even its rudimentary suggestion. It is a new element correlated with
the establishment of a wider political order and with the use of
written speech.

Now I think it will be generally conceded that whatever systematic
intellectual training the developing citizen gets, as distinguished
from his natural, accidental, and incidental development, is got in
school or in its subsequent development of college, and with that I
will put aside the question of intellectual development altogether for
a later, fuller discussion. My point here is simply to note the school
as a factor in the making of almost every citizen in the modern state,
and to point out, what is sometimes disregarded, that it is only one of
many factors in that making. The tendency of the present time is
enormously to exaggerate the importance of school in development, to
ascribe to it powers quite beyond its utmost possibilities, and to
blame it for evils in which it has no share. And in the most
preposterous invasions of the duties of parent, clergyman, statesman,
author, journalist, of duties which are in truth scarcely more within
the province of a schoolmaster than they are within the province of a
butcher, the real and necessary work of the school is too often marred,
crippled, and lost sight of altogether. We treat the complex, difficult
and honourable task of intellectual development as if it were within
the capacity of any earnest but muddle-headed young lady, or any half-
educated gentleman in orders; we take that for granted, and we demand
in addition from them the "formation of character," moral and ethical
training and supervision, aesthetic guidance, the implanting of a taste
for the Best in literature, for the Best in art, for the finest
conduct; we demand the clue to success in commerce and the seeds of a
fine passionate patriotism from these necessarily very ordinary
persons.