Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-06-22
CHAPTER ".
THE EDUCATION OF A PHILOSOPHER.

was thus happily effected, and the wheels
of life continued to run smoothly in the doc
tors house. Jean Marie did his horse and
carriage duty in the morning; sometimes
helped in the homework; sometimes walked
abroad with the doctor, to drink wisdom
from the fountain head and was introduced
at night to the sciences and the dead tongues
He retained his singular placidity of mind
and manner; he was rarely in fault but he
made only "A very partial progress in his
studies and remained much of a stranger in
the family
The doctor was a patcorn of regularity.
All forenoon he worked on his great book
the Comparative Pharmacoppia, or His
torical Dictionary of all Medicines which
rs yet consisted principally of slips of paper
and pins. When finished, it was to fill many
personable volumes and to combine anti
quarian interest with professional utility.
But the doctor was Studious of literary graccs
and the picturesque an anecdote a touch of
manners, n moral qualification, or a sound
ing epithet was sure to be preferred before
piece of science; a little more, and he would
have written the Comparative Pharma-
copnia' in verse; The article "Mummia"
for instance was already complete, though
the remainder of the work hal not progressed
-.
copious and entertaining, written with
quaintness and color, exact, erudite, lit
erary article; but it would hardly have af-
forded guidance to a practiciHg physician of
today. The feminine good sense of his wife
had led her to point this out with uncom-
promising sincerity, for the dictionary was
duly read aloud to her, betwixt sleep and
waking, as it proceeded toward an infinitely
distant completion; and the doctor was a lit
tie sore on the subjcct of mummies, and some
times resented an aluSion with asperity.
After the midday meal and proper pc
riod of digestion he walked, sometimes alone
sometimes accompanied by Jean Marie: for
madame would have preferred any hardship
rather than walk
She was, as have said, very busy per
son, continually occupied about material
comforts and ready to drop asleep over u
novel the instant she was diSengaged This
was the less objectionable, as she never
SnOrcd or grew distempered in complexion
when she slept. On the contrary, she looked
the very picture of luxurious and appetizinG
ease, and woke without a start to the perfect
possession of her faculties. am afraid she
was greatly an ANIMAL but she was very
nice animal 10 bave about In this way she
had little to do with Jean-Marie, but the
sympathy which had been established between
them on the first night remained unhroken.
They held occasional conversations, mostly
OH household matters To the extreme disap-
pointment of the doctor, they occasionally
sailed off together to that temple of debaS-
ing superstition, the village church. Madame
and he Doth in their Sundays best, drove
| twice a month to Fontainebleau and re-
| turned laden with purchases, and, in short,
| although the doctor still continued to regard
them as rreconcilably antipathetic, their re-
| latiOn was as intimate, friendly and conf
| Dental aS their natures suffered
| fear however, that in her heart of hearts
madame kindly deepi>ed and pitied the boy.
| She had no admiration for his elias, of viz
| tues she liked IA smart, polite, forward
roguish sort of boy, cap III hand, light Ol
foot, meeting the eye; she liked voubility
charm n little vice-the promise of a second
| DR.. DcSpI'ez. And it was her indefeaslhle
belief that Jean Marie was duh. Poor deal
boy she had said once, chow sad it is that
he should be so stupid,n She had never re
peated that remark, Cor the doctor had ragged
like wild bull, denouncing the brutal blunt
ness of her mind, bemoauing his own fate tC
be une1ually mated with an ass, and, what
touched AnaStasie more nearly, menacne
the table china by the fury of his gesticula
tions But she adhered silently to her opin
ion: and when Jean Marie was sitting, stoid
blank, but not unhappy, over his unfinished
tasks she would snatch her opportunity il
the doctors al-rn"e. 90 over to him, put he
arms about hi, mock, lay her cheek TO his
and communicate her sympathy with hi
distress "Do not mind she would say
Il, too, am not at all clever, and | can ASSURE
you that it makes no difference in life"
The doctors view was naturally different
That gentleman never weared of the soun'
of his own voice, which was, to say the truth
agreeable enough TO hear He now had
listener, who was not 50 Cynically Indifferent
as AnastaSie, and who sometimes put him OF
his mette by the most relevant objections
Besides, was he not educating the boyi Am
education, philosophers are agreed, is tn
most philosophical of duties What can b
more heavenly to poor mankind than to hav
ones hobby grow into duty to the state
Then, indeed, do the ways of tfe becom
. ways Of pleasantnesS. Never had the docto
seen reason to be more content with his Ell
dowments Philosophy flowed smoothly frol
| his lips. He was 50 agile "A dialectcan tina
he could trace his nonsense, when challenged
1 back to some root in sense, and prove it to b
y
| out of antinomio, like a fish, and left his di
ciple marveng at the rabbits depth.
y Moreover, deep down in his heart the do,
r tor was disappointed with the i'll success {
his more formal education. A boy, chose
by SO acute an observer tor his aptitude, an
j guided along the path Of learning by 50 phi
= osophic an instructor, was bound, by I'll
0 nature of the universe, to make a more obv
a Gus and lasting advance. Now Jean-Mar
y was slow in all things, impenetrable
S others; and his power Of forgetting was full
3 on level with his power to learn Therefor
o the doctor cherished his pcripatetic lecture
$ to which the boy attended, which he gene
It ally appeared to enjoy, and by which
often proiit"d.
l. Many and many were the talks they ha
Il together; and health and moderation prove
G the subject of the doctors divagations. I
: these he lovingly returned.
v 81 lead you,n he would say, "by the gree
. pastures, My system, my beliefs, my med
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