thoughts on man-第34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！


l　may　stand　in　general　consideration　for　the　analysis　of　the　species。　　Where　this　principle　fails；　it　is　not　easy　to　suggest　a　proceeding　that　shall　supply　the　deficiency。　　I　look　into　my　own　breast；　I　observe　steadily　and　with　diligence　what　passes　there；　and　with　all　the　parade　of　the　philosophy　of　the　human　mind　I　can　do　little　more　than　this。

In　treating　therefore　of　education　in　the　point　of　view　in　which　it　has　just　been　proposed；　I　turn　my　observation　upon　myself；　and　I　proceed　thus。If　I　do　not　stand　as　a　competent　representative　for　the　whole　of　my　species；　I　suppose　I　may　at　least　assume　to　be　the　representative　of　no　inconsiderable　number　of　them。

I　find　then　in　myself；　for　as　long　a　time　as　I　can　trace　backward　the　records　of　memory；　a　prominent　vein　of　docility。　　Whatever　it　was　proposed　to　teach　me；　that　was　in　any　degree　accordant　with　my　constitution　and　capacity；　I　was　willing　to　learn。　　And　this　limit　is　sufficient　for　the　topic　I　am　proposing　to　treat。　　I　do　not　intend　to　consider　education　of　any　other　sort；　than　that　which　has　something　in　it　of　a　liberal　and　ingenuous　nature。　　I　am　not　here　discussing　the　education　of　a　peasant；　an　artisan；　or　a　slave。

In　addition　to　this　vein　of　docility；　which　easily　prompted　me　to　learn　whatever　was　proposed　for　my　instruction　and　improvement；　I　felt　in　myself　a　sentiment　of　ambition；　a　desire　to　possess　the　qualifications　which　I　found　to　be　productive　of　esteem；　and　that　should　enable　me　to　excel　among　my　contemporaries。　　I　was　ambitious　to　be　a　leader；　and　to　be　regarded　by　others　with　feelings　of　complacency。　　I　had　no　wish　to　rule　by　brute　force　and　compulsion；　but　I　was　desirous　to　govern　by　love；　and　honour；　and　〃the　cords　of　a　man。〃

I　do　not　imagine　that；　when　I　aver　thus　much　of　myself；　I　am　bringing　forward　any　thing　unprecedented；　or　that　multitudes　of　my　fellow…men　do　not　largely　participate　with　me。

The　question　therefore　I　am　considering　is；　through　what　agency；　and　with　what　engines；　a　youth　thus　disposed；　and　with　these　qualifications；　is　to　be　initiated　in　all　liberal　arts。

I　will　go　back　no　further　than　to　the　commencement　of　the　learning　of　Latin。　　All　before　was　so　easy　to　me；　as　never　to　have　presented　the　idea　of　a　task。　　I　was　immediately　put　into　the　accidence。　　No　explanation　was　attempted　to　be　given　why　Latin　was　to　be　of　use　to　me；　or　why　it　was　necessary　to　commit　to　memory　the　cases　of　nouns　and　the　tenses　of　verbs。　　I　know　not　whether　this　was　owing　to　the　unwillingness　of　my　instructor　to　give　himself　the　trouble；　or　to　my　supposed　incapacity　to　apprehend　the　explanation。　　The　last　of　these　I　do　not　admit。　　My　docility　however　came　to　my　aid；　and　I　did　not　for　a　moment　harbour　any　repugnance　to　the　doing　what　was　required　of　me。　　At　first；　and　unassisted　in　the　enquiry；　I　felt　a　difficulty　in　supposing　that　the　English　language；　all　the　books　in　my　father's　library；　did　not　contain　every　thing　that　it　would　be　necessary　for　me　to　know。　　In　no　long　time　however　I　came　to　experience　a　pleasure　in　turning　the　thoughts　expressed　in　an　unknown　tongue　into　my　own；　and　I　speedily　understood　that　I　could　never　be　on　a　level　with　those　eminent　scholars　whom　it　was　my　ambition　to　rival；　without　the　study　of　the　classics。

What　then　were　the　obstacles；　that　should　in　any　degree　counteract　my　smooth　and　rapid　progress　in　the　studies　suggested　to　me？　　I　can　conceive　only　two。

First；　the　versatility　and　fickleness　which　in　a　greater　or　less　degree　beset　all　human　minds；　particularly　in　the　season　of　early　youth。　　However　docile　we　may　be；　and　willing　to　learn；　there　will　be　periods；　when　either　some　other　object　powerfully　solicits　us；　or　satiety　creeps　in；　and　makes　us　wish　to　occupy　our　attention　with　any　thing　else　rather　than　with　the　task　prescribed　us。　　But　this　is　no　powerful　obstacle。　　The　authority　of　the　instructor；　a　grave　look；　and　the　exercise　of　a　moderate　degree　of　patience　will　easily　remove　it　in　such　a　probationer　as　we　are　here　considering。

