Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-03-14
THE EDINBURGH REVIEWS

The January number of this quarter
ly carries it into the third quarter OF
the seventy first year of its age, with
out showing any signs of a second
childhood. Its aim has been and still
is, to unite the conservation of all that
is good in the past and present, with
steady progress in knowledge and i'm
provement, to attain greater benefits
and advantages IN the future Libra
ries, ancient and modern, form the
subject of the leading article, which
gives the reader information concern
ing the libraries of Roman and Greek
soLele-s, and rr-l,lio. libraries in Rome.
Bzzantium, Alexandra, Athens and
other ancient cities, as well as those in
some Of the large modern cities OF
Europe. In King Solomon's time, he
thought that ''to the making of many
books there is no end" yet,
how little did he dream of
the daily work Of steam printing
machines by the ten thousand in our
day and generation. As dead plants
and animals supply abundant food for
living ones, so the products of dead
brains give not only intellectual energy
and penetration to living thought, but
new powers Of expansion wholly IN
known to any predecessors. The think
ing and wisdom garnered in the libra
ries of to-day are vastly more diversi-
fed and exact IN science and history
than any in the libraries of Aristotle,
Plato and Socrates. So far from having
reached senility or being exhausted,
this wonderful acknowledgement
appears to be in the full vigor of early
childhood, and connects by visible
growth and umistakabls powers,
the finite with the infinite,
The eighth article in the Rerietv dis
cusses 'The Results of the Education
Act" and is worth the reading of all
educators In this country. Like every
other institution of any value, a good
system Of education is the solid forma-
ton Of time. The union of Church
and State In England, vast surplus
of sectarian tradition and bitterness,
and the extreme poverty of themasses,
all conspire to retard the universal ed
ucation of the people. So soon as a
child is old enough to attend school, it
is strong enough TO work and earn
the bread it eats, the clothes it wears,
the pallet on which it sleeps, and the |
fuel that cooks its food and helps keep |
it warm. Extreme poverty IN its pa
rents, and several younger and helpless
responsibilities on their hands, |
make this early demand for
the daily labor of school children:
How will you apply compulsory at
tendance at free public schools under
such circumstances? If the matter
was closely investigated similar diff
culties would be found IN our own
State. Children are kept FROM school
to work and earn their victuals and
clothes. This fact develops the neces-
sity of industrial schools for the most
perfect and economical education of
poor laboring people. Their energy of
muscle must be used as capital to sup
ply their physical wants, while the
State cultivates their psychological
garden spot now grown up in thorns
and thistles. Many nations are slowly
but securely learning the lesson that it is
cheaper not to expend so much in taxes
to breed, rear and punish Grim
inals, and a little more to pre-
vent crime and extreme poverty.
The State has the ability to make It's
society whatever 1t sees fit to have it;
and with this great social and political
power rests corresponding responsible
ity. Activity is not enough; it must be
activity wisely directed to some good
purpose. More than half of the worlds
activity, both mental and material, is
worse than thrown away. 1t is force
misapplied, ike rolling round rocks to
the top of mountain to see them roll
back again to the bottom. There is
abundant force In nature for all need
full uses and purposes. How to utilize
this vast and wholly unestimated ener-
gy, which is capital in idle muscle,
brain, land and sunshine, or in such as
are misemployed, is the problem to be
solved as time advances, and one gen.
Grafton succeeds another.
Reprinted bv the Leonard Scott Publishing |
Company, New York.