how do you teach history?«
    »Well,« said he, »when a person can read, of course he reads what he likes
to; and he can easily get someone to tell him what are the best books to read on
such or such a subject, or to explain what he doesn't understand in the books
when he is reading them.«
    »Well,« said I, »what else do they learn? I suppose they don't all learn
history?«
    »No, no,« said he; »some don't care about it; in fact, I don't think many
do. I have heard my great-grandfather say that it is mostly in periods of
turmoil and strife and confusion that people care much about history; and you
know,« said my friend, with an amiable smile, »we are not like that now. No;
many people study facts about the make of things and the matters of cause and
effect, so that knowledge increases on us, if that be good; and some, as you
heard about friend Bob yonder, will spend time over mathematics. 'Tis no use
forcing people's tastes.«
    Said I: »But you don't mean that children learn all these things?«
    Said he: »That depends on what you mean by children; and also you must
remember how much they differ. As a rule, they don't do much reading, except for
a few story-books, till they are about fifteen years old; we don't encourage
early bookishness: though you will find some children who will take to books
very early; which perhaps is not good for them; but it's no use thwarting them;
and very often it doesn't last long with them, and they find their level before
they are twenty years old. You see, children are mostly given to imitating their
elders, and when they see most people about them engaged in genuinely amusing
work, like house-building and street-paving, and gardening, and the like, that
is what they want to be doing; so I don't think we need fear having too many
book-learned men.«
    What could I say? I sat and held my peace, for fear of fresh entanglements.
Besides, I was using my eyes with all my might, wondering as the old horse
jogged on, when I should come into London proper, and what it would be like now.
    But my companion couldn't let his subject quite drop
