Northern star, and Warren and Bristol gazette. [volume] (Warren [R.I.]) 1826-1830, 1826-12-02


!. EDUCATION.
I Mol. ~
+. Conce ption; It's de,fnit,on and impor
r lance.
I CONCEPTION, not orly presents 10 tn
mind distinct notions of ubsemt object,
but also possesses the power OF com
bining those ideas, SO ~ 10 give US dis
tinct notions Of oHjscss ve haze aepel
seen.
The hll Tor ciue) Of white co,tor
th at is now before me, is to me an OBJ
,ject ofPerception. You, perhaps, have
no such object in view ! but no sooner
do | mention it, than You have Cow
cEpTIox of its appearance. Neither oI
Jus, perhaps, never saw ball Of gold
thread Of cqnal size but both OF ms
can conceive Of it and could conceive
it, had we never seen such thiog ss
gold thread in our lives. We are told, /,
that gold is sufficiently ductilc and te-
nac;ous TO be drawn out into the finest
threads and this we can conceive al
though we never saw il done. OF due
tilIity aud tenacity we may have a just
notion from experience, though we may
be unacquainted with the terms by
which these properties are expressed /;
but if we have no such notion, it is not
an acquaintance with the terms that will
lead US 10 conception Of the possibility
Of converting piece Of hard and heavy
metal into. flexible wire or thread.
Hence appears the Importance Of ac-
curing habits Of accurate perception J
since upon the distinctness Of our per-
ceptions the clearness Of our concep-
tions evidently depends. Attention is
equally indispensable 10 both faculties.
From an habitual want Of attention in
examining he objects Of our external
senses, arise erroneous conceptions
hence false associations are formed
tending to mislead the judgment and
pervett the reason.
That mind which can most justly and
accurately reflect the images of It's Tor
mer perceptions, is best prepared for
the exercise of all its higher faculties.
Wisely has it been ordered by nature
that the power of conception should ap-
pear in the mind at so eaIy period, as
10 admit Of its being cultivated TO some
degree of perfection, before the disso'
cial passiuns have any abiding influence
in the heart. The more this faculty
is exercised upon material objects in
early life, the less chanre will these
passions have ofgainipg an ascendency.
The works Of nature and of art, pre-
sent an inexhaustible source Of ideas to
those who are taught to examine them
with attention, and where the attention
is thus directed, the traces Of thought
introduced into the mind will be OF an
opposite nature from those which pro-
duce turbulent emotion.
The manner in which children de-
scribe what they have seen or learned
affords the best criterion that i know
of. whereby to estimate the strength
and vigour Of conception. BY requlr-
;np clear and accurate descriptions. we
do much more to invigorate this faculty'
than by all the set lessons in the worio.
Children, who have never hsen exer'
cised in this way, are at first at a great
loss for expression and il is no small
advantage to the mind to be thus set to
work for words to express the new
ideas il has acquired. A little assistance
NAV al first be not only useful but nec-
essary. But Of assistance in this way
the parent ought never to De lavish
il is one Of the greatest drawbacks up
on the improvement Of the infant fac
ulties, that teachers, TO save themselves
trouble, tell all, and leave the chilsren
10 tell nothing.
Jhay. noticed that the quiclnes. or