The Object of a Liberal Education

That man, I think, has had a liberal education who has been so trained in youth that his body is the ready servant of his will, and does with ease and pleasure all the work that, as a mechanism, it is capable of; whose intellect is a clear, cold, logic engine, with all its parts of equal strength, and in smooth working order; ready, like a steam engine, to be turned to any kind of work, and spin the gossamers as well as forge the anchors of the mind; whose mind is stored with a knowledge of the great and fundamental truths of Nature and of the laws of her operations; one who, no stunted ascetic, is full of life and fire, but whose passions are trained to come to heel by a vigorous will, the servant of a tender conscience;* who has learned to love all beauty, whether of Nature or of art, to hate all vileness, and to respect others as himself.

From ‘A Liberal Education: and Where to Find It — An Address to the South London Working Men’s College’ in ‘Science and Education: Essays’ (1897), by T. H. Huxley (1825-1895). The lecture was delivered in 1868.

* See also Edmund Burke There is No Liberty without Self-Control, and Edmond Holmes on being Free to Grow.

Précis
Huxley went on to say that a truly ‘liberal’ education would train students to make appropriate use of their physical abilities, to be creative whether on a grand scale or in fine details, and use common sense to live a full, warm and active life without losing self-control, going against good conscience, or showing disrespect for other people.
Questions for Critics

1. What is the author aiming to achieve in writing this?

2. Note any words, devices or turns of phrase that strike you. How do they help the author communicate his ideas more effectively?

3. What impression does this passage make on you? How might you put that impression into words?

Based on The English Critic (1939) by NL Clay, drawing on The New Criticism: A Lecture Delivered at Columbia University, March 9, 1910, by J. E. Spingarn, Professor of Comparative Literature in Columbia University, USA.

Sevens

Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.

Why does Huxley liken the liberally educated mind to a steam engine?

Suggestion

Both can power a variety of tasks.

Jigsaws

Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.

People should enjoy life. This requires self-control.

See if you can include one or more of these words in your answer.

IBehaviour. IINecessary. IIIOtherwise.

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