philosophy 4-第6章
按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
abreast of that gate where Diggs of the Bird…in…Hand had met them at
sunset; Bertie was only aware that a number of things had happened at
once; and that he had stopped the horse after about twenty yards of
battle。 Pride filled him; but emptied away in the same instant; for a
voice on the road behind him spoke inquiringly through the darkness。
〃Did any one fall out?〃 said the voice。 〃Who fell out?〃
〃Billy!〃 shrieked Bertie; cold all over。 〃Billy; are you hurt 〃
〃Did Billy fall out?〃 said the voice; with plaintive cadence。 〃Poor
Billy!〃
〃He can't be;〃 muttered Bertie。 〃Are you?〃 he loudly repeated。
There was no answer: but steps came along the road as Bertie checked and
pacified the gelding。 Then Billy appeared by the wheel。 〃Poor Billy
fell out;〃 he said mildly。 He held something up; which Bertie took。 It
had been Billy's straw hat; now a brimless fabric of ruin。 Except for
smirches and one inexpressible rent which dawn revealed to Bertie a
little later; there were no further injuries; and Billy got in and took
his seat quite competently。
Bertie drove the gelding with a firm hand after this。 They passed
through the cool of the unseen meadow swamps; and heard the sound of the
hollow bridges as they crossed them; and now and then the gulp of some
pouring brook。 They went by the few lights of Mattapan; seeing from
some points on their way the beacons of the harbor; and again the
curving line of lamps that drew the outline of some village built upon a
hill。 Dawn showed them Jamaica Pond; smooth and breezeless; and
encircled with green skeins of foliage; delicate and new。 Here
multitudinous birds were chirping their tiny; overwhelming chorus。 When
at length; across the flat suburban spaces; they again sighted Memorial
tower; small in the distance; the sun was lighting it。
Confronted by this; thoughts of hitherto banished care; and of the
morrow that was now to…day; and of Philosophy 4 coming in a very few
hours; might naturally have arisen and darkened the end of their
pleasant excursion。 Not so; however。 Memorial tower suggested another
line of argument。 It was Billy who spoke; as his eyes first rested upon
that eminent pinnacle of Academe。
〃Well; John owes me five dollars。〃
〃Ten; you mean。〃
〃Ten? How?〃
〃Why; her hair。 And it was easily worth twenty。〃
Billy turned his head and looked suspiciously at Bertie。 〃What did I
do?〃 he asked。
〃Do! Don't you know?〃
Billy in all truth did not;
〃Phew!〃 went Bertie。 〃Well; I don't; either。 Didn't see it。 Saw the
consequences; though。 Don't you remember being ready to apologize? What
do you remember; anyhow?〃
Billy consulted his recollections with care: they seemed to break off at
the champagne。 That was early。 Bertie was astonished。 Did not Billy
remember singing 〃Brace up and dress the Countess;〃 and 〃A noble lord
the Earl of Leicester〃? He had sung them quite in his usual manner;
conversing freely between whiles。 In fact; to see and hear him; no one
would have suspected 〃It must have been that extra silver…fizz you
took before dinner;〃 said Bertie。 〃Yes;〃 said Billy;〃 that's what it
must have been。〃 Bertie supplied the gap in his memory;a matter of
several hours; it seemed。 During most of this time Billy had met the
demands of each moment quite like his usual agreeable selfa
sleep…walking state。 It was only when the hair incident was reached
that his conduct had noticeably crossed the line。 He listened to all
this with interest intense。
〃John does owe me ten; I think;〃 said he。
〃I say so;〃 declared Bertie。 〃When do you begin to remember again?〃
〃After I got in again at the gate。 Why did I get out?〃
〃You fell out; man。〃
Billy was incredulous。
〃You did。 You tore your clothes wide open。〃
Billy; looking at his trousers; did not see it。
〃Rise; and I'll show you;〃 said Bertie。
〃Goodness gracious!〃 said Billy。
Thus discoursing; they reached Harvard Square。 Not your Harvard Square;
gentle reader; that place populous with careless youths and careful
maidens and reticent persons with books; but one of sleeping windows and
clear; cool air and few sounds; a Harvard Square of emptiness and
conspicuous sparrows and milk wagons and early street…car conductors in
long coats going to their breakfast; and over all this the sweetness of
the arching elms。
As the gelding turned down toward Pike's; the thin old church clock
struck。 〃Always sounds;〃 said Billy; 〃like cambric tea。〃
〃Cambridge tea;〃 said Bertie。
〃Walk close behind me;〃 said Billy; as they came away from the livery
stable。 〃Then they won't see the hole。〃
Bertie did so; but the hole was seen by the street…car conductors and
the milkmen; and these sympathetic hearts smiled at the sight of the
marching boys; and loved them without knowing any more of them than
this。 They reached their building and separated。
V
One hour later they met。 Shaving and a cold bath and summer flannels;
not only clean but beautiful; invested them with the radiant innocence
of flowers。 It was still too early for their regular breakfast; and
they sat down to eggs and coffee at the Holly Tree。
〃I waked John up;〃 said Billy。〃 He is satisfied。〃
〃Let's have another order;〃 said Bertie。 〃These eggs are delicious。〃
Each of them accordingly ate four eggs and drank two cups of coffee。
