The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1849-06-30

falls from their lips is treasured up in their
youthful hearts as though it were revela-
ton from heaven, spoken by an angels
tongue, and they bow down with respect,
aye! even with reverence to their instruc-
tors. But place these young men who
have ust finished their academical or COL
legiate course Of studies, whose minds are
filled with all the riches of classic lore, in
the company of illiterate and unintelligent
men, and what will be the result! there
is no congeniality OF feeling or sentiment
betwiXt them, and if their vanity is not
inaamed from sense of their own supe-
riority in point of intellect, they will at
least assume a tone of pride and arrogance
to which they will in too many instances
adhere through life. Even allowing that
they can at all times associate with their
equals in point of talent and experience,
they will gain little or nothing in the end.
Man is SO constituted that he cannot remain
stationary, he must either advance or ret
rogade. Therefore, the great stability
is, that having no Prototype by which to
grade their actions, they will become
vitiated by too frequent connexion with the
world, and fall even below the common
standard of humanity.
We are perfect aware that our views
are net likely to meet with the approval of
all, but we wish 10 make them as clear as
possible, and in order to do this we will
take mathematical view of the subject
and see what will be the result. Allowing
that it takes boy eight years to gain the
fundamental principles Of education, before
he can enter into the more complicated
labyrinths of science, it will then take him
four more lat least) to finish his education.
AT the expiration Of this time, he stands up
ready to combat zealously for those PET prin-
cipIes which are implanted in his breast,
his lips burn with the imaginary eloquence
of Cicero or a Dcmosthenes, while the
inspired numbers of Horace and Virgil are
rushing with lightning velocity through
his heated brain. He longs for compet-
itor, but alas too soon for him, he finds ga
foeman worthy of his steel" One with
not half his classic attainments (but who
unlike the former instead Of burying him
self for four precious years in a narrow
cell surrounded by a ponderous mass of
books; has been seated at the feet of some
modern Plato, as it were drinking in the
experience of hoary headed age J now
stands before him ready to combat with his
false ideas. The result it takes no Prophetic
Seer 10 fortel. The Utopian notions OF the
student vanish like morning mists before
the blazing arguments of the man of eXpe-
rience, who has had the advantage of COM
panionship with older persons. He sees
his error at glance and happy is he if he
has the resolution to amend it. The re-
suit of our calculation is, that while the
man of experience has only spent the same
amount of time, wiz: eight yearsO as the
student in gathering the fundamental prin-
ciples of education; the latter has spent
four years of precious time, without gain
ing scarcely anything, that will be of util-
ity to him in the ordinary pursuits of eve
ry day life. We do not wish to be con-
sidered an enemy to classic education, on
the contrary we have always held the old
adage
"Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring"
in sacred alteration. But it is fact, which
every day proves more clearly, that COM
partnership with persons of experience will
in great measure supply the deficiency
in this point, while upon the other hand
the most persevering study, unless it be
turned into proper channel by persons
experienced in life, will in the end fail to
produce the desired effect. Scarcely any
work produced by man has been entirely
free from error, and into these errors the
student is more than likely to fall unless
guarded from them by some experienced
hand. D'1sraeli the celebrated novelist,
whose writings have received the merited
appreciation of the literary world, express
es his views upon the subject in very
plain and forcible manner, in the follow
ing passage, taken from s'Vivian Grey"
"DouLtless constant communion with
mind highly refined, severely cultivated,
and much experienced. cannot hut produce
most beneficial impression, upon mind
formed, and upon principles developed
how infinitely greater must the influence
of such communion be upon youthful
heart, ardent, innocent, and inexperienced"
We had intended to have shown the
moral, as we'll as the intellectual benefits,
which older persons would confer upon
inexperienced youth, by granting them the
advantages Of their companionship, to
guard them from the thousand ills peculiar
to that eventful age. But for various rea-
sons we have concluded to close our essay,
Gf indeed these few crude, rambling,
thoughts deserve this dignifcd title at this
point. The subject however is far from
being exhausted and to resume it shall be
our pleasing task whenever circumstances
may permit. AFRO.