Qass_^ Book-i »*> * ( SOW WELL AND REAP WELL; OR, FIRESIDE EDUCATION. BY S. G. GOODRICH, *■ Since custom is the principal magistrate of man's life, let men by all means endeavor to obtain good customs. Certainly custom is most perfect when it beginneth in young years. This we call Education; which is, in effect, but early custom. "....Bacon. THIRD EDITION. ALBANY: ERASTUS H. PEASE. 1846. Entered, according to act of Congress, in the year 1846. BY S. G. GOODRICH, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts. / PREFACE In the autumn of 1837, there was an assembly in the state house at Boston, which presented two conditions of society. Among a crowd, consisting of the pale-faced race, were a number of red warriors from the West. They were the chiefs of their tribes, the picked men of their several nations; the brave of the battle-field, the orator and sage of the council. In reply to an address from the chief magistrate of the commonwealth, several of them made speeches. But how narrow was their range of thought ; how few their ideas ; how slight their knowledge; how feeble their grasp of intellect! They were, indeed, powerful in limb, but they had evidently the imperfect and limited comprehension of children. As animals, they were athletic, sinewy, and active, but as men, they had a coarse and revolting aspect. If you looked into their countenances as an index to the mind, you looked in vain for any trace of those refined emotions which belong to civilized man. It is frightful to gaze into the human face and see only the sinister stare of a wild animal. The eye of a cultivated human being is full of depth and meaning : if you read it attentively, it seems, like a mirror, to reveal the inward world of thought and feeling, as the bosom of the smooth lake reflects the image of the earth around and heaven above. But the IV PREFACE. eye of these savages, like that of the wolf or the tiger, though bright and glassy, had no such depth of expres- sion, and seemed only to manifest a wary attention to visible objects and the passing scene. It bespoke no in- ward working, as if the mind were busy in weaving its woof of reflection, and unfolded no emotion, as if some seal were broken and a new page of revelation opened on the soul. It seemed indeed but a watchful sentinel to mark outward things, not a mirror imaging forth a spirit within. Among the savages, in the scene I have described, was the wife of the chief; but she was a subdued and down- cast slave, her humble place being ever in the rear of the train. On her shone no smile from the master, no gen- tleness from the husband, no tenderness from the father. His bronzed features could not reveal sentiments like these, for the bosom within was a stranger to them. Such were the master spirits of the savage race. Com- pare them with Edward Everett, who addressed them on the occasion in behalf of the palefaces, and consider the dif- ference between savage and civilized man I Consider the compass of thought, the vastness of knowledge, the power of combination, the richness of fancy, the depth, variety and refinement of sentiment, which belong to one, and the narrowness of mind, the poverty of soul, which cha- racterize the other. And what is the mighty magic which thus makes men to differ ? The easy answer to this interrogation is offered in a single word — Education. I know indeed that in com- mon use this only means the instruction given at our seminaries. We speak of an English education, a libe- ral education, a fashionable education. In these cases, the word has a restricted and technical signification, and PREFACE. V includes little more than instruction in certain arts and certain branches of knowledge. The learned politician who gave as a toast on some public occasion, " Education, or the three It's, Reading, Riting and Rithmetic," inter- preted the word according to this popular acceptation. It has, however, a more enlarged sense, and legitimately includes all those influences which go to unfold the facul- ties of man or determine human character. It is in this wide sense that education may be offered as explaining the difference between savage and civilized man. It is in this sense that education is the fashioner of the great human family, including every individual of the race. It is in this sense that man is ever the subject of education, from the cradle to the grave. It is in this sense that it has a force almost realizing the heathen notions of des- tiny. "We should therefore regard seminary instruction merely as a branch of education, not as the whole system ; a link, but not the entire chain. In the following pages, I propose to consider the subject in this more extended view, and shall endeavor to show that, in limiting our notions of education to mere school tuition, we over- look important, perhaps the most important, instruments of instruction ; neglect the most efficient means of mould- ing human character ; and thus, by a common error, do infinite mischief to individuals and society at large. In pursuing this course, I shall bestow particular attention upon the chief engine by which character is formed — the Fireside Seminary. In connection with this subject, I shall have occasion to speak particularly of the Common School, the great auxiliary of the fireside, and shall en- deavor to suggest some means of rendering it more effi- cient in accomplishing its legitimate ends. The theory which I present to the reader in the fol* 1* Xriii PREFACE. revision of those more experienced than myself. At all events, the subject is of great importance, and though I may not have furnished the parent a manual which may serve as a guide in the high task of training his children in the way in which they should go, I may still succeed in rousing him to inquiry, and this will be a great point gained. I have but to add, that if, in the following pages, I may sometimes appear to be repetitious, I hope it may be excused, from the obvious importance of impressing cer- tain leading points upon the mind of the reader ; and that if I often use familiar illustrations, it may be deemed compatible with the design of a work intended for gene- ral circulation, and in the preparation of which practical effect, not rhetorical daintiness, should be the guide of the writer. PREFACE TO THE REVISED EDITION. In offering a new edition of this work to the public, the author has added, at the request of the publisher, a leading title, significant of the general drift of the volume, and in various parts has made modifications, which time and reflection have suggested. It would have been the choice of the writer to have remodelled the entire work, for it was originally produced under circumstances which excluded that careful weighing of words and sentences due to so important a subject. But as a new edition of it seems to be called for, the author permits it again to go before the public, emend- ed only so far as present circumstances will allow. CONTENTS. Page Introduction : The true end of Philosophical Inquiry 13 Man designed by his Creator to be the subject of Edu- cation . . . 16 Man the subject of Education in relation to his Phy- sical Nature 17 Man the subject of Education in respect to his Intel- lectual Faculties 21 Man the subject of Education in respect to his Moral Faculties 26 Man distinguished from all other living things as the subject of Education . . . . . . 33 X CONTENTS. Page The power of Education over Man no new doctrine 37 Inferences 42 Education forms Individual Character . . 51 The basis of Character is usually laid in Early Life 52 Provision of Providence that the controlling lessons of life shall be given by Parents . . . .54 The Fireside 56 Obligations of Parents 64 Leading Characteristics of Children ... 77 Family Government 85 Religion 108 Morals . 126 Truth .... . . .151 Justice 152 Mercy 155 Forgiveness . . . . . . .159 Pity, Patience, &c 160 Piscretion , . ... . 161 CONTENTS. Xi Page Cheerfulness 163 Fidelity 169 Prudence 170 Courage 171 Self-government 174 Patriotism 178 Duties of Citizenship 183 Perseverance •...».. 192 Industry 196 Order and Neatness 204 Warnings . .... 215 Charity . . . . 228 Health 231 Amusements 249 Intellectual Culture . 254 The Primary School . . . . .255 Other Seminaries 291 General Observations .... 303 Xll CONTENTS. Page Books ....... 308 Accomplishments 311 Manners , . . 315 Honor 320 Grace 321 Politeness .... . . . 322 Notes on Good Breeding .... 329 General Remarks . . . . . . . 336 Conclusion 342 SOW WELL REAP WELL; FIRESIDE EDUCATION INTRODUCTION: THE TRUE END OF PHILO- SOPHICAL INQUIRY. To the careless or casual observer, the works of nature present an assemblage of objects with- out plan, arrangement, or design. To him, the surface of the earth seems but a disorganized mass of rocks, stones, and soils ; to him, the yarious tribes of animals are but as a confused Babel, and the vegetable kingdom a perplexing and bewildering maze of trees, plants, and 2 14 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. shrubs. But to the patient and philosophical student of nature, these fields of science assume a very different aspect. To him. the rugged hills and mountains are susceptible of classi- fication, and the very stones scattered over their surface are known to have their minutest parti- cles arranged in precise angles, according to an inflexible law. To him, the animal kingdom unfolds a stupendous system of living beings, rising in regular gradation, from the sponge, that links the animal to the vegetable world, up to man, who stands at the head of creation. To him, the boundless variety of the forest and the field, of tree and plant, of leaf and flower, are marshalled forth in all the order of a well- appointed army. Thus it is that nature unfolds her beautiful mysteries to the student of her works. Thus it is that, while the thoughtless and the indifferent stumble on through life, either blindfolded by ignorance or distracted by doubt, the philoso- pher is admitted into the temple of truth and instructed in the ways of Providence. And what is the grand result to which one thus ini- tiated at last arrives ? It is this — that in all the works of God there is design ; that in the ani- mal, mineral, and vegetable kingdom there is organization, system, arrangement j that in the END OF PHILOSOPHICAL INQUIRY. 15 shapeless stone, the blade of grass, the buzzing insect, and the grazing quadruped, — in each and all, there are conclusive proofs of contrivance, proceeding from One who acts according to a settled plan, and regulates his various works by universal and immutable principles. Now it is one of the great objects of all phi- losophy, as well that of every-day life as that of the more abstruse student, to discover the design of the Creator in his various works, or, in other words, to discover the laws of nature. If the gardener desires success in the cultivation of a plant, he endeavors to find out the climate which is most genial to it, the soil in which it thrives best, and the positions which it seems to choose ; that is to say, he seeks to understand its nature, and, having made himself acquainted with this, he adapts his cultivation to it. He does not attempt to change its nature, for expe- rience has taught him that this would be ridicu- lous and vain. Having once ascertained the design of its Maker, he follows out that design, and attempts in no other way to bring the object of his care to perfection. Thus, in the treatment of animals, our object being to raise them to the highest state of im- provement, we consult the design of the Creator in their formation ; in other words, we endeavor 16 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. to find out the laws which regulate their nature, and follow the indications thus afforded with implicit obedience. Such is the philosophy of every-day life, and such is all true philosophy. Its end is to dis- cover the designs of the Creator, for we know that these proceed from Omniscience, and any human attempt to go beyond them would be presumptuous folly. It is the highest object of human reason to search out and comprehend the laws of nature, or the designs of the Cre- ator, and, having done this, common sense teaches us that we may safely follow the lead which is thus afforded us. MAN DESIGNED BY HIS CREATOR TO BE THE SUBJECT OF EDUCATION. If, then, our inquiry were as to the best means of improving the condition of man, we should first investigate his nature, or seek to discover the design of the Creator in his formation. We should begin with the infant, watch the develop- ment of its faculties, and study the process by which these are unfolded. We should go on, through childhood and youth, to maturity, and see if we could perceive any leading principle or design, through which the intellectual, moral 3 MAN THE SUBJECT OF EDUCATION. 17 and physical powers are unfolded and perfected. To aid in this inquiry, we should make a com- parison between man and the mere animal cre- ation, carefully noting down those points in which he may resemble, or differ from, them. The plain inference that would result from such an inquiry is this — that while all other animated beings arc incapable of instruction, and reach their perfection without it, man is designed to be the subject of education ; that through edu- cation his faculties receive their development ; that by education alone he can reach the end and design of his being. MAN THE SUBJECT OF EDUCATION IN RELATION TO HIS PHYSICAL NATURE. Let us for a moment pursue this plan of investigation. We begin with the infant, and compare it with various young animals. Most quadrupeds are able to walk in a few hours after their birth. In this, they need no instruc- tion beyond that instinct which is born with them. But before the infant can perform this apparently simple act, he must go through the long and tedious training of twelve months. He must make ten thousand efforts before he can command the use of his limbs; he must 2* 18 FIRESIDE EDUCATION'. make trial after trial; he must be aided and instructed ; in short, every muscle in his body is to be educated to perform its task. There are many birds, particularly those of the gallinaceous tribe, which in twelve hours after they are hatched run about and pick up seeds, selecting them with careful discrimination from amidst the earth and gravel among which they are scattered. How different is it with the infant ! How many efforts must it make before it can even pick up a pin ! It is, in the first place, to acquire a knowledge of distances; it must then learn to measure these with its arm j that arm, too, must be instructed; the thumb and finger must be taught. All this various knowledge must be acquired -by patient train- ing, and brought to harmonize in one effort. Thus, an act which animals perform instinc- tively, and immediately after they come into existence, cannot be performed by a child until it has passed through an elaborate education of several months. The animal tribes have no articulate lan- guage, but such as they have is intuitive. How far it is the instrument of communicating ideas, we cannot precisely determine ; but we know that their various cries are understood by them, and serve, to some extent, the purposes of our MAN THE SUBJECT OF EDUCATION. 