fabre, poet of science-第12章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



the　golden　gates　of　knowledge；　an　audacious　innovation；　and　formidable

withal；　for　it　shrewdly　touched　the　interests　of　the　Church；　struck　a　blow

at　her　ever…increasing　influence；　and　clashed　with　her　consecrated

privileges　and　age…long　prejudices。　（4/25。）



At　Avignon　Fabre　was　instructed　to　give　his　personal　services。　He　gave　them

with　all　his　heart；　and　it　was　then　that　he　undertook；　in　the　ancient　Abbey

of　Saint…Martial；　those　famous　free　lectures　which　have　remained　celebrated

in　the　memory　of　that　generation。　There；　under　the　ancient　Gothic　vault；

among　the　pupils　of　the　primary　Normal　College；　an　eager　crowd　of　listeners

pressed　to　hear　him；　and　among　the　most　assiduous　was　Roumanille；　the

friend　of　Mistral；　he　who　so　exquisitely　wove　into　his　harmonies　〃the

laughter　of　young　maidens　and　the　flowers　of　springtime。〃　No　one　expounded

a　fact　better　than　Fabre；　no　one　explained　it　so　fully　and　so　clearly。　No

one　could　teach　as　he　did；　in　a　fashion　so　simple；　so　animated；　so

picturesque；　and　by　methods　so　original。



He　was　indeed　convinced　that　even　in　early　childhood　it　was　possible　for

both　boys　and　girls　to　learn　and　to　love　many　subjects　which　had　hitherto

never　been　proposed；　and　in　particular　that　Natural　History　which　to　him

was　a　book　in　which　all　the　world　might　read；　but　that　university　methods

had　reduced　it　to　a　tedious　and　useless　study　in　which　the　letter　〃killed

the　life。〃



He　knew　the　secret　of　communicating　his　conviction；　his　profound　faith；　to

his　hearers：　that　sacred　fire　which　animated　him；　that　passion　for　all　the

creatures　of　nature。



These　lectures　took　place　in　the　evening；　twice　a　week；　alternately　with

the　municipal　lectures；　to　which　Fabre　brought　no　less　application　and

ardour。　In　the　intention　of　those　who　instituted　them　these　latter　were

above　all　to　be　practical　and　scientific；　dealing　with　science　applied　to

agriculture；　the　arts；　and　industry。



But　might　he　not　also　expect　auditors　of　another　quality；　in　love　only　with

the　ideal；　〃who；　without　troubling　about　the　possible　applications　of

scientific　theory；　desired　above　all　to　be　initiated　into　the　action　of　the

forces　which　rule　nature；　and　thereby　to　open　to　their　minds　more　wondrous

horizons〃？



Such　were　the　noble　scruples　which　troubled　his　conscience；　and　which

appeared　in　the　letter　which　he　addressed　to　the　administration　of　the

city；　when　he　was　entrusted　by　the　latter　with　what　he　regarded　as　a　lofty

and　most　important　mission。



〃。。。Is　it　to　be　understood　that　every　purely　scientific　aspect；　incapable

of　immediate　application；　is　to　be　rigorously　banished　from　these　lessons？

Is　it　to　be　understood　that；　confined　to　an　impassable　circle；　the　value　of

every　truth　must　be　reckoned　at　so　much　per　hundred；　and　that　I　must

silently　pass　over　all　that　aims　only　at　satisfying　a　laudable　desire　of

knowledge？　No；　gentlemen；　for　then　these　lectures　would　lack　a　very

essential　thing：　the　spirit　which　gives　life！〃　（4/26。）



Physically；　according　to　the　testimony　of　his　contemporaries；　he　was

already　as　an　admirable　photograph　represents　him　twenty　years　later：　he

wore　a　large　black　felt　hat；　his　face　was　shaven；　the　chin　strong　and

wilful；　the　eyes　vigilant；　deep…set　and　penetrating；　he　hardly　changed；　and

it　was　thus　I　saw　him　later；　at　a　more　advanced　age。



The　ancient　Abbey　of　Saint…Martial；　where　these　lectures　were　given；　was

occupied　also　by　the　Requien　Museum；　of　which　Fabre　had　charge。　It　was　here

that　he　one　day　met　John　Stuart　Mill。



The　celebrated　philosopher　and　economist　had　just　lost　his　wife：　〃the　most

precious　friendship　of　his　life〃　was　ended。　（4/27。）　It　was　only　after　long

waiting　that　he　had　been　able　to　marry　her。　Subjected　at　an　early　age　by　a

father　devoid　of　tenderness　and　formidably　severe　to　the　harshest　of

disciplines；　he　had　learned　in　childhood　〃what　is　usually　learned　only　by　a

man。〃　Scarcely　out　of　his　long　clothes；　he　was　construing　Herodotus　and　the

