New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-05-20


pleasure. Without doubt, tic error No de-
sire to expose is venerable and widely estab-
bed. but It's age and Gniyersaity are by no
means evidence Of IL truth. IL was just SO with
the old idea Of the hatness, immobility and cen
trail position of the earth. Philosophy, theology
and literature held it firmly; all men believed 1t,
as they supposed, on the direct evidence OF the
senses; and oil joined with desperate earnest
lees to 6ght the newer views propo'ed ~ rec
ence. The vic.ory was with the truth; men
opinions were revolutionlzed, ?nd thar "h'eo IL
was once held presumptaoGs ~ question j n'"
laughed at as childish folly, and Thus must IL d.
ways ultimately be.
That The all-preyailing error 70 which we nave
called attention las been and is still most DAM
aging to education, can hardly ne doubted. IL
peryerts and pr,judcer the view, and so e.
iectually prevents the perse'cring pursuit. "i The
right method. From every influential source
teachers have heard nothing but hRh-wrougot
contrasts of matter and spirit-abuse OF uc
body and eulogy of the mind. 4" The body Is 'he
" casket the mind the jewel; the body 10
:" the transient, worthless busk, the mind the
vital, perennial seed;" 1.-The body ~ OF the
"earth gross, diseased corrupt-a sink Of IN
"iqui,y, tie entrenchmeut Of Satan; toe spirit
"is refined pure, incorruptible, ind hndred
~ with it, Creator" With such distorted and
impious IDEAS believed or hall.beleted, what
chance j. there sor teachers 10 take right re-
letion 10 the pupil They cannot zee that, so
far az hsy have 10 do with it, il is one and in-
digisiblc; aud that education concerns Tie wnole
being, body with mind, aud mind with body
that if there be any priority or precedence, ma
ture gives the body hrst AID that hsn the H.
eDicent teacher must begin. Current errors
make our education narrow and artificial, and
exclude those broader views Of ito scope aud
import which advancing knowledge has disclosed.
To the tea cher saturated with the Old lreudices,
and complacenily resting IN accepted views, 1t Is
idle 10 talk of new ideas. When We say that
education i, all affair of the laws OF our being,
involving a wide range of considerations ali
affair of the air respircd, iIs moisture, feinPera-
ture, density, purity, and electrical sta'e-an
affair OF food, digestion, and nutrihon-oi the
quantity, quality, and speed Of tue blood rent TO
the brsin---of clothing and exercise, fatigue and
repose, health aud diseAse-cf variable 'oiltion
aud automatic nerve-action-of euctuatiDg feeling,
redundancy and exhaustion OF perye.Power; tn
affair Of light, eolors, sounds, resistsnces-of
sensuous impresbility, temperament, family ms-
tory, constitutional prcdispcstion and unconscious
ipnuences--of material surroundings, and host
Of agencies which stamp Themselves upon the
plastic organism and reappear in character; when
We hint Of these things, seem to many 70 be
talking an unknown tongue. "Crotchets, say
they, aud "neg- tangled nonsense! Has not edu-
L" cation consisted in hearing lessons from the
beginning oil the world !" There are many,
We are happy 10 know, of more liberal sentl-
menis. who consider their vocation a, the highest
and noblest example OF progress, and as borrow
ing light from every advancing science; but as
regards the great inert mass OF teachers, our
picture hss not been Oycrdrawn.