Science and Art 123 



aesthetic side of the mind. In my judgment, those are 

 all the essentials of education for an English child. With 

 that outfit, such as it might be made in the time given to 

 education which is within the reach of nine-tenths of the 

 population with that outfit, an Englishman, within the 5 

 limits of English life, is fitted to go anywhere, to occupy 

 the highest positions, to fill the highest offices of the State, 

 and to become distinguished in practical pursuits, in sci- 

 ence, or in art. For, if he have the opportunity to learn 

 all those things, and have his mind disciplined in the 10 

 various directions the teaching of those topics would have 

 necessitated, then, assuredly, he will be able to pick up, on 

 his road through life, all the rest of the intellectual bag- 

 gage he wants. 



If the educational time at our disposition were sufficient 15 

 there are one or two things I would add to those I have 

 just now called the essentials; and perhaps you will be 

 surprised to hear, though I hope you will not, that I 

 should add, not more science, but one, or if possible, two 

 languages. The knowledge of some other language than 20 

 one's own is, in fact, of singular intellectual value. Many 

 of the faults and mistakes of the ancient philosophers are 

 traceable to the fact that they knew no language but their 

 own, and were often led into confusing the symbol with 

 the thought which it embodied. I think it is Locke who 25 

 says that one-half of the mistakes of philosophers have 

 arisen from questions about words; and one of the safest 

 ways of delivering yourself from the bondage of words 

 is, to know how ideas look in words to which you are 

 not accustomed. That is one reason for the study of 30 

 language; another reason is, that it opens new fields in 

 art and in science. Another is the practical value of such 

 knowledge; and yet another is this, that if your languages 

 are properly chosen, from the time of learning the addi- 