Another　obstacle　is　presumption。　　The　scholar　is　willing　to　conceive　well　of　his　own　capacity。　　He　has　a　vanity　in　accomplishing　the　task　prescribed　him　in　the　shortest　practicable　time。　　He　is　impatient　to　go　away　from　the　business　imposed　upon　him；　to　things　of　his　own　election；　and　occupations　which　his　partialities　and　his　temper　prompt　him　to　pursue。　　He　has　a　pride　in　saying　to　himself；　〃This；　which　was　a　business　given　to　occupy　me　for　several　hours；　I　can　accomplish　in　less　than　one。〃　　But　the　presumption　arising　out　of　these　views　is　easily　subdued。　　If　the　pupil　is　wrong　in　his　calculation；　the　actual　experiment　will　speedily　convince　him　of　his　error。　　He　is　humbled　by　and　ashamed　of　his　mistake。　　The　merely　being　sent　back　to　study　his　lesson　afresh；　is　on　the　face　of　the　thing　punishment　enough。

It　follows　from　this　view　of　the　matter；　that　an　ingenuous　youth；　endowed　with　sufficient　capacity　for　the　business　prescribed　him；　may　be　led　on　in　the　path　of　intellectual　acquisition　and　improvement　with　a　silken　cord。　　It　will　demand　a　certain　degree　of　patience　on　the　part　of　the　instructor。　　But　Heaven　knows；　that　this　patience　is　sufficiently　called　into　requisition　when　the　instructor　shall　be　the　greatest　disciplinarian　that　ever　existed。　　Kind　tones　and　encouragement　will　animate　the　learner　amidst　many　a　difficult　pass。　　A　grave　remark　may　perhaps　sometimes　be　called　for。　　And；　if　the　preceptor　and　the　pupil　have　gone　on　like　friends；　a　grave　remark；　a　look　expressive　of　rebuke；　will　be　found　a　very　powerful　engine。　　The　instructor　should　smooth　the　business　of　instruction　to　his　pupil；　by　appealing　to　his　understanding；　developing　his　taste；　and　assisting　him　to　remark　the　beauties　of　the　composition　on　which　he　is　occupied。

I　come　now　then　to　the　consideration　of　the　two　engines　mentioned　in　the　commencement　of　this　Essay；　reprehension　and　chastisement。

And　here；　as　in　what　went　before；　I　am　reduced　to　the　referring　to　my　own　experience；　and　looking　back　into　the　history　of　my　own　mind。

I　say　then；　that　reprehension　and　reprimand　can　scarcely　ever　be　necessary。　　The　pupil　should　undoubtedly　be　informed　when　he　is　wrong。　　He　should　be　told　what　it　is　that　he　ought　to　have　omitted；　and　that　he　ought　to　have　done。　　There　should　be　no　reserve　in　this。　　It　will　be　worthy　of　the　highest　censure；　if　on　these　points　the　instructor　should　be　mealy…mouthed；　or　hesitate　to　tell　the　pupil　in　the　plainest　terms；　of　his　faults；　his　bad　habits；　and　the　dangers　that　beset　his　onward　and　honourable　path。

But　this　may　be　best；　and　most　beneficially　done；　and　in　a　way　most　suitable　to　the　exigence；　and　to　the　party　to　be　corrected；　in　a　few　words。　　The　rest　is　all　an　unwholsome　tumour；　the　disease　of　speech；　and　not　the　sound　and　healthful　substance　through　which　its　circulation　and　life　are　conveyed。

There　is　always　danger　of　this　excrescence　of　speech；　where　the　speaker　is　the　umpire；　and　feels　himself　at　liberty；　unreproved；　to　say　what　he　pleases。　　He　is　charmed　with　the　sound　of　his　own　voice。　　The　periods　flow　numerous　from　his　tongue；　and　he　gets　on　at　his　ease。　　There　is　in　all　this　an　image　of　empire；　and　the　human　mind　is　ever　prone　to　be　delighted　in　the　exercise　of　unrestricted　authority。　　The　pupil　in　this　case　stands　before　his　instructor　in　an　attitude　humble；　submissive；　and　bowing　to　the　admonition　that　is　communicated　to　him。　　The　speaker　says　more　than　it　was　in　his　purpose　to　say；　and　he　knows　not　how　to　arrest　himself　in　his　triumphant　career。　　He　believes　that　he　is　in　no　danger　of　excess；　and　recollects　the　old　proverb　that　〃words　break　no　bones。〃

