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(本文是1901年11月23日作者在纽约勃克莱博物馆公共教育协会上的演讲)
我想,要我到这来讲话,并不是因爲把我看作一位教育专家。如果是那样,就会显得在你们方面缺少卓越的判断,并且仿佛是提醒我别忘了我自己的弱点。
我坐在这思忖着,终想到了我所以被邀请到这来,是有两个原因。一个原因是让我这个曾在大洋之上漂流的不幸的旅客懂得一点你们这个团体的性质与规模,让我懂得,世界上除了我以外,还有别的一些人正在做有益社会的事,从而对我有所啓迪。另一个原因是你们之所以邀请我,是爲了通过对照来告诉我,教育如果得法,会有多大的成效。
尊敬的主席先生刚才说,曾在巴黎博览会上获得扬的有关学校的图片已经送往俄国,俄国政府对此深表感谢这对我来说,倒是非常诧异的事。因爲还只是一个锺点以前,我在报上读到一段新闻,一开头便说:"俄国备实行节约。"我倒是没有料到会有这样的事。我当即想,要是俄国实行了节约,能把眼下派到满洲去的3万军队召回国,让他们在和平生活中安居乐业,那对俄国来说该是多大的好事啊。
我还想,这也是德国应该毫不拖延地干的事,法国以及其他在中国派有军队的国家都该跟着干。
爲什麽不让中国摆脱那些外国人,他们尽是在她的土地上捣乱。如果他们都能回到老家去,中国这个国家将是中国人多麽美好的地方啊!既然我们并不许中国人到我们这儿来,我愿郑重声明:让中国自己去决定,哪些人可以到他们那去,那便是谢天谢地的事了。
外国人不需要中国人,中国人也不需要外国人。在这一点上,我任何时候都是和义和团站在一起的。义和团是爱国者。他们爱他们自己的国家胜过爱别的民族的国家。我祝愿他们成功。义和团主张要把我们赶出他们的国家。我也是义和团。因爲我也主张把他们赶出我们的国家。
我把俄国电讯再看了一下,这样,我对世界和平的梦想便消失了。电讯上说,保持军队所需的巨额费用使得节约非实行不可,因而政府决定,爲了维持这个军队,便必须削减公立学校的经费。而我们则认爲,国家的伟大来自公立学校。
试看历史怎样在全世界围内重演,这是多麽奇怪。我记得,当我还是密西西比河上一个小孩子的时候,曾有同样的事情发生过。有一个镇子也曾主张停办公立学校,因爲那太费钱了。有一位老农站出来说了话,说他们要是把学校停办的话,他们不会省下什麽钱。因爲每关闭一所学校,就得多修造一座牢狱。
这如同把一条狗身上的尾巴用作饲料来喂养这条狗。它肥不了。我看,支持学校要比支持监狱强。
你们这个协会的活动,和沙皇和他的全体臣民比起来,显得具有更高的智慧。这倒不是过奖的话,而是说的我的心话。
"I was not invited to speak here as an expert on education, he said; "or, at least, I should hope not, and when I thank the President and members of the society for asking me here at all, I do so with the distinct understanding that I am not expected to furnish information.
"I can conceive of two reasons why I am invited to be present. The first is that I may gather an idea of the worthy objects of an education society of this order and some notion of the good work which it accomplishes. The second reason is that I am asked here to operate as a contrast - the contrast of an idle and lazy man in the company of 600 or 700 earnest, energetic women, and, further, to show by this contrast, the possibilities of education. Go on with your good work and you will receive the applause of the idle and lazy as well as the others.
"I have a wild and vague and nebulous idea of the aims and objects of the society, and already I applaud. If I understood fully the grand scope of your organization I might raise my applause to a still higher key.
"The president has just mentioned the fact that the society has won the great credit mark in the fact that it has been called upon for instruction by the Charter Revision Commission. The commission would not have made this request unless it had felt sure of being able to learn something from its counsels.
"Reference has been made to the fact that the pictures of the New York schools have gone here and there throughout Europe for the instruction of foreign governments, and are now in the hands of Russia. Well, that was a compliment that I was not expecting for our educational system, because it has not been an hour since I was reading a cable dispatch in one of the newspapers which began, 'Russia proposes to retrench."
