spiritual banknote producible on demand
for what of "gold-bullion" he had, not so negotiable otherwise, stored
in the cellars of his mind. A man, with wisdom, insight and heroic worth
already acquired for him, naturally demanded of the schoolmaster this
one new faculty, the faculty of uttering in fit words what he had. A
valuable superaddition of faculty:--and yet we are to remember it was
scarcely a new faculty; it was but the tangible sign of what
other faculties the man had in the silent state: and many a rugged
inarticulate chief of men, I can believe, was most enviably
"educated," who had not a Book on his premises; whose signature, a true
sign-_manual_, was the stamp of his iron hand duly inked and clapt upon
the parchment; and whose speech in Parliament, like the growl of lions,
did indeed convey his meaning, but would have torn Lindley Murray's
nerves to pieces! To such a one the schoolmaster adjusted himself very
naturally in that manner; as a man wanted for teaching grammatical
utterance; the thing to utter being already there. The thing to utter,
here was the grand point! And perhaps this is the reason why among
earnest nations, as among the Romans for example, the craft of the
schoolmaster was held in little regard; for indeed as mere teacher of
grammar, of ciphering on the abacus and such like, how did he differ
much from the dancing-master or fencing-master, or deserve much
regard?--Such was the rule in the ancient healthy times.

Can it be doubtful that this is still the rule of human education; that
the human creature needs first of all to be educated not that he may
speak, but that he may have something weighty and valuable to say! If
speech is the bank-note of an inward capital of culture, of insight and
noble human worth, then speech is precious, and the art of speech shall
be honored. But if there is no inward capital; if speech represent no
real culture of the mind, but an imaginary culture; no bullion, but
the fatal and now almost hopeless deficit of such? Alas, alas, said
bank-note is then a _forged_ one; passing freely current in the market;
but bringing damages to the receiver, to the payer, and to all the
world, which are in sad truth infallible, and of amount incalculable.
Few think of it at present; but the truth remains forever so. In
parliaments and other loud assemblages, your eloquent talk, disunited
from Nature and her facts, is taken as wisdom and the correct image of
said facts: but