Lament for Modern Students

Pythagoras quoque hanc in studiis suis consuetudinem servasse legitur, ut usque ad septenium, secundum numerum videlicet septem liberalium artium, nullus discipulorum suorum de his quae ab ipso dicebantur rationem poscere auderet, sed fidem dare verbis magistri quousque omnia audivisset, sicque iam per semetipsum rationem eorum posset invenire. has septem tanto studio quidam didicisse leguntur, ut plane omnes ita in memoria tenerent, ut, quascunque scripturas deinde ad manum sumpsissent, quascumque quaestiones solvendas aut comprobandas proposuissent, ex his regulas et rationes ad definiendum id de quo ambigeretur folia librorum revolvendo non quaererent, sed statim singula corde parata haberent. hinc profecto accidit tot eo tempore fuisse sapientes ut plura ipsi scriberent quam nos legere possimus. scholares vero nostri aut nolunt aut nesciunt modum congruum in discendo servare, et idcirco multos studentes, paucos sapientes invenimus. mihi vero videtur non minori cura providendum esse lectori, ne in studiis inutilibus operam suam expendat quam ne in bono et utili proposito tepidus remaneat. malum est bonum negligenter agere, peius est in vanum labores multos expendere.  Hugonis De Sancto Victore, Didascalicon, Lib III, Cap III

Pythagoras, too, is said to have maintained the following practice in his studies: for seven years, doubtless to accord to the number of the seven liberal arts, not one of his pupils dared demand the reason for the things he said, instead the student was to trust the words of the master until he had heard everything because only then would he himself be capable of discovering the reason for all those things. We read that certain men studied the seven arts with such industry that they held them all in their memory, so that whatever writings they next took up in their hands, or whatever questions were proposed for solution or proof, they did not seek to turn the pages of books to hunt for rules and reasons which might resolve a doubtful matter, but instantly they had it ready in their minds. Indeed in that time there were so many wise men that they wrote more than we are able to read. But our students are either averse to a fitting method of learning or ignorant of it and therefore we find there are many who study but few who are wise. Certainly it seems to me that the student should have no less care to avoid expending effort in useless studies than he should to guard against tepidity in good and useful ones. It is bad to seek the good negligently; it is worse to expend much effort on a vain thing. Hugh of St Victor, Didascalion, Book 3, Chapter 3