Relate, my Muse, the fame of him Whose calling and peculiar mission It was to wage with courage grim A battle’ gainst effete Tradition!
When Movements moved, with holy zest He scaled the breach and led the stormers,— And was among the first and best Of Educational Reformers.
He saw the Boy at Public Schools Regard his books with fear and loathing, From Latin’ s arbitrary rules Deriving practically nothing:—
He said,—“O bounding human Boys, Of all the fare whereon you batten, What chiefly mars your simple joys?” With one accord they answered “Latin!”
“Exactly so,” th’ Inquirer cried, “This is the lore which cramps and stunts us; O how can pedagogues abide A course that makes their pupils dunces?
Since with the rules of Latin Prose They can’ t be brought to yield compliance, This Fact conclusively it shows — They’ ve all a natural bent for Science!”
They sought for Scientific Truth, And pedagogues with books and birches Guided the faltering steps of Youth In biological researches:
The infant in his nurse’ s care In Science’ terms was taught to stammer: They practised vivisection where They used to cut their Latin grammar;
’ Twas all in vain — the Human Boy Remained unalterably chilly: Still less than Virgil’ s tale of Troy He liked compulsory bacilli!
Much grieved the Zealot was thereat:— “We’ ll try,” he said, “a course of Spelling”... But O, the way they hated that Quite overcomes my power of telling!
“There must be ways,” the good man said, “( Though hitherto perhaps we’ ve missed’ em ) Of putting things within the head: We’ ve something wrong about the System:”
And musing on the sacred flame Of Genius, and the cause that hid it, He unto this conclusion came — COMPULSION was the thing that did it.
“Within the Boy’ s aspiring brain For Study still there lies a craving, And what is won against the grain Is never really worth the having;
This boasted Categorical Imperative is clearly vicious,— Pastors and masters, one and all, Must ascertain their pupils’ wishes!”
And now those simple human Boys,— All, to a boy, for Culture yearning,— No pedagogues with idle noise Impede upon the path of Learning:—
Released from books and teachers both, No intellectual pastures feed’ em; And, if they lose in mental growth, Think how they gain in moral freedom!
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