autobiography and selected essays-第40章

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pamphlet　On　the　Limits　of　Philosophical　inquiry　is　quoted；　and　I

have；　here　and　there；　endeavoured　to　express　my　meaning　more　fully

and　clearly　than　I　seem　to　have　done　in　speakingif　I　may　judge　by

sundry　criticisms　upon　what　I　am　supposed　to　have　said；　which　have

appeared。　　But　in　substance；　and；　so　far　as　my　recollection　serves；

in　form；　what　is　here　written　corresponds　with　what　was　there

said。〃Huxley。



＇93＇

Finner　whale：　a　name　given　to　a　whale　which　has　a　dorsal　fin。　　A

Finner　whale　commonly　measures　from　60　to　90　feet　in　length。



＇94＇

A　fortiori：　with　stronger　reason：　still　more　conclusively。



＇95＇

well…known　epigram：　from　Goethe's　Venetianische　Epigramme。　　The

following　is　a　translation　of　the　passage：　Why　do　the　people　push

each　other　and　shout？　　They　want　to　work　for　their　living；　bring

forth　children；　and　feed　them　as　well　as　they　possibly　can。　。　。　。

No　man　can　attain　to　more；　however　much　he　may　pretend　to　the

contrary。



＇96＇

Maelstroms：　a　celebrated　whirlpool　or　violent　current　in　the　Arctic

Ocean；　near　the　western　coast　of　Norway；　between　the　islands　of

Moskenaso　and　Mosken；　formerly　supposed　to　suck　in　and　destroy

everything　that　approached　it　at　any　time；　but　now　known　not　to　be

dangerous　except　under　certain　conditions。　　Century　Dictionary。

Cf。　also　Poe's　Descent　into　the　Maelstrom。



＇97＇

Milne…Edwards　（1800…1885）：　a　French　naturalist。　　His　Elements　de

Zoologie　won　him　a　great　reputation。



＇98＇

with　such　qualifications　as　arises：　a　typographical　error。



＇99＇

De　Bary　（1831…1888）：　a　German　botanist　noted　especially　for　his

researches　in　cryptogamic　botany。



＇100＇

No　Man's　Land：　Huxley　probably　intends　no　specific　geographical

reference。　　The　expression　is　common　as　a　designation　of　some

remote　and　unfrequented　locality。



＇101＇

Kuhne　（1837…1900）：　a　German　physiologist　and　professor　of　science

at　Amsterdam　and　Heidelberg。



＇102＇

Debemur　morti　nos　nostraque：　HoraceArs　Poetica；　line　63。



As　forests　change　their　foliage　year　by　year；

Leaves；　that　come　first；　first　tall　and　disappear；

So　antique　words　die　out；　and　in　their　room；

Others　spring　up；　of　vigorous　growth　and　bloom；

Ourselves　and　all　that's　ours；　to　death　are　due；

And　why　should　words　not　be　mortal　too？



Martin's　translation。



＇103＇

peau　de　chagrin：　skin　of　a　wild　ass。



＇104＇

Balzac　（1799…1850）：　a　celebrated　French　novelist　of　the　realistic

school　of　fiction。



＇105＇

Barmecide　feast：　the　allusion　is　to　a　story　in　the　Arabian　Nights

in　which　a　member　of　the　Barmecide　family　places　a　succession　of

empty　dishes　before　a　beggar；　pretending　that　they　contain　a　rich

repast。



＇106＇

modus　operandi：　method　of　working。



＇107＇

Martinus　Scriblerus：　a　reference　to　Memoirs　of　Martinus　Scriblerus

written　principally　by　John　Arbuthnot；　and　published　in　1741。　　The

purpose　of　the　papers　is　given　by　Warburton　and　Spence　in　the

following　extracts　quoted　from　the　Preface　to　the　Memoirs　of　the

Extraordinary　Life；　Works　and　Discoveries　of　Martinus　Scriblerus　in

Elwin　and　Courthope's　edition　of　Pope's　works；　vol。　x；　p。　273：



〃Mr。　Pope；　Dr。　Arbuthnot；　and　Dr。　Swift；　in　conjunction；　formed　the

project　of　a　satire　on　the　abuses　of　human　learning；　and　to　make　it

better　received；　proposed　to　execute　it　in　the　manner　of　Cervantes

（the　original　author　of　this　species　of　satire）　under　a　continued

narrative　of　feigned　adventures。　　They　had　observed　that　those

abuses　still　kept　their　ground　against　all　that　the　ablest　and

gravest　authors　could　say　to　discredit　them；　they　concluded；

therefore；　the　force　of　ridicule　was　wanting　to　quicken　their

disgrace；　and　ridicule　was　here　in　its　place；　when　the　abuses　had

been　already　detected　by　sober　reasoning；　and　truth　in　no　danger　to

suffer　by　the　premature　use　of　so　powerful　an　instrument。〃



〃The　design　of　this　work；　as　stated　by　Pope　himself；　is　to　ridicule

