fabre, poet of science-第3节

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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；　in　consideration

of　a　modest　payment；　the　majority　were　lodged　in　the　establishment；　and　ate

in　common　at　the　principal's　table。〃



It　was　a　laborious　life；　full　of　distasteful　and　repugnant　duties。　We　can

readily　imagine；　with　the　aid　of　the　striking　picture　which　Fabre　has　drawn

for　us；　what　life　was　in　these　surroundings；　and　what　the　teaching　was：

〃Between　four　high　walls　I　see　the　court；　a　sort　of　bear…pit　where　the

scholars　quarrelled　for　the　space　beneath　the　boughs　of　a　plane…tree；　all

around　opened　the　class…rooms；　oozing　with　damp　and　melancholy；　like　so

many　wild　beasts'　cages；　deficient　in　light　and　air。。。for　seats；　a　plank

fixed　to　the　wall。。。in　the　middle　a　chair；　the　rushes　of　the　seat　departed；

a　blackboard；　and　a　stick　of　chalk。〃　（2/1。）



Let　the　teachers　of　our　spacious　and　well…lighted　schools　of　to…day　ponder

on　these　not　so　distant　years；　and　measure　the　progress　accomplished。

Evoking　the　memory　of　their　humble　colleague　of　Carpentras；　may　they　feel

the　true　greatness　of　his　example：　a　noble　and　a　glorious　example；　of　which

they　may　well　be　proud。



And　what　pupils！　〃Dirty；　unmannerly：　fifty　young　scoundrels；　children　or

big　lads；　with　whom；〃　no　doubt；　〃he　used　to　squabble；〃　but　whom；　after　all；

he　contrived　to　manage；　and　by　whom　he　was　listened　to　and　respected：　for

he　knew　precisely　what　to　say　to　them；　and　how；　while　talking　lightly；　to

teach　them　the　most　serious　things。　For　the　joy　of　teaching；　and　of

continually　learning　by　teaching　others；　made　everything　endurable。　Not

only　did　he　teach　them　to　read；　write；　and　cipher；　which　then　included

almost　the　entire　programme　of　primary　education；　he　endeavoured　also　to

place　his　own　knowledge　at　their　service；　as　he　himself　acquired　it。



It　was　not　only　his　love　of　the　work　that　sustained　him；　it　was　the　desire

to　escape　from　the　rut；　to　accomplish　yet　another　stage；　to　emerge；　in

short；　from　so　unsatisfactory　a　position。　Now　nothing　but　physical　and

mathematical　science　would　allow　him　to　entertain　the　hope　of　〃making　an

opening〃　in　the　world　of　secondary　schoolmasters。　He　accordingly　began　to

study　physics；　quite　alone；　〃with　an　impossible　laboratory；　experimenting

after　his　own　fashion〃；　and　it　was　by　teaching　them　to　his　pupils　that　he

learned　first　of　all　chemistry；　inexpensively　performing　little　elementary

experiments　before　them；　〃with　pipe…bowls　for　crucibles　and　aniseed　flasks

for　retorts；〃　and　finally　algebra；　of　which　he　knew　not　a　word　before　he

gave　his　first　lesson。　（2/2。）



How　he　studied；　what　was　the　secret　of　his　method；　he　told　his　brother　a

few　years　later；　when　the　latter；　marking　time　behind　him；　was　pursuing　the

same　career。　A　very　disappointing　career；　no　doubt；　and　far　from　lucrative；

but　〃one　of　the　noblest；　one　of　those　best　fitted　for　a　noble　spirit；　and　a

lover　of　the　good。〃　（2/3。）



Listen　to　the　lesson　which　he　gives　his　brother：　



〃To…day　is　Thursday；　nothing　c