19 more artificial and arbitrary modes of speech. These cries are universal in the several species, and are not adopted from imitation, but from instinct. The young duck that is hatched and reared by the hen does not imitate the notes of its foster-mother, but makes precisely the same sound as the parent that gave it existence. If you take the eggs of various birds, and cause them to be hatched in one nest, the young ones will severally break forth with the language of their several parents. In Japan and China, it is common to hatch chickens by steam, and I have seen the same process in London. These chickens, cut off from all intercourse with their kindred of the barnyard, invariably utter the same cries, whether expressive of pain or plea- sure. I know that some birds have conside- rable powers of imitation. The parrot may be taught to utter sentences, and the caged mock- ing-bird will repeat snatches of music caught from the flute. But these powers are of small compass, and confined to a few species. They not only show a faculty of imitation, but to some extent a capacity for instruction. It must be re- marked, however, that these arts, thus acquired, are not material to the existence of their posses- sors. They do not contribute to their happiness or elevate them in the scale of being. The gay 20 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. parrot of the Brazilian grove, uttering his wild jargon in freedom, is a superior bird to the imprisoned parrot, who has been taught to speak, and who, as a diploma given in evidence of his liberal education, has his tongue severed in twain. But speech is essential to man. It is evidently the design of the Creator that man should be the master of an articulate language, and that this should be the great instrument, not only of communicating ideas, but of unfold- ing and amplifying the intellectual powers. Thus, while the animal tribes have their lan- guage by intuition, man must acquire his through the process of education. The tongue, the ear, the lungs, all the oral mechanism, consisting of a thousand nerves, muscles, and fibres, must each and all be instructed, each and all must be taught of experience, each and all must re- ceive line upon line, and precept upon precept. The first articulate syllable of an infant is a gigantic effort. The acquisition of a language, simple as it may seem, is the result of innume- rable efforts of a similar kind. Thus far, our remarks have been chiefly con- fined to the physical powers of man and ani- mals. While the latter come to their perfection in a few hours or a few months after their birth, and reach the full development of their faculties MAN THE SUBJECT OF EDUCATION. 21 without instruction, the former advances only as led forth by the hand of education. The fish glances through the water ; the quadruped roams over the land ; the birds put forth their varied melody ; and all this with no other tui- tion than that of instinct. God is their school- master, and his lessons are perfect. But man is subject to a different design. He cannot per- form the simple act of walking ; he cannot utter an articulate sound ; he cannot even pick up a pin, but through a process of teaching and training. If, then, instinct be the law of the animal creation, education is the law of man. It is the law of his physical nature, for by its instrumentality alone can his simplest and com-* monest faculties be unfolded. MAN THE SUBJECT OF EDUCATION IN RESPECT TO HIS INTELLECTUAL FACULTIES. Let us now consider the mental powers of man, as compared with the h/gher animal instincts. We begin by repeating Me remark, that while man has every thing to learn, the animal tribes need no instruction. The duck that is hatched in the barnyard by the hen, and associates only with companions that shun the water, marches 22 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. off to the pool, and, in spite of warning and remonstrance from its guardian, plunges into the wave. Here it rides at ease, and manifests a perfect knowledge of the element, which it has never seen before. It puts forth its paddles, and manages them with all the dexterity of an experienced oarsman. The waterfowl that comes into existence on the reedy margin of some northern lake, stays for a time around its birthplace ; but the brief summer is soon passed, and the monitory voice of winter comes upon the breeze. The bird listens to the warning, and, springing high in air, departs for another clime. It needs no chart, it asks no compass. It mistakes not its course, it deviates not from its track. " There is a Power whose care Teaches its way along that pathless coast, The desert and illimitable air, Lone wandering, but not lost. " How different is it with man ! How slow is the process by which he acquires a knowledge of objects around him! He can only judge of distances after being taught by experience. He has no knowledge of places except so far as he acquires it. Every inch of his progress de- pends upon instruction; every idea is to be acquired ; all knowledge comes by tuition. The MAN THE SUBJECT; OF EDUCATION. 23 Various powers of the mind, like those of the body, must be unfolded, trained, and enlarged by education- How long and patient then must be the study and toil of man before he can acquire that stretch of geographical knowledge, which would seem to be the free gift of Heaven to the migratory bird ! That feathered voyager ; untaught and often alone, performs a journey of a thousand or two thousand miles, and that in the space of a single week. It goes to a country where it has never been before : it pursues a track which is totally new. It flies from a winter which it has never tried, and, as if led by the gift of . prophecy, proceeds with the speed and direct- ness of an arrow, to find shelter in a region of perpetual summer. There is something in all this so wonderful, that many naturalists have been disposed to explain the seeming knowledge of birds by supposing it to be communicated by their parents. But this would imply an aptness to learn and a force of memory even more won- derful than the difficulty to be explained. Be- sides, we have instances which show this mys- terious power of instinct, and at the same time forbid the proposed explanation. The passen- ger pigeon is often taken from London to Paris, and, being let loose, goes straight back to its 24 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. home — a distance of nearly four hundred miles. There are persons who will not believe in mira- cles ; but what miracle is equal to this ? And yet we know its reality. We cannot explain the process, but we see the fact. We see that instinct is a power which supersedes the neces- sity of instruction to the animal creation ; and that, while they are made to be guided by this mysterious gift, man is left to the guidance of experience and education. In human society, it is found alike convenient and necessary that men should be distributed into various occupations. Some must be farm- ers, some carpenters, some hunters, and some fishermen. Amongst animals, we observe a simi- lar diversity of pursuits. But it is to be re- marked, that, while the latter are instructed by nature in their various trades, and supplied by nature with the tools necessary to carry them on, mankind are obliged to serve a toilsome apprenticeship of many years, in order to ac- quire a competent knowledge of the several arts and professions to which they devote them- selves. Thus, we observe that the woodpecker, who is a natural carpenter, supplied with a tool that serves both as chisel and mallet, goes un- taught to the forest, selects his piece of timber, MAN THE SUBJECT OF EDUCATION. 25 and forms his abode ; and all this without in- struction. The beaver, who is both carpenter and mason, architect and house-builder, fur- nished with teeth that perform the work of the axe and saw, and a tail which discharges the office of a trowel — he too performs his work, not by the plummet and the rule, not after the plans of a draughtsman, but, from the simple lessons of instinct. The bittern that wades along the pool is a fisherman that seldom fails to secure his prize, when he thrusts his spear into the water. The hawk is a sportsman that rarely stoops in vain upon his prey. The pen- sive heron, that stands while the tide is out in the briny mud, is an oyster-catcher by profes- sion. And all these, as soon as they are hatched and have taken to their wings, go straight to their several vocations, without a single lesson, and yet with a perfect understanding of them. How different is the lot of man ! How many are the trials, how long the practice, before he can become instructed in even the commonest pursuits by which a mere livelihood is to be obtained. In modern times, the art of committing ideas to paper has been extended and perfected by the art of printing. This has widened the field of knowledge, and offered facilities for educa- 3 26 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. tion unknown to former ages. In our day, a man cannot rise to a level with his fellow-men without being able to read. But how slow and tedious is the process by which the child is taught the alphabet, and then taught to combine syllables into words and words into sentences! How many months of toil are required to compass this common, but necessary branch of education ! It is not so with the brute creation. All the knowledge necessary to their existence, all that is required for the fulfilment of their duty and their destiny, is the gift of God. They need to learn no alphabet at the point of the penknife ; they need no admonition from the birch or the ferule ! MAN THE SUBJECT OP EDUCATION IN RESPECT TO HIS MORAL FACULTIES. We have spoken of man's physical nature, and shown that this is subject to the great law of education. We have noticed his intellectual powers, the exalted gift of reason, and shown that this, too, is unfolded by a process of tui- tion and training. But there is another most important point of considsration. Of all the various sentient beings which people this vast world, — man is the only one that has been per- MAN THE SUBJECT OF EDUCATION. 27 mitted to taste of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He is the only being that has a moral nature ; the only being that is capable of per- ceiving beanty in virtue and deformity in vice ; the only being that has a capacity to distinguish between truth and falsehood, between equity and injustice, between right and wrong; the only being in whose breast Heaven has estab- lished the holy tribunal of conscience. Man then alone, of all the creation, has moral facul- ties. It would be easy to illustrate this position, and show the difference between man and ani- mals in respect to moral perceptions. Let us take the golden rule, laid down by our Savior, which is the basis of justice between man and man — u do to another as you would have an- other do to you." This is no sooner presented to the human mind than its force is perceived and the obligation to obey it felt. But ani- mals are utterly destitute of a capacity for such perceptions. Might, with them, is the universal rule of right. The dog snatches the bone from the cat by the prescriptive privilege of mastery. The raven yields the carcass to the vulture; the vulture retires and waits till the feast of the sea eagle is done. The hungry jackal surren- ders his prey to the wolf; the wolf gives up his 28 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. to the hyena. Thus, throughout the brute cre- ation, there is no recognition of any principle of justice; no judge or jury but force; no other rule of right than that the weak must yield to the strong. I once met with a beautiful and striking ex- ample of the perception of equity in a child, in reference to the seeming injustice on the part of the bald eagle, described by Wilson the orni- thologist. The reader is probably familiar with the famous passage, in which the author depicts' the king of birds as robbing the fish-hawk of the prey he has snatched from the bosom of the lake. The child, a boy of about seven years old, read the passage with great interest, and at first seemed only filled with the vivid picture presented to his imagination ; but after a little while he asked, with a countenance that be- spoke a painful emotion, " Was it not wicked for the eagle to get away the fish that the hawk had taken out of the water?" And man in his moral, as well as his other faculties, is also the subject of education. I have already quoted the words of the inspired proverbialist, affirming that the child trained up in the way in which he should go, will not depart from it in after years. And let it be remarked that he attaches no conditions; he MAN THE SUBJECT OF EDUCATION. 29 adds no qualifications. The maxim is positive, and involves the doctrine that the moral nature of man may be formed and moulded by educa- tion. And this, though uttered three thousand years ago, corresponds with e very-day obser- vation. " Just as the twig is bent, the tree 's inclined," is a passage which illustrates the power of cultivation over the soul as well as the mind. The heart has often been compared, and with apt propriety, to a field, which may be cultivated like a garden, and, divested of nox- ious weeds, made redolent of flowers and fruit ; or, left to the wild luxuriance of passion, it may resemble the overgrown forest, whose thickets are infested by the adder and the scorpion. All this is well understood. It is also admit- ted that man's moral nature is the most exalted portion of his being. Virtue is superior to know- ledge ; the good man is ranked as superior to the great man. "An honest man's the noblest work of God." The Scriptures ever give the first place to the righteous man, the man of high moral character ; not to the man of genius or talent. The highest exercise of reason is in the discovery of moral truth. The intellect is thus made to be the pioneer, the servant of the soul. Yet the high gift of moral faculties is not bestowed without conditions. If a man use 3* 30 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. them wisely, they will ensure happiness; if otherwise, they will work out his ruin. With the power to perceive the beauty of virtue and the deformity of vice, he must follow the one if he would be happy, and shun the other at his peril. This is the weighty condition, and it cannot be resisted or evaded. The law is coiled around the soul of man, and while that soul endures it cannot be shaken off. It is the law of the moral universe, and is as pervading and inflexible as the principle of gravitation, which draws back to the earth a stone hurled into the air, while, at the same time, it reaches to the planets, and sustains the balance of the heavens. It is a law ordained by Omnipotence and admi- nistered by Omniscience. If, then, man has moral faculties; if these are the highest portion of his nature ; if upon their right exercise his happiness depends ; and if these are subject to the great law of educa- tion, how important, how supremely important, is that education ! I shall hereafter return to this topic, and attempt to explain why there is no systematic provision in our schools for moral culture, and why this most essential branch of education is too often neglected altogether, or left to the uncertain and capricious management of parents. For the present, I content myself MAN THE SUBJECT OF EDUCATION. 