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To say that the education of this age aims at the attainment of any measure of this moral greatness is to speak of it more favorably than it deserves; on the contrary, the indiscriminate culture of the modern mind is one which tends to an opposite result, and must drive most men still further into their present general extremity. Our experience has taught us that while many minds are too deep in the flesh, there are many more that are not deep enough; that while many are too selfish, mulish, and obtuse, there are others too sensitive, sentimental, and delicate; that while many are too proud, bold, self-willed, and aggressive, there are others too lowly, timid, conservative, and retiring, judged either by themselves or by any standard which reason will accept, or the ideals of humanity countenance.

We have spoken before of the utility of that passion stuff—that obscuring, stupefying flesh, the conjunction with which alone could make finite intelligence tolerable. As we look upon man in the abstract we must be sensible of a proper balance in the relative forces of the spiritual and the carnal, in making up the consciousness of the individual. We all know men enough both over-spiritual and over-animal: and there are whole ages over-animal, and ages over-intellectual—of which this age is one. (Not that there is too much intellect in the absolute,—but too much in proportion to the moral and animal force of the race.) And when we undertake to cultivate ourselves or others in the formation of character, we must judge of the material we would work on, before we begin to mould it differently. And we will do well if we find