The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-06-05

anections. In reference to his second ouest;on
he says womans education should be in bor
mony with her nature, as possessing physical
intellectual, and moral faculties, and as destined
to immortality; also, in harmony with her sex
and her social and domestic sphere. As sb.
possesses more delicate organization tina,
man, greater attention and care should b,
gwen 70 her physical education. So, a regard
should be paid to her intellectual nature. a.
being quicker in her perceptions, more intui
tive In her Judgments, and less patient of "a
tiocinat've process for reaching conclusions than
man. Under this head, the author has valuable
remarks, upon which we cannot dwell. He,
moral nature presents woman more susceptihle
to religious impression, more inclined to faith
and less to infdelity, than is the case with
man. The author illustrates his position very
happily by series of well-arranged and well.
thought-out remarks, laying it down, likewise,
THAT it should be prominent part of female
education, to give right ideas of what wife and
mother ought to be; and to form those habits
OF industry, economy, punctuality, order, and
neatness, and cultivate those affections and
tempers on which the happiness of the domes.
tic sphere depends" The application of these
principles Is obvious, in the bearing it has on
What should be the education of American
femaes?" The author urges, that American
females should be educated as to these most
important elements by American teachers. In
acquiring the knowledge of the foreign living
languages, resort to foreigners must be had ::
but, In all those branches which need no such
reliance, incucate American principles. and
the duties demanded of the wives and mothers
OF coming generations of our land, by those
who understand and feel their necessity. and
sympathize in every effort to attain and dis.
charge them. He likewise attempts to exhibit
the incongruity of fitting future wives and
mothers tor their coming influences, within the
wall OF converts or nunnery boarding schools.
Designed for domestic life, it is in the inter
course of families they should be formed and
trained. His remarks on this subject we think
deserve consideration, as do his views of the
religious bearing of the whole question:
matter OF vastly higher Importance in weighing
the aspect it wears as to practice by Protest.
ants.
LECTURES ON THE LIFE GENUS AND INSANITY OF RoRrrr
CowrER By George b. Cheever D. D. New York:
Carter Brothers 1856 For sale by Gray & Ballan-
tyne, Washington, ID. c.
Dr. Cheever has selected a subject worthy of
his pen, and we know not among all our authors
one more qualified to Justly claim it, or who
would have executed this labor of love with
equal success. Himself possessing richly
poetical mind, imbued with the best spirit of
English literature, a clear discrimination of char
acter, patient and accurate in sitting out truth,
frank In the expression of his own views. and
an experience fraught with many remem-
brance of Christian conflict, he can well appre
ciate Cowper. That keen sense of religious
Development exhibited in his nice percentinn
~Hapyans ptstiv "TRIP aGlsS t,s wkffc era:
bled our author to give the world such an ad-
mirable volume as his Lectures on that " glo-
rious old dreamer" is here applied to a no less
clear analysis of the varied phases of Cowpers
life, and the providences of God toward him.
We have read the volume with unabated inter-
est to its close, and have hailed with satisfac.
ton vndication of Nngland's greatest Evan.
gelical Poet from the unworthy innuendoes of
Southey and the sickly sentimentality of Hay
ley-however well he may have meant-neither
OF whom could truly understand the poets re-
ligious character, because they had not drank
into the same "living water" which welled up
from Cowper's heart. The charge so often
made, that the poets insanity was caused by
his religion, is met and refuted, not only from
his own words, but various collateral testimony
brought out in his private correspondence;
and it is to the grace of God, in its dealings
with HIM, who calls himself as Honce stricken
deer that had left the herd, we are shown that
We owe those "thoughts that breathe, and words
that burn" imbued, also, with yet holier
power that lives, and will live in the immortal
lty of Christian feeling and domestic affection.
CowFER! What magic there is in that name
We have not space, even if we had the ability,
TO write such an article on this subject as our
heart would dictate. DIR. Cheever traces his
history up from his boyhood; by the help of his
own letters lifts the veil from those recesses of
the agonized spirit; shows up the "horror of
great" darkness stealing over, and at last en-
him in its gloom; points us to the
light breaking in, and bids US hearken to that |
voice that comes cheeringly over sorrows deep
and troubled tide, alt is L; be not afraid"
and on we see the happy man borne, with |
Jesus in the ship with him; and his music of
a rejoicing heart pours forth and echoes in
notes that seem as if waited to US from the !
upper skies.
The various productions of his poetic genius
are examined and descanted upon with rare |
and appreciative taste, and the |
harvest grows richer with his experience, even |
when his constitutional malady, in the strong |
est phase of his thoughts, seems as if about to
blight every grain on the golden ears, till it |
yields that suppressed wealth of undying affec- |
lion in the "Lines On receiving my mothers
picture" Who of our readers has not read |
9na loved the poetry Of Cowper7 Who among
Inc worshippers of Christ, that use the English
language, have not sung in their hearts, if un-
tuned with voice, Cowper's hymns? How many
a death bed have they cheered How many
spirit on the wing for eternity has not borne
hem away, in his departing breath, among the
asst syllab,es that haze fallen with faltering
cadence from the lips Whose memory does
,ot recall the name of Cowper, sweet and pre-
,ious, as mingling with some of the dearest as.
'ociations of lifel His were among the earliest
strains that greeted oEr ears, even il the days
If our childhood. Well do we remember, far
pack agone, gazing on that picture in Hayley's
biography. and reading that tribute such as no