Изумрудный город страны Оз
9. How the Wogglebug Taught Athletics
InthisnextbottlearetheLatinPills--onethreetimesaday.ThenwehavetheGrammarPills--onebeforeeachmeal--andtheSpellingPills,whicharetakenwheneverneeded."
"Yourscholarsmusthavetotakealotofpills,"remarkedDorothy,thoughtfully."Howdotheytake’em,inapplesauce?"
"No,mydear.Theyaresugar-coatedandarequicklyandeasilyswallowed.Ibelievethestudentswouldrathertakethepillsthanstudy,andcertainlythepillsareamoreeffectivemethod.Yousee,untiltheseSchoolPillswereinventedwewastedalotoftimeinstudythatmaynowbebetteremployedinpracticingathletics."
"Seemstomethepillsareagoodthing,"saidOmbyAmby,whorememberedhowitusedtomakehisheadacheasaboytostudyarithmetic.
"Theyare,sir,"declaredtheWogglebug,earnestly."Theygiveusanadvantageoverallothercolleges,becauseatnolossoftimeourboysbecomethoroughlyconversantwithGreekandLatin,MathematicsandGeography,GrammarandLiterature.Youseetheyareneverobligedtointerrupttheirgamestoacquirethelesserbranchesoflearning."
"It’sagreatinvention,I’msure,"saidDorothy,lookingadmiringlyattheWizard,whoblushedmodestlyatthispraise.
"Weliveinanageofprogress,"announcedProfessorWogglebug,pompously."Itiseasiertoswallowknowledgethantoacquireitlaboriouslyfrombooks.Isitnotso,myfriends?"
"Somefolkscanswallowanything,"saidAuntEm,"buttomethisseemstoomuchliketakingmedicine