胡适留学日记:全十七卷 - 三〇、波士顿游记

作者: 胡适16,255】字 目 录

r the patronage and at the expense of

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts,

To the Memory of their Fellow Citizens,

Ensign Robert Munroe and Messrs Jonas Parker,

Samuel Hadley, Jonathan Harrington, Jr.

Isaac Muzzy, Caleb Harrington and John Brown

Of Lexington, and Asahel Porter of Wloburn,

Who fell on this Field, the First Victims to the

Sword of British Tyranny and Oppression,

On the morning of the ever memorable

Nineteenth of April An. Dom. 1775.

The Die was Cast!!!

The Blood of these Martyrs

In the cause of God and their Country

Was the Cement of the Union of these States, then

Colonies, and gave the spring to the Spirit, Firmness

and Resolution of their Fellow Citizens.

They rose as one Man to revenge their Brethren's

Blood, and at the Point of the Sword, to Assert and

Defend their native Rights.

They nobly dar'd to be free!!

The Contest was long, bloody and affecting.

Righteous Heaven approved the solemn appeal,

Victory crowned their arms; and

The Peace, Liberty and Independence of the United

States of America was their Glorious Reward.

美国的儿子为了她的自由和独立献出了他们的鲜血。

此碑由麻省出资由立克信墩居民所立以之纪念他们的同胞。

他们是立克信墩的:

E·R·门罗,J·帕克,塞缪尔·哈德雷,

小乔纳逊·哈林顿,伊萨克·莫兹,

C·哈林顿,约翰·布朗,

以及渥拨恩的:

A·泼特。

在那个永远不能忘记的1775年4月19日早上,

他们倒下了!

他们是英国人暴政和压迫的第一批牺牲品!

逝者已往矣!

为了上帝和祖国烈士们用鲜血将各州各殖民地联成一体,

给他们的同胞带来活力、精神和信心。

他们的同胞奋起为他们的兄弟报仇雪恨。

面对敌人的尖刀,他们宣称定要保卫他们天赋的权利,

他们勇敢地追求自由!

斗争漫长,残酷而又激动人心,

仗义的天主赞许这神圣的祈求。

他们将戴上胜利的冠冕,

和平、自由和独立归于光荣的美利坚。

又有巨石,相传为此间“片刻队”所立处,上刻队长泊克谕众之词曰:“立尔所。不见击勿发枪。然彼等苟欲战者,则请自此始。”又有泊克队长之铜像。泊克于第一战受伤,数月后即死。是役死者仅九人而已,然皆独立之战最先死之国殇也。

游归,复以车归康桥。是夜与金君闲谈甚久。余主张两事:一曰无后,一曰遗产不传子孙。孟子曰:“不孝有三,无后为大。”吾国家族制度以嗣续为中坚,其流弊之大者有六:

一、望嗣续之心切,故不以多妻为非。男子四十无后可以娶妾,人不以为非,即其妻亦不以为忤。故嗣续为多妻之正当理由。其弊一。(其以多妻为纵欲之计者,其非人道尤不足论,士夫亦有知非之者矣。)

二、父母欲早抱孙,故多早婚。其弊二。

三、惟其以无后为忧也,故子孙以多为贵,故生产无节。其弊三。

四、其所望者不欲得女而欲得男,故女子之地位益卑。其弊四。

五、父母之望子也,以为养老计也,故谚曰,“生儿防老。”及其既得子矣既成人矣,父母自视老矣,可以息肩矣,可以坐而待养矣。故吾国中人以上之家,人至五十岁,即无志世事,西方人勤劳之时代,平均至六十五岁始已。吾国人则五十岁已退休,其为社会之损失,何可胜算?其弊五。

六、父母养子而待养于子,养成一种牢不可拔之依赖性。其弊六。(参看卷四第三五则及本卷第一一则)

遗产之制何以宜去也:

一、财产权起于劳力。甲以劳力而致富,甲之富其所自致也,其享受之宜也。甲之子孙未尝致此富也,不当享受之也。

二、富人之子孙无功而受巨产,非惟无益而又害之。疏广曰:“子孙贤而多财,而损其志;愚而多财,则益其过。”一言尽之矣。有用之青年为多财所累,终身废弃者,吾见亦多矣。

吾所持“无后”之说,非欲人人不育子女也,如是则世界人类绝矣。吾欲人人知后之不足重,而无后之不足忧。倍根曰:

