MR. JOHN WONG-QUINCEY (王文显)

Tsing Hwa has seen many changes both of men and aims. From being a Middle School to prepare boys for the States, it has become a National Chinese University. From being an institution to teach boys to talk good Yankee English, and to look smart in foreign clothes, it has become a workshop to turn men and women into chemists, engineers, etc., etc. But through all these changes, there is one person in Tsing Hwa who has not changed—that person is none other than Mr. Wong-Quincey. He is a fixture there. Without him, Tsing Hwa will not be Tsing Hwa. With him, Tsing Hwa, in spite of all the transformations it has gone through, will still be Tsing Hwa, in the same way that Jack with baby's bibs will still be the same Jack with beard and moustache.

Mr. Wong-Quincey has been consecutively Professor, Dean, Vice-President and Acting President of Tsing Hwa College. Since Tsing Hwa's status has been raised to that of a University, Mr. Wong-Quincey has become Chairman of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature. It speaks much for his ability and prestige, that there has never been any trouble in his Department during all these years of "storm and stress."Whatever one may say about Mr. Wong-Quincey's teaching, this thing one must admit about him: he is all that a Chairman should be at a meeting. There is no fuss, no meandering about in irrelevant talkee talkee. All discussion is made to lead to some sort of decision. And when the meeting is over, one always has the feeling that something has been done.

As a teacher, Mr. Wong-Quincey is not a person who can inspire love or devotion in his pupils towards him. Admiration and respect he evokes in them. No student ever goes to see Mr. Wong-Quincey merely for talk's sake: a student only calls on him to talk business. And when the business is done, that's the end of the matter. There is no lingering, no wish to prolong the minute into the hour. The student goes away feeling relieved; and, I daresay, Mr. Wong-Quincey, too, feels relieved that something uncomfortable has been gone through and done with.

Mr. Wong-Quincey is one of the most impulsive and enthusiastic men I have ever known. But his impulsive and enthusiastic side never shows up in the lecture-room. There he is perfunctory and phlegmatic: he almost gives one the impression of a presbyterian clergyman going through the funeral service. There is a sense of weary effort, and monotonous constraint. When the hour-bell strikes, Mr. Wong-Quincey is glad to go away; and, I think, his students, too, reciprocate his feelings in the matter.

Nothing out of the way in Mr. Wong-Quincey's personal appearance or ways. If we laugh at him at all, it is because he is so normal, so very correct in his conformation to everything that a good citizen ought to be. In fact, he is irritatingly normal. He is hygienically clean, in both the physical and moral sense. He is blameless as a husband. He is conscientious as a teacher. He is punctilious in all that relate to his duties as a senior member of the Tsing Hwa staff. He loves gardening. He is a good tennis player. He is a good shot. He takes an interest in football. He wears pants in summer, and long gowns in winter. He smokes a pipe. There is nothing outrageous in his house. Everything about him is as it should be. And yet, why is it that his friends poke fun at him behind his back? I think the answer is to be found in his plays.

A few years ago, one of Mr. Wong-Quincey's plays, She Stoops to Compromise, was produced in Peking. The farce was excellent, the technique was perfect, the acting was good. There was not one dull moment in the whole play. Altogether it was a brilliant success. Everything that hard work and dramatic scholarship and ingenuity could do to make the play a good show was in She Stoops to Compromise. But when the applause was over, and the lights were out, and we were out once again in the open street, rushing about for our cars and our rickshaws, why was it that there arose in many of us a feeling of resentment, almost against the author? Is it not because Mr. Wong-Quincey has given us everything in She Stoops to Compromise, except the one thing needful—the something human? Yes, we miss that; and missing that, we are dissatisfied with Mr. Wong-Quincey. Success, respect, admiration may all be his due; but we shall sometimes pay him back with laughter, so long as he lacks the human touch.

[No. 25; June 21, 1934]

王文显先生¹

清华在人事和办校方针两个方面都经历了许多变化。现在，清华已经从一个留美预备中等学校，变成为一所中国国立大学；已经从一个培养男孩子说一口漂亮美国英语、穿一身得体西装的机构，变成为一座把男女学生造就成为化学家、工程师等等的工作坊。但是在发生了所有这些变化的过程中，在清华却有一个人始终没有改变，那正是王文显先生。他始终在清华任教。没有他，清华就不成为清华。有了他，不管经历了多少变化，清华依旧是清华——就像系着围嘴的婴儿杰克到长出满脸胡髭仍将是杰克一样。

王文显先生历任清华学校教授、教务长、副校长和代理校长。清华升格为大学后，他当上了外国语言文学系的系主任。很可以说明他的能力和威望的是，在那些动荡的年月，他的系里从来没有出现过任何麻烦。不管人们对王文显先生的教学可能说些什么，但是必须得承认：他是会议上最理想的主席——不小题大做，不东拉西扯、唠唠叨叨的；所有的讨论全都引向某种决议。会议过后，人们总会有一种毕竟做了点事情的感觉。

作为教师，王文显先生不是会在学生中间引起喜爱或热爱的那种人，他得到的是钦佩和尊敬。没有一个学生只是为了闲聊几句而去找他，去找他总是要谈正事。正事谈完了，拜访也就结束了。没有依依不舍的拖延，没有把一分钟延长为一小时的愿望。学生离开时会觉得如释重负；我敢说，王文显先生也一样如释重负：不舒服的事情总算做完了，终于完事了。

王文显先生是我所见过最容易冲动、最富于热情的那种人。不过，他容易冲动、富于热情的一面，从不在课堂上表现出来。课堂上的他例行公事、平淡冷静，给人的印象就仿佛是长老会²的牧师在主持葬礼。那种感觉是，疲倦的努力、单调的拘束。下课的钟声敲响，王文显先生便欣然离去。他的学生，我想，也是同样的感受。

王文显先生在外表和举止方面都毫无异乎常人之处。如果我们真要笑他，那是因为他过分正常，一个好公民所应该做到的一切，他都做得无比正确得体。事实上，他正常得令人讨厌。他的身心全都卫生洁净。作为丈夫，他无可指摘；作为教师，他尽心尽责；作为清华教职工队伍资深的一员，他对职责攸关的一切全都小心谨慎。他喜好园艺，网球打得很好，是个射击能手，对足球也有点儿兴趣。他夏天穿短裤，冬天着长袍。他抽烟斗。在他家里，没有任何出格的事情或东西。和他相关的一切，全都中规中矩。那么，为什么他的朋友要在背后开他的玩笑？我想，答案可以从他的戏剧中找到。

几年前，王文显先生的戏剧《委曲求全》³在北平演出。这是一出精彩的闹剧，技巧无可挑剔，演得也很到位。整出戏没有一刻沉闷乏味。整个演出非常成功。辛苦努力、戏剧学识和别出心裁，凡是有助于演出成功的一切，《委曲求全》全都具备。但是，掌声过后，灯光熄后，当我们又来到大街上，涌向各自的汽车、人力车，为什么许多人都感到不满，几乎是对作者的不满？是不是因为在《委曲求全》中，王文显先生给了我们一切，唯独缺少必要的那一点——人情味？是的，我们想念那个。由于我们想念那点人情味，我们就会对王文显先生感到不满。成功、尊敬、钦佩，都是他应得的，但是只要他缺少了那点人情味，我们有时也会对他报以大笑。

［第25期，1934年6月21日］