic tendencies.It is probable that there is indeed a certain degree of irony and self-indulgence in these shoddy products, and the key to understanding them must first be found.Some of the authors of these trivial texts come from the editorial department, some are "freelance" writers, and are often called "poets". There are also scholars and even famous university professors among them. The most popular subjects for such articles are: anecdotes about famous men and women or private lives reflected in their letters. The titles of the articles are various, such as: "Nietzsche and Women's Fashion in 1870", "Composer Rossini's Most Favorite Dishes", "The Role of Puppies in the Life of Red Whores", etc.Another type of content that people like to write focuses on history, which is also the topic that rich people often talk about in today's chats, such as: "The Dream of Artificial Gold Through the Centuries" or "On the Effects of Chemical-Physical Experiments on the Climate" and so on The number of questions exceeds the hundreds digit.If we read such a list of frivolous articles such as Chigenhaus's, we are amazed that people use them as daily food for thought, and what is more, there are many well-known authors who have also contributed to It is strange to say that this huge consumption of little value is "service", when the same term was often used to describe the relationship between human beings and machines. Interviews with famous people on hot topics were so popular at certain times that Chegenhaus created a column for such interviews, such as asking a chemist or a pianist to discuss politics, inviting a popular actor, dancer, or gymnast , pilots, and even poets discuss the pros and cons of celibacy, possible causes of economic crises, and other everyday issues.The common feature of all the articles is: linking a hot topic with a celebrity, Chegenhaus cited hundreds of examples, some of which are jaw-dropping after reading.As mentioned, it is likely that there is irony in these hastily written essays, perhaps even a diabolical, dying irony that we can only appreciate if we put ourselves in their shoes. .However, most of the readers who seemed to like reading newspapers in those days obviously swallowed all the absurd things wholeheartedly.For example, a famous painting changed its owner, a valuable manuscript was auctioned, an ancient castle was destroyed, or a member of an old noble family was involved in a scandal, etc., readers not only read tens of thousands of read specific facts in Gage's report, and read a whole lot of fashionable stuff written from the angles of romance, history, psychology, sexuality, etc., in other literature published one day or the next, without any minutiae Missed by this flood-like torrent, all the hurried chapters that come out in a hurry, no matter in the choice of words and sentences, or in the classification concept, are all imprinted with the imprint of irresponsible mass production. In addition, there is another kind of game that can also be regarded as a cultural activity similar to "supplement writing".In