Beelzebubs-Tales-to-His-Grandson-by-G-I-Gurdjieff

"But now listen to what that amiable pharmacist went on to tell me.'This young man,' he said, 'this mama's darling with the pimpled face,studies at some university to become a specialist in analytical chemistry, andthere he is required to study textbooks fabricated for the most part by "learnedbeings" from Germany."And really, my boy, these contemporary pure-blooded successors of theancient Greeks have also developed the habit, especially during recent times,of cooking up all kinds of 'scientific books' on all subjects."Since 'chemical analysis' is one branch of their science, these German'scientific beings' have produced a mass of books in this field also, and almostall the peoples of Europe, as well as of other continents, use these books.'Well,' continued that kind pharmacist, 'this young man, having finishedhis university course and consequently having drawn his knowledge of the socalled"composition of substances" from books fabricated by German "scientists,"has to make the analysis of our Dover's powder.'In these German books from which he gathered his knowledge of the"nature of substances" it is of course stated which elements each substance iscomposed of, and the formulas also are invariably quoted.'These books also describe the appearance of the substances when all therequired elements are present, and how their appearance changes if theseelements are lacking Several homely methods for recognizing substances arealso included in these German books—for instance, by sight, by taste, byburning, as well as by certain methods that our grandmothers had heard tell ofin the "good old days," and so on and so forth.'So then, on finishing the course, this young man receives the title of"analytical chemist."" 'And it sometimes happens that before being assigned