The native American. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1840, 1839-03-09

(Cont;aaed fr,na the Al rcce cffhis paper.)

position, and of intellectual acumen; but often
remarked at the time, that ihcle was not one line
AL my books put together dedrcatedto l'.c deaciP
ton or explanation, OF any thing that had e'theF
heard, or seen, or felt, IN MY daily HE. AZ nome
nobody repeated Shakspe:e, nor rccited Chat-
. tau,'s specches; and even ?. Anaracles and theE
Lion" were not heard Of cxcap. in The nursery.
The world of the school was different from the
world OF life as il It had related ~ heiaGs.in ano
Their planet. A the same time s.el al Unsuitable
curiosity to obtain more ample information con-
corning things which were spoken about at home,
aad which saw and handled bat could find none
This circumstance made dee? imprc ssion on m
at the timc and haze never ceased - rcgari'lta,
important. It'e2iholies pr!nci;le Instructive !,
all who are engaged in the work cf etrsa!lon. 4
shows thai there was. and }c~., in To- H"'av IL
stances, there sill is, a huge gull >Sln, he
t;@4t, the infant mind and its y ohJ'nin1,
real and profitable instruction. ltis the ".H@1t
This Society TO fiji up this void VIZ u>"'; kAow,
ledge. After became aclaalnt2@ ''.'i ne pm
loSophy with which my name is, - generally
connected, saw the cause Of This barren wider
ness in education. The Creator h.: constituted
the external world in admirable adaptation, to
the human faculties, but natural science and ac-
curate knowledge of things that exist and of their
influences on human happiness, had not yet raae!'.
e.. our schools. It now appears TO ne that the
when contemplated in their primitive forms ~ sa-
peror minds are simple, and that they constitute
the native food of intellect. ilcin 'e IL these
sciences, the knowledge Of mans physical, moral
and intellectual nature and the re|4tans sioslst|
iae between them and e;Steraa! obiccts and saea,s
Oaeunspeakablc advantage Of communicating in
strucon in these truths to YOUTH Is that It furnish
them with solid basis 81 which to found their
judgments. Under the Oh sySt2ia, all vas con
and in the whole phases of human life, ,aiy map.
pcable intricacy and inscrutable revolutions could
be detected. The causes q good and evil did not
appear and the consequences ot actions were
scarcely traceable. A people whose elucatio,l
leaves them in such condition, must to great
extent be exposed to the seduction of passions,
of imperfect views of their own interests and even
to the decisions of an excited Imagination, lead
ing them into wild speculations and imprac,icable
adventures. An education In natural truth stea-
dies the whole mind, and places passion, imag-
nation, and ambition under the guidance ofreason.
America needs an education of this kiad because
she has no controlling prinoiple ia her Institutions
except the morality and intelligence Of The major
ity of the people.
This Society, in framing books for schools, vii!
do well to ask themselves as each volume is pre-
sented "What does this book teach the people
to do II is good to k2ou but i is better still to
to- The history Of the past is not a gaie to the
future, in the present state of civilized society We
are in state OF transition and it is of greater IN
portance TO furnish sound, practical principles for
the future, than to load the memory with minute
knowledge of the past The pages Of history a;e |
useful chiefly as charts, indicating the shoals, oa
which human happiness has been shpwrecked.E
Wemust chalk out new and better lines for our
future movements. Its extremely difficult to
frame books embodying scientific principles, and
applying them to practical purposes; but this OBJ
ject must be accomplished, before truly valuable
school books shall be realized.
The plan Of having library in every school is
admirable, and should not fall short of the Full
range of literature and science. u. t..."
| conclude by adding one other practical re-
mark. When was il Berlin, in June, 1887,
member of the Council OF ttc Minister of Public
Instruction, for Prussia, told that in one par
,icuar, the Prussan system Of education appeared
TO him to be detective: in the lower schools, the
girls and boys are educated alike: in the hi 5he.
schools, those which are attended chiefly BY the
children of the middle classes, the boys are highly
instructed in the elements OF science, aftl the
principles of the arts bat the gils a.e neglected.
The consequence has been, that generation of
young men has grown up who do not fai the fe-
males Of their own rank, possessed Il intelligence
sufficient to render them objects of permanent re-
spect, and domestic felicity has suffered, and isl
suffering perceptible diminution from this cause.
Whatever you do in edueaton-pra;eT*e the wo-
men on footing Of equality with the men. The
influence Of the mother, the young mind, is
far greater than that even of the father TIE father
is engaged in arduous tolls TO provide for the sub
sistence Of his family, and he may often have little
leisure, to communicate instruction. But the
mother is the guardian, the constant companion
and the most efficient instructor Of the young
Bat to enable her to answer the cea;elc3s inqu. 7
ries of the child for information you mast provide
her with knowledge herself To be aos to rea.
her offspring with success, she should be in
structed in their physical and mental constitutions,
and on the influence of external agencies upon
them. America boasts Of her clivalrous atten-
lions TO women. Let her not neglect their eiuca-
ton. .....,..
j apologize for these hatty observations, and beg
that they maybe accepted as a testimony Of the
interest which feel IN the cause, and not as pre-
sened to this enlightened al lier2e as matter of
novelty or Instruction
Mr.. KEY rose aud said, lie would not tresp,ss
upon the audience By secon,.inr the resolution