第6部分(第3/6 頁)

　power。　It　is　then，　indeed，　that　I　feel　devoutly　thankful　to　h*e　been　born　fond　of　writing。　It　is　then；　indeed，　that　I　feel　grateful　to　all　the　br*e　and　generous　spirits　who，　in　every　age　and　in　every　land，　h*e　fought　to　establish　the　now　unquestioned　freedom　of　the　pen。　。。

特質三　寫口（7）

And　what　a　noble　medium　the　English　language　is。　It　is　not　possible　to　write　a　page　without　experiencing　positive　pleasure　at　the　richness　and　variety，　the　flexibility　and　profoundness　of　our　mother…tongue。　If　an　English　writer　cannot　say　what　he　has　to　say　in　English；　and　in　simple　English；　you　may　depend　upon　it—it　is　probably　not　worth　saying。What　a　pity　it　is　that　English　is　not　more　generally　studied！　I　am　not　going　to　attack　classical　education。　No　one　who　has　the　slightest　pretension　to　literary　tastes　can　be　insensible　to　the　attraction　of　Greece　and　Rome。But　I　confess　our　present　educational　system　excites　in　my　mind　gr*e　misgivings。I　cannot　believe　that　a　system　is　good，　or　even　reasonable，　which　thrusts　upon　reluctant　and　unprehending　multitudes　of　treasures　which　can　only　be　appreciated　by　the　privileged　and　gifted　few。　To　the　vast　majority　of　boys　who　attend　our　public　schools　a　classical　education　is　from　beginning　to　end　on　long　useless；　meaningless　rigmarole。　If　I　am　told　that　classes　are　the　best　preparation　for　the　study　of　English；　I　reply　that　by　far　the　greater　number　of　students　finish　their　education　while　this　preparatory　stage　is　still　inplete　and　without　deriving　any　of　the　benefits　which　are　promised　as　its　result。

And　even　of　those　who，without　being　great　scholars，attain　a　certain　general　acquaintance　with　the　ancient　writers，can　it　really　be　said　that　they　h*e　also　obtained　the　mastery　of　English？How　many　young　gentlemen　there　are　from　the　u