ed his answers, during this analysis, with those of the two former children, could fail to see the difference between their absolute simplicity, and his non-committal spirit.

Well, some of you desire to obey the law of the spirit? what is the difference between Desire and Resolution? Resolution has Will in it; Resolution has Thought in it; Resolution has Self-denial in it; Resolution is Spirit;were the various answers. How many of you have seen

people in the world, who can refrain from revenge? Many thought they had. How many respect yourselves the more, when you have given up to your passions? None. Do you know that revenge is the principle of murder: how many have felt this murderous principle? Several. How many think you have power within you, if you will use it, to master the desires of the body? Many did. Three boys thought they had not. How do you expect the power will come? said he to one. I do not expect it will come. What! God has sent you into the world, and told you to seek good, and yet you expect never to feel the power! Have you no Spirit? He was silent. Oh, you have a giant spirit within you stronger than all the earth-it will remove mountains if you will call upon it.

One of the boys here said, It is twelve o'clock. Who think it a punishment to be here? said Mr.Alcott. None. Who think it a reward to come to school? All. How many think there would be no punishment here, if the law of the Spirit was obeyed? All. How many of you think that all my punishments are to bring you back to the law of the Spirit? All. Why do you not come under the law of the spirit of yourselves? There was no answer. I kept a school once, in which there was no punishment; but the reward was, to come and see me twice a week in the evening, or to stop with me half an hour after school. How many would like it, if I had this reward now? Several held up their hands. Why? One said, I should like the instruction; another, I should be benefited; &c.

Well, said Mr. Alcott to the boy thus analysed, you have been weighed in the balance to day, and even according to your own opinion, have been found wanting in one respect perhaps you have felt yourself wanting on both points, on which we have conversed.

APPETITES.

Mr. Alcott said, Shall any one want any thing, during our lesson? Seven or eight boys asked for water, and Mr. Alcott took the pitcher and a cup, and went to each, and gratified the want. He remarked that this was a practical illustration of the subject of the day,-Appetites. One boy who had asked, said he would wait till recess; but Mr. Alcott insisted on his drinking.

Having done this, he said, the Soul wants to satisfy itself in its search after Pleasure. This want is called Desire. Desire is the law of the Soul. What is a law? A command, said one. Something that must be done, said another. Is there Desire in Appetite? Yes. What is Appetite? It is a part of the Soul, said a boy of five. Several said, No; Appetite grows out of the body. Suppose the body dead, said Mr. Alcott, is there Appetite in it? No. Why not? Because it is not alive. What made it alive? The Soul. Then Appetite is in the Soul, and operates through the body; is not that it? There was still a doubt, and he went on, It is common to confound the organs of appetite with the appetites; but can you not conceive there could be Appetite without a body? They could not conceive of this. Does the eye see? A boy of five said, When we look on any picture, there is a picture reflected into the inside of our eyes, and the Mind sees it. But you know, said Mr. Alcott, there are some pictures which we see by our Imagination? Well, said the child, the way that is, I will tell you: The pictures we look at, out of us, go into our minds, and change, and mix up, and come before our minds in new forms. Do these pictures come into our outward eyes? Oh, no! our mind looks into itself, and sees them. As many of you as think the Soul sees by the eyes, and that the eyes would not see, if it were not for Soul, may hold up your hands. They all did. As many of you as think the appetites are the Soul seeking for pleasure, by organs, as the Soul looks out, by an organ of vision, hold up your hands. Only a part did; and one boy, who did not, said, people do not always have Appetite, though they all have bodies. The sick have no appetite.

Mr. Alcott replied, Appetite is not merely after food, but

for any bodily gratification or easement.

He then asked if they thought the desire of sleep an appetite? the desire of motion? the desire of sweet sounds? the desire of seeing beauty? the desire of smelling sweet odours, and of touching delicate things? Most of them agreed, that these seemed to them appetites. Well, said he, do not all these desires manifest themselves in the body? Yes. Yet they are soul? Yes. What do the appetites want? Food, said one. All outward things, said another. Are outward things adapted to the Soul's appetites? Yes. Do you think there is enough in the world to satisfy the appetites? Yes. Is there enough outward to satisfy the soul's spiritual wants, its love, faith, power? None held up their hands.

