glaucus-第8章

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

a　methodic　and　scientific　habit　of　mind；　and　a　class　of　objects　on　

which　to　exercise　that　habit；　which　will　fever　neither　the　

speculative　intellect　nor　the　moral　sense；　and　those　physical　

science　will　give；　as　nothing　else　can　give　it。



Moreover；　to　revert　to　another　point　which　we　touched　just　now；　man　

has　a　body　as　well　as　a　mind；　and　with　the　vast　majority　there　will　

be　no　MENS　SANA　unless　there　be　a　CORPUS　SANUM　for　it　to　inhabit。　　

And　what　outdoor　training　to　give　our　youths　is；　as　we　have　already　

said；　more　than　ever　puzzling。　　This　difficulty　is　felt；　perhaps；　

less　in　Scotland　than　in　England。　　The　Scotch　climate　compels　

hardiness；　the　Scotch　bodily　strength　makes　it　easy；　and　Scotland；　

with　her　mountain…tours　in　summer；　and　her　frozen　lochs　in　winter；　

her　labyrinth　of　sea…shore；　and；　above　all；　that　priceless　boon　

which　Providence　has　bestowed　on　her；　in　the　contiguity　of　her　

great　cities　to　the　loveliest　scenery；　and　the　hills　where　every　

breeze　is　health；　affords　facilities　for　healthy　physical　life　

unknown　to　the　Englishman；　who　has　no　Arthur's　Seat　towering　above　

his　London；　no　Western　Islands　sporting　the　ocean　firths　beside　his　

Manchester。　　Field　sports；　with　the　invaluable　training　which　they　

give；　if　not





〃The　reason　firm；〃





yet　still





〃The　temperate　will；

Endurance；　foresight；　strength；　and　skill；〃





have　become　impossible　for　the　greater　number：　　and　athletic　

exercises　are　now；　in　England　at　least；　becoming　more　and　more　

artificialized　and　expensive；　and　are　confined　more　and　more　…　with　

the　honourable　exception　of　the　football　games　in　Battersea　Park　…　

to　our　Public　Schools　and　the　two　elder　Universities。　　All　honour；　

meanwhile；　to　the　Volunteer　movement；　and　its　moral　as　well　as　its　

physical　effects。　　But　it　is　only　a　comparatively　few　of　the　very　

sturdiest　who　are　likely　to　become　effective　Volunteers；　and　so　

really　gain　the　benefits　of　learning　to　be　soldiers。　　And　yet　the　

young　man　who　has　had　no　substitute　for　such　occupations　will　cut　

but　a　sorry　figure　in　Australia；　Canada；　or　India；　and　if　he　stays　

at　home；　will　spend　many　a　pound　in　doctors'　bills；　which　could　

have　been　better　employed　elsewhere。　　〃Taking　a　walk〃　…　as　one　

would　take　a　pill　or　a　draught　…　seems　likely　soon　to　become　the　

only　form　of　outdoor　existence　possible　for　too　many　inhabitants　of　

the　British　Isles。　　But　a　walk　without　an　object；　unless　in　the　

most　lovely　and　novel　of　scenery；　is　a　poor　exercise；　and　as　a　

recreation；　utterly　nil。　　I　never　knew　two　young　lads　go　out　for　a　

〃constitutional；〃　who　did　not；　if　they　were　commonplace　youths；　

gossip　the　whole　way　about　things　better　left　unspoken；　or；　if　they　

were　clever　ones；　fall　on　arguing　and　brainsbeating　on　politics　or　

metaphysics　from　the　moment　they　left　the　door；　and　return　with　

their　wits　even　more　heated　and　tired　than　they　were　when　they　set　

out。　　I　cannot　help　fancying　that　Milton　made　a　mistake　in　a　

certain　celebrated　passage；　and　that　it　was　not　〃sitting　on　a　hill　

apart；〃　but　tramping　four　miles　out　and　four　miles　in　along　a　

turnpike…road；　that　his　hapless　spirits　discoursed





〃Of　fate；　free…will；　foreknowledge　absolute；

And　found　no　end；　in　wandering　mazes　lost。〃





Seriously；　if　we　wish　rural　walks　to　do　our　children　any　good；　we　

must　give　them　a　love　for　rural　sights；　an　object　in　every　walk；　we　

must　teach　them　…　and　we　can　teach　them　…　to　find　wonder　in　every　

insect；　sublimity　in　every　hedgerow；　the　records　of　past　worlds　in　

every　pebble；　and　boundless　fertility　upon　the　barren　shore；　and　

so；　by　teaching　them　to　make　full　use　of　that　limited　sphere　in　

which　they　now　are；　make　them　faithful　in　a　few　things；　that　they　

may　be　fit　hereafter　to　be　rulers　over　much。



I　may　seem　to　exaggerate　the　advantages　of　such　studies；　but　the　

question　after　all　is　one　of　experience：　　and　I　have　had　experience　

