CHAPTER VIII NEVER WONDER

Letusstrikethekey-noteagain,beforepursuingthetune. Whenshewashalfadozenyearsyounger,Louisahadbeenoverheardtobeginaconversationwithherbrotheroneday,bysaying‘Tom,Iwonder’—uponwhichMr.Gradgrind,whowasthepersonoverhearing,steppedforthintothelightandsaid,‘Louisa,neverwonder!’ Hereinlaythespringofthemechanicalartandmysteryofeducatingthereasonwithoutstoopingtothecultivationofthesentimentsandaffections.Neverwonder.Bymeansofaddition,subtraction,multiplication,anddivision,settleeverythingsomehow,andneverwonder.Bringtome,saysM’Choakumchild,yonderbabyjustabletowalk,andIwillengagethatitshallneverwonder. Now,besidesverymanybabiesjustabletowalk,therehappenedtobeinCoketownaconsiderablepopulationofbabieswhohadbeenwalkingagainsttimetowardstheinfiniteworld,twenty,thirty,forty,fiftyyearsandmore.Theseportentousinfantsbeingalarmingcreaturestostalkaboutinanyhumansociety,theeighteendenominationsincessantlyscratchedoneanother’sfacesandpulledoneanother’shairbywayofagreeingonthestepstobetakenfortheirimprovement—whichtheyneverdidasurprisingcircumstance,whenthehappyadaptationofthemeanstotheendisconsidered.Still,althoughtheydifferedineveryotherparticular,conceivableandinconceivable(especiallyinconceivable),theywereprettywellunitedonthepointthattheseunluckyinfantswerenevertowonder.Bodynumberone,saidtheymusttakeeverythingontrust.Bodynumbertwo,saidtheymusttakeeverythingonpoliticaleconomy.Bodynumberthree,wroteleadenlittlebooksforthem,showinghowthegoodgrown-upbabyinvariablygottotheSavings-bank,andthebadgrown-upbabyinvariablygottransported.Bodynumberfour,underdrearypretencesofbeingdroll(whenitwasverymelancholyindeed),madetheshallowestpretencesofconcealingpitfallsofknowledge,intowhichitwasthedutyofthesebabiestobesmuggledandinveigled.But,allthebodiesagreedthattheywerenevertowonder. TherewasalibraryinCoketown,towhichgeneralaccesswaseasy.Mr.Gradgrindgreatlytormentedhismindaboutwhatthepeoplereadinthislibrary:apointwhereonlitt