this type of game, the reader becomes the initiator, drawing on everyone's knowledge material, and Chegenhaus wrote a long article on this strange phenomenon entitled "Crossword Puzzle Game" and reported it in detail.Back then, thousands of people—most of whom were tired of work and had a hard life—were leaning over the blocks made of these letters in their spare time, filling in the gaps according to the established rules of the game.We must be careful not to see its paradoxical or eccentric aspects, much less to be ironic.Because everyone plays these childish riddles and crosswords neither out of innocence, nor out of idleness, but out of fear in the midst of political, economic, and moral upheavals and chaos, and because they've participated many times Terrible world wars and national wars.Naturally, their little word games are not just unconscious games, but fully in accordance with a deep inner need to close their eyes to those difficult questions and frightening scenes of decline, so as to escape as far as possible into a The world of innocence and illusion.They stoically learn to drive a car, play the hardest card games, and indulge in crossword puzzles—because they are almost defenseless against death, terror, pain, hunger, and they are no longer able to learn from religion. Take comfort and seek counsel from reason.They have read too many articles and listened to too many reports, they have not spent their time and energy on self-improvement, so that they are powerless against the terror and fear of death in the outside world, they can only live in fear, Do not believe that there is any tomorrow. There are also many speeches, which are also more important variants of this supplementary text, and we must also briefly describe them here.At that time, experts and scholars as well as all kinds of people engaged in cultural trades delivered a large number of speeches to middle-class citizens who still had a strong nostalgia for past cultural concepts that had lost their meaning. The speeches, and the speeches of the intercourse, were almost incomprehensible in number.At that time, a citizen of a medium-sized city or his wife could attend at least one report meeting every week, while in a big city, he could listen to speeches on various topics almost every night, on works of art, on poets, scholars, research people, and expressed various theoretical opinions on global travel, etc., while most of the audience is purely passive. And had to remain silent.Of course, there are also relaxed, funny or witty speeches, such as how Goethe stepped off the stagecoach in a blue tuxedo, how to hook a bow to a beautiful girl in Strasbourg or Weitzlar, or talk about Arab culture. A succession of smart catchphrases popped up in the middle, like throwing dice in a dice tray, and each audience cheered every time the audience roughly grasped a witticism.People also listened to a lot of presentations about authors they hadn't read or were about to read, they just listened and looked at the picture of the writer on the screen, just like they read the hard-to-read