How we cite our quotes: (Chapter, Paragraph)
Quote #1
"Quite an original:" A phrase, we fancy, rather oftener used by the young, or the unlearned, or the untraveled, than by the old, or the well-read, or the man who has made the grand tour. Certainly, the sense of originality exists at its highest in an infant, and probably at its lowest in him who has completed the circle of the sciences. (44, 1)
There are those who are easily surprised, shocked, or scandalized, and there are those who've been educated—either in terms of life experience or schooling. This doesn't necessarily mean you lose your sense of wonder and curiosity once you've been educated, but here the narrator draws a distinction between those who really look at and learn from the world and those who can't, won't, or haven't yet.
Quote #2
The Man With the Weed Makes It an Even Question Whether He Be a Great Sage Or a Great Simpleton (5, title)
We don't really know what it says about humans in general that it's so hard to distinguish between a genius and a dull bulb, but this title brings our attention to that fine line. It also prods us to consider the question of perspective: where are we—as the audience—in relation to this line? Are we close to the "simpleton" and confused by sagacity? Better question: if we're not the brightest crayons in the box, will we judge the smarty-pantses as dumb-dumbs? Oh, this is a pickle. All we do know is that Weeds has a lot of opinions about education, and they show up in this chapter.
Quote #3
Overhearing his murmuring neighbor, the youth regarded him with some surprise, not to say interest. But, singularly for a collegian, being apparently of a retiring nature, he did not speak; when the other still more increased his diffidence by changing from soliloquy to colloquy, in a manner strangely mixed of familiarity and pathos. (5, 6)
The college student here is shy and not talkative. We're not sure if Melville is joking, though, when he says "singularly for a collegian." See, scholars often get a rep for being melancholy and for keeping to themselves. On the other hand, young college students are also teased if they act like know-it-alls, so Melville could be "shocked" that this guy is keeping quiet. Either way, there's some tricky generalizing about what it means to be into book-learnin'.
Quote #4
"I see, I see. But of course you read Tacitus in order to aid you in understanding human nature—as if truth was ever got at by libel." (5, 15)
Weeds has his own axe to grind when he picks up Tacitus, but we're more interested in the accidental philosophizing he gets into regarding what a classical education is. For him, it's the study of human nature—as opposed to, say, the study of natural science or engineering or something like that.
Quote #5
Years ago, a grave American savant, being in London, observed at an evening party there, a certain coxcombical fellow, as he thought, an absurd ribbon in his lapel, and full of smart persiflage, whisking about to the admiration of as many as were disposed to admire. Great was the savan's disdain; but, chancing ere long to find himself in a corner with the jackanapes, got into conversation with him, when he was somewhat ill-prepared for the good sense of the jackanapes, but was altogether thrown aback, upon subsequently being whispered by a friend that the jackanapes was almost as great a savan as himself, being no less a personage than Sir Humphrey Davy. (13, 1)
These lines are mainly about not being a snob before you've got all the facts. (We'd like to say don't be a snob, because, ew, don't be a snob—but close enough.) Anyway, we'd just like to take a moment to say that here, being "cool" means being an intellectual prodigy. That is something Shmoop can get behind. Also, name drop: Sir Humphrey Davy was a super-famous British chemist from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. How embarrassing for the grim American student who thought Sir Davy was too flashy to be sensible.
Quote #6
When the merchant, strange to say, opposed views so calm and impartial, and again, with some warmth, deplored the case of the unfortunate man, his companion, not without seriousness, checked him, saying, that this would never do; that, though but in the most exceptional case, to admit the existence of unmerited misery, more particularly if alleged to have been brought about by unhindered arts of the wicked, such an admission was, to say the least, not prudent; since, with some, it might unfavorably bias their most important persuasions. (13, 6)
Sometimes the most important education comes from life itself. Tassel is trying to school the country merchant about not getting carried away by his emotions. You may have the best of intentions, he says, but if you tie your opinions to strong emotions, you'll end up missing facts. That kind of bias will backfire by giving you bad information, and it will make you seem ridiculous. This is great advice to scholars (and educators and politicians and literally anybody everywhere), because you need to keep a cool head and a detached approach in a debate or when learning new things—otherwise you'll let your sadness or anger or giddiness or glee keep you in the dark.
Quote #7
The merchant having withdrawn, the other remained seated alone for a time, with the air of one who, after having conversed with some excellent man, carefully ponders what fell from him, however intellectually inferior it may be, that none of the profit may be lost; happy if from any honest word he has heard he can derive some hint, which, besides confirming him in the theory of virtue, may, likewise, serve for a finger-post to virtuous action. (15, 1)
We're a little irritated that Tassel thinks he's mentally superior to the country man, but there's good advice here to be had, nevertheless: don't waste any life experience, and learn from everybody. This doesn't mean everyone you meet is good and kind and smart and talented. It does mean you can pick up a few cool tricks from anywhere and anyone. Bitter twist here, though? What Tassel "learns" is that there's a rich, old, sick man Tassel is setting out to rob.
Quote #8
In the Polite Spirit Of the Tusculan Disputations (22, title)
We've got another title here, and it's a great little nod to education within the classical tradition. Disputations were organized school debates during which students compiled evidence to prove their case. This chapter is about the PIO man trying to convince Pitch to hire a farmhand. Pitch bemoans human nature, and the PIO man argues for the educability of moral character.
Quote #9
"Ah, you are a talking man—what I call a wordy man. You talk, talk."
"And with submission, sir, what is the greatest judge, bishop or prophet, but a talking man? He talks, talks. It is the peculiar vocation of a teacher to talk. What's wisdom itself but table-talk? The best wisdom in this world, and the last spoken by its teacher, did it not literally and truly come in the form of table-talk?" (22, 89-90)
Pitch accuses the PIO man of being a talker. For Pitch, if you're talking up a storm, you're up to no good—but the PIO man turns things around on him…with talk…about talk. He's all, Remember oral tradition? Remember great philosophers? Remember basic education? Remember preachers? Heck, even the Bible is a record of what people said others said. Words have a lot of power, and the PIO man focuses on one of the biggies when he points to talking as teaching and learning.
Quote #10
"Respected sir, have I not already informed you that the quite new method, the strictly philosophical one, on which our office is founded, has led me and my associates to an enlarged study of mankind. It was my fault, if I did not, likewise, hint, that these studies directed always to the scientific procuring of good servants of all sorts, boys included, for the kind gentlemen, our patrons—that these studies, I say, have been conducted equally among all books of all libraries, as among all men of all nations." (22, 96)
Hoo-wee, we've got a doozy here. Okay, first of all, the PIO man says he himself has studied mankind in order to both understand and teach people. These lines are loaded, because the dude's making the case that education causes metamorphosis: you become a new person by being able to learn. This has been the case made about education for centuries.
The funny thing is that there's a debate about the ends of education, or its purpose. Is it to make you a better person? Is it to make you a better citizen? Is it to give you the skills you need to survive? Is it to give you knowledge that will set you free? For the PIO man, it's to make good, obedient servants. It's servant-training. Yikes. Seems like the education that has given the PIO man power over his own life is being used to undermine the lives of others.