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 Literature and Society

文学与社会

An Advanced Reader of Modern Chinese

Revised Edition

现代汉语高级读本
修订版
 Princeton Language Program: Modern Chinese
Princeton University Press is proud to publish the Princeton Language Program in Modern
Chinese. Based on courses taught through the Princeton University Department of East Asian
Studies and the Princeton in Beijing Program, this comprehensive series is designed for
university students who wish to learn or improve upon their knowledge of Mandarin Chinese.

Students begin with First Step, Chinese Primer, or Oh, China! depending on their previous

be used. While all of the intermediate and advanced texts focus on modern life in China, and
especially on the media, texts marked with an asterisk (*) in the chart below compare China
to the United States and are particularly appropriate for American students.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW
FIRST YEAR SECOND YEAR THIRD YEAR ADVANCED
First Step A New China A Kaleidoscope Anything Goes
(For beginners with of China
no previous knowledge
of Chinese)

Chinese Primer A Trip to China All Things China’s Own Critics

(For beginners with Considered
no previous knowledge
of Chinese)

Oh, China! An Intermediate Newspaper China’s Peril

(For students who speak Reader of Readings* and Promise
and understand some Modern Chinese*
Chinese, especially
“heritage” students who
speak the language at
home.)

Literature and
Society
Readings in
Contemporary
Chinese Cinema

Reality
 Literature and Society

文学与社会

An Advanced Reader of Modern Chinese

Revised Edition

现代汉语高级读本

Selected and Edited by

周质平 Chih-p'ing Chou

王颖 Ying Wang
王学东 Xuedong Wang

Princeton University Press

Princeton and Oxford
 Copyright © 2016 by Princeton University Press
Published by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540
In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press, 6 Oxford Street, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1TW
press.princeton.edu

All Rights Reserved

ISBN 978-0-691-17248-4

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016932945

British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available

The publisher would like to acknowledge the authors of this volume for providing the
camera-ready copy from which this book was printed.

This book has been composed in STKaiti and Times New Roman

Printed on acid-free paper 

Printed in the United States of America

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
 文学与社会
Literature and Society

目录
Table of Contents

修订版序 vii

Preface for the Revised Edition ix

序 xi

Preface xiii

略语表 List of Abbreviations xv

文学篇 讽刺与幽默

第一课 匾 鲁迅 2

第二课 中国有臭虫吗 林语堂 12

第三课 运动 梁实秋 26

第四课 劝菜 王力 42

第五课 请客 王力 54

第六课 讲价 梁实秋 66

第七课 夫妇之间 王力 80

第八课 汉奸的儿子 谢冰莹 96

第九课 过客 鲁迅 118

第十课 诗意 王蒙 142

v
社会篇 个人与社会

第一课 我国人口问题与发展生产力的关系 马寅初 170

第二课 中国传统伦理观念与人口问题 费孝通 190

第三课 礼治秩序 费孝通 216

第四课 论士大夫 吴晗 238

第五课 文字下乡 费孝通 262

第六课 乡土本色 费孝通 282

第七课 父母之命与自由结婚 陈衡哲 306

第八课 家庭结构变动中的老年赡养问题 费孝通 326

第九课 中国少数民族的发展 费孝通 344

第十课 关于北京城墙存废问题的讨论 梁思成 362

拼音索引 389

vi
 修订版序

《文学与社会》初刊于 1999 年。过去 16 年来，许多学校采

用作为教材。在使用的过程中，我们发现了一些错误和不足，
在这次修订中做了改正和增补。

这次修订主要集中在版面的重新安排上。初版的设计是课文
繁简字两页互见，而将生词和句型另成一册。这样的设计，在
使用上多有不便。修订后的新版则采简体字课文与生词同页互
见，繁体字课文置于每课之末。将原来两册的装订合并为一册。
这一改变为学生学习提供了进一步的方便，同时也反映了简化
字在国际汉语教学中发展的趋势。由于版面及字体大小的改动，
在篇幅上减轻了初版的厚重，更便于翻阅和携带。

《社会篇》原第三篇现代化与知识分子删去，加收费孝通《乡
土中国》中的《礼治秩序》。 各篇课文未作任何更动，但生词、
词语例句、练习则有不同程度的修订及增删。

本书所收各篇，大多为三、四十年代学者所写，虽时代较早，
但极具历史意义。可与现代中国社会比较，是了解当代中国的
基础。涵盖的范围涉及人口、伦理观念、乡土特色、知识分子、
婚姻、养老、少数民族等各方面的议题。

最近十几年来，因为选修中文的外国学生急速增加，在教
材编写和教学法的研究发展上日趋多样，这当然是件好事。但
在多样化的过程中，也有几个偏锋，值得省思。许多高年级，
甚至于中级的课本，在内容上，由文学、历史、社会一般的介
绍，渐渐的转向专业。譬如“商用中文”、“科技中文”
、“法律
中文”、
“医用中文”等课本的大量出版，是这个现象最好的说
明。这一发展就好处说，是对外汉语教学的专业化；但就坏处
vii
说，其中不无急功近利，迎合学生要求速成的心理。学好外语
是一个循序渐进，漫长的过程。在表面上看来速成而又切合实
用的课本，往往是条歧路，而不是捷径。

这次修订由杨玖 (Joanne Chiang) 老师主其事， Ms.

Jenny Yu（余捷）及 Mr. Henry Zhao（赵扬）校看全稿英文部分，
并提出许多宝贵意见。我们在此对两位深致谢忱。当然，书中
如有任何错误，都由编者负责。

周质平
2015 年 5 月 4 日
五四运动 97 周年纪念

viii
 Preface for the Revised Edition

Literature and Society was first published in 1999 and has been
adopted by many institutions over the past 16 years. The articles selected
covered topics such as population issues, ethics, marriage, the lives of various
intellectuals, and challenges faced by minorities in China. In the process of
using the previous two-volume textbook, we discovered a few errors and a few
insufficient explanations, which we have now corrected and appended in this
revised edition.

The main focus of this revision has been rearranging and reformatting
the layout of each page. Originally, traditional and simplified character texts
were juxtaposed on adjacent pages, with vocabulary words following the
lesson. The revised edition juxtaposes the simplified character text and its
corresponding vocabulary words on adjacent pages, and then includes the
traditional character text at the end of each lesson. These changes make it
much more convenient for students to prepare for their lessons and adapt to the
growing trend of using simplified characters in international Chinese language
education.

