《蒙学课本》中的旧学新知

Old and New Knowledge in the Elementary Text

南洋公学外院于1897年开始编印的《蒙学课本》,一向被称为近代中国人自编的第一部小学教材。至1901年,该校又有《新订蒙学课本》问世。关于这两部在中国教育—文化史上具有重要意义的《蒙学课本》一直存在着论述上的歧义,因此有必要从存世版本的考辨入手,结合南洋公学的教育实践,厘清前人与今人记述中的各种错误。两本教材通过《编辑大意》以及课文本身所呈现出来的教育理念与新知识观,特别是对于科学常识的普及、中国与世界关系的反省、道德观念的重构、中西资源的配置以及对新学书刊的及时吸纳,也使其有足够的资格成为晚清的国民常识读本。

Elementary Text, compiled by Nanyang Public Elementary School, was regarded as the first primary text edited by modern Chinese people. In 1901, New edition of Elementary Text was published by the same school. These two Elementary Texts were important in the Chinese educational and cultural history. Therefore, this article starts with the discrimination of the editions and the mistakes in the records of all times by considering the educational practice of Nanyang Public Elementary School. Moreover, this article discusses the new knowledge view of the editorial effect and texts of the two books, studies specifically the following questions: the dissemination of common science knowledge, the reflection of the relationship between China and the world, the new foundation of the moral views, the allocation of the Chinese and western resources and timely absorbing to publications of new knowledge.