The life and letters of Benjamin Jowett, M. A., master of Balliol college, Oxford.

Letters, i865-1870

4I3

The 'Hebrew Conservative1' has just found this out, which
he ought to have found out long ago, and is going to try to
upset all this by appointing what he calls a Board of Studies,
who would be nominated by himself and his friends. But
I think that we can hinder him, as the Tutors are almost all
on our side.
I was going to say when I made this digression, that I think
something needs to be done for the educated, similar to what
J. Wesley did for the poor. A real religious movement among
the educated would be more permanent than any revival.
What is wanted just now is not preaching for the poor, but
teaching in schools, better and more of it, and preaching to
the clergy and educated classes.
To SIR ALEXANDER GRANT.
August 27, I865.
I have been working at Plato steadily for the last two months,
and make some impression, although the work is very long.
I believe you will see the four volumes in India in the course
of next year.
I have been reading Grote with very great interest, but
with a good deal of disagreement. The mode of handling
critical questions is very defective: his arguments about
the Canon of Plato are like the arguments of divines about
the Canon of Scripture, and I think also without fancy
that there is far more in Plato than he supposes. I object
to a kind of modern rule by which he judges him, and I
don't believe Socrates to have been a mere professor of
negation, as he supposes.
I hope we shall live to see more of one another before life is
over. Meanwhile take care of your health, save your money
and come home as fast as you can, and keep the notion of
collecting materials and thoughts for some work in view which
you may execute when you come home. I may possibly live
twenty or twenty-five years longer, and I can assure you that
I mean to make the utmost of the years that remain, more than
I have done, and I hope you will do the same....
1 Dr. Pusey.