I would rather fall into the hands of the cragmen! I
would rather have a stand-up fight than be slowly stifled with
interesting information. But where do these unhappy people come from?"
"A few come from universities," said Amroth, "but they are not as a rule
really learned men. They are more the sort of people who subscribe to
libraries, and belong to local literary societies, and go into a good
many subjects on their own account. But really learned men are almost
always more aware of their ignorance than of their knowledge, and
recognise the vitality of life, even if they do not always exhibit it.
But come, we are losing time, and we must go further afield."
XXII
We went some considerable distance, after leaving our intellectual
friends, through very beautiful wooded country, and as we went we talked
with much animation about the intellectual life and its dangers. It had
always, I confess, appeared to me a harmless life enough; not very
effective, perhaps, and possibly liable to encourage a man in a trivial
sort of self-conceit; but I had always looked upon that as an
instinctive kind of self-respect, which kept an intellectual person from
dwelling too sorely upon the sense of ineffectiveness; as an addiction
not more serious in its effects upon character than the practice of
playing golf, a thing in which a leisurely person might immerse himself,
and cultivate a decent sense of self-importance.
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