ponkapog papers-第10章
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strongly for Pro… fessor Rutherford； but I am bound to confess that the weight of my sympathy rests with the frogs。
Observe this frog ＇said the professor＇； it is regard… ing our manoeuvres with a somewhat lively air。 Now and then it gives a jump。 What the precise object of its leaps may be I dare not pretend to say； but prob… ably it regards us with some apprehension； and desires to escape。
To be perfectly impartial； it must be admitted that the frog had some slight reason for appre… hension。 The lecturer proceeded：
I touch one of its toes； and you see it resents the molestation in a very decided manner。 Why does it so struggle to get away when I pinch its toes？ Doubt… less； you will say； because it feels the pinch and would rather not have it repeated。 I now behead the animal with the aid of a sharp chisel。 。 。 。 The headless trunk lies as though it were dead。 The spinal cord seems to be suffering from shock。 Probably； however； it will soon recover from this。 。 。 。 Observe that the animal has now spontaneously drawn up its legs and arms； and it is sitting with its neck erect just as if it had not lost its head at all。 I pinch its toes； and you see the leg is at once thrust out as if to spurn away the offending instrument。 Does it still feel？ and is the motion still the result of the volition？
That the frog did feel； and delicately hinted at the circumstance； there seems to be no room to doubt； for Professor Rutherford related that having once decapitated a frog； the animal sud… denly bounded from the table； a movement that presumably indicated a kind of consciousness。 He then returned to the subject immediately under observation； pinched its foot again； the frog again 〃resenting the stimulation。〃 He then thrust a needle down the spinal cord。 〃The limbs are now flaccid；〃 observed the experi… menter； 〃we may wait as long as we please； but a pinch of the toes will never again cause the limbs of this animal to move。〃 Here is where congratulations can come in for la gre… nouille。 That frog being concluded； the lec… turer continued：
I take another frog。 In this case I open the cranium and remove the brain and medulla oblongata。 。 。 。 I thrust a pin through the nose and hang the animal
thereby to a support； so that it can move its pendent legs without any difficulty。 。 。 。 I gently pinch the toes。 。 。 。 The leg of the same side is pulled up。 。 。 。 I pinch the same more severely。 。 。 。 Both legs are thrown into motion。
Having thus satisfactorily proved that the wretched creature could still suffer acutely； the professor resumed：
The cutaneous nerves of the frog are extremely sen… sitive to acids； so I put a drop of acetic acid on the outside of one knee。 This； you see； gives rise to most violent movements both of arms and legs； and notice particularly that the animal is using the toes of the leg on the same side for the purpose of rubbing the irritated spot。 I dip the whole animal into water in order to wash away the acid； and now it is all at rest again。 。 。 。 I put a drop of acid on the skin over the lumbar region of the spine。 。 。 。 Both feet are instantly raised to the irritated spot。 The animal is able to localize the seat of irritation。 。 。 。 I wash the acid from the back； and I amputate one of the feet at the ankle。 。 。 。 I apply a drop of acid over the knee of the footless leg。 。 。 。 Again； the animal turns the leg towards the knee； as if to reach the irri… tated spot with the toes； these； however； are not now available。 But watch the other foot。 The foot of the other leg is now being used to rub away the acid。 The animal； finding that the object is not accomplished with the foot of the same side； uses the other one。
I think that at least one thing will be patent to every unprejudiced reader of these excerpts； namelythat any frog （with its head on or its head off） which happened to make the per… sonal acquaintance of Professor Rutherford must have found him poor company。 What benefit science may have derived from such association I am not qualified to pronounce upon。 The lec… turer showed conclusively that the frog is a peculiarly sensitive and intelligent little batra… chian。 I hope that the genial professor； in the years which followed； did not frequently con… sider it necessary to demonstrate the fact。
LEIGH HUNT AND BARRY CORNWALL
IT has recently become the fashion to speak disparagingly of Leigh Hunt as a poet； to class him as a sort of pursuivant or shield…bearer to Coleridge； Shelley； and Keats。 Truth to tell； Hunt was not a Keats nor a Shelley nor a Cole… ridge； but he was a most excellent Hunt。 He was a delightful essayistquite unsurpassed； indeed； in his blithe； optimistic wayand as a poet deserves to rank high among the lesser singers of his time。 I should place him far above Barry Cornwall； who has not half the freshness； variety； and originality of his com… peer。 I instance Barry Cornwall because there has seemed a disposition since his death to praise him unduly。 Barry Cornwall has always struck me as extremely artificial； especially in his dra… matic sketches。 His verses in this line are mostly soft Elizabethan echoes。 Of course a dramatist may find it to his profit to go out of his own age and atmosphere for inspiration； but in order successfully to do so he must be a dra… matist。 Barry Cornwall fell short of filling the role； he got no further than the composing of brief disconnected scenes and scraps of solilo… quies； and a tragedy entitled Mirandola； for which the stage had no use。 His chief claim to recognition lies in his lyrics。 Here； as in the dramatic studies； his attitude is nearly always affected。 He studiously strives to reproduce the form and spirit of the early poets。 Being a Lon… doner； he naturally sings much of rural English life； but his England is the England of two or three centuries ago。 He has a great deal to say about the 〃falcon；〃 but the poor bird has the air of beating fatigued wings against the book… shelves of a well…furnished library！ This well… furnished library wasif I may be pardoned a mixed imagethe rock on which Barry Corn… wall split。 He did not look into his own heart； and write： he looked into his books。 A poet need not confine himself to his indi… vidual experiences； the world is all before him where to choose； but there are subjects which he had better not handle unless he have some personal knowledge of them。 The sea is one of these。 The man who sang；
The sea！ the sea！ the open sea！ The blue； the fresh； the ever free！
（a couplet which the Gifted Hopkins might have penned）； should never have permitted himself to sing of the ocean。 I am quoting from one of Barry Cornwall's most popular lyrics。 When I first read this singularly vapid poem years ago； in mid…Atlantic； I wondered if the author had ever laid eyes on any piece of water wider than the Thames at Greenwich； and in looking over Barry Cornwall's 〃Life and Letters〃 I am not so much surprised as amused to learn that he was never out of sight of land in the whole course of his existence。 It is to be said of him more positively than the captain of the Pinafore said it of himself； that he was hardly ever sick at sea。 Imagine Byron or Shelley； who knew the ocean in all its protean moods； piping such thin feebleness as
The blue； the fresh； the ever free！
To do that required a man whose acquaintance with the deep was limited to a view of it from an upper window at Margate or Scarborough。 Even frequent dinners of turbot and whitebait at the sign of The Ship and Turtle will not en… able one to write sea poetry。 Considering the actual facts； there is some… thing weird in the statement；
I 'm on the sea！ I 'm on the sea！ I am where I would ever be。
The words； to be sure； are placed in the mouth of an imagined sailor； but they are none the less diverting。 The stanza containing the distich ends with a striking piece of realism：
If a storm should come and awake the deep； What matter？ I shall ride and sleep。
This is the course of action usually pursued by sailors during a gale。 The first or second mate goes around an
