Page:Mind (Old Series) Volume 12.djvu/170

 NOTES. 157 RICHARD SHUTE. The death of Richard Shute, of Christ Church, which took place on Sept. 22, is a serious loss to philosophical studies at Oxford. In 1877, when quite a young man, Shute published his Discourse on Truth (reviewed by the Editor in MIND, ii. 392) a remarkably ingenious work, indicating a reaction from the teaching of Mill along lines which were perhaps insufficiently denned, but abounding in bright suggestions by the way which give it a value quite independent of the tenability of the positions which it seeks to maintain. This work attracted attention in Germany, acd was made the basis by Uphues of his treatise, Grundlehren der Logik nach Richard Shute's Discourse on Truth bearbeitet (Breslau, 1883). In later years Shute gave much time to Aristotelian studies, especially to the text of the Physics. Some of the results of these studies have already appeared (Anecdota Oxoniensia, Classical Series, vol. i. part 3, Aristotle's Physics, book vii., collated by Richard Shute, M.A. Clarendon Press, 1882) ; and papers which he has left behind contain additional matter which, it is to be hoped, may yet be published. It is not, however, of the books which he might have written, had he lived, that those who knew him best are now thinking most, but of the loss sustained by a system of education which owes much of what is best in it to influence conveyed in private conversations. The forces by which the young students of Liter ce Humaniores at Oxford are affected may be distinguished broadly as 'rhetorical' and 'dialectical'. Of these the full of views on all subjects of speculative and practical interest abstract and one-sided because received passively from lectures and epitomes and magazine-articles, not actively apprehended in the original research of the student himself. These abstractions are the natural product of a place in which many young men beginning to think are thrown together, and they would not do much harm if they were not useful. But they are eminently useful. The Oxford Examination-system, as such, in spite of many honest efforts on the part of those who work the machine, gives a decided advan- tage to the man who can make a clever ' rhetorical ' use of ' probable opinions ' ; arid the rhetorical habit encouraged by this system bears fruit afterwards in influence exerted through various popular channels, of which journalism is perhaps the most important. It may be admitted that wide practical influence in a country like England could not be obtained without the 'rhetorical habit' no 'movements' could be started, and the life of the nation would perhaps stagnate ; but in the spheres of speculation, science and literature, within which the activities of a university are pro- perly confined, it is a mischievous habit. Happily however this uncritical ' rhetorical habit,' fostered by the Examination-system, is somewhat chas- tened by a spirit of ' dialectic ' which the system has not succeeded in entirely banishing from Oxford teaching. Much time is still given (and this is one advantage at any rate of the College-system) to private conver- sations between teacher and single pupil. These conversations are the hardest pieces of work which the teacher has to do, if he does them pro- perly ; and the most useful instruction received by the pupil is often derived from them, if he prepares himself for them by critical study of the subjects discussed. It was in such conversations that Shute excelled. " He riddled through one's seeming knowledge," as one who was once his pupil has expressed it. This was the first effect of his conversations. Beginners were often dis- couraged, and thought that there was no truth to be obtained on the sub- jects discussed. But when they came to know Shute better they began to
 * rhetorical ' are naturally the more powerful in most cases. The air is