Although we have actually increased the number of vocabulary words

and example sentences in the revised edition, due to changes in formatting and
font size, this edition actually has fewer pages than the last, making the book
easier to flip through and carry. Furthermore, we have combined the two
volumes into one single volume, allowing this new edition to be more user-
friendly.

Ms. Joanne Chiang 杨玖 undertook the revision of this textbook and

Ms. Jenny Yu 余捷 and Mr. Henry Zhao 赵扬 proofread the entire English
portion of the manuscript and provided many valuable suggestions. To them
we extend our sincere thanks. Of course, any errors in the final manuscript are
the authors’ own.

Chih-p’ing Chou
May 7, 2015

ix
 序

最近几十年来，普林斯顿大学对外汉语教研室的同事共同编
写了一系列的教材，从初级的《中文入门》到古代汉语课本都出版
了教科书。在现代汉语高级读本这个范围里，我们已出版了《胡适
文选》A Hu Shi Reader (Yale, 1990)， 《人民日报笔下的美国》The U.
S. A. in the People’s Daily (Princeton, 1993) ，《中国知识分子的自省》
China’s Own Critics (Princeton, 1993) ， 和《中国的危机与希望》
China’s Peril and Promise (Princeton, 1996) 。
在已经出版的教材中，我们尝试着将高级对外汉语教科书渐
渐地由短篇小说选读转向当代中国和近代思想史的介绍。 这个转变
丰富了对外汉语高级读本的内容，使高级读本不再局限于近代短篇
小说选读的范围，进而让学生对近代乃至当代中国知识分子所关切
的一些议题有更直接的观察和了解。《文学与社会》就是在这个大
方向之下的另一种尝试。
目前普大出版的教科书，除了《人民日报笔下的美国》之外，
基本上是从思想史的角度来介绍中国，《文学与社会》则是从文学
与社会学的角度来分析中国人的一些习尚和所面临的问题。
本书分为两部分。第一部分是文学篇。 我们选了鲁迅、林语
堂、梁实秋、王力、谢冰莹、王蒙六位作家的十篇作品。在文体上
有散文、短篇小说和短剧；在内容上则从中国人日常的生活习惯如
“劝菜”、“讲价”到人生哲理都包括了一些；就风格上来说，这
些作品大多带着一定的讽刺与幽默，是近代小品的正宗。
第二部分是社会篇。 概括说来，重点讨论了六个议题: ⑴婚
姻与家庭，⑵人口与伦理，⑶城乡问题，⑷知识分子，⑸少数民族，
以及⑹古代建筑与城市建设。作者包括费孝通、马寅初、吴晗、梁
思成、陈衡哲等著名的学者。

xi
 为了适应教学的需要，在文字上我们做了一定的删节。在每
篇选文的前面，我们扼要地介绍了作者的生平和文章的主旨，在文
后则提供了讨论的问题。
《文学与社会》分“课文”及“词汇、句型、练习”两册。
课文部分由周质平编选。词汇、句型、练习部分文学篇由王学东编
写，社会篇由王颖负责。
在本书定稿的最后阶段，普大的胡龙华老师细看了“社会篇”
的生词部分，改正了不少错误。 Kara Wortman 小姐为本书的索引和
英文的翻译做了许多输入和校对的工作，我们在此向他们致以诚挚
的感谢。当然，本书如有任何错误都是我们的责任。

周质平、王颖、王学东
1999 年 2 月
于普林斯顿大学

xii
 Preface

For more than a decade, the Chinese language program at Princeton

University has published a series of textbooks ranging from the elementary-
level Chinese Primer to textbooks of Classical Chinese. At the advanced level
of modern Chinese, we have published the following textbooks: A Hu Shih
Reader (Yale, 1990), The USA in the People’s Daily (Princeton, 1993),
China’s Own Critics (Princeton, 1993), and China’s Peril and Promise
(Princeton, 1996).

In these textbooks, we have tried a new approach. We introduce

students to works on modern Chinese intellectual history and contemporary
China, rather than rely solely on short stories written by Chinese writers of the
early twentieth century, as many other textbooks do. This change has enriched
the variety of Chinese language textbooks available and has provided students
with the opportunity to learn about the issues facing Chinese intellectuals.

Literature and Society contains literary works and essays related to the
social sciences. It reflects the social issues China has faced in recent years and
represents a new approach to introducing students to various aspects of
Chinese society.

The textbook contains two parts. In the first, entitled “Literature,” we

have chosen ten works by Lu Xun, Lin Yutang, Liang Shiqiu, Wang Li, Xie
Bingying, and Wang Meng. The works include essays, short stories, and one
play. They reflect different sides of Chinese life, from offering hospitality to
guests and haggling over prices to philosophical issues. All ten essays contain
elements of sarcasm or humor.

The second section of the textbook, entitled “Society,” includes essays

by Fei Xiaotong, Ma Yinchu, Wu Han, Liang Sicheng, and Chen Hengzhe.
They cover six issues: 1) marriage and family, 2) population and ethics, 3)
urbanization, 4) intellectuals, 5) minorities, and 6) the preservation of ancient
architecture in a modern city.

We have edited each selection, provided a brief introduction to each

author, and added discussion questions at the end of each piece. The items
were selected and edited by Chih-p’ing Chou. The vocabulary, sentence
patterns, and exercises for the “Literature” section were prepared by Xuedong
Wang, and those of the “Society” section were prepared by Ying Wang.

At the final stage of revision, our colleague Lung-hua Hu volunteered

to proofread the glossary of the “Society” section. We extend to her our
sincere thanks. We also would like to express our profound gratitude to Kara
Wortman, who helped us prepare the index and edit and translate the English

xiii
introduction to each selection. Any errors are strictly the responsibility of the
authors.

