历史转折时期的蔡元培:洞明世事 倡导新风

Cai Yuanpei’s Forecasting World Affairs and Advocating New Style in the Turning Period of History

蔡元培对一系列重大历史事件做出的准确判断,可谓洞明世事。在历史转折时期他审时度势或支持或反对或引导,以教育救国之心激浊扬清、倡导新风。在戊戌变法时期,维新人士极力拉拢他咸与维新,被他拒绝并预言维新变法必然失败。在辛亥革命时期,他揭露了袁世凯独裁专制、专权称帝的野心并旗帜鲜明地抵制复辟复古。在新文化运动发轫之初,他积极提倡新道德,主张科学、民主精神,当新文化与传统文化发生激烈交锋,他极力支持新文化新风尚。在五四运动时期,他同情并营救被捕学生,但是也反对采取罢课这种极端的方式爱国。

During the period of historical turning point,Mr.Cai Yuanpei once made accurate judgment and accurate prediction on some important historical events.He judged the situation or supported or opposed or guided it.His heart of saving the nation through education stirred up the current problems.During the period of the Reform Movement of 1898,the reformers tried hard to win him over and were rejected by him.He predicted that the Reform would inevitably fail because of the lack of mass base and the incompleteness of the Reform.During the Revolution of 1911,he exposed the true face of Yuan Shikai,predicted that Yuan Shikai would be emperor,and resisted the restoration with a clear banner.At the beginning of the New Culture Movement,he actively advocated new morality,and the spirit of science and democracy.When the new culture and traditional culture had a fierce confrontation,he strongly supported the new literature,new fashion and new morality to replace the old literature and old morality.During the May 4th Movement,he sympathized with and rescued the arrested students.At the same time,he predicted that the student movement would easily go astray and must be restrained and guided.