erewhon-第41章

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〃Of　course　it　cannot；〃　said　the　Professor；　〃and　therefore　we　object
to　progress。〃

After　which　there　was　no　more　to　be　said。　　Later　on；　however；　a
young　Professor　took　me　aside　and　said　he　did　not　think　I　quite
understood　their　views　about　progress。

〃We　like　progress；〃　he　said；　〃but　it　must　commend　itself　to　the
common　sense　of　the　people。　　If　a　man　gets　to　know　more　than　his
neighbours　he　should　keep　his　knowledge　to　himself　till　he　has
sounded　them；　and　seen　whether　they　agree；　or　are　likely　to　agree
with　him。　　He　said　it　was　as　immoral　to　be　too　far　in　front　of
one's　own　age；　as　to　lag　too　far　behind　it。　　If　a　man　can　carry　his
neighbours　with　him；　he　may　say　what　he　likes；　but　if　not；　what
insult　can　be　more　gratuitous　than　the　telling　them　what　they　do
not　want　to　know？　　A　man　should　remember　that　intellectual　over…
indulgence　is　one　of　the　most　insidious　and　disgraceful　forms　that
excess　can　take。　　Granted　that　every　one　should　exceed　more　or
less；　inasmuch　as　absolutely　perfect　sanity　would　drive　any　man　mad
the　moment　he　reached　it；　but　。　。　。　〃

He　was　now　warming　to　his　subject　and　I　was　beginning　to　wonder　how
I　should　get　rid　of　him；　when　the　party　broke　up；　and　though　I
promised　to　call　on　him　before　I　left；　I　was　unfortunately
prevented　from　doing　so。

I　have　now　said　enough　to　give　English　readers　some　idea　of　the
strange　views　which　the　Erewhonians　hold　concerning　unreason；
hypothetics；　and　education　generally。　　In　many　respects　they　were
sensible　enough；　but　I　could　not　get　over　the　hypothetics；
especially　the　turning　their　own　good　poetry　into　the　hypothetical
language。　　In　the　course　of　my　stay　I　met　one　youth　who　told　me
that　for　fourteen　years　the　hypothetical　language　had　been　almost
the　only　thing　that　he　had　been　taught；　although　he　had　never　（to
his　credit；　as　it　seemed　to　me）　shown　the　slightest　proclivity
towards　it；　while　he　had　been　endowed　with　not　inconsiderable
ability　for　several　other　branches　of　human　learning。　　He　assured
me　that　he　would　never　open　another　hypothetical　book　after　he　had
taken　his　degree；　but　would　follow　out　the　bent　of　his　own
inclinations。　　This　was　well　enough；　but　who　could　give　him　his
fourteen　years　back　again？

I　sometimes　wondered　how　it　was　that　the　mischief　done　was　not　more
clearly　perceptible；　and　that　the　young　men　and　women　grew　up　as
sensible　and　goodly　as　they　did；　in　spite　of　the　attempts　almost
deliberately　made　to　warp　and　stunt　their　growth。　　Some　doubtless
received　damage；　from　which　they　suffered　to　their　life's　end；　but
many　seemed　little　or　none　the　worse；　and　some；　almost　the　better。
The　reason　would　seem　to　be　that　the　natural　instinct　of　the　lads
in　most　cases　so　absolutely　rebelled　against　their　training；　that
do　what　the　teachers　might　they　could　never　get　them　to　pay　serious
heed　to　it。　　The　consequence　was　that　the　boys　only　lost　their
time；　and　not　so　much　of　this　as　might　have　been　expected；　for　in
their　hours　of　leisure　they　were　actively　engaged　in　exercises　and
sports　which　developed　their　physical　nature；　and　made　them　at　any
rate　strong　and　healthy。

Moreover　those　who　had　any　special　tastes　could　not　be　restrained
from　developing　them：　　they　would　learn　what　they　wanted　to　learn
and　liked；　in　spite　of　obstacles　which　seemed　rather　to　urge　them
on　than　to　discourage　them；　while　for　those　who　had　no　special
capacity；　the　loss　of　time　was　of　comparatively　little　moment；　but
in　spite　of　these　alleviations　of　the　mischief；　I　am　sure　that　much
harm　was　done　to　the　children　of　the　sub…wealthy　classes；　by　the
system　which　passes　current　among　the　Erewhonians　as　education。
The　poorest　children　suffered　leastif　destruction　and　death　have
heard　the　sound　of　wisdom；　to　a　certain　extent　poverty　has　done　so
also。

