was, and she said it was what told us right and wrong. Well, did you look within, and find there was Conscience? Yes. Such of you as think you were told of Conscience, before you found it out, may hold up your hands. Most of them did. How many of you think your conscience began to be, when you were told of it? Some did; and the little boy added, there was a spirit before. Was not this the way with you; there was a feeling before, and your mother made a thought of the feeling? Oh yes. Some, however, thought there was a time when there was neither a feeling nor a thought. Can you conceive that the spirit lived before your bodies were made? Most of them said yes. About half a dozen including the older ones, thought it was not possible. Mr. Alcott then said; I observe that those who cannot conceive of Spirit without body, existing in God before it comes out upon the earth, are the very ones who have required the most discipline and punishment, and have the least love of obedience. The rest are those who exercise most self-control, and seem to have the most Conscience. Have you all Conscience? Yes. How did you get it? No one knew. At last a boy of seven, (mentioned once before) said, God gives us our consciences. When? Why, when we have learned right and wrong, God sends us Conscience to make us do right. So I think, said the oldest boy in school. Is it born in the soul, said Mr. Alcott, or does God add it to the soul? He adds it. Is it some thing new? Yes. Yes. Do the rest think so? No one agreed. And the oldest boy said, it is in the soul, but it does not act, till there is knowledge. Does it ever act, then, fully? No. True; there is much in the spirit that can never be represented in thought, or acted out, at least on earth. And so, little boy, when you went to be washed, you did not ask of conscience whether you were going to act right or wrong, while you were being washed? No; I was a very little boy, and I used to think if I did not do what was right, my mother would punish me. Was that all you thought about right and wrong; being punished and not being punished? Yes, that was all. Well, what do you think about it now? Now I think of Pilgrim. What part of Pilgrim's Progress? Fighting Apollyon, said the child. Do you think you should be better if you never were punished? No, for I should wish to do wrong, and it would be very wrong to wish to do wrong. How many of you think your wishes are almost always good? Two boys held up their hands. How many think their wishes are too often bad? Two; and the little boy questioned was one. When you wish to do wrong, what stops you? My conscience; when I want to hug very little children so hard that it would hurt them, and I very often do, my conscience stops me. Does your conscience go into your mind and find out a reason for not hugging these little children? Yes; the reason is, it would hurt them to be hugged so hard. Did you ever wish to strike? No, never in my life. How far does your desire to hurt by hugging carry you? Why, as far as my conscience lets me go. This child speaks very slowly, which aids his meaning. How many of you keep all your feelings within the limit which Conscience says is right? Not a single one held up his hands. When Conscience does limit your feelings within the bounds of right, what spiritual action do you perform? Obedience, said several. Mr. Alcott again turned to the little boy and said, supposing you should say when you wanted to do some particular thing, Oh I must do it, (though Conscience says no.) And so you do a little worse than Conscience would allow to-day; and to-morrow you go a little farther; and to-morrow a little farther. What sort of a boy should you be at last? Just such a boy as he named one of the worst boys in school. Can you do wrong, and escape punishment in your mind? No, never; it always makes me worse. Suppose a boy is angry, what is the punishment in his mind? Why, he feels as if he could take the world and break it into two pieces, tear it in halves; and Mr. Alcott! will you let me tell you what part of Pilgrim's Progress I like best? Yes, said Mr. Alcott. It is where Mr. Greatheart is killing the Giant Despair. Is there any Mr. Greatheart in you? Yes, and he is just killing the Giant Despair; for once I thought I should never be good. Why not? Why, I would get tired sitting, and so leave off doing something, and look around. Should you like to be very good? Oh yes. How good? Good as I can be. Who was the best man in the world? Lafayette. Was he the very best? Oh no, it was Jesus Christ! I am surprised I could forget that! How many of you think, said Mr. Alcott, that you can be as good as Jesus Christ in another world? Several held up their hands. Do any of you feel in despair, as if you never could be what you want to be? Several held up their hands. One said he was in despair of doing what he wanted to do with his mind. What do you want to do with it? He could not explain. Several said they wanted to be good. One said he would go through fire to be good. Another said he wanted to have a strong mind. Strong thoughts or feelings? Strong thoughts. Another wanted to be good, and to do good. Yes, said Mr. Alcott, part of being good is doing good. I cannot conceive of being good without the goodness shaping itself into actions. Several wanted to have