New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-05-20
Netp2lp1k Daily Gribn1la
EDUCATIONAL.
BODY AND MIND.

II was sad In a former article that false
views concerning the harmony ard unity OF the
clements Of our nature obstruct the course OF
education, and prevent IL treatment in The trne
scientific spir.t Any view OF any subject capa-
bic Of inyesiigaiion that is not held subject 10
constant revision, 5, 70 say the least, unscienthc
In the realm OF true science, there Is but one al
lee.ance. TO truth, for w6ich the loyal subject Is
ever ready 70 10y down bis life Chs preconcei'ed
deasl. Bacon las beautifully said that the
kingdom of nature, Ike the kingdom OF grace
can OIL, be entered by little cbildren-that il,
the docile, teacEable, uDprcludiced splrt AZ!
views of he constitution vi our nature ana 'ie
springs of lie action, 80 habtually and doemati-
call, held as not 10 admit Of examination ana
constant amendment, must, of course, proven. al
inquiry. crush independent Thought and even para
lyz. observation the fret condition OF Gil h-ailii-
fol mental activity We are hardly aware OF the
blinling and pa!sy.ng influence OF pfePossessed
ideas. Mr.. j. s. Nil bas well said the great
u" est Of all causes Of non-obseryatlon Is pre-
conceived opinion. This 1t is when III al
" ayes has made The whole race OF mankind ana
every separate section OF it, for the most part,
" non ob.ervant of all facts, however abundant,
"eyen when passing under their own eyes,
" which are contradictory 10 any hrst appear
ance, or any received tenet.
Now, the determination Of the facts and Ia"s
OF the child's growing organism, which NUT form
the basis of all right training, is as much mat
fer of careful observation and rigorous reason
inc as il is in the Gaze of any other object oil
nature Everywhere else knowledge depends up
on inquiry, aud is progressive Under The aPph
cation If continuous thought, all things around
take on new relations, and become the represen-
tatives Of new ideas. Even the hieless materials
about US are undergoing tins steady tranr''rma-
tion: we are every year eDlarging our knowledge
of rocks, soils, water and air, plants and an'-
mall, II is only when We have risen so high
that question. of mind enter into the inquiry that
we seem to lose confidence IN our course, and
method aud doubt Of further advancement. But
this surely is no place 10 islter In all lie vast
departments there is but one order oil the uhi'
verse-the harmony Of eternal reason. We are
not 30 question that man - as capable OF beng
understood as a tree or o rocsthat the laws OF
individual human evolution are just as amenab'e
10 Investigation and as full of encouraging prom
ise 10 the inyincible student as those in ANY
other department Of nature.
Why is il, then, that tie human being III the
time of its early unfolding has not been consid-
cred in the true spirit OF scence-has not been
the subject of the same severe, protracled aud
dspassionate study-the same keen observation
l..
and rigorous induction that have been elsewhere
applied-that Fsraday, for example. Las bestowed
upon electricity, or Brewster upon light What
Mr. Wyse wrote upon this point twenty-five
years ago, remains, to great degree, true To-
day. % II Is unquestionsbly singular circun-
stance that of all problems the problem of
education il that 10 which by lar the smallest
" share of pcrsevering and rigorous attention has
." vet been applied The same empricism which
once regned supreme in the domains Of chem
istry, astronomy, and medicine, still retains
possession in many instances Of those OF edu-
=. cation. No journal is kept of the phenomena
of infancy OF chiidbOol-Do parent has yet
registered, day after day. with the attention
"of an astronomer who prepares his ephelne-
rides the marvellous developments of bis child
Z" Until this is done, there can be no sohd base
for reasoning; We must still deal with conlec-
ture Until experience be more severely ard
" constantly consulted, the art Of educat on ma!
"appear to advance, but it viii be found tbat
ere only have changed place, and that educa-
ton itself remains where it vac.
TIE fact is obvious, and the causes may be
numerous, but chief among them will be found a
preconceived solution Of the Z. N oi our nature
which has made the inquiry coubly impossible;
first, because, the matter being settled there was
no occasion for III and, second, becsuse IT was
% settled that. from the nature Of tie csse, oil
scientific investigation was forecOsed. The child,
at the outset Of its career, has been sundercd
into two natures, one Of which has been handed
over 10 the psychologist, and the other to the
metaphy sioian, who seem to have agreed in but
one thing, namely that they have nothing to do
with each other. Thus the metaphysclan in his
closet has studied mind out Of relation 10 the
body, and the Psychologist has studied body out
Of relation to mind while the living unit Of ac-
tual being has been neglected. If this artificial
psrtitioning has not been formally made in the
early days of infancy, it is because, while the
little creature is yet in the "nnnai stage The
metaphy siciaB subLmely ignores the case. But
with the appearance OF sefconsciousness and
some mental maturity he comes upon the stage,
and then is cou,idered the fit time 70 begin to
talk of education.
The policy thus commenced is coDtiaued. The
exclusive students Of mind, whose feeling toward
the material aud mere bodily" 10 frequently