486 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



polish derived from pursuit of the old classical course, and regard them- 

 selves as examples — a comfortable frame of mind, truly. Evidently 

 mental culture and mental refinement are synonymous terms to most 

 of those who use the former term, but this is not sufficient; mere refine- 

 ment must not be all, there must be strength in addition. The all- 

 important culture studies are those wliich make also for robustness, 

 which enable a man to see broadly, to make inductions safely and to 

 tell to others clearly what he wishes to communicate. Such studies 

 are taught now as never before and with them are taught, also as never 

 before, other studies which make mostly for refinement. A boy entering 

 college to-day must have better acquaintance with history and English 

 literature than had seniors in most of our colleges fifty years ago. Long 

 steps have been taken by several of our States toward making law and 

 medicine actually, instead of nominally, learned professions. Men must 

 have some education before entering upon professional study. 



Similarly, the significance of 'literature' must be made definite; 

 it changes with the times. Medieval literature consisted almost wholly 

 of treatises upon harmless topics — such as involved no danger of dispute 

 with church authorities; after the revival of learning, literature was 

 based chiefiy upon the newly revealed classics of Greece and Eome; 

 still later, historical disquisitions and philosophical discussions in various 

 forms made up the mass — in each period, that mass concerned matters 

 then most widely interesting. The survivors of each preceding period 

 must have chanted jeremiads over the intellectual decline. In our age, 

 those who love the poem, the essay, the drama, the polished novel and 

 philosophical history, written with a purpose, do find themselves lost. 

 They cannot see good in the development of a new literature, embracing 

 philosophy, archeology, sociology, the natural sciences — a strong litera- 

 ture, often as polished as the old, and showing on the whole a virility 

 unknown even fifty years ago. It reflects the spirit of the age, it is 

 truthful, accurate, honest. 



And this brings us to the essence of the whole matter. Stripped of 

 all incidentals, the assertion is that, neglecting mental culture, we have 

 been led to neglect man's higher interests ; we have fallen into a slough 

 where everything is subordinated to gain and the rights of man are not 

 regarded; a grasping selfishness brings about combinations in manu- 

 facturing interests and makes possible the accumulation of vast for- 

 tunes; a base 'commercialism' pervades all society; the body politic is 

 corrupt and honesty has well-nigh disappeared. 



The charge that mental culture has been neglected has been con- 

 sidered; it is not true. The other charges remain. 



For one hundred years the civilized world has been undergoing re- 

 peated transitions. At the beginning of the nineteenth century men 

 lived in quiet; there was no haste. With unfavorable wind, a sloop 



