40 A LIBERAL EDUCATION 



two players in a game of his or her own. The chess- 

 board is the world, the pieces are the phenomena ot 

 the universe, the rules of the game are what we call 

 the laws of Nature. The player on the other side is 

 hidden from us. We know that his play is always fair, 

 just, and patient. But also we know, to our cost, that 

 he never overlooks a mistake, or makes the smallest 

 allowance for ignorance. To the man who plays well, 

 the highest stakes are paid, with that sort of overflow- 

 ing generosity with which the strong shows delight in 

 strength. And one who plays ill is checkmated 

 without haste, but without remorse. 



My metaphor will remind some of you of the famous 

 picture in which Retzsch has depicted Satan playing 

 at chess with man for his soul. Substitute for the mock- 

 ing fiend in that picture a calm, strong angel who is 

 playing for love, as we say, and would rather lose than 

 win and I should accept it as an image of human 

 life. 



Well, what I mean by Education is learning the 

 rules of this mighty game. In other words, education 

 is the instruction of the intellect in the laws of Nature, 

 under which name I include not merely things and 

 their forces, but men and their ways ; and the fashion- 

 ing of the affections and of the will into an earnest and 

 loving desire to move in harmony with those laws. For 

 me, education means neither more nor less than this. 

 Anything which professes to call itself education must 

 be tried by this standard, and if it fails to stand the 

 test, I will not call it education, whatever may be the 

 force of authority, or of numbers, upon the other 

 side. 



It is important to remember that, in strictness, there 

 is no such thing as an uneducated man. Take an ex- 