Chih-p’ing Chou
Ying Wang
Xuedong Wang

February, 1999

xiv
 List of Abbreviations
略语表

adj. = adjective onom. = onomatopoeia

adv. = adverb part. = particle
aux. = auxiliary phr. = phrase
AN. = Measure Word prep. = preposition
conj. = conjunction pron. = pronoun
idm. = idiom s. = subject
intj. = interjection v. = verb
n. = noun v.- c.= verb-complement
num. = number v.- o. = verb-object
o. = object

* 轻声字注音不标调号，但在注音前加一个圆点 ，如“桌子”：
zhu!.zi。一般轻读，有时重读的字，在注音上标调号，注音前再加一个
圆点。如“因为”：y9n.w8i。两字之间可插入其他成分时，加 //， 如：
“理发”：l-//f4。各词条的注音都依据商务印书馆出版的《现代汉语词
典》。

Characters pronounced with a neutral tone are transcribed not with a tone marker on top
of the main vowel, as ordinary characters are, but with a dot before the initial consonant,
such as “ 桌 子 ”: zhu!.zi. Characters usually pronounced with a neutral tone but
occasionally with a stress are transcribed with both a tone marker and a dot before the
initial consonant, such as “因为”: y9n.w8i, where 为 is usually pronounced with a neutral
tone but sometimes with a falling tone (the fourth tone). When there can be an insertion
between two characters, a // is added, such as “理发”: l-//f4. The phonetic notation for all
entries is based on Xiandai Hanyu Cidian published by The Commercial Press.

xv
 文学篇
～讽刺与幽默～

1
 （一） 匾
_____________________________________________________________________

（一）
匾
鲁 迅

【背景简介】

鲁迅 (1881 - 1936)，本名周树人，是二十世纪中国最有影
响的作家和评论家，也是近代中国短篇小说的奠基者。他的作
品如<狂人日记>、<阿 Q 正传>、<孔乙己>等已成了中国短
篇小说的经典。每一个受过教育的中国人几乎都或多或少地读
过鲁迅的作品。他的作品不但反映了清末民初的时代脉动，也
深刻地剖析了中国人的个性，尖锐地指出了中国人的虚假、残
忍和奴性。
鲁迅早年留学日本，从医学改习文学，希望用文学来救
治中国人的“病”。除了小说以外，他还写了大量的杂文来批
判中国的旧传统。
本书所选<匾>是鲁迅对任意输入文艺批评外来名词的讽
刺。<过客>则是一出哲理短剧，用老翁、女孩和过客三人的
简短对话道出人生的苍凉和死亡的必然。

2
 （一） 匾

（一）
匾
鲁 迅

【背景简介】

Lu Xun (1881-1936), original name Zhou Shuren, was one of China's

most influential writers and critics of the twentieth century. He was also one of
the creators of the modern Chinese short story. His works, such as “Diary of a
Madman,” “The True Story of Ah-Q,” “Kong Yiji,” and many others, have
become classics of modern Chinese literature. Nearly every educated Chinese
person has read Lu Xun’s works at one time or another. His works not only
reflect the way of life during the period between the end of the Qing dynasty
(1644-1911) and the beginning of the Chinese Republic (1912- ), but also
analyze the mentality of the Chinese. They poignantly remark on hypocrisy,
cruelty, and slavishness in the Chinese character.

Lu Xun’s early years were spent studying in Japan. He changed his

field of study from medicine to literature, with the hope of using literature to
cure the “disease” that afflicted China. In addition to short stories, he also
wrote many articles that criticized China's old traditions.

Two works by Lu Xun are included in this book. "Tablet" reflects Lu

Xun's sarcasm toward the random import of foreign terminology for use in
literary criticism. "The Passerby" is a short philosophical play. The three
protagonists, the old man, the girl, and the passerby, symbolize three different
attitudes toward life. This play illustrates the sadness of life and the
inevitability of death.

3
 （一） 匾

（一）
匾
鲁 迅

1 中国文艺界上可怕的现象，是在尽先⑴ 输入名词，而并

2 不介绍这名词的涵义。

3 于是各各以意为之。看见作品上多讲自己，便称之为 ⑵

4 表现主义；多讲别人，是写实主义；见女郎小腿肚作诗，是浪
5 漫主义；见女郎小腿肚不准作诗，是古典主义；天上掉下一颗

6 头，头上站着一头牛，爱呀，海中央的青霹雳呀……是未来主

7 义……等等。

8 还要由此生出议论来。这个主义好，那个主义坏……等

9 等。

10 乡间一向有一个笑谈：两个近视眼要比眼力，无可 ⑶质

11 证，便约定到关帝庙去看这一天新挂的匾额。他们都先从漆匠

匾 bi3n n. a board with an inscription; banner

文艺界 w6ny=ji8 n. literary and art circle/world

现象 xi4nxi4ng n. phenomenon

尽先 j-nxi1n adv. give first priority to

输入 sh%r* v. import; input

名词 m0ngc0 n. term; expression; noun

介绍 ji8sh4o v. introduce

涵义 h2ny= n. implication; connotation; meaning

各各 g8g8 pron. every person

以意为之 y- y= w6i zh9 phr. perceive through the eye of the

4
 （一） 匾

beholder
作品 zu$p-n n. (literary) works; production

便 bi4n adv. then; 就

称之为 ch5ng zh9 w6i phr. call it as

表现主义 bi3oxi4n zh&y= n. expressionism

写实主义 xi7sh0 zh&y= n. realism

女郎 n{l2ng n. young woman; girl

小腿肚 xi3otu-d* n. calf (of the leg)

作诗 zu$//sh9 v.-o. write poems

浪漫主义 l4ngm4n zh&y= n. romanticism

准 zh&n v. permit; allow

古典主义 g&di3n zh&y= n. classicism

颗 k5 AN. measure word for things that are round

and small
头 t@u AN. measure word for large animals such as
cattle, elephant, hog, camel
中央 zh!ngy1ng n. center

青 q9ng adj. blue or green; dark

霹雳 p9l= n. thunderbolt

未来主义 w8il2i zh&y= n. futurism

由此 y@u c- from this or here; thus

议论 y=l*n n. dialogue; discussion; debate

乡间 xi1ngji1n n. countryside; village

笑谈 xi4ot2n n. comic story; joke

近视眼 j=nsh=y3n n. nearsighted person

眼力 y3nl= n. vision; eyesight

无可质证 w^k7 phr. no way to prove/cross-examine

zh=zh8ng
约定 yu5d=ng v. agree on; schedule an appointment 他
们约定在六点半见面。

关帝庙 Gu1nd=mi4o n. Guan Di Temple

匾额 bi3n’6 n. a horizontal inscribed board/plaque

漆匠 q9ji4ng n. lacquerer; painter

5
 （一） 匾
_____________________________________________________________________

1 探得字句。但因为探来的详略不同，只知道大字的那一个便不

2 服，争执起来了，说看见小字的人是说谎的。又无可質证，只

3 好一同探問一个过路的人。那人望了一望，回答道：“什么也

4 没有，匾还没有挂呢。”

