Section II
Text A: Preparation for Practical Life

Part 1　Power of Words

Core Words

①　adolescence [ædə'les(ə)ns] n.

the period of life when a child develops into an adult; the state or process of growing up; a stage of development (as of a language or culture) prior to maturity

synonym　　puberty; youthhood

word family　　adolescent

Example 1　During adolescence, boys are sometimes very shy and lacking in self-confidence.

Example 2　My adolescence was a triumph of the superego over the id.

②　antagonistic [ænˌtæg(ə)'nɪstɪk] adj.

opposed to an idea or group

synonym　　opposed; hostile

antonym　　approved

word family　　antagonist; antagonistically

Example 1　Yet, on the whole, the rich man remains antagonistic to the poor.

Example 2　The antagonistic relationship between the two parties lasts for more than ten years.

③　benign [bɪ'naɪn] adj.

used to describe someone who is kind, gentle, and harmless or something showing kindness and gentleness

synonym　　gracious

antonym　　malign

word family　　benignant; benignancy

related phrase　　benign competition; environmentally benign

Example 1　They are normally more benign audiences.

Example 2　They enjoyed an especially benign climate.

④　caveat ['kævɪæt] n.

a warning enjoining one from certain acts or practices a caveat against unfair practices; an explanation to prevent misinterpretation; a modifying or cautionary detail to be considered when evaluating, interpreting, or doing something; a legal warning to a judicial officer to suspend a proceeding until the opposition has a hearing

synonym　　warning; caution

related phrase　　caveat emptor

Example 1　The company gives a caveat at the end of the advertisement, listing the possible side effects of the drug.

Example 2　I have used this method for many types of breads but there are two caveats that need to be explained.

⑤　destitute ['destɪtjuːt] adj.

lacking something needed or desirable; lacking possessions and resources

synonym　　indigent; needy

antonym　　affluent; rich

word family　　destitution

related phrase　　be destitute of something

Example 1　The floods left many people destitute.

Example 2　He is a man who is destitute of mercy.

⑥　exemplify [ɪg'zemplɪfaɪ] vt. (exemplified/exemplified/exemplifying)

to show or illustrate by example; to be an instance of or serve as an example or to be typical of

synonym　　demonstrate; illustrate; instance; instantiate

word family　　exemplification

related phrase　　exemplify in/by

Example 1　Moore's case exemplifies the difficulty in diagnosing unusual illnesses.

Example 2　The modern spirit of revolt was best exemplified by the work of Kafk a and Freud.

⑦　inception [ɪn'sepʃ(ə)n] n.

the start of an organization or institution

synonym　　incipiency; origin

antonym　　dissolution

word family　　incept

Example 1　Since its inception in 1934, FHA has insured more than 34 million home mortgages.

Example 2　This is a problem that has plagued the semiconductor industry since its inception in the 1960s.

⑧　latent ['leɪt(ə)nt] adj.

present and capable of emerging or developing but not now visible, obvious, active, or symptomatic

synonym　　potential; dormant

antonym　　existent; active

word family　　latently; latency

related phrase　　latent defect

Example 1　Police experts found latent fingerprints on the glass.

Example 2　Advertisements attempt to project a latent meaning behind an overt message.

⑨　privy ['prɪvɪ] adj./n. (pl. privies)

hidden from the knowledge of others; belonging or relating to a person in one's individual rather than official capacity; admitted as one sharing in a secret; a person having a legal interest of privity; a toilet, especially one outside a house in a small separate building

synonym　　private; secret; confidential

antonym　　common, open, public

word family　　privily

Example 1　There were privy meetings between high-level representatives.

Example 2　Only three people, including a policeman, will be privy to the facts.

⑩　relegate ['relɪgeɪt] vt. (relegated/relegated/relegating)

to put (someone or something) in a lower or less important position, rank, etc.; to give (something, such as a job or responsibility) to another person or group; to move (a sports team) to a lower position in a league

synonym　　banish; demote; assign; demote

antonym　　promote

word family　　relegation

related phrase　　relegate somebody/something to something

Example 1　Might it not be better to relegate the King to a purely ceremonial function?

Example 2　The bill has been relegated to committee for discussion.

⑪　repulsive [rɪ'pʌlsɪv] adj.

If you describe something or someone as repulsive, you mean that they are horrible and disgusting and you want to avoid them.

synonym　　repellent; disgusting

antonym　　attractive

word family　　repulsively; repulsiveness

Example 1　Many people find slugs repulsive.

