The Sun.
London, England, 1839-05-16 00:00:00

SUN, LONDON,. THURSDAY, 'MAY 16. 1839.

MR. S IMPSON'S LECTURE O
NATIONAL EDUCATION AT WILLIS'S
ROOMS.

On Tuesday Mr. Simpson delivered his third lecture on the i
above subject. In consequence of the not-e occasioned by
the constant rattling of carriaees past the Lecture- room,
which was on the ground floor, the Lecturer was fre-
quently inaudible. He said the first organ on which he i
should treat was the organ of self esteem. The excess of i
this organ constituted vanity. The existence of it was a I
proof that man was intended to live in society,
this faculty was frequently appealed to by those who had
the management of public subscriptions, as many persons
gave frequently more from a desire that their names
should appear in the subscriiption list than from charity.
Fashion was a direct consequence of the development of
this faculty, and it would require education for generations
to come to regulate this faculty before brotherly love and
sound morality:would be established among the commu-
nity. Ili insanity this faculty blazed out in its greatest
excess. The next faculty that came under the con
sideratiou of the Lecturer was the faculty of comba-
tiveness—the fighting faculty; this faculty was necessary
for the preservation of the species, and its use was to ena-
ble mankind to repel dangers; it was much abused,
and was the source of great educational mischief;
it was the faculty which gave rise to constant
contradiction, and in consequence of defective edu-
cation it grew up with the individual. It was ma-
naged, as it was termed in the nursery, by mentioning
the contrary of what was intend, d. This was a greet
abuse. The Lectur r then relat. dan anecdote of Dumbis-
dikes i nd his pony. and va, ions other an cdoies in illusiri
ion of the aetien of this faculty. It was enc.ruraged i .
classes and schools, and produced that love of war who
was the abuse of this faculty. Thu persons afitcted esith in
sanity, in whom this faculty is affected, are vi,ient and nose
but not cruel, in d frequently requee restraint. Th. faeult:
,if destructiveness was the next to which he would ativei i
U,fiSii wan had been eodowed v. ith this ianulty the pre_
ending faculty would have been useiess. M:ii was a ca.;
nivorous animal as was proved by the formation of hi. ate,
mach and his teeth, and this amounted to a commend fro.
his Creator, that he was to kill food. Anger was the ex .
citement of this faculty, which incited men to repel ag ,
gression. It was implanted in man for the purpose of re
polling aggressioq,
.and it wae;the duty of Christianity and
of education to place it . under restraint. It wa
this faculty in excess which occasioned persons to de
light in tales of horror and murder, and in acts o'
cruelty. It was in vain to attempt legislating against act,
of cruelty, they could only be put down by education; and
it was astonishing what education bad accomplished for this
purpose, in the Model School of Edinburgh. In conse
quenee of this faculty,, the sportsman and the angler took
delight in the sports of the field, and the masses of the
people were delighted by destroying inanimate things
or as. they denominated it, smashing. The effect of drueken
ness in increasing the action of destructivenessewes very
conspicuous, in the instance of quarrelsome drunkards.
This faculty was not .properly educated in schools, when
boys were flogged, and ultimately came into the world
with the idea that the only way of governing society was tti,)
violence ; happily a new :nethodef governing by benevolence
was now succeeding ;' but while the butcher. was paid to kill
and the police to fight, it was not the fault of the masses i
they indulged in violence. It was the fault of a defective
education. Education would in the course of time do away
wilh this. Ii was like the grain of mustard seed, which
would ultimately become a wide-spreading tree. The next
organ to which he would advert was the organ of
secretiveness, which gave the power of controlline
the thoughts. If in society every thought were utter,
society . would be • uninhabitable. , This faculty in
excess became reserve, and required that the educator
should address himself to , it, and take care that it
did not go beyond its proper extent. The abuse
of this faculty became cunning, and formed pick.
pockets, swindlers, and -fraudulent persons. In for-
mer times this faculty was conspicuous in diplomacy,
insomuch that Sir H. Wooten' advised a young ambassador
to . tell the truth, as the_ most 'effectual method of
counteracting his opponents, inasmuch, as in that
case, .'he would not be believed. Louis . XI., as
drawn by Walter Scott, in Quentin Durward, was
the very impersonation .of this faculty. Persons in-
sane, as regarded this faculty, were generally' dangerous,
because they always concealed their purposes. The organs
of constructiveness and of imitation he would pass over,
merely observing that the latter faculty *as worthy of
the utmost,. . attention 'of. those,„ engaged ,in education,
and would proceed to the faculty •of caution. Corn.
bativeness and destructiveness were given tee man torepel
injuries. This organ was'given him to enable hiin to avoid
those dangers which he'could not repel : the excess of this
faculty occasioned panic. It was moron; to tamper with
this faculty, as was too frequently done in nurseries, by
' tales of ghosts and goblins, with a view of ruling the
children committed to their care; all this was
much- better managed .in infant schools. The ex-
cess of this faculty was exhibited in the hypochondriac, the
self- vrorryer, the man who, according to the common ex
le ession, was never happy but when he was miserable.
Cowper, the poet, was an instance of the faculty in excess
The insane on this point constituted the most unhappy pa
dents of lunatic asylums. These were all faculties which ma:
pos•essed in common with the inferior animals; and he nov
came to those faculties which were peculiar to man. The
first of them to --which he alluded was benevolence, whits!
seemed to be a direct imparting from the Creator of one
of his (win highest attributes.to ...man. The mere comps '
sion of impulse did not constitute this faculty, but the
active positive wish to . confer delight' stud enjoyment
This faculty sees the foundation of , all pure friendship
' It was the expression which it imparted to the countenance
which constituted the sweetness of beauty, which Milton
had so admirably designated as " the human face divine
He did not imagine the blind could have any conception
of the beauty of this expression; and Milton, in the pas
sage to which be bad alluded, had expressed his regret al
being deprived of this perception. At the conclusion of
the lecture, Dr. Costello and Mr. Merle urged those pre-
sent to exert themselves to' procure, kfull attendance on
these lectures, as
.most important to the future well-being
of society. ....