〃Oscar called five times;〃 said Billy; and he threw down those cards
which Oscar had so neatly written。
〃There's multiplicity of the ego for you!〃 said Bertie。
Now; inspiration is a strange thing; and less obedient even than love to
the will of man。 It will decline to come when you prepare for it with
the loftiest intentions; and; lo! at an accidental word it will suddenly
fill you; as at this moment it filled Billy。
〃By gum!〃 said he; laying his fork down。 〃Multiplicity of the ego。 Look
here。 I fall out of a buggy and ask〃
〃By gum!〃 said Bertie; now also visited by inspiration。
〃Don't you see?〃 said Billy。
〃I see a whole lot more;〃 said Bertie; with excitement。 〃I had to tell
you about your singing。〃 And the two burst into a flare of talk。 To
hear such words as cognition; attention; retention; entity; and
identity; freely mingled with such other words as silver…fizz and false
hair; brought John; the egg…and…coffee man; as near surprise as his
impregnable nature permitted。 Thus they finished their large breakfast;
and hastened to their notes for a last good bout at memorizing
Epicharmos of Kos and his various brethren。 The appointed hour found
them crossing the college yard toward a door inside which Philosophy 4
awaited them: three hours of written examination! But they looked more
roseate and healthy than most of the anxious band whose steps were
converging to that same gate of judgment。 Oscar; meeting them on the
way; gave them his deferential 〃Good morning;〃 and trusted that the
gentlemen felt easy。 Quite so; they told him; and bade him feel easy
about his pay; for which they were; of course; responsible。 Oscar
wished them good luck and watched them go to their desks with his Iittle
eyes; smiling in his particular manner。 Then he dismissed them from his
mind; and sat with a faint remnant of his smile; fluently writing his
perfectly accurate answer to the first question upon the examination
paper。
Here is that paper。 You will not be able to answer all the questions;
probably; but you may be glad to know what such things are like。
PHILOSOPHY 4
1。 Thales; Zeno; Parmenides; Heracleitos; Anaxagoras。 State briefly
the doctrine of each。
2。 Phenomenon; noumenon。 Discuss these terms。 Name their modern
descendants。
3。 Thought=Being。 Assuming this; state the difference; if any; between
(1) memory and anticipation; (2) sleep and waking。
4。 Democritus; Pythagoras; Bacon。 State the relation between them。 In
what terms must the objective world ultimately be stated? Why?
5。 Experience is the result of time and space being included in the
nature of mind。 Discuss this。
6。 Nihil est in intellectu quod non prius fuerit in sensibus。 Whose
doctrine? Discuss it。
7。 What is the inherent limitation in all ancient philosophy? Who
first removed it?
8。 Mind is expressed through what? Matter through what? Is speech the
result or the cause of thought?
9。 Discuss the nature of the ego。
10。 According to Plato; Locke;êBerkeley; where would the sweetness of a
honeycomb reside? Where would its shape? its weight? Where do you
think these properties reside?
Ten questions; and no Epicharmos of Kos。 But no examination paper asks
everything; and this one did ask a good deal。 Bertie and Billy wrote
the full time allotted; and found that they could have filled an hour
more without coming to the end of their thoughts。 Comparing notes at
lunch; their information was discovered to have been lacking here and
there。 Nevertheless; it was no failure; their inner convictions were
sure of fifty per cent at least; and this was all they asked of the
gods。 〃I was ripping about the ego;〃 said Bertie。 〃I was rather
splendid myself;〃 said Billy; 〃when I got going。 And I gave him a huge
steer about memory。〃 After lunch both retired to their beds and fell
into sweet oblivion until seven o'clock; when they rose and dined; and
after playing a little poker went to bed again pretty early。
Some six mornings later; when the Professor returned their papers to
them; their minds were washed almost as clear of Plato and Thales as
were their bodies of yesterday's dust。 The dates and doctrines; hastily
memorized to rattle off upon the great occasion; lay only upon the
surface of their minds; and after use they quickly evaporated。 To their
pleasure and most genuine astonishment; the Professor paid them high
compliments。 Bertie's discussion of the double personality had been the
most intelligent which had come in from any of the class。 The
illustration of the intoxicated hack…driver who had fallen from his hack
and inquired who it was that had fallen; and then had pitied himself;
was; said the Professor; as original and perfect an illustration of our
subjective…objectivity as he had met with in all his researches。 And
Billy's suggestions concerning the inherency of time and space in the
mind the Professor had also found very striking and independent;
particularly his reasoning based upon the well…known distortions of time
and space which hashish and other drugs produce in us。 This was the
sort of thing which the Professor had wanted from his students: free
comment and discussions; the spirit of the course; rather than any
strict adherence to the letter。 He had constructed his questions to
elicit as muc