fabre, poet of science-第3章

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Frédéric　with　a　wholly　fatherly　solicitude；　he　was　prodigal　of　advice；

helpful　with　his　experience；　doing　his　best　to　smooth　away　all

difficulties；　encouraging　him　to　walk　in　his　footsteps　and　make　his　way

through　the　world　behind　him。　He　was　his　confidant；　giving　an　ear　to　all

that　befell　him　of　good　or　ill；　to　his　fears；　his　disappointments；　his

hopes；　and　all　his　thoughts；　and　he　took　the　keenest　interest　in　his

studies　and　researches。　On　the　other　hand；　he　had　no　more　sure　and　devoted

friend；　none　more　proud　of　his　first　success；　and　in　later　days　no　more

enthusiastic　admirer；　and　none　more　eager　for　his　fame。　（1/7。）



He　was　twelve　years　old　when　his　father；　〃the　first　of　all　his　line；　was

tempted　by　the　town；〃　and　led　all　his　family　to　Rodez；　there　to　keep　a

café。　The　future　naturalist　entered　the　school　of　this　town；　where　he

served　Mass　on　Sunday；　in　the　chapel；　in　order　to　pay　his　fees。　There　again

he　was　interested　in　the　animal　creation　above　all。　When　he　began　to

construe　Virgil　the　only　thing　that　charmed　him；　and　which　he　remembered；

was　the　landscape　in　which　the　persons　of　the　poem　move；　in　which　are　so

many　〃exquisite　details　concerning　the　cicada；　the　goat；　and　the　laburnum。〃



Thus　four　years　went　by：　but　then　his　parents　were　constrained　to　seek

their　fortune　elsewhere；　and　transported　their　household　to　Toulouse；　where

again　the　father　kept　a　café。　The　young　Henri　was　admitted　gratuitously　to

the　seminary　of　the　Esquille；　where　he　managed　to　complete　his　fifth　year。

Unfortunately　his　progress　was　soon　interrupted　by　a　new　exodus　on　the　part

of　his　family；　which　emigrated　this　time　to　Montpellier；　where　he　was

haunted　for　a　time　by　dreams　of　medicine；　to　which　he　seemed　notably

adapted。　Finally；　a　run　of　bad　luck　persisting；　he　had　to　bid　farewell　to

his　studies　and　gain　his　bread　as　best　he　could。　We　see　him　set　out　along

the　wide　white　roads：　lost；　almost　a　wanderer；　seeking　his　living　by　the

sweat　of　his　brow；　one　day　selling　lemons　at　the　fair　of　Beaucaire；　under

the　arcades　of　the　market　or　before　the　barracks　of　the　Pré；　another　day

enlisting　in　a　gang　of　labourers　who　were　working　on　the　line　from

Beaucaire　to　N？mes；　which　was　then　in　process　of　construction。　He　knew

gloomy　days；　lonely　and　despairing。　What　was　he　doing？　of　what　was　he

dreaming？　The　love　of　nature　and　the　passion　for　learning　sustained　him　in

spite　of　all；　and　often　served　him　as　nourishment；　as　on　the　day　when　he

dined　on　a　few　grapes；　plucked　furtively　at　the　edge　of　a　field；　after

exchanging　the　poor　remnant　of　his　last　halfpence　for　a　little　volume　of

Reboul's　poems；　soothing　his　hunger　by　reciting　the　verses　of　the　gentle

baker…poet。　Often　some　creature　kept　him　company；　some　insect　never　seen

before　was　often　his　greatest　pleasure；　such　as　the　pine…chafer；　which　he

encountered　then　for　the　first　time；　that　superb　beetle；　whose　black　or

chestnut　coat　is　sprinkled　with　specks　of　white　velvet；　which　squeaks　when

captured；　emitting　a　slight　complaining　sound；　like　the　vibration　of　a　pane

of　glass　rubbed　with　the　tip　of　a　moistened　finger。　（1/8。）



Already　this　young　mind；　romantic　and　classic　at　once；　full　of　the　ideal；

and　so　positive　that　it　seemed　to　seek　support　in　an　intense　grasp　of

things　and　beingstwo　gifts　well…nigh　incompatible；　and　often　mutually

destructivealready　it　knew；　not　only　the　love　of　study　and　a　passion　for

the　truth；　but　the　sovereign　delight　of　feeling　everything　and

understanding　everything。



It　was　under　these　conditionsthat　is；　amid　the　rudest　privationsthat　he

ventured　to　enter　a　competitive　examination　for　a　bursary　at　the　école

Normale　Primaire　of　Avignon；　and　his　will…power　realized　this　first　miracle

of　his　careerhe　straightway　obtained　the　highest　place。



In　those　days；　when　education　had　barely　reached　the　lower　classes；　the

instruction　given　in　the　primary　normal　school　was　still　of　the　most

