The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1888-11-15
Education.

| OF all the topics claiming share of our at
tention at the present day, that of education i,
the most important. While it i. needful and
right that political questions should he dis
cussed, well disciplined mind is of the utmost
importance to render the discussion profitable.
Noman of ordinary observation will attempt
| to dispute the advantages derived from dis
ciplining the mind, to say nothing of the in
formation gained by proper course of applica-
ton There are many questions the import
ance of which no one would presume to doubt
But the first object of man is to develop both
body and mind, then he is qualified to ill any
position devolving upon him. We find man at
the present day of almost every grade of intcl-
lectual development in different parts of the
world
The child of barbarism is no more barbarian
than the child of civilization, when placed
early under the same influence. The infant
mind is simply an embryo of its future self.
awaiting development.
1t is through the agency of hearing that We
become familiar with the forms of language
and acquire the power of cnunciation by prac-
tice. 1t is through the medium of sight that
we procure our ideas OF the appearance of the
external world 1t is by the power or faculty
OF memory that we are favored with conrep-
tions of past experience. Hence the necessity
of cultivating the memory.
The five senses, hearing, seeing, smelling.
tasting and feeling are given u, in q state of
perfection, although it is ly experience we are
enabled to make a practical Use of them. But
the memory and Other attributes of the mind
are mere nothing compared with what they
may be made to he. And this making is The
work Of the Individual and not of another.
some persons mistake 4 well stored memory
for education. This i Il fatal mistake; for u
scholar may commit an English grammar tu
memory, and still have 10 practical literary
knowledge. lie may bc able to work some
mathematical questions from memory and still
not be practical mathematician. But An
understanding Of the principles invoked in
one question enables him to solve every other
question Of that class. The same remarks are
applicable to an undue dependence upon mem
ory IN every department of knowledge Al
other error more common. and consequently
more destructive, is the haiit of dcpcndin. too
largely upon teacher.
We are apt to consider self appEicatiou n
hard way Of a>ccrtaininy TRUTH when ii i, 80
much easier to be told. But the moment we
depend upon another to perform any work
which we can accomplish ourselves we ale
departing from the sure road to success. Tie
work required to practically comprehend a
principle is but trivial compared to that re-
q!Ire'l to establish that principlc. We must
not depend upon our contemporaries, not ON
the glorious triunph> of our laboriou> pre-
derrN~orN, bnt upon our own personal Xcrtion
Lord Napier learned to ply his own faculties
ana ihus he a$ Il scholar outreacEp1 any of hi.
tutors. while if he had fallen into th,. nd,-
lent way of waiting to be told what he biri-
self could study out, he would have failed to
gam that discipline of mind which constitutes
scholar, and his name world lon. since have
sunk INTO oblivion. The same may be said of
alt great men whose intellectual achievements
haN" built up our civilization. What Napier
was IN mathematics nesrArtrs, Newton and
Bacon i'll science. and Shakes pearr in literature.
We should be to-day, making the best Of our
ablIlty ;nd privileges for the promotion of that
noble cause The bettcrmcnt of mans e-t:tt,..'
Aftet the mind ht, taken its first step, of de-
Nelopment, which are effected through the
medium of the bodily senses. its latent Inherent
powers mu>t be aroused and called into activity.
l ne ilr>t requisite is interest. If prr>nu j.
Interested IN his work he will exercise every
power oi body and mind to accomplish that
work. 10 be interested i'll any work We must
ilrSt appreciate its value. In this cnlightrcl
tp