The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1881-10-13
Tbs Ignorance of Educated men.

! Even shrewd and clear-headed men
! of the world, who are supposed to be az
! cOu,unt with everything. and who have
| great opportunities of picking up mis-
! cellaneous Information at their disposal,
exhibit a degree of descience upon a
| host of matters, certainly not wanting
in breadth or popularity of interest,
which is little less than astounding.
| They have, perhaps, a correct apprc-
hension of the motives and the charac-
| ter of the latest jOint-stock company
but on politics, foreign or domestic. of
any question connected with literature.
| science. art, or history. they have not u
| single idea except such as are derived
from newspapers, which give them
their sole mental pabulum. 1t is sur
prising how high men of real brains
and application may climb in profess
sions that are learned and intellectual.
and yet how infinitesimally 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
Wlu6ly, SOCA IAuCus UCdtu uIu
forgotten nothing; who would have
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 rule, whether barris-
ters 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 Athenaum, but in gen.
eral society he is nearly speechless, and
when he tries to be facetious in q 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 a rule, diverting as companions or
highly educated as men. The Presi-
dent of the Royal Academy is a con-
spicuous exception to the rule-a man
who might have achieved greatness in
any walk of life ON which he had en-
tered. But the general tendencyi is 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 tlexibility of mind which
bends itself to any subject, and that
catholicity 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 of tellectual.-London World.