" One man was refused a degree for being too often and too
seriously in the right, while a few days before I came a whole batch had
been plucked for insufficient distrust of printed matter.
About this there was just then rather a ferment, for it seems that the
Professor had written an article in the leading university magazine,
which was well known to be by him, and which abounded in all sorts of
plausible blunders. He then set a paper which afforded the examinees an
opportunity of repeating these blunders--which, believing the article to
be by their own examiner, they of course did. The Professor plucked
every single one of them, but his action was considered to have been not
quite handsome.
I told them of Homer's noble line to the effect that a man should strive
ever to be foremost and in all things to outvie his peers; but they said
that no wonder the countries in which such a detestable maxim was held in
admiration were always flying at one another's throats.
"Why," asked one Professor, "should a man want to be better than his
neighbours? Let him be thankful if he is no worse."
I ventured feebly to say that I did not see how progress could be made in
any art or science, or indeed in anything at all, without more or less
self-seeking, and hence unamiability.
Pages:
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254