31 with a few illustrations of the force of moral culture, with a view to impress upon the mind of the reader the fact that the heart is subject to the law of education ; that as the body may- be trained to health, grace, and vigor, as the intel- lect may be stored like a granary with the varied harvest of knowledge, so the soul may be im- bued with the love of truth, justice, and charity; that by proper culture the noxious weeds of passion may be checked or eradicated, and the fragrant flowers of virtue made to spread their immortal bloom over the spirit. Whoever has watched children with care, has noticed that any passion or feeling becomes stronger by repetition. In the first instance, it is dim and feeble ; in the second, it is more vivid and vigorous. By degrees it grows stronger ; and when, at length, it has become habitual, it is not only very apt and ready to return, but, like a vicious horse, it seizes the bit, and rushes forward in defiance of all control. Indulgence is the great principle of nutriment and culture to human passion. It is as the sun and rain and rich soil to vegetation. Thus, the indulged child becomes passionate, and gives himself up as easily to the gusty caprices of his humor as the seared leaf to the breeze. Thus, the savage, by dwelling constantly upon thoughts of war, 32 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. cherishes the spirit of revenge, until it becomes the master of his being. Thus, the miser, by perpetual poring over his gains, tramples down every better feeling, that avarice may flourish, spread wide its branches, and overshadow the soul. It is the same with virtuous or vicious im- pulses ; exercise is the principle of culture. There is this difference, however, that the latter appear to be most prompt and ready to spring up in the heart, if some kindly influence do not interfere to check them and sow better seed in their place. Yes — for the smoothest lake hath waves Within its bosom, which will rise And revel when the tempest raves ; The cloud will come o'er gentlest skies ; And not a favored spot on earth The furrowing ploughman finds, but there The rank and ready weeds have birth, Sown by the winds to mock his care. ****** The spark forever tends to flame ; The ray that quivers in the plash Of yonder river is the same That feeds the lightning's ruddy flash. The summer breeze that fans the rose, Or eddies down some flowery path, Is but the infant gale that blows To-morrow with the whirlwind's wrath. But while the evil passions are thus quick and eager to spring into exercise, and while MAN THE SUBJECT OF EDUCATION. 33 even gentle and good feelings are prone to ex- cess, still, the principles of virtue are capable of being established in the heart. By being cherished, they become strong; by being founded in reason, they become fixed pillars, supporting the beautiful edifice of a consistent and just moral character — incomparably the most glori- ous spectacle to be seen on this earth. And let it be remembered, that as indulgence and exer- cise give activity and vigor to bad passions, so> on the contrary, if permitted to sleep, they be- come feeble and reluctant to rise into exertion. As the arm of a man tied up in a sling gradually loses strength and becomes averse to motion, so any human passion, laid long to rest, wakes with difficulty and rises with enfeebled vigor. . MAN DISTINGUISHED FROM ALL OTHER LIVING THINGS AS THE SUBJECT OP EDUCATION. Our slight survey of the progress of man from infancy to maturity, shows that in the develop- ment of his physical, mental, and moral facul- ties, he is wholly dependent upon education. A comparison of man with other animated beings shows that while he comes into existence with every thing to learn, they are endowed with an 34 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. instinct which supplies them with all the arts and knowledge they require. Man then is made to he the subject of education ; and in this he stands in contrast to every other living thing. It is true that some animals have a limited capacity for instruction. You may teach the elephant to bear burthens ; you may train the ox to the plough, the horse to the harness, and the dog to the chase. You may thus render these animals subservient to the profit, the plea- sure, or the caprice of man; but you do not confer on them any art which improves their condition, increases their happiness, or raises them above their fellow-brutes. But it is other- wise, with man. Heaven has imparted to him the mighty gift of reason, and permitted him to taste of the immortal fruit yielded by the tree of knowledge of good and evil ; and endowed him with an independent and indestructible existence. He is destined to pass from one gra- dation to another as he ascends in the scale of knowledge; but experience is the process by which his faculties must be unfolded, education the ladder by which he must rise to the perfec- tion of his being. The Creator has bestowed various instincts on the brute creation, and these are so wonderful in their power that they seem, like scintillations struck out from tha MAN THE SUBJECT OF EDUCATION. 35 Omniscient Mind, and loaned to animals during their limited existence. But these creatures are not free agents ; the knowledge they possess is not acquired, and is not their own. They are ever held by the leading-strings of instinct; they are ever under the conservatorship of Heaven. But man is free ; he acts from his own choice ; he exerts his own faculties. These are distinct and peculiar, setting him apart from the rest of creation, and marking him as the subject of a higher design and a loftier destiny. As the pyramids of Egypt have stood forth on the plains of Gizeh for four thousand years, the giants of human architecture, challenging and defying the rivalry of later ages ; so man is a monument reared beyond the approach of competition from Nature's other works. The instinct of animals is indeed marvellous, and might seem in some things to surpass the gift of reason. But compare the most skilful works of animals with those of man. Compare the village of the beaver with a human city. Com- pare its shapeless mounds of sticks and stones with one of our large towns, including its paved streets, illuminated at night by gas ; its lofty dwellings, many of them enriched and embellished with a thousand ingenious luxu- ries ; its diversified arts, its varied institutions, 36 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. its libraries filled with exhaustless lore, its mer- chandise gathered from every quarter of the globe, its ships, which are taught to tread fear- lessly the paths of the deep ! Make this com- parison of the city of the beaver with the city of man, and you measure the distance between animal and human nature, between the force of instinct and the power of education ! We must observe, too, that while instinct marks the animal races as limited in their capa- city, it also marks them as limited in their duration; and that while education opens to man a boundless field of improvement, it shows that he is destined for an endless existence. God has assigned to every species of the animal creation a boundary beyond which they cannot pass. To them, there is no onward progress. They reach, not by gradual development, but at once, and without the aid of instruction, the perfection of their being. To this point nature says they may go, but no farther. Here shall their existence be stayed. No longing hopes, no yearning anticipations for something beyond, are kindled in the breast. Death is not to them a curtain, which may be lifted, and behind which they desire to look. It is an impenetra- ble veil, which stops their view, and forever intercepts their progress. MAN THE SUBJECT OF EDUCATION. 37 But man first creeps, then walks. In infancy his intellect is feeble, and depends upon the im- perfect senses for its development. But reason soon unfolds its powers, and who can stay its march ? The imagination spreads its wing, and who can check its flight ? Man is distinguished from every thing else as a progressive being. Day by day he accumulates knowledge, day by day his faculties advance in power and develop- ment. He feels that his march is onward, and anticipation takes wing and rises to hopes of immortality. And God has thus written in man's very nature that these hopes are founded in truth. He has set his seal on man as coined for eternity. It is to deny the image and super- scription of one mightier than Caesar, to deny that this gradual development of man's powers, and the hopes that rise from the consciousness of such a process, point to immortality as his assured destiny. THE POWER OF EDUCATION OVER MAN NO NEW DOCTRINE. Suoh then is man — a creature composed of three natures, physical, intellectual, and moral, all united to form one being. Such is educa- tion — the great instrument by which the charac- 4 38 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. ter of man is to be formed — the instrument by which the powers of the body are to be trained, by which the mental faculties are to be devel- oped and expanded, by which the heart, the seat of the affections, is to be moulded. I am well aware that in reaching this result, we have only come to a point that has been long established. That man is designed to be the subject of education, as I have before re- marked, is a proposition too obvious to have been ever overlooked. I have already quoted a proverb, in use three thousand years ago, which shows that this truth was well understood then. In a later, but still a remote age, Philip of Mace- don, in his famous letter to Aristotle, asking him to become the preceptor of the infant Alexander, says, "I am less grateful that the gods have given me a son, than that he is born in the time of Aristotle." It is said of the emperor Theo- dosius that he used frequently to sit by his chil- dren Arcadius and Honorius whilst Arsenius taught them. He commanded them to show the same respect to their master that they would to himself; and surprising them once sitting, whilst Arsenius was standing, he took from them their princely robes, and did not restore them till a long time, nor even then but with much entreaty. So high a compliment to one MAN THE SUBJECT OF EDUCATION. 39 who administered instruction, marked the va- lue set upon instruction itself. But, though it would be easy to multiply proofs that the power of education has been known in all ages, it is still true that the first instance of an attempt on the part of a sovereign to diffuse it over all classes of his subjects has been reserved for the present king of Prussia. He has indeed pro- vided ample means for the intellectual culture of youth ; but, with a Jesuitical skill in human nature, he takes care to weave in with the very texture of the mind and heart, a love of mon- archy and loyalty to a king. And let it be re- marked, too, that education in Prussia is as much a matter of conscription as levies for the army. The children are as sternly required to attend the schools and go through the lessons, as the recruit to appear on parade or submit to the drill. While thus we perceive the despotism of the Prussian monarch, we cannot deny that he has taken an enlightened course to reach his object. He seeks to rule his people through knowledge, and not, like other sovereigns, through igno- rance. His scheme is founded upon the doc- trine that man is formed by education; that such is the plastic, yielding, impressible cha- racter of human nature in early life, that skilful 40 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. teaching may mould it to almost any shape. He is willing, therefore, to enlighten his subjects by the diffusion of knowledge, taking care, however, to braid in with the strands of learn- ing ideas of the necessity of monarchical insti- tutions and the duty of loyal allegiance to the crown. The system involves the doctrine that early impressions may control even an enlight- ened intellect; that the associations of child- hood may be so multiplied and netted over the mind as to lead captive the giant powers of mature manhood ; and that an instructed peo- ple, thus tied to the car of despotism, while they will be much more powerful, will be equally submissive with the ignorant and unin- structed slave. It is, therefore, a scheme found- ed in a deep knowledge of human character, and displaying a sagacity beyond the scope of ordinary kings. It is, however, a bold experi- ment, and the world will look on with interest for the result. Time will determine whether an instructed people, even though trained to the yoke of monarchy, will continue to bend the neck and toil submissively at the plough. But, though the Prussian sovereign has un- dertaken to see that education is. diffused over the whole community throughout his domin- ions, he is not the first despot that has been a MAN THE SUBJECT OF EDUCATION. 41 patron of learning. In the darkest periods of history, kings have sought to fortify their thrones by collecting men of learning around them, and by establishing colleges and universities, founded on such principles, however, as to ren- der them little more than engines of state. And while a pretended love of learning has been thus displayed; while the light of knowledge has been kindled in the college, and has shed its influence on a select number, the people at large have been sedulously kept in the darkness and the gloom of ignorance. But the crowned despots of the Eastern Hemi- sphere have not furnished the only barriers to the progress of general education. Priestcraft, in almost every age, has sought to sway man- kind, by keeping them in ignorance, or, what is worse, by subjecting them to the influence of superstitious fiction. There have been politi- cians, too, who, in their eagerness for power, have maintained the doctrine that the mass of mankind were happier if left in a state of igno- rance. But it will be perceived that in all these cases, the power of education, in the form- ation of human character, is fully admitted and understood. The despot fears instruction, for it would teach the people their rights, and give them strength to overturn his dominion. The 4* 42 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. crafty priest, who seeks to exercise a harsher tyranny than that of kings, a tyranny over the mind, resists education, for it would show his superstitions to be the mere phantoms of a base juggler. And the politician, who " deems igno- rance to be bliss," is obviously seduced into the notion that the mass of mankind are made to be slaves, merely by his wish to use them as such ; thus admitting that ignorance tends to rivet the chains of bondage, and knowledge to cut them asunder. INFERENCES. We have come then to this conclusion, that it is the law of man's nature that his physical, moral, and intellectual faculties must be un- folded by education ; that man without educa- tion is a savage, but little elevated above the brutes that perish ; while by means of educa- tion, he may be exalted to a rank but little lower than the angels. By proper treatment, the body may be trained to grace, activity, and endu- rance ; by instruction, the mind may be enriched with exhaustless stores of knowledge and wis- dom ; by education, the evil passions may be laid to habitual repose; while the nobler a ad more generous qualities may be developed and MAN THE SUBJECT OF EDUCATION. 43 brought into such prompt and habitual action as to pervade the whole character. Education, then, may be the instrument of rendering the highest and most exalted portions of our nature triumphant over the grosser attributes of flesh and blood. It is therefore, the lever, and the only- lev er, that can lift mankind from the native mire of ignorance. That lever is put into our hands, and how shall we use it ? We live in a civilized community. Every individual among us can understand the value of that culture which raises a man from the savage to the civilized state. Is it not the duty of every per- son to use his utmost efforts to carry the bene- fits of this culture to each member of society? I speak not now exclusively to the parent. To him I shall hereafter address myself with a par- ticular and earnest desire to win his ear. But I speak to the community at large. Is there a member of society who can look on the rising generation and say that he has no interest in this matter ? If so, then is he self-exiled from his race, cut off from all sympathy with his kindred and his kind. That man who is thus cold and thus indifferent must be wrapped in the gloom of miserable ignorance, or encased in the triple mail of selfishness. Like ice in a 44 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. refrigerator, surrounded by a non-conducting layer of charcoal, to shut out the chance of being influenced by the breath of summer, he is bound in the chill security of that philosophy which lays down its code of life in a single dogma— take care of no. i.! There let him rest. To such I speak not. I speak to those who acknowledge and feel the obligation to pro- mote the best interests of the whole community, as far as they are able. And this does not per- mit a regard only to the present hour, but it demands the exercise of that high gift of reason, which enables us to read the future by a peru- sal of the past. And whether we look to the present or coming generation, is not education one of those great interests which wisdom calls upon us to cherish ? Is it not the grand instru- ment by which the human race must be ex- alted'? Is it not the power, indicated by the plain teachings of nature, by which man is to be redeemed from ignorance ? And is there any one who is willing to take upon himself the trust conferred upon every member of civilized society, and lay it down again, having done nothing for this great cause ? If our view of this subject be right ; if educa- tion is the law of man's nature, as instinct is the law of animals ; if man is marked as the MAN THE SUBJECT OF EDUCATION. 