Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-06-29
AKELEYCONNENCENEN1


OF tnes. fair young souls, the blessing
Of the psaimist. The Lord grant thee
thy hearts desire and falnl al thy
Illnd."
But, my dear young friends, II to
grant your hearts desire, and 10 fulfil
al your mind Is 10 bs for you tile bless
ing We would have e. Il viii be because
your desires are for the Good and your
mind IS set upon the True, and your
powers are devoted 10 the attainment
of the Good and the True AT the essence
OF the Beautiful anu the desirable.
The True, tue Beautiful and the
Good you have beard the phrase ia
the course OF your studies. and you
may he sure that there ls.nothing beau
titul that Is not good, ana nothing
beautiful that IS not true. And of all
the beautiful things that this earth eau
offer, there - none that can compare
with the beautiful being which you
yourself may be, II you follow out the
christian education you have received,
by adding 10 such beauty of form and
feature as God has given you, the
beauty OF soul that Is good and OF
mind that IS true.
Let me point out, as well as l may
with few words, some of the waysln
which the training you have under
gone has been intended TO help you 10
this. | suppose those who speak 10
young persons about TO be- graduated
tell them often enough that education
Is not instruction. The true education
brings up young persons, by leading
out IN orderly procession, the powers
and faculties, with which God has en-
dowed them, so that they shall be able
TO make use OF body and mind and
soul for all the purposes for which they
were created, and therefore when per-
haps you IN studying some book may
have thought the object was that you
should know the things written therein,
those who were teaching you really
thought more OF the discipline which,
by making you acquire that knowledge,
aimed TO develop the powers and fac
ultles engaged in the study. and so, not
only 10 enable you TO do good and true
work IN the days that are to come, but
also to make you yourselves nobler and
richer In some element of q cultivated
and healthy womanhood.
And SO, a well-arrayed and well-bal-
anced curriculum, while 1t must of neces-
sity contain some studies. the object of
which Is principally TO convey informa-
ton, such AS geography and history,
nevertheless puts most of it's stress upon
subjects which develop and tram the
powers. And now, what are these
powers? Shall We group them as pow
ers OF perception, powers of thought
and powers of action?-the powers
which enable you TO see the world IN
which you live; the powers which ell
ables you TO Judge Alright of what you
see; and the powers which enable you
to carry your judgments into effect by
Doing the Right Thing, at tho Right
fine,
and in the right way. These it seems
10 me are the powers 10 be trained in
the education OF any person. What
then is to be the result of the training?
Not the mere laying away in the mem
ory Of the contents of so many books,
but the aptitude OF the peroeptive facIl-
ties 10 perceive plainly, and TO see and
hear clearly and accurately, to observe
closely, and not last nor least to fix the
attention upon the thing to bc attended
TO; the ability OF the thinking faculties
TO reason rightly, and TO imagine
nobly; aud the readiness of the execu-
tive faculties TO exert the full strength
for the great effort, and restrain 1t TO
tit measure for the sma!l--to be strong
and sustained, to be supple and quick
for the work that is TO be done.
See how far back your education in
this view OF II began. From the time
your infant eyes were first attracted by
the light your perceptlve faculties have
been undergoing training of one sort
or another. From the time you took
your first step, your executive powers
| have been III exercise. You have
needed for their development = physi-
cal training, that you may stand firmly
and move freely, and carry yourselves
gracefully. And therefore Christian
education does not disdain discipline
directed 10 this end, whether you call
1t calisthenlcs, or gymnastics, or simply
danclng-its aim being not to teach YOU
this Oh that figure or attitude; or to &C
comDllsh this or that feat of agility or
strength, but to give you firm standing
on Mother Earth, and free and graceful
motion as you tread your ways of duty
and beneficence IN your daily life. So
your voice and hand have been trained,
the voice to be true in speech and song,
by reading and Rotations and vocal
exercises. and the hand to be true, aud
the fingers nlmble, by such simple
learning as sewing and writing, as well
ss by the practice OF the hand III draw
ing, and the wonderful gymnastics of
the fingers on the piano.> And AS the
result OF this part OF your education, If
II have been carried far enough, you
have learned, not only to say lesson
well, but to say well anything you have
to say, to do neatly and effectively any
thing your hand finds To- do, and TO
carry yourselves with ease and dlgni ty
wherever you need TO go.
This was your physical education.
Your mental training deal 1t with the
perceptiye and thinking fscultles-the
power TO see and hear. the power TO at
tend, to observe, TO remember, To- rs;,-
son and judge, TO reproduce and imagi-
nation aud the fancy. Ii Was won
derful step in the education of your OBJ
servant and perceptIve faculties when
you learned to Distinguish one comhi-
nation OF letters from another, and TO
give each ia proper pronuncla ton.
And as you went on from that begin
ming until you reached the dignity of
The sciences of Observations.
and 10 the practices of the fine arts, the
result aimed at was not so much the IN
formation you gained, or the expert
nents YOU performed, or the prices you
finished a. the result IN yourself-the
framed accuracy the po4xarz of nor.