And　yet　perhaps；　after　all；　it　is　better　for　a　country　that　its
seats　of　learning　should　do　more　to　suppress　mental　growth　than　to
encourage　it。　　Were　it　not　for　a　certain　priggishness　which　these
places　infuse　into　so　great　a　number　of　their　alumni；　genuine　work
would　become　dangerously　common。　　It　is　essential　that　by　far　the
greater　part　of　what　is　said　or　done　in　the　world　should　be　so
ephemeral　as　to　take　itself　away　quickly；　it　should　keep　good　for
twenty…four　hours；　or　even　twice　as　long；　but　it　should　not　be　good
enough　a　week　hence　to　prevent　people　from　going　on　to　something
else。　　No　doubt　the　marvellous　development　of　journalism　in
England；　as　also　the　fact　that　our　seats　of　learning　aim　rather　at
fostering　mediocrity　than　anything　higher；　is　due　to　our
subconscious　recognition　of　the　fact　that　it　is　even　more　necessary
to　check　exuberance　of　mental　development　than　to　encourage　it。
There　can　be　no　doubt　that　this　is　what　our　academic　bodies　do；　and
they　do　it　the　more　effectually　because　they　do　it　only
subconsciously。　　They　think　they　are　advancing　healthy　mental
assimilation　and　digestion；　whereas　in　reality　they　are　little
better　than　cancer　in　the　stomach。

Let　me　return；　however；　to　the　Erewhonians。　　Nothing　surprised　me
more　than　to　see　the　occasional　flashes　of　common　sense　with　which
one　branch　of　study　or　another　was　lit　up；　while　not　a　single　ray
fell　upon　so　many　others。　　I　was　particularly　struck　with　this　on
strolling　into　the　Art　School　of　the　University。　　Here　I　found　that
the　course　of　study　was　divided　into　two　branchesthe　practical
and　the　commercialno　student　being　permitted　to　continue　his
studies　in　the　actual　practice　of　the　art　he　had　taken　up；　unless
he　made　equal　progress　in　its　commercial　history。

Thus　those　who　were　studying　painting　were　examined　at　frequent
intervals　in　the　prices　which　all　the　leading　pictures　of　the　last
fifty　or　a　hundred　years　had　realised；　and　in　the　fluctuations　in
their　values　when　（as　often　happened）　they　had　been　sold　and　resold
three　or　four　times。　　The　artist；　they　contend；　is　a　dealer　in
pictures；　and　it　is　as　important　for　him　to　learn　how　to　adapt　his
wares　to　the　market；　and　to　know　approximately　what　kind　of　a
picture　will　fetch　how　much；　as　it　is　for　him　to　be　able　to　paint
the　picture。　　This；　I　suppose；　is　what　the　French　mean　by　laying　so
much　stress　upon　〃values。〃

As　regards　the　city　itself；　the　more　I　saw　the　more　enchanted　I
became。　　I　dare　not　trust　myself　with　any　description　of　the
exquisite　beauty　of　the　different　colleges；　and　their　walks　and
gardens。　　Truly　in　these　things　alone　there　must　be　a　hallowing　and
refining　influence　which　is　in　itself　half　an　education；　and　which
no　amount　of　error　can　wholly　spoil。　　I　was　introduced　to　many　of
the　Professors；　who　showed　me　every　hospitality　and　kindness；
nevertheless　I　could　hardly　avoid　a　sort　of　suspicion　that　some　of
those　whom　I　was　taken　to　see　had　been　so　long　engrossed　in　their
own　study　of　hypothetics　that　they　had　become　the　exact　antitheses
of　the　Athenians　in　the　days　of　St。　Paul；　for　whereas　the　Athenians
spent　their　lives　in　nothing　save　to　see　and　to　hear　some　new
thing；　there　were　some　here　who　seemed　to　devote　themselves　to　the
avoidance　of　every　opinion　with　which　they　were　not　perfectly
familiar；　and　regarded　their　own　brains　as　a　sort　of　sanctuary；　to
which　if　an　opinion　had　once　resorted；　none　other　was　to　attack　it。

I　should　warn　the　reader；　however；　that　I　was　rarely　sure　what　the
men　whom　I　met　while　staying　with　Mr。　Thims　really　meant；　for　there
was　no　getting　anything　out　of　them　if　they　scented　even　a
suspicion　that　they　might　be　what　they　call　〃giving　themselves
away。〃　　As　there　is　hardly　any　subject　on　which　this　suspicion
cannot　arise；　I　found　it　difficult　to　get　definite　opinions　from
any　of　them；　except　on　such　subjects　as　the　weather；　eating　and
drinking；　holiday　excursions；　or　games　of　skill。

If　they　cannot　wriggle　out　of　expressing　an　opinion　of　some　sort；
they　will　commonly　retail　those　of　some　one　who　has　already　written
upon　the　subject；　and　conclude　by　saying　that　though　they　quite
admit　that　there　is　an　element　of　truth　in　what　the　writer　has
said；　there　are　many　points　on　which　they　are　unable　to　agree　with
him。　　Which　these　points　were；　I　invariably　found　myself　unable　to
determine；　indeed；　it　seemed　to　be　counted　the　perfection　of