Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-12-01

nOens Of the external world subjects for education
and discipline equally important with the faculties BY which
he exercises his reason purely upon abstractons
may add that hAvog considerable attention to the
reuted phenomena of mesmerism electro biology sprtu
asm etc., have had occasion to observe that the
Of scientific HABITS Of mind the source of vast amount
OF prevalent misc0nceptOn to what constitutes ade
quse proof Of the mArves reported by witnesses neither
untruthfu unintelligent to ordinary matters
could mention striking instances of misconception in
Of high literary cultivation, or high Mathematical attain
ments whilst have met who had undergone the
discipline OF an adequate Of scientific study who
has not at recognised the fsaces in such testimony
when they have been pointed out to him."
Sir Charles Lyell spoke Of the sound scientific
culture Of the aristocratic class and the clergy in
Germany, contrasting it with men Of the same rank
and profession in his own land:
at very remarkable fact if scientific book s pub
shed it depends more for it's sale on the middle classes Of
the manufacturing districts than the rich country gen.
emen and the clergy Of the agricultural parts OF the c0un
try and therefore, if there distress like the present in
Lancashire the publisher would say Do not bring out
your book just now think the present state of
things unhealthy and dangerous particularly 90 in reference
to the teaching 10 this country by the clergy and vast
proportion of the University men are going into the church
In order TO bring their knowledge unison with that
Of the artisans it is particularly desirable that certain
portion Of science should be taught feel that
there dangerous want Of sympathy at present between
the better informed working class of the manufacturing
districts and the clergy Besides the principle Of limiting
education to the languages and the mathematics is direct
injury to many men. large portion of those who would
have shown strong taste for the sciences forced into
lne and after they leave their college they neglect
branches they have been taught and cultivate neither
the nor the other. have known quite late in
fe who have forgotten all the Latin and Greek which
they spent their early years acquiring hit upon geology
other branch and oil at their energies have
been awakened and you have been astonshed to how
they out They would have taken that line long be-
FORE and done good work in had they been taught the
elements Of at school, Mr.. Twsteton) SO that there
was a mental waste in their youth Quite So"
We here see that Sir Charles shot his arrow
very wide of the mark when, in his endeavor to
exalt the dignity and usefulness of scientific stu
dies, he argued that the acquisition Of Latin and
Greek was Ga mental waste" in the case of those
who, after forgetting all the Latin and Greek which
they spend their early years in acquiring, had be-
taken themselves with success to the study of geo.
logy or some other branch of science. To reason
in this way is to ignore all rules of logic and all
the lessons of experience, for who does not believe
that any man will be better geologist for having
been well trained in classical discipline, even
though he may have "forgotten all the Latin and
Greek he spent his early years in acquiring" if
that were suppoSable case?
ME. pSIUuaJ WAS diSo ouc VI tnc WlUucSpS5 GA
amned by the commission. The argument made
by him in favor Of scientific studies was of prac-
tical nature, but for this reason, within certain
limits, it has only the greater force. He said:
"Up to this very day here to persons Of good
education and women quite 6 for all that you expect
from education they to and they talk to about
things belong to natural science about mesmersm
table turning flying through the air about the laws Of
gravity they to ask questions and they insist
against me, who think know little Of these laws that
wrong and they right, in manner which shows
little the ordinary of education has taught such
minds Let them study natural things and they will get
very different idea to that which they have obtained by
that education. 1t happens up to this day, do not
wonder st those who have not been educated at ALL
such as refer to say to mo- have felt it, and done it,
and seen it, and though have not flown through the air
believe it, Persons who have been fully educated accord
ing the present system come with the same propositions
as the untaught and stronger because they have
stronger conviction that they are right They are ignorant
of their ignorance at the end Of all that education 1t hap
pens even with men who are exceent mathemAticsDs.
Who are the men whose powers really developed
Who are they who have made the electric telegraph the
steam engine and the railroad Are they the men who
have been taught Latin and Greek Were the Stephen
sons such These had that knowledge which habitu
ally had been neglected and pushed down below 1t has
only been those who, having special inclination for this
kind of knowledge have forced themselves out of that
ignorance by education and into life of their own