glaucus-第7章

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not　merely　in　travel；　but　in　investigation；　knowing　（as　Lord　Bacon　

might　have　put　it）　that　the　kingdom　of　Nature；　like　the　kingdom　of　

heaven；　must　be　taken　by　violence；　and　that　only　to　those　who　knock　

long　and　earnestly　does　the　great　mother　open　the　doors　of　her　

sanctuary。　　He　must　be　of　a　reverent　turn　of　mind　also；　not　rashly　

discrediting　any　reports；　however　vague　and　fragmentary；　giving　man　

credit　always　for　some　germ　of　truth；　and　giving　Nature　credit　for　

an　inexhaustible　fertility　and　variety；　which　will　keep　him　his　

life　long　always　reverent；　yet　never　superstitious；　wondering　at　

the　commonest；　but　not　surprised　by　the　most　strange；　free　from　the　

idols　of　size　and　sensuous　loveliness；　able　to　see　grandeur　in　the　

minutest　objects；　beauty；　in　the　most　ungainly；　estimating　each　

thing　not　carnally；　as　the　vulgar　do；　by　its　size　or　its　

pleasantness　to　the　senses；　but　spiritually；　by　the　amount　of　

Divine　thought　revealed　to　Man　therein；　holding　every　phenomenon　

worth　the　noting　down；　believing　that　every　pebble　holds　a　

treasure；　every　bud　a　revelation；　making　it　a　point　of　conscience　

to　pass　over　nothing　through　laziness　or　hastiness；　lest　the　vision　

once　offered　and　despised　should　be　withdrawn；　and　looking　at　every　

object　as　if　he　were　never　to　behold　it　again。



Moreover；　he　must　keep　himself　free　from　all　those　perturbations　of　

mind　which　not　only　weaken　energy；　but　darken　and　confuse　the　

inductive　faculty；　from　haste　and　laziness；　from　melancholy；　

testiness；　pride；　and　all　the　passions　which　make　men　see　only　what　

they　wish　to　see。　　Of　solemn　and　scrupulous　reverence　for　truth；　of　

the　habit　of　mind　which　regards　each　fact　and　discovery；　not　as　our　

own　possession；　but　as　the　possession　of　its　Creator；　independent　

of　us；　our　tastes；　our　needs；　or　our　vain…glory；　I　hardly　need　to　

speak；　for　it　is　the　very　essence　of　a　nature's　faculty　…　the　very　

tenure　of　his　existence：　　and　without　truthfulness　science　would　be　

as　impossible　now　as　chivalry　would　have　been　of　old。



And　last；　but　not　least；　the　perfect　naturalist　should　have　in　him　

the　very　essence　of　true　chivalry；　namely；　self…devotion；　the　

desire　to　advance；　not　himself　and　his　own　fame　or　wealth；　but　

knowledge　and　mankind。　　He　should　have　this　great　virtue；　and　in　

spite　of　many　shortcomings　（for　what　man　is　there　who　liveth　and　

sinneth　not？）；　naturalists　as　a　class　have　it　to　a　degree　which　

makes　them　stand　out　most　honourably　in　the　midst　of　a　self…seeking　

and　mammonite　generation；　inclined　to　value　everything　by　its　money　

price；　its　private　utility。　　The　spirit　which　gives　freely；　because　

it　knows　that　it　has　received　freely；　which　communicates　knowledge　

without　hope　of　reward；　without　jealousy　and　rivalry；　to　fellow…

students　and　to　the　world；　which　is　content　to　delve　and　toil　

comparatively　unknown；　that　from　its　obscure　and　seemingly　

worthless　results　others　may　derive　pleasure；　and　even　build　up　

great　fortunes；　and　change　the　very　face　of　cities　and　lands；　by　

the　practical　use　of　some　stray　talisman　which　the　poor　student　has　

invented　in　his　laboratory；　…　this　is　the　spirit　which　is　abroad　

among　our　scientific　men；　to　a　greater　degree　than　it　ever　has　been　

among　any　body　of　men　for　many　a　century　past；　and　might　well　be　

copied　by　those　who　profess　deeper　purposes　and　a　more　exalted　

calling；　than　the　discovery　of　a　new　zoophyte；　or　the　

classification　of　a　moorland　crag。



And　it　is　these　qualities；　however　imperfectly　they　may　be　realized　

in　any　individual　instance；　which　make　our　scientific　men；　as　a　

class；　the　wholesomest　and　pleasantest　of　companions　abroad；　and　at　

home　the　most　blameless；　simple；　and　cheerful；　in　all　domestic　

relations；　men　for　the　most　part　of　manful　heads；　and　yet　of　

childlike　hearts；　who　have　turned　to　quiet　study；　in　these　late　

piping　times　of　peace；　an　intellectual　health　and　courage　which　

