Very wise and beautiful it is.  It gives one an idea that something greatly better is possible for man in the world.  I confess it seems to me it is a shadow of what will come, unless the world is to come to a conclusion that is perfectly frightful; some kind of scheme of education like that, presided over by the wisest and most sacred men that can be got in the world, and watching from a distance—­a training in practicality at every turn; no speech in it except that speech that is to be followed by action, for that ought to be the rule as nearly as possible among them.  For rarely should men speak at all unless it is to say that thing that is to be done; and let him go and do his part in it, and to say no more about it.  I should say there is nothing in the world you can conceive so difficult, prima facie, as that of getting a set of men gathered together—­rough, rude, and ignorant people—­gather them together, promise them a shilling a day, rank them up, give them very severe and sharp drill, and by bullying and drill—­for the word “drill” seems as if it meant the treatment that would force them to learn—­they learn what it is necessary to learn; and there is the man, a piece of an animated machine, a wonder of wonders to look at.  He will go and obey one man, and walk into the cannon’s mouth for him, and do anything whatever that is commanded of him by his general officer.  And I believe all manner of things in this way could be done if there were anything like the same attention bestowed.  Very many things could be regimented and organized into the mute system of education that Goethe evidently adumbrates there.  But I believe, when people look into it, it will be found that they will not be very long in trying to make some efforts in that direction; for the saving of human labour, and the avoidance of human misery, would be uncountable if it were set about and begun even in part.

Alas! it is painful to think how very far away it is—­any fulfilment of such things; for I need not hide from you, young gentlemen—­and that is one of the last things I am going to tell you—­that you have got into a very troublous epoch of the world; and I don’t think you will find it improve the footing you have, though you have many advantages which we had not.  You have careers open to you, by public examinations and so on, which is a thing much to be approved, and which we hope to see perfected more and more.  All that was entirely unknown in my time, and you have many things to recognise as advantages.  But you will find the ways of the world more anarchical than ever, I think.  As far as I have noticed, revolution has come upon us.  We have got into the age of revolutions.  All kinds of things are coming to be subjected to fire, as it were; hotter and hotter the wind rises around everything.