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possible, that all should study Latin and the other branches of culture, while I would by no means neglect the useful studies. Our countrymen are practical and prosaic to a proverb, they need to have the fancy and the imagination and the higher reason cultivated as a check on the prevailing tendency.

3. A higher purpose of education than the training of the intellect is the proper direction and stimulation of the moral powers, and this is, consequently, much more difficult. It is easy to communicate knowledge of many kinds to bright boys and girls who are eager for it, and have good memories; but it is hard to teach the same children self-restraint, self-reliance, patience, justice, fidelity, generosity, and the other virtues, for the same reason that we find it hard to practise them ourselves. Our New England schools are not the best in the world for intellectual training, but they succeed far better in that than in the moral culture of the pupils.

Of moral education, there are also two branches: the one relating to individual duty, or our duty to ourselves; the other to social and political duty, or what we ought to do towards others, whether our neighbors and friends, or the citizens of our governernment, whatever it may be. The two parts also mingle with each other, for no man can do his whole duty to himself and his conscience without performing some acts which concern others, and no one can be a good member of society or of a state, who fails in his personal duties. Cleanliness, temperance, cheerfulness, chastity, are personal virtues; justice, charity, industry, veracity, are social virtues, yet we all see how needful all are to personal goodness and the welfare of a community.

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In our schools these virtues are sometimes directly taught, and the opposite vices are almost always discouraged and punished; but comparatively little attention is paid to this most important subject.

The example of the teacher is apt to have more weight than anything that may be said; if he or she is a person of just and pure character, the virtues are silently taught with little need of special lessons; if such is not the teacher's character, the most careful moral lessons are of little avail. Still much may be done by a thoughtful and careful teacher to improve the teaching of morals in our schools.

4. Highest of all in the objects of education I would place the awakening and development of the religious nature, including also the affections. Here we may make three divisions, which, beginning with the lowest and most common, would be, first, The human affections, as of parent and child, friend and friend, lover and beloved, husband and wife, and all the usual and natural loves of mankind. Second, Philanthropy, or a universal affection for our fellow-man, not depending on any ties of blood, or any benefit they may have conferred on us, or any love they may have for us, but simply inspired by a feeling of sympathy, as children of the common Father. Third, Devotion, or the love of God, which is the highest and rarest of all the affections, and the only one to which some are willing to give the name of religion. Some also have doubted if we can have, properly speaking, any love of God; but few who have lived natural lives would be willing to admit this. I would prefer to call all these affections by the general name of religion, since they all seem but different degrees or directions of one pervading spirit of love, without which there can be no true religion. Now, it is easy to teach knowledge, more difficult, but still not impossible, to teach morals, — but it is rare indeed to find a person who can teach religion. For this reason most of our schools content themselves with the mere forms of religious teaching, such as reading from the Bible or from devout books, offering prayer, or discoursing on religious topics. These are all useful-though they may be all useless and even hurtful when they are empty forms, but this is not the true way of teaching religion. That is rather a sacred flame caught from heart to heart than transmitted in rites or books. Religious teaching requires personal holiness combined with a certain rare gift of imparting to others, so rare, that amid all that is called by the name, we find little that satisfies Yet here too it would seem that much more might be done, were the work engaged in with pious earnestness.

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The prevailing tone of the town, the state and the nation in which a school exists, does much to modify its power in training the young in these four ways. Where mean ideas of health, learning, morals and religion are prevalent, no school can train its pupils to rise far above the general sentiment. In our own country

there are many unpropitious circumstances of this nature. Learning is less honored among us than in many lands; health, perhaps, less regarded; morals, as some suppose, more loosely held, and religion poorly taught and faintly believed; as indeed is the fact everywhere. Massachusetts is in some sort an exception to this prevailing tone.

It is also true that the distinctions of sex and social condition somewhat modify the education of which I have spoken in such general terms.

Certain studies must be more insisted on with boys than with girls, and the contrary; other studies, which might be suitable for a pupil, are rendered unsuitable by some accident of wealth or poverty. It is the aim of every good teacher, however, while he respects and consults the peculiarities of each pupil's nature and condition, to give all, so far as he is able, the same opportunities of improvement. Let the girls study what the boys study, let the rich and the poor use the same methods and learn the same things, is a good general maxim.