supplements of newspapers and periodicals Like words, they struggled through a vast ocean of unrelated fragments of knowledge whose meaning they did not understand.In short, people have come to this terrible stage of doubting the written word, and an ascetic counter-movement is beginning to mature, at first secret and only in very small circles, but soon growing stronger and more openly active, And to be a movement that fosters a new man and human dignity. The spiritual life of that time was in many respects alive and sublime, and the simultaneous presence of many instability and falsities we moderns interpret as a symptom of a sense of dread, because people in a seemingly successful At the end of a very prosperous era, I suddenly find myself facing a desperate situation: extreme material scarcity, political and military crises, growing self-doubt, doubts about human strength and dignity, yes, even doubts about my own existence .However, alongside the signs of the age's demise there are many high-level spiritual achievements, the legacy of which we are deeply grateful for is the birth of the science of music. However, although people can easily incorporate any fragments of past history into world history, weaving them ingeniously and movingly, it is almost impossible for them to arrange their position in the contemporary reality. The middle - witnessing the rapid decline of spiritual and cultural needs and achievements to extremely meager levels - produces a terrible sense of doubt and hopelessness.That is, they have just discovered (a discovery that has been ubiquitous since the birth of Nietzsche's philosophy) that the adolescence and creative years of our culture are past and the twilight has come.Suddenly, everyone was aware of this, and many analyzed with candid views why there were so many frightening symptoms of that age: the indifferent mechanical life, the serious moral decline, the international lack of mutual trust, The false insincerity of art.The situation is as described in that amazing Chinese fairy tale, the "sinking music" has already been played, as if the booming bass vibration of an organ has been reverberating for decades and finally gradually died down, but it has already entered schools, newspapers and magazines. The corrupt atmosphere emanating from the literature and research institutes has already assailed many generally serious artists and critics, making them melancholy or crazy, and it is flooding all fields of art. There are different ways of dealing with this invading enemy who cannot be driven out.It is probably the most correct attitude for some to acquiesce in its existence and to bear this cruel fact quietly.Some have tried to deny its existence, but these literary theorists have shown flimsy weaknesses in their arguments for cultural decline.Moreover, anyone who opposes the views of the above-mentioned literary theorists will have an influence and a response among the general public, for whom it is said that a culture which they held firmly and was proud of yesterday is dead To describe the knowledge and art