The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1842-03-10

tConvulsive laughter, with stamping and cheering
You now have had good hearty laugh out OF that
black, sca'y, mutilated old school desk about the
most unlikely object IN the world fer man to ex'
tract heaving diaphragm laugh out Of Now, tn
only way we can give the children laugh over 1t,
s TO go and improve it; change this stool OF pen
nance and deformity into q seat Of ease and know
ledge. Fer as Cousin faithfully and beautifully
said TO the French Chamber in his report Of the
Prussian School System, " It 10 OF Prussia write,
but OF France think =" can say TO this andi.
enee, it ir for your amusement speak, but Of the
children think. (Applau's.) :.
Still corporal chastisemeut may be, ard is. carried
to an objectionable degree tf severity. 10 show
you the extent that these frequent whip
pings may be carried. / will read an extract IRON
the German Pedagogic Mage zine. " for ls29. We
are told that 'there died lately in Swabis school,
an institution with old fashioned severity. From
an average inferred from ecorded one
Of the ushers calculated, that IN the course OF his
exertions, he had given 9l1.5O0 cauings, l24,OU0
oggings 200 900 cutodes, 1876 900 ,ips with The ru-
ler 200 boxes the ear and ~ 700 tasks to get
by heart. (These, / presume, gentlemen were
fromthe New Testament to increase our love ofthe
book.) It was further calculated, that he had made
700 boys stand on peas, 600 kneel sharp edge
of weod 5000 the fools cap, and l70S hold the
rod"-amounting in all to ,42l ,2OS punishments.
which, allowing five days for every week, would
average above hundred pnnishmsn's every cay.
Of such series of puoishments being connected
with learning; and we may justly infer. that, how
ever much classical learning may have be advan'
ced, very little useful knowledge or moral prin-
cple was communicated in that seminary. Fer,
system Of moral and intellectual instruction, cal
culated to allure the minds of the young is altogether
incompatible with such Gothic Tudeness and severity
Corporal punishments have genera! hardening e.
feet On the minds both Of young and old. black
smith brought up his son, to whom he was very Sc
we're to his own trade One day the old Va!can was
attempting to harden cod chsel but ccu!dnot sue
coed "Horsewhp it. father" exclaimed the
vouth-"if that will not harden it, nothing will"
Hearty laughter. We are told that in the inqui-
sitiop physicians were kept to place the finger ON
ment might proeesd and still leave life. Some Of
our teachers seem to govern with the same cruel
and revolving calculation ! Neither should there
hang in the school room code OF laws The scho-
their conduct by them, without consulting their
own moral sense of right and wrong The moral
discipline of The school is. this way, one OF fear
and calculation each pupil balancing in his mind
stead Of inquring how far il will do to follow his
own inclination, and not do what il wrong. All
government is defective that does not make men
govern themselves, fer any government is PERM
cious in its influence, that does not leave men TO
reflect snd decide upon their own conduct.
Ladies and gentleren, must bring this lecture
to close yet before leave you let me again i'm
perfume you to the one great work of free people
the education of their children. You must give
your money, and your time to the subject-for edu-
cation is like top, the moment you cease whip
ping, it drops You have, in this state, to strike
not only when the iron is hot-you have to make
the iron hot by striking (Applause) Frequent
meetings should be held for the improvement OF the
schools. BY the reciprocal action of men on each
other the heart is enlarged, feelings and opinions
are recruited and the humsn micdi is developed -
1t will be good and pleasant for the citizens thus to
come together for object so dear to you all; to
feel conscious of the equality Of freemen; to rec-
procate the most kindly feelings; to find that you
ment in knowledge, in usefulness. and in piety, OF
the thousands Of children and youth who soon to
take youi Places to forget the distinctions OF party
and of sect; and to invoke the blessing OF the
Almighty upon our deliberations and doings.-
And, in this great matter, let us eviAcc the de-
termination of the old patriot-John Adams-hat
indomitabe hero Of the revoution-and who fear
lessly proclaimed after the battles of Bunkerhll
and Lexington had cut loose the colonies from
the mother country. and when all were wait
ing death on the field, or on the scafold I" Blan-
dishments," said he, to the British General, Scan
not fascinate us, will threats CT he halter int
midate for we are determined whenever, and
wherever we shall be called to make our exit, we
will die frcemen." prolonged applause Those
great hearts Of the sires of the revolution-hew
near them! [Applause1 Truly, great Intellect
is not temporary flame, burning bright, and then
expiring in darkness 1t is spark Of radiant light
with power to kindle the common mass Of human
mind-so that when il finally goes ont in death,
night follows, but the world is left all light all
fire. from the potent fervency Of the great sodl
that left it," Loud applause.