scholar in later life, seems to have exhibited very little talent in his
early years. There is no rule in the matter. Precocity often
disappoints. Genius is often dull in childhood, but there are exceptions
that prove both rules. The basis of education in Spain at that time
among the Jews was the Bible, the Talmud, mathematics, and astronomy, a
good rounded education in literature, the basis of law, and some exact
physical science. After his preliminary education at home Maimonides
studied the natural sciences and medicine with Moorish teachers.
Nature-study, in spite of frequent expressions that declare it new in
modern times, is as old as man. He also received a grounding in
philosophy as a preparation for his scientific studies. At the age of
twenty-three he began the composition of a commentary on the Talmud,
which he continued to work at on his journeys in Spain and in Egypt.
This is considered to be one of the most important of this class of
works extant, though, almost needless to say, similar writings are very
numerous.

In the light of wanderings in philosophy during the centuries since, it
is rather interesting to quote from that work the end of man as this
Jewish philosopher of the middle of the twelfth century saw it. Recent
teleological tendencies in biology add to the interest of his views.
According to Maimonides, "Man is the end of the whole creation, and we
have only to look to him for the reason for its existence. Every object
shows the end for which it was created. The palm-trees are there to
provide dates; the spider to spin her webs. All the properties of an
animal or a plant are directed so as to enable it to reach its purpose
in life. What is the purpose of man? It cannot lie alone in eating and
drinking or yielding to passion, nor in the building of cities and the
ruling of others, since these objects lie outside of him, and do not
touch his essential being. Such material striving he has in common with
the animal. A man is lifted from a lower to a higher condition by his
reason. Only through his reason is he placed above the animals. He is
the only reasonable animal. His reason enables him to understand all
things, especially the Unity of God, and all knowledge and science serve
only to direct man to the knowledge of God. Passions are to be subdued,
since the man who yields to passion subjects his spirit to his body, and
does not reveal in himself the divine power which in him lies in his
reason,