they once cherished so much as something completely untrue and false is like sudden inflation and a violent revolution that threatens their property. It is simply too arrogant and intolerable. Another way of dealing with this great atmosphere of decay is cynical irony.They dance away their worries, claiming that worrying about the future is the folly of old men.They write sonorous supplementary articles about the looming end of art, of science, of language.In the world of supplements they built with newspapers and periodicals, they talked about the complete degeneration of human spirit and the complete bankruptcy of concepts with a kind of enthusiasm similar to suicide, and put on cynical or indifferent gestures, which seemed to be not only art, culture, morality And honesty and integrity, etc., even the whole of Europe and "the whole world" have tended to decline.Therefore, all healthy people are more or less infected with depression, and those who are already sick are aggravated into severe pessimism.To overthrow the obsolete, to rebuild the world and its morality through politics and war, only culture itself has the ability to truly examine itself and incorporate into a new cosmic order. The culture did not actually lie dormant during decades of transition, but rather in its decline, in what seemed to be a spearheaded abandonment by artists, academics and columnists, it reached a level of alertness and self-criticism This stage is purely a function of the conscience of a few individuals.Already in the flourishing days of the Supplement Literary there were individuals and small groups determined to remain true to their consciences, and to save for the future the core of good tradition, order, method, and wisdom.According to our understanding today, the development situation in those years can be roughly divided into two groups from the perspective of the process of self-criticism, introspection and conscious struggle of people to defend against the decline.The cultural conscience of the scholars took refuge in the research and teaching of music history, as the discipline was at its peak at the time, and even in the center of the Supplement text world two later very famous seminaries were formed to cultivate talents Known for his meticulous approach.As if the heavens were more than willing to bless the efforts of this small group of brave men, a fortunate, albeit accidental, but truly oracular miracle occurred during those extremely melancholy times: Bach's eleven manuscripts from His son Friedman's property was found again. The second force in the struggle against degeneration is the League of Eastern Travelers, whose members value the education of the soul over the education of knowledge, and who cultivate an Eastern style of devotion and awe - our present form of spiritual education and the method of the glass bead game , especially the methods of mindfulness meditation are all derived from the East.Another contribution of Eastern tourists is to use a new perspective to examine the nature of our culture and the possibility of its continuation. They