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102

NATIONAL TENDENCY FOR WEALTH.

remarks may appear to some to be foreign to the present purpose; but I would beg to remind them, that it is of the highest importance, that the subject of education should not only be viewed with reference to the individual who is to be educated, but likewise in a national point of view, inasmuch as it is the whole nation upon whom the duty of education devolves, and as the state of the nation, its improvement, or its ruin, depends, in a great measure, upon the education which it imparts. On the other hand, it is clear, that, whatever spirit the nation is possessed of, that spirit will be communicated to the rising generations; and if it be an evil spirit, will, in course of time, bring ruin and destruction upon the whole nation; unless, indeed, it be arrested in its course by a warning voice, and led to repent and to retrace its steps. Thus if it should be found, that, in this nation, there is a tendency for the immoderate acquisition of wealth, irrespectively of any duty, for the fulfilment of which that wealth is required, but upon the assumption of a general right to acquire, to accumulate, and to enjoy is it not evident, that this false tendency will be implanted in every individual brought up in the nation; and is it not, if such be the case, high time that inquiry should be made, what manner of spirit it is, which the nation thus instils in the bosom of its rising members?

I need not be at any trouble to prove that such a false tendency actually exists; it is a fact, not only admitted on all hands, but even boasted of by many; nor does it seem necessary, after all that has been said, to enter into a long argument, in order to prove that it is an unchristian tendency,one which has its root in social principles of pagan origin, and its support in the corruption, the innate selfishness, of the human heart. Supposing this to be admitted, I shall now proceed to the inquiry, what are the distinctions to be made in education, upon the principle, that every individual is to be taught all that he has a duty to learn, and nothing which he has not a duty to learn, according to the measure and peculiar character of his natural capacity, as

REGARD TO THE MENTAL FACULTIES.

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well as to the outward means of action, of which he is, or will be possessed.

In the first instance, it is to be observed, that the faculties of the human mind are, in kind, common to all men, that is to say, that, in all men, the same faculties of the soul are to be found, although, in every man, in different degrees of power, and, consequently, differently combined. This being the case, and all the faculties being destined to work together, under the influence of one central power of life and harmony, it is evident, that no distinction ought to be made respecting the cultivation of some faculties in some, and of other faculties in other individuals, but that in every individual, whatever be his capacities or his station, all the faculties ought to be brought into play. But as the faculties do not exist in all individuals, in the same degrees of power, it is evident, that education ought to pay regard to this difference, and that, therefore, according to the natural capacities of every individual, or to the degree of power, in which he is possessed of each faculty, a distinction should be made, as regards the degree of cultivation, which different individuals ought to receive in different respects. Hence it follows, not only, that different individuals must be differently instructed, but also, that, in one and the same individual, different degrees of care and attention must be bestowed upon different faculties. In this, we ought entirely to follow the indications of nature, and never to attempt making any individual unlike what he is intended to be. The present plan is, to appoint a general measure of cultivation for all, and to endeavour, as much as possible, to bring every individual to that measure; as if there was a common standard of human mind, to which, as a pattern of perfection, all should be made to approach as near as possible. This is, however, as senseless a proceeding, as if a gardener were to attempt to train all his appletrees, of whatever sort they be, into one particular sort, instead of cultivating every one "after its kind," to the

104 REGARD TO THE FUTURE SPHERE OF ACTION.

highest degree of perfection, of which it is capable. In the same manner, as such a proceeding, on the part of the gardener, would spoil all the different sorts, except the one he has fixed upon, so, likewise, our education must decidedly ruin the different sorts of minds, in proportion as they differ from the universal standard, which we have arbitrarily set up; even if it were, as it is not, a perfect one: whereas, on the contrary, if we paid regard to the measure, and peculiar combination of the faculties of every individual, we should see a far greater number of original minds, and, in general, a higher degree of capacity, than is now observable.