45 subject of a peculiar design, a design which places him in contrast to every other living thing ; and if this design be that his faculties are to be developed, his character formed, the end of his being secured, only through educa- tion ; how plain is our duty ? If we seek to cul- tivate a plant with success, we proceed accord- ing to the design of its Maker. We learn its nature, and follow this as the only sure guide. Now God has written on man, in letters not to be mistaken, This being is made to be educated. Without education, he is a savage ; by its aid y he may be exalted to a station but little lower than that of the angels. What then is the duty of rulers — of those who are charged with the great interests of society? Can they neglect this obvious means of improving the condition of mankind without sin ? Nature and providence point out the method by which the human race is to be exalted. No one can overlook or mis- take it. Ought not education, then, to be laid at the foundation of our political system ? Ought not provision to be made by every government, in every country, for the instruction of all the people in that knowledge which is necessary to enable them to form just opinions upon all the great questions of life ? In our country, where the government is placed in the hands of the 46 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. people, ought we not especially to make ar- rangements for the education of every memher of society to this extent 1 In the choice of legis- lators, ought we not carefully to select only those who entertain just views on this subject ? I am afraid there is great error, or at least dangerous indifference, even afh'ong enlightened men, as to this matter. The people ought to consider the point well, and exact of those who are charged with the business of legislation a conscientious and wise performance of their high duty in respect to education. Let us, for a moment, consider the influence exercised by the legislature over the community. This body consists of the delegates of the peo- ple. It is regarded as the assembled wisdom of the state. The acts of the assembly go home to every man's mind, and produce their effect. If they enact a law, it lays its heavy impress upon the whole mass of society. Even in despotic countries, where the people look upon the lawgiver with aversion, and fear the government as an adversary, even there, the legislative edicts fashion the manners of the people, establish the standard of morals, and become the mould into which the opinions of society are cast. If such be the power of legis- lation in a monarchical country, what must it MAN THE SUBJECT OF EDUCATION. 47 be here, where it flows from the people them- selves 1 If society can be shaped by authority which it hates and resists, how much more will it be influenced where it consents and approves. The people of this country do, in fact, look with profound respect to the acts of their legislators. They will be slow to despise what their assem- bled counsellors approve. If you move the heart, the remotest pulse in the human frame beats in unison with it. The legislature is to the people as the central organ of vitality to the life-blood of the body. It can, if it will, give a quickening impulse to the cause of education, which will reach every hill and valley, every house and hamlet, in the state. Let the lawgivers of the land speak, then, and the people will hear ! There is an echo in a legislative hall which dies not. Its edicts are whispered from hill to hill, from heart to heart, and still continue to live when those who framed them are sleeping in the dust. The spirit of the pilgrims is still breathing upon us from their statutes. The laws framed by this generation will go down to have their influence on the next. Let the people, then, who are now on the active stage of life, look to this subject, and call upon their rulers to discharge their trust on this point with fidelity ! 48 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. Again, if our view of this matter be right ; if it is the design of the Creator that man be the subject of education; if through enlightened education alone he can be led forward in the path of his duty and his destiny ; how iniqui- tous are all those schemes of government which keep any class of men in designed ignorance. The light of heaven is not more the right of all than the light of knowledge ; and a scheme to appropriate to a privileged class of persons the glorious rays of the sun, while all beside are to be wrapped in the chill shadows of night, would not be more a conspiracy against the natural rights of man, than is any system which would shut out from the view of the people at large the intellectual light imparted by education. Yet such has been, and still is, the very basis of most of the political institutions of the East- ern Hemisphere. From the founding of the first empire in the valley of the Euphrates, to the present hour, despots have dreaded the dif- fusion of knowledge, as they would the diffusion of offensive weapons. They know that an en- lightened and instructed people are difficult to be subjected to unlawful power. They know that the ignorant are weak, and easily made the slaves of authority. They have therefore con- spired iu all ages to thwart the design of provi- MAN THE SUBJECT OF EDUCATION. 49 deuce in the formation of man, by checking the progress of knowledge, and restricting the boun- daries of science to a narrow and selfish circle of purchased and pensioned adherents. The truth is, that knowledge is common pro- perty, and those who possess it are bound to distribute it for the benefit of others. Those who, for any selfish end, hoard it, or throw obstacles in the way of its diffusion, commit a crime against their fellow-men. Above all, those who would deny to any class of persons the benefits of education, that they may the more easily govern them, engage in a base con- spiracy against the rights of humanity. A system Which would enslave the body by cheating the soul; which keeps the mind and spirit in darkness or poverty, and holds human beings down, generation after generation, as near to the brute creation as possible, instead of elevating them in the scale of being, as is the obvious duty of all ; is in every point of view an institution opposed to the evident designs of the Creator, and in contravention of the true des- tiny of man. It places itself in the very path of providence, and seeks to stay its march. It is a battery erected to resist and defy the mani- fest intentions of Heaven. Such schemes can- not prosper. That Being who said, Let there 5 50 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. be light, and there was light, has given forth knowledge as the birthright of man, and he will show, in his own good time, that such gross wrongs against human nature cannot be per- petuated. It would appear that, in all ages, and in every clime, ignorance is identified with slave- ry, and knowledge with freedom. The cause of education, then, is the cause of liberty. Na- ture and providence point it out as the great instrument of human improvement. Let its promotion, therefore, ever mark the policy of our free American states. Let it ever be main- tained in our legislative halls that the instruc- tion of youth is a subject of paramount interest. Let it be understood that the people are not satisfied to rest where they are, but are looking to a constantly advancing state of society, to a higher and still higher standard of moral and intellectual culture. Let each individual use his influence to elevate public sentiment on this great subject. Let us all endeavor to give to the efforts of our school committees a loftier pitch ; to inspire into the teacher a more generous am- bition, and stimulate his exertions by giving him a still nobler estimate of his high vocation. Let us attempt to move every individual in the com- munity to a better sense of his obligations to -aid in the cause of public instruction. MAN THE SUBJECT OF EDUCATION. 51 EDUCATION FORMS INDIVIDUAL CHARACTER. We have laid down the position that educa- tion forms human character. This is not only true as a matter of theory, but of practice ; not true only in general, as regarding classes of men, but as regarding every individual. I do not mean to affirm that all are moulded by what is called education. I use the word in that larger sense, which includes all the influ- ences which aid in the development of our various faculties. Nor do I mean to touch the question of innate ideas, or the unseen impulses which may, and doubtless do, arise from provi- dential influences. There may be a benignant power watching over the orphan, and supply- ing, by holy suggestions, the place of parents. There may be a power in the course of provi- dence corrective of the mistakes made by the natural guardians of children. As the wind is tempered to the shorn lamb, so there may be inward light given by Heaven to those whom society would leave in darkness. But however this may be, our course of duty is plain. The swaying tide may give some lee-way to the ship, but the mariner may not therefore neglect to spread the sail or guide the helm. Revela- tion, experience, common sense, teach us that 52 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. education is the great fashioner of human cha- racter, and we are bound to act accordingly. If this then be true, — if education forms indi- vidual character, — it is important for every pa- rent to inquire himself, and with special refe- rence to his own children, at what period of life it operates with most force, and what are its most efficient engines. THE BASIS OF CHARACTER IS USUALLY LAID IN EARLY LIFE. It is obvious that the faculties of man, com- mencing at birth, proceed in their development through several stages, before they reach matu- rity. These are usually denominated infancy, childhood, and youth. We may consider these as embracing the first seventeen years of life, and remark that during this period the foundation of the physical, mental, and moral character is usually laid. This fact arises from the suscep- tibility of our nature during this portion of our existence. We are then like plaster, prepared by the moulder, soft and impressible, taking forms and images from every thing wc may chance to touch. But as this plaster soon grows hard, and retains ever after the traces made upon it, so the impressions made upon youth MAN THE SUBJECT OF EDUCATION. 53 become indurated in manhood. The imitative and reflective tendencies of childhood and youth, operating on their plastic nature, also render this a decisive period of life in the formation of character. Children mark the peculiarities of those around, and incline to copy them. They are like mirrors, readely catching reflections on every hand, and often retaining traces of the images casually thrown upon them, for the remainder of life. I am aware that there is a great difference in the character of children as to their ductility. Some are facile in their dispositions ; others are more obstinate and unyielding. But these di- versities do not affect the substantial truth of the remark, that the general outline of every man's character is formed by education, and that too within the first seventeen years of his life. It is within this period that the basis of his physical constitution is laid, the frame- work of the understanding formed, the leading features of the moral character decided. And however much these may all seem to depend upon na- ture, they depend much more upon influences which are brought to bear upon them at this plastic period of life. 5* 54 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. PROVISION OF PROVIDENCE THAT THE CONTROL- LING LESSONS OF LIFE SHALL BE GIVEN BY PARENTS, If man is made to be the subject of educa- tion, and if the decisive stage in which he is most easily moulded is that of early life, how wise and benignant is the course of providence as displayed in this design. In the dawn of existence, man is to receive a bias for life. It is at this period that he is most ductile. It is at this period that he is formed to obtain the most lasting impressions, and acquire those trains of thought and feeling which will shape his future fortunes. And what seminary is provided for him 1 To what teacher is he com- mitted 1 The seminary is home ; the teacher is the parent. What spot on earth so likely to abound in genial influences as the fireside? What schoolmaster so likely to teach with blended wisdom and kindness as the parent ? It is plainly a part of the great scheme of the Creator, in making man the subject of educa- tion, that the fireside shall be the seminary in which the controlling lessons of life are to be taught. It is obvious that in placing the power of fashioning the characters of their children for good or ill in the hands of parents, Heaven pre- MAN THE SUBJECT OF EDUCATION. 55 sumes upon their fidelity to such a trust, and will hold them strictly accountable for its dis- charge. What parent will at the same time put at hazard the happiness of his child and disappoint the calculations of providence ? The truth is that God has marked out a noble scheme for man's improvement. This is so dis- tinctly traced by the workings of nature that mankind cannot overlook it. Infancy, child- hood, youth, all advancing to maturity by the process of education, place the design of the Creator before every parent and every member of society. Let parents, then, take up and fol- low out this design ; let the community at large engage with providence in carrying to comple- tion its benignant intentions towards mankind. Let our public men, who have almost a creative power over the society for whom they act, — let these cooperate in the great work of human improvement. As man comes from the hand of his Creator marked as a creature to be educated, let those who are charged with the public interests consider themselves bound to fulfil the appointment of Heaven, and see that those over whom they exercise control, are edu- cated wisely. 56 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. THE FIRESIDE. As the infant begins to discriminate between the objects around, it soon discovers one coun- tenance that ever smiles upon it with peculiar benignity. When it wakes from its sleep, there is one watchful form ever bent over its cradle. If startled by some unhappy dream, a guardian angel seems ever ready to soothe its fears. If cold, that ministering spirit brings it warmth , if hungry, she feeds it ; if in pain, she relieves it ; if happy, she caresses it. In joy or sorrow, in weal or woe, she is the first object of its thoughts. Her presence is its heaven. The mother is the deity of infancy ! Now reflect a moment upon the impressible, the susceptible character of this little being, and consider the power of this mother in shaping the fine clay that is entrusted to her hands. Consider with what authority, with what effect, one so loved, so reverenced, so adored, may speak ! Thus, in the budding spring of life, infancy is the special charge, and subject to the special influence, of the mother. But it soon advances to childhood. Hitherto, it has been a creature of feeling ; it now becomes a being of thought. The intellectual eye opens upon the world. It MAN THE SUBJECT- OF EDUCATION. 