The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1845-04-03
BRANDON, Thursday April 3, 1915

remained merged in The forgotten past
But 10 this great volume man may read
the history of natural revolutions, that
have changed, not only an entire CONT
nent, but a world. He may then read the
history Of events, that occurred before man
had learned TO record them: and had he
no other source of information he might
then learn the order Of creation with as
much certainty and correctness, as he
now learns it from the word of God.
The student of nature learns to prefer
intellectual labor TO sensual qualification
and dissipation He has no time for
amusement while pleasures so far supe>
rior are at his command, and invite him
TO enjoyment. He can know no solitude,
for brooks and rivers, valleys and hills,
rocks and MOUNTAINS are vocal with in>
instruction, His happiness is not depend.
ent on circumstance or place, for while
communing with the invisible spirit which
pervades the whole creation he can know
no misery, Nature herself is always pres.
ent, and though all others forsake him,
she will be his friend and companion.-
Conclusions based on scientific nves!iga.
ton are never predetermined. Truth char
acterzes them all. The mind OF the stu.
dent of nature becomes stored with facts.
True ne may enter the field Of specua.
ton, and draw deductions not warranted
by facts but it is his privilege to test all
his conclusions by actual experiment, and
arrive at results the correctness of which
canno! be doubted. Nature is never false.
Her revolutions follow each other with an
order and regularity, that sufficiently pro.
claims the wisdom ard power of the hand
that guides her complicated machinery
Her laws are as changeless as the pur>
poses of the O,nni potent and the one who
studies them need never be lost in the re-
gions of speculation and uncertainty.
In the contemplation of the laws OF ma.
ture the noblest energies Of man may fad
ample employment. A field is opened
before him, bounded only by his own finite
powers. But the most distant object of
investigation is perfect y within his reach
the most exalted subject within his com.
prehension. While the principles of sci,
ence afford ample employment for the
mightiest intellect, they are so simple that
the child can comprehend them all. Long
before his mental powers are sufficiently
developed to grapple with The metaphysic.
al distractions Of many of the writers on
mora and mental subjects, he is able TO
understand all the general laws of science.
Long before he could master an abstruse
mathematical proposition, or even apply
the more special rules of grammar under
siandngly, he might become an astrono
mer OF no mean ability Long before the
youth learns to love the dull routine he is
obliged to pursue, he would learn to nd
nire nature, and find his greatest pleasure
in the investigation of her laws.
Our common schools are, rs we believe,
the proper places for the commencement
Of a scientific education. 1t is true thew
DO not now, and probably would not for
some lime to come, afford all the facilities
afforded by some of our academies bu: in
process Of time these would be Created
A SIR all expenditure of money would pros
cure all the necessary apparatus; and
when once procured, each district would
be in possession Of an invaluable treasure.
But most OF the branches might be taught
with no extra expense except for books.
Nature herself would a ford ample dem
onSlraton and she would never withhold
instruction. The youthful philosopher
would find all the principles of his science ,
exenplGed in phenomena which had new
er before attracted his attention. The te-
nacity with which the particles Of his
marble adhere 10 each other would remind
him of the attraction of cohesion-the Al- |
Iing apple OF gravitation, and The motion
described by his ball, when thrown into
The air, of the two forces which keep the !
earth in her orb, around the sun. After
having learned the revolutions OF the plan
els around their respective suns, what more