self-knowledge. One wanted to have selfcontrol. Another wanted to be generous. Such of you, said Mr. Alcott, as think you came into the world to do all these things you have spoken of, may hold up your hands. All held up their hands. Do you know recess-time is passed, half an hour? No, said all, with great surprise, looking at the clock. Well, there is still half an hour. You may take half of it for recess; or I will read from Krummacher. They decided to hear the reading, and he read THE VOICE OF CONSCIENCE. A rich man, named Chryses, gave orders that a poor widow and her five children should be driven out of one of his houses, because she was unable to pay the rent. But when his servants came to her, the woman said; Oh! grant a little delay; perhaps your master may take pity on us: I will go to him and implore his forbearance. The widow thereupon went to the rich man with four of her children, (for one of them lay sick,) and they all earnestly entreated that they might not be turned out. But Chryses said, I cannot recal my commands; unless ye pay forthwith what ye owe me, ye must go. The mother then wept bitterly, and said: Alas! the at . tendance on my sick child has consumed all my earnings and prevented me from working. And the children prayed with their mother that they might not be cast out. But Chryses turned from them, and went forth to the pavilion in his garden, and lay down according to custom on a couch to repose himself. It was a sultry day, and close to the pavilion flowed a stream which diffused refreshing coolness, and the air was so serene that scarcely a breeze stirred. Then Chryses heard the murmur of the reeds on the banks, but it sounded to him like the moaning of the children of the poor widow; and he became uneasy upon his couch. He then listened to the noise of the stream, and it was as though he lay on the shore of a boundless sea, and he turned upon the pillow. When he again listened, the thunder of a rising tempest pealed at a distance, and then he felt as if he heard the trump of the last judgment. He then rose forthwith, and hastened to the house, and commanded his people to admit the poor widow again into the cottage; but she had gone forth into the wilderness with her children, and was no where to be found. The storm meanwhile approached, and the thunder rolled, and the rain descended in torrents. And Chryses walked to and fro and was full of uneasiness. On the following day, Chryses received tidings that the sick child had died in the forest, and that the mother had gone away with the others. Then did the garden, and his pavilion, and his couch become hateful to him, and he no longer delighted in the coolness of the murmuring stream. Chryses soon afterwards fell sick, and in the heat of the fever, he incessantly heard the murmur of the reeds, and the noise of the stream, and the faint rolling of the approaching thunder. And so he gave up the ghost. WILL. Mr. Alcott began the next analysis, March 11th, by first asking questions to define the word power. Is power in you, or out of you ? One said, out of you; that is, out of your soul; but it is in the body. The rest simply agreed that power was in us. On being asked what one word included all the powers of the human being, one said, Will. Mr. Alcott asked if these powers were always in action? Yes, was the answer; which was afterwards modified, on their being led to see, that we felt more and thought more, at some times, than others. He then asked questions to define the word quicken. It was decided that to quicken a thought or feeling, was to call it forth into action. He asked such as thought that they had been quickened since they came to this school, to hold up their hands. Many did so. What has quickened They severally and simultaneously replied, your spirit; your conscience; your life. you? He then asked questions to define the word tempt. He described a temptation, without using the word, and they recognized it. What is the object of temptation? said he. To quicken the powers, was the final answer. He asked several of them what tempted them most? A little boy answered, I cannot tell yet, I have not done-(thinking, he meant.) Many answered, play; pleasure; appetites. Some did not know. The thinker at last said, he wanted to pull people about more than any other wrong thing. Who says they were never tempted? No one. He described a temptation, and a resistance to it, and asked what would be the effect upon their spirits, of going through such exercises? They answered that they should grow stronger in spirit. Such of you as think you grow stronger in spirit, by resisting temptation, hold up your hands; do you understand how it is? They all thought they did. Such of you as think you have already weakened your spirits by yielding to temptation; I mean those who eat too much, drink too much, play too much, may hold up your hands. All the hands went up. When he had asked many questions to define the word discipline, he said, who have been disciplined in this school? Many. Who feel they have needed discipline? The same. Who think Mr. Alcott disciplines your minds? All. Who think that they are in a better state of discipline than they were? All. Who has often said, I will? All. feeling that leads to saying, I will not? hands. You all have a will? Yes. Who has had the All held |