Yes, but it must be practical knowledge. There is nothing less powerful
than knowledge unattached, and incapable of application. That is why
what little knowledge I have has done myself personally so much harm. I
do not know much, but if I knew a good deal less than that little I
should be far more powerful. The rule should be never to learn a thing
till one is pretty sure one wants it, or that one will want it before
long so badly as not to be able to get on without it. This is what
sensible people do about money, and there is no reason why people should
throw away their time and trouble more than their money. There are
plenty of things that most boys would give their ears to know, these and
these only are the proper things for them to sharpen their wits upon.
If a boy is idle and does not want to learn anything at all, the same
principle should guide those who have the care of him—he should never be
made to learn anything till it is pretty obvious that he cannot get on
without it. This will save trouble both to boys and teachers, moreover
it will be far more likely to increase a boy’s desire to learn. I know
in my own case no earthly power could make me learn till I had my head
given me; and nothing has been able to stop me from incessant study from
that day to this.