5 我想，在文艺批评上要比眼力，也总得 ⑷ 先有那块匾额

6 挂起来才行。空空洞洞的争，实在只有两面自己心里明白。

<匾>最初发表于 1928 年 4 月 23 日《语丝》第四卷第十七期<随感录>栏。

收入《鲁迅全集》共十六册（北京：人民出版社，1981）册 4，页 87。

【讨论问题】
1. 本文所指出的随便借用西方名词的问题也不只是文艺界的一
个现象。就下列各词進行讨论：a) 民主，b) 科学，c) 社会主
义，d) 资本主义，e) 帝国主义。
2. 用西洋名词来讨论中国问题，最大的困难是什么？举例说明。

6
 （一） 匾

探 t4n v. make cautious inquiries about; probe

into
详略 xi2ngl_8 n. details/brief provided

不服 b*f^ v. refuse to accept as final; refuse to

concede defeat
争执 zh5ngzh0 v. dispute; be at odd with; disagree

说谎 shu!//hu3ng v.-o. tell a lie; lie 他说了谎，我不能原

谅他。
探问 t4nw8n v. inquire after; question

过路 gu$l* v. pass by 过路的人并没看清楚车祸是

怎么发生的。

望 w4ng v. look over; gaze

道 d4o v. 说
总得 z#ngd7i adv. must; have to; got to 考试以前，总
得准备一下才行。

空洞 k!ngd$ng adj. hollow

空空洞洞地：hollowly; emptily
争 zh5ng v. argue; dispute; quarrel

两面 li3ngmi4n n. two sides

7
 （一） 匾
_____________________________________________________________________

【词语例句】

（1）尽先: give first priority to

◎中国文艺界上可怕的现象，是在尽先输入名词， 而并
不介绍这名词的涵义。
1. 政府决定尽先解决农村老人的养老问题。
2. 目前住房问题非常迫切，必须尽先处理。
（2）称之为: call it as
◎看见作品上多讲自己，便称之为表现主义。
1. 我们把这种每个月都花光工资的年轻人称之为“月光族”。
2. 这些被称之为“红卫兵”的青年学生对传统毫不尊重。
（3）无可+ disyllabic verb: cannot be v.-ed; cannot v.; unable to v.
无可取代；无可争议；无可挑剔；无可证明；无可否认
◎两个近视眼要比眼力，无可質证，便约定到关帝庙去看这
一天新挂的匾额。
1. 鲁迅在中国现代文学史上的重要地位是无可争议的。
2. 他考虑得十分周到，种种的安排都无可挑剔，大家都很满
意。
（4）总得……（才行）：must; have to; got to
◎在文艺批评上要比眼力，也总得先有那块匾额挂起来才行。
1. 你要使用一个名词，总得先明白这个名词的涵义才行。
2. 那家饭馆尽管不太贵，但是吃一顿饭总得花二、三十块钱。

8
 （一） 匾
_____________________________________________________________________

【练习】

I. Make sentences using the underlined expressions:

1. 中国文艺界上可怕的现象，是在尽先输入名词，而并不介绍
这名词的涵义。
2. 如果看见作品上多讲自己，有些人便称之为表现主义。
3. 两位近视眼要比眼力，无可質证，便约定到关帝庙去看这一
天新挂的匾额。
4. 在文艺批评上要比眼力，总得先有那块匾额挂起来才行。

II. Translate the following expressions:

1. patriotism 2. nationalism 3. capitalism 4. individualism
5. anarchism 6. imperialism 7. communism 8. liberalism
9. pragmatism 10. democraticism

III. Use “……界” to classify people of the following professions:

例如：作家 —— 文艺界
1. 医生 2. 总统 3. 运动员 4. 小提琴手
5. 老师 6. 记者 7. 科学家 8. 麦当劳的老板

IV. Find an appropriate word for each of the blanks:

a. 尽先 b. 议论 c. 争执 d. 说谎 e. 涵义
f. 约定 g. 空洞 h. 不服 i. 介绍 j. 输入
1. 为一点儿小事就闹矛盾，有时甚至于 起来，实在没有
必要。
2. 我花了十几个钟头才把这些资料 了电脑。
3. 现在人人都谈“民主”，但是真正了解这个名词的 的人
并不多。
4. 我跟几个好朋友已经 七月初在北京见面。
5. 我真不明白你怎么会对如此 的理论这么感兴趣。
6. 我怎么能信任像他那样总是 的人?
7. 医疗保险是个有关老百姓的生活的重要议题， 应该 解
决。
8. 要是你对法院的判决 ，当然可以找律师继续打官司。

9
 （一） 匾
_____________________________________________________________________

9. 你能不能给我 一本有关最新的经济理论的书？
10. 由于不了解这些新名词的涵义，大家所发的 未免有些
空洞。

V. Answer the following questions:

1. 用外来名词评论本国的作品，有什么利弊?
2. 作者对中国的文艺批评有什么意见？
3. 作者反对的是什么？他主张文艺批评应该以什么为基础？
4. 本文中两个近视眼所闹的笑话说明了什么问题？
5. 在你看来，鲁迅先生写本文的目的是什么？
6. 你认为文学批评在人们的社会生活中应该起什么作用？

VI. Composition:
1. Write a dialogue between the two nearsighted people and the passer-by
based on the information from the text.
2. 美国的文艺批评

10
 （一） 匾

【繁體字課文】

1 中國文藝界上可怕的現象，是在儘先⑴輸入名詞,而並不
2 介紹這名詞的涵義。
3 於是各各以意為之。看見作品上多講自己，便稱之為 ⑵
4 表現主義；多講別人，是寫實主義；見女郎小腿肚作詩，是浪
5 漫主義；見女郎小腿肚不准作詩，是古典主義；天上掉下一顆
6 頭，頭上站著一頭牛，愛呀，海中央的青霹靂呀……是未來主
7 義......等等。
8 還要由此生出議論來。這個主義好，那個主義壞……等等。
9 鄉間一向有一個笑談: 兩個近視眼要比眼力,無可⑶質證，
10 便約定到關帝廟去看這一天新掛的匾額。他們都先從漆匠探得
11 字句。但因為探來的詳略不同，只知道大字的那一個便不服，
12 爭執起來了，說看見小字的人是說謊的。又無可質證，只好一
13 同探問一個過路的人。那人望了一望，回答道:「什麼也沒有，
14 匾還沒有掛呢。」
15 我想，在文藝批評上要比眼力，也總得⑷先有那塊匾額
16 掛起來才行。空空洞洞的爭，實在只有兩面自己心裡明白。