do not fully use the usual scientific analysis methods of scholars, but through the ancient Eastern secret method, that is, let Their instincts are mysteriously linked to distant times and their cultures.Some musicians and singers among them, for example, are said to be masters at performing pieces centuries ago in pure ancient ways, and say they can play and sing a piece of music from 1600 or 1650 with precision, as if they were completely ignorant of the subsequent continuous All kinds of funky music added, improved changes and exquisite skills of later masters.This is indeed an astonishing move in an era when people are blindly pursuing the dynamics and comparatives that can control all musical performances, blindly exploring the "concept" and conducting methods of conducting, and almost completely forgetting the music itself.When a symphony orchestra of the Federation of Eastern Travelers performed publicly for the first time a group of dances from the period before Handel's birth, they performed them with virtuosity, without any enhancement or diminution, in the simple and unadorned spirit of an entirely different age and world. reported that some audience members found it difficult to understand, while others understood and felt as if they were enjoying the music for the first time in their lives.A member of the Federation of Eastern Travelers also built a Bach-like organ in the conference hall of the Federation between Bramgarden and Morbio, so perfect that it seemed that Bach himself had made it, If he had the opportunity to have the materials to do it back then.Obeying the prevailing Union principles at the time, the organ builder concealed his real name and adopted the name of an eighteenth-century ancestor: Siebermann. Our topic has gradually approached the source of the birth of modern cultural concepts.One of the most important of these cultural concepts is the new disciplines: music history and music aesthetics, and then mathematics by leaps and bounds. Birth is closely related to a courageous attitude toward an aging culture—both enlightened and resigned.种种具体事实无需在此多说，因为大家都已十分熟知。人们对文化的这种新态度，可以说是在文化发展历程中调整了从属关系，所产生的最重大后果便是大家逐渐放弃创造艺术著作，精神工作者们逐渐逃离熙熙攘攘的尘世。最后，重要的情况便是玻璃球游戏的兴起与繁荣。 早在1900年初，副刊文字还处在顶峰时期，音乐科学之日臻深化对玻璃球游戏的开创无疑具有巨大影响。我们作为音乐科学的继承人，相信自己对以往伟大创造性世纪的音乐，尤其是十七和十八世纪的音乐，不仅知道得较多，而且从某种意义上来说，认识得也较深。当然，我们作为后来人与古典音乐的关系完全不同于创造性时代的人。我们对常常令灵魂忧郁的真正古典音乐所怀有的敬意，与我们对当时那些自然纯朴音乐演奏的喜爱欣赏是完全不同的两码事。我们常常在羡慕欣赏之际，却忘却了其诞生的处境和命运之艰辛。几乎整个二十世纪都把哲学或者文学视作从中世纪迄今伟大文化纪元留存下来的不朽成就。然而，我们看到，后来的几代人让数学与音乐取代了它们的位置。自从我们（大体而言）放弃与后来几代人进行创造性竞争以来，自从我们不再崇拜音乐创作中那种占统治地位的和谐与纯粹的动力学感觉以来——那却是从贝多芬以及浪漫主义初期开始便支配音乐创作整整两个世纪之久的狂热崇拜，我们相信——当然只是按照我们缺乏创造性、却值得尊敬的方法——，我们这才清清楚楚地看到自己所继承的那个文化的大致面貌。如今我们已不再有以往那些时代的旺盛的创造欲望。十五、十六世纪的音乐风格竟能毫无变化地长久保持至今，简直让我们难以置信，为什么那时候创作的大量音乐作品里几乎没有丝毫卑劣气息呢，为什么十八世纪开始蜕化变质，冒出那么多五花八门的风格、时髦的和流派的，尽管大都昙花一现，却充满了自信。但是我们深信，我们已领悟了今天称之谓古典音乐的秘密，了解了那几代人的精神、道德和虔诚，并且把这一切都视为自己的典范。譬如我们今天对十八世纪的神学和教会文化，或者对启蒙时代的哲学，都已很少关注，甚至全不重视，但是我们在巴赫创作的合唱曲、基督受难曲和前奏曲里却感受到了基督教文化令人精神升华的力量。 此外，我们的文化对音乐的态度还有一个古老而值得崇敬的范例，这也是玻璃球游戏为之表示高度尊重的范例。在充满传奇色彩的列国并存时期的中国，音乐在全国上下起着一种具有支配力量的作用。人们甚至认为，音乐的兴衰直接关系到文化、道德，乃至国家的状况。