Page:The reflections of Lichtenberg.djvu/21

 manuscripts his “wastebooks,” or books in which rough entries of transactions are made, previous to their being carried into the journal.

Of the good things to be found in this medley, the present volume offers a selection, though in eliminating what was generally antiquated many interesting obiter dicta may have had to go by the board. Such for instance are some of the remarks on pedagogy, which might be found to contribute to the discussion often raised in our own day as to the respective merits of German and English educational methods. Considering his own connections as a teacher, it is certainly flattering to have the Professor’s comparison between the German school boy, who is a “bad miniature edition of his papa or his tutor, with a torrent of erudition at his command,” and the English boy who, with "cuts on his knuckle bones and scratches all over his hands, is decided and independent in his opinions, makes hundreds of mistakes, but corrects himself,” and so on.

As a master of style Lichtenberg takes high rank. He wrote clearly, simply, and naturally. He used common words. Tacitus was one of his special favourites, and he studied his model to some purpose. If, compared with the French maximists, Lichtenberg boasts less polish and brilliance, he has, in my opinion, a wider and deeper range to