summary。　Spelling；　arithmetic；　and　geometry　practically　exhausted　its

resources。　As　for　natural　history；　a　poor　despised　science；　almost　unknown；

no　one　dreamed　of　it；　and　no　one　learned　or　taught　it；　the　syllabus　ignored

it；　because　it　led　to　nothing。　For　Fabre　only；　notwithstanding；　it　was　his

fixed　idea；　his　constant　preoccupation；　and　〃while　the　dictation　class　was

busy　around　him；　he　would　examine；　in　the　secrecy　of　his　desk；　the　sting　of

a　wasp　or　the　fruit　of　the　oleander；〃　and　intoxicate　himself　with　poetry。

（1/9。）　His　pedagogic　studies　suffered　thereby；　and　the　first　part　of　his

stay　at　the　normal　school　was　by　no　means　extremely　brilliant。　In　the

middle　of　his　second　year　he　was　declared　idle；　and　even　marked　as　an

insufficient　pupil　and　of　mediocre　intelligence。　Stung　to　the　quick；　he

begged　as　a　favour　that　he　should　be　given　the　opportunity　of　following　the

third　year's　course　in　the　six　months　that　remained；　and　he　made　such　an

effort　that　at　the　end　of　the　year　he　victoriously　won　his　superior

certificate。　（1/10。）



A　year　in　advance　of　the　regulation　studies；　his　curiosity　might　now

exercise　itself　freely　in　every　direction；　and　little　by　little　it　became

universal。　A　chance　chemistry　lesson　finally　awakened　in　him　the　appetite

for　knowledge；　the　passion　for　all　the　sciences；　of　which　he　thirsted　to

know　at　least　the　elements。　Between　whiles　he　returned　to　his　Latin；

translating　Horace　and　re…reading　Virgil。　One　day　his　director　put　an

〃Imitation〃　into　his　hands；　with　double　columns　in　Greek　and　Latin。　The

latter；　which　he　knew　fairly　well；　assisted　him　to　decipher　the　Greek。　He

hastened　to　commit　to　memory　the　vocables；　and　idioms　and　phrases　of　all

kinds　（1/11。）；　and　in　this　curious　fashion　he　learned　the　language。　This

was　his　only　method　of　learning　languages。　It　is　the　process　which　he

recommended　to　his　brother；　who　was　commencing　Latin：　



〃Take　Virgil；　a　dictionary；　and　a　grammar；　and　translate　from　Latin　into

French　for　ever　and　for　ever；　to　make　a　good　version　you　need　only　common

sense　and　very　little　grammatical　knowledge　or　other　pedantic　accessories。



〃Imagine　an　old　inscription　half…effaced：　correctness　of　judgment　partly

supplies　the　missing　words；　and　the　sense　appears　as　if　the　whole　were

legible。　Latin；　for　you；　is　the　old　inscription；　the　root　of　the　word　alone

is　legible：　the　veil　of　an　unknown　language　hides　the　value　of　the

termination：　you　have　only　the　half　of　the　words；　but　you　have　common　sense

too；　and　you　will　make　use　of　it。〃　（1/12。）



　

CHAPTER　2。　THE　PRIMARY　TEACHER。



Furnished　with　his　superior　diploma；　he　left　the　normal　school　at　the　age

of　nineteen；　and　commenced　as　a　primary　teacher　in　the　College　of

Carpentras。



The　salary　of　the　school　teacher；　in　the　year　1842；　did　not　exceed　28

pounds　sterling　a　year；　and　this　ungrateful　calling　barely　fed　him；　save　on

〃chickpeas　and　a　little　wine。〃　But　we　must　beware　lest；　in　view　of　the

increasing　and　excessive　dearness　of　living　in　France；　the　beggarly

salaries　of　the　poor　schoolmasters　of　a　former　day；　so　little　worthy　of

their　labours　and　their　social　utility；　appear　even　more　disproportionately

small　than　they　actually　were。　What　is　more　to　the　point；　the　teachers　had

no　pension　to　hope　for。　They　could　only　count　on　a　perpetuity　of　labour；

and　when　sickness　or　infirmity　arrived；　when　old　age　surprised　them；　after

fifty　or　sixty　years　of　a　narrow　and　precarious　existence；　it　was　not

merely　poverty　that　awaited　them；　for　many　there　was　nothing　but　the

blackest　destitution。　A　little　later；　when　they　began　to　entertain　a　vague

hope　of　deliverance；　the　retiring　pension　which　was　held　up　to　their　gaze；

in　the　distant　future；　was　at　first　no　more　than　forty　francs；　and　they　had

to　await　the　advent　of　Duruy；　the　great　minister　and　liberator；　before

primary　instruction　was　in　some　degree　raised　from　this　ignominious　level

of　abasement。



It　was　a　melancholy　place；　this　college；　〃where　life　had　something

cloistral　about　it：　each　master　occupied　two　cells；　for；