ssent le coeur,
qu'apres dix ans d'une vie pareille il aura perdu la moitie de sa
volonte, que ses pensees auront un arriere-gout habituel d'amertume et
de tristesse, que son ressort interieur sera amolli ou fausse. Il
s'excuse a ses propres yeux, en se disant qu'un homme doit tout toucher
pour tout connaitre. De fait, il apprend la vie, mais bien souvent aussi
il perd l'energie, la chaleur d'ame, la capacite d'agir, et a trente ans
il n'est plus bon qu'a faire un employe, un dilettante, ou un rentier."

PART III.

_OF EDUCATION._

LETTER I.

TO A FRIEND WHO RECOMMENDED THE AUTHOR TO LEARN THIS THING AND THAT.

Lesson learned from a cook--The ingredients of knowledge--Importance
of proportion in the ingredients--Case of an English author--Two
landscape painters--The unity and charm of character often dependent
upon the limitations of culture--The burden of knowledge may diminish
the energy of action--Difficulty of suggesting a safe rule for the
selection of our knowledge--Men qualified for their work by ignorance
as well as by knowledge--Men remarkable for the extent of their
studies--Franz Woepke--Goethe--Hebrew proverb.

I happened one day to converse with an excellent French cook about the
delicate art which he professed, and he comprised the whole of it under
two heads--the knowledge of the mutual influences of ingredients, and
the judicious management of heat. It struck me that there existed a very
close analogy between cookery and education; and, on following out the
subject in my own way, I found that what he told me suggested several
considerations of the very highest importance in the culture of the
human intellect.

Amongst the dishes for which my friend had a deserved reputation was a
certain _gateau de foie_ which had a very exquisite flavor. The
principal ingredient, not in quantity hut in power, was the liver of a
fowl; but there were several other ingredients also, and amongst these a
leaf or two of parsley. He told me that the influence of the parsley was
a good illustration of his theory about his art. If the parsley were
omitted, the flavor he aimed at was not produced at all; but, on the
other hand, if the quantity of parsley was in the least excessive, then
the _gateau_ instead of being a delicacy for _gourmets_ became an
uneatable mess. Perceiving that I was really interested in the subject,
he kindly promised a practical evidence of his doctrine, and the next
day in