The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1846-03-21
AN ADDR ESS,

Meeting Qfthe Caledonia County School .4ssocl'
alton, holden al St.JOhnSbluB FEB. 7h, 1896
Published al request Qfthe ASsoc,dt,oH.]
Continued from last Week. l..
But to have education really and necessai1ya
blessing to the individual, or 10 the commu-
nifty it should be thorough and complete. BY
this we do not mean that every individual
should go to the college oracademy, or that
his education should necessarily be carried to
the utmost extent. But as far MS IL goes, it
should be thorough, aud it should be entire.
That is, il should not be partial or limited to
part only of the powers of the mind, Ed
ucation of some sort, then will be of necessity,
school or no school. All the influences from
without, oftphateUer name, which are brought
to bear upon the individual, help to educate.
But ifhe be negligent, IL no right means en-
ployed, his lowest propensities, those which
assimiate him most nearly to the brute anu
NAL, will be educated and strengthened till
they give preponderence to his character, and
triumph over his noble nature. Such spcci.
mems of humanity are not wanting even in
our own land OF boasted intelligence. Buff
the individual be not left thus uncared1or, his
education may be so conducted even in the
schools. & we fear often is so as TO give undue
strength and prominence to some faculties,
to the neglect ofothers, so as to make a dis
toried thing instead of that symmetrical, well
balanced mind its author designed. Or tho
intellectual may be exclusively cultivated to
the neglect of the moral nature; and thusa
character will be built up more hideous, and
far more to be dreaded than either we have
named. Let the individual p ossess perfect
physical and mental faculties and these 10
trained and disciplined to the highest degree,
if his moral faculties be neglected he will be-
possessed of mightier powers only to make
himself more miserable, and be greater
scourge and curse TO community. He will
thus verify the declaration of the wise man,
he that ncreaselh knotcledge increaseth sor-
row." sorrow for himself and sorrow for the
community in which he lives. in the history
of our world, characters like this have been far
too common. Intellectual greatness has been
idolized and moral excellence greatly under
rated, and it has been owing TO this fact
doubtless that so many heroes have been pro-
duced after the pattern ola Caesar, Alexan-
der or Napoleon, and so very few after that of
our own Washington. If II be true that mans
highest good is To be found in hdymoniz'ng, cul-
tivathg and bringing into action together oil
tho powers his nature, tits plain that his
happiness here must be determined and meas
uucd in a great degree by his education. r
In order to understand what education should
be, it is necessary TO know what man is, and
what he is designed 10 be. To adapt means
intelligently 10 the end, we must understand
the nature ofthe material to be operated upon,
the laws of mind and what there is then poe
tentially, 10 be drawn out and strengthened in
the work of education. And the means should
be so shaped as to net Systematically and IA
due proportion upon all the latent powers and
stisceptibilities which belong TO mind, so up
piled as not to defeat, or conflict with, natures
laws, but cooperate with them, so as TO realize
the end ofndt,re, the end TO which those laws
themselves Intellectually tend, The endindicdted
in the constitution ofman's nature, the noble
end his Maker had in view in forming him
man. ... ...
The laws of the vegetable develope them
selves fully and realize their own end in the
production of the perfect plant so of the ir-
rational animal: natures laws are realized,
their end attained. But III man their end is
defeated by his own perversity. The work
of education should come TO their aid, aid
draw out what is latent, and aim by all means
TO make thinking, intelligent men; self reflect
ing, self relying men; strong minded, far see
ing men; self sacrificing, truth loving, benev-
client men: free from the shackles of igne-
rance, prejudice and superstition, men pre-
pared to assume the solemn responsibilities of
life, TO act their part i'll the body polite TO sus-
tain the social relations life, TO be good men
and good citizens. ......-
Such is the work of education, and this the
high and holy end we should keep in view.
The work should be lt,iUersn & thorough, and
limited in extent onlyby the necessary con-
ditons ofthe subjects oft. ..,... NJ -..
1t is great and blessed work, at the same
time difficult s. arduous, demanding grett
wisdom and skill in those who conduct it.
Though we cannot hope to see this end fully
realized, at least in our day, such should be
the high aim ofour school system, and nothing
should satisfy its grand designs, short ofbring-
ing upon the stage the entire population of
our state, generation of rightly educated
men and women, the worthy defendants Of
our honored ancestry, and prepared to hand
down to succeeding ages the legacy they left
us. ,mirnparied, and with that full knowledge
of its value which will constitute its defence
and security. M, ,.ntaI
II. After having thus spoken of the end of
education, it may seem almost degrading 10
our theme to speak, as we proposed in tho
second place, of some the benefits ofedu-
cation to community. f....,;4, a,Ifpi 81.
LIST. 1t developes the resources of people.
Could it be known that mine rich in miner
al wealth was spread out, deep below the sur
face ofour land, all would regard it an impor-
tant undertaking to develope our resources
and make available our hidden treasure. But
beneath the unpromsing exterior ofthe chil-
dren covered with dirt and rags in onr BY
ways and back settlements, there are mines
yet UNEMPLOYED, in their products richer than
those of silver g. which it is now the interest
ofcommunity to draw out and make available.
The more mental activity, and skill and cul- +,
tivated talent are rightly applied in any COM .
muhity, the better for its prosperity. agE
There lies buried in the minds ofthe chill
dren of our state a suppressed power for UNI
measured good or evil, according TO the d.
rection we shall give it, and its course will be- !,
determined in great measure by the char =,
acter of our schools. 1t may be neglected