Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1836-09-28
rDUcAT1oN
Report on Manual Labor in Literary
w. Institutions.

This is pamphlet Of 12o pages octaVo'
L;nalv furnished rs by Beriah Green, Pres
;dent d. the Oneida Manual Labor Institute:
r. a rare document, being production OF
Tbeodore.D. Weld, at the close ola years
service as General Agent Of "The Society
= for promoting Manual Labor in Literary In
sti,u,ious.n During the year this laborious
individual travelled 4,575 miies-gaye 236
nublic addresses-wrote 2S2 letters of bust
ness for the Society, and was laid aside.
from his agency two weeks by adverse prov
idenee. This performance in connection
with his wonderful escape from death in the
Alum River, an account of which was given
in the public papers at the time, is the best
Recommendation of the system,of education
under which he has been trained and which
he was then laboring to promote. A con-
stitution less Injured to hardship would have
sunk under the task. There can be no ra-
tional doubt that much Of the physical and
mental vigor Of Theodore d. Weld Is. owing
b., in a great measure to the manner in which
he,has educated himself, requiringthe body
TO labor as well as the mind. We propose
10 give, from time to time, such extracts
from this Report as we esteem valuable, be-
ing confident that they-will be read with in
terest and profit.
"Godhas revealed his will 10 man upon
the subject Of education and has furnish
edevery human being with copy Of the
revelation. It is writtenin the language
of nature and can be understood without a
commentary. This revelation consists IN
the universal Of those infiu-
ences which body and mind exert upon
each other--mfuences innumerable, In
cessaut and all controlling ! the body con-
tinualIy modifying he state of the mind.
and the mind ever vary ing the condition
of the body Phese two make up the
compound which we call man, not the
body alone, not the mind alone, but both
conioined in one by mutual laws. These
4p,uSaaL laos form the only rational basis
for a sVstem of education. A system
based upon any thing else is wrong In its
first principles; its combinations are in
congruities, its tenderness are Pervsrsions,
and its result, ruin. True, the body has
No xalpA .iairiusically. hut its. connexion
with the mind gives q infinite worth
Every man who has marked the recipro-
cal action Of body and mind surely need
not be told that mental and physical train
ing should 90 together. 2.
q Even the slightest change in the condl-
ton of the body often produces an effect
upon the mind so sudden and universal, as
10 seem miraculous. The body Is the
rmind'S palace; but darken its windows,
and it's prison. Itisthe minds lnstru-
ment; sharpened. itcuts keenly blunted
il can only bruise and disfgure 1t is the
minds reflector if bright, it flashes day;
IL dull, it difTuses twilight. 1t is the
minds servant; If robust. it moves with
swift pace upon its errands; if cripple,
it hobbies on cruthes. We attach infinite
value to the mind, and Justly but in this
world II is good for nothing without the
body. Can man think withoutthe brain
CaRhe feel without nerves2 Can he move
without muscles? Ifnot, let him look
well 70 the condition of his brain. The
ancients We're right in the supposition that
an unsound boly is incompatible with a
sound mind. FIJI
Climate, by its influence upon the body,
produces endless diyersities Of miud.-
Compare the timid, indoIent, vivacious,
and irritable inha6itant of the line with
the phlegmatic and stupid Greenlander.
Every man knows how the state of his
mind Is modified by the different periods
OF the day, changes In the weather and
the seasons He who attempts mental
effort during fit Of Indigestion will
cease to wonder that Plato located the
soul in the stomach. A few drops of wa
ter upon the face, or a feather burnt, I'M
der the nostril Of one in swoon, awak.
ems the mind from It's deep sleep of un-
consciousness. A slight impression
made upon a nerve often breaks the chain
Of thought, and the mind tossos in tumuh
Lsta peculiar vibration qniver upon the
nerve Of hearing, and a tide Of wild emo
ton PUSHES over the soul.
... "By turns they eel the glowing mind
Disturbed. delighted, raised. refined"
Strike up the MarseiIlais in the streets
Of Paris and you hsh the popuIace into IN.
~, Sing the RANK des Vacbcs 70 the
Swiss soldiery. aud they gush into ,oars
The man who can think Nith pnnts n
his eye. az reason while the nerve of 8
tooth is twinging. or when his s;omlch is
Daus.aicd, or when his lungs are Cypress
dan1 laboriag he who can give wing
to his imaginltiou when shivering with
cold, or fdip;ing with heat, or worn down
with toll, can claim exemption from the
common lot of humanity. Ia different
periods OF life, the mind WAKES and wanes
with the body; in youth, cheerful, full Of
daring. quick TO see. and keen to feel in