might　have　made　them；　in　more　fierce　and　troublous　times；　capable　

of　doing　good　service　with　very　different　instruments　than　the　

scalpel　and　the　microscope。



I　have　been　sketching　an　ideal：　　but　one　which　I　seriously　

recommend　to　the　consideration　of　all　parents；　for；　though　it　be　

impossible　and　absurd　to　wish　that　every　young　man　should　grow　up　a　

naturalist　by　profession；　yet　this　age　offers　no　more　wholesome　

training；　both　moral　and　intellectual；　than　that　which　is　given　by　

instilling　into　the　young　an　early　taste　for　outdoor　physical　

science。　　The　education　of　our　children　is　now　more　than　ever　a　

puzzling　problem；　if　by　education　we　mean　the　development　of　the　

whole　humanity；　not　merely　of　some　arbitrarily　chosen　part　of　it。　　

How　to　feed　the　imagination　with　wholesome　food；　and　teach　it　to　

despise　French　novels；　and　that　sugared　slough　of　sentimental　

poetry；　in　comparison　with　which　the　old　fairy…tales　and　ballads　

were　manful　and　rational；　how　to　counteract　the　tendency　to　

shallowed　and　conceited　sciolism；　engendered　by　hearing　popular　

lectures　on　all　manner　of　subjects；　which　can　only　be　really　learnt　

by　stern　methodic　study；　how　to　give　habits　of　enterprise；　

patience；　accurate　observation；　which　the　counting…house　or　the　

library　will　never　bestow；　above　all；　how　to　develop　the　physical　

powers；　without　engendering　brutality　and　coarseness　…　are　

questions　becoming　daily　more　and　more　puzzling；　while　they　need　

daily　more　and　more　to　be　solved；　in　an　age　of　enterprise；　travel；　

and　emigration；　like　the　present。　　For　the　truth　must　be　told；　that　

the　great　majority　of　men　who　are　now　distinguished　by　commercial　

success；　have　had　a　training　the　directly　opposite　to　that　which　

they　are　giving　to　their　sons。　　They　are　for　the　most　part　men　who　

have　migrated　from　the　country　to　the　town；　and　had　in　their　youth　

all　the　advantages　of　a　sturdy　and　manful　hill…side　or　sea…side　

training；　men　whose　bodies　were　developed；　and　their　lungs　fed　on　

pure　breezes；　long　before　they　brought　to　work　in　the　city　the　

bodily　and　mental　strength　which　they　had　gained　by　loch　and　moor。　　

But　it　is　not　so　with　their　sons。　　Their　business　habits　are　learnt　

in　the　counting…house；　a　good　school；　doubtless；　as　far　as　it　goes：　　

but　one　which　will　expand　none　but　the　lowest　intellectual　

faculties；　which　will　make　them　accurate　accountants；　shrewd　

computers　and　competitors；　but　never　the　originators　of　daring　

schemes；　men　able　and　willing　to　go　forth　to　replenish　the　earth　

and　subdue　it。　　And　in　the　hours　of　relaxation；　how　much　of　their　

time　is　thrown　away；　for　want　of　anything　better；　on　frivolity；　not　

to　say　on　secret　profligacy；　parents　know　too　well；　and　often　shut　

their　eyes　in　very　despair　to　evils　which　they　know　not　how　to　

cure。　　A　frightful　majority　of　our　middle…class　young　men　are　

growing　up　effeminate；　empty　of　all　knowledge　but　what　tends　

directly　to　the　making　of　a　fortune；　or　rather；　to　speak　correctly；　

to　the　keeping　up　the　fortunes　which　their　fathers　have　made　for　

them；　while　of　the　minority；　who　are　indeed　thinkers　and　readers；　

how　many　women　as　well　as　men　have　we　seen　wearying　their　souls　

with　study　undirected；　often　misdirected；　craving　to　learn；　yet　not　

knowing　how　or　what　to　learn；　cultivating；　with　unwholesome　energy；　

the　head　at　the　expense　of　the　body　and　the　heart；　catching　up　with　

the　most　capricious　self…will　one　mania　after　another；　and　tossing　

it　away　again　for　some　new　phantom；　gorging　the　memory　with　facts　

which　no　one　has　taught　them　to　arrange；　and　the　reason　with　

problems　which　they　have　no　method　for　solving；　till　they　fret　

themselves　in　a　chronic　fever　of　the　brain；　which　too　often　urge　

them　on　to　plunge；　as　it　were；　to　cool　the　inward　fire；　into　the　

ever…restless　seas　of　doubt　or　of　superstition。　　It　is　a　sad　

picture。　　There　are　many　who　may　read　these　pages　whose　hearts　will　

tell　them　that　it　is　a　true　one。　　What　is　wanted　in　these　cases　is　

a　methodic　and　scientific　habit