enough　and　to　spare　that　what　I　say　is　true。　　I　have　seen　the　young　

man　of　fierce　passions；　and　uncontrollable　daring；　expend　healthily　

that　energy　which　threatened　daily　to　plunge　him　into　recklessness；　

if　not　into　sin；　upon　hunting　out　and　collecting；　through　rock　and　

bog；　snow　and　tempest；　every　bird　and　egg　of　the　neighbouring　

forest。　　I　have　seen　the　cultivated　man；　craving　for　travel　and　for　

success　in　life；　pent　up　in　the　drudgery　of　London　work；　and　yet　

keeping　his　spirit　calm；　and　perhaps　his　morals　all　the　more　

righteous；　by　spending　over　his　microscope　evenings　which　would　too　

probably　have　gradually　been　wasted　at　the　theatre。　　I　have　seen　

the　young　London　beauty；　amid　all　the　excitement　and　temptation　of　

luxury　and　flattery；　with　her　heart　pure　and　her　mind　occupied　in　a　

boudoir　full　of　shells　and　fossils；　flowers　and　sea…weeds；　keeping　

herself　unspotted　from　the　world；　by　considering　the　lilies　of　the　

field；　how　they　grow。　　And　therefore　it　is　that　I　hail　with　

thankfulness　every　fresh　book　of　Natural　History；　as　a　fresh　boon　

to　the　young；　a　fresh　help　to　those　who　have　to　educate　them。



The　greatest　difficulty　in　the　way　of　beginners　is　（as　in　most　

things）　how　〃to　learn　the　art　of　learning。〃　　They　go　out；　search；　

find　less　than　they　expected；　and　give　the　subject　up　in　

disappointment。　　It　is　good　to　begin；　therefore；　if　possible；　by　

playing　the　part　of　〃jackal〃　to　some　practised　naturalist；　who　will　

show　the　tyro　where　to　look；　what　to　look　for；　and；　moreover；　what　

it　is　that　he　has　found；　often　no　easy　matter　to　discover。　　Forty　

years　ago；　during　an　autumn's　work　of　dead…leaf…searching　in　the　

Devon　woods　for　poor　old　Dr。　Turton；　while　he　was　writing　his　book　

on　British　land…shells；　the　present　writer　learnt　more　of　the　art　

of　observing　than　he　would　have　learnt　in　three　years'　desultory　

hunting　on　his　own　account；　and　he　has　often　regretted　that　no　

naturalist　has　established　shore…lectures　at　some　watering…place；　

like　those　up　hill　and　down　dale　field…lectures　which；　in　pleasant　

bygone　Cambridge　days；　Professor　Sedgwick　used　to　give　to　young　

geologists；　and　Professor　Henslow　to　young　botanists。



In　the　meanwhile；　to　show　you　something　of　what　may　be　seen　by　

those　who　care　to　see；　let　me　take　you；　in　imagination；　to　a　shore　

where　I　was　once　at　home；　and　for　whose　richness　I　can　vouch；　and　

choose　our　season　and　our　day　to　start　forth；　on　some　glorious　

September　or　October　morning；　to　see　what　last　night's　equinoctial　

gale　has　swept　from　the　populous　shallows　of　Torbay；　and　cast　up；　

high　and　dry；　on　Paignton　sands。



Torbay　is　a　place　which　should　be　as　much　endeared　to　the　

naturalist　as　to　the　patriot　and　to　the　artist。　　We　cannot　gaze　on　

its　blue　ring　of　water；　and　the　great　limestone　bluffs　which　bound　

it　to　the　north　and　south；　without　a　glow　passing　through　our　

hearts；　as　we　remember　the　terrible　and　glorious　pageant　which　

passed　by　in　the　glorious　July　days　of　1588；　when　the　Spanish　

Armada　ventured　slowly　past　Berry　Head；　with　Elizabeth's　gallant　

pack　of　Devon　captains　（for　the　London　fleet　had　not　yet　joined）　

following　fast　in　its　wake；　and　dashing　into　the　midst　of　the　vast　

line；　undismayed　by　size　and　numbers；　while　their　kin　and　friends　

stood　watching　and　praying　on　the　cliffs；　spectators　of　Britain's　

Salamis。　　The　white　line　of　houses；　too；　on　the　other　side　of　the　

bay；　is　Brixham；　famed　as　the　landing…place　of　William　of　Orange；　

the　stone　on　the　pier…head；　which　marks　his　first　footsteps　on　

British　ground；　is　sacred　in　the　eyes　of　all　true　English　Whigs；　

and　close　by　stands　the　castle　of　the　settler　of　Newfoundland；　Sir　

Humphrey　Gilbert；　Raleigh's　half…brother；　most　learned　of　all　

Elizabeth's　admirals　in　life；　most　pious　and　heroic　in　death。　　And　

as　for　scenery；　though　it　can　boast　of　neither　mountain　peak　nor　

dark　fiord；　and　would　seem　tame　enough　in　the　eyes　of　a　western