有妻子者,其命定矣(绝无大成就矣)。盖妻子者,大事业之障碍也,不可以为大恶,亦不足以为大善矣。天下最大事功为公众而作者,必皆出于不婚或无子之人,其人虽不婚无后,然实已以社会为妻为子矣。

——《婚娶与独处论》

又曰:

吾人行见最伟大之事功皆出于无子之人耳。其人虽不能以形体传后,然其心思精神则已传矣。故惟无后者,乃最能传后者也。

——见《父子论》

此是何种魄力,何种见地!吾国今日正须此种思想为振瞆发聋之计耳。吾尝疑吾国两千年来,无论文学、哲学、科学、政治,皆无有出类拔萃之人物,其中最大原因,得毋为“不孝有三,无后为大”一言欤?此不无研究之价值也。

**

八日游哈佛大学,哈佛校舍六十所,较康乃耳为完备矣,而天然山水之美,则远不及之。

游博物院。院为博物学者厄格洗(Agassiz)父子所经营。其动植矿物,皆依其产生之地为分别陈列,搜罗致富。院中最著名者为玻璃所作花卉标本。其花卉之须瓣、枝叶、色泽、大小,一一如生。花小者全株,大者唯见一枝。其外又有放大之雄雌花蕊,有大至数百倍者,所以便学者观览也。此项标本凡数百种。其最佳者,为花与飞虫之关系一项。盖花有不能自结合孕育者,多赖蜂蝶之类沾染雄蕊之粉,播之雌蕊之子宫。花形有大小,状有凸凹单复,故其传播之道亦不一,院中皆一一制为标本。其蜂蝶之属,亦皆以玻璃为之。此项花卉为德国植物学者白讷须加(Rudolph Blaschka)所造。世界能知其制作之法者,惟白讷氏及其子二人而已。

片刻队铜像

出此后至福葛美术院(Fogg Art Museum,亦大学之一部),观其陈设造像及图画之层,亦有中国、日本美术品。

次游西密谛民族博物院(Semetic Museum),藏巴比仑、阿西里亚、希伯来诸古代民族之金石古物甚富。

一大学而有三大博物院,可谓豪矣!其他校舍多不纳游人(以在暑假中也),故不得遍游。哈佛公共饭堂极大,可容千余人。宿舍甚多,此康乃耳所无也。哈佛无女子,女子另入Radcliffe院。其所习科目与男子同,惟不同校耳。哈佛创于二百余年前(一六三六),规模初甚隘小,至伊丽鹗(Eliot)氏为校长始极力推广,事事求精求全。哈佛今日之为世界最有名大学之一者,伊氏之赐也。

康桥一街上有老榆树一株,二百年物也。华盛顿在此树下受职为美洲陆军大元帅,今此树名“华盛顿榆”,以铁栏围之,此西方之召伯甘棠也。

下午出行,道逢金君一友,适与其友共驾汽车出游,因招余与金君共载,游行佛兰克林公园,风景极佳。

夜往看戏。

**

九日晨,孙恒君(哈佛学生)来访,与谈甚久。孙君言中国今日不知自由平等之益,此救国金丹也。余以为病不在于无自由平等之说,乃在不知此诸字之真谛。又为言今人所持平等自由之说,已非复十八世纪学者所持之平等自由。向谓“人生而自由”(L'homme est né libre-Rousseau),果尔,则初生之婴孩亦自由矣。又曰:“人生而平等。”此尤大谬。人生有贤愚能否,有生而癫狂者,神经钝废者,有生具慧资者,又安得谓为平等也?今之所谓自由者,一人之自由,以他人之自由为界;但不侵越此界,则个人得随所欲为。然有时并此项自由亦不可得。如饮酒,未为侵犯他人之自由也,而今人皆知饮酒足以戕身;戕贼之身,对社会为失才,对子孙为弱种,故有倡禁酒之说者,不得以自由为口实也。今所谓平等之说者非人生而平等也。人虽有智愚能不能,而其为人则一也,故处法律之下则平等。夫云法律之下,则人为而非天生明矣。天生群动,天生万民,等差万千,其强弱相倾相食,天道也。老子曰“天地不仁”,此之谓耳。人治则不然。以平等为人类进化之鹄,而合群力以赴之。法律之下贫富无别,人治之力也。余又言今日西方政治学说之趋向,乃由放任主义(Laissez faire)而趣干涉主义,由个人主义而趣社会主义。不观乎取缔“托拉斯”之政策乎?不观乎取缔婚姻之律令乎?(今之所谓传种改良法〔Eugenic Laws﹞,禁癫狂及有遗传病者相婚娶,又令婚嫁者须得医士证明其无恶疾。)不观乎禁酒之令乎?(此邦行禁酒令之省甚多)不观乎遗产税乎?盖西方今日已渐见十八世纪学者所持任天而治(放任主义)之弊,今方力求补救,奈何吾人犹拾人唾余,而不深思明辨之也?

