The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1848-04-11
For the DaiLy Crescent.

the University of the State and as few subjects
be more important to the citizens of Louisiana
it becomes us to consider the matter in the spiri
of an enlarged philosophy, entirely free from the
prejudices of party, and sincerely DESTROYS q
arriving at a knowledge of the means by which the
wisdom and virtue of the people may be perma
nently increased.
Fertile as the age has been in plans for the i'm
| provement of individual and social life in no de-
partment has the human intellect been more active
than IN devlsing systems of education, fitted both
for the Common School and the University. Yet.
diverse as have been the schemes proposed for
training the race for its duties and its pleasures
all nave admitted the general principle that the
opJect OF education Is rather that of developing,
strengthening and directing the faculties with
winch nature has endowed us, than that of impart-
ing positive knowledge. filling the mind with a
heap OF dlsIoned facts, making it store house
1or the reception of the exploded theories of past
generations To expand and purify the soul by
the contemplation of virtue to strengthen the mind
for the search after truth, and fill it with the ear
nest determination of resting satisfied with no other
object of pursuit. should be the primary aim of all
educational means. Let it not be supposed that
this need be the basis Of Common School instruc-
the University, the sole thing necessary is to i'm
part certain amount of classical lore or mathe-
NAUTICAL analysis or professional informa on Were
this the whole mission of the University it would
be at best entirely useless if not absolutely nuri-
Gus to the community in whose midst it might exist
We know there many who regard the Com
mon School and the University as being altogether
different in their ends, and antagonstic in the
in0p nl, 81
us they appear as parts of the same great SYSTEM
both founded on the same principles, and both
equally beneficial to the whole mass of the people,
10 be sure they develope in different degrees the
different faculties of human nature but from this
very diversity OF action results their unity of pur-
pose The Common School is more especially ell
gagged In teaching what is considered Immediately
practlcal and in so far the pure intellect is con-
cerned, looks much more to the cultivation of the
perceptive than of the reflective powers This fen
dency OF the Common School to confine its nstruc-
ton to those matters more Immediately necessary
to man III his efforts TO get the means of subsst-
ence, Is the consequence of the system being in
stItuted for the use Of every child in the State as
Well as for the that those facts which most
strongly impress the senses are best adapted for
awakening not only the intellect but also the aec-
tons and the moral powers of children We NAV
say then that the Common School is peculiarly
connected with what are generally called thesma-
teral interests of society. And as man is not single
III his nature-inasmuch as he is a mixture of the |
earthly and the celestial-inasmuch as after he has
satisfied all his animal wants. he seeks after some
thing loftier and purer-in order to develope all
his faculties, the University must be added to and
placed above the Common School. In the one the |
cfilld Is taught to read, write and cipher in the
other the youth is led to look more after the true
and the beautiful The University, while it for
gets not to incucate on the scholar the necessity
OF attending to the material agencies by which we
are surrounded, is also occupied with teaching him
that there Is something more than matter in the
and lnstrucs him in the art Of removing
the Integuments which cover over the ideal, and
hide from all but the eye-inteectual the beauties
and truths of the immateria world But since the
University Is merely continuation of the Common
School, both must be founded on a common princi-
pie; both aim, as we have said. at awakening and |.
neutrality-suspicious. at perfecting-the faculties of
our nature.
1t we are right in saying that the object of Uni
versity education is rather to inspire the student
with an ardent desire to search after truth than to
lntlse into his mind correct opinions on all sub
lects within the scope of University instructon-it
Will be Immediately perceived that it is much more
important for the professors and textwriters to be
thoroughly imbued with the spirit of a pure and
elevated phllosophy-than for them to come up to
l certain standard of orthodoxy, erected by GER
ain sect i'll politics, religion or literature 1t was
aid by Leasing, . Ii God held in his right hand
'ure and absolute truth, and in his left only the
esire to search after truth, would tell him to keen
'ure truth for HIMSELF mortal eyes are too weak
o look on it, and would ask him to give me only
he desire to search after truth So should the
outh speak to the professor, if the latter should
resume to declare his opinions as the only possible
ruth, and denounce all others as absolutely and
false. Let the professor rather tell
he opinions of others and their reasonings as well
S his own; then say to his hearers, 60 | cannot de-
lde tor you, you must inquire and decide for your
elves. Such, we are told, is the course actually
ursled by the Lecturer on Constitutional Law in
ne Law Department of the Louisiana University;
nd now much better it is than if he merely gave :
is own opinions, with the reasons which led him I
} form them, leaving the student under the i'm $
resson that there was other rational way of
the subject, t
AS with the professors, so should it be with the
,x-books. If we must have textbooks on all sub I
cts, entirely free from errors of opinion and doc
Inc, where shall we find them! not assuredly ,
nong the writings of men. Fault has been found
18th the use of Story and Kent; but where can
e find authors who inculcate greater reverence
n the constitution, show themselves more deeply
nsible of the patriotic wisdom of the fathers of {
e Convention Students, however, will never
main satisfied with one-sided view of any sub {
ct; and having learned from their professors !
at independence of thought, which is "a cardinal
rue in the republic of letters, there is no danger
their receiving the words of any man as the
ords of a master. Under the Judgment of the 4
rofessor of Political Economy in our new Uni \
rsity, there is no danger of a students imbibing Y
gh tariff notons-even if Mr.. Peters Essays on
lrrency and Commerce should be taken as a
t-hoOk