Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1852-06-03
MONTPELIER, VERMONT, THURSDAY,

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The truly knowing man is not he who has a
great mass of dormant knowledge stored up in
his brain, but he who can well apply knowledge
to useful purposes. No scholar should think he
has acquired knowledge TO any valuable purpose,
TILL he can use it skillfully. The Waitsfeld Re.
port speaks of q school that wrote its spelling
lessons Now, 1t sometimes happens that a
scholar can spell correctly with his mouth, but
not with his Pen,-cau excel in spelling. class,
while he is very blundering in writing letter.
Why then should not I'll schools in learning to
spell Unite practice with study and often write
their spelling lessons?
Thirdly, The memory is like vessel that can
c'eacy may be fulofae.isy g2ulcl75 and FIIls
treatment, but it cannever hold more than full.
II impressions are multiplied upon it beyond lis
power Of retention, some of them will be lost, or
become dim. Every new impression which has
not some tendency to revive or deepen old ones
tends to make them fade fit be true that sci.
ences thoroughly learned and reduced to prac-
tlce mutually deepen each others impressions
on the memory, just the contrary is true of sci.
ences mperfecty learned. This principle should
prompt the student to acquire only such knowl.
edge as he will have occasion for and acquire
1t we'll The practice of running over wide
field of learning. without inquiring how much OIL
it will be needful, serves to fill the mind with
those faded or imperfect IDEAS which, think
DR.. Watts has called " half-notions." BY max
ing too much work for the memory, that concen'
tration of its power which is necessary for o
ready recall of its ideas, is prevented
Fomthly, Two things, practice and interest,"
make the memory retentive, and where neither
of these exist, learning will fade from the mind
and be lost. Send your son 10 an academy, OIL
high school for year, and let him study Alge.
bra, Geometry, &C., and then, if he is not inter
ested enough in them to pay much attention tc
them while out of school, or does not habitualy
apply them to practice, il will require no great
length of time to make him about as unlearned
as if he had not studied them. Due attention to
this principle would prevent much waste of time
We do not lose the knowledge which we habit.
ualIy use, nor have bad memory upon subjects
in which we feel a habua and deep interest.
Lastly Thirst for knowledge is essential to
good scholarship, and will insure progress un.
favorable circumstances. Would you choose a
bright head for scholar? Give me a scholars
heart. 1t is questionable whether genius essen
TALLY consists in intellectual superiority May
it not consist in a strong bent of the inclination
to some particular acquisition or to knowledge in
.r~~-y-i ? FI~.~eyss this rnay Be. the manswho
pants for knowledge, viii os certainly acquire
it as the hungry man will obtain his necessary
food. Have you a bright boy with no remnrha
bic taste for learning? Send him to college
and give him every advantage for the acqusi-
ton of science. He may be the first in every
class with which he is connected and gain a
good name, but without something which would
spur him to the acquisition of knowledge in the
absence of superior privilege, he will hardly be
a profound scholar. Now, Try that other boy
apparently less bright, but inquisitve, prying
and remarkably fond of useful and INSTRUCTIVE
books. Give him a thorough drilling in tn
common school, and then shut the doors of eve
ry college and high school against him. Wha
will be the result ? He will outstrp the other il
solid and real improvement
probably shall not have leisure nor much in
clination to write the series of essays, of whic
the above stated principles were at first intende
to be the foundation, but will add one or tw
reflections.
In the first place, there is at the present da
great measure of what am disposed to ca
waste learning, or learning, which, being bu
imperectly acquired and little used, serves n
better end than to make sound, and puff IL
up with vain conceit Of intellectual superiority
Whence is the prevalent notion of the superi(
wisdom of the present age? They are the wise
who best discharge the duties of life. Are "
superior to any former age in this respect ?
We can boast well, but an age of boasting cal
not be an age of wisdom. Let us cease to boa
till we can act more wisely than any torm'
generation and when that time comes our di
position to boast will be at an end /; for wisdo
will make us modest and unpretending. N
youthful admiration of Young did not enable n
to appreciate, as l now do, the following lin
of that poet,
" Would you be still more learned than the Iearnd
Learn wen TO know how much need not be known,
And what that knowledge which improves your sense
One more remark. If anything in this va
passing life may be called valuable, our comm
schools are ncomparably more valuable, mo
worthy of honor and fostering care, than all 9th
institutions of learning together. Let not o
f yonh be in haste to leave the common scbC
n for the high school, If they have thiast
: learning and an aptness for self-teaching, whit
j. IS the best OF all teaching, they can dispen
| with the high school much better than they c.
s with thorough teaching in the fundamen
d branches. When young, painted for the plea
st ures Of college life, but after making prepa
V ton for college, failed to enter. now rega
1r the failure as very small misfortune, if any
it all but it was quite serious one that got
ID little teaching IN the common school. SO 10
j.. as people are the dupes of sound and circu
70 stance, there will be charm in the words .1c
j. cmg High School, &C., which will operate
make learning more snowy than solid Seve
the Presidents of the United States, includ
! Washington, were never instructed in any hg
-, school than the common school. Would Il
10 have been greater men, or better qualified
,o their high Office, had they enjoyed academical
~ college privileges? is
e- " remember" says the celebrated Wesl
no hearing my father say to my mother, " h
nd could you have the patience to tell that bio
head the same thing twenty times over" "N
to said she, :" if | had told him but nineteen tin