judged till he gets into office, when he will show himself what he is.

"6th. To make a treasurer of a poor man, or a bankrupt, is to make a
hungry wolf purveyor of the kitchen. The case of a rich miser is still
stronger; the bankrupt or the penniless may set bounds to their
peculation; the miser never has enough.

"7th. When the prevalence of vice renders a reformation necessary, great
care and deliberation must be used; to banish at once, and in a mass,
old and rooted faults, would be like prescribing laxative and
restringent medicines at the same time to an invalid.

"8th. They who boldly promise everything, and take upon themselves many
duties, are either fools who know not their own powers or the importance
of affairs, or are mean and unjust citizens who regard their own and not
their country's welfare."

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CHAPTER VIII.

THE ACADEMIES OF POTU.

In this kingdom are three academies; one in Potu, one in Keba, and one
in Nahami.

The sciences taught in them are history, political economy, mathematics,
and jurisprudence. Their theological creed is so short that it can be
written on two pages. It contains this doctrine simply, that God, the
creator of all things, shall be loved and honored; and that He will, in
an other life, reward us for our virtues and punish us for our vices.
Theology forms no part of an academical course, as it is forbidden by
law to discuss these matters. Neither is medicine numbered among the
studies; for, as the trees live moderately, there is no such thing as
internal disease.

The students are employed in solving complicated and difficult
questions, and he who most elegantly and clearly explains his question,
is entitled to a reward. No one studies more than one science, and thus
each gets a full knowledge of his peculiar subject.

The teachers themselves are obliged to give, each year, a proof of their
learning. The teachers of philosophy are required to solve some problem
in morals; the historians, to _elaborate_ some passage in history; the
jurists, to elucidate some intricate point of law; these last are the
only professors expected to be good orators. I told them that the study
of rhetoric was common to all students in our colleges, and that all
studies were merged in it. They disapproved of this, saying, that should
all mechanics strive to make a masterly shoe, the work of most would be
bad, and the shoemakers alone would win the prize.