Comment on this sentence spoken by Foreman in W. Somerset Maugham's "The Verger":"The last vicar knew that, sir," he replied. "He said it...

W. Somerset Maugham's story "The Verger" is set in a small
church in which there has recently been a change in vicars.  (Vicars were the local
priests of a parish who performed most tasks of the church but did not receive the
tithes and were therefore not the "official" representatives of the church.  They were
the equivalent of a local pastor who represents a larger denomination.)  The old vicar
had been there for years, and Albert Edward Foreman had gotten along splendidly with him
without any complaints about his abilities.  Foreman was the verger for this vicarage;
he performed all the physical and menial duties of the church.  He wore an official robe
and had been performing his duty faithfully and with pride for the past sixteen
years. He loved his job.

The new vicar came to Foreman one
day in a state of amazement, shocked to learn, he said, that the verger of his parish
could neither read nor write. He was embarrassed by this fact and had felt compelled to
share that with the churchwardens (it was his duty, he said).  The line you mention is
Foreman's response:

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"The last vicar knew that, sir," he replied. "He
said it didn't make no difference. He always said there was a great deal too much
education in the world for 'is
taste."

This calm and
complacent answer did not suit the new vicar, and he informed the verger he was fired. 
The verger didn't know what to do with himself, so he saw a need and filled it.  There
was no tobacconist in his neighborhood, so he opened one.  The business did well, and
Foreman's banker was astonished at how successful the verger had been--and all without
being able to read or write.  At heart, of course, all Foreman wanted was to once again
be verger of the church.

The point of the story, of course,
is that being able to read and write may be a good thing, but it's certainly not the
only thing by which to measure either worth or success. This sentence is Foreman's way
of saying he was perfectly capable of fulfilling his duties despite his inability to
read and write. "Education" does not guarantee success, nor does the lack of an
education preclude it.