友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!阅读过程发现任何错误请告诉我们,谢谢!! 报告错误
九色书籍 返回本书目录 我的书架 我的书签 TXT全本下载 进入书吧 加入书签

speeches-literary & social-第42章

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!




of right; God knows; for it is idle to suppose that the advantages

of such an institution as the Glasgow Athenaeum will stop within

its own walls or be confined to its own members。  Through all the

society of this great and important city; upwards to the highest

and downwards to the lowest; it must; I know; be felt for good。

Downward in a clearer perception of; and sympathy with; those

social miseries which can be alleviated; and those wide…open doors

to vice and crime that can be shut and barred; and upward in a

greater intelligence; increased efficiency; and higher knowledge;

of all who partake of its benefits themselves; or who communicate;

as all must do; in a greater or less degree; some portion to the

circle of relatives or friends in which they move。



Nor; ladies and gentlemen; would I say for any man; however high

his social position; or however great his attainments; that he

might not find something to be learnt even from immediate contact

with such institutions。  If he only saw the goddess Knowledge

coming out of her secluded palaces and high places to mingle with

the throng; and to give them shining glimpses of the delights which

were long kept hoarded up; he might learn something。  If he only

saw the energy and the courage with which those who earn their

daily bread by the labour of their hands or heads; come night after

night; as to a recreation; to that which was; perhaps; the whole

absorbing business of his youth; there might still be something

very wholesome for him to learn。  But when he could see in such

places their genial and reviving influences; their substituting of

the contemplation of the beauties of nature and art; and of the

wisdom of great men; for mere sensual enjoyment or stupid idleness

… at any rate he would learn this … that it is at once the duty and

the interest of all good members of society to encourage and

protect them。



I took occasion to say at an Athenaeum in Yorkshire a few weeks

since; and I think it a point most important to be borne in mind on

such commemorations as these; that when such societies are objected

to; or are decried on the ground that in the views of the

objectors; education among the people has not succeeded; the term

education is used with not the least reference to its real meaning;

and is wholly misunderstood。  Mere reading and writing is not

education; it would be quite as reasonable to call bricks and

mortar architecture … oils and colours art … reeds and cat…gut

music … or the child's spelling…books the works of Shakespeare;

Milton; or Bacon … as to call the lowest rudiments of education;

education; and to visit on that most abused and slandered word

their failure in any instance; and precisely because they were not

education; because; generally speaking; the word has been

understood in that sense a great deal too long; because education

for the business of life; and for the due cultivation of domestic

virtues; is at least as important from day to day to the grown

person as to the child; because real education; in the strife and

contention for a livelihood; and the consequent necessity incumbent

on a great number of young persons to go into the world when they

are very young; is extremely difficult。  It is because of these

things that I look upon mechanics' institutions and athenaeums as

vitally important to the well…being of society。  It is because the

rudiments of education may there be turned to good account in the

acquisition of sound principles; and of the great virtues; hope;

faith; and charity; to which all our knowledge tends; it is because

of that; I take it; that you have met in education's name to…night。



It is a great satisfaction to me to occupy the place I do in behalf

of an infant institution; a remarkably fine child enough; of a

vigorous constitution; but an infant still。  I esteem myself

singularly fortunate in knowing it before its prime; in the hope

that I may have the pleasure of remembering in its prime; and when

it has attained to its lusty maturity; that I was a friend of its

youth。  It has already passed through some of the disorders to

which children are liable; it succeeded to an elder brother of a

very meritorious character; but of rather a weak constitution; and

which expired when about twelve months old; from; it is said; a

destructive habit of getting up early in the morning:  it succeeded

this elder brother; and has fought manfully through a sea of

troubles。  Its friends have often been much concerned for it; its

pulse has been exceedingly low; being only 1250; when it was

expected to have been 10;000; several relations and friends have

even gone so far as to walk off once or twice in the melancholy

belief that it was dead。  Through all that; assisted by the

indomitable energy of one or two nurses; to whom it can never be

sufficiently grateful; it came triumphantly; and now; of all the

youthful members of its family I ever saw; it has the strongest

attitude; the healthiest look; the brightest and most cheerful air。

I find the institution nobly lodged; I find it with a reading…room;

a coffee…room; and a news…room; I find it with lectures given and

in progress; in sound; useful and well…selected subjects; I find it

with morning and evening classes for mathematics; logic; grammar;

music; French; German; Spanish; and Italian; attended by upwards of

five hundred persons; but; best and first of all and what is to me

more satisfactory than anything else in the history of the

institution; I find that all; this has been mainly achieved by the

young men of Glasgow themselves; with very little assistance。  And;

ladies and gentlemen; as the axiom; 〃Heaven helps those who help

themselves;〃 is truer in no case than it is in this; I look to the

young men of Glasgow; from such a past and such a present; to a

noble future。  Everything that has been done in any other

athenaeum; I confidently expect to see done here; and when that

shall be the case; and when there shall be great cheap schools in

connexion with the institution; and when it has bound together for

ever all its friends; and brought over to itself all those who look

upon it as an objectionable institution; … then; and not till then;

I hope the young men of Glasgow will rest from their labours; and

think their study done。



If the young men of Glasgow want any stimulus or encouragement in

this wise; they have one beside them in the presence of their fair

townswomen; which is irresistible。  It is a most delightful

circumstance to me; and one fraught with inestimable benefits to

institutions of this kind; that at a meeting of this nature those

who in all things are our best examples; encouragers; and friends;

are not excluded。  The abstract idea of the Graces was in ancient

times associated with those arts which refine the human

understanding; and it is pleasant to see now; in the rolling of the

world; the Graces popularising the practice of those arts by their

example; and adorning it with their presence。



I am happy to know that in the Glasgow Athenaeum there is a

peculiar bond of union between the institution and the fairest part

of creation。  I understand that the necessary addition to the small

library of books being difficult and expensive to make; the ladies

have generally resolved to hold a fancy bazaar; and to devote the

proceeds to this admirable purpose; and I learn with no less

pleasure that her Majesty the Queen; in a graceful and womanly

sense of the excellence of this design; has consented that the

bazaar shall be held under her royal patronage。  I can only say;

that if you do not find something very noble in your books after

this; you are much duller students than I take you to be。  The

ladies … the single ladies; at least … however disinterested I know

they are by sex and nature; will; I hope; resolve to have some of

the advantages of these books; by never marrying any but members of

the Athenaeum。  It seems to me it ought to be the pleasantest

library in the world。



Hazlitt says; in speaking of some of the graceful fancies of some

familiar writer of fiction; 〃How long since I first became

acquainted with these characters; what old…fashioned friends they

seem; and yet I am not tired of them like so many other friends;

nor they of me。〃  In this case the books will not only possess all

the attractions of their own friendships and charms; but also the

manifold … I may say womanfold … associations connected with their

donors。  I can imagine how; in fact; from these fanciful

associations; some fair Glasgow widow may be taken for the remoter

one whom Sir Roger de Coverley could not forget; I can imagine how

Sophia's muff may be seen and loved; but not by Tom Jones; going

down the High Street on any winter day; or I can imagine the

student finding in every fair form the exact counterpart of the

Glasgow Athenaeum; and taking into consideration the history of

Europe wit
返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0
未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!