音乐大师们被赋予了严格卫护“传统音调”之纯洁性的重任。音乐的衰落便成为一个朝代和一个国家灭亡的确凿象征。作家们写下了许多可怕的故事，描述种种逆天行事的靡靡之音，例如被称之为“亡国之音”的“清商”和“清角”，在皇宫里一旦奏响这类亵读神圣的音调，顿时天昏地暗，城坍墙倒，王朝与国家也随即消亡。古人们讲了很多很多，我们这里只从吕不韦的《吕氏春秋》里论述音乐的章节中摘引数段：音乐之所由来远矣，生于度量，本于太一。太一生两仪，两仪出阴阳。 天下太平，万物安宁，皆化其上，乐乃可成。成乐有具，必节嗜欲。嗜欲不辟，乐乃可务。务乐有术，必由平出。平出于公，公出于道。故唯得道之人，斯可与音乐。 凡乐，天地之和、阴阳之调也。 沉沦之国，颓废之人，亦不可无乐，但其乐不欢。是以，乐愈杂，则民愈衰，国愈危，君愈消沉。职是之故，音乐亡矣！ 凡古之圣王，所贵乐者，为其乐也。夏桀殷纣，作为侈乐，以矩为美，以众为欢，椒诡殊魂，耳所未尝闻，目所未尝见：务以相过，不用度量。 楚之衰也，作为巫音，侈则侈矣，自有道者观之，则失乐之情。失乐之情，其乐不乐。乐不乐者，其民必怨，其生必伤。此生乎不知乐之情而以修为务故也。 故治世之音安以乐，其政平也。乱世之音怨以怒，其政乖也。亡国之音悲以哀，其政险也。 这位中国人说的这些话相当清楚地说明了一切音乐的起源及其几乎已被世人遗忘的真正意义。在史前时代，音乐与舞蹈以及其他任何艺术活动一样均属于巫术的一部分，是施展巫术时的合法手段之一。事实证明这个手段面试百验：它开始于节奏（拍手，踏脚，击木，最原始的击鼓艺术），使许多人互相“合调”，让他们的呼吸、心跳和情绪在同一节律中互相融和，激起人们内心永恒的神力，刺激他们去跳舞、竞赛、打仗或者去从事宗教活动。而音乐保持这种原始的、纯粹的本质特性——魔术特性，其历史较之任何其他艺术品种更为悠久，人们只消略略回溯一下无数历史学家和诗人关于音乐的论述便可了然，从古希腊人到歌德无不如此。实际上，音乐在行军和舞蹈中也从未丧失其重要作用。——但是我们还是言归正传吧！ 我们现在对玻璃球游戏的起始作一扼要介绍。游戏似乎是同时兴起于德国和英国，最初是一种技巧练习，是这两个国家里的一小部分音乐家和音乐理论家在探讨新乐理的研究班上从事的练习。人们如果将游戏的这种最初状态与后来的发展，直至今天的情形相比较的话，那情况就同人们拿一份1500年以前的乐谱及其原始音符来同今天的相比较一样，看上去十分相似，那时人们甚至还不懂得如何写下乐谱小节线。与十八世纪的总谱相比较也一样，更不用说与十九世纪的乐谱相比较了，由于过分复杂的标志节奏、速度、分句等等缩写符号，常常让这种十九世纪乐谱的印刷成为艰难的技术问题。 游戏最初仅仅是音乐教授与学生们用以训练记忆和逻辑推理的一种诙谐有趣的方法，而且如以上所述，早在这里的科隆音乐学院“发明”这一游戏之前，在英国和在德国都已有人玩过，其名称正好是后来若干代人所用的称呼，尽管多年以来游戏内容已完全不同。 玻璃球游戏的发明者当为卡尔夫城的巴斯梯·皮洛特，一位脾气有点古怪，却聪明练达颇有人缘的音乐理论家，他用玻璃球替代了字母、数字、音符或者其他图解符号。此外，这位皮洛特还是《对位法的兴衰史》一书的作者，他发现科隆音乐学院的学生们在研讨班上把一种精致游戏玩得非常熟练。他们互相呼应作戏，先由一人高声以他们专业学科的缩写语汇喊出某部古典乐曲的主题或者开头段落，另一人随即应声答复，要么是这一段落的下文，要么以悠扬顿挫的声调喊出更精彩的相对主题。这是一种训练记忆与即兴演奏技艺的练习，和过去在舒茨、巴希贝尔以及巴赫时代很可能一度流行过的指导学生进行对位法训练的方法极其相似，尽管那时并无任何理论公式，而只有实际训练，用扬琴，琉特，笛子或者歌声。 巴斯梯·皮洛特很可能是东方旅行者团体的成员。他擅长手工艺，曾按照古代形式亲手制作了许多钢琴和扬琴，传说他会演奏一种早自1800年起久已失传的古代小提琴，那种琴有拱得高高的琴弓，还得用手调整琴弦。——皮洛特模仿球串形的儿童计数玩具制作了一只框架，绷上几十根铁丝，以便穿上形形式式大小不等、色彩不同的玻璃小球。铁丝相当于琴谱上的横线，而玻璃球则相当于音符等等，这么一来，他不仅得以用玻璃球营造自己发明的音乐语言或者音乐主题，还能够随意变换，调整，发展，让它们不断迁移，不断互相对照比较。这种东西就技艺角度而言，不过是玩意儿而已，学生们却很喜爱，不仅被仿造，还成了时髦技艺，甚至传到了英国。一段时期里，这种音乐练习游戏便以如此原始而可爱的方式流传着。正如经常发生的情况那样：一种确有价值而历久不衰的活动在某次临时发生的微不足道小事中突然获得了名称。这个被学生们喜爱的游戏、这个由皮洛特创造的穿小球的铁丝架，历经沧桑之后终于有了公认的名称：玻璃球游戏。 定名后的二三十年间，玻璃球游戏在大学生中间似乎稍稍失去了宠爱，但受到了数学家们的关注。玻璃球游戏漫长的历史发展过程中始终有一个显著的特点：任何一种科学学科，凡是处于鼎盛或者复兴状况时，无不偏爱玻璃球游戏，运用它并且发展了它。数学家们使玻璃球游戏得到了～种高度应变和升华能力，使其多少达到具有自知意识与认识自我潜能的境地。与之并行发展的是当年整个文化意识的普遍历程，它不仅度过了巨大的危机，而且如普里尼乌斯·切根豪斯所述：“这一晚期文化——就像古希腊罗马文化的晚期，亚历山大年代的希腊文化——以谦逊而自豪的态度接受了自己面临的命运。” 切根豪斯的话就引到这里。下面我们试着把玻璃球游戏后来的历史作一简要介绍：游戏从音乐研究转向数学研究之后，发展极其迅速（在英国和法国较之德国本土发展变化尤为迅速），已经允许运用特殊符号和略语来表现数学上的演算程序了。 参加游戏的人互相推敲同一程序，互相探讨这些抽象的公式，互相向对方显示这门学科的发展轨迹及其潜能。这种数学一天文学游戏要求游戏者具有极大的观察力、悟性和集中力，早在当年，玻璃球游戏能手这一声誉对于数学家而言是十分希罕的，因为它已成为数学能手的同义词。 这一游戏还几乎受到不同时期所有科学学科的欢迎和模仿，也就是说已被应用于各项专门学科，有据可查的是它们在古典语言学与逻辑学领域所起的作用。而在应用于对音乐价值的分析研究过程中，人们开始把音乐的流转过程用物理的和数学的公式加以捕捉。稍后不久，语言学开始凭借这种游戏方法去测度语言结构的形成，就如同物理学测度自然的变化程序一样。紧接着就是造型艺术的参与，而建筑学则早就在造型艺术与数学之间架起了桥梁。自此以后，人们不断发现从这条道路求得的抽象公式，通过新的关系、新的类比以及新的相通点。任何学科，凡是染上了游戏精神，无不都在自己的种种公式、缩写符号和一切组合可能性里用上了游戏语言。 世界各地知识青年中的优秀分子全都喜爱这些游戏和它们的系列公式，以及种种公式间的相互对话。这一游戏并非只是练习或者休闲，它还是培养精神工作者专注于自我感觉的运动，尤其是数学家们，无不以苦行僧兼运动员式的严格精神和精湛技艺来进行这种游戏，从中获得的乐趣足以补偿他们那时坚决舍弃世俗享受与名誉地位的损失。玻璃球游戏对于副刊文化的彻底失败，对于新近兴起的从事极严格精神训练的偏爱，显然起了巨大作用。 世界已经改变了。人们可以把副刊文字年代的文化生活比作一种因过度生长而耗尽元气的退化植物，只得以衰败的枝叶来培植根株继续生长了。今天的年轻人，凡是打算献身于精神工作的，全都不愿再到高等院校去听什么零七八碎的课了，那些有名无实的教授毫无独立见解，只会提供一些昔日较高级文化的残渣碎屑。