Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1868-02-18

|
unjust in their demands in the business trans
actions OF life, for want of capacity to deal with
the general abstract principles of justice, than
from dishonest motives for in the language of
Hood
Evil is wrought by want of Thought
| As well as want of Heart"
A man is not educated until his mind is so
cultivated that he can rise above the mere i'm
pressions of external things into the phiosophic
region of ideas, in which lies Truth in its abso-
lutte, universal and sempiternal form. When
we stop short of this, we grope in the region of
| skeptlclsm, for faith lies at the two ends of
knowledge, the faith of the child and the faith
| Of the profound thinker who has recognized
the existence OF Truth in its absolute form, and
contides In the comprehension of eternal truths
as anchors to his faith. Half of those who
profess to educate themselves in this age stop
far short of the mark; many from want of ca
paclty and still greater number from not be-
ing directed to proper appreciation of the real
advantages OF close application, and the value
Of time.
| Whatever may be said to the contrary, there
is philosophy in all things, and he who is not
a profound theorlst In any branch Of knowledge,
who Is not conversant with the general princi-
pies derived from comparison and co-ordina-
lon of facts and the relations of abstract truths
inter Sc, is not entitled to hold the first rank in
| his profession
The truly educated man is he who compre-
hends the relationship between the abstract and
| the concrete, who, as the sculptor embodies his
ideal forms in marble strives to advance ma
ture to conformity with abstract truth, who
In the moral and political world, attempts to
make the aOhat as conform to the 1chdt ought to
be, without haste and without inoppprtune vio-
lence. This philosophy is in contraventon of
the doctrine of manifest destiny" for the SIM
pie reason that the human mind is so falhble
| In dealing with the intricate problems of hui
man progress, that it is rash and inconsiderate
to attempt to lift the vail of the future, and
force the natural order of progress to a pace
inconsistent with law and order Those who,
In the worship OF abstract principles of moral
ty and social progress, rashly advance to unroll
the scroll OF national destiny in anticipation Of
| the times and the seasons unateraby fixed by
| the nature of man in his intellectual and moral
status are workers of naught but mischief.
But We wish at this point to draw very i'm
portant distinction between two principles Of
culture of the human mind, which give rise to
very different results. es
First. A student may by course of persistent
and energetic labor of mind upon abstruse and
difficult subjects, and especially upon the gen.
eral abstract principles which underlie all ex-
ternal relations, create wonderful intellectual
energy and power Of concentration. He be-
comes man of intellectual ability, able to deal
with almost any subject as soon as he is ac-
quainted with the facts, by the correlation of
which, truth is to be elected in the form of
general propositions or inevitable conclusions.
But unless he possesses requisite amount of
information, his powers of mind will not be
preserved in full energy and activity for want
of continual exercise.
| On the other hand, an individual may be so
unfortunate as to be possessed of an ertrdordi-
nary memory, may acquire information in the
form of isolated iacts until he becomes walk
ing encyclopedia, and yet, without the power of
analysis and lnductlve arrangement necessary
to harmonic and place in order these facts un-
der general heads; he is philosopher entirely
at fault. He may satisfy his own vanity, and
impose upon the ignorant by much speaking,
but true intellectual pleasure is beyond his
reach, and he will never be heard to exclaim
| Eureka" because it is beyond his ken to dis
cover anything lost sight of by other minds
For the man, intellectually should be combined
with information, but intellectually is the pow
er which applies and generalizes our knowledge.
knowledge dwels in heads repete with
thoughts of other men,
Wisdom, in minds attentive to their own"
Intellectual vigor is the logical antecedent to
the proper application and adaptation of knowl-
edge; it is to be acquired in youth and early
manhood, and thus it is not so much the prov
ince Of the teacher to impart information as to
fit his pupil to bring this intellectual activity to
bear upon questions that arise as he advances
in knowledge through life.
Another very prevalent error amongst parents
is, that the education of the child may be wholly
neglected until he is nearly grown, that the in
tellectual and 8sthetical should be held in
abeyance to the animal instincts, that the mind
is such feeble and delicate thing--though we
know its powers have scarcely limit-that it
will be overtaxed by the least labor. that a
child cannot improve his mind to any extent
without lupalring the vlgor of the physical
constitutions With such stuff, the most ordi-
nary observation and the experience of every
competent teacher is in direct conflict. Unless
a child is afflicted from some other cause, with
hydrocephalus or some brain disease, parents
/ have no need to fear any dangerous results from
the study and application of child properly
directed.
1t is sometimes asserted that arrangement of
mind in the adult is the result of hard study.
Possibly this may be true, but it may be safely
affirmed at the same time that whilst one indi-
vidual becomes demented from severe applica-
ton, ninety nine pass through life in a stupid
indifference to anything but animal comfort for
want of it.
If you wish to make stupid clown of your
son, raise him up in mental indolenoe until he
is sixteen or seventeen years OF age, and 1t a
more than ordinary native energy of mind do
not oppose you, you will assuredy accomplish
your end But this is not the worst of it Just
4 in proportion as the animal grows in advance
of the moral and intellectual, so much the
greater liability to vice and degradation
/ A child of nine years of age, of ordinary ca
pacity. with proper attention from the time he
!, is FIVE years old, with very short time allowed
to each day, say one hour distributed, can be
made to read with pleasure and understand
"Sandford and Merton, far better than boys
of seventeen who have been raised for the de-
velopment of flesh and muscle, and the animal
in place of mind. We speak of things whereof
we know
The mind should be developed pd7i pass,l
with the physical system. 1t requires more
. than ordinary energy and industry for boys
ever to recover from the reprehensible careless
ness of parents who suffer them to grow up in
ignorance and mental imbecility One of the
most difficult things for a teacher to accomplish
is, to aodke up such boy from the dull and stu
pid lethargy of mind, the petrJaction of intel
lect, which ensues upon such a course. This
) is plainly and emphaticaly our experience, and
: not our theory simply. K.
ASPEN HILL
) Hon. REvERDY JoHNsoNs LAST SPEECH
A correspondent of the Baltimore San says that
, the speech of Hon. Reverdy johnson, in the
Senate on Monday last in reply to Senators
! Trumhull and Morton was reIucta ntlv admitted