I rebelled a long time at the notion that my life must be like that of
everybody else, but I had no recourse in the end but to capitulate.




IX

AS A STUDENT


I was never more than commonplace as a student, inclining rather to be
bad than good. I had no great liking for study, and, to tell the truth,
I never entertained any clear idea of what I was studying.

For example, I never knew what the word preterite meant until years
after completing my course, although I had repeated over and over again
that the preterite, or past perfect, was thus, while the imperfect was
thus, without having any conception that the word preterite meant past--
that it was a past that was entirely past in the former case, and a past
that was past to a less degree in the latter.

To complete two years of Latin grammar, two of French, and one of German
without having any conception of what preterite meant, demonstrated one
of two things: either my stupidity was very great, or the system of
instruction deplorable. Naturally, I incline toward the second
alternative.

While preparing to take my degree in medicine, when I was studying