雙語暢銷書《艾倫圖靈傳》第2章:下一個星期(8)

The great theme of the 'scale of seniority' was the balance of privilege and duty, itself reflecting the more worthy side of the British Empire. But this was a theme to which 'opening the mind' came as at best an irrelevance.

資格和級別，權力和責任的平衡，這對於大英帝國來說，是更珍貴的東西。而「打開思維」這件事，頂多能算個細枝末節就不錯了。

The Victorian reforms had made their mark, and competitive examinations played a part in public school life. Those who came as scholars had an opportunity to take on the role of an intelligentsia in the 'nation in miniature', tolerated provided they interfered with nothing that mattered. But Alan, who did not belong to this group, was quick to note the 'absurdly small' amount expected of him. And in fact it was the organised team games of rugby football ('footer') and cricket which for most boys would dominate the years at Sherborne and through which the emotional lessons were taught. Nor had the social changes of the Great War made any difference to the total, introverted, self-conscious system of house life, with its continuous public scrutiny and control of every individual boy. These were the true priorities.

維多利亞改革的影響之一，就是使競爭激烈的考試成爲公學生活的重要部分。成績好、聽話的學生，就有機會成爲這個小型國家裏的知識階級，艾倫不屬於這個羣體，人們對他一點指望都沒有。學校裏還教橄欖球和板球，這裏的男孩們很看重這些遊戲，他們在這些遊戲中，學會控制情緒。世界大戰引起的社會變革，對固步自封的公學沒有產生衝擊，這裏的體制仍然是臨視而控制着每一個男孩，這些纔是舍爾伯尼真正的重點。

In one respect only a token concession had been made to Victorian reform. There had been a science master at Sherborne since 1873, but this was primarily for the sake of the medical profession. It was not for the Workshop of the World, stigmatised as too mundanely utilitarian in spirit to occupy the time of a gentleman. The Stoneys might build the bridges of the Empire, but it was a higher caste which commanded them. Neither did science enjoy respect for its enquiry, irrespective of usefulness, into truth. Here again the public school had resisted the triumphant claims of nineteenth century science. Nowell Smith divided the intellectual world into Classical, Modern, and Science, in that order, and held that:

在科學方面，舍爾伯尼只是在維多利亞改革中，做出了一個敷衍的讓步，從1873年開始，引進一位科學老師。這主要是爲了醫學而設，並不是爲了展示自然世界，而且一直因爲「很庸俗」，而經受着紳士們的侮辱。科學不顧一切地求證真理，但並沒有因此而受到尊重，正如斯托尼家爲帝國建了大橋，但卻有更高的階級在指揮他們。公學堅定地抵制着19世紀科學的勝利，諾威爾.史密斯把知識界分成古典、現代和科學，他認爲：