But　a　syllable　more　than　is　necessary　and　justly　measured；　is　materially　of　evil　operation　to　ingenuous　youth。　　The　mind　of　such　a　youth　is　tender　and　flexible；　and　easily　swayed　one　way　or　the　other。　　He　believes　almost　every　thing　that　he　is　bid　to　believe；　and　the　admonition　that　is　given　him　with　all　the　symptoms　of　friendliness　and　sincerity　he　is　prompt　to　subscribe　to。　　If　this　is　wantonly　aggravated　to　him；　he　feels　the　oppression；　and　is　galled　with　the　injustice。　　He　knows　himself　guiltless　of　premeditated　wrong。　　He　has　not　yet　learned　that　his　condition　is　that　of　a　slave；　and　he　feels　a　certain　impatience　at　his　being　considered　as　such；　though　he　probably　does　not　venture　to　express　it。　　He　shuts　up　the　sense　of　this　despotism　in　his　own　bosom；　and　it　is　his　first　lesson　of　independence　and　rebellion　and　original　sin。

It　is　one　of　the　grossest　mistakes　of　which　we　can　be　guilty；　if　we　confound　different　offences　and　offenders　together。　　The　great　and　the　small　alike　appear　before　us　in　the　many…coloured　scene　of　human　society；　and；　if　we　reprehend　bitterly　and　rate　a　juvenile　sinner　for　the　fault；　which　he　scarcely　understood；　and　assuredly　had　not　premeditated；　we　break　down　at　once　a　thousand　salutary　boundaries；　and　reduce　the　ideas　of　right　and　wrong　in　his　mind　to　a　portentous　and　terrible　chaos。　　The　communicator　of　liberal　knowledge　assuredly　ought　not　to　confound　his　office　with　that　of　a　magistrate　at　a　quarter…sessions；　who　though　he　does　not　sit　in　judgment　upon　transgressions　of　the　deepest　and　most　atrocious　character；　yet　has　brought　before　him　in　many　cases　defaulters　of　a　somewhat　hardened　disposition；　whose　lot　has　been　cast　among　the　loose　and　the　profligate；　and　who　have　been　carefully　trained　to　a　certain　audacity　of　temper；　taught　to　look　upon　the　paraphernalia　of　justice　with　scorn；　and　to　place　a　sort　of　honour　in　sustaining　hard　words　and　the　lesser　visitations　of　punishment　with　unflinching　nerve。

If　this　is　the　judgment　we　ought　to　pass　upon　the　bitter　and　galling　and　humiliating　terms　of　reprehension　apt　to　be　made　use　of　by　the　instructor　to　his　pupil；　it　is　unnecessary　to　say　a　word　on　the　subject　of　chastisement。　　If　such　an　expedient　is　ever　to　be　had　recourse　to；　it　can　only　be　in　cases　of　contumaciousness　and　rebellion；　and　then　the　instructor　cannot　too　unreservedly　say　to　himself；　〃This　is　matter　of　deep　humiliation　to　me：　　I　ought　to　have　succeeded　by　an　appeal　to　the　understanding　and　ingenuous　feelings　of　youth；　but　I　am　reduced　to　a　confession　of　my　impotence。〃

But　the　topic　which；　most　of　all；　I　was　desirous　to　bring　forward　in　this　Essay；　is　that　of　the　language　so　customarily　employed　by　the　impatient　and　irritated　preceptor；　〃Hereafter；　in　a　state　of　mature　and　ripened　judgment；　you　will　thank　me　for　the　severity　I　now　exercise　towards　you。〃

No；　it　may　safely　be　answered：　　that　time　will　never　arrive。

As；　in　one　of　my　earlier　Essays＇33＇；　I　undertook　to　shew　that　there　is　not　so　much　difference　between　the　talents　of　one　man　and　another　as　has　often　been　apprehended；　so　we　are　guilty　of　a　gross　error　in　the　way　in　which　we　divide　the　child　from　the　man；　and　consider　him　as　if　he　belonged　to　a　distinct　species　of　beings。

＇33＇　Essay　II。


I　go　back　to　the　recollections　of　my　youth；　and　can　scarcely　find　where　to　draw　the　line　between　ineptness　and　maturity。　　The　thoughts　that　occurred　to　me；　as　far　back　as　I　can　recollect　them；　were　often　shrewd；　the　suggestions　ingenious；　the　judgments　not　seldom　acute。　　I　feel　myself　the　same　individual　all　through。

Sometimes　I　was　unreasonably　presumptuous；　and　sometimes　unnecessarily　distrustf