avirah
I actually was quoting the chayai adom except you left out a word that I included, “vilna”
The idea that the masses were learned ignores the numerous gemoros referring to the differences between the minority chaverim and masses (am haretzim)
It also ignores the testimony of almost every discussion on this topic found in biographies of the time
Rav Miller who learned in slabodka talked about this all the time