57 looks abroad, and imagination spreads its fairy- wing. Every thing is beautiful, every thing is wonderful. Curiosity is perpetually alive, and questions come thick and fast to the lisping lips. What is this? Who made it? How? When !■ Wherefore ? These are the eager in- terrogations of childhood. At this period, the child usually becomes fond of the society of his father. He can answer his questions. He can unfold the mysteries which excite the wonder of the childish intellect. He can tell him tales of what he has seen, and lead the child forth in the path of knowledge. The great characteris- tic of this period of life is an eager desire to obtain new ideas. New ideas to a child are bright as gold to the miser or gems to a fair lady. The mind of childhood is constantly beset with hunger and thirst for knowledge. It appeals to the father, for he can gratify these burning desires. How naturally does such a relation beget in the child both affection and reverence ! He sees love in the eyes of the father, he hears it in the tones of his voice ; and the echo of the young heart gives back love for love. He discovers, too, that his father has knowledge, which to him is wonderful. He can tell why the candle goes out, and though he may not be 58 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. able to satisfy the child where the beautiful flame is gone, he can at least explain why it has vanished, and how it may be recalled. He can tell why the fire burns, why the stream flows, why the trees bow in the breeze. He can tell where the rain comes from, and unfold the mysteries of the clouds. He can explain the forked lightning and the rolling thunder. He can unravel the mighty mystery of the sun, the moon, and the stars. He can point beyond to that Omnipotent Being who in goodness and wisdom has made them all. What a sentiment, compounded of love and reverence towards the father, is thus engen- dered in the bosom of the child ! What a power to instruct, to cultivate, to mould that gentle being is thus put into the hands of this parent ! How powerful is admonition from his lips, how authoritative his example ! The father is the deity of childhood. The feeling of the child towards the father is the beginning of that sen- timent, which expands with the expanding intellect, and, rising to heaven on the wing of faith, bows in love and reverence before the Great Parent of the universe. Let us go forward to the period of youth. The mother holds the reins of the soul ; the father sways the dominion of the intellect, I MAN THE SUBJECT OF EDUCATION. 59 do not affirm that there is an exact or complete division of empire between the parents. Both exert a powerful influence over the mind and heart. I mean only to state generally that the natural power of the mother is exercised rather over the affections, and that of the father over the mind. It is a blended sway, and if exerted in unison it has the force of destiny. There may be cases in which children may seem to set parental authority at defiance; but these instances, if they actually occur, are rare, and may be regarded as exceptions, which are said to prove the rule. Remember the impressible character of youth, and consider its relation to the parent. Is not the one like the fused metal, and has not the other the power to impress upon it an image ineffaceable as the die upon steel 1 Nay, is it not matter of fact, attested by fami- liar observation, that children come forth from the hands of their parents stamped with a cha- racter that seldom deserts them in after life'? Are they not impressed with manners, tastes, habits and opinions, which circumstances may modify, but never efface? If the countenance of the child often bears the semblance of the father or mother, do we not still more frequently discover in the offspring the moral impress of the parent ? 60 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. Is it not true, then, that parents are the law- givers of their children? Does not a mother's counsel, does not a father's example, cling to the memory, and haunt us through life ? Do we not often find ourselves subject to habitual trains of thought, and if we seek to discover the origin of these, are we not insensibly led back, by some beaten and familiar track, to the pater- nal threshold ? Do we not often discover some home-chiseled grooves in our minds, into which the intellectual machinery seems to slide as by a sort of necessity? Is it not, in short, a pro- verbial truth that the controlling lessons of life are given beneath the parental roof? I know, indeed, that wayward passions spring up in early life, and, urging us to set authority at defiance, seek to obtain the mastery of the heart. But, though struggling for liberty and license, the child is shaped and moulded by the parent. The stream that bursts from the fountain, and seems to rush forward head- long and self-willed, still turns hither and thither, according to the shape of its mother earth over which it flows. If an obstacle is thrown across its path, it gathers strength, breaks away the barrier, and again bounds for- ward. It turns, and winds, and proceeds on its course, till it reaches its destiny in the sea. MAN THE SUBJECT OF EDUCATION. 61 But in all this, it has shaped its course and fol- lowed out its career, from babbling infancy at the fountain to its termination in the great reservoir of waters, according to the channel which its parent earth has provided. Such is the influence of a parent over his child. It has within itself a will, and at its bidding it goes forward ; but the parent marks out its track. He may not stop its progress, but he may guide its course. He may not throw a dam across its path, and say to it, hitherto mayest thou go, and no farther; but he may turn it through safe, and gentle, and useful courses, or he may leave it to plunge over wild cataracts, or lose itself in some sandy desert, or collect its strength into a torrent, but to spread ruin and desolation along its borders. The fireside, then, is a seminary of infinite importance. It is important because it is uni- versal, and because the education it bestows, being woven in with the woof of childhood, gives form and color to the whole texture of life. There are few who can receive the honors of a college, but all are graduates of the hearth. The learning of the university may fade from the recollection ; its classic lore may moulder in the halls of memory. But the simple lessons of home, enamelled upon the heart of childhood, 6 62 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. defy the rust of years, and outlive the more mature but less vivid pictures of after days, So deep, so lasting, indeed, are the impressions of early life, that you often see a man in the imbecility of age holding fresh in his recollec- tion the events of childhood, while all the wide space between that and the present hour is a blasted and forgotten waste. You have per- chance seen an old and half-obliterated portrait, and in the attempt to have it cleaned and re- stored, you may have seen it fade away, while a brighter and more perfect picture, painted beneath, is revealed to view. This portrait, first drawn upon the canvass, is no inapt illus- tration of youth ; and though it may be con- cealed by some after design, still the original traits will shine through the outward picture, giving it tone while fresh, and surviving it in decay. Such is the fireside — the great institution fur- nished by providence for the education of man. Having ordained that man should receive his character from education, it was also ordained that early instruction should exert a decisive influence on character, and that during this important period of existence, children should be subject to the charge of their parents. The sagacity and benevolence displayed in this de- MAN THE SUBJECT OF EDUCATION. 63 sign afford a striking manifestation of that wis- dom and goodness which we behold in all the works of God. It appears that, in every stage of society, parental education adjusts itself to the wants of children. In the savage state, where there is no division of property, no com- plicated system of laws and relations, no reli- gion, save the naked idea of a God who rewards the good and punishes the wicked, education has a narrow scope ; but such as is needed is supplied. As society advances into civilization, duties multiply and responsibilities increase; there is then a demand for higher moral and intellectual culture. Providence has foreseen and provided for this necessity, for with the advance of refinement and knowledge the family circle is drawn closer together, and the solici- tude of parents for their children and their influ- ence over them are proportion ably increased. Thus, while in a rude age children are left, almost like the untutored animals, to make their own way, when knowledge is diffused, and the light of religion spread abroad, then it is that enlightened education becomes neces- sary, then it is that parental education becomes vigilant, and then it is that children are most completely subjected to the influence of pa- rents. 64 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. In a state of society like ours, it involves a fearful responsibility, but we cannot shrink from the fact : parents usually decide the cha- racter of their offspring. It is so ordained of Heaven ; children will obey the lessons given them at the fireside. As the stone hurled from the sling takes its direction and finds its resting- place at the bidding of the arm that wields it, so the child goes forward, and finds its grave in peace or sorrow, according to the impulse given at the fireside. OBLIGATIONS OF PARENTS. The mythology of the ancient Greeks taught the existence of a goddess, who exerted a pow- erful influence over mankind ; she was esteem- ed the arbitress of success, and her name was Fortune. She was represented as holding two rudders, with one of which she guided the ship of prosperity, with the other, that of adversity. These emblems indicated her power over good and evil ; but this seems generally to have been exercised in a benignant manner. The same religion also taught the existence of those in- exorable sisters called Fates. They are repre- sented as goddesses of human destiny and in- OBLIGATIONS OF PARENTS. 65 dividual fortune, both in life and death. The Mahometans believe that all events are deter- mined beforehand, and come to pass according to a necessity, which they call Destiny. Now, parents are to their children, fortune, fate and destiny. They possess and exercise over their offspring an influence almost equiva- lent to that fancied to belong to these heathen powers. It should be remembered that this in- fluence is for good or ill ; that it must result in promoting the happiness or misery of those who are subjected to its action. The affection of parents for their children would seem to be a sufficient motive for using their power wisely. But it is easy to present other motives, and those which must come with emphasis, to every pa- rent's heart. The fact that God has made the human race to be educated, to receive their bias for life from early impressions, and has placed children, during this period, under the special charge of parents, is sufficient proof that he de- signed to lay upon these the serious responsi- bility of deciding the character of their children, of determining their fortune, of spinning for them the thread of fate, of planning out their destiny. If any one is disposed to think that I state the point too strongly, let me ask him to con- 6* 66 FIRESIDE EDUCATION, sider what those things are which will gene- rally ensure success in life and happiness here- after. I think these may be briefly stated as follows : First, a good constitution ; second, good moral principles, with a love of truth and justice ; third, religious principles ; fourth, good intellectual culture; fifth, good habits; sixth, pure tastes ; seventh, good manners. Now let me ask, is there any thing here which the pa- rent may not, in ordinary cases, secure to his child ? It may be supposed that a good consti- tution is not at the command of the parent. But let him devote his attention to this as a point of duty, as a thing of high interest; let him pursue it with the sagacity, practical good sense, and energy with which he pursues his ordi- nary business ; and in nine cases out of ten he will secure his object. The truth is, that feeble constitutions are in most cases the result of neglect or mismanagement. The parent, there- fore, may usually decide the physical charac- ter of his child for life. And may he not, if he will use the proper means, decide his moral and intellectual character also? Is there any thing in the catalogue we have just given, of things necessary to win happiness here and hereafter, that the parent may not ensure to his child 1 How strong then is the obligation of the OBLIGATIONS OF PARENTS. 67 parent to seek out and earnestly employ those means, which may thus favorably determine the destiny of those whom God has given him ! There is another argument on this point which may not be without its influence. In the earlier portion of maturity, we are apt to think almost entirely of ourselves ; but as life advances, and children cluster around us, we transfer our hearts to them, and they become the centres of almost all our hopes and fears. It is for them we toil ; it is for them we rise early and sit up late ; it is for them we watch and pray. They become our second selves, and we look forward to their prospects with an interest as keen and anxious as if these prospects were our own. Will not the parent perceive that if he would cherish the happiness, or forestall the misery, that may come from the success or failure of his child, he must use the influence wisely which he possesses over his body, his intellect, and his soul ? The bringing up of children, then, is a matter of serious responsibility to the parent, and it may be supposed that all who sustain the pa- rental relation will be anxious to inform them- selves of the best means of training up their offspring in the way in which they should go. Without pretending to possess any special wis- 68 FIRESIDE EbttCATloNi dom on this subject, I shall venture to make a few suggestions in regard to parental edu» cation and instruction. As these are the result Of observation and reflection, and have been tested, to some extent, by practical application, I hope they may prove useful. After having noticed the characteristics of children, I shall in the first place offer some remarks upon their government, and shall then treat of the proper mode of securing health, and inculcating reli- gion, morals and manners. I shall not attempt to pursue a very philosophical method, but shall introduce the topics rather according to the or- der in which they naturally rise to claim the attention of the parent, than according to any analogies in the topics themselves. Before I close this article, let me present a few other points of consideration to parents. It has been often remarked that childhood and youth are the happiest periods of existence. Whether this be true in point of fact, or not, it is obvious that the Creator designed that youth should be a season of enjoyment. In a state of health, children and youth are invariably happy, unless there is some extraneous circum- stance to prevent. The body thrills with agree- able sensations ; the mind sparkles with bright and pleasant thoughts, as the ripples of a stream OBLIGATIONS OF PARENTS. 