SHAWS WATER COTTON MILL.

Those who have lately witnessed the progress of the
extensive premises in course of erection -on two of the
Shaws Water- Company's falls, by the highly respect-
able and enterprising. Shaws Water Cotton Spinning
Company, must have beemsfelighted to see Abe Activit,
which pervades each department of the works.
Already, and for some time back, one of the falls has
been made serviceable for, raising the great quantity of
rock required to be excavated for the reception of the
immense iron wheel which is to • give motion
to the extensive machinery. Temporary rail-
roads. are -constructed to expedite the operations, and
indeed, the general bustle and well-directed efforts
of the spirited contractors bid fair for the top stone
being speedily laid. The mill,when finished,will present to
the eye an ashler dressed stone building of four stories in
height, and 370 feet in length, by 160 feet in breadth,
lighted by no less than 200 .windows, , supported inter-
nally by upwards of 160,iron pillars, besides many cast
metal beams, each weighing upwards,of a ton, for the
arches of the fire-proof compartments. The masonry
seems everything that could be desired, and the heavy
beams and closely uniting joisting, with their accom-
partying massy iron supporting pillars, gives an assurance
of general stability to.the whole, and has already called
inrth the admiration of intelligent strangers. Greenock
has long been famed for its 'shipping. The depth of
water its : harbour affords, the shelter it, all times
furnishes, and ''•the , abundant facilities - which it
possesses for loading or discharging the 'vessels
resorting 'to it, must 'ever secure for it a high
place among the ports of this country ; and as it now
will be able to add to these important advantages, the
great additional recommendation of manufacturing in-
dustry, we cannot easily plaCe limits to its improvement
and proTerity, and doubt not that both will keep pace
with the advancement and prosperity of the empire.
Whether, therefore, we retard the occupancy of these
falls, which, joined, will be brought by a breast fill of
68 feet, to bear on the machinery to be fitted up, as
adding another to the many ex sting exemplifications il-
lustrative of the enormous power which man already
possesses over the material world, or view it in connec-
tion with our rapidly progressing and important lm.? of
railway, we cannot but hail it, progress pith teding, of
deep satisfaction ; and off,r our sine,re con4ratula-
-110,,s on tho pleasirig prnsprct of our town being, Cr.
long, benefiti.d by such establishments, the want of
which has been long felt by this great trading' comniu
pity.—Greenock Advertiser.

The Zoological Society's gatdens have sus-
tained soother lo3s in the. death of the Inal
which was added to the collection about six weeks since.