连日英法联军大胜,德军稍却,巴黎之围,或不见诸实事矣。英国诗人如赫低(Thomas Hardy)、那伊思(Alfred Noyes)、吉勃林(Rudyard Kipling)自战事之兴,皆有诗励其国人,顷见那伊思诗三章,甚工,录之如下:

By Alfred Noyes

(The Kaiser, in his reply to Belgium, has definitely placed it on record for all future ages that the destiny of Germany depends absolutely upon his right to violate guaranties, tear up treaties, and dishonor his own word. He himself has now definitely stated it in language which does not admit of any other interpretation; and the duty of nations that respect law, honor, and fighteousness is now quite clear. )

Thus only should it have come, if come it must;

Not with a riot of flags or a mob-born cry,

But with a noble faith, a conscience high

And pure and proud as heaven, wherein we trust,

We who have fought for peace, have dared the thrust

Of calumny for peace, and watched her die,

Her scutcheons rent from sky to outraged sky

By felon hands, and trampled into the dust.

We fought for peace, and we have seen the law

Canceled, not once, nor twice, by felon hands,

But shattered, again, again, and yet again.

We fought for peace. Now, in God's name we draw

The sword, not with a riot of flags and bands;

But silence, and a mustering of men.

They challenge Truth. An Empire makes reply.

One faith, one flag, one honor, and one might.

From sea to sea, from height to war-worn height,

The old word rings out—to conquer, or to die.

And we shall conquer. Tho their eagles fly

Through heaven, around this ancient isle unite

Powers that were never vanquished in the fight,

The unconquerable Powers that can not lie.

But they who challenge Truth, Law, Justice, all

The bases on which God and man stand sure

Throughout all ages, fools! —they thought us torn

So far with discord that the blow might fall

Unanswered; and, while all those Powers endure

This is our answer:Unity and Scorn.

We trust not in the multitude of a host.

Nations that greatly builded, greatly stand.

In those dark hours, the Splendor of a Hand

Has moved behind the darkness, till that coast

Where hate and faction seemed to triumph most

Reveals itself—a buckler and a brand,

Our rough—hewn work, shining o'er sea and land

But shaped to nobler ends than man could boast.

It is God's answer. Tho, for many a year,

This land forgot the faith that made her great,

Now, as her fleets cast off the North Sea foam,

Casting aside all faction and all fear.

Thrice—armed in all the majesty of her fate,

Britain remembers, and her sword strikes home.

(阿尔弗雷德·那伊思)

德国皇帝在回答比利时人的问话时,曾经十分确切地宣布今后德国的命运将绝对在他的掌握之中。他有权决定是否撕毁条约,是否违背诺言。他现在又用不容任何解释的话再次肯定了这点。国家有关法律、荣誉、正义的责任,现在是十分清楚的了。

既然要来,就让它来吧;

不要旌旗的狂舞,暴民的呐喊,

只要高尚的信念和一颗良心。

一如明彻自豪的天空

维系着我们的责任。

我们曾经为和平而战,

遭受过污言秽语的猛攻,

而如今眼看着和平奄奄一息,

她那饰有纶草的盾

被罪恶之手拋向空中滚滚的狼烟,

又被踏进污泥

打 印】 【来源:读书之家-dushuzhijia.com】

首页上一页123 45下一页末页共5页/10000条记录