Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1885-11-28
"OOTAVIA.'
Lecture Delivered Before the
Pedagogical Society of ST.
Louis, by Prof.
Davidson.

[Selected and Detached Phrases only are
Presented.l
Prof. Davidson has passed many
years in Europe, and for some months
has been delivering public and parlor
lectures in the leading cities of the east
and west of the United States.
The subject of the lecture before the
teachers of St. Louis was
THE PLACE OF ART IN EDUCATION.
The lecturer stated that his address
was merely resume of a previous
paper read ON another occasion. His
desire was to suit theory to the exis-
tent system of public school education.
We have not yet grown out of the old
ideas; those which sprung from the
Puritans, the past days of rigidity in
Catholicism, and the prosecutions of
the Protestants. They are weakening,
lessening perceptibly, yet they hold
more sway than we wish to acknow-
ledge or even realize. The effects of
Puritanism, upon us are so strong that
we are forced to realize how much
of its influence fingers and is found in
our customs and habits. Puritanism
limits this life to morality. The aesthetic
is totally neglected.
1t was said OF a certain class of
Puritans that they objected to the cock
fight not because it hurt the cocks, but
because it gave pleasure 10 the people,
1t is small part of an education to
read and write, to keep the decalogue,
| to cultivate the severe and austere ten
denotes, but this was the narrow edu-
cation advocated by the Puritans. 1t
was good, such principles are good so
far as they gO-mistake not in this
but it gives little comfort, little breadth
of culture aud no pleasure.
1t is we'll to have proper respect for
oppression and for liberty, but to re-
member that truth lies half way be-
tween. The true and the beautiful and
the good must be cultivated equally.
The scientist and philosopher cdlti-
vate the true severely to the exclusion
of the good and beautiful. they are
best, when harmoniOusiy developed.
For the three faculties are but the ex-
preston of the same thing. The true
is valuable only 50 far as it enables us
to recognize the good. The good, val
liable to the extent of enabling us to
recognize the beautiful. The true d.
rects to the good. The good leads on to
the beautiful. Many persons are ac-
customed to think the beautiful has
reference only to that of which the eye
and ear become the mediums of COM
munication, or the avenue of cOgniZ-
ance. But, rather the beautiful is every
thing that excites our enthusiasm,
draws out our love with no reprehen-
sion from the moral sense. The beau
tiful is alike embodied in a poem, an
architectural structure, heroic deed.
The highest essence of the beautiful,
in fact the quintessence of the true and
beautiful and good is heroic life.
Realized good is the beautiful. Beauty
concerns not only externals but the
whole breadth of thought, the inner
nature the spiritual essence of the soul.
Meretricious beauty appeals to scnsa-
ton alone, not to any higher form; this
should be frowned upon. 1t is one
form. and a lower form, sensation not
emotion. The beautiful words of the
Bible comparing the lilies of the field
to the glory of Solomon, bears a strik-
ingly true and valuable lesson on its
tace.