<匾>最初發表於 1928 年 4 月 23 日《語絲》第四卷第十七期<随感录>欄。

收入《魯迅全集》共十六冊(北京:人民出版社,1981)冊 4,頁 87。

11
 （二） 中国有臭虫吗?
_____________________________________________________________________

（二）
中国有臭虫吗？
林语堂

【背景简介】

林语堂 (1895-1976) 原名玉堂，现代语言学家、散文家、

小说家。福建龙溪人。毕业于上海圣约翰大学。1919 年到美国
留学后转赴德国留学，获 Leipzig 大学哲学博士学位。他的博
士论文题目是<古代中国语音学> Altchinesiche Lautlehre。1922 年
他回到中国，任北京大学英文教授。1926 年在厦门大学任文科
主任。1932 年起，编辑《论语》、《人间世》、《宇宙风》等
杂志。提倡“闲适幽默”小品文。1936 年赴美后专事英文写作，
对介绍中国文化给西方人有比较大的贡献。他的许多英文著作
在美国成为畅销书。1938 年出版的 The Importance of Living 是最
好的例子。
1954 年林语堂曾短期受聘为南洋大学校长。1968 年以后
定居台北。1976 年病死在香港。
本书所收<中国有臭虫吗？>一文表现了林语堂所特有的
幽默与讽刺。

12
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Memoirs of the
life of David Rittenhouse, LLD. F.R.S., late
president of the American Philosophical Society,
&c
 This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United
States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away
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included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you
are not located in the United States, you will have to check the
laws of the country where you are located before using this
eBook.

Title: Memoirs of the life of David Rittenhouse, LLD. F.R.S., late

president of the American Philosophical Society, &c
interspersed with various notices of many distinguished
men : with an appendix, containing sundry
philosophical and other papers, most of which have not
hitherto been published

Author: William Barton

Release date: December 2, 2023 [eBook #72283]

Language: English

Original publication: Philadelphia: Edward Parker, 1813

Credits: KD Weeks, The Online Distributed Proofreading Team

at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from
images generously made available by The Internet
Archive)

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MEMOIRS

OF THE LIFE OF DAVID RITTENHOUSE, LLD. F.R.S., LATE
PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, &C
***
 Transcriber’s Note:
Please consult the end notes for a discussion of the
handling of textual notes, and any other issues that arose
during the preparation of this transcription.
The front cover, which contained no text, has been
modified by adding a simplified version of the title page,
and, as so modified, is added to the public domain.
Any corrections are indicated as hyperlinks, which will
navigate the reader to the corresponding entry in the
corrections table in the note at the end of the text.
 MEMOIRS

OF THE LIFE

OF

DAVID RITTENHOUSE, LLD. F.R.S.

LATE PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, &c.

INTERSPERSED WITH

VARIOUS NOTICES OF MANY DISTINGUISHED MEN:

WITH

AN APPENDIX,
CONTAINING

SUNDRY PHILOSOPHICAL AND OTHER PAPERS,

MOST OF WHICH HAVE NOT HITHERTO BEEN PUBLISHED.

BY WILLIAM BARTON, M. A.
COUNSELLOR AT LAW;

Member of the American Philosophical Society, the Mass. Hist. Society, and the
Royal Economical Society of Valencia, in Spain.

PHILADELPHIA:
 PUBLISHED BY EDWARD PARKER, NO. 178, MARKET-STREET.

W. Brown, Printer, Church-Alley.

1813.
DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA, TO WIT:
BE IT REMEMBERED, That on the ninth day of October, in the
thirty-eighth year of the independence of the United States of
America, A. D. 1813, William Barton of the said district, hath
deposited in this office the Title of a book, the right whereof he
claims as Author, in the words following, to wit:
“Memoirs of the Life of David Rittenhouse, L. L. D. F.R.S, late
President of the American Philosophical Society, &c. Interspersed
with various notices of many distinguished men: with an Appendix,
containing sundry philosophical and other papers, most of which
have not hitherto been published. By William Barton, M. A.
Counsellor at Law; Member of the American Philosophical Society,
the Mass. Hist. Society, and the Royal Economical Society of
Valencia, in Spain.”
In conformity to the act of the Congress of the United States,
intituled, “An act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the
copies of maps, charts and books, to the authors and proprietors of
such copies during the times therein mentioned.”—And also to the
act entitled, “An act supplementary to an act, entitled, “An act for the
encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts,
and books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies during the
times therein mentioned,” and extending the benefits thereof to the
arts of designing, engraving, and etching historical and other prints.”

D. CALDWELL,
Clerk of the District of Pennsylvania.
 PREFACE.

Agreeably to the plan on which the following memoirs have been

conducted, it will be perceived, that they contain a great variety of
matter; of which, some particulars have a remote, others merely an
incidental connexion, with the chief object of the work. There may
perhaps be some readers, to whom the introduction of such matters
as the University of Pennsylvania and the Medical School connected
with it, the Pennsylvania Hospital, the Philadelphia Library, and the
like, into the Life of Rittenhouse, will, on a cursory view, seem to
have little or no affinity to that object. But when it is considered, that
this work is designed to comprehend Memoirs, not only of
Rittenhouse personally, but of several literary, scientific, and other
public institutions, as well as of many eminent men, with which his
individual history and the annals of his time were in various ways
associated, it is presumed, that the slight sketches which have been
taken of those matters, in passing along, will neither prove foreign to
the nature of the present undertaking, nor uninteresting in
themselves. As a citizen of Pennsylvania; as an inestimable public
and private character; as a distinguished son of science, of great
probity and extensive usefulness in society; in all these points of
view, the History of Dr. Rittenhouse may be contemplated, as holding
a relationship with almost every object connected with science and
the arts, in his day, that could in any wise contribute to the well being
of mankind in general, and his native country in particular.
Conspicuous and eminently meritorious as he was, yet an insulated
account of his talents, his virtues, and his personal services,—a bare
specification of such qualities and merits as he possessed,
abstracted from a due consideration of the state of society and
circumstances resulting from it, taken in connexion with them, during
the same period,—would not be equally intelligible and instructive;
and, consequently, must prove less useful. For these reasons, the
Memorialist has pursued that course which he conceives to be
perfectly congenial with the main design of his work; as best
calculated to promote its general usefulness, and most suitably
adapted to render it interesting, even to those who read for
amusement solely.

