r. f. murray-第3部分

快捷操作: 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! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！


g　within　him；'　of　the　powers　which　never　found　full　expression；　and　he　saw　others　advancing　and　prospering　while　he　seemed　to　be　standing　still；　or　losing　ground　in　all　ways。　　But　no　word　of　bitterness　ever　escapes　him　in　the　correspondence　which　I　have　seen。　　In　one　case　he　has　to　speak　of　a　disagreeable　and　disappointing　interview　with　a　man　from　whom　he　had　been　led　to　expect　sympathy　and　encouragement。　　He　told　me　about　this　affair　in　conversation；　‘There　were　tears　in　my　eyes　as　I　turned　from　the　house；'　he　said；　and　he　was　not　effusive。　　In　a　letter　to　Mrs。　Murray　he　describes　this　unlucky　interview；a　discouragement　caused　by　a　manner　which　was　strange　to　Murray；　rather　than　by　real　unkindness；and　he　describes　it　with　a　delicacy；　with　a　reserve；　with　a　toleration；　beyond　all　praise。　These　are　traits　of　a　character　which　was　greater　and　more　rare　than　his　literary　talent：　　a　character　quite　developed；　while　his　talent　was　only　beginning　to　unfold　itself；　and　to　justify　his　belief　in　his　powers。

Robert　Murray　was　the　eldest　child　of　John　and　Emmeline　Murray：　　the　father　a　Scot；　the　mother　of　American　birth。　　He　was　born　at　Roxbury；　in　Massachusetts；　on　December　26th；　1863。　　It　may　be　fancy；　but；　in　his　shy　reserve；　his　almost　farouche　independence；　one　seems　to　recognise　the　Scot；　while　in　his　cast　of　literary　talent；　in　his　natural　‘culture；'　we　observe　the　son　of　a　refined　American　lady。　To　his　mother　he　could　always　write　about　the　books　which　were　interesting　him；　with　full　reliance　on　her　sympathy；　though　indeed；　he　does　not　often　say　very　much　about　literature。

Till　1869　he　lived　in　various　parts　of　New　England；　his　father　being　a　Unitarian　minister。　　‘He　was　a　remarkably　cheerful　and　affectionate　child；　and　seldom　seemed　to　find　anything　to　trouble　him。'　　In　1869　his　father　carried　him　to　England；　Mrs。　Murray　and　a　child　remaining　in　America。　　For　more　than　a　year　the　boy　lived　with　kinsfolk　near　Kelso；　the　beautiful　old　town　on　the　Tweed　where　Scott　passed　some　of　his　childish　days。　　In　1871　the　family　were　reunited　at　York；　where　he　was　fond　of　attending　the　services　in　the　Cathedral。　　Mr。　Murray　then　took　charge　of　the　small　Unitarian

chapel　of　Blackfriars；　at　Canterbury。　　Thus　Murray's　early　youth　was　passed　in　the　mingled　influences　of　Unitarianism　at　home；　and　of　Cathedral　services　at　York；　and　in　the　church　where　Becket　suffered　martyrdom。　　A　not　unnatural　result　was　a　somewhat　eclectic　and　unconstrained　religion。　　He　thought　but　little　of　the　differences　of　creed；　believing　that　all　good　men　held；　in　essentials；　much　the　same　faith。　　His　view　of　essentials　was　generous；　as　he　admitted。　He　occasionally　spoke　of　himself　as　‘sceptical；'　that　is；　in　contrast　with　those　whose　faith　was　more　definite；　more　dogmatic；　more　securely　based　on　‘articles。'　　To　illustrate　Murray's　religious　attitude；　at　least　as　it　was　in　1887；　one　may　quote　from　a　letter　of　that　year　（April　17）。


