蔡元培1926年辞职事件再解读

Cai Yuanpei’s Resignation in 1926 Re-examined

1926年初自欧归国的蔡元培，被北大师生赋予厚望，能重掌北大，但他非但未能临危受命，反而采取断绝关系的辞职方式。在北大师生频繁急促的慰留函电背后，外间猜忌和怀疑也渐渐浮现出来。慰留者援引自北大已有成绩，坚持只有蔡元培回校，北大才能再续繁荣；怀疑者则认为蔡元培态度消极，已经不宜重回北大。蔡元培本人虽对北大感情深厚，却也深知难以凭一己之力挽救颓局。最终，他选择辞去校长，留在南方，其间也有种种难言之隐。蔡元培“毁誉听之”的态度，为人们自主诠释蔡元培提供了自由想象的空间，时人记忆中的蔡元培，也正是在此过程中悄然发生着变化。

Cai Yuanpei chose to resign his post as the president of Peking University after he returned from Europe in 1926， which greatly disappointed teachers and students in the university who placed high expectation on him. Along with the frequent letters and telegrams from the teachers and students to urge Cai to stay， suspicion began to emerge. People who persuaded him to stay claimed that Peking University could not regain its prosperousness without Cai; while those who held suspicion ideas thought Cai should not return to Peking University with his negative attitude. Although Cai had profound feelings for the university， he understood that it was impossible to restore the situation with his own effort. Finally， Cai chose to resign the post as a president and stayed in the South with secret sorrow. Cai’s attitude of disregarding the praise or blame provided a free space for people to interpret Cai imaginatively. People’s memory of Cai has been changing quietly in this process.