MA CHUN-WU (马君武)

According to the different versions of Who's Who in China, Chinese leaders are to be had by thousands. But of this number we are certain that none is more interesting than Dr. Ma Chun-wu—interesting in the sense that in him we find not only a co-ordinated development of many talents but also a harmonious combination of Eastern and Western ideals of a true gentleman.

To know Dr. Ma as a man of achievements in the ordinary sense of the word, the reader is referred to any one of the biographical sketches that are found in the various versions of Who's Who in China, English, Chinese, or Japanese. But the following high points may be noted. A native of Kweilin, Kwangsi, he was born in 1881 of poor parents. His father appeared to have died early, and as an orphan of nine, we already found him roving around in Canton and other southern cities, working out a future by and for himself. At times we were told that he had only one or two bananas for meals. But his thirst for knowledge even at this tender age proved even more irresistible than his hunger for food, and soon opportunities were opened to him where he could both study and work. Leaving the details for biographers to work out later, we are for the present satisfied to know that he finally found his way to Japan, the mecca at that time for those who were after new knowledge and revolutionary ideals. After graduating from the Kyoto Imperial University in 1906, winning honour and a degree in agriculture he went to Germany and joined the Technische Hochschule in Berlin where he won the degree of "Doktor Ingenieur" in 1915. Facts like these are certainly uninteresting in these days when college diplomas are to be had by carloads, but it will yet go down in history that Dr. Ma is the very first Chinese to earn degrees in agriculture and engineering, which, by the way, in comparison with other kinds of degrees, are to this day quite rare.

Dr. Ma has been precocious in many ways, and in political life, he has been no exception. Prior to the completion of his engineering course, he was already body and soul in it. He has been a follower and friend of Dr. Sun Yat-sen since his' teens and his early sojourn in Japan had some close connection with this happy relationship. His association with this great leader finally led him in 1911 to be elected representative of his province to Nanking to draft the provisional constitution. We remember having seen the enlarged picture of this group of worthies at Dr. Ma's home in Yanghang, a few miles from Woosung, in which Dr. Ma stood out as the very youngest. Like the provisional constitution which the worthies in the picture had helped to frame, the picture itself, we were once told by Dr. Ma, has been relegated to the realm of history since January 28, 1931. From 1911 onward and up to 1926, Dr. Ma led a very active political life, served the country in a variety of capacities, with official titles which all of us would like to possess if it were possible. Since 1926 when he first took up the presidency of the Kwangsi Government University, he seems to have evinced but little interest in politics. While still no less a follower of Dr. Sun, he has more than once denounced the party and party principles which Dr. Sun founded and formulated, and in no gentle terms.

But Dr. Ma is primarily a scholar. It appears that it was only youthful idealism that led him into politics in those early years. Soon after he had returned from Germany, he began to write and translate scientific works for Chinese students. He also rendered a number of Western classics into Chinese. For him there is no hurried work, for he soon acquired the habit of translating a thousand characters each day, whenever he is not travelling. As a result of this habit to which he still sticks today, he has succeeded in putting forth a great number of volumes the total weight and bulk of which would easily make the ox perspire and more than fill the attic, as the Chinese saying has it (汗牛充栋). A few examples may suffice. Among the translated works, we find Darwin's The Origin of Species and The Descent of Man, J. S. Mill's On Liberty, Spencer's Principles of Sociology, Haeckel's Die Weltratsel, Rousseau's Du Contrat Social, and a number of important works in mathematic, chemistry, mechanics, mineralogy and other technical subjects. He also wrote textbooks on zoology and botany, and compiled a German-Chinese dictionary. He is a lover of literature; among his voluminous writings, there is a collection of his Chinese poems. We recall to have seen a translated version of Wilhelm Tell, also done by his hand. He is a well-known calligrapher; wherever he goes, people flock to him with ink and scrolls, and he complies with ease and pleasure.

While his scholarly and educational achievements appear weighty and formidable, his personal appearance is hardly impressive, certainly not in the sense that we would have inferred from his variegated and fruitful career. Always clad in native cloth, he looks almost rustic. He has a very straightforward temperament and has no patience with those whom he dislikes. His rusticity on the one hand and frankness on the other once conspired to produce the material of a very interesting anecdote. While serving as president of the Great China University, he had the pleasure of sitting together with two other Chinese passengers who conversed in English. He soon grew impatient and interrupted their conversation by asking what was the necessity for two Chinese to tete-a-tete in English, while the native tongue would serve equally well, if not better. What followed may be easily surmised by the reader. The dignity and amour propre of one who was able and modern enough to converse in English would not of course stand for such uncalled advice. A quarrel ensued and was on the point of leading to a fight when other passengers intervened and brought about peace, and it soon transpired that the offending party were really two English instructors in the University, whom Dr. Ma did not know, nor they recognized him as the president, being new in the office at that time.

Dr. Ma is a good dancer and knows the latest styles. He plays majong with a rapid hand, always taking up the new card without consulting the one to be discarded, true to the type of temperament we have just discussed. If he happens to be a loser, he would willingly stay up for the night, even though it is plain that in the end nobody really pays. He lives a very simple life. A lover of nature, in his house in Yanghang he used to be surrounded by all sorts of pets and cultivated plants. Amid a great number of hives he could look up and pick out the queen bee for you. He even cultivated strawberries. When he gave you a feast, he would let you know that all that you were given to eat were the product of the labour that himself and his much devoted wife had spent.