In the adoption of this plan, the writer has been chiefly influenced
by a desire to illustrate the history, genius and character of the times,
which his Memoirs embrace; together with the progress and
improvement of literature, science and the arts, within the same
compass, more especially in this country; and this consideration has
obviously led him to introduce, in conjunction with those objects, as
well as with the Life of the great American Philosopher, various
notices of many persons distinguished for their talents and merit, not
only in our own time, but at different periods in the annals of science.
He has thought it right to rescue from oblivion—to commemorate in
this way, if not to consecrate, the names of some men in this country,
more especially, who deserve to be ranked among the worthies of
America. All this the writer has done, too, in conformity to the mode
prosecuted by some of the most judicious biographers and
memorialists, together with other writers of the same class: It is
believed to be a manner of treating the interesting subjects, on which
the pens of such authors have been employed, which, while it
renders their works more pleasing, greatly increases their
usefulness.—If, therefore, some of the matter which has been
introduced into the present work should, at first sight, appear
irrelative, and even unimportant, the Memorialist nevertheless
flatters himself, that, on reflection, nothing will be deemed really so,
how remotely soever it may seem, on a transient view of the subject,
to be connected with the principal design of the undertaking;
provided it has a tendency to illustrate the great objects he was
desirous of accomplishing.[I1]

The diversity of the materials which are, by these means, blended

with the biographical account of Dr. Rittenhouse, in the Memoirs now
presented to the world, made it expedient, in the opinion of the
writer, to have recourse to the free use of notes, for the purposes of
illustration, reference, and explanation. In a work of such a
complexion—constituting a book composed of very various
materials, designed to elucidate and inform, as well as to please—it
became, in fact, necessary to throw a large portion of that matter into
the form of notes; in order to avoid, by numerous digressions on
subjects arising out of the primary object of the work, too much
disjointing of the text. There are persons, no doubt, by whom this
course will be disapproved. The able and learned author of the
Pursuits of Literature has been accused by some critics—while
others, who have no pretensions to those qualifications which entitle
a man to exercise the functions of a critic, have even affected to
laugh at him—for the multiplicity, the variety, and the length of the
notes, which he has appended to that poem. But its being a satirical
poem, is the circumstance to which may be fairly attributed the
censorious cavils which his work excited: his satire was felt; and it
roused the spleen of those who were its objects, and their partizans.
The present work, however, is far from being intended to satirise any
one; its author has no such object in view: for, although he has, in
some instances, expressed his disapprobation of certain principles,
theories, and even measures, which he believes to be not only
repugnant to true science, but destructive of both private and social
happiness—he has refrained as far as possible from personal
censure;—he would much rather be engaged in the functions of an
eulogist, than those of a censor. The numerous notes the
Memorialist has employed—many of them, too, pretty long—will not
therefore, he presumes, be objected to, on the ground of personality
or supposed ill-humour. He has introduced them into his Memoirs,
because he believed them to be not only useful, but peculiarly well
adapted to a work of this nature, and suited to answer the general
scope of its design. The author may then say, in the words of the
poetical writer just mentioned—as an apology for the frequency and
copiousness of the notes annexed to these Memoirs;—“I have made
no allusions which I did not mean to explain. But I had something
further in my intention. The notes are not always explanatory; they
are of a structure rather peculiar to themselves: many of them are of
a nature between an essay and an explanatory comment. There is
much in a little compass, suited to the exigency of the times. I
expatiated on the casual subject which presented itself; and when
ancient or modern writers expressed the thoughts better than I could
myself, I have given the original languages. No man has a greater
contempt for the parade of quotation (as such) than I have. My
design is not to quote words, but to enforce right sentiments in the
manner which I think best adapted to the purpose, after much
reflection.”

The method of disposing of the notes, in this work, may be thought

by some to impair the symmetry of the page: but so trivial a defect as
this may be, in the typographical appearance of the book, will, it is
supposed, be amply compensated by the convenience the reader
will experience, in having the annotations, almost always, on the
same pages with their respective references.

In the arrangement of the Memoirs, the author has placed the

incidents and circumstances relating to the Life of Dr. Rittenhouse, in
their chronological order, as nearly as could be conveniently done.

An Appendix,—containing sundry letters and other papers, which

could neither be incorporated with propriety into the text, nor inserted
in marginal notes,—is placed after the conclusion of the Memoirs. In
this part of the work the reader will find, among other interesting
documents, Dr. Rittenhouse’s Oration on the subject of Astronomy,
pronounced before the American Philosophical Society, in the year
1775. The addition of this treatise to the Life of our Philosopher, was
rendered the more proper,—independently of the intrinsic merit of
the performance,—by reason of the pamphlet having had, originally,
a very limited circulation, and its being now out of print. The Notes,
added to this little tract, as well as to some other papers in the
Appendix, by the Memorialist, are designated by the initials of his
name; in order to distinguish the annotations from either the notes
originally attached to them,—or from other matter, in the Text, not
written by himself.
 The author has embellished his work with an elegantly engraved
likeness of Dr. Rittenhouse, executed by an able artist, from a
portrait painted by Mr. C. W. Peale, in-the year 1772,[I2] when our
Philosopher was forty years of age. At that time he wore a wig,—and
was so represented in the picture: but afterwards, when he resumed
the wearing of his own hair, (and which he continued to do during the
remainder of his life,) the portrait was altered accordingly, by Mr.
Peale. The original picture (now in the possession of Mrs. Sergeant,)
bore a strong resemblance to Dr. Rittenhouse, at that period of his
life in which it was taken; and the engraving, prefixed to these
Memoirs, is an excellent copy.