69 flash in the rays of the morning sim. The heart, like the bubbling fountain, wells forth with an unceasing current of joyous emotions. Such is the tenor of young life, undisturbed by cross influences. As children are, therefore, made for happiness, let parents consider the duty of following out this design of the Creator. In this matter, God has set them an example, and will they not fol- low it? I know, indeed, that childhood and youth are the periods in which knowledge is to be acquired, the temper to be disciplined, habits of industry and perseverance to be established, principles of truth and duty to be inculcated. And I know that the duty of parents in this respect will often make it necessary to demand onerous exertion and painful self-denial of chil- dren. I know, too, that the condition of many parents is such that they need the labor of their children to assist in sustaining the family. But all this is, by no means, incompatible with the happiness of children. Bodily and mental la- bor, suited to the age and capacity of youth, is a source of immediate happiness, and after pleasure. Lessons of self-denial, wisely and kindly enforced, though the heart be pained for the time, are sources of future satisfaction. As the crushed rose gives forth the sweetest TO FIRESIDE EDUCATION. fragrance, so the chastened heart exhibits and enjoys the purest pleasure. Parents are, there- fore, by no means to sacrifice the proper edu- cation of their children, under the idea of inter- fering with their enjoyment. But I wish distinctly to present to the reader's attention the fact that children remain under parental guardianship for twenty-one years, and that this, with the majority, is more than half the entire period of human existence. Let parents, then, do what they can consistently, with a sound regard to controlling points of duty, to make that large portion of life happy which is subjected to their special influence. Let them not, under an idea of government, over-govern ; let them not, under the notion of educating, over-educate ; let them not, under the idea of training them to labor, overtask their children. Let it be understood that the child has a right to be happy so long as he remains under parental tutelage ; and let it be remem- bered that if the parent interfere with this right, beyond what is demanded by a due re- gard to the child's future prosperity, he uses the power of a despot, with the spirit of a tyrant. I will venture to make another suggestion to parents, which is the more important from the fact that selfishness sometimes puts on the OBLIGATIONS OF PARENTS. 71 guise of virtue, and deceives even those who are concerned in the trick. There are parents, who, from the ambition to have their children shine, stimulate them by base excitements to exertion, thus sacrificing the purity of the heart, and often the health of the body. There are parents, who, from a frivolous vanity, dress their children in an extravagant manner ; thus tarnishing the youthful spirit with the same paltry vice which sways themselves. There are some people who are flattered if their chil- dren appear precocious, and these usually at- tempt to make them prodigies. I once knew a mother who was possessed with this insane ambition in respect to an only child. This was a little boy, of bright intellect, but feeble constitution. There was, by nature, a tendency to a premature development of the mental faculties, and this dangerous predisposi- tion was seconded by all the art and influence of the mother. The consequence was, that while the boy's head grew rapidly, and at last became enormous, his limbs became shrunken and al- most useless. His mind too advanced, and at the age of eight years he was indeed a prodigy. At ten, he died, and his mother, who was a literary lady, performed the task of writing and publishing his biography. In all this, she 72 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. seemed to imagine that she was actuated by benevolent motives, and never appeared to sus- pect the truth, plain and obvious to others, that this child was as truly sacrificed by a mother's selfishness to the demon of vanity, as the Hin- doo infant, given by its mother to the god of the Ganges, is immolated on the altar of supersti- tion. Let parents beware, then, how they per- mit their own selfishness, their own vanity or ambition, to lead them into the sacrifice of their children's happiness. Let it be remembered that premature fruit never ripens well, and that pre- cocious children are usually inferior men or wo- men. Parents, therefore, should be afraid of prodigies. Nothing is in worse taste than for parents to show off their children as remarkably witty, or as remarkable indeed for anything. Good breeding teaches every one to avoid dis- play, and well-bred parents will never offend, by making puppets of their children, in grati- fication of their own vanity. There are other mistakes into which parents are led by selfishness which assumes the sem- blance of disinterestedness. Thus, in the choice of a profession, and in marking out the plan of life for a child, a parent frequently consults rather his own ambition than the real interest of his offspring. In educating him, he takes OBLIGATIONS OF PARENTS. 73 care to cultivate those powers which enable him to command wealth, rather than those which ensure peace of mind. He excites him to effort by emulation, rather than by a sense of duty ; he infuses into him a love of high places, rather than a love of his fellow-men. And what is all this but the immolation of a child on the altar of ambition by a parent's hands 1 a sacrifice rendered still more odious by the hy- pocrisy of the pretence, that it is for the benefit of the victim. This may seem harsh language ; but I am extremely solicitous to warn parents of errors into which the fashion of the times is likely to lead them. Let the rich especially beware lest they expose their children to ruin. The path that spreads before the offspring of the poor, though rugged and often thorny, though steep and difficult to climb, is still less dangerous than the giddy sea upon which the children of the rich must make the voyage of life. The former are hedged in by fences, and are thus likely to be kept from going astray. But who shall guide the youth whose sail is filled with the tempest breezes of passion, and before whom is spread the boundless ocean of pleasure ! The extract which follows, addressed to a rich man, 74 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. may afford some useful suggestions on this point. You are rich; yet you are eager to get more. Wny ? It is well, doubtless, to toil, for industry is the duty of all. It is well to use economy, for this too is a duty. But why hoard up your earnings ? Why seek to raise higher a heap already too high ? Why not distribute what you earn ? Why not devote your time to doing good? You have great power, and why not use it for benevolence ? I do not ask you to drain your purse, but why not give the overflow in charity or to good public objects? Your answer is that you labor for your children. For your children ? Look around and see if in general a great fortune is not a curse to chil- dren. Observation will teach you that it is so. Daughters with fortunes marry ambitiously, or become objects of base speculation, and miss happiness in nine cases out of ten. Sons with fortunes are generally vicious, imbecile, and worthless ; they need the wholesome and invi- gorating discipline of effort induced by necessity. They need also the restraint of dependence. All this you know. No man of sense can be ignorant that experience teaches all this in ex- amples of every-day occurrence. Then, why strive to leave a large fortune for your children, OBLIGATIONS OF PARENTS. 75 when you know it will be a snare, and in all human probability lessen their happiness? It is for your own pride ; it is for the name and fame of leaving it, that you do thus. Nay, start not — it is selfishness — it is poor, weak, human pride that leads you to act thus against the dictates of true affection ! The obligation of parents in respect to their children is to make them happy, to throw aside selfish considerations, to burst the bonds of prejudice and fashion. Taking into view the nature of the child, his impressible character, his physical, intellectual and moral nature, his tendency to receive a decisive bias from the hand of the parent, his constantly accumulating powers of thought and capacity of feeling, his high duty to God, his neighbor and himself, and his immortal destiny ; taking all this into view, it is the duty of the parent to use the best means in his power to promote the present and future happiness of his child. But what are the means by which this end may be ensured or promoted? I should answer, first, govern your child well ; that is, teach him the principles of obedience, the habit of bowing to duty, of sub- jecting his will to the authority of a guide, of yielding his heart up to the rule of right. This is the earliest budding of virtue, the be- 76 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. ginning of moral principle, the germ of religion, the first lesson in obedience to God. It might seem remarkable, perhaps unreasonable, that the Scriptures should lay such great stress on obe- dience to parents. But due reflection will show us that its importance is not overrated. It calls the child to a sacrifice of its own will to a principle of duty; and it is usually the first virtue which he is required to exercise. As a means of training the heart to duty, it is most efficient and important. A child, habituated to obe- dience to parents, is habituated to a surrender of his own desires from a sense of higher obli- gation ; a child who goes from his parents' care with a temper unbroken and a heart untrained in obedience, has yet to learn, though he may have reached maturity, the first lesson of virtue. Second, educate your child well ; that is, train him so as to ensure health, activity and vigor of body ; cultivate the social feeling, so as to establish a broad basis of benevolence in the heart ; teach him to restrain selfishness ami cultivate virtue ; give him pure tastes ; fill his mind with virtuous principles ; above all, sub- ject him to good habits. Third, see that your child is well instructed. This includes three things : first, that he possess the general know- ledge which is necessary to enable him to dis- LEADING CHARACTERISTICS OF CHILDREN. 77 charge the duties which will rest upon him as a member of society; second, that he possess that particular knowledge which may fit him to pursue his profession in life with success; and, third, that intellectual discipline which results in what we call a well-regulated mind. The subsequent observations, in this volume, are designed to aid parents and teachers in ful- filling their duty to the young in these respects. LEADING CHARACTERISTICS OF CHILDREN. If we notice the outward forms of children, we shall observe great diversities of size, shape, complexion, and expression. Some are stout; others slender. Some are tall ; others short. Some are graceful; others awkward. Some have blue eyes and fair hair ; others have dark eyes and raven hair. And these peculiarities of nature in respect to the outward form are but symbols of those which mark the spirit within. But, notwithstanding this diversity, it will be perceived that all have essentially the same features and the same powers. The only difference that exists is, as to some of the quali- ties or attributes that characterize them. While it is necessary, therefore, for all those who have 7# 78 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. to deal with children to take into consideration their various peculiarities, and learn the art of adapting government and instruction to them, it is still more important to become acquainted with those universal traits of character which belong to children. One of the first of these characteristics which is displayed is the sympathy of child with child. This is manifested very early. One of the first objects which an infant, notices is another child. There seems to be a spell in a young face which charms an infant. This principle is manifested in the universal love of dolls. When the infant has arrived at childhood, he finds an excitement in the society of children; which that of grown- up people does not arTord. His faculties are stimulated by this principle, so that powers are developed which would otherwise remain dor- mant. You place a child that has no natural talent for music among children who possess this gift, and under their tutelage he will soon learn to sing. This fact has been fully substan- tiated in several of the European schools. Parents may turn this principle to good ac- count, particularly where there are several chil- dren in the family. By training one child, they may make that an example to the rest. When one is instructed, it may become a moni- tor to others. In schools, the system of mutual instruction, founded upon this principle of sym- pathy between children, may be rendered very useful. It needs, however, the constant vigi- lance of the teacher. But, while this principle in children may be turned to good account, it is sometimes the source of mischief. That fellow-feeling which renders one child the natural monitor of another, gives the power of communicating evil, as well as good. Beware, then, of trusting a good child to the influence of a bad one. The infectious diseases incident to children are not more easily transmitted from one to the other than are bad manners and bad habits. There is another universal trait of childhood which deserves notice, and that is its disposi- tion to imitation. It might seem, at first, to be but a manifestation of the same principle which I have just commented upon ; but, though often blended with it, it is still as often distinct. It renders a child peculiarly susceptible to the influence of example, and makes it a matter of the greatest importance that all who have the charge of children should see that they are never placed under the influence, or in the soci- ety, of those who display ill-temper, who have coarse manners, or who are addicted to any bad 80 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. habits or vicious courses. Parents and teachers should be exceedingly cautious on this subject. A love of mimicry is an abuse of this princi- ple, which ought ever to be checked. Curiosity is a remarkable and interesting trait of childhood, and, though possessed in various degrees of activity, is common to all children. It is first manifested in the infant's stare at the lighted candle ; it is afterwards displayed in the eagerness with which he asks various puzzling questions. The poet has beautifully described the first unfolding of this principle. ce — See its power expand When first the coral fills the infant's hand. Throned in its mother's lap, it dries each tear, As her sweet legend falls upon his ear ; Next it assails him in his top's strange hum. Breathes in his whistle, echoes in his drum. Each gilded toy that doting love bestows He longs to break, and every spring expose. Placed by your hearth, with what delight he pores O'er the bright pages of the pictured stores ; How oft he steals upon your graver task, Of this to tell you, and of that to ask. And when the warning hour to bedward bids, Though gentle sleep sits waiting on his lids, How winningly he pleads to gain you o'er, That he may read one little story more. Nor yet alone to toys and tales confined, It sits dark-brooding o'er his embryo mind. Take him between your knees, peruse his face, While all you know, or think you know, you trace; LEADING CHARACTERISTICS OF CHILDREN. 