The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-10-15
The Ignorance of Educated men.

Even shrewd and clear-headed men
of the world, who are supposed to be at
cou,'amt with everything. and who have
great opportunities of picking up mis-
cellaneous information at their disposal,
exhibit q degree of descience upon q
host of matters, certainly not wanting
in breadth on popularity of interest,
which is little less than astounding.
They have, perhaps, correct appre-
tension of the motives and the charac-
ter of tile latest joint-stock company !;
but on politics, foreign or domestic, of
any question connected with literature.
science, art. or history. they have not
single idea except such as are derived
from newspapers. which give them
their sole mental pabulum. 1t is sur
prisin9 how high men of real brains
and application may climb in profess
sions that are learned and intellectual,
and yet how enthusiastically little they
pick up of general culture or of insight
into the rationale of events past or CO.
tempory. There are, of course, in Eng
land, hundreds of lawyers whose minds
are embellished with every kind of
| knowledge, whose intellectual treasure
house is rich in multitude of delicate
thoughts and fancies, who have travelled
widely, seen much, heard much, and
forgotten nothing; who would have
been Bishops if they had gone into the
church, and would have won for them
selves the highest niche in the temple
of fame if they had taken to literature.
Yet lawyers, as a rule. whether barris-
tiers or advocates, are not men eminent
for intellectual accomplishments. Their
conversation alternates between shop or
slang. As much almost may be said of
the politicians at this period. The aver
age member of Parliament is one of the
most uneducated, unintelligent people
| imagin able. He can talk over his consti-
tuents. Very likely he belongs to the
| Garrick or the Athen9um, but in gen
| eral society he is nearly speechless, and
when he tries to be facetious in coun-
| try house his best jokes are memories
| of Gosset's room.
The society of artists and actors is, in
these days, greatly appreciated by many
persons of consideration. They are
| found to be amusing, so clever, so wit
| ty, SO original, so quaint. In many in
stances these qualities may he forth
coming, but actors and artists are not.
| as rule, diverting as companions or
| highly educated as men. The Presi-
| dent of the Royal Academy is a con-
| spicuous exception to tho rule-a man
who might have achieved greatness in
any walk of life on which he had en-
tered. But the general tendencyis for
painters practically TO interpret Tenny-
sons line, IAN artist, sir. should live in
art in a sense very different from that
in which it was originally meant. Art
lists are apt to live for the incessant
turning out of pot-boilers and If they
are once removed from their studio and
its associations, they are without the
materials of conversation. Like actors.
| they lack that iexibility of mind which
bends itself to any subject, and that
catho1icity of spirit which can take an
interest in every theme. This is not
really the fault of either the actor or the
artist, any more than it is of the doc
tor, the lawyer, or the politician. The
| atmosphere of the best society is the
reverse ofintelleetual = London World.