memoir of fleeming jenkin-第30节

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nature　of　the　sanitary　work　and　of　Fleeming's　part　and　success　in　

it。　　It　will　be　enough　to　say　here　that　it　was　a　scheme　of　

protection　against　the　blundering　of　builders　and　the　dishonesty　of　

plumbers。　　Started　with　an　eye　rather　to　the　houses　of　the　rich；　

Fleeming　hoped　his　Sanitary　Associations　would　soon　extend　their　

sphere　of　usefulness　and　improve　the　dwellings　of　the　poor。　　In　

this　hope　he　was　disappointed；　but　in　all　other　ways　the　scheme　

exceedingly　prospered；　associations　sprang　up　and　continue　to　

spring　up　in　many　quarters；　and　wherever　tried　they　have　been　found　

of　use。



Here；　then；　was　a　serious　employment；　it　has　proved　highly　useful　

to　mankind；　and　it　was　begun　besides；　in　a　mood　of　bitterness；　

under　the　shock　of　what　Fleeming　would　so　sensitively　feel　…　the　

death　of　a　whole　family　of　children。　　Yet　it　was　gone　upon　like　a　

holiday　jaunt。　　I　read　in　Colonel　Fergusson's　letter　that　his　

schoolmates　bantered　him　when　he　began　to　broach　his　scheme；　so　did　

I　at　first；　and　he　took　the　banter　as　he　always　did　with　enjoyment；　

until　he　suddenly　posed　me　with　the　question：　　'And　now　do　you　see　

any　other　jokes　to　make？　　Well；　then；'　said　he；　'that's　all　right。　　

I　wanted　you　to　have　your　fun　out　first；　now　we　can　be　serious。'　　