81 Tell him who spoke creation into birth, Arched the broad heavens and spread the rolling earth ; Who formed a pathway for the obedient sun, And bade the seasons in their circles run ; Who filled the air, the forest, and the flood, And gave man all for comfort or for food ; Tell him he sprang at God's creating nod- He stops you short with, ' Father, who made God?' " Such is the principle of curiosity in children. It is useful, as exciting the mind to investiga- tion, But if it takes an improper direction, and seeks gratification by prying into private affairs, it acquires the character of impertinent inquisitiveness or contemptible meddling, and becomes a vicious and hurtful disturber of soci- ety. Young ladies who have a good deal of leisure on their hands need to be warned on this subject. The love of novelty is universal in children, though it is less active in some than in others. It has its use, in stimulating the mind to new inquiries, and rousing the faculties to new enter- prises ; but if too much cherished, it leads to dissipation of thought and irregularity of con- duct, interferes with industry, and interrupts, and destroys perseverance. In its legitimate sphere, it is therefore useful ; but when excess- ively developed, it becomes pernicious. It is a trait which calls for the watchfulness of parents, 82 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. It might seem that the force of habit was too trite a theme to demand notice here, particu- larly as I have already spoken of its influence in the formation of moral character. But the importance of the subject, especially in treating of education, seems to give it a claim to our most careful attention. Habit has as great an influence over children as others. The rule is universal that what has been once done is more easy the next time. Repetition may enable us to perform that which was at first difficult, per- haps painful, with facility and pleasure. Habit may be illustrated by a beaten path ; as the traveller is apt to fall into and follow this, so the thoughts and feelings are likely to pursue the track which they have often followed before. As the stream gradually wears the channel deeper in which it runs, and thus becomes more surely bound to its accustomed course ; so the current of the mind and heart grows more and more restricted to the course in which habit has taught them to flow. It is these intellectual and moral habits that form many peculiarities of character, and chiefly distinguish one individual from another. They are therefore of the utmost importance. Let parents get their children into good habits, and they have done much to ensure their happiness. If they have permitted them LEADING CHARACTERISTCS OF CHILDREN. 83 to become the subjects of bad habits, they have exposed them to a great evil. This topic might be easily expanded into a volume. "Custom," — that is, habit, — says Bacon, " is the principal magistrate of man's life. Let men, by all means, therefore, endeav- or to obtain good customs. Certainly custom is most perfect when it beginneth in young years. This we call education" Children are perhaps less selfish than grown- up people. But self-love is with them the spring of action, and moves their souls as well as those of others. The proper control of this principle is full half the business of education. Selfishness is a strong and hardy plant, and grows thriftily in every human heart. It springs up in the family circle, and manifests itself in the little strifes and contentions between brothers and sisters. The older and stronger boy is very apt, if not duly admonished, to seek his own gratification, with little regard to the right of his companions. " Mother," said a younger brother, " is it right for James to take all the best of the bed to himself? " " Certainly not," said the mother. " But," said James, in defence, " I only take half the bed." " Yes," said the other boy, " but you lie right in the middle, and 84 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. take all the soft part, so that I am obliged to lie both sides of the bed, in order to get my half." This little scene will illustrate the spirit to which I allude. There is another still more disagreeable exhi- bition of selfishness common with boys in their treatment of girls. They are often exceed- ingly tyrannical, rude, contemptuous, and even cruel, towards the gentler sex of their own age. This demands the assiduous correction of the parent The claims of the weaker upon the stronger sex for scrupulous justice and chival- rous protection, ought to be inculcated and en- forced, especially by mothers, from the earliest periods of boyhood. If this is not done, there is danger that the selfishness of the boy, which displays itself in a rude exercise of his power, may increase with the advance of years, and at manhood lead him to treat woman, though it may be in a more gallant guise, according to the dictates of caprice, rather than those of jus- tice. Having noticed some of the leading traits of childhood, not only with a view to direct the parent's special attention to them, but to excite him to careful and vigilant study of his chil- dren, let us proceed to a subject of still greater importance. FAMILY GOVERNMENT. 85 FAMILY GOVERNMENT. We return to the fireside. Let us suppose it to be a sober Saturday evening, when the week's work is done, and the approach of the Sabbath naturally draws the mind from the vexing cares of business, to a contemplation of the various duties which rest upon us. The family circle is now gathered around the hearth. The scene is divided into two groups — the parents and the children. The relation that subsists between these is the strongest, the closest, the tenderest that exists in human society. Even among the brute creation, there is an instinct which im- pels the parent to the defence of its offspring. Among the fiercer animals, the mother becomes fearless of danger, and reckless of life, where her young ones are threatened with injury. But the human parent has a still keener interest in the welfare of his children. To the affection which nature teaches us to bestow upon our offspring, reason and reflection add other and more endearing ties. They are not only our children, a part of ourselves, and linked with a thousand associations of pleasure or pain, of joy or sorrow, hope or fear ; but they are of them- selves creatures of feeling, susceptible of hap- piness or misery, capable of elevation or de- S6 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. basement They may enjoy health, or suffer sickness ; they may be intelligent or ignorant, wise or foolish, virtuous or vicious. They may be an honor or a disgrace to their connections. They may be a blessing or a curse to society. They may die in peace or sorrow ; and may leave this world with an assured hope of hap- piness hereafter, or with the reluctant awe with which a criminal is brought before his judge. Such is the manifold web which is woven over the group assembled around the fireside. How many hopes and fears, how many ardent wishes, how many anxious apprehensions, are twisted together in the threads that connect the parent with the child ! " Thou seest the braided roots that bind Yon towering cedar to the rock ; Thou seest the clinging ivy twinedj As if to spurn the whirlwind's shock ; — Poor emblems of the strings that tie His offspring to a parent's heart ; For those will, mouldering, yield and die, But these can never, never part." The attachment of children to the father and mother is a less complicated sentiment, but it is one of the most pure, sincere and unselfish which human nature displays. It is a senti- ment combining a sense of protection, a conn- FAMILY GOVERNMENT. 87 dence of good will, a trust of power so com- plete as to lead the child to give itself up to the care of the parent, without one thought of pro- viding for its own safety. It is not in human nature to resist an appeal like this. How does the mother feel her affection quickened at the reliance with which the infant throws itself upon her bosom, and, in conscious security, sinks to repose ! How does the father feel his soul drawn out in behalf of his children, as he sees them fly to him in every moment of peril ! What then are likely to be the reflections of these parents, when the busy week is over, and they, with their children, are collected around the fireside 1 If they take into view the sus- ceptibilities of these children: that God has brought them into existence to receive their character from education ; that this character is to be determined during the early portion of life; that during this period they are, by the course of providence, placed under the special charge of the father and the mother ; that, in short, the destiny of their children is entrusted to their hands, and is likely to be good or bad, according as they may be well or ill managed — will they not look about with anxious solici- tude for aid, counsel and encouragement in the discharge of their important duty? With a 88 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. view to contribute my humble mite for the benefit of parents thus anxious for the welfare of their children, I shall venture first to suggest some practical hints on family government, and then proceed to notice other interesting topics. The first system of government ever formed was that of the fireside. It is, in its nature, despotic, giving absolute authority to the mon- arch parents over their subject children. Un- limited power should be ever used with great discretion, and especially in this case. The parent sets an example to the child. If he is tyrannical or unjust, he does what he can to make his child so. The fireside should be a seminary where principles of equity and charity are inculcated, where justice is taught by pre- cept and enforced by example. The whole tenor of parental influence should be used to subject the selfishness of the offspring to the golden rules of duty ; and how wide do they go from this mark, if, using the despotic power they possess over their children, the parents show that they are themselves the slaves of passion, or under the guidance of selfishness ! I need not insist upon the importance of family government. It is not only necessary for the peace and comfort of the domestic circle, but it is indispensable for the discipline of the tempers FAMILY GOVERNMENT. 89 of children. If permitted to grow up ungo- verned, when they go forth into society they are likely to surrender themselves to every spe- cies of license. The danger, on this score, is more imminent in respect to hoys than girls. Society imposes sterner restraints upon the lat- ter than upon the former, and these may supply the neglect of the parent. But if you see a young man run into excess, or give himself up to vicious indulgence, you may rest assured that he has not been subjected to habitual govern- ment at home ; that his mind and heart have not been trained and disciplined by parental authority; that the principle of obedience has never been thoroughly established in his soul. Parental government, then, is a thing of serious import, and demands the most careful attention at the hands of the parent. Taking its importance for granted, then, I proceed to remark, in the first place, that pa- rental government should be thorough. Some children are easily managed, but there are few who will not sometimes try to have their own way. At one time, they will attempt to evade ; at another, they will brave authority. In this species of strife they are often sharp-witted and dexterous, and sometimes intrepid, pertinacious and headstrong. If they succeed once, they 90 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. gather courage ; if twice, they feel assured ; if thrice, they triumph. The only safe method is for the parent to meet the first resistance of the child with firmness, and hy no means to per- mit himself to be baffled either by evasion or defiance. But great caution is to be used. The object should be ; not merely to make the child obey externally, but internally; to make the obedience sincere and hearty, and to make it flow alike from affection, a sense of duty, and a conviction that he consults his true interest in so doing. All these motives should be brought to concur in the act; if any one of them is wanting, the obedience is imperfect. To accom- plish this thorough subjection of the child to parental authority, it is obvious that great pru- dence is necessary. There must be no violence, no display of temper, no angry looks, no hasty words. Before he can expect to govern a child, a parent must first learn to govern himself. His own passions being under control, his heart chastened, and the traces of vexation swept from his countenance, he may meet the rebel- lious child, assured of triumph. That child might resist threats and be hardened by force ; but it is not likely long to resist patient kind- ness, tender remonstrance, affectionate counsel. There has been a great deal said as to the motives which should be brought to bear upon FAMILY GOVERNMENT. 91 children, as well in governing as teaching them. Emulation is thought to be dangerous, as it may excite a spirit of rivalry, and sometimes result in jealous or envious strife. It is said to be "calling into action a principle exceedingly liable to abuse, and to the abuse of which may be ascribed no small share of the miseries of human life. It is early laying the foundation of alienations, animosities and heart-burnings, which will survive every thing but death. It is the accursed love of power, the everlasting scrambling for the high places, and desire to be in advance of our fellows, that keeps the world in commotion ; and yet we cherish this princi- ple, we infuse it into the young bosom, we set it at work in the hearts of our children, while they are yet in school ! It may subserve the purpose of learning, but not of humanity. If we call it into action, we do it at a tremendous hazard." All this is doubtless true in reference to the abuse of emulation, as a motive of action to children. If the desire of superiority is en- couraged, while no other principle is inculcated which may check and chasten the ambition thus excited, it may grow into a headstrong and over-mastering passion. But a love of excel- lence is not of itself a base or unworthy senti- 92 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. ment, and its moderate indulgence is neither dangerous nor hurtful. It may with most chil- dren be safely called into action, as an induce- ment to excite them either to obedience, or effort in their studies, provided it is accompa- nied by the constant inculcation of that great rule of duty, do to another as you would have another do to you. It is better, however, in general, when you desire to use this incitement, to place before children examples from history or imagination, rather than to direct their at- tention to their immediate companions. In some children, the spark of ambition is exceedingly ready to kindle, and in such, the feeling of rivalry is equally prompt to rise up in the breast. It is seldom either safe or necessary to stimu- late in these the desire of superiority over their fellows ; it may, indeed, require to be checked, rather than encouraged. There are others of an opposite turn, who can hardly be warmed into emulation even by present competitors, much less by remote or imaginary examples. In these, the feeling of rivalry can hardly be excited, and when it is, the sentiment is usually momentary. The only rule that can be safely given on this subject appears to be this — if you use emulation with children, consider that, like fire, it is a good servant, but a bad master; that, FAMILY GOVERNMENT. 