C. T.

[No. 2; Jan. 11, 1934]

马君武¹

根据各种不同版本《中国名人录》之所录统计，中国名人可有数千之众，但是可以肯定，其中最引人关注的莫过于马君武博士——引人关注，是因为他不仅具有均衡发展的多种才能，还体现着东西方有关真君子或真绅士理想的和谐融合。

要了解一个平常意义上的名人马博士，可以查看任何一本中文、英文或是日文《中国名人录》上的生平简介。但是，可以指出如下一些值得注意之处。1881年，他出生在广西桂林一个贫苦家庭。父亲显然死得很早，9岁成为孤儿，就已经漂泊在广州和南方其他一些城市，出卖劳力谋生。据说，有时他每顿只吃一两根香蕉。但是，在这样幼小的年纪，他渴求知识的心愿，甚至比觅食疗饥的欲望，更加难以抗拒。不久，就遇到了既可以学习又能够工作的机会。有些传记作家关心的细节，不妨留待以后研究，暂时，我们知道他终于有办法来到日本也就够了。日本，曾是当年革命理想和新知识寻求者的麦加²。1906年，毕业于京都帝国大学，获得农业学位后，赴德国，入柏林工业大学，1915年，获得“工学博士”学位。³像这样一些事实，在学位证书可以用车拉的近来这些日子里，是引不起人们关注的，但是仍然值得载入史册，因为马博士是获得农学和工学学位的中国第一人。附带说一句，这种学位，和其他种类的学位相比，至今也不多见。

马博士在许多方面都显得早熟，政治生活也不例外。早在他完成工学的课程以前，他已经身心俱在其中。他从十几岁起就是孙逸仙博士的追随者和朋友，早年逗留日本期间有幸与孙博士建立了某种亲密的关系。和这位伟大领袖的关系导致辛亥革命后他作为广西代表来到南京参与《临时约法》的起草工作。我们还记得曾看到过，这一群要人在离吴淞不远的杨行马博士家中拍的一张放大照片，其中，马博士作为最年轻的一员而显得突出。就像那张照片里的要人们协助制定的《临时约法》一样，马博士告诉我们，自从1931年1月28日以来，那张照片本身，也已经进入历史。从1911年到1926年，马博士度过一段非常活跃的政治生活，以各种不同的身份报效国家，他的那些官衔全都是我们想要的——如果可能的话。从1926年第一次担任省立广西大学校长起，他的表现好像已对政治不感兴趣。虽然依旧是孙博士的信徒，但是，不止一次，他曾以毫不委婉的措辞，谴责孙博士所缔造的党、所制定的方针。

但是，马博士首先是一位学者。早年驱使他投身政治的，好像只是年轻人的理想主义。他自德国归来不久，便开始为学生撰写和翻译科学书籍。他还把不少西方文学典籍翻译成中文。他已经没有什么急事要办，他养成了只要不旅行，每天都要译一千字的习惯。由于直到如今还在坚持的这种习惯，他译著数量之大，就像中国人所说，已经达到汗牛充栋的地步。略举几例就够了。在翻译作品中，有达尔文的《物种原始》和《人的世系》，弥勒约翰⁵的《自由原理》、斯宾塞的《社会学原理》、海克尔的《宇宙之谜》，卢梭的《民约论》，以及一大批重要的数学、化学、机械学、矿物学和其他技术学科著作。他还撰写了动物学和植物学的教科书，并且编纂了一部德汉词典。他热爱文学，在他卷帙浩繁的著作中，有一集是他的中文诗。我们还记得看到过《威廉·退而》的一个译本，也出自他的手笔。他还是著名的书法家，无论他走到哪里，都会有成群的人带着笔墨和纸来找他，他总是轻松愉快地满足要求。

尽管他在学术和教育方面取得了显然是重大而令人敬畏的成就，但是从外表是看不出来的，从他色彩缤纷、硕果累累的业绩，很难推想出他会给人的印象。总是一身土布衣服，看上去几乎就是乡下佬。他有非常直率的脾气，对讨厌的人毫无耐心。他那一身土气，加上坦诚的性格，有一次引出了一起趣事。在担任大夏大学校长期间，他曾有幸和两个用英语交谈的乘客同坐一起。很快，他就变得不耐烦而打断他们的谈话，问他们，有什么必要用英语交谈，如果本国语言同样好用，即使不更好用。读者不难想象接下去会发生什么。一个人，如果有点才能而又时髦到能用英语交谈，其自尊和自爱都不会容忍这种不请自来的忠告。随后的争吵发展到就要打起来的时候，别的乘客出面调解，平息了这场纷争。不久，人们得知，令他不快的一方，其实是他那大学的两名英语讲师，马博士并不知道他们，他们也不认识这位校长，因为他到任不久。

马博士是跳舞高手，会跳最新式的舞。他打麻将出手很快，总是不考虑打掉什么牌就摸进新张，完全符合我们刚谈到的那种脾气。如果碰巧他是个输家，他会高高兴兴坚持通宵，即使已经十分明显，最后谁也不会真正付账。他过着一种十分简朴的生活。他喜爱自然，在杨行他的家里，他总是被包围在各种宠物和栽培植物中间。从许许多多蜂箱里，他能够给你把蜂王找出来。他甚至栽培草莓。如果他宴请，他会让你知道请你吃的，全都是他自己和他那位深情相爱的妻子共同劳动的成果。

陈　达

［第2期；1934年1月11日］