Life has obliged him to remember so much useful knowledge that he has lost not only his history, but his whole original cargo of useless knowledge history, languages, literatures, the higher mathematics, or what you will - are all gone.

Summary

This quote suggests that the person being referred to has acquired so much practical and useful knowledge throughout their life that they have lost touch with their original interests and passions. They have traded their idle and seemingly useless knowledge, such as history, languages, literature, and advanced mathematics, for practical knowledge required by life. The quote implies that over time, this person has become solely focused on acquiring practical knowledge, leaving behind their previous intellectual pursuits, but gaining a wealth of useful information in return.

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