To a portion of the readers of this work, some of the matter it

contains may be thought superfluous,—because already familiar to
them: and, to men of extensive learning and research, much of the
information herein collected may really be so. But to persons of less
erudition and science, the knowledge thus communicated it may be
presumed, will prove in some degree useful; and the writer indulges
a confident belief, that the greater number of his readers will derive
both instruction and gratification, from a perusal of the Memoirs now
offered to their attention.

The favours which the Memorialist has received, in the

communication of sundry papers and some information for this work,
demand his thankful acknowledgments to the contributors. Among
these,—besides those gentlemen occasionally mentioned in the
Memoirs,—the writer returns his thanks to his worthy relatives, Mrs.
Sergeant, Mrs. Waters, and Dr. Benjamin Smith Barton; and also to
the Rt. Rev. Bishop White, Andrew Ellicott, Esq. John Vaughan, Esq.
the Rev. Dr. Samuel Stanhope Smith, Charles Smith, Esq. and the
Rev. Mr. Cathcart. To the friendship and politeness of these very
respectable characters, he holds himself indebted, on this occasion.
[I3]

It has been the earnest desire of the writer, to adhere strictly to

Truth, in every part of his narrative: he has not, therefore, introduced
into his work any thing, as a matter of Fact, which he did not believe
to be well founded. Wherever he has ventured to express an Opinion
of his own, on any subject of importance, it must be left to the
judgment and candour of others to determine, what weight it may be
entitled to.—In the various quotations which appear in his Memoirs,
the writer has endeavoured to observe the utmost fidelity, with
respect to the originals; and all his translations into the English, from
other languages, have been made with a like scrupulous attention to
correctness.—Some errors and inaccuracies have nevertheless, it
may be readily supposed, found their way into the following work;
though the writer trusts they are neither numerous nor very
important: and, as they are wholly unintentional, of whatever
description they may be, he hopes it will not be deemed
presumptuous in him, to claim for them the indulgence of a candid,
liberal, and discerning public.

Lancaster, in Pennsylvania,
April 11, 1813.

I1. The biographer of Rittenhouse entirely coincides with the

compilers of the Encyclopædia Britannica, in opinion, respecting the
utility and propriety of giving an account, in such Memoirs as the
present, of things as well as persons, connected in various ways with
the main object of the work.

In the preface to that useful dictionary of arts, sciences and

miscellaneous literature, are the following observations: the
consideration they merit; is submitted to the good sense of the
reader.

“While one part of our readers,” say the encyclopedists, when

referring to the biographical department of their work, “will regret that
we have given no account of their favourite philosopher, hero, or
statesman, others may be disposed to remark, that we have dragged
from obscurity the names of many persons who were no proper
objects of such public regard. To these we can only reply, that, with
the greatest biographer of modern times, we have long thought that
there has rarely passed a life, of which a faithful narrative would not
be useful; and that in the lives of the most obscure persons, of whom
we have given any account, we saw something either connected
with recent discoveries and public affairs, or which we thought
capable of affording a lesson to great multitudes in similar
circumstances.”—“Between eminent achievements and the scenes
where they were performed, there is a natural and necessary
connexion. The character of the warrior is connected with the fields
of his battles; that of the legislator, with the countries which he
civilized; and that of the traveller and navigator, with the regions
which they explored. Even when we read of the persons by whom,
and the occasions on which, any particular branch of knowledge has
been improved, we naturally wish to know something of the places
where such improvements were made.”

I2. Mr. C. W. Peale painted at the same time another portrait of

him, for himself; which is likewise altered from the original painting. It
has a place in Mr. Peale’s Gallery of Portraits. There is a third, by the
same hand, in the possession of the American Philosophical Society.

Another good picture of Dr. Rittenhouse was also then made, by

Mr. James Peale, for the Rev. Mr. Barton. This (which represents him
with a wig) is now in the possession of John Moore White, Esq. of
New-Jersey, who married Mr. Barton’s youngest daughter.

A pretty good mezzotinto, in a large size,—done from Mr. C. W.

Peale’s painting of our Philosopher,—was executed by Mr. E.
Savage, in the winter of 1796: and since that time, some small
engravings have been made from different pictures of him; but these
do not so well preserve the likeness.

I3. Some interesting information was likewise communicated by

the late Professor Rush. The death of that gentleman having
occurred since the completion of the present work, the author has
inserted a concise biographical notice of him, in the Appendix, in
place of the mention originally made of his name in this preface.
 INTRODUCTION.

The individuals in society, who present to the view of their

cotemporaries, and transmit to posterity, Memorials of illustrious
men,—more especially those of their own country,—discharge
thereby a debt of gratitude: because every man is, directly or
indirectly, interested in the benefits conferred on his species, by
those who enlarge the sphere of human knowledge, or otherwise
promote the happiness of mankind.

But the biographer of an highly meritorious character aims at more

than the mere performance of that duty, which a grateful sense of
obligation exacts from him, in common with every member of the
community, in commemorating the beneficence of the wise and the
good: he endeavours to excite in great and liberal minds, by the
example of such, an ambition to emulate their talents and their
virtues;—and it is these, that, by their union, constitute true
greatness of character.

The meed of applause which may be sometimes, and too often is,
bestowed on meretricious worth, is ever unsteady and fleeting. The
pseudo-patriot may happen to enjoy a transient popularity; false
philosophy may, for a while, delude, if not corrupt, the minds of an
unthinking multitude; and specious theories in every department of
science,—unsupported by experience and untenable on principles of
sound reason,—may give to their projectors a short-lived reputation:
But the celebrity which is coveted by the man of a noble and
generous spirit,—that estimable species of fame, which alone can
survive such ephemera of error as are often engendered by the
vanity of the individual and nurtured by the follies or vices of the
many,—must ever rest on the permanent foundation of truth,
knowledge and beneficence.

Virtue is essentially necessary to the constitution of a truly great

character. For, although brilliant talents are sometimes found
combined with vicious propensities,[1]—the impulse given to men of
this description, often renders their great abilities baneful to society:
they can seldom, if ever, be productive of real public good. Should
eminent talents, possessed by a man destitute of virtue, even take a
right direction in their operation, by reason of some extraordinary
circumstance,—such an event ought never to be calculated on: It is
not the part of common sense,—much less of a cautious prudence,
acquired by a knowledge of mankind,—to expect praise-worthy
conduct from any one, whose predominating passions are bad,
however great may be his capability of doing good.

