t the
greatest scholar would have had to rack his brains over for many an
hour before he could even approach. Tradition says that having
brought down her boy she looked round the hall in triumph, and then
after a moment's lull said, "Young gentlemen, prayers are excused,"
and left them.

I have sometimes thought that, after all, the main use of a
classical education consists in the check it gives to originality,
and the way in which it prevents an inconvenient number of people
from using their own eyes. That we will not be at the trouble of
looking at things for ourselves if we can get anyone to tell us what
we ought to see goes without saying, and it is the business of
schools and universities to assist us in this respect. The theory
of evolution teaches that any power not worked at pretty high
pressure will deteriorate: originality and freedom from affectation
are all very well in their way, but we can easily have too much of
them, and it is better that none should be either original or free
from cant but those who insist on being so, no matter what
hindrances obstruct, nor what incentives are offered them to see
things through the regulation medium. To insist on seeing things
for oneself is to be an [Greek], or in plain English, an idiot; nor
do I see any safer check against general vigour and clearness of
thought, with consequent terseness of expression, than that provided
by the curricula of our universities and schools of public
instruction. If a young man, in spite of every effort to fit him
with blinkers, will insist on getting rid of them, he must do so at
his own risk. He will not be long in finding out his mistake. Our
public schools and universities play the beneficent part in our
social scheme that cattle do in forests: they browse the seedlings
down and prevent the growth of all but the luckiest and sturdiest.
Of course, if there are too many either cattle or schools, they
browse so effectually that they find no more food, and starve till
equilibrium is restored; but it seems to be a provision of nature
that there should always be these alternate periods, during which
either the cattle or the trees are getting the best of it; and,
indeed, without such provision we should have neither the one nor
the other. At this moment the cattle, doubtless, are in the
ascendant, and if university extension proceeds much farther, we
shall assuredly have no more Mrs. Newtons and Mrs. Bromfields; but
whatever