"When one is not expecting a thunderbolt like that it is exciting. I thought, what a good thing for the whole world! 'Russia has 30,000 soldiers in Manchuria,' I said to myself, 'and this dispatch means that she is going to take them out of there and send them back to their farms to live in peace. If Russia retrenches this way why shouldn't Germany and France follow suit? Why shouldn't all the foreign powers withdraw from China and leave her free to attend to her own business?'
"It is the foreigners, who are making all the trouble in China, and if they would only get out, how pleasant everything would be!
"As far as America is concerned we don't allow the Chinese to come here, and we would be doing the graceful thing to allow China to decide whether she will allow us to go there. China never wanted any foreigners, and when it comes to a settlement of this immigrant question I am with the Boxer every time.
The Boxer is a patriot; he is the only patriot China has, and I wish him success. The Boxer believes in driving us out of his country. I am a Boxer, for I believe in driving the out of this country. The Boxers on this side have won out. Why not give the Boxer on the other side a chance?
"But about that Russian dispatch regarding retrenchment. I read further and my dream vanished. The dispatch went on to say that Russia, on account of the vast expense to which she was being put in the Far East, had decided to cut down expenses, so she had withdrawn her appropriations for the public schools.
" Now, I never expected to see any humor in a cable dispatch from Russia. The worst thing about it is that the Russians themselves probably don't see any humor in it. The idea of a country concluding that the best way to save expenses is to cut off the common schools! We, who have been led to believe that out of the schools grows a nation's greatness, can hardly believe this tale.
It is curious to reflect how history repeats itself and how great minds all over the earth are sure at some time to alight on the same great idea. Now, this same Russian plan of retrenchment was brought up once in a township on the Mississippi River when I was a boy. The town was short of money and it was proposed to discontinue the common schools. At a meeting where the scheme was being discussed, an old farmer got up and said:
" 'I think it's a mistake to try to save money that way. It's not a real saving, for every time you stop a school you will have to build a jail. What you gain at one end you lose at the other. It's like feeding a dog on his own tail. It wouldn't fatten that dog.
"This society is much wiser in its day and generation than the Emperor of Russia and all his people. That is not much of a compliment, but it's the best I've got in stock."更多精彩文章及讨论,请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
(本文是1901年11月23日作者在纽约勃克莱博物馆公共教育协会上的演讲)
我想,要我到这来讲话,并不是因爲把我看作一位教育专家。如果是那样,就会显得在你们方面缺少卓越的判断,并且仿佛是提醒我别忘了我自己的弱点。
我坐在这思忖着,终想到了我所以被邀请到这来,是有两个原因。一个原因是让我这个曾在大洋之上漂流的不幸的旅客懂得一点你们这个团体的性质与规模,让我懂得,世界上除了我以外,还有别的一些人正在做有益社会的事,从而对我有所啓迪。另一个原因是你们之所以邀请我,是爲了通过对照来告诉我,教育如果得法,会有多大的成效。
尊敬的主席先生刚才说,曾在巴黎博览会上获得扬的有关学校的图片已经送往俄国,俄国政府对此深表感谢这对我来说,倒是非常诧异的事。因爲还只是一个锺点以前,我在报上读到一段新闻,一开头便说:"俄国备实行节约。"我倒是没有料到会有这样的事。我当即想,要是俄国实行了节约,能把眼下派到满洲去的3万军队召回国,让他们在和平生活中安居乐业,那对俄国来说该是多大的好事啊。
我还想,这也是德国应该毫不拖延地干的事,法国以及其他在中国派有军队的国家都该跟着干。
爲什麽不让中国摆脱那些外国人,他们尽是在她的土地上捣乱。如果他们都能回到老家去,中国这个国家将是中国人多麽美好的地方啊!既然我们并不许中国人到我们这儿来,我愿郑重声明:让中国自己去决定,哪些人可以到他们那去,那便是谢天谢地的事了。
外国人不需要中国人,中国人也不需要外国人。在这一点上,我任何时候都是和义和团站在一起的。义和团是爱国者。他们爱他们自己的国家胜过爱别的民族的国家。我祝愿他们成功。义和团主张要把我们赶出他们的国家。我也是义和团。因爲我也主张把他们赶出我们的国家。
我把俄国电讯再看了一下,这样,我对世界和平的梦想便消失了。电讯上说,保持军队所需的巨额费用使得节约非实行不可,因而政府决定,爲了维持这个军队,便必须削减公立学校的经费。而我们则认爲,国家的伟大来自公立学校。
试看历史怎样在全世界围内重演,这是多麽奇怪。我记得,当我还是密西西比河上一个小孩子的时候,曾有同样的事情发生过。有一个镇子也曾主张停办公立学校,因爲那太费钱了。有一位老农站出来说了话,说他们要是把学校停办的话,他们不会省下什麽钱。因爲每关闭一所学校,就得多修造一座牢狱。
这如同把一条狗身上的尾巴用作饲料来喂养这条狗。它肥不了。我看,支持学校要比支持监狱强。
你们这个协会的活动,和沙皇和他的全体臣民比起来,显得具有更高的智慧。这倒不是过奖的话,而是说的我的心话。
"I was not invited to speak here as an expert on education, he said; "or, at least, I should hope not, and when I thank the President and members of the society for asking me here at all, I do so with the distinct understanding that I am not expected to furnish information.
