Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-03-21


desire for better state, regard for the apprOba
ton of others, no wish to be considered by their
fellow. men beings worthy Of friendly association
and kindly attention. Yet to prevent youth from
even approximatEg to such deplorabe state, ed
ucaton is the mighty agent That which const.
tutes the highest felicity in human life is dependent
upon mind. And if it be true, as it unquestiOns-
ably il, that the mind is in great degree depend
ent upon the free and heathful action of the body
the converse is also as indisputsble. 1t were SUI
perfuous here to detail how it may be made the
agent of our greatest happiness, or the instrument
of the abect misery. Mind is at once the
majesty and the light of life; it is that which
"In its own place, and in ITSELF
Can make a heaven OF hell, hell Of heaven
And yet, even among those wealthy parents who
are for the part solcitous to bestow upon their
children the advantages of the highest sources of
mental cultivation, how few do we find endeavoriug
to impress upon the youthful mind the great truth
contained in this little line
my mind to me kingdom ISL"
How few even of such will spare the pains to give
their children a correct idea of the true purposes
for which they were created, or incite them to
strive diligently and earnestly for those distinctions
which they behold showered upon those whose ad
vantages aud opportunities for Improvement have
probably been but 1.-THE Of theirs.
How many are there among US who, with ample
means at their command, suffer their children to
grow up in comparative ignorance, forgetting, it
would seem, that knowledge is power" and that
the proper culture of the intellect affords the best
means OF happness-the surest safeguard to virtue
The cultivated mind is it ever wholly dark ? is it
ever hopelessly lonely? No; rich in its own re-
sources, it can never become burden to itself; it
can never know ennui. 1t possesses an innate
consciousness of happiness; joyous, elevating
principle of vitality which gives it, under all cir
cumstances, buoyancy and power. 1t is happy
even in that solemn silence of the soul, where rea
son and judgment sit side by side in sefexamna-
ton; and though time and misfortune may steal
away the freshness of life they cannot destroy its
beautiful inward light and serenity.
But the aim of the teacher should not be TO
furnish pabulum for the mental appetite alone.
With as great if not more earnest effort should
he endeavor TO minister to the moral want of his
pupil. A.constanty enlarging exercise Of all the
social affections, daily expanding liberality OF
sentiment, progressive regard for humanity must
must grow up in his nature. He must be taught
the faIlacy of the idea that he can be happy and
useful if he be "in the world and not of it." If it
were not his duty to be of it, an interested and
working influence, he would not be in it.
In the moral education of youth the instructor
should rather point out the good to be followed,
than the evil to be avoided If teachers would
work with Nature thus securing her kindly aid their
abors would in general be more successful. Good
is not negation; it is living, positive principle,
and cannot exist with evil The best and surest
way then to prevent the latter, is to cherish the
former; the safest way to eradicate bad habit, is
to cultivate the good one most directly opposed to
it, To be a successful guide as regards the morals
of the young, the teacher must be one whose
"hearts in his VOCATION" be must be the friend of
his pupil We would that we could create greater
degree of confidence in childhood and youth; more
OF generous forbearance with the venial faults Of
those whose hearts are soft and tender, and whom
kindness could scarcely fail to win to the right,
while severity might crush and repel How beau
Gifui is the confidence which little child gives to
its parent Does it ever believe that its father or il
mother can do wroug2 Row strange then that
parents do not more frequently and more warmly
recprocate this con6dencel Il seems to us, too,
a strange idea that many, and even good persons,
have taken up, that children are not naturally
truthful fear of giving offence a shrinking
from punishment, may induce child to utter a
falsehood, and thus produce an appearance Of in
sincerity when in reality it is to find one natu
rally deceptive or untrue. They are taught such
things, aud early too but cannot think they
possess them innately. Children then should be
taught such, and not addressed as though they
were men, already hardened by a contact with the
world or familiar with the knowledge of its evils.
Heaven lies about US in our infancy" and the
the season Of childhood is foreshadowing of the
state of the soul in that blessed life which is to
come. In its Astounding hope, its unquestoDins
faith and its boundless charity; in its innocence
that "thinketh evil, and its purity, as yet 'un
spotted from the world" we find resemblances
than sught we see of earth. The greatest and best
Of men have possessed a singleness OF heart and a
simplicity Of soul like that Of childhood, and such
too have loved TO dwell much in the society Of the
young. Many and very sweet are the lessons we
may learn from little children. Their trusting con-
fdenee rebukes the suspicion which has become q
part Of our nature 10 years; their buoyant
hopcfulness reproves our dependency; their thou
sand strange and unanswerable questions cannot
fail 70 humble the proudest intellect and teach it
il how poor and pitiful all its boosted powers.
That man or woman has no "call" to become a
teacher TO whom the nature Of childhood is a sealed
book; aud that there are many such is proved by
the fact that we have such . number Of children's
books which are a mere duh digest OF "useful
knowledge" without particle Of vitality 10 them
to catch the wandering attention OF the young
denp aud so many teachers whose prosaic lectures,
failing 10 reach the peculiar intellectual life of child.
hood, do but fall Aatly upon is unheeding ear.
Such books aud such instructors do more harm
than good; there is no life in their teachings they
are not real instruction. " Mind says Carlyle
grows, not like g vegetable, by having It's roots
Uttered with chronological compost, but like a
spirit by mysterious contact with spirit; thought
kindles itself at the FIRE OF living thought"
Ia the education Of children. attention Sd Oald be
paid to the books which they read, and 20 idea can
be more iaacous than the prevalent one, that il !.
an easy matter to write "chiIdrsn's Book" Ia
their reading. which should be made 10 them sort
Of recreation IN standardization their s,udies
let them not be eramped down TO "ephomes Of bis
tory, or sciences made simple things which uiI