Chapter 7 The first part

What Xu Zhimo thinks about every day is brilliant and thorough, which has never been seen in his life. Reading Liang Qichao's "Biography of Three Italian Heroes" made Xu Zhimo's blood boil.In the past, he always believed that the reason why heroes are heroes is that they are destined to stand upright, and ordinary people cannot hold a candle to them; but after arriving in the United States, he believes that the reason why heroes are different is that they can maintain their momentum. , persevere, and move forward bravely.Confucius said: "I want to be benevolent and benevolent!" The person who can defeat himself is the invincible person.As for those who depreciate their ambitions and stick to mediocrity, they seek to be mediocre.Xu Zhimo said that he has a new spirit, Huanhuan is like a tiger out of the fence, how can he be willing to be a mediocre person?

Xu Zhimo thought that the heroes and sages through the ages must have something to rely on to achieve great ambitions.You can rely on talent and luck, but what you really rely on is sincerity.The sky can be transformed and the earth can be made because of sincerity, and sincerity then reaches the point of transporting gold and stone.Sincerity is fundamental.Once the foundation is established, there is a path.So he is willing to promote the theory of conscience in this sea-changing world. Wen Zheng once said: "There is no kindness greater than forgiveness, and virtue is worse than jealousy."People with high talents are unwilling to compromise, and those with arrogance are unwilling to give in to others, and those who are uncultivated will be full of thorns when they go to the extreme, and they will be surly and critical. If this is the case, it is not magnanimous .Those who achieve their careers should put the country first and cultivate talents as their career.Those who are more talented than yourself should be close to and admire them, and learn from them. "One is an adult, one is self-sufficient, this is the way to know one's fate." Therefore, those who are determined to be successful must love themselves, and at the same time, they must also have the heart of the world.

On the 29th, when Xu Zhimo was reading Liang Qichao's "Xin Min Shuo" and "Moral Education Mirror", he felt joy, fear and shame, and they had mixed feelings for a while.I remember Jia Baoyu said after reading Xue Baochai's "Ode to Crabs", "Mine should be burned too!" Xu Zhimo couldn't help saying after reading his teacher's article worrying about the country and the people: "My disciples should also be burned!" Well, because you know you have a conscience, and you know what you have done. Xu Zhimo is determined to improve himself.

Xu Zhimo devoted himself to his studies with such a fresh spirit, and he also showed his outstanding talent in a foreign country.He studied at Clark University for three semesters. The courses he studied include: three history courses "Modern European History", "European Social Politics in the 19th Century", "Nationalism, Militarism, Diplomacy and International Politics after 1789" "; two economics courses "Business Management" and "Labor Issues"; there are also two French courses, one Spanish, one psychology and two sociology.The content of the courses involves politics, economy, diplomacy, society, psychology, language and other fields.In addition, he took four credits in the summer program at Cornell University. In June 1919, 23-year-old Xu Zhimo graduated from Clark University with honors and won the first-class honor award of the school.In September of the same year, Xu Zhimo was admitted to the Economics Department of Columbia University for a master's degree, and devoted himself to the research of politics, labor, democracy, civilization and other issues.During this period, Xu Zhimo's political enthusiasm was at an all-time high. In September 1920, Xu Zhimo received a master's degree in economics from Columbia University. The title of his dissertation was "On the Status of Women in China".

It took only two years to obtain a master's degree. Xu Zhimo undoubtedly put a lot of energy into it. He was busy listening to lectures, taking notes and taking exams all day. This was the heaviest period in his life, and it was also the period when he really received systematic education.According to Li Jizhi, when Xu Zhimo first came to the United States, his English was not good, but he was willing to study hard, so he made rapid progress.He got his bachelor's degree with first class honors in a year and a half, fast enough.Even faster, it took only half a year to get a master's degree from Columbia University.

Xu Zhimo, who is passionate about politics, often participates in various activities while studying.When he was at Clark University, he joined the Army Training Corps to receive military training, and he and Li Jizhi also participated in the Chinese Student National Defense Association at Harvard University. In mid-December 1918, Xu Zhimo and the others went to Harvard University for a three-day visit, and met Wu Mi, Mei Guangdi, Zhao Yuanren and other Chinese students studying abroad.Regarding the nature of the National Defense Council, Wu Mi explained: "First, on May 9, the fourth year of the Republic of China, the Chinese government surrendered to Japan and recognized its five twenty-one items. ', so there was the organization of the "China National Defense Council". The name of the "National Defense Council" is prone to doubts and misunderstandings. It is not intended to directly organize military training and purchase of weapons, but to awaken the people of the country, unite the people, and work together to resist foreign countries The aggression and oppression are only for the sake of saving the nation. Therefore, the National Defense Council is actually another name for the 'Salvation Council'. Those who join the association are all outstanding members of the students studying in the United States, and they are indeed enthusiastic patriots."

Like Wu Mi and other Chinese students studying abroad at that time, Xu Zhimo eagerly read, researched and absorbed all new Western knowledge. He dabbled in almost every kind of Western thought, theory and doctrine. Bolsheviks".No wonder many years later, when a friend summed up Xu Zhimo, he had the words "floating emotions" and "miscellaneous thoughts".However, it was Nietzsche's philosophy and Russell's thought that really had a greater impact on him at that time. Nietzsche and Russell deeply attracted Xu Zhimo, who was a young man, and became his spiritual comfort with a romantic spirit.

To Nietzsche, who fascinated him, Xu Zhimo said: "I seem to have followed Zarathustra to the peak of philosophy. The clear air of the high altitude is in my lungs, and the colorful life lies under my feet." Although Xu Zhimo Zhimo didn't understand Nietzsche's overall philosophy, but he learned the upward spirit of self-improvement and tenacious struggle from it.He often reads Nietzsche's works to encourage himself to keep moving forward. "Those who suffer have no right to be pessimistic," Nietzsche's words always made him rise from depression and sorrow.The individual struggle that Nietzsche celebrated was also regarded by him as the key to personal survival.

Xu Zhimo quickly shifted from his belief in Nietzsche to his admiration for Russell.Russell was a British philosopher and a professor at the University of Cambridge. At that time, he was a philosophical star attracting the attention of the world.Xu Zhimo's admiration and yearning for Russell led to the most important turning point in his study abroad career, which deeply affected his short and restless life.With his academic prestige, social ideas and personality charm, Russell won the general respect of the intellectual circles at that time.Xu Zhimo has studied many of Russell's works.He was particularly heartbroken by Russell's spirit of adhering to the truth in adversity, not bowing to the authority of wealthy families, and his rebellious character of daring to despise secular prejudice.In his eyes, Russell was a real giant of thought and knowledge.If Nietzsche is Xu Zhimo's ideal Russell, Russell is his real Nietzsche.Russell on the other side of England is waving to him, and Xu Zhimo, who is indulgent and self-willed, is going to pursue his dream ideal.