Example 2　Magnets have a repulsive effect on each other.

⑫　tacit ['tæsɪt] adj.

expressed or carried on without words or speech; implied or indicated (as by an act or by silence)but not actually expressed

synonym　　unspoken; implied

antonym　　explicit; expressed

word family　　tacitly; tacitness

related phrase　　tacit agreement

Example 1　The question was a tacit admission that a mistake had indeed been made.

Example 2　Your silence may be taken to mean tacit agreement.

⑬　withhold [wɪð'həʊld] vt./vi. (withheld/withheld/withholding)

to hold back from action; to refrain from granting, giving, or allowing; to take out (an amount of money for taxes) from someone's income

synonym　　restrain; check

antonym　　allow; permit

word family　　withholder

related phrase　　withhold facts/evidence/information

Example 1　I withheld payment until they had completed the work.

Example 2　The computer giant has hinted that it has some big plans, but has withheld details.

Words for Self-study

Please find and memorize the meanings and usages of the following words with the help of dictionaries, online resources and other references.

abode　　disparage　　downright　　enlistment　　hitherto

hypothesis　　incompetence　　infuse　　laud　　millennium

patriot　　pauper　　statute　　stockpile　　therein

thereof　　utopia

Part 2　Text
Preparation for Practical Life

It is, perhaps, the chief glory of the Ideal Commonwealth that each and every member thereof is found in his right place. His profession is also his vocation; in it is his pride; through it he attains to the entertainment; by it he makes his contribution to the happiness of his fellows and to the welfare and progress of the State¹. The contemplation of the Ideal, however, would seem to be nature's painkiller for experience of the Actual. In practical life, all attempts, however earnest and continuous, to realize this ideal are frustrated by one or more of many difficulties; and though the Millennium follows hard upon Armageddon, we cannot assume that in the period vaguely known as "after the war" these difficulties will be fewer in number or less in magnitude. Some of the more obvious may be briefly considered.

In theory, every child is "good for something"; in practice, all efforts to discover for what some children are good prove futile. The napkin may be shaken never so vigorously, but the talent remains hidden. In every school, there are many honest fellows who seem to have no decided bent in any direction, and who would probably do equally well, or equally badly, in any one of half-a-dozen different employments. Some of these boys are steady, reliable, not unduly averse from labor, willing—even anxious—to be guided and to carry out instructions, yet are quite unable to manifest a preference for any one kind of work.

Others, again, show real enthusiasm for a business or profession, but do not possess those qualities which are essential to success therein; yet they are allowed to follow their supposed bent, and spend the priceless years of adolescence in the achievement of costly failure. Many a promising mechanic has been spoiled by the virulent attempts to make a passable engineer; and the annals of every profession abound in parallel instances of misconceived zeal. In saying this, however, one would not wish to disparage enthusiasm, nor to deny that it sometimes reveals or develops latent and unsuspected talents.

The life-work of many is determined largely, if not entirely, by what may be termed family considerations. There is room for a boy in the business of his father or some other relative. The fitness of the boy for the particular employment is not, as a rule, seriously considered; it is held, perhaps, to be sufficiently proved by the fact that he is his father's son. He is more likely to be called upon to recognize the special apportionment of a benign Providence on his behalf. It is natural that a man should wish the fruits of his labor to benefit his family in the first instance, at any rate; and the desire to set his children well on the road of life's journey seems entirely laudable. It is easy to hold what others have won, to build on foundations which others have laid, and to do this with all their experience and goodwill to aid him. Hence when the father retires he has the solid satisfaction of knowing that: Resigned unto the Heavenly Will, his son keeps on the business still.

It cannot be denied that this policy is often successful; but it is equally undeniable that it is directly responsible for the presence of many incompetent men in positions which none but the most competent should occupy. There are many long-established firms hastening to decay because even they are not strong enough to withstand the disastrous consequences of successive infusions of new (and young) blood.

Many, too, are deterred from undertaking gratifying work by reason of the inadequate income to be derived therefrom, and the unsatisfactory prospects which it presents. Let it suffice to mention the teaching profession, which fails to attract in any considerable numbers the right kind of men and women. A large proportion of its members did not become teachers from deliberate choice, but, having failed in their attempt to secure other employments, were forced to betake themselves to the ever-open gate of the great Refuge for the Destitute, and become teachers (or, at least, become classified as such). True there are a few "prizes" in the profession, and to some of the rude donati the Church holds out a helping hand; but the lay members cannot look forward even to the "congenial gloom of a Colonial Bishopric".

