glaucus-第5章

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portions　of　his　ever　well…spent　time　to　the　fighting　the　battle　of　

the　corallines　against　Parsons　and　the　rest；　and　even　in　measuring　

pens　with　Linne；　the　prince　of　naturalists。



There　are　those　who　can　sympathise　with　the　gallant　old　Scotch　

officer　mentioned　by　some　writer　on　sea…weeds；　who；　desperately　

wounded　in　the　breach　at　Badajos；　and　a　sharer　in　all　the　toils　and　

triumphs　of　the　Peninsular　war；　could　in　his　old　age　show　a　rare　

sea…weed　with　as　much　triumph　as　his　well…earned　medals；　and　talk　

over　a　tiny　spore…capsule　with　as　much　zest　as　the　records　of　

sieges　and　battles。　　Why　not？　　That　temper　which　made　him　a　good　

soldier　may　very　well　have　made　him　a　good　naturalist　also。　　The　

late　illustrious　geologist；　Sir　Roderick　Murchison；　was　also　an　old　

Peninsular　officer。　　I　doubt　not　that　with　him；　too；　the　

experiences　of　war　may　have　helped　to　fit　him　for　the　studies　of　

peace。　　Certainly；　the　best　naturalist；　as　far　as　logical　acumen；　

as　well　as　earnest　research；　is　concerned；　whom　England　has　ever　

seen；　was　the　Devonshire　squire；　Colonel　George　Montagu；　of　whom　

the　late　E。　Forbes　well　says；　that　〃had　he　been　educated　a　

physiologist〃　（and　not；　as　he　was；　a　soldier　and　a　sportsman）；　〃and　

made　the　study　of　Nature　his　aim　and　not　his　amusement；　his　would　

have　been　one　of　the　greatest　names　in　the　whole　range　of　British　

science。〃　　I　question；　nevertheless；　whether　he　would　not　have　lost　

more　than　he　would　have　gained　by　a　different　training。　　It　might　

have　made　him　a　more　learned　systematizer；　but　would　it　have　

quickened　in　him　that　〃seeing〃　eye　of　the　true　soldier　and　

sportsman；　which　makes　Montagu's　descriptions　indelible　word…

pictures；　instinct　with　life　and　truth？　　〃There　is　no　question；〃　

says　E。　Forbes；　after　bewailing　the　vagueness　of　most　naturalists；　

〃about　the　identity　of　any　animal　Montagu　described。　。　。　。　He　was　a　

forward…looking　philosopher；　he　spoke　of　every　creature　as　if　one　

exceeding　like　it；　yet　different　from　it；　would　be　washed　up　by　the　

waves　next　tide。　　Consequently　his　descriptions　are　permanent。〃　　

Scientific　men　will　recognize　in　this　the　highest　praise　which　can　

be　bestowed；　because　it　attributes　to　him　the　highest　faculty　…　The　

Art　of　Seeing；　but　the　study　and　the　book　would　not　have　given　

that。　　It　is　God's　gift　wheresoever　educated：　　but　its　true　school…

room　is　the　camp　and　the　ocean；　the　prairie　and　the　forest；　active；　

self…helping　life；　which　can　grapple　with　Nature　herself：　　not　

merely　with　printed…books　about　her。　　Let　no　one　think　that　this　

same　Natural　History　is　a　pursuit　fitted　only　for　effeminate　or　

pedantic　men。　　I　should　say；　rather；　that　the　qualifications　

required　for　a　perfect　naturalist　are　as　many　and　as　lofty　as　were　

required；　by　old　chivalrous　writers；　for　the　perfect　knight…errant　

of　the　Middle　Ages：　　for　（to　sketch　an　ideal；　of　which　I　am　happy　

to　say　our　race　now　affords　many　a　fair　realization）　our　perfect　

naturalist　should　be　strong　in　body；　able　to　haul　a　dredge；　climb　a　

rock；　turn　a　boulder；　walk　all　day；　uncertain　where　he　shall　eat　or　

rest；　ready　to　face　sun　and　rain；　wind　and　frost；　and　to　eat　or　

drink　thankfully　anything；　however　coarse　or　meagre；　he　should　know　

how　to　swim　for　his　life；　to　pull　an　oar；　sail　a　boat；　and　ride　the　

first　horse　which　comes　to　hand；　and；　finally；　he　should　be　a　

thoroughly　good　shot；　and　a　skilful　fisherman；　and；　if　he　go　far　

abroad；　be　able　on　occasion　to　fight　for　his　life。



For　his　moral　character；　he　must；　like　a　knight　of　old；　be　first　of　

all　gentle　and　courteous；　ready　and　able　to　ingratiate　himself　with　

the　poor；　the　ignorant；　and　the　savage；　not　only　because　foreign　

travel　will　be　often　otherwise　impossible；　but　because　he　knows　how　

much　invaluable　local　information　can　be　only　obtained　from　

fishermen；　miners；　hunters；　and　tillers　of　the　soil。　　Next；　he　

should　be　brave　and　enterprising；　and　withal　patient　and　undaunted；　

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　th