The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1846-03-14

cultivation ofmind and NOR al principle
Prosperity, so called, without these, is like SUI
perstructurc built up without foundation,
whose fall and destruction are all the moro
certain, as it is grand and imposing.
"Oer weening statesmen have full long relied
On fleets and armies, and external wealth.
But from tcithin proceeds nations health.
"What constitutes a Statei
Not high raised bOttlements,-
But MEN hgh-mindcd MEN--
Men who their duties know, aud know their
rights,
And knowing, dare maintain"
But we may be told here that the instrucs
ton given in our primary schools has no such
wonderous virtue to iortiiy the individual
gainst the dangers ofprosperity, or to furnish
him with the only true necessary conditions
Of happiness within himself And we grant
there is truth in the remark; but we must dis.
tinguish between Education, properly 80 call
ed, and instruction, or the communicating Of
knowledge, and remember at the sGUe time,
the lamentnble truth, that in many uf our
schools, there is very little of eithcr. Good
instruction, or teaching, is u means aud a
necessary means 10 the end We Should
have in vicw,which, is thorough and universal
education. Many ofthe radical defects
now existing in our schools, are doubtless
owing TO n want of right apprehension of tho
real end at which our schoolsslIould aim.
Perhaps we cannot better occupy the Time
allotted for our remarks, than in considering
Isl. Tho end TO be accomplished by cur
schools. ..
ID. Some ofihc benefits to be reulzcd
from sound cducation; and
3d. Whether the means in use gro adapt
cd TO secure the end.
LIST. The End. itwould scom TO he an
obvious dictate of reason aud common sense,
that in undertaking thc accomplishment Of
any object, the very first step. would re 1o
get n clear and distinct apprehension of the
thing 10 be done, and then iutellgcRtly shape
means to the end. But in regard 10 our
common schools, it is 10 he feared the case
has been otherwise; that there have been
vague and indisti,i1;, and very limited, ifnot
entirely erroneous views in regard TO the real
end TO be sought. Aud ifthis be so, il would
almost necessarily iolIOwthat entirely wrong,
or at best, il-adapich means would lie
employed 10 secure it. Without a dist net Gp-
prchcnsion Of the end, there can he 10 wise
forecast, or intelligent course marked OFT to
secure il.
a very common mistake is that which has
regarded the acquisition of kno,Ccdgc, or the
learning OF, facts as the great end of educn-
ton. As ifthc mind wore riTv-rc UuPncitg, III
empty receiver, and the work of education
were TO gather in from without and fill up,
and to lie thoroughly cducated,thc mind must
he thoroughly stored, filed with facts drawn
from without. Now such person may be
very useful and convenient, for thc same rCC-
son that Dictionary is,-to rcfcr to-Iut lie
is not educated. The process of acquiring
tins knowledge may have contributed IN
small degree tothe work ofeducaton; but it
may be carried on till the individual becomes
a walking dictionary, or talking cncyclore-
dia, and still be very far from being educated.
He may tell the date and place of all the re-
markable events that have ever occurrCd--,hc
may describe the relative condition aald stu
alton ofall the countries on the face of the
earth-thc customs of different nations and
population of citics, or the name AID dimen-
sions and distances ofall the planets, and yet
be unable 10 graphic in his own strength,with
a difficult question, or bring the powers of his
own mind TO bear continuously and success
fully on any given point. He may he un r.
bic to exercise that sound Judgment which is
the result ola well trained and well balanced
mind; he may be unable to carry out, or 10
follOIc, logical argument, to reason correct
ly, to make right deductions from given data,
10 draw Legitimate differences from premises,
and arrive at correct conclusion. His ideas
ithe have any, may he habitually confused,
and his mental perception indistinCt He
may have learned thousand things, conf
mitted facts without number to a retentivc
inqting mind, which can separate truth from
error, see the bearings ola proposition, dis
tinguish between sound and sense, great irordS-
! aud thoughts even though the great words arc
nlarshalled together in astonishing array and
delivered over with pomp ofnoisy BREATH
That discerning mind which can distinguish
sound argument from sophistIy, and which
will secure the individual from being mEos-
ed upon by the semblance oftruth and sin
cerity without the reaity--this desirable re-.
suit is the work of education,i i'm its true sense.
The individual may acquire all the knowl-
edge of things, which is possible for man to
store away in his mind, and yet all his knowl-
edge may be iunbled in its storchouse, ~
crude mass ofdissevered fragments, without
any pIinciple of unity, and the mind, so far as
education is concerned, neglected and bar
rem waste, imperative and unprodurtive.
Another error which has been common,
but which we hope is passing away, is that
any thing studied, which cannot be practi-
cally applied in future life, is all lost and use
less; and the question has often been asked in
regard TO some ofthe most inUigoraiing stud
| ies-"What use will they be-" And unless
an obvious connection could be traced be-
| tween them and the transaction of business,
or the making of money, they have been re-
garded as useless, and the time devoted to-
them as lost While we believe that in the
work of education, the probable destination
oftbe scholar should to some extent he l.ept
in view we should not forget that the ground
of mans culture is TO be found in his nature
! and not his calling. He is to be educaeeR
not to make shoes, or nails, or tilt the ground,
or practice law or medicine merely, bat to BE-
q man, and because he is man, and pesscssetH
of nature which is susceptible OF education.
and dpT1antsit MINI iS n town, ,,fl; rbo. -.