Others, again, are attracted to employments (for which they may have no special flair by the large salaries or profits which are to be earned therein, often with but little trouble or previous training—or so, at least, they believe. The idea of vocation is quite obscured, and a man's occupation is in effect the shortest distance from poverty which he cannot endure, to wealth and leisure which he may not know how to use.

It frequently happens, too, that a young man is unable to afford either the time or the expense necessary to qualify for the profession which he desires to enter, and for which he is well adapted by his talents and temperament. Not a few prefer in such circumstances to "play for safety", and secure a post in the Civil Service².

It is plain from such considerations as these that all attempts to realize the Utopian ideal must needs be, for the present at least, but very partially successful. Politics are not the only sphere in which "action is one long second-best". Even if it were possible at the present time to train each youth for that calling which his own gifts and temperament, or the reasoned judgment of his parents, selected as his life-work, it is very far from certain that he would ultimately find himself engaged therein. English institutions are largely based on the doctrine of individual liberty, and those statutes which establish or safeguard individual rights are not unjustly regarded as the "bastion of the Constitution³". But the inseparable right of a father to choose a profession for his son, or of the son to choose one for himself, is often exercised without any real inquiry into the conditions of success in the profession selected. Hence the frequent complaints about the "overcrowding of the professions" either in certain localities or in the country at large. The Bar affords a glaring example. "There be many which are bred unto the law, yet is the law not bread unto them." The number of recruits which any one branch of industry requires in a single year is not constant, and, in some cases, is subject to great fluctuations; yet there are few or no statistics available for the guidance of those who are specially concerned with that branch, or who are considering the desirability of entering it. The establishment of Employment Exchanges⁴ is a tacit admission of the need of such statistics, and—though less certainly—of the duty of the Government to provide them. Yet even if they were provided it seems beyond dispute that, in the absence of strong pressure or compulsion from the State, the choice of individuals would not always be in accordance with the national needs. The entry to certain professions—for instance that of medicine—is most properly safeguarded by regulations and restrictions imposed by bodies to which the State has delegated certain powers and duties. It may happen that in one of these professions the number of members is greatly in excess, or falls far short of the national requirements; yet neither State nor Professional Council has power to refuse admission to any duly qualified candidate, or to compel certain selected people to undergo the training necessary for qualification. It is quite conceivable, however, that circumstances might arise which would render such action not merely desirable but absolutely essential to the national felicity; indeed, it is at least arguable that such circumstances have already arisen. The popular doctrine of the early Victorian era⁵, that the welfare of the community could best be secured by allowing every man to seek his own interests in the way chosen by himself, has been greatly modified or wholly abandoned. So far are we from believing that national efficiency is to be attained by individual liberty that some are in real danger of regarding the two as essentially antagonistic. The nation, as a whole, supported the Legislature in the establishment of compulsory military service; it did so without enthusiasm and only because of the general conviction that such a policy was demanded by the magnitude of the issues at stake. Britons have always been ready, even eager, to give their lives for their country; but, even now, most of them prefer that the obligation to do so should be a moral, rather than a legal one. The doctrine of individual liberty implies the minimum of State interference. Hence there is no country in the world where so much has been left to individual initiative and voluntary effort as in England; and, though of late the number of Government officials has greatly increased, it still remains true that an enormous amount of important work, of a kind which is elsewhere done by salaried servants of the State, is in the hands of voluntary associations or of men who, though appointed or recognized by the State, receive no salary for their services. Nor can it be denied that the work has been, on the whole, well done. A traditional practice of such a kind cannot be (and ought not to be) abandoned at once or without careful consideration; yet the changed conditions of domestic and international politics render some modification necessary.

If the Legislature has protected the purchaser—in spite of the doctrine of "caveat emptor"—by enactments against adulteration of food, and has in addition, created machinery to enforce those enactments, are not we justified in asking that it shall also protect us against incompetence, especially in cases where the effects, though not so obvious, are even more harmful to the community than those which spring from impure food? The prevention of overcrowding in occupations would seem to be the business of the State quite as much as is the prevention of overcrowding in abodes and factories. The best interests of the nation demand that the entrance to the teaching profession—to take one example out of many—should be safeguarded at least as carefully as the entrance to medicine or law. The supreme importance of the functions exercised by teachers is far from being generally realized, even by teachers themselves; yet upon the effective realization of that importance the future welfare of the nation largely depends. Doubtless most of us would prefer that the supply of teachers should be maintained by voluntary enlistment, and that their training should be undertaken, like that of medical students, by institutions which owe their origin to private or public benignity rather than to the State; nevertheless, the obligation to secure adequate numbers of suitable candidates and to provide for their professional training rests ultimately on the State. The obligation has been partially recognized as far as elementary education is concerned, but it is by no means confined to that branch.