‘There　was　a　University　sermon；　and　I　thought　I　would　go　and　hear　it。　　So　I　donned　my　old　cap　and　gown　and　felt　quite　proud　of　them。　The　preacher　was　Bishop　Wordsworth。　　He　goes　in　for　the　union　of　the　Presbyterian　and　Episcopalian　Churches；　and　is　glad　to　preach　in　a　Presbyterian　Church；　as　he　did　this　morning。　　How　the　aforesaid　Union　is　to　be　brought　about；　I'm　sure　I　don't　know；　for　I　am　pretty　certain　that　the　Episcopalians　won't　give　up　their　bishops；　and　the　Presbyterians　won't　have　them　on　any　account。　　However；　that's　neither　here　nor　thereat　least　it　does　not　affect　the　fact　that　Wordsworth　is　a　first…rate　man；　and　a　fine　preacher。　　I　dare　say　you　know　he　is　a　nephew　or　grand…nephew　of　the　Poet。　　He　is　a　most　venerable　old　man；　and　worth　looking　at；　merely　for　his　exterior。　He　is　so　feeble　with　age　that　he　can　with　difficulty　climb　the　three　short　steps　that　lead　into　the　pulpit；　but；　once　in　the　pulpit；　it　is　another　thing。　　There　is　no　feebleness　when　he　begins　to　preach。　He　is　one　of　the　last　voices　of　the　old　orthodox　school；　and　I　wish　there　were　hundreds　like　him。　　If　ever　a　man　believed　in　his　message；　Wordsworth　does。　　And　though　I　cannot　follow　him　in　his　veneration　for　the　Thirty…nine　Articles；　the　way　in　which　he　does　makes　me　half　wish　I　could。　。　。　。　It　was　full　of　wisdom　and　the　beauty　of　holiness；　which　even　I；　poor　sceptic　and　outcast；　could　recognise　and　appreciate。　　After　all；　he　didn't　get　it　from　the　Articles；　but　from　his　own　human　heart；　which；　he　told　us；　was　deceitful　and　desperately　wicked。

‘Confound　it；　how　stupid　we　all　are！　　Episcopalians；　Presbyterians；　Unitarians；　Agnostics；　the　whole　lot　of　us。　　We　all　believe　the　same　things；　to　a　great　extent；　but　we　must　keep　wrangling　about　the　data　from　which　we　infer　these　beliefs　。　。　。　I　believe　a　great　deal　that　he　does；　but　I　certainly　don't　act　up　to　my　belief　as　he　does　to　his。'


The　belief　‘up　to'　which　Murray　lived　was；　if　it　may　be　judged　by　its　fruits；　that　of　a　Christian　man。　　But；　in　this　age；　we　do　find　the　most　exemplary　Christian　conduct　in　some　who　have　discarded　dogma　and　resigned　hope。　　Probably　Murray　would　not　the　less　have　regarded　these　persons　as　Christians。　　If　we　must　make　a　choice；　it　is　better　to　have　love　and　charity　without　belief；　than　belief　of　the　most　intense　kind；　accompanied　by　such　love　and　charity　as　John　Knox　bore　to　all　who　differed　from　him　about　a　mass　or　a　chasuble；　a　priest　or　a　presbyter。　　This　letter；　illustrative　of　the　effect　of　cathedral　services　on　a　young　Unitarian；　is　taken　out　of　its　proper　chronological　place。

From　Canterbury　Mr。　Murray　went　to　Ilminster　in　Somerset。　　Here　Robert　attended　the　Grammar　School；　in　1879　he　went　to　the　Grammar　School　of　Crewkerne。　　In　1881　he　entered　at　the　University　of　St。　Andrews；　with　a　scholarship　won　as　an　external　student　of　Manchester　New　College。　　This　he　resigned　not　long　after；　as　he　had　abandoned　the　idea　of　becoming　a　Unitarian　minister。

No　longer　a　schoolboy；　he　was　now　a　Bejant　（bec　jaune？）；　to　use　the　old　Scotch　term　for　‘freshman。'　　He　liked　the　picturesque　word；　and　opposed　the　introduction　of　‘freshman。'　　Indeed　he　liked　all　things　old；　and；　as　a　senior　man；　was　a　supporter　of　ancient　customs　and　of　esprit　de　corps　in　college。　　He　fell　in　love　for　life　with　that　old　and　grey　enchantress；　the　city　of　St。　Margaret；　of　Cardinal　Beaton；　of　Knox　and　Andrew　Melville；　of　Archbishop　Sharp；　and　Samuel　Rutherford。　　The　nature　of　life　and　education　in　a　Scottish　university　is　now；　probably；　better　understood　in　England　than　it　used　to　be。　　Of　the　Scottish　universities；　St。　Andrews　varies　least；　though　it　varies　much；　from　Oxford　and　Cambridge。　　Unlike　the　others；　Aberdeen；　Glasgow；　and　Edinburgh；　the　United　College　of　St。　Leonard　and　St。　Salvator　is　not　lost　in　a　large　town。　　The　College　and　the　Divinity　Hall　of　St。　Mary's　are　a　survival　from　the　Middle　Ages。　　The　University　itself　arose　from　a　voluntary　association　of　the　learned　in　1410。　　Privileges　were　conferred　on　this　association　by　Bishop　Wardlaw　in　1411。　　It　was　intended　as　a　bulwark　against　Lollard　ideas。　　In　1413　the　Antipope　Benedict　XIII。；　to　whom　Scotland　then　adhered；　granted　six　bulls　of　confirmation　to　the　new　University。　　Not　till　1430　did　Bishop　Wardlaw　give　a　building　in　South　Street；　the