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—whichtheyneverdid;asurprisingcircumstance,whenthehappyadaptationofthemeanstotheendisconsidered.Still,althoughtheydifferedineveryotherparticular,conceivableandinconceivable(especiallyinconceivable),theywereprettywellunitedonthepointthattheseunluckyinfantswerenevertowonder.Bodynumberone,saidtheymusttakeeverythingontrust.