The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-12-01
THE LECTURE SEASON.


miss Baconr Historical Observation-Disclosures
Lecture.
Last evening Miss Bacon delivered the Introductory
lesson Of her Of historical instruction 1t the
stuyvseant Institute Th6ttendance was good though
the was by ne means crowded There was not the
slightest accommodation for the reporters who had to
write upon their inees Miss Bacon is lady Of elegant
appearance, and decidedly pretty. She black
velvet dress which set of her figure to advantage Her
manner is quiet and gentle Her tone Of voice Is
steal earnest, and sympathetic, and her enunciation
slow, distinct, and measured helecture extempor
sneous and during its delivery she occupied
a obair. She began by esying she did not come
there advocate Of what were called woman's
rights snd she then lay down and illustrate
the proposition that htory is great whole contested
in all its parts The first coenton has In II ideas that
embrace all things and how vas. must that mssn'nery
in motion every time he thinks acts Men abstract
and fol- abstract ideas The philosopher dspises the
concrete But cannot escape from our two fold
ture and the human mind cannot be impeed to action
by sbsu actions There never yet was the stole phioso
pber that could bear the toothache: distractions
viii not do. What then is 1t that will answer fully
the nature Of men Our life our own
marrow sphere cannot do this. We constituted
mpyahe worlds history and the lives Of Others we'll
own, and TO know Ourselves We must go back to
the ages of past merely that we are intel
lectusy constituted history 1t not this that
gives courage Our hearts large minds;
and If it were only intellect that fitted us for the study
could dispense with at pleasure Why isit that
excessive feeling is continually lavshed upon tries!
This is proof Of the infinite of mems nature, which
belongs TO the whole and which would be given to the
whole but from want Of knowledge The vaousexcite
mens witness day many evidt Of this
things that belongs the whole Our religious
nature requires this study The central fact OF
eon the central fact in history The poorest religion
is better than the best philosophy. applause His
tory is essentia-the history Of humanityto the deve-
lopement of own individual nature. For cannot
exercise reason fullywe cannot be truly rational
vii bout seeing the Of the things around 1--WE
cannot understand the present without the past As
veil might we judge of a great historical picture
out up into little pieces. or Of the scope and plot
Of play by coming in at the last scene,
past. We do not in fact, know anything-we cannot
know hearts without the knowledge of history.
There work Of srt has more Of unity In it than will
history when it Is complete There is tragedy OF
Sophoces In which the all related to the whole
than in the history Of the world In this prelimi-
nary statement wish also to say that history is not
only essential but possible To those who approach 1t
alone and without any other means than books it NAV
appear Formidable II il is so dificuit to remember the
events Of lives what ball do with the events 1000
years Let me however present TO you the limitations
fact does net extend six thousand years. (Here
Miss Bacon pointed TO cuousy constructed chart of
history suspended upon the wall which exhibited the
different eras the of the various countries
which the subject of bistory She then went to
say that the literature of the past would be found in
and 1t the prominent events Of the world
and not all the minute details, that were necessary
The memory would be assisted by dividing the Fix thou
sand ears which history scattered FIRST into
three periods Of two thousand gears each by taking
three sneets OF these again
into athousand and again into dve hundred 1t was not
necessary to know the exact date OF event but the
place where it occurred Ne matter how great the in
capacity for mbering dates the student in this way
could remember them At the end of the frst third of
the WORLDS history have Abraham at the end of the
second third Christ and the present third h not yet
completed They call Herodotus the father of history;
he LIVED five husdIea years before Christ line
must be drawn between coptemporaneous testimony
and What is merely traditional The contemporaneous
is the truly historical Then comes period
which msy csei hsf historical the Oriental and then
the period of unknown which anti historical
Look at the great proportion of the world
for Which thss history At all 1ng to the
no history of it. If had q map of the world here,
would show you that only small part of it has any his
tory. We stretch into unknown ages little on the
MdeIsnean but how little know of the rest Of the
world 1t is comfort then to know that we have not
tion of history that essential only know what
veys lessons the grand historical facts which in grand
masses Take human nature OF the earliest dawn and
compare It with human nature nov, and look
through the interval at what has made the
five of mankind. Only one has any permanent
part in the worlds drama 1t is the Caucasian The
other races may perhaps hereafter have their history
by the formation Of the head has In habed Western Asia
and thoe other countries which it colonized. The
Nopgoiisn race has left few traces and that is the only
grand exception With regard to the anti historical
are not left entirely in the dark even as TO
them few FRAGMENTS have come down to us,
and it is only by the historical that
estimate the value of these precious remains.
The first ten chapters of the book of Genesis
covers a period long ths VIII oh between
yiceIia and Moses. In this diviion, (poining to the
chart tbs there antiquities of which the first the
primeysl. That has certain chronology. What has
been improperly called sacred chr nocgy taken frem the
Hebrew is discovered to be entirely Inadequate The
Septusgint is reliable But there Is settled chro
Dology this anti historical period 1t Is not till
down to Christ that the chronology is settled We
find in the Oriental countries the founders of different
civilizations referring to preceding States and 1t is from
these lost ages of light and strength that have taken
the germ Of all we have There is thousand years Of
European antiquity five hundred before and FIVE hundred
se Christ That is where most people begin what
they know In this country we begin with the history
of the United States. What know of it.? 1t Is the
last blossom Of the civilization that takes its root In
remote hat what must there
have at that early period till at arose from
the sleep of dust in the OF his Maker There can be
genuine knowledge Of any part OF history without
previous knowledge Of The whole The study Is capable
o. expansion and contraction In the instruction that
propose give the story could be put into lesson
drawn out into thousand / shall be guided by the
wishes Of classes In Boston got far a. the end
of antiquity In these lectures shall exhibit the litera
ture of the world, and you will all the elements of
history the Oriental and the European You will in
all the literature Of the past After taking this
complete view OF the whole can take your choice Of
the ptrts. You may select the German for instance.
But you know but little Of the German literature
without its roots In Boston my classes did not study
the Hebrew the Sanscrt. 1t not necessary Any
who desire to foim into classes will please give their
at the close propose to give two lessons In the
week at ii o'clock in the forenoon Tuesdays and
Wednesdays. CONNIE cing with Tuesday next. have
invited the gentlemen to accompany the ladies' as well
10 them TO revive their historical know
ledge the at Boston Mr. Choae did the honor
to attend with his daughters. She concluded by say
ing that this instruction would be great step taken
agsinst the disorgapizaon which free state of society
like feaIfully tended
Much applause followed the conclusion, and several
per- Of both then their intending
to become pupils
The Hon. Horace Mann on Woman.
Yesterday evening Mr. Mann delivered able and
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