Never have they taken an active part in or lent a hand to any professional undertaking either as collaborators or assistants.
* The future professor， a new aggrégé at twenty-four years of age， who issues from the école Normale， has not yet taught a class， except for a fortnight in a Paris lycée.
* The future engineer who， at twenty-four or twenty-five years of age leaves the école Centrale， or the école des Ponts， or école des Mines， has never assisted in the working of a mine， in the heating of a blast furnace， in the piercing of a tunnel， in the laying-out of a dike， of a bridge or of a roadway. He is ignorant of the cost and has never commanded a squad of workmen.
* If the future advocate or magistrate to be has put up with being a notary's or lawyer's clerk， he will at twenty-five years of age， even if he is a doctor of law with his insignia of three "white balls，"know nothing of the business； he merely knows his codes； he has never examined pleadings， conducted a case， drawn up an act or liquidated an estate.
* From eighteen to thirty， the future architect who competes for a prix de Rome may stay in the école des Beaux-Arts， draw plan after plan there， and then， if he obtains the prix， pass five years at Rome， make designs without end， multiply plans and restorations on paper， and at last， at thirty-five years of age， return to Paris with the highest titles， architect of the government， and with the aspiration to erect edifices without having taken even a second or third part in the actual construction of one single house. -None of these men so full of knowledge know their trade and each， at this late hour， is expected to act as an expert， improvising，[69] in haste and too fast， encountering many drawbacks at his own expense and at the expense of others， along with serious risks for the first tasks he undertakes.
Before 1789， says a witness of both the ancient and the modern régime， [70] young Frenchmen did not thus pass their early life. Instead of dancing attendance so long on the threshold of a career， they were inducted into it very early in life and at once began the race. With very light baggage and readily obtained "they entered the army at sixteen， and even fifteen years of age， at fourteen in the navy， and a little later in special branches， artillery or engineering. In the magistracy， at nineteen， the son of a conseiller-ma？tre in parliament was made a conseiller-adjoint without a vote until he reached twenty-five； meanwhile， he was busy， active and sometimes was made a reporter of a case. No less precocious were the admissions to the Cour des Comptes， to the Cour des Aides， to inferior jurisdictions and into the bureaus of all the financial administrations." Here， as elsewhere， if any rank in law was exacted the delay that ensured was not apparent；the Faculty examinations were only for forms sake； for a sum of money， and after a more or less grave ceremonial， a needed diploma was obtained almost without study.[71] - Accordingly， it was not in school， but in the profession， that professional instruction was acquired； strictly speaking， the young man for six or seven years， instead of being a student was an apprentice， that is to say a working novice under several master-workmen， in their workshop， working along with them and learning by doing， which is the best way of obtaining instruction. Struggling with the difficulties of the work he at once became aware of his incompetence；[72] he became modest and was attentive； with his masters， he kept silent， and listened， which is the only way to understand. If he was intelligent he himself discovered what he lacked； as he found this out he felt the need of supplying what he needed； he sought， set his wits to work， and made choice of the various means； freely and self-initiating he helped himself in his general or special education. If he read books， it was not resignedly and for a recitation， but with avidity and to comprehend them. If he followed lecture-courses it was not because he was obliged to， but voluntarily， because he was interested and because he profited by it. - Chancellor Pasquier was magistrate at seventeen (in 1784)， attended at the lycée the lectures of Garat， La Harpe， Fourcroy and Duparcieux and， daily， at table or in the evening， listened to his father and his friends discussing matters which， in the morning， had been argued in the Palais de Justice or in the Grand-Chambre. He imbibed a taste for his profession. Along with two or three prominent advocates and other young magistrates like himself， he inscribed his name for lectures at the house of the first president of the first court of inquiry. Meanwhile， he went every evening into society； he saw there with his own eyes the ways and interests of men and women. On the other hand， at the Palais de Justice， a conseiller-écoutant he sat for five years， alongside of the conseiller-juges and often， the reporter of a case， he gave his opinion. After such a novitiate， he was competent to form a judgment in civil or criminal cases with experience， competency and authority. From the age of twenty-five， he was prepared for and capable of serious duties. He had only to live and perfect himself to become an administrator， deputy or minister， a dignitary as we see under the first Empire， under the Restoration， under the July monarchy， that is to say the best informed， well-balanced， judicious political character and， at length， the man of highest consideration of his epoch.[73]