一次命中注定的“失之交臂”——王闿运落选保定莲池书院山长史实述论

A Destined Mismeeting:A Review of Wang Kaiyun's Failure to be Chosen as the Headmaster of Lianchi Academy

莲池书院是晚清北方学术文化重镇之一,也是桐城派晚清在北方传播的中心。光绪十四年(1888)七月,李鸿章寄信给郭嵩焘,延请汉魏六朝派领袖王闿运出长莲池书院。光绪十五年(1889)二月,王闿运如约北上天津,而此时吴汝纶已接任山长,故王闿运不得不在逗留半年后于八月离津,此尴尬之行后被王闿运自嘲颇具"荒唐"色彩。李之起意与王之应约显然各有其考虑。王闿运离湘北上,实因其与当时湖南官绅学圈之不睦;李鸿章未能践约,实因王闿运非其同类。貌似一场简单的人事纠葛,正是时局与思潮演变之结果。

Lianchi Academy is not only one of the most essential places of northern academic culture,but also the center of the publication for Tongcheng School(桐城派) in late Qing Dynasty.In July 1888,the 14 th year during the reign of Emperor Guangxu,Li Hongzhang wrote a letter to Guo Songtao,inviting Wang Kaiyun,the leader of Han-Wei and Six Dynasties School to take charge of Lianchi Academy.In February 1889,Wang Kaiyun went north to Tianjin,but at that time,Wu Rulun had taken over the role for the academy.Therefore,Wang Kaiyun had to leave Tianjin in August after tarrying for six months.This embarrassing journey was described as an absurd journey by himself in irony.Obviously,Li's invitation and Wang's acceptance are all out of their own considerations.In fact,Wang Kaiyun left to the north because of his disharmony with the learning circle of bureaucrats and gentry in Hunan province.And Li couldn't keep his promise because Wang was different from himself in scholarism.It's not just a problem of personal relations,but a consequence of the change led by political situation and thought trend at that time.