dialogues　of　Plato；　and　the　whole　of　his　dreary　youth　was　spent　in　covering

the　vast　field　of　the　moral　and　mathematical　sciences。　His　heart；　always

suppressed；　never　really　expanded　until　he　met　Mrs。　Harriett　Taylor。



This　was　one　of　those　privileged　beings　such　as　seem　as　a　rule　to　exist

only　in　poetry　and　literature；　a　woman　as　beautiful　as　she　was

astonishingly　gifted　with　the　rarest　faculties；　combining　with　the　most

searching　intelligence　and　the　most　persuasive　eloquence　so　exquisite　a

sensitiveness　that　she　seemed　often　to　divine　events　in　advance。



Mill　possessed　her　at　last　for　a　few　years　only；　and　he　had　resigned　his

post　in　the　offices　of　the　East　India　Company　to　enjoy　a　studious　retreat

in　the　enchanted　atmosphere　of　southern　Europe　when　suddenly　at　Avignon

Harriett　Mill　was　carried　off　by　a　violent　illness。　（Mill　retired　in　1858；

when　the　government　of　India　passed　to　the　Crown。　He　had　married　Mrs。　John

Taylor　in　1851。　＇Tr。＇）



》From　that　time　the　philosopher's　horizon　was　suddenly　contracted　to　the

limit　of　those　places　whence　had　vanished　the　adored　companion　and　the

beneficent　genius　who　had　been　the　sole　charm　of　his　entire　existence。

Overwhelmed　with　grief；　he　acquired　a　small　country　house　in　one　of　the

least　frequented　parts　of　the　suburbs　of　Avignon；　close　to　the　cemetery

where　the　beloved　dead　was　laid　to　rest　for　ever。　A　silent　alley　of　planes

and　mulberry…trees　led　to　the　threshold；　which　was　shaded　by　the　delicate

foliage　of　a　myrtle。　All　about　he　had　planted　a　dense　hedge　of　hawthorn；

cypress；　and　arborvitae；　above　which；　from　the　vantage　of　a　small　terrace；

built；　under　his　orders；　at　the　level　of　the　first　floor；　he　could　see；　day

by　day　and　at　all　hours；　the　white　tomb　of　his　wife；　and　a　little　ease　his

grief。



Thus　he　cloistered　himself；　〃living　in　memory；〃　having　no　companion　but　the

daughter　of　his　wife；　trying　to　console　himself　by　work；　recapitulating　his

life；　the　story　of　which　he　has　told　in　his　remarkable　〃Memoirs。〃　（4/28。）



Fabre　paid　a　few　visits　to　this　Theba？d。　A　solitary　such　as　Mill　had　become

could　be　attracted　only　by　a　man　of　his　temper；　in　whom　he　found；　if　not　an

affinity　of　nature；　at　least　tastes　like　his　own；　and　immense　learning；　as

great　as　his。　For　Mill　also　was　versed　in　all　the　branches　of　human

knowledge：　not　only　had　he　meditated　on　the　high　problems　of　history　and

political　economy；　but　he　had　also　probed　all　branches　of　science：

mathematics；　physics；　and　natural　history。　It　was　above　all　botany　which

served　them　as　a　bond　of　union；　and　they　were　often　seen　to　set　forth　on　a

botanizing　expedition　through　the　countryside。



This　friendship；　which　was　not　without　profit　for　Fabre　（4/29。）；　was　still

more　precious　to　Mill；　who　found；　in　the　society　of　the　naturalist；　a

certain　relief　from　his　sorrow。　The　substance　of　their　conversation　was　far

from　being　such　as　one　might　have　imagined　it。　Mill　was　not　highly　sensible

to　the　festival　of　nature　or　the　poetry　of　the　fields。　He　was　hardly

interested　in　botany；　except　from　the　somewhat　abstract　point　of　view　of

classification　and　the　systematic　arrangement　of　species。　Always

melancholy；　cold；　and　distant；　he　spoke　little；　but　Fabre　felt　under　this

apparent　sensibility　a　rigorous　integrity　of　character；　a　great　capacity

for　devotion；　and　a　rare　goodness　of　heart。



So　the　two　wandered　across　country；　each　thinking　his　own　thoughts；　and

each　self…contained　as　though　they　were　walking　on　parallel　but　distant

paths。



However；　Fabre　was　not　at　the　end　of　his　troubles；　and　secret　ill…feeling

began　to　surround　him。　The　free　lectures　at　Saint…Martial　offended　the

devout；　angered　the　sectaries；　and　excited　the　intolerance　of　the　pedants；

〃whose　feeble　eyelids　blink　at　the　daylight；〃　and　he　was　far　from

receiving；　from　his　colleagues　at　the　lycée；　the　sympathy　and　encouragement

which　were；　at　this　moment　especially；　so　necessary　to　him。　Some　even　went

so　far　as　to　denounce　him　publicly；　an