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第8章

philosophy 4-第8章

小说: philosophy 4 字数: 每页4000字

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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


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