While, therefore, the mind may view, with a sort of admiration, the
achievements of a magnanimous soldier, it turns with indignation
from the atrocities of a military tyrant: and at the same time that it
may be induced to contemplate even with complacency, at the first
view, the plausible, yet groundless speculations of ingenious
theorists, in matters of science,—still the fallacy of their systems,
when developed by experience, strips them of all their tinseled glare
of merit. Thus, too, the applause which the world justly attaches to
the character of a patriot-hero, deserts the unprincipled ruffian-
warrior, however valiant and successful he may prove: In like
manner, reason and experience expose to the censure of the good
and the derision of the wise, the deleterious doctrines of
metaphysical statesmen and philosophers.[2] Such estimable
qualities as they may possess, in either character, are merged in the
mischievous or base ones, with which they are combined: thus,
infamy or contempt eventually become the merited portion of crime
or of folly, as either one or the other may prevail. A Cæsar,[3] a
Cromwell and a Robespierre, with other scourges of mankind, of like
character, will therefore be viewed as objects of execration by
posterity, while the memories of an Alfred, a Nassau, and a
Washington—a Chatham, a Burke, and an Ames,—will be
venerated, to the latest posterity.

Much of the glory of a nation results from the renown of illustrious

men, among its citizens: a country which has produced many great
men, may justly pride itself on the fame which those individuals had
acquired. The community to which we belong is entitled to such
services as we can render to it: these the patriot will cheerfully
bestow; and, in promoting the honour and prosperity of his country, a
large portion of the lustre which the exertion of his talents shall have
shed upon it, are again reflected on himself.[4]

The cultivator of those branches of natural science which

constitute practical and experimental philosophy;—equally with the
teacher of religion and morals,—extends the beneficial effects of his
researches and knowledge beyond the bounds of his particular
country. Truth is every where the same; and the promulgation of it
tends, at all times and in all places, to elevate to its proper station
the dignity of man. The more extensively, then, true science can be
diffused, the greater will be the means—the fairer will be the rational
prospect, of enlarging the sphere of human happiness. The
philosopher may, pre-eminently, be considered as a citizen of the
world; yet without detracting in any degree from that spirit of
patriotism, which ever stimulates a good man to contribute his
primary and most important services to his own country. There are,
indeed, some species of aids, which are exclusively due to a
community, by all its citizens; and, consequently, such as they are
bound to withhold from other national communities, in certain
contingencies and under peculiar circumstances. But a knowledge of
those truths which lead to the acquisition of wisdom and practice of
virtue, serves to meliorate the condition of mankind generally, at all
times, and under all circumstances;—inasmuch as they greatly
assist in banishing error, with its frequent concomitant, vice, not only
from the more civilized portions of the world, but also by their
inherent influence, from among nations less cultivated and refined.
 The truths promulgated by means of a natural and sublime
philosophy—corresponding, as this does, with the dignity of an
enlightened spirit—must ever emanate from a virtuous heart as well
as an expanded intellect. Hence, the real philosopher,—he whose
principles are unpolluted by the sophisticated tenets of some modern
pretenders to the appellation,—can scarcely fail to be a good man.
Such was the immortal Newton; such were a Boyle, a Hale and a
Barrow,—a Boerhaave, a Stephen Hales and a Bradley; with many
worthies equally illustrious,—whose glories will, for ever, retain their
primitive splendour.

Even the most celebrated sages of antiquity, extremely imperfect

as we know the philosophy of the early ages to have been,
elucidated, by the purity of their lives and the morality of their
doctrines, the truth of the position,—that the cultivation of natural
wisdom, unaided as it then was by the lights of revelation, encreased
every propensity to moral virtue. Such were Socrates, Plato his
disciple, and Anaxagoras; who flourished between four and five
centuries before the Christian era.

The life of Socrates, who is styled by Cicero the Father of

Philosophers, afforded a laudable example of moderation, patience,
and other virtues; and his doctrines abound with wisdom.
Anaxagoras and Plato united with some of the nobler branches of
natural science, very rational conceptions of moral truth. Both of
them had much higher claims to the title of philosophers, than
Aristotle, who appeared about a century afterwards. This
philosopher, however,—for, as such, he continued for many ages to
be distinguished in the schools,—was, like Socrates, more a
metaphysician than an observer of the natural world. His morality is
the most estimable part of his works; though his conceptions of
moral truths were much less just than those of Anaxagoras and
Plato:[5] for his physics are replete with notions and terms alike
vague, unmeaning and obscure.[6] The intimate connexion that
subsists between the physical and moral fitness of things, in relation
to their respective objects, was more evidently known to Anaxagoras
and Plato, than to either Socrates or Aristotle: and the reason is
obvious;—both of the former cultivated the sublime science of
Astronomy.

To this cause, then, may be fairly attributed the half-enlightened

notions of the Deity,[7] and of a future state, entertained by these
pagan searchers after truth. To the same cause may be traced the
sentiment that dictated the reply made by Anaxagoras,—when, in
consequence of his incessant contemplation of the stars, he was
asked, “if he had no concern for his country?”—“I incessantly regard
my country,” said he, pointing to Heaven.

Plato’s attention to the same celestial science unquestionably

enlarged his notions of the Deity, and enabled him to think the more
justly of the moral attributes of human nature. According to Plato—
whose morality, on the whole, corresponds with the system
maintained by Socrates,[8]—the human soul is a ray from the Divinity.
He believed, that this minute portion of infinite Wisdom, Goodness
and Power, was omniscient, while united with the Parent stock from
which it emanated; but, when combined with the body, that it
contracted ignorance and impurity from that union. He did not, like
his master Socrates, neglect natural philosophy; but investigated
many principles which relate to that branch of knowledge:—and,
according to this philosopher, all things consisted of two principles,—
God and matter.

It is evident that Plato believed in the immortality of the soul of

man; but he had, at the same time, very inadequate conceptions of
the mode or state of its existence, when separated from the body. It
seems to have been reserved for the Christian dispensation, to
elucidate this great arcanum, hidden from the most sagacious of the
heathen philosophers.[9] It was the difficulty that arose on this
subject, the incapability of knowing how to dispose of the soul, or
intellectual principle in the constitution of our species, after its
disentanglement from the body; a difficulty by which all the
philosophers, antecedent to the promulgation of Christianity, were
subjected to unsurmountable perplexities;—it was this, that rendered
even the expansive genius of Anaxagoras utterly incompetent to