fabre, poet of science-第10节

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！



（4/21。）



It　is　true　that　his　modest　position　was　slightly　improved；　at　the　lycée　he

had　just　been　appointed　drawing…master；　thanks　to　his　knowledge　of　design；

for　he　could　drawindeed；　what　could　he　not　do？　The　city；　on　the　other

hand；　appointed　him　conservator　of　the　Requien　Museum；　and　presently

municipal　lecturer；　so　that　his　earnings　were　increased　by　48　pounds

sterling　per　annum；　and　he　was　at　last　able　to　abandon　〃those　abominable

private　lessons〃　（4/22。）；　which　the　insufficiency　of　his　income　had

hitherto　forced　him　to　accept。　These　new　duties；　which　naturally　demanded

much　time　and　much　labour；　kept　him　almost　as　badly　tied　as　he　had　been

before。



To　be　rich　enough　to　set　himself　free；　to　be　master　of　all　his　time；　to　be

able　to　devote　himself　entirely　to　his　chosen　work：　this　was　his　dream；　his

constant　preoccupation：　it　haunted　him；　it　was　a　fixed　idea。



Such　was　the　principal　motive　of　his　inquiry　into　the　properties　of　madder；

the　colouring　principle　of　which　he　succeeded　in　extracting　directly；　by　a

perfectly　simple　method；　which　for　a　time　very　advantageously　replaced　the

extremely　primitive　methods　of　the　old　dyers；　who　used　a　simple　extract　of

madder；　a　crude　preparation　which　necessitated　long　and　expensive

manipulations。　（4/23。）



He　had　been　working　at　this　for　eight　years　when　Victor　Duruy；　Minister　of

Public　Instruction　and　Grand　Master　of　the　University；　came　to　surprise　him

in　his　laboratory　at　Saint…Martial；　in　the　full　fever　of　research。　Whatever

was　Duruy's　idea　in　entering　into　relations　with　him；　it　seems　that　from

their　first　meeting　the　two　men　were　really　taken　with　one　another：　there

were；　between　them；　so　many　close　affinities　of　taste　and　character。　Duruy

found　in　Fabre　a　man　of　his　own　temper；　for　his；　like　Fabre's；　was　a　modest

and　simple　nature。　Both　came　of　the　people；　and　the　principal　motive　of

each　was　the　same　ideal　of　work；　emancipation；　and　progress。



A　little　later　Duruy　summoned　the　modest　sage　of　Avignon　to　Paris；　with

particular　insistence；　he　was　full　of　attentions　and　of　forethought；　and

made　him　there　and　then　a　chevalier　of　the　Legion　of　Honour；　a　distinction

of　which　Fabre　was　far　from　being　proud；　and　which　he　was　careful　never　to

obtrude；　but　he　nevertheless　always　thought　of　it　with　a　certain

tenderness；　as　a　beloved　〃relic〃　in　memory　of　this　illustrious　friend。



On　the　following　day　the　naturalist　was　conveyed　to　the　Tuileries　to　be

presented　to　the　Emperor。　You　must　not　suppose　that　he　was　in　the　least

disturbed　at　the　idea　of　finding　himself　face　to　face　with　royalty。　In　the

presence　of　all　these　bedizened　folk；　in　his　coat　of　a　cut　which　was

doubtless　already　superannuated；　he　cared　little　for　the　impression　he

might　produce。　As　good　an　observer　of　men　as　of　beasts；　he　gazed　quietly

about　him；　he　exchanged　a　few　words　with　the　Emperor；　who　was　〃quite

simple；〃　almost　suppressed；　his　eyes　always　half…closed；　he　watched　the

coming　and　going　of　〃the　chamberlains　with　short　breeches　and　silver…

buckled　shoes；　great　scarabaei；　clad　with　café　au　lait　wing…cases；　moving

with　a　formal　gait。〃　Already　he　sighed　regretfully；　he　was　bored；　he　was　on

the　rack；　and　for　nothing　in　the　world　would　he　have　repeated　the

experience。　He　did　not　even　feel　the　least　desire　to　visit　the　vaunted

collections　of　the　Museum。　He　longed　to　return；　to　find　himself　once　more