all　the　false　tastes　in　learning　under　the　character　of　a　man　of

capacity　enough；　that　had　dipped　into　every　art　and　science；　but

injudiciously　in　each。　　It　was　begun　by　a　club　of　some　of　the

greatest　wits　of　the　ageLord　Oxford；　the　Bishop　of　Rochester；

Pope；　Congreve；　Swift；　Arbuthnot；　and　others。　　Gay　often　held　the

pen；　and　Addison　liked　it　very　well；　and　was　not　disinclined　to

come　into　it。〃



＇108＇

accounted　for　the　operation　of　the　meat…jack：　from　the　paper　〃To

the　learned　inquisitor　into　nature；　Martinus　Scriblerus：　the

society　of　free　thinkers　greeting。〃　　Elwin　and　Courthope；　Pope's

works；　vol。　？；　p。　332。



＇109＇

The　remainder　of　the　essay　endeavors　to　meet　the　charge　of

materialism。　　The　following　is　the　conclusion：



〃In　itself　it　is　of　little　moment　whether　we　express　the　phaenomena

of　matter　in　terms　of　spirit；　or　the　phaenomena　of　spirit　in　terms

of　matter：　matter　may　be　regarded　as　a　form　of　thought；　thought　may

be　regarded　as　a　property　of　mattereach　statement　has　a　certain

relative　truth。　　But　with　a　view　to　the　progress　of　science；　the

materialistic　terminology　is　in　every　way　to　be　preferred。　　For　it

connects　thought　with　the　other　phaenomena　of　the　universe；　and

suggests　inquiry　into　the　nature　of　those　physical　conditions；　or

concomitants　of　thought；　which　are　more　or　less　accessible　to　us；

and　a　knowledge　of　which　may；　in　future；　help　us　to　exercise　the

same　kind　of　control　over　the　world　of　thought；　as　we　already

possess　in　respect　of　the　material　world；　whereas；　the　alternative；

or　spiritualistic；　terminology　is　utterly　barren；　and　leads　to

nothing　but　obscurity　and　confusion　of　ideas。



〃Thus　there　can　be　little　doubt；　that　the　further　science　advances；

the　more　extensively　and　consistently　will　all　the　phaenomena　of

Nature　be　represented　by　materialistic　formulae　and　symbols。　　But

the　man　of　science；　who；　forgetting　the　limits　of　philosophical

inquiry；　slides　from　these　formulae　and　symbols　into　what　is

commonly　understood　by　materialism；　seems　to　me　to　place　himself　on

a　level　with　the　mathematician；　who　should　mistake　the　x's　and　y's

with　which　he　works　his　problems；　for　real　entitiesand　with　this

further　disadvantage；　as　compared　with　the　mathematician；　that　the

blunders　of　the　latter　are　of　no　practical　consequence；　while　the

errors　of　systematic　materialism　may　paralyze　the　energies　and

destroy　the　beauty　of　a　life。〃







ON　CORAL　AND　CORAL　REEFS　（1870）





＇110＇

On　Coral　and　Coral　Reefs：　from　Critiques　and　Addresses。　　The　essay

was　published　in　1870。



＇111＇

Sic　et　curalium：　Thus　also　the　coral；　as　soon　as　it　touches　the　air

turns　hard。　　It　was　a　soft　plant　under　the　water。



＇112＇

Boccone　（1633…1704）：　a　noted　Sicilian　naturalist。



＇113＇

Marsigli　（1658…1730）：　an　Italian　soldier　and　naturalist。　　He　wrote

A　Physical　History　of　the　Sea。



＇114＇

〃Traite　du　Corail〃：　〃I　made　the　coral　bloom　in　vases　full　of　sea…

water；　and　I　noticed　that　what　we　believe　to　be　the　flower　of　this

so…called　plant　was　in　reality　only　an　insect　similar　to　a　little

nettle　or　polype。　　I　had　the　pleasure　to　see　the　paws　or　feet　of

this　nettle　move；　and　having　placed　the　vase　full　of　water　in　which

the　coral　was；　near　the　fire；　at　a　moderate　heat；　all　the　little

insects　expanded；　the　nettle　stretched　out　its　feet　and　formed　what

M。　de　Marsigli　and　I　had　taken　for　the　petals　of　the　flower。　　The

calyx　of　this　so…called　flower　is　the　very　body　of　the　animal

issued　from　its　cell。〃



＇115＇

Reaumur　（1683…1757）：　a　French　physiologist　and　naturalist；　best

known　as　the　inventor　of　the　Reaumur　thermometer。　　He　was　a　member

of　the　French　Academy　of　Science。



＇116＇

Bishop　Wilson：　Thomas　Wilson　（1663…1755）；　bishop　of　the　Isle　of

Man。　　Details　of　his　life　are　given　in　the　folio　edition　of　his

works　（1782）。　　An　appreciation　of　his　religious　writings　is　given

by　Matthew　Arnold　in　Culture　and　Anarchy。　　Bishop　Wilson's　words；

〃To　make　reason　and　the　will　of　God　prevail；〃　are　the　th