如今他们必须像过去年代各种科技行业的工程师们那样严之又严地学会正确研究。他们都必须走一条陡直的艰难道路，必须从事数学与亚里士多德经院哲学的训练以净化和强化他们的感受能力，尤其是必须学会放弃前辈一代代学者们认为值得为之奋斗的一切利益：轻而易举地迅速获得金钱、荣誉、公众的尊敬，受到报刊的赞美，与银行家和工业家的女儿联姻，过豪华奢侈的生活。作家们想的是著作畅销，得诺贝尔奖和美丽的乡村别墅；名医学家想要佩戴勋章和拥有穿号衣的仆人；教授们则想有出自豪门的太太和富丽堂皇的客厅；化学家们追逐工业企业董事会里的要职；哲学家们向往占领副刊阵地，在座无虚席的大厅里发表迷人的演讲，不仅获得雷鸣般的掌声，而且还有美女献花。如今这类人物已统统消失不见，也不会再重新出现。 事实虽然如此，但今天仍有不少有才华的年轻人把这些人物视为值得羡慕的榜样，然而通往荣誉、财富、地位和奢华之路的，再也不会是经由讲台、研究院和博士论文之途了，诸如此类业已深深沉沦的精神工作行业在世人眼中早已破产。他们中的有些人出于笃信和忏悔仍然为之献身，也重新赢得了精神阵地。而那些追求荣华富贵的青年才子不得不背弃已经变得无利可图的精神文化，转而寻找其他挣钱多可让自己过舒适生活的职业了。 倘若我们对一个精神净化后的知识分子可能在国家中获得的位置进行深入探讨，似乎是离题太远了。但是历史经验立即向我们显示，只消有几代人松弛精神训练，也会立即十分严重地损害实际生活。因为一切较高等的职业，都是技术性职业，有能力承担者也会越来越少。所以必须把护理国家和人民的精神工作，具体地说就是整个教育事业，渐渐让权于知识分子。而今天在欧洲，几乎所有国家的高等院校，凡是不属罗马教会统辖的，全都在优秀知识分子组成的那类匿名团体的领导之下。 这些团体中的人士为人也许比较严厉和傲慢，这样便不时遭受舆论的指责，还常常有个别人公然叛变，然而这类团体的领导地位依旧牢不可撼。它的正直，它的舍弃一切利益和好处（除了精神利益），不仅维护和保持了自己的领导地位，而且也保护了人们很久以来便意识到或者预感到的严格训练下的文明的延续。人们懂得或者只是隐约感到：倘若思想不纯净与清醒，倘若精神良知不再受到尊重，那么船舶和车辆很快就会偏离航线和常轨，工程师的滑尺连同银行与交易所的计算数字也就会失去其权威与合法性，随即降临的是一片混乱。人们总是要花很长时间才醒悟过来，原来文明的一切表面，一切技术、工业、商业等等，也必须有精神上的道德和正直才行。 言归正传，那时玻璃球游戏还缺乏一种能够包容一切的能力，还没有在各个分散的学科中流行。不论是天文学家、希腊文学者、拉丁文学者、经院哲学家，还是音乐学院学生都依照各自游戏的规律从事活动，但是无论哪种学科、哪种规律及其分支，又都归属于同一独特的语言和规律。直到半个世纪以后，人们才醒悟过来而迈出了超越局限的第一步。发展如此缓慢的原因，主要问题无疑是精神道德因素，形式与技术问题比较次要。超越的办法也许当年也已想到，但是与这类全新的严格道德精神一并存在的还有怕人家骂“无聊”的极端拘谨的畏缩思想，还生怕搅混了各类不同的学科和原则，当然还有一种深切而合理的畏惧，唯恐重犯副刊文字年代浅薄浮华的罪孽。 终于使人们几乎～下子明白了玻璃球游戏的潜在可能性，因而把游戏带向几近包容万有边缘的，是某一个个人的业绩，这一成就又与音乐密不可分，是音乐促进了游戏的进步。这个人是一位热爱数学的瑞士音乐家，他赋予游戏一种全新的转机，最终得以向最高的可能性发展。这位伟大人物的世俗本名现已无从查考，他那个时代的知识界已不大流行个人崇拜，他以罗苏尔（或者约科拉多）·巴昔连西士的名字记载在史籍中。他的发明也如同任何别人的发明一样，纯因他本人的兴趣与能力，却并非完全由于个人的需要和追求，而是受到一种更为强大的动力的驱使。他那个时代的知识分子普遍存在一种热烈渴望，切盼为自己的新思想寻找到相应的表达方法，他们沉潜于哲学，沉潜于综合，认为过去那种纯粹以退入自己学科为乐事的方式颇多欠缺之处。这里那里不断出现奋力突破自己学科局限的学者，探索着进入普遍万有之道。人们渴望有一套新的字母表、一种全新的符号语言，让他们得以记述和相互交流各自全新的精神体验。 这种特殊动力之强大，从当时一位巴黎学者发表的题为《中国式警告》一文中可资证明。这位被许多同时代人讽刺为堂吉河德的学者还是一个杰出的汉学家，他对汉语颇有研究，他说，尽管文化与科学情况还算像样，但仍然面临危机；倘若放弃发展一套国际性的符号语言，后果令人担忧。这种国际语言当类似中国古代语言，能以象形方式表达最复杂的事物，而不致伤及个人的想象力与创造力，却可让全世界的一切学者都能够读懂。如今约科拉多·巴昔连西士为完成大家的要求迈出了最重要的一步。他为玻璃球游戏发明了一种新语言的原理，也就是说用符号与公式来组成语言，使数学和音乐得以成为重要组成部分，因而天文学和音乐的公式也可能与游戏得到结合，数学和音乐几乎成为了一种公分母。即使这项工作还待进一步完善，当年这位巴塞尔的无名氏确实为我们珍贵游戏以后的发展奠定了基础。 这种玻璃球游戏兴起之初，只是数学家，或者语言学家和音乐家的专享游戏，时至今日，它那不可抗拒的魅力已遍及一切真诚的知识分子。不少古老大学和研究院，尤其是历史悠久的东方旅行者联盟都把目光转向了它。就连若干天主教会团体也因嗅到了一种新的精神气息而被它所吸引，具体地说就是好几所本笃会派的修道院里，竟有那么多修士热衷于这项游戏。因而当年，后来也同样，有一个问题不断引起争论：教会与教廷究竟应该如何对待玻璃球游戏，是容忍，支持呢，还是加以禁止。 自从那位巴塞尔人对玻璃球游戏作了重大革新之后，游戏迅速发展成了自己一直维持至今的完整面貌。它综合了一切思想与艺术，它崇尚崇拜，它是包容万有宇宙间一切分散学科的神秘联合。在我们的实际生活中，它时而起艺术作用，时而又承担起思辨哲学的职务。譬如说，在普里尼乌斯·切根豪斯生活的年代就并不罕见，沿用早在副刊文字年代的著作中便已采用的同一名称，那个名称是许多富于预感精神的知识分子为其充满渴望时代所创造的，那名字就是：魔术剧院。 玻璃球游戏自从创始以来，不论在技术方面，还是在材料范围方面，均处于无限的发展状态，因为它对游戏者提出了无限的精神要求，使游戏本身也成为了一种崇高的艺术和科学，这一点在巴塞尔人巴昔连西士时代还欠缺某种本质性的东西。 迄至那时为止，每一场游戏无不是将采撷自不同领域的思想精华予以集中归纳后，再进行互相重新排列、整理、组合与互相对比的，无不是对一切永恒价值和形式的迅速回溯，无不是一次穿越精神王国的技艺精湛的短促飞行。过了相当长时间之后，才逐渐有人把静观默想这一概念从教育团体的精神财富中，尤其是从东方旅游者们的日常习俗中提炼出来，并且纳入了游戏活动中。 显然是游戏的一个弊端促成了静坐默思地进入游戏。一些记忆艺术家，也即除博闻强记外并无道德修养的人，他们把游戏玩得令人眼花缭乱，他们能够飞快地依次推出无数形形式式观念，使其他游戏参与者目瞪口呆，以致心情沮丧。因而，这类技艺表演在游戏演进过程中越来越受到严格的禁止，而静观默想则逐渐成为游戏的重要组成部分。是的，后来在每个参观游戏的观众眼里，内向静观竟成为游戏的主要内容。这是一种趋向宗教性精神的转变。以往所关注的是：以迅速的观察和熟练的记忆去聪明地追求形形式式的理念与每一场游戏的完整镶嵌，如今这些已不再重要，而是出现了一种要求更深刻、更具心灵气息的倾向。