as the short summary of
all the Black Arts put together.

But the Schoolmaster is secondary, an effect rather than a cause in
this matter: what the Schoolmaster with his universities shall manage
or attempt to teach will be ruled by what the Society with its practical
industries is continually demanding that men should learn. We spoke once
of vital lungs for Society: and in fact this question always rises as
the alpha and omega of social questions, What methods the Society has of
summoning aloft into the high places, for its help and governance, the
wisdom that is born to it in all places, and of course is born chiefly
in the more populous or lower places? For this, if you will consider it,
expresses the ultimate available result, and net sum-total, of all the
efforts, struggles and confused activities that go on in the Society;
and determines whether they are true and wise efforts, certain to be
victorious, or false and foolish, certain to be futile, and to fall
captive and caitiff. How do men rise in your Society? In all Societies,
Turkey included, and I suppose Dahomey included, men do rise; but the
question of questions always is, What kind of men? Men of noble gifts,
or men of ignoble? It is the one or the other; and a life-and-death
inquiry which! For in all places and all times, little as you may heed
it, Nature most silently but most inexorably demands that it be the one
and not the other. And you need not try to palm an ignoble sham upon
her, and call it noble; for she is a judge. And her penalties, as quiet
as she looks, are terrible: amounting to world-earthquakes, to anarchy
and death everlasting; and admit of no appeal!--

Surely England still flatters herself that she has lungs; that she can
still breathe a little? Or is it that the poor creature, driven into
mere blind industrialisms; and as it were, gone pearl-diving this long
while many fathoms deep, and tearing up the oyster-beds so as never
creature did before, hardly knows,--so busy in the belly of the oyster
chaos, where is no thought of "breathing,"--whether she has lungs or
not? Nations of a robust habit, and fine deep chest, can sometimes take
in a deal of breath _before_ diving; and live long, in the muddy deeps,
without new breath: but they too come to need it at last, and will die
if they cannot get it!

To the gifted soul that is born in England, what is the career, then,
that will carry him, amid noble Olympic dust, up to the immortal g