among　his　dear　insects；　to　see　his　grey　olive…trees；　full　of　the　frolicsome

cicadae；　his　wastes　and　commons；　which　smelt　so　sweet　of　thyme　and　cypress；

above　all；　to　return　to　his　furnace　and　retorts；　in　order　to　complete　his

discovery　as　quickly　as　possible。



But　others　profited　by　his　happy　conceptions。　Like　the　cicada；　the　Cigale

of　his　fable　（See　〃Social　Life　in　the　Insect　World；〃　by　Jean…Henri　Fabre

（T。　Fisher　Unwin；　1912）。）；　which　makes　a　〃honeyed　reek〃　flow　from



　　　　〃the　bark

Tender　and　juicy；　of　the　bough；〃



on　which　it　is　quickly　supplanted　by



〃Fly；　drone；　wasp；　beetle　too　with　hornèd　head〃　（4/24。）；　



who



〃Now　lick　their　honey'd　lips；　and　feed　at　leisure；〃



so；　after　he　had　painfully　laboured　for　twelve　years　in　his　well；　he　saw

others；　more　cunning　than　he；　come　to　his　perch；　who　by　dint　of　〃stamping

on　his　toe；〃　succeeded　in　ousting　him。　Pending　the　appearance　of　artificial

alizarine；　which　was　presently　to　turn　the　whole　madder　industry　upside

down；　these　more　sophisticated　persons　were　able　to　benefit　at　leisure　by

the　ingenious　processes　discovered　by　Fabre；　so　that　the　practical　result

of　so　much　assiduity；　so　much　patient　research；　was　absolutely　nil；　and　he

found　himself　as　poor　as　ever。



So　faded　his　dream：　and；　if　we　except　his　domestic　griefs；　this　was

certainly　the　deepest　and　cruellest　disappointment　he　had　ever　experienced。



Thenceforth　he　saw　his　salvation　only　in　the　writing　of　textbooks；　which

were　at　last　to　throw　open　the　door　of　freedom。　Already　he　had　set　to　work；

under　the　powerful　stimulus　of　Duruy；　preoccupied　as　he　always　was　by　his

incessant　desire　for　freedom。　The　first　rudiments　of　his　〃Agricultural

Chemistry；〃　which　sounded　so　fresh　a　note　in　the　matter　of　teaching；　had

given　an　instance　and　a　measure　of　his　capabilities。



But　he　did　not　seriously　devote　himself　to　this　project　until　after　the

industrial　failure　and　the　distressing　miscarriage　of　his　madder　process；

and　not　until　he　had　been　previously　assured　of　the　co…operation　of　Charles

Delagrave；　a　young　publisher；　whose　fortunate　intervention　contributed　in

no　small　degree　to　his　deliverance。　Confident　in　his　vast　powers　of　work；

and　divining　his　incomparable　talent　as　POPULARIZER；　Delagrave　felt　that　he

could　promise　Fabre　that　he　would　never　leave　him　without　work；　and　this

promise　was　all　the　more　comforting；　in　that　the　University；　despite　his

twenty…eight　years　of　assiduous　service；　would　not　accord　him　the　smallest

pension。



Victor　Duruy　was　the　great　restorer　of　education　in　France；　from　elementary

and　primary　education；　which　should　date；　from　his　great　ministry；　the　era

of　its　deliverance；　to　the　secondary　education　which　he　himself　created　in

every　part。　He　was　also　the　real　initiator　of　secular　instruction　in

France；　and　the　Third　Republic　has　done　little　but　resume　his　work；　develop

his　ideas；　and　extend　his　programme。　Finally；　by　instituting　classes　for

adults；　the　evening　classes　which　enabled　workmen；　peasants；　bourgeois；　and

young　women　to　fill　the　gaps　in　their　education；　he　gave　reality　to　the

generous　and　fruitful　idea　that　it　is　possible　for　all　to　divide　life　into

two　parts；　one　having　for　its　object　our　material　needs　and　our　daily

bread；　and　the　other　consecrated　to　the　spiritual　life　and　the　delights　of

the　Ideal。



At　the　same　time　he　emancipated　the　young　women　of　France；　formerly　under

the　exclusive　tutelage　of　the　clergy；　and　opened　to　them　for　the　first　time

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　possi