And　then　with　a　glowing　heat　of　pleasure；　he　laid　his　plans　before　

me；　revelling　in　the　details；　revelling　in　hope。　　It　was　as　he　

wrote　about　the　joy　of　electrical　experiment。　　'What　shall　I　

compare　them　to？　　A　new　song？　…　a　Greek　play？'　　Delight　attended　

the　exercise　of　all　his　powers；　delight　painted　the　future。　　Of　

these　ideal　visions；　some　（as　I　have　said）　failed　of　their　

fruition。　　And　the　illusion　was　characteristic。　　Fleeming　believed　

we　had　only　to　make　a　virtue　cheap　and　easy；　and　then　all　would　

practise　it；　that　for　an　end　unquestionably　good；　men　would　not　

grudge　a　little　trouble　and　a　little　money；　though　they　might　

stumble　at　laborious　pains　and　generous　sacrifices。　　He　could　not　

believe　in　any　resolute　badness。　　'I　cannot　quite　say；'　he　wrote　in　

his　young　manhood；　'that　I　think　there　is　no　sin　or　misery。　　This　I　

can　say：　　I　do　not　remember　one　single　malicious　act　done　to　

myself。　　In　fact　it　is　rather　awkward　when　I　have　to　say　the　Lord's　

Prayer。　　I　have　nobody's　trespasses　to　forgive。'　　And　to　the　point；　

I　remember　one　of　our　discussions。　　I　said　it　was　a　dangerous　error　

not　to　admit　there　were　bad　people；　he；　that　it　was　only　a　

confession　of　blindness　on　our　part；　and　that　we　probably　called　

others　bad　only　so　far　as　we　were　wrapped　in　ourselves　and　lacking　

in　the　transmigratory　forces　of　imagination。　　I　undertook　to　

describe　to　him　three　persons　irredeemably　bad　and　whom　he　should　

admit　to　be　so。　　In　the　first　case；　he　denied　my　evidence：　　'You　

cannot　judge　a　man　upon　such　testimony；'　said　he。　　For　the　second；　

he　owned　it　made　him　sick　to　hear　the　tale；　but　then　there　was　no　

spark　of　malice；　it　was　mere　weakness　I　had　described；　and　he　had　

never　denied　nor　thought　to　set　a　limit　to　man's　weakness。　　At　my　

third　gentleman；　he　struck　his　colours。　　'Yes；'　said　he；　'I'm　

afraid　that　is　a　bad　man。'　　And　then　looking　at　me　shrewdly：　　'I　

wonder　if　it　isn't　a　very　unfortunate　thing　for　you　to　have　met　

him。'　　I　showed　him　radiantly　how　it　was　the　world　we　must　know；　

the　world　as　it　was；　not　a　world　expurgated　and　prettified　with　

optimistic　rainbows。　　'Yes；　yes；'　said　he；　'but　this　badness　is　

such　an　easy；　lazy　explanation。　　Won't　you　be　tempted　to　use　it；　

instead　of　trying　to　understand　people？'