"I can conceive of two reasons why I am invited to be present. The first is that I may gather an idea of the worthy objects of an education society of this order and some notion of the good work which it accomplishes. The second reason is that I am asked here to operate as a contrast - the contrast of an idle and lazy man in the company of 600 or 700 earnest, energetic women, and, further, to show by this contrast, the possibilities of education. Go on with your good work and you will receive the applause of the idle and lazy as well as the others.
"I have a wild and vague and nebulous idea of the aims and objects of the society, and already I applaud. If I understood fully the grand scope of your organization I might raise my applause to a still higher key.
"The president has just mentioned the fact that the society has won the great credit mark in the fact that it has been called upon for instruction by the Charter Revision Commission. The commission would not have made this request unless it had felt sure of being able to learn something from its counsels.
"Reference has been made to the fact that the pictures of the New York schools have gone here and there throughout Europe for the instruction of foreign governments, and are now in the hands of Russia. Well, that was a compliment that I was not expecting for our educational system, because it has not been an hour since I was reading a cable dispatch in one of the newspapers which began, 'Russia proposes to retrench."
"When one is not expecting a thunderbolt like that it is exciting. I thought, what a good thing for the whole world! 'Russia has 30,000 soldiers in Manchuria,' I said to myself, 'and this dispatch means that she is going to take them out of there and send them back to their farms to live in peace. If Russia retrenches this way why shouldn't Germany and France follow suit? Why shouldn't all the foreign powers withdraw from China and leave her free to attend to her own business?'
"It is the foreigners, who are making all the trouble in China, and if they would only get out, how pleasant everything would be!
"As far as America is concerned we don't allow the Chinese to come here, and we would be doing the graceful thing to allow China to decide whether she will allow us to go there. China never wanted any foreigners, and when it comes to a settlement of this immigrant question I am with the Boxer every time.
The Boxer is a patriot; he is the only patriot China has, and I wish him success. The Boxer believes in driving us out of his country. I am a Boxer, for I believe in driving the out of this country. The Boxers on this side have won out. Why not give the Boxer on the other side a chance?
"But about that Russian dispatch regarding retrenchment. I read further and my dream vanished. The dispatch went on to say that Russia, on account of the vast expense to which she was being put in the Far East, had decided to cut down expenses, so she had withdrawn her appropriations for the public schools.
" Now, I never expected to see any humor in a cable dispatch from Russia. The worst thing about it is that the Russians themselves probably don't see any humor in it. The idea of a country concluding that the best way to save expenses is to cut off the common schools! We, who have been led to believe that out of the schools grows a nation's greatness, can hardly believe this tale.
It is curious to reflect how history repeats itself and how great minds all over the earth are sure at some time to alight on the same great idea. Now, this same Russian plan of retrenchment was brought up once in a township on the Mississippi River when I was a boy. The town was short of money and it was proposed to discontinue the common schools. At a meeting where the scheme was being discussed, an old farmer got up and said:
" 'I think it's a mistake to try to save money that way. It's not a real saving, for every time you stop a school you will have to build a jail. What you gain at one end you lose at the other. It's like feeding a dog on his own tail. It wouldn't fatten that dog.
"This society is much wiser in its day and generation than the Emperor of Russia and all his people. That is not much of a compliment, but it's the best I've got in stock."更多精彩文章及讨论,请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net