Education

The principal object is to s!ore the mind vvith knowledge of every thing, and the pupil therefore is liurried thro' as many studies as possible ; the minutin, which are of the utmost importrnce, are conseqtiently omitted, the mind being capnble of grasping but íiaíf of them in the imo nllolted, and the other half are never presented so as lo have nnv impressson upon it. In fnct, no subject i.s fullv comprehended by one out of n hnr.dred, for want of knowledge of somethin? tnat lies at the verv basis of it.Take, for instance, the subject of Grammar - the study of the langunge. - But is the language studied, exGept casually, during the time devoted to Grammar ? No ! All the altention is dirccted to the relat ion of words, vvhíle the meaning of thope words, itself, is neither utiderstood by the pupil, nor explained bv the teacher, once in a hundretl instan cés. Nor are llie positions of words, with regnrd to each oihc-r, the right and wrong position of emphasis, and the different posilions of members of sentences with regard to each other, so as to bring out the meaning in the most perspicuous "nanner, ever sufficiently illuslrated and pressed upon the pupil's nttention ; and the knowledge acquired ol tho relation of words is conspquently lost for want of application ; and want of perspicuity pervades much of the composilion of some of our mo?t volumineus and scientific wrilors, which is nfierwords cifed as auihority to be rnitated. Wo might proceed to show that the mode of teaching other branches of knowledge is quite asdefeciive, consitlored ndividually ; btit jrefor lo strike at the very root of the evil, by pointing out thè defects thal ie nt the foundation of the system, as a whole. Now everv observen is well awarc that health is indispensable to liio vigorous action of ony organ, eilher of nind orbody ; and nl'ao tbat exercise, wilhin ccriain bounds, is tho only nieans of invi;nrating any healthy organ. Indeed, all eiForts of education are pridicalcd upon thïs fnct, and universal exporiiMirc atlests its truth :- ihe blacksmith's right nrm is boih stonger and larger than tho left, and aperson accustomed to walking can travel fifty miles n day eaier than or.e of our mercliants can wnlk twenty. : We havo shown that in our schools but few of the perceptivo faculties nre , e.xercised, namely, Eventunlity, in read. . ing ; Locality, ín studying Geography . and in looking out corresponding quesions and nnswers ; Calculation, where mental arithmetic is toughf, and a few oihers. And even these are exercised only upon objects put upon paper, and upon comparatively few subjects, vithout n suflicient varietj'. Nor can he aitention of the pupil be riveted by 'orce, as it were, permanently upon any ubject so as to make a lasting impresión upon his mind. The indespensable itt.ntion nvjst be voluntary - it can never be förced ; and to excite it yon must have rccourse to God's own vast storeïouse, pointed out in the beauties of creation, and explained in the nice adaptaion of things to the purposes for which hey were created. The fact is, educaion must begin and procced, to considerb]e extent, in God's own school-house, before it can bo perfected by books. But of this hereafter. The question, however, presents itself forcibly - How is the intellect to manu"acture ideas, and to act vigorously, when t is scrved by a set of puny, feeble, ease-loving, and idle scrvants slecping nearly all the time 1 As well might the rrmnufacturer, with dcfective machinery, expect to renp a rich harvest of dollars nd cents hy employing theidle, the disipated, and the paupers of the town, to attend it, as the parent hope for a vast toro of uesful knowledgo by subjecting lis children to such an imperfect system of Education. Every person has become acquainted with others who apparently looked upon things around them, and vet tajee not sufTicieBt notice ol them to recognize them ne.xt day. In fcc, the present system (?) of education is directly calculated to cnfeeble the human mind, by circumscribing the sphere of observation, and substiluting book knowledge for thut which nature offers so obundantly without money nnc without price. And we fu.d according'51 that very few, if any, of those who at íend our Collepres and Universities, evoarnve at any eminence, in any of th important pursuits of life. Another ob jection agiinst the present mode of edu catión is the exclusive exercise of th mental faculltes, to the entire neglect o the muscular system, before either of them is matured by age. Almost all the vital energy of the body is concentrated uponthe brain, provided this can be kept in vigorous exercise ; and enfeebled health is the inevitable consequence, and an early dealh mny be calculated upon with certainty, f the mental effort be continued too long. But ifthis be not the consequence a prematurely enfeebled system is inevitable, under which the mind also succumbs in time. A large proportion of University graduates die early. Mr. Fowler says ten out of twelve whom he knew died young - and the rest are generally rendered unfit for any active pursuit during life. The Misses Davidsons. who were poetesses at eight or nine years of age, were both in their graves before they ■svere fifteen : and the eminent mathematical boy of Vermont, only ten years of age, holds life by a very slender threod ; whereas Franklin, Rittenhouse, Herschei and many others, who conjoined active corporeal with mental exercise ; or ncquired their knowledge aiter the full development of their physical frames, attained to oíd age, and great eminence in the liierary and scientific world. Men hnve y et to learn that God's laws cannot be violated without impunity, even from the best and most noble