A perfect method of instruction would adapt each study and every lesson to the capacity of the learner, and make it attractive,— not always, because it is one advantage of school discipline that it teaches us to do what we do not like to do, but in general it would make studying a pleasure, while it would fix in the mind the thing learned, by turning upon it all the close attention and careful thought which cause a thing to be remembered.

A perfect method of government would control the whole conduct of the pupil so as to secure order in the school-room, punctuality at recitations and hours of study, and complete and willing obedience to all the rules of the school; or if cases requiring punishment come up, it would so dispose of them that the punishment itself would be a benefit to the culprit and the whole school. Nowhere are there such perfect systems found in use, but a near approach to perfection may be made by a constant and determined effort on the part of the pupils to aid the teacher in the work and discipline of the school. Those of you who now leave us may expect some suggestions about your future studies, and the duties and opportunities of life. This time which you have spent here, though with some of you it

seems long, is in truth but a small part of the time which your education requires, for that continues as long as you live. Many of you will find little immediate use for some of the studies you have here pursued, but will be called upon to learn new things, and to labor in new ways. No school can fit you for all things, and what you need most to gain is what any school can give you if you are faithful, habits of observation, attention, patience and industry, with which you may overcome all difficulties. I hope you will all keep up, to some extent, the studies you have begun here, and most of you can do so. An hour even ten minutes a daygiven entirely to some study, will, in a year, have greatly enlarged your knowledge and increased your happiness. What particular topics you ought to attend to, may be decided chiefly by your circumstances. But you must be careful not to allow circumstances to have too much weight with you, nor ever to fall into the error of making your situation an excuse for your faults. "Where there is a will, there is a way," and you will be astonished to find how fast your difficulties vanish when you bid them be gone.

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Yet with all the strength of the strongest will it is impossible for us to control, in any considerable measure, the outward course of our lives. That is directed by a higher power, and often our best plans are baffled, and our most generous labors defeated. Few men find themselves at forty, in the position which, at twenty, they marked out for themselves. With women, the choice and government of their own manner of life is still more limited. But there is no station in life in which we may not find peace in the performance of the nearest duties, and in the trust which hope and experience alike teach, that all is directed for our best good.

F. B. S.

CONCORD.

We are sometimes, though unreasonably of course, almost sickened with education and its effects, from the number of minds which it produces that can learn, arrange, comprehend and remember everything, but can neither feel nor originate.-Boyes' Life and Books.

HINTS ON TEACHING.

NO. 3.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR TEACHING.

It is often said that two things are requisite for success in teaching a proper understanding of the subjects to be taught, and aptingness to teach. This is very true, but each of these items needs to be particularly examined to get an adequate idea of their scope and meaning.

What is the knowledge then, let us first inquire, which is essential to good teaching?

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One may know a great deal about a subject that is may know many facts and theories and yet when he is brought to a discussion in simple language of the fundamental principles, he may show that his knowledge is after all superficial. On the other hand, one's knowledge may be limited in material, and yet so far as it goes it may be thorough- he may have clear ideas of fundamental facts and principles. For example, one may not have received into his mind one-tenth part of what is contained in a full text-book on chemistry, and yet he may have incorporated into his mind vastly more of the science than another who has attempted to learn the whole of this text-book, and has supposed that he has done so because he has memorized it. So also, one may know all the rules of grammar and the applications of them, and yet may actually know less of the philosophy of language, and may converse less grammatically, than another who knows nothing of the grammarian's rules and technicalities. Indeed, one may be very learned on a subject, and yet may know little of the principles which lie at its foundation, although, when properly developed, and illustrated they are generally found to be very simple.

It is this fundamental knowledge that tells on the capability of a teacher, in whatever grade of teaching he may be engaged. It is also the introduction of such knowledge into the mind of the pupil, that wakes it up into an activity, which is never engendered by the learning of mixtures of dry technicalities and isolated facts, so common in the prevalent modes of education. And this activity is

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