Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-06-21

knowledge IL could fmpart 70 It's students
by examining or any other mode of trans
ferring facts and truths from one mind to
another. 1t does not adopt Lessings
proyerb and regard the seeking Of truth as
preferable TO the truth itself, but APP
preciatipe the fact that the mind of one
who would receive knowledge must be ex-
ercised actively, and to sonae extent after
the same manner as the mind making the
original discovery; and despairing of ever
being able, by any course Of instruc-
ton which exercises the memory
alone, to communicate all needed
knowledge, it endeayors by its tasks so to
exercise all the faculties OF the mind EN-.
ployed in acquiring genuine knowledge
and in wisely using it, during the few
wears the student is under its control, that
he NAV ever after be able easily, accurate
Y. Thoroughly, to make his own disc0y-
sries and inform himself in such branches
OF knowledge as he may choose. This It
can scarcely be doubted, is Tar more val
uable service to him than would be the IN
struction he might have been given in those
things only which he needs to know in his
daily labor. III we can modify Lessing's
saving after this fashion we may safely &C
cent if-"If God should offer me in His
right hand all knowledge, and in His left
the power to acquire all knowledge,
wonId choose the latter" But this is an
alternative that God Himself cannot offer
TO man as at present constituted,-al
knowledge could not become ours except
by an exercise of the power OF acquiring II.
This esteem in which we hold the power 70
ACQUIRE knowledge accounts for our col,
leges retaining the study OF dead
languages, in ,,,ov WHICH m no,h;nS
IH..,,;.,, without which the
,nnt in the application of rules and
the acceptance or rejection OF various pos
sible meanings, cultiyatinga nice dlscrim-
ination invaluable to men who follow
widely different vacations; discipline IN
the gathering and weighing OF probabilities
which characterizes every business man
and manufacturer and the lack OF which ac-
counts for many failure-these are I'm.
portant powers of the mind brought INTO
Exercise in the translation of every SEN
tence. That the discipline thus atfordedis
a valuable aid to one who wouid
pursue special study appears not only
from considering the Importance Oh the
discriminating faculty developed therepy,
but from the experience OF educators as
we'll. Professors of the sciences In our col,
leges, in whose classes those who nave nsu
the benefits of classical discipline, STUDY
side BY side the same physical SCIENCE
testify to the greater readiness ana thor.
Ougbness with which the classical student
acquires knowledge, and declare that mo
foundation for becoming yersed In science
is as good as the regular classi.
cal course" And, to secure TINS
preparation of the mind before entering
on a special study for life work, variety
of branches is placed in the curriculum. III
is not presumed the student will master
them all. Leonardo da Vinci, Pascal, and
Aristotle might attain eminence in many
departments in their day, but II may De
doubted il even these wonderful minus
could excel in the multiplied and EXTENDED
branches Of knowledge in our DAY. o9in'
pared with authorities in various branches
II may be ONLY lust to charge the average
college graduate with superiiciality. ana
il is certainly plausible to declare that II
w0uld be better to have thorough knowi-
edge of a half.dozen. But let 1t be re-
marked first, that il is his own fault II the
graduate have only smattering knowledge
of any branch of study he has pursued In
COLLEGE. With average ability and average
application he should be familiar with the
leading facts, classifcations and principles,
and If he have these outlines he has some
thing more valuable than smattering.
general knowledge, accurate as lar as II
goes, is not superticiality. And, second,
for purposes OF discipline snort
course in several studies is better than
n long course in one. The same faculties
NAV be exercised but variety OF subject
gives variety of application. Nariety OF
Sourishment is better for both mind and
body. Analytical and synthetical powers
are exercised in taking apart ana putting
together the works of watch, but they are
developed by passing from the, watch to
other mechanisms, and from mechanlsms
to organisms, and from organisms 10 forms
of knowledge, as the various sciences, ana
from forms of knowledge to forms OIL
thought AS analysis and synthesis are
involved in every act of knowledge, as we
cannot be said to know anything until we
are able to take il apart and put 1t togeth-
er, facility in these processes Is OF lncaicu Gu
lahlas q knowledge Caited botany,
let him analyze another called zoology, and
then another called geology, and then an
other called chemistry, and the science OF
language, and the systems of philosophy;
and if he cannot be called
master in any OF these, yet he ought to
be able to undertake the understanding of
any new system, and by sufficient study
acquire the mastery of it. The speed with
which some men can master the contents
of q new book, fifteen minutes glance
from chapter to chapter, often giving them
another man would obtain by careful read
ing of every sentence, is due chiefly to
highly cultivated powers of analysis, Guilt
waited by the varied exercises to which they
have been subjected If student, then,
would become a specialist will he not do
we'll to exercise and develop the principal
faculty of the mind involved in the acqui-
sition of knowledge by analysing and put
ting together into system various other
L. he of Rot / RI
that the mastery of one branch OF science
involves, of necessity, general knowledge
Of many other branches. We recognize the
necessity of every mans paying special at
tention to some one thing. Division OF
labor has invaded the domain of mind, and
no one can hope to be eminent in more
Than one department. The great preacher
cannot be also the great theologiaR. THE
successful man is not he who can do many
things indifferently, but one thing in
superior manner" and he can not do that
one thing in superior manner unless he
pay special attention to the doing OF that
one thing. The men who are quoted as au-
thOrities in scientific investigation are men
who have devoted attention to some small
corner in the field of science. One makes
the ant his specially; another fossil sea
shells, and another beetles. But it should
not be overlooked that nature is one and
tnat all sciences are Closely related, forming
indeed a system, and that no man can hope
to attain eminence in any division of the
system who is ignorant Of the other divi-
sion and Of the system as a whole. The
geologist; he must be zoologist and a pal.
eontologiSt; he must know something of
physics, chemistry, higher mathematics
and astronomy. Ii he is to have an intelli-
gent opinion on the speculative questions
of his science, he must be a meta.
physician, and he ought to
be also a respectable theologian.
with whatever promise of science" says
Prof. Flint, "a thoughtful man occupies
himself, he soon becomes aware that it has
intimate and manifold connections with
with other premises, and if he try to trace
these connections out he will ere long per.
ceive that the sciences are not isolated
things, but so bound together as to consti-
tute unity which is the reflection of the
unity of nature and the unity of that Su.
preme Reason which peryades all nature
and originates all intelligence He cannot
even define his own chosen branch of SCI
enee without an accurate knowledge of all
contiguous branches, nor can he make pro-