How do you know when the appetites have obtained enough? We are satisfied, said the little girl analysed. What is the law? Satisfaction. Is not temperance a better word? said Mr. Alcott. And are you temperate in your desire for these gratifications we have mentioned? Generally. In what do you find yourself most liable to fail? She did not know. Have you an inordinate desire for food? No. Do you eat to gratify your taste, or to satisfy your hunger? For the last. Do you drink any thing to please your taste? No. Do you pursue amusement beyond the rule of temperance? Sometimes; but not without thinking of Conscience, said she, adding the last part of the sentence as an after thought. A boy here said there was no use in carrying Conscience into play. She said she could not conceive how we could help carrying Conscience into all we do. Mr. Alcott said, every thing, even amusement, has a tendency to good or evil, and Conscience always speaks on that question.

This gave rise to conversation on the subject of amusements, and the character of plays, and their effects on the habits of the mind and heart, and the duty of having plays that will cultivate and purify the Imagination. Some anecdotes were told to illustrate the evil of playing with no plan, and of playing like brutes; and the good effects of playing beautiful imaginative plays. Mr. Alcott described a place of amusement, which should be fitted up with every embellishment that art could afford; and in which there should be every assistance that sympathy with youthful joyance could give. They were very much delighted;

and he asked if such a place on Boston Common would not change the character of Boston boys? They thought it certainly would.

Then he said, what do you think you should be, if the restraining power of Conscience was taken off? The various answers were: bad; just like satan; a fool; a monkey; a donkey; a snake; a slave; a liar; an idiot; a toad. (I could not help telling Mr. Álcott afterwards, that I was struck with the names of these animals; for every one seemed to hit upon the very animal he did resemble.) One girl said, I should do a great many bad things; another said, I should do all the wicked things that can be thought of; and a little boy said, I should not know anything, I should be a kind of a drunken person.

Now, as many as disobey Conscience, may hold up their hands. They all did. Well, you become, in the same degree as you disobey, just what you would become if you had no conscience! Who has done wrong to-day? Many held up their hands, and then confessed the particulars, What is the result of our analysis to-day? That this little girl is temperate in seeking gratifications of her appetites.

THE AFFECTIONS.

Mr. Alcott took the Bible to read from it. He then asked some questions to bring their minds into attention. One was, do you know what the meaning of the word Affection is? They all held up their hands. Then we are not going to speak of a subject, of which you know nothing. How many think it is an interesting subject to talk about? Several. How many think it is interesting to feel affection. All. Who, of all persons that ever lived, knew the most about affection; was it Jesus Christ? Yes. I am going to read this morning what he says about friendship.

He began, They were at supper, Jesus and his friends, it was their last supper together. He was going very soon to do something which would show what friendship was; but first he was going to talk about it. Shall you be interested to hear what he said? Many held up their hands. If there are any who wish rather to go into the anti-room than to hear this reading, they may go. There was con

siderable demur, when about eight concluded to go. He stopped them, and aked them if they thought it right to go? And having called up many reasons why they should not, by asking them questions, so that some concluded they would prefer to stay, the rest went. When they had been gone a little while, he went out and called them all in.

He then asked some more questions, and proceeded to read. The paraphrase of the conversation at the supper was very beautiful. He then laid aside the Bible, and arranged the school for the analysis.

Is Conscience the law of affection? Yes. Could there be any love without Conscience? Silence. Can you like another without Conscience? Here was a difference of opinion. Do you like any body whom you do not love? Yes. Do you love any body whom you do not like? No. Do any of you think the body loves? No. Do the appetites love? They love good eating. Do you love to eat, or like to eat? Some said they loved, and some said that they liked the object of appetite. Loving, said Mr. Alcott is all it seems, and much more; liking seems more than it is. Who think it is wrong to like to eat, like to play, &c. ? One said, it is sometimes right and sometimes wrong. Liking is not wrong, said Mr. Alcott; but who think it is wrong to like these things better than our spirits? Most held up their hands. That is the very mistake that the drunkard, the sluggard, the glutton, and all who love their appetites, make. You have all of you been drunk, not with rum, or wine, but with amusement, with pleasure. There was a good deal of answer to this remark, which was completely understood.

Who think it is wrong to have pleasure? Some held up their hands. Do you think so? I do not; but how are we going to find out when you have pleasure enough? By Conscience, said one. Yes, the bowl is at our lips; but Conscience says, that's enough; Conscience takes care even of our bodies. He made some personal applications, and then went on; you know it is the Spirit that sees, that feels, that touches, &c. Suppose God had so made our bodies, that every time the Spirit wanted to see, hear, taste, touch, smell, eat, drink, or move, it must be accompanied with some pain of the body, would life be as it is now?