He numbered among his pupils Isocrates,
Lycurgus, Aristotle, and Demosthenes; and for eight years Alexander the
Great was the pupil of Aristotle, while Demosthenes
"Wielded at will that fierce Democratie,
Shook the arsenal, and fulmined over Greece
To Macedon, and Artaxerxes' throne."
Thus we trace Demosthenes and Alexander, the master spirits in the
struggle of Grecian independence against Macedonian supremacy, through
teachers and culture up to Socrates, the wanderer in the streets, and
the disturber of the peace of Athens.
It is stated that a distinguished modern philosopher often says, "I
don't know," when the curiosity or science of his pupils suggests
questions that he has not considered. If we respect and admire the
wisdom of the wise, how ought we to be humbled, intellectually, by the
reflection that the unknown far exceeds the known, and that all become
as little children when they enter the temple of the sages! The
ancients prized schools, teachers, and learning, because they were
essential to wisdom; and wisdom enabled them to live temperately,
justly, and happily, in the present world; while we prize schools,
teachers, and learning, because they contribute to what we call success
in life. The population of New England, is composed of skilful artisans,
intelligent merchants, shrewd or eloquent lawyers, industrious and
intelligent farmers; and to these results our system of education is too
exclusively subservient.
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