That Liberty ensured by Nature.
“But,” it will be objected, “if you allow boys to express their crude opinions, it would be encouraging liberty of thought.” No, it would only be encouraging honesty of expression, the “fearless truth,” the “honour” of the School Board Committee. There is a happy provision of nature by which freedom of thought is, and always has been, the assured possession of every one who values it, only honesty of expression can be put down. You cannot make boys or men think otherwise than as they do think, but you may train them in habits of dissimulation.
Sham Admiration in Literature and Art.
A prevalent Vice of the French Mind.
The Chinese.
One of the worst of these habits is that of sham admiration in literature and art, and this is a prevalent vice of the French mind. There may be some exceptions, but the general rule is that a Frenchman will profess to admire what he thinks he ought to admire, even when he has no genuine ardour of admiration at his disposal. The effect is to make conversations with Frenchmen uninteresting so soon as they turn upon famous masters. They will repeat the old laudatory commonplaces, and if you venture upon any criticism with the slightest originality in it, they will look upon you as an insular eccentric. They have been taught at school how to praise the famous men, they have been taught even the proper terms of laudation. I believe the Chinese learn to repeat the praises of their classics in the same way.
Less sham Admiration in England than in France.
The Classics.
The Temptation to Literary Lying.
Apparent Weakness of Honest Work.