It is well to realize at this point that the efficient discharge of the duty thus imposed will of necessity involve a much greater degree of compulsion on both teachers and pupils than has hitherto been employed. The terrible spectacle of the unoptimized resources of humanity, which everywhere confronts us in the larger relations of our national life, has been responsible for certain hypothesis which have either failed altogether to achieve their object, or have been but partially successful. Much has been heard of the educational ladder—incidentally it may be noted that the educational sieve is equally necessary, though not equally popular—and some attempts have been made to enable a boy or girl of parts to climb from the elementary school to the university without excessive difficulty. To supplement the glaring deficiencies of elementary education a few—ridiculously few—continuation schools⁶ have been established. That these and similar measures have failed of success is largely due to the fact that the State has been content to provide facilities, but has refrained from exercising that degree of compulsion which alone could ensure that they would be utilized by those for whose benefit they were created. "Such continuation schools as England possesses, " says a German critic, "are without the requisite condition of compulsion." The reforms recently outlined by the President of the Board of Education⁷ show that he, at any rate, admits the criticism to be well grounded. A system which compels a child to attend school until he is fourteen and then leaves him to his own resources can do little to create, and less to satisfy a thirst for knowledge. During the most critical years of his life—fourteen to eighteen—he is left without guidance, without discipline, without ideals, often without even the desire of remembering or using the little he knows. He is led, as it were, to the threshold of the temple, but the fast-closed door forbids him to enter and behold the glories of the interior. Year by year there is an appalling waste of good human material; and thousands of those whom nature intended to be captains of industry are relegated, in consequence of undeveloped or imperfectly trained capacity, to the ranks, or become loggers of wood and drawers of water. Many drift with other groups of human wastage to the unemployed, thence to the unemployable, and so to the gutter and the grave. The poor we have always with us; but the wastrel—like the pauper—"is a work of art, the creation of wasteful sympathy and legislative inefficiency."

We must be careful, however, in speaking of "the State" to avoid the error of supposing that it is a divinely appointed entity, endowed with power and wisdom from on high. It is, in short, the nation in miniature. Even if the Legislature were composed exclusively of the highest wisdom, the most enlightened patriotism in the country, its enactments must needs fall short of its own standards, and be but little in advance of those of the average of the nation. It must still acknowledge with Solon⁸. "These are not the best laws I could make, but they are the best which my nation is fitted to receive." We cannot blame the State without, in fact, condemning ourselves. The absence of any widespread enthusiasm for education, or appreciation of its possibilities; the claims of vested interests; the requisite of Party Government; and, above all, the murderous toughness of individual rights have proved nearly insuperable obstacles in the path of true educational reform. On the whole we have received as good laws as we have deserved. The changed conditions due to the war, and the changed temper of the nation afford a unique opportunity for wiser counsels, and—to some extent—guarantee that they shall receive careful and sympathetic consideration.

It may be objected, however, that in taking the teaching profession to exemplify the duty of the State to assume responsibility for both individual and community, we have chosen a case which is exceptional rather than typical; that many, perhaps most, of the other vocations may be safely left to themselves, or, at least left to develop along their own lines with the minimum of State interference. It cannot be denied that there is force in these objections. It should suffice, however, to remark that, if the duty of the State to secure the efficiency of its members in their several callings be admitted, the question of the extent to which, and the manner in which control is exercised is one of detail rather than of principle, and may therefore be settled by the common sense and practical experience of the parties chiefly concerned.

A much more difficult problem is sure to arise, sooner or later, in connection with the utilization of efficients. Some few years ago the present Prime Minister called attention to the waste of power involved in the training of the rich. They receive, he said, the best that money can buy; their bodies and brains are disciplined; and then "they devote themselves to a life of idleness." It is "a stupid waste of first-class material". Instead of contributing to the work of the world, they "kill their time by tearing along roads at perilous speed, or do nothing at enormous expense." It has needed the bloodshed war in history to reveal the splendid heroism latent in young men of this class. Who can withhold from them gratitude, honor, nay even reverence? But the problem still remains how are the priceless qualities, which have been so freely devoted to the national welfare on the battlefield to be utilized for the greater works of peace which await us? Are we to recognize the right to be idle as well as the right to work? Is there to be a kind of second Thellusson Act, directed against stockpile of leisure? Or are we to attempt the discovery of some great principle of Conservation of Spiritual Energy, by the application of which these men may make a contribution worthy of themselves to the national life and character? Who can answer?

