--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: These examinations and certificates and…" description: "\"“These examinations and certificates and so on--what did they matter? And all this efficiency and up-to-dateness--what did that matter, either? Ralston..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/967/james-hilton-8522_sense-of-humor_these-examinations-and-certificates-and_1893500.jpg" --- # These examinations and certificates and so on--what did… ![“These examinations and certificates and so on--what did they matter? And all this efficiency and up-to-dateness--what did that matter, either? Ralston was trying to run Brookfield like a factory--a factory for turning out a snob culture based on money and machines. The old gentlemanly traditions…” quote by James Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/967/james-hilton-8522_sense-of-humor_these-examinations-and-certificates-and_1893500.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/967/james-hilton-8522_sense-of-humor_these-examinations-and-certificates-and_1893500.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/967/james-hilton-8522_sense-of-humor_these-examinations-and-certificates-and_1893500.jpg) > ““These examinations and certificates and so on--what did they matter? And all this efficiency and up-to-dateness--what did that matter, either? Ralston was trying to run Brookfield like a factory--a factory for turning out a snob culture based on money and machines. The old gentlemanly traditions of family and broad acres were changing, as doubtless they were bound to; but instead of widening them to form a genuine inclusive democracy of duke and dustman, Ralston was narrowing them upon the single issue of a fat banking account. There never had been so many rich men's sons at Brookfield. The Speech Day Garden Party was like Ascot. Ralston met these wealthy fellows in London clubs and persuaded them that Brookfield was the coming school, and, since they couldn't buy their way into Eton or Harrow, they greedily swallowed the bait. Awful fellows, some of them--though others were decent enough. Financiers, company promoters, pill manufacturers. One of them gave his son five pounds a week pocket money. Vulgar . . . ostentatious . . . all the hectic rotten-ripeness of the age. . . . And once Chips had got into trouble because of some joke he had made about the name and ancestry of a boy named Isaacstein. The boy wrote home about it, and Isaacstein père sent an angry letter to Ralston. Touchy, no sense of humor, no sense of proportion--that was the matter with them, these new fellows. . . . No sense of proportion. And it was a sense of proportion, above all things, that Brookfield ought to teach--not so much Latin or Greek or Chemistry or Mechanics. And you couldn't expect to test that sense of proportion by setting papers and granting certificates...”” [James Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hilton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage critiques a shift from traditional, inclusive values to a materialistic, elitist culture focused on wealth and status, warning that education should teach proportion and humanity over mere credentials. **In simple terms:** It warns against valuing money and status over human qualities and education. Key Takeaway Prioritize human values and balanced judgment over material success. Themes education elitism tradition materialism humanity Mood critical reflective skeptical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - elite schools - corporate culture - family traditions - social gatherings - student behavior Key Concepts social critique class tension educational philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How does wealth influence educational priorities? - Can tradition coexist with modern efficiency? A Different Perspective It may overgeneralize the motives of all wealthy individuals and ignore positive contributions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brookfield Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brookfield-speech-2751243/) [Letter Ralston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letter-ralston-2751246/) [Persuaded Brookfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persuaded-brookfield-2751245/) [Ralston Touchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ralston-touchy-2751247/) [Rich men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich-men/) [Sense of humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-of-humor/) [Sons Brookfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sons-brookfield-2751244/) ## Related quotes > [Rich men are resolved to be astonished at nothing. 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Fegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-f-fegel/) > [“By reason of gifts and bribes the offices be given to rich men, which should rather have been executed by wise men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/by-reason-of-gifts-and-bribes-the-offices-be-given-to-rich-men-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Show the world that your God is worth ten thousand worlds to you. 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The old gentlemanly traditions of family and broad acres were changing, as doubtless they were bound to; but instead of widening them to form a genuine inclusive democracy of duke and dustman, Ralston was narrowing them upon the single issue of a fat banking account. There never had been so many rich men's sons at Brookfield. The Speech Day Garden Party was like Ascot. Ralston met these wealthy fellows in London clubs and persuaded them that Brookfield was the coming school, and, since they couldn't buy their way into Eton or Harrow, they greedily swallowed the bait. Awful fellows, some of them--though others were decent enough. Financiers, company promoters, pill manufacturers. One of them gave his son five pounds a week pocket money. Vulgar . . . ostentatious . . . all the hectic rotten-ripeness of the age. . . . And once Chips had got into trouble because of some joke he had made about the name and ancestry of a boy named Isaacstein. The boy wrote home about it, and Isaacstein père sent an angry letter to Ralston. Touchy, no sense of humor, no sense of proportion--that was the matter with them, these new fellows. . . . No sense of proportion. And it was a sense of proportion, above all things, that Brookfield ought to teach--not so much Latin or Greek or Chemistry or Mechanics. 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