B1029 <=> B1031 [BTG XLII Beelzebub in America, p. 1030]

“You must know that at the end of my last sojourn on the surface of your planet, I had to make this maleficent terrestrial question the subject of my special observation and even to study it in great detail.

“To know approximately what results the terrestrial contemporary education of children leads to, I will tell you of just that one occurrence which was the first cause of my subsequent special interest in the question of this terrestrial misunderstanding.

“Although this occurrence took place in the large community of Russia, yet nevertheless this ‘story’ which I shall now tell you is very characteristic and gives a very good picture in general of the education of the children of their contemporary civilization.

“It is characteristic because in this large community Russia also, the contemporary responsible beings, especially the beings of what is called the upper ‘ruling class,’ educate their children exactly as the contemporary responsible beings of the other communities breeding on the continents of Europe and America educate theirs.

“My account of this occurrence, which evoked in me an impulse of interest to acquaint myself specially with the question of the terrestrial education of children, I shall preface with a story of something that occurred just previously to this and which admirably illustrates the significance of this education of theirs and was also, so to say, a ‘link’ in my gradually becoming interested in this question.

“I happened once to exist continuously for several months in the capital of this community – in the city of St. Petersburg.

“During my stay there I became acquainted with an elderly couple.

“The man was what is called a ‘senator’ and his wife was a ‘society lady’ and a patroness of several ‘welfare institutions.’