Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1878-01-09
Trimming the Perceptiyes.

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President Chadbourne, of Williams College,
made an interesting address upon botanical
theme. In commencing, he spoke, says a
reporter, of the marked lack of accurate OBJ
servations so general, aud he proved this by
a process that came home personally to the
audience. Drawing the outline of an apple
on the blackboard, he requested those who
thought the sharp point of the seeds TO
point towards the stem, to raise their hands,
which was done by few; next, those who
believed the direction towards the calyx,
when rather larger number gave the sign,
When he called for a confession from those
who knew not which way the seeds pointed
the majority of know-nothings, on this point,
was overwhelming, large enough, as the
speaker observed to send him to Congress
And the audience was put in the best of hu.
NOR by lesson that proved, "by large
majority" the Ignorance of nneteen-twen-
tieths in regard to what might reason
ably be supposed to be very familiar subject.
At the meeting of the Connecticut Board,
the next week, Professor Stockbridge, of the
Massachusetts Agricultural College, told of
farmer who bought new plough and used
it whole year, fretting about it the whole
time because it took too small furrow, aud
yet did not see that the little pin in the end
of the beam which holds the clevis in place,
had, by some mistake, been left in one of the
outside holes instead of the middle where il
belonged.
Recently says the Northampton Mass }
reporter of the Springfield Republican, a
conclave of lawyers got into warm debate
on the question whether COW has any
upper teeth, and finally left it to the court
house janitor, formerly of agricultural pro
clivities, who announced it in the negative
They then asked him how about sheep
and he stepped out to consult an experienced
butcher, who didn't dare to reply till he had
examined the jaws of a sheep recently killed
We have all read with wonder of the cas-,
with which our Indian finds his way through
painless forest; the almost magical skill
with which he tracks wild beast or
human being that he can tell how long il
is since they passed, whether the bear had
cubs with her. how many were in a party OF
men, whether it was war or hunting party
and hundreds of similar things, which il
would be vain for any white man, without
an Indian training, to essay.
On the other hand, we have read with
amusement, not unalloyed with pity, and
perhaps little contempt, of the helplessnes,
of Greek professors, of great lawyers and Of
deep metaphysicans in all affairs of com
mon life. Every country village has its
anecdote of the minister or lawyer who il
embarrassing the horse took the harness al
TO pieces, or who could not harness him al
all; who thought his beans did not know
how to come up, but turned them over when
they appeared above ground with many
such yarns" true or founded on facts.
What makes this difference between the
Indian and the Greek professor? To answer
this question it is necessary to know and
consider that the mind has two sets OF
faculties, the perceptive and the reflective
1t is then easy to see that the Indian has
had thorough training of his perceptve
faculties, aud the professor none at all
The Indian drew his wisdom from the world
of nature and of practical life the professor
obtained his from books. His was one
sided training, in which the reasoning powers
only were developed. The Indians train
ing, though limited, was not one-sided, fol
he had not only to observe, but to reason
correctly from the things he observed.
And this brings us to the point we wish
TO make, namely, that while scientific
training develops the whole mind, both per
ceptive and rational, classical training de-
man with this kind of training has mine
like grist-mill, that depends on others u
supply the grist while the training of the
whole man by scientific study may be
likened to farm with mill upon it, that
both produces and grinds the grain
We have no objection to the exclusive de
velopment of one set of faculties for the few
whose taste runs in that direction. There
are certain advantages in it, and in our high
and complex civilization there is place anC
use for monstrosities of this kind, rs there
is for COWS that run all to milk, and bullock,
that run all to beef. We can afford to sup
port them for what they produce.
But for the vast mtjorty of man and
woman-kind, who must live by heir labor
or steal or become ptup-rs, the develop
ment Of the perceptive or observing power
Of the mind is essential. The argument
used against this, that il leaves iallow tn,
rational powers, is entirely erroneous. |
does not develop them abnormally, as tn
other method does, but it gives them
healthy aud natural growth, just in proper
ton to the growth of the percrptiye powers
The Indian does not study logic or oratory
yet his enforced study OF nature gives hin
a mental development which makes hin
what some call natural " orator AN,
logician---a rather Dogberran view of tn
subject, surely. The school OF nature i
well justified in its Indian pupils, as far a
they go; which, however, is but little be
low the surface of things,
Why is 1t that the farmer, as shown b
the anecdotes with which we began this al
tice, is but step in advance, 50 far as tn
development OF his perceptiveS are concerned
Of the lawyer, the Greek professor, or tn
metaphysician The farmer is in constan
contact with nature, almost az much so
the Indian yet the observing faculties Ii
so sealed in his mind that the very existenc
of nature, save as she touches him in hi
simplest physical wants, il almost unfel
How few farmers know even the names c
onetenth of the plants, useful or hurtfu
that grow on their own land-to say notl
ing of their properties. How few kno
anything of the composition of soils, {
even OF their origin, aud their relation
the rocks. How few are acquainted wit
the structure and functions of their dome
tic animals How few know snythir
of show plants feed" and show plan
grow" How few can inteligenty ada
their fertilizers TO the special needs of pa
ticnlar crops. How few are acquainted vii
the mechanical laws aud principles i
yolyed in the construction of the implemen
they use