NOTES 141 



and the antidote might be administered together. In such a 

 document, signed by men some of whom are unquestionably- 

 able and distinguished, we look for new arguments, if not for 

 convincing arguments ; but we fail to find either. I think it is 

 regrettable and deplorable that able and distinguished men 

 will sign, without reading it, anything put before them that 

 purports to support a cause they have at heart. His Grace, 

 and the noble, right reverend, right honourable, and other 

 distinguished signatories of this manifesto have not read it : 

 if they had read it, they could not have signed it. 



For what does it say ? It pleads that the present " classical " 

 system of education should be continued lest higher education 

 should become materialistic ; but it does not say what is 

 meant by a materialistic education ; it does not say how the 

 study of natural science encourages materialism, whatever this 

 may be, nor that it does encourage materialism ; nor does it 

 say how the study of Latin and Greek discourages materialism. 

 It appears therefore that the charge of encouraging materialism 

 is merely vague, rhetorical, and abusive, introduced, not as 

 argument, but to raise prejudice ; and this is a measure that 

 not one of the signatories would knowingly have taken. It is 

 clear therefore that they did not read what they signed. 



The manifesto warns us, and very properly, against early 

 specialisation, but it does not show us that early specialisation 

 is necessary to the teaching of science, and it omits to point 

 out that the teaching of Greek language and literature to the 

 young is early specialisation. It says that a training in [Greek] 

 language, literature, and history gives width of view and flexi- 

 bility of intellect ; but every one of the signatories, who are 

 all cultivated men, must know full well that the pedant steeped 

 in classical learning has been for generations an object of scorn 

 and derision as the very type and exemplar of narrowness and 

 rigidity of mind. They would' never have knowingly signed 

 an assertion so notoriously false. 



" We might enthrone physical science in all our schools 

 without acquiring as a nation what we most need." Perhaps 

 we might ; but in the first place, no one has proposed to en- 

 throne physical science in all our schools, or in any of them — 

 all that has been proposed is that it shall have a position pro- 

 portionate to its importance ; in the second place, the experi- 

 ment has never been tried, and therefore, although it is true 