In　the　year　1878；　he　took　a　passionate　fancy　for　the　phonograph：　　

it　was　a　toy　after　his　heart；　a　toy　that　touched　the　skirts　of　

life；　art；　and　science；　a　toy　prolific　of　problems　and　theories。　　

Something　fell　to　be　done　for　a　University　Cricket　Ground　Bazaar。　　

'And　the　thought　struck　him；'　Mr。　Ewing　writes　to　me；　'to　exhibit　

Edison's　phonograph；　then　the　very　newest　scientific　marvel。　　The　

instrument　itself　was　not　to　be　purchased　…　I　think　no　specimen　had　

then　crossed　the　Atlantic　…　but　a　copy　of　the　TIMES　with　an　account　

of　it　was　at　hand；　and　by　the　help　of　this　we　made　a　phonograph　

which　to　our　great　joy　talked；　and　talked；　too；　with　the　purest　

American　accent。　　It　was　so　good　that　a　second　instrument　was　got　

ready　forthwith。　　Both　were　shown　at　the　Bazaar：　　one　by　Mrs。　

Jenkin　to　people　willing　to　pay　half　a　crown　for　a　private　view　and　

the　privilege　of　hearing　their　own　voices；　while　Jenkin；　perfervid　

as　usual；　gave　half…hourly　lectures　on　the　other　in　an　adjoining　

room　…　I；　as　his　lieutenant；　taking　turns。　　The　thing　was　in　its　

way　a　little　triumph。　　A　few　of　the　visitors　were　deaf；　and　hugged　

the　belief　that　they　were　the　victims　of　a　new　kind　of　fancy…fair　

swindle。　　Of　the　others；　many　who　came　to　scoff　remained　to　take　

raffle　tickets；　and　one　of　the　phonographs　was　finally　disposed　of　

in　this　way；　falling；　by　a　happy　freak　of　the　ballot…box；　into　the　

hands　of　Sir　William　Thomson。'　　The　other　remained　in　Fleeming's　

hands；　and　was　a　source　of　infinite　occupation。　　Once　it　was　sent　

to　London；　'to　bring　back　on　the　tinfoil　the　tones　of　a　lady　

distinguished　for　clear　vocalisations；　at　another　time　Sir　Robert　

Christison　was　brought　in　to　contribute　his　powerful　bass'；　and　

there　scarcely　came　a　visitor　about　the　house；　but　he　was　made　the　

subject　of　experiment。　　The　visitors；　I　am　afraid；　took　their　parts　

lightly：　　Mr。　Hole　and　I；　with　unscientific　laughter；　commemorating　

various　shades　of　Scotch　accent；　or　proposing　to　'teach　the　poor　

dumb　animal　to　swear。'　　But　Fleeming　and　Mr。　Ewing；　when　we　

butterflies　were　gone；　were　laboriously　ardent。　　Many　thoughts　that　

occupied　the　later　years　of　my　friend　were　caught　from　the　small　

utterance　of　that　toy。　　Thence　came　his　inquiries　into　the　roots　of　

articulate　language　and　the　foundations　of　literary　art；　his　papers　

on　vowel　sounds；　his　papers　in　the　SATURDAY　REVIEW　upon　the　laws　of　

verse；　and　many　a　strange　approximation；　many　a　just　note；　thrown　

out　in　talk　and　now　forgotten。　　I　pass　over　dozens　of　his　

interests；　and　dwell　on　this　trifling　matter　of　the　phonograph；　

because　it　seems　to　me　that　it　depicts　the　man。　　So；　for　Fleeming；　

one　thing　joined　into　another；　the　greater　with　the　less。　　He　cared　

not　where　it　was　he　scratched　the　surface　of　the　ultimate　mystery　…　

in　the　child's　toy；　in　the　great　tragedy；　in　the　laws　of　the　

tempest；　or　in　the　properties　of　energy　or　mass　…　certain　that　

whatever　he　touched；　it　was　a　part　of　life　…　and　however　he　touched　

it；　there　would　flow　for　his　happy　constitution　interest　and　

delight。　　'All　fables　have　their　morals；'　says　Thoreau；　'but　the　

innocent　enjoy　the　story。'　　There　is　a　truth　represented　for　the　

imagination　in　these　lines　of　a　noble　poem；　where　we　are　told；　that　

in　our　highest　hours　of　visionary　clearness；　we　can　but





'see　the　children　sport　upon　the　shore

And　hear　the　mighty　waters　rolling　evermore。'





To　this　clearness　Fleeming　had　attained；　and　although　he　heard　the　

voice　of　the　eternal　seas　and　weighed　its　message；　he　was　yet　able；　

until　the　end　of　his　life；　to　sport　upon　these　shores　of　death　and　

mystery　with　the　gaiety　and　innocence　of　children。





IV。





It　was　as　a　student　that　I　first　knew　Fleeming；　as　one　of　that　

modest　number　of　young　men　who　sat　under　his　ministrations　in　a　

soul…chilling　class…room　at　the　top　of　the　University　buildings。　　

His　presence　was　against　him　as　a　professor：　　no　one；　least　of　all　

students；　would　have　been　moved　to　respect　him　at　first　sight：　　

rather　short　in　stature；　markedly　plain；　boyishly　young　in　manner；　

cocking　his　head　like　a　terrier　with　every　mark　of　the　most　

engaging　vivacity　and　readiness　to　be　pleased；　full　of　words；　full　

of　paradox；　a　stranger　could　scarcely　fail　to　look　at　him　twice；　a　

man　thrown　with　him　in　a　train　could　scarcely　fail　to　be　engaged　by　

him　in　talk；　but　a　student　would　never　regard　him　as　academical。　　

Yet　he　had　that　fibre　in　him　that　order　always　existed　in　his　

class…room。　　I　do　not　remember　that　he　ever　addressed　me　in　

language；　at　the　least　sign　of　unrest；　his　eye　would　fall　on　me　and　

I　was　quelled。　　Such　a　feat　is　comparatively　easy　in　a　small　class；　

but　I　have　misbehaved　in　smaller　classes　and　under　eyes　more　

Olympian　than　Fleeming　Jenkin's。　　He　was　simply　a　man　from　whose　

reproof　one　shrank；　in　manner　the　least　buckrammed　of　mankind；　he　

had；　in　serious　moments；　an　extreme　dignity　of　goodness。　　So　it　was　

that　he　obtained　a　power　over　the　most　insubordinate　of　students；　

but　a　power　of　which　I　was　myself　unconscious。　　I　was　inclined　to　

regard　any　professor　as　a　joke；　and　Fleeming　as　a　particularly　good　

joke；　perhaps　the　broadest　in　the　vast　pleasantry　of　my　curriculum。　　

I　was　not　able　to　follow　his　lectures；　I　somehow　dared　not　

misconduct　myself；　as　was　my　customary　solace；　and　I　refrained　from　

a