The Mountaineer. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1859-1861, 1861-05-18

effects Of every thing You see. Take two
men just starting out In the world. Lei
their capacities be equal. In twenty
years what difference will be observed
between them. III conversation ono will
DO languid, stale and commonplace; the
other, lively, original and entertaining.
The former viii probably regret that his
own talents are not equal TO those or the
other considering him as greatly favored
BY nature. Well, In the latter ohserya.
lion be may not be so FAR out Of the way,
but he forgcts that nature makes this
difference between them because one has
sought her fav0rs md the other has not.
II Is obvious from the foregoing that
education depends upon the existence Of
truth, it perception by the mind, and
analysis BY means Of reflection. Ttnth Il
the proper food Of the mind. Tohe bene-
ticial this food must lie partaken Of and
Idigestcds Ifitibe 1paftaken OF and the
process Of digestion do not follow, tho re.
suit will be a partial arrangement &c the
mental economy. This OF course must lie
guarded against Truth snrrounsis us.
Obser a''r geyeals il 70 the mind. Re.
lit fully orr owns and draws
fro altitude IF others IN
mean B. ss q. IA
AZ = q ii.iety Of useful obserra.
tons has been made BY others which Et Il
not ~ our power to make, we have re-.
course to books 10 obtain that informal.
ton, Here then books become useful.
hecause they Furnish us with facts which
We could hot Obtain otherwise. These
facts may be subjected to the same analy.
SIS as Others with which our own obserya.
ton hgs furnished Us. Ell as.s
u, thin, id cuItigating tue mind, We
make demands upon oar own powers Of
observation aud reflection before We have
reeonrseio bookst the trhs plan OF eSItica-
ton Will be pnrsned Tie il,indicious use
=of books consists IN making them supply.
the place Of observation ana reflection
Who would not laugh IL an indiyidmtl at
tile. theatre were 10 content himself with
reading the programme Of o play Wills
the play itself is Leysg Ierlormed2 VET,
.tlfisas precisely the f0heiitloh OF the stu
dent who is satisfied With a written de.
scriEtion of Objects in nature, winch exist.
ennoliced before his eyes Intbose Eato-
pean institutions winch are fafuons for
their mere than usual sieress in the cult
satioh Of mind, IL will lie f0nnti that sCnsi.;
bic representations, where practicable. are
always used Instead of written descrip.
lions. No. doubt. they owe their success.
mainly TO this titct. g ~ :E 4
Elemental cultivation, eli truths are not
equally valuable. Some give fas,, for re-
iecii0a, otiIers DO fiot. Tue FORMER are
worth more than the latter. What does
il signifg 60 ne that eteral Ii 4 French
word signifyilg Aofst, may examine the
term eterdt until | am grdy, without bene.
fitting my mind ard the same with other
WORDS. or course, if 1 am destined 10
communicates with foreigners, il viii be-
useful 10 mo 20 acquire Knowledge Of
theic various languages. This knowledge, j
however, has no tendency in and Of itself
TO develop, mind vi Il. 4.
There are thousands Of ignorant per.
sons who, by having had occasion TO travel
a great deal, lnye. acquired q knowledge
OF several modern languages; but no one
will rrsteBd that their minds exhibit
. superior degree Of power, If modern
languages, then, do not tend TO develop
the intellectual faculties, neither can We
expect ancient langudgeS to do. it.. q will
acknowledge that they are useful, so far
as they reveal To us the thoughts, characf
ter, and disposition Of the ancjents, for
these afford food for reflection Al truth,
however; is not confined to the aneients.
That they eSeelled in some things, is no
doubt true; but that their knowledge Of
the useful arts surpassed that Of the mod
erns cannot for . moment be admitted. =
Bat, says Que: The acquisition of the
ancient languages requires the most uHre-
Knitting assiduiiy." Memory and COM,
parison are called into exercise. ~: sis not
I'LL this. beneficial to the mindsp II IL Is,
the disadvantages are so great that they
completely oEerbalanec the advantages.
In making an estimate of the benefits
that il is supposed will bederiyed from auyi
particular course, the expenditure conse-i
quent upon the pursuit Of that course,
must be taken into consideration IT,,
upon reflection, il is found that the OK.
penditnre will exceed the profits, wisdom
would certainly teach us not to adopt that |
course. .. Is . f.. r, ,.ssz
f Again, II it be found, npon reflection,
that tho same expenditure in another
channel will bring much greater profits,
il would, undoubtedly, be wiser to expeHd
~ the latter than in the former. Apply
these facts 10 the. sabjGct before us. Years
are spent insobtaiaiug a knowledge Of the
ancient languages. Very often the only
profit arising thereiTom is the ability TO
talk and write nonsense in Latin and
Greek, which wonld be intolerable in
English, The years that have been ex.
pended upon these languages. II occupied
in the study Of man and his various rela,
tons, or tile study Of objects which sur.
round Us, WOnld have conferred great
wisdom, rendering MS capable Of being
useful TO ourselves aud our fellow-men.
The latter course, then, is the proper one
TO pursue. D.. ~s
i !.