每一场游戏的导师挑选出一个符号后，每一个参加游戏者便必得严格进行默想，探索这个符号的内容、起源和意义，务必紧张而有条理地彻底弄懂符号的整体内容。这种静观默想的技巧和训练方法是由教育团体与游戏联盟的会员们从培育精英人才的学校里学会并传授给大家的，这种静观和冥想的艺术原是精英学校里最重视的课程。玻璃球游戏的象形文字便因而得到保护而存留下来，没有退化成无用的空洞字母。 顺便说一下，直到那时为止，玻璃球游戏尽管颇受学者们喜爱，却始终仅为私人性质的训练。这种游戏可以单独一人玩，也可以两个人或者许多人同玩，毫无疑问，每场组合出色而且富于精神成果的游戏，往往会被记录成文，从一个城市传至另一个城市，从一个国家传至另一个国家，时而备受赞赏，时而又被人批评。但是如今游戏已因其新功能而获得很大充实，已经常应用于公众的节庆场合。如今，人人都可以随意参与这一游戏，年轻一代尤其热衷于此项活动。一提到“玻璃球游戏” 这个词，几乎人人都会直接联想到任何公众的节日竞技。玻璃球游戏在少数优秀大师指导下进行，他们都是自己国家里的玻璃球游戏大师，应邀参加的客人们固然虔诚倾听，来自世界各地的听众也无不专心关注着游戏的进展。这类游戏有时候会持续进行几天甚至几星期，在游戏进行之际，全部参加游戏的人，包括听众，都必须遵守精确得把睡眠时间也计算在内的规章，过一种绝对专心的清净寡欲的生活，类似过去人们参加圣依纳爵所举办的一种规定严格的忏悔活动。 写到这里可补充的内容已经不多了。这一游戏中的游戏，由各类学科轮流担任盟主，时而在这门科学，时而又在那门艺术的主导之下，最终形成了一种共通的语言，玻璃球游戏的选手们不仅藉此表达内容深邃的价值观念，而且能够不断调整相互关系。不论在哪个时期，游戏总与音乐关系密切，因而一般情况下游戏常按音乐或者数学的规则进行。一个主题、两个主题、三个主题，其提出、陈述、改变以及开展，与巴赫的赋格曲或者协奏曲中主题的运动几乎一模一样。举例说吧，一场游戏可以从天文学上的某一位形开始，也可从巴赫一首赋格曲的主题开始，也可以从莱布尼兹的一个原理或者印度奥义书里的一个警句发端；游戏还可以根据游戏参与者的目标和才能对业已提出的主题或作进一步研究探讨，或通过它与同类概念的相似之处而使其更加丰富。初学者们一般学习如何在一首古典乐曲与某一自然法则的公式之间通过游戏符号予以平行比较，而游戏能手和大师们则有能力自由运转，对原始主题进行无穷无尽的组合变化。有一派的游戏能手们很长一段时间里喜欢运用对位方式将两个对立的主题或者概念作并存研究，譬如法律与自由，个人与团体等，最后让它们得到和谐结合。人们认为这类游戏的巨大价值在于可以把两种主题或者命题完全平等地并行展开，而使两个正反对立的命题尽可能融合为纯粹的综合。总的说来，除非若干富于独创性的游戏例子，凡是含有否定、怀疑、对抗偏向的游戏大都不受欢迎，有时甚至受到禁止，这与玻璃球游戏高峰时期的游戏大师们当年对游戏意义所持的态度有深刻联系。游戏意味着一种追求和谐完美的最上乘的象征形式，一种最精细微妙的炼丹术，一种让个人超越一切图像和多重性达到单一自我灵魂，也即达到神性的途径。如同较早历史时期的思想家们曾把芸芸众生的生活表现为通向神性的中途，认为多种多样的现象世界唯有在神圣的统一和谐中才得以抵达完善与终极目标，同样的，玻璃球游戏的符号和公式也建基于一种共通的世界语言之上，进行着建筑、音乐和哲学活动，这种语言从所有的科学学科和艺术门类中获取滋养后才得以在游戏中运转，才得以达到完美以及充分实现了的纯粹存在。因而“实现”一词成为玻璃球游戏的选手们最喜欢采用的表达语言，他们感觉游戏是使他们的行动成为实现从变化到存在、从可能性到现实性的一条通道。这里我们想再度援引本文开头时那句尼古拉斯·寇斯的名言。 此外，基督教神学中的用语，一般而言都措词讲究，似乎都已成为公众文化遗产的一个部分，当然也都被吸收入游戏语言之中。因而，基督教教义上的一条主要原则，《圣经》里的一节经文，某位教父的一段布道辞或者拉丁弥撒典礼上的一行祭文，也都像几何学中的一条原理或者莫扎特乐曲的一个旋律一样，可以轻易而精确地予以表达并吸收进玻璃球游戏之内。倘若我们胆敢声称：对于极少数真正玻璃球游戏能手来说，进行游戏几乎相等于做礼拜，这样的话绝不是过火，尽管玻璃球游戏禁止任何属于游戏本身的神学。 不论是玻璃球游戏者团体，还是罗马教会，为了在这个无情的强权世界生存下去，都强烈感到必须互相依存，以致简直不允许两者之间有巨大对抗，虽然这样的危险经常不断出现，因为知识分子处在两大强权之间，他们的诚实正直以及寻求正确单义结论的真诚冲动，往往导致对抗局面。然而这类冲突总算从未发生。罗马教会当局满足于自己的举棋不定态度，时而对游戏赞许支持，时而又拒绝否定，原因很简单，参与游戏的人中，不仅有来自普通人群的才识卓越之士，还有若干极著名的圣职人员。自从公开举办游戏竞赛并且设立由一位游戏大师担任领导的制度后，就得到了教会和教育部门两方面的庇护，而此两者对罗马教廷当局一贯慷慨有礼。 第十五世罗马教皇在其还只任红衣主教期间，曾是一位热心于玻璃球游戏的游戏能手。但在他成为教皇后竟不仅效法他的前任们，从此洗手不玩，而且还试图将游戏交付法庭审判。当年玻璃球游戏确实差一点被大主教会所禁止。但是这位教皇尚未办成此事便死了，而一篇广为流传的这位要人传记中则宣称玻璃球游戏是他深爱的事，只因担任了教皇要职，便不得不持敌对立场。 玻璃球游戏最初仅为个人或者一些朋友间私下里玩玩的活动，但在受到教育部门长期大力促进之后，最终成为了公开的组织，英国和法国最早建立了各自的团体，其他许多国家几乎立即效法。就这样，每个国家都成立了一个游戏委员会，推举出一位最高领袖，头衔是“游戏大师”，在这位大师亲自领导下举办公开的游戏活动都成为了文化大庆典。当然，这位游戏大师也和团体里其他所有高级官员一样，全都是无名氏。除了少数至亲好友，没有人知道他的真名实姓。唯有由每位游戏大师亲自主持的巨型公开活动，才可以动用公共的与国际性的大众传播媒介。游戏大师的责任很重，除了主持公开游戏活动，还得负责培养游戏选手和领导游戏学校，而高于一切之上的事则是以最严格的标准提高游戏的水平。唯有由世界各国游戏大师组成的世界委员会才有权（这在如今已是难以想象的事了）决定新符号和新公式的吸收，游戏规则的调整修改，增删新科目等。人们倘若把玻璃球游戏视作卓越文化人士创造与使用的一种世界语言，那么在各国游戏大师领导下的玻璃球游戏委员会便是保护这种语言的积存、发展以及维持其纯洁性的科学院了。每个国家的全国委员会都设有自己的游戏档案馆，凡是经过检验而许可收人的符号与秘诀都得到了妥善保管，其数量之多，早已大大超过了中国古代汉字。 一般说来，倘若能通过高等学校的毕业考试，获得这种精英学校的及格证书，那么也就算够资格的玻璃球游戏者了，但是若想超出一般水平，那么必得在某项主要学术或音乐方面有超常表现自是不言而喻，过去如此，将来也如此。有朝一日终于济身玻璃球游戏委员会或者甚至成为游戏大师，这几乎是精英学校里每一个十五岁少年的梦想，但是一待有可能获得博士头衔、仍然痴心不改、决意献身玻璃球游戏并为促进其发展而努力奋斗的人，其比例则是极小的。凡是真正的游戏爱好者全都勤于研究玻璃球游戏学问，潜心练习静修功夫，每逢举行“盛大”游戏竞赛时，他们总是在所有虔诚参与者群里成为核心中的核心，他们使这种巨型公开活动具有庄严性质，而不致蜕化变质为徒有外表的典礼。在这类真正游戏者和热心支持者眼中，一位玻璃球游戏大师就是一位君王，或者是一位高级