But though it is freely admitted on all hands that some check upon aggressive individualism is imperatively necessary, and that it is no longer possible to rely entirely upon voluntary organizations however useful, there are not a few of our countrymen who view with grave concern any increase in the power and authority of the State. They point out that such increase tends inevitably towards the despotism of an oligarchy, and that such a despotism, however benevolent in its inception, ruthlessly sacrifices individual interests and liberty to the real or supposed good of the State; that even where constitutional forms remain the spirit which animated them has departed; that officialism and bureaucracy with their attendant evils become supreme, and that the national character steadily deteriorates. They warn us that we may pay too high a price even for organization and efficiency; and, though it is natural that we should admire certain qualities which we do not possess, we ought not to overlook the fact that those methods which have produced the most perfect national organization in the history of the world are also responsible for orgies of brutality without parallel among civilized peoples. That such warnings are requisite cannot be doubted; but may it not be urged that they indicate dangers incident to a course of action rather than the inevitable consequences thereof? In adapting ourselves to new conditions we must needs take risks. No British Government could stamp out voluntaryism even if it wished to do so; and none has yet manifested any such desire. The nation does not want that kind of national unity of which Germany is so proud, and which seems so admirably adapted to her needs; for the English character and genius rest upon a conception of freedom which renders such a unity foreign and even repulsive to its temper. Whatever be the changes which lie before us, the worship of the State is the one form of idolatry into which the British people are least likely to fall.

(Adapted from "Preparation for Practical Life", by Sir J. D. McClure, printed on Cambridge Essays on Education)

Notes

①　State

State is an organized community living under a single political structure and government, sovereign or constituent.

②　Civil Service

Civil Service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career bureaucrats hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership.

③　Constitution

Constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a State or other organization is governed.

④　Employment Exchanges

Employment Exchange is the former name of employment office used for providingemployment information.

⑤　Victorian era

Victorian era is the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardian period, and its later half overlaps with the first part of the Belle Époque era of continental Europe.

⑥　continuation schools

Continuation school is an alternative to a comprehensive school. In some countries, it is primarily for students who are considered at-risk of not graduating at the normal pace. The requirements to graduate are the same, but the scheduling is more flexible to allow students to earn their credits at a quicker pace.

⑦　Board of Education

Board of Education, also the American Board of Education, traces its origins back to 1647 with the formation of the American public school system, the Massachusetts Bay Colony mandated that every town within its jurisdiction establish a public school. The U.S. Constitution left authority over education in the hands of the States under the Tenth Amendment, which reserved to them all powers not explicitly given to the federal government, and the States passed that authority on to local school boards.

⑧　Solon

Solon (638 BC–558 BC) is an Athenian statesman, lawmaker, and poet. He is remembered particularly for his efforts to legislate against political, economic, and moral decline in archaic Athens. His reforms failed in the short term, yet he is often credited with having laid the foundations for Athenian democracy. He wrote poetry for pleasure, as patriotic propaganda, and in defense of his constitutional reforms.

Part 3　Exercises

I. Read aloud and listen to the audio of the text for full understanding.

II. Practice subvocal reading at fast speed (250 words per minute), and then try to suppress subvocal to achieve much faster reading speed.

III. Think and respond critically.

1. What is practical life? What preparations do you think are needed for practical life?

2. What are the similarities between a teacher and other vocations according to the passage?

3. How do you understand the popular doctrine of the early Victorian era that the welfare of the community could best be secured by allowing every man to seek his own interests in the way chosen by himself?

4. What is the educational ladder? How do you think about it?

5. According to the passage, how do you explain the sentence "These are not the best laws I couldmake, but they are the best which my nation is fitted to receive."?

IV. Match the word in the middle with its synonym on the left and antonym on the right. Use a dictionary for help if necessary.