Next to this distinction, founded upon the psychical organization of the individual, there is another necessary, according to the external circumstances in which he is, and probably will be placed. This distinction, it is plain, can have nothing to do with the degree to which each faculty is to be cultivated, as this depends on the inherent power of the faculty. We must, therefore, inquire, what relation, generally, our external position bears to our mind; and we shall find, that the station in which we are placed, whatever it be, is the sphere in which the mind is exercised. Our outward circumstances are not, nor should they ever be, considered as any more than the scope of action appointed to us by Providence. Thus, for instance, the engagements of an agriculturist present altogether a different sphere of life, although, perhaps, for the exercise of the very same faculties, from those of an artisan, or of a manufacturer. The contact which a gardener has with nature, is very different from that of a sailor, or of an astronomer; and yet the same faculties are called into action in every one. That to these differences some attention should be paid, and adequate distinctions introduced, is unquestionable; but it ought to be done subsequently and subordinately to the distinction founded upon the difference of power in the different faculties, from reasons, into which I forbear entering here, as this subject will again come under consi

WHAT DISTINCTIONS OUGHT TO OBTAIN. 105

deration. For the present, I will sum up the result of what has been said, in the following manner:

1st.-The different faculties, which constitute man's mind, call for corresponding branches of instruction, as the means of developing and cultivating those faculties; and as the latter are essentially the same in all individuals, it follows, that the chief branches of instruction should be common to the education of all.

2d.--The degree of power in which each faculty is to be met with in every individual, determines the degree of cultivation which it ought to receive, comparatively to other faculties; and as the former varies in different individuals, and with reference to different faculties, so must the latter.

3d. The station in society in which the individual is placed, determines the sphere in which his faculties will have to act, and, therefore, the department of each branch of knowledge, which is to be appropriated to their cultivation, and which must vary, for different individuals, according to their different stations.

Thus, then, all men are to be instructed essentially in the same branches of knowledge, but in different degrees, and in different directions.

Having so far ascertained, where distinctions ought to be made, and where not, it will now be necessary that I should proceed to a short sketch of the human faculties, in order to ascertain what cultivation they require. In my last lecture, I have called your attention to the important distinction, which is to be made between the faculties themselves, and the two agents by which they are impelled to action, the one the good spirit of God, and the other the evil spirit of man; and I shall now have to introduce another distinction between different sorts of faculties, according to the different provinces of life to which they are appropriated. In this respect, they are to be divided into three great classes, viz. :

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CLASSIFICATION OF THE FACULTIES.

1.-Faculties appertaining to our existence, as physical beings.

2.-Faculties appertaining to our existence, as human beings.

3.-Faculties appertaining to our existence, in and with

God.

Through the first class of faculties we are made subject to what is called physical necessity; that is to say, the absolute manifestation of the law and power of God in nature. They are the first, whose activity becomes manifest in childhood; for, although the simultaneous but latent working of the others, is constantly attested by experience, yet a decided predominance of life is observed in the former. Through them the infant is first brought into contact with the Divine will, and subjected to the influence of its operations; the necessity which pervades those operations on one hand, and the helpless and unconscious condition of the child on the other, co-operate to produce, at the dawn of life, a state of submission. The rebellious soul then first learns, that it is unable to perform, or to obtain, all that it willeth and wishes; from its natural state of absolute lawlessness, it is, in some degree, brought into subjection to law, and prepared for the period, when another law will be set before it, with freedom to obey, or to disobey. As the first preparatory step to the subduing of self-will in the soul, the intercourse of the child with nature, and with every other influence that reaches him through his senses, is of the greatest importance, and ought to be carefully cultivated, with a view to render it conducive to that purpose. Unfortunately, however, we disturb that intercourse, instead of facilitating it; we interfere between the child and nature, instead of contenting ourselves to direct the movements of the former. We have not learned for ourselves to view nature as a rich source, not only of instruction for the intellect, but also of moral discipline; we look upon it as a field of gratification and enjoyment for ourselves, and

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