V. Choose the word that best agrees with each group.

1. lighthouse, beacon　　　____________

2. scrum, speedway　　　____________

3. truncheon, dint　　　____________

4. boulevard, racetrack　　　____________

5. storeroom, repertory　　　____________

6. pawn, hock　　　____________

7. cove, horseback　　　____________

8. vermin, woodworm　　　____________

9. armistice, battleship　　　____________

10. cockpit, skirmish　　　____________

VI. Fill in the gap with the word that best completes the sentence. Change the form where necessary.

1. She saw herself as providing the political resolution that had been lacking ________________.

2. There were new shelves in the _______________ where the drinks table once stood.

3. McEniff's _______________ for football has not subsided in later years, but it now has to compete with two other compelling passions.

4. Nearly all people were aggressively ________________ to the idea.

5. We have advised our members to _______________ payment pending our inquiries.

6. For a second I considered whether I might not be able to make a meal from the remains, but, not only was the edge off my appetite, there was something ________________ about the thought of eating carrion, however fresh it looked.

7. The garden is full of scented plants which on warm days ________________ the still air.

8. Not only do these excellent murals reflect the ________________ ability contained within community groups across the city, they also relate a very important message—trees make a vital contribution to our way of life.

9. Like educational technologists, they have a number of prophets ready to announce the ________________ a little before its arrival.

10. It is a classic definition of tyranny that a _______________ feels his regime to be secure only when his subjects start to inform.

11. It may turn out that it is therefore a mistake to ________________ social science along the lines of natural science.

12. The damages will therefore have to be increased by an amount necessary to _______________ the shortfall.

13. We will _______________ briefly to the main points, as we see them, of these approaches.

14. The weather was like a ________________, the land could kill you.

15. The higher education institutions and ________________ courses are structured in ways which embody certain curricular concepts, models and assumptions.

16. I've had to be stubborn, single-minded and ________________ selfish in my pursuit of a movie career.

17. It is a(n) ________________ fact that, despite all the care taken in passing legislation, some statutory provisions when applied to the circumstances under consideration in any specific case are found to be ambiguous.

18. You can be more ________________ with your children by attending to what they are saying with an ear tuned to the hidden messages.

19. Each critic and each interview discovered and reported the _______________ fact of what had happened in the production of the film.

20. There was a similar body in existence, the _______________ Council, consisting of the chief officials of State together with other influential persons, which, indeed, still exists today as the formal body which technically discharges much of the official business of the Crown.

VII. Read the passage and decide whether the following statements are true or false. Label T (true) if the statement agrees with the information given in the passage, and F (false) if the statement contradicts the information given in the passage. If it is false, give the reason.

1. The life-work of many is determined entirely by what may be termed family considerations.

2. The establishment of Employment Exchanges is a tacit admission of the need of such statistics, and of the duty of the Government to provide them.

3. The Professional Council has power to refuse admission to any duly qualified candidate, or to compel certain selected people to undergo the training necessary for qualification.

4. England is a place where so much has been left to individual initiative and voluntary effort.

5. The entrance to the teaching profession should be safeguarded at least as carefully as the entrance to medicine or law.

6. Though it is natural that we should admire certain qualities which we do not possess, we ought not to overlook the fact that those methods are also responsible for orgies of brutality without parallel among civilized peoples.

7. The obligation has been partially recognized as far as higher education is concerned, but it is by no means confined to that branch.

8. The State is a divinely appointed entity, endowed with power and wisdom from on high. It is, in short, the nation in miniature.

9. Some fellows in school show real enthusiasm for a business or profession, but do not possess those qualities which are essential to success therein.

10. Not a few prefer in such circumstances to "play for safety", and secure a post in the Civil Service when they are unable to afford either the time or the expense necessary to qualify for the profession which they desire to enter.

VIII. Rewrite the following sentences without changing their original meaning.

1. It is natural that a man should wish the fruits of his labor to benefit his family in the first instance, at any rate; and the desire to set his children well on the road of life's journey seems entirely laudable.

2. The entry to certain professions—for instance that of medicine—is most properly safeguarded by regulations and restrictions imposed by bodies to which the State has delegated certain powers and duties.

3. So far are we from believing that national efficiency is to be attained by individual liberty that some are in real danger of regarding the two as essentially antagonistic.

4. Even if the Legislature were composed exclusively of the highest wisdom, the most enlightened patriotism in the country, its enactments must needs fall short of its own standards, and be but little in advance of those of the average of the nation.

5. Instead of contributing to the work of the world, they "kill their time by tearing along roads at perilous speed, or do nothing at enormous expense".

IX. A sentence goes, "The poor we have always with us; but the wastrel—like the pauper—is a work of art, the creation of wasteful sympathy and legislative inefficiency." Write a passage to illustrate your understanding of the saying.