93 like all excitements, it is liable to abuse, and often leaves behind a craving for new stimu- lus, sometimes rendering exertion, without an immediate spur, reluctant and feeble. It is never safe but in connection with the constant inculcation of the duty of dealing justly with all mankind. The following fable may illus- trate the evil consequences of rivalry engendered between friends and companions. THE RIVAL BUBBLES. Two bubbles on a mountain stream Began their race one shining morn, And, lighted by the ruddy beam, Went dancing down mid shrub and thorn . The stream was narrow, wild and lone, But gaily dashed o'er mound and rock, And brighter still the bubbles shone, As if they loved the whirling shock. Each leaf and flower, and sunny ray, Was pictured on them as they flew, And o'er their bosoms seemed to play In lovelier forms and colors new. Thus on they went, and side by side They kept in sad and sunny weather. And, rough or smooth the flowing tide, They brightest shone when close together Nor did they deem that they could sever, That clouds could rise or morning wane They loved, and thought that love foreyer Would bind them in its gentle chain* 94 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. But soon the mountain slope was o'er, And mid new scenes the waters flowed, And the two bubbles now no more With their first morning beauty glowed. They parted, and the sunny ray That from each other's love they borrowed, That made their dancing bosoms gay, While other bubbles round them sorrowed ; That ray was dimmed, and on the wind A shadow came, as if from Heaven ; Yet on they flew, and sought to find From strife the bliss that love had given. They parted, yet in sight they kept, And rivals now the friends became, And if perchance the eddies swept Them close, they flashed with flame ; And fiercer forward seemed to bound With the swift ripples toward the main | And all the lesser bubbles round Each sought to gather in its train. They strove, and in that eager strife Their morning friendship was forgot, And all the joys that sweeten life, The rival bubbles knew them not. The leaves, the flowers, the grassy shore, Were all neglected in the chase, And on their bosoms now no more These forms of beauty found a place. But all was dim and drear within, And envy dwelt where love was known And images of fear and sin Were traced where truth and pleasure shone, FAMILY GOVERNMENT. 95 The clouds grew dark, the tide swelled high, And gloom was o'er the waters flung. But, riding on the billows, nigh Each other now the bubbles swung. Closer and closer still they rushed In anger o'er the rolling river ; They met, and, mid the waters crushed, The rival bubbles burst forever ! The principle of fear has been, of late, a good deal objected to in the government of children. The ferule has passed into disgrace; the birchen rod is almost banished from society. Children, it is said, must be drawn by the cords of love. They must be governed through their good and gentle feelings. Fear is a servile passion, and should never be appealed to. It is a motive which may influence a brute, but it should not be used in the management of human beings. Such is the sweet philosophy of modern days ! For my own part, I am inclined to think that fear is a necessary principle in human go- vernment, as well at the fireside as elsewhere. The Scriptures present punishment as a great argument against vice, and reward as a great argument in favor of virtue. They appeal to fear of misery and the loss of happiness, not only as a motive to shun wickedness and follow righteousness, but as a purifying principle, tend- ing to produce humiliation, docility, teachable- 96 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. ness, obedience. This policy is expressly recom- mended, in various parts of the Scriptures, in reference to family government. Children are again and again warned against disobedience by threats of evil, while, on the contrary, pro- mises of good are held out to the obedient. " Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." In political affairs, the Bible constantly appeals to the fears of the peo- ple ; and, in reference to religion, ' it enforces obedience to God by offers of heaven on the one hand, and denunciations of misery on the other. Here then is the authority of the Scriptures in favor of the use of fear and hope as instru- ments of government, as motives to obedience, as stimulants to exertion. The propriety of using them is confirmed by a reference to the obvious principles upon which human nature is formed. Happiness is the desire of man, and the possession of it the end of his existence. Hope and fear are the master passions, and are designed by the Creator to furnish the great impulses to action in the pursuit of happiness. They are as the breeze to the ship, which swells the sail, and bears it onward in its track. It should be remarked, however, that while the inspired authors of the sacred page apply the FAMILY GOVERNMENT. 97 strong levers of selfish hope and fear to move mankind in the direction of their duty, they still insist upon higher motives as indispensable to virtuous action. The obligation to obey God is not by them deduced from the consideration that it is for man's true interest to obey him; but it is regarded as imperative from the simple fact that he is God. From his relation toman, as the natural and moral Governor of the uni- verse, he claims the allegiance of his subjects, and he has implanted in man's bosom the whis- pering voice of conscience to tell him that this is right. But as man may neglect this monitor, other motives, inferior indeed, but still power- ful, — the motives which appeal to interest, are addressed. Fear is in fact selfish, and the di- rect action that flows from it is of course desti- tute of all virtuous quality. But it often brings the mind to a contemplation of virtue; induces it to look with reverence upon what is marked by God as good, and with aversion upon what is stamped as evil. At the same time, as before remarked, it subdues and softens the heart with a sense of humility, and brings it to a fit con- dition, like that of the well ploughed field, to receive the good seed, and yield the golden harvest. If therefore a sense of duty is earnestly and 9 98 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. constantly inculcated, I see no danger in the use of hope and fear as motives to exertion and obedience — obedience to parents, as involved in obedience to God. There will, in this case, be a higher motive in the heart — that which arises from a perception of the inalienable claims of duty ; and this will effectually prevent the debasing tendency which the inferior motives of selfish hope and fear might create, if they became the frequent sources of action. As connected with this question of motives, there have been also much doubt and discussion in regard to punishments. Corporeal punish- ments have been altogether discarded by many, as degrading to human nature and injurious to the subjects of such discipline. But I am dis- posed to think that He who recommends to parents not to spare the rod, understood this subject better than these modern reformers. It may be that Vicessimus Knox, that prince of pedagogues, who laid an average of fifty lashes a day upon the backs of his scholars for some forty years, and Dr. Samuel Johnson, who was a great friend to flogging, and some others, have quoted Solomon in behalf of a severe system of youthful discipline. If so, it is not the first time that Holy Writ has been wrested from its true meaning, and made the instrument FAMILY GOVERNMENT. 99 by which men have vindicated their own mis- doings. Bnt the truth here, as in many other cases, lies between the extremes. Corporeal punishment is seldom necessary ; but almost every parent, who has dealt faithfully with his children, has found some occasion when the injunction, " spare not the rod," came with the emphasis of inspiration to his breast. It may be that the actual necessity for this form of punishment never occurs in respect to some children ; but almost every child, before he is thoroughly trained in obedience, has at least one sharp struggle with his parent, in which some decisive and humiliating mark of disap- probation is demanded. It should not, however, be overlooked, that the necessity of punishment depends very much upon the manner in which children are treated. The greatest rloggers have usually the most disobedient children. I once knew a busy, scouring farmer's wife, with a large family, the eldest fifteen years old, the youngest three. She seldom crossed the room without making some one of them stagger with a vixenish slap on the side of the head. Yet they were, with- out exception, the most noisy, mischievous, re- bellious little reprobates that I ever saw. The discipline of this mother was obviously not cor- 100 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. rective, but nutritive of the vicious habits of her children. The more she flogged, the more their disobedience flourished. Her ill-judged castigation operated like a partial hoeing among weeds, which only makes them grow the faster. I have seen, on the other hand, a teacher of a seminary, consisting of eighty boys, succeed in governing the whole school, while the heaviest punishment ever inflicted was that of making a boy lie in bed for a whole day. This teacher had a peculiar tact for his profession ; but a large part of his skill lay in imperturbable cheer- fulness of manner, and an equanimity of temper which never deserted him. These prevented his being thrown off his guard, secured him the good will and confidence of his pupils, and in- clined them at the outset to comply with his requisitions. But, after all that may be done, it is impossible to lay down rules on this subject that will answer for every case. We may remark of punishment in general, as of physic, — use it as seldom as possible, but, when necessary, let it be effec- tual. And let me add, never punish a child in a hurry. Take time for it ; and if you can ac- complish your object by reasoning with him ; if you can bring him to repentance and a due sense of the duty of obedience by patient coun- FAMILY GOVERNMENT. lOl sel, consider this as far better than the infliction of any punishment whatever. There are some practices of parents which cannot be too severely condemned. One is a constant fretting at, and scolding of, children ; a mistake often made by mothers, who can offer the excuse that they have so much to do as to render it impossible that any thing should be well done. By this practice, the force of govern- ment is weakened, and the authority of the pa- rent worn out. I never knew one who was per- petually correcting a child, that did not either establish him in habits of contempt of parental government or stultify his intellect. It is proper to remark here, too, that in no duty of life is ex- ample more important than in family govern- ment. Let children see that the father and mother indulge angry looks or harsh words towards each other, and they get a bad lesson, which may never leave them. On the contrary, if they see those whom they most reverence and most love, habitually kind, gracious and patient in their intercourse with one another, they will carry images in their hearts, which will ever incline them to love and gentleness. There is another common error, which may need to be noticed, — that of correcting a child hastily and harshly, and then, feeling that in- 9* 102 FIRESIDE EDUCATION". justice has been done, to compensate him by some soothing sugarplum or honied apology. It is not easy to conceive of any thing more likely to degrade the parent in the eyes of his offspring than such inconsiderate folly, — nothing more sure to destroy his influence over the mind, to harden the young heart in re- bellion, and make it grow bold in sin. In proportion as the parent sinks in his esteem, self-conceit grows up in the mind of the un- dutiful child. Young people, as well as old, pay great respect to consistency, and, on the contrary, despise those whose conduct is marked with caprice. The sacred relation of parent is no protection against this contempt. Those, therefore, who would preserve their influence over their children, who would keep hold of the reins that may guide them in periods of danger, and save them from probable ruin, must take care not to exhibit themselves as governed by passion or whim, rather than fixed principles of justice and duty. There is another fatal danger in family go- vernment, from which I would warn every pa- rent, and that is partiality. It is too often the case that fathers and mothers have their favo- rite child. From this two evils result. In the first place, the pet usually becomes a spoiled FAMILY GOVERNMENT. 103 child; and the " flower of the family" seldom yields any other than bitter fruit. In the second place, the neglected part of the household feel envy towards the object of special affection, and nourish a secret discontent towards the parent that makes the odious distinction. Disunion is thus sown in what ought to be the Eden of life, a sense of wrong is planted by the parent's hand in the hearts of a part of his family, an exam- ple of injustice is written on the soul of the offspring by him who should instil into it, by every word and deed, the holy principles of equity. This is a subject of great importance, and I commend it to the particular notice of all parents. I have seen a mother, who had two daughters, select one, for no apparent cause, as the object of particular affection. The daughters grew up and had families. For a long time they continued to entertain undisturbed affection for each other. But the mother's preference of one, and of all that belonged to her, though attempted to be concealed, could not be disguised. This gradually introduced a feeling of jealousy be- tween the sisters. Insensibly they became es- tranged ; the two families also began to indulge a spirit of rivalry. They became watchful of each other's words, dress, and demeanor. They 104 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. grew mutually captious, and at last censorious. The result was, that, while the two families maintained an ostensible friendship, there was underneath this disguise a real hatred of each other. Thus a mother's selfish and unreasona- ble indulgence of a whim sowed discord among her children, and entailed misery upon her de- scendants. Nor is this a solitary instance. Pa- rents seem peculiarly exposed to this error in the administration of family government. Let them be on their guard. Let them treat their several children with an even hand, and, if they wish peace in their family, discourage uncles and aunts, grandmothers and grandfathers, from selecting one of their children as a special fa- vorite. Such things seldom come to good. If the pet gets at length some niggard legacy as a token of regard, it is usually bought too dear, even if it do not bring a curse on the recipient. If indeed it should seem a benefit to him on whom it is bestowed, the jealous envy excited in the other members of the family, and the consequent alienation of good will, are poorly compensated by it. Such partialities on the part of rich relations are often wholly selfish, and should be rather shunned than coveted by parents. Their children can do without lega- FAMILY GOVERNMENT. 105 cies, but they cannot afford to be subject to the disturbing influence of partiality. I close this article by the following just obser- vations on the duties of parents, by Mr. Abbott, " In looking into human life, and seeing how entirely dependent for character and happiness the child is upon the parent, we cannot but consider it one of the greatest of the innumera- ble mysteries of divine providence, that one human being should be placed so completely in the hands of another. The wonder is increased by thinking how much skill, how much know- ledge, how much firmness, Avhat decision at one time, and what delicacy of moral touch, if I may so express it, at another, are necessary, in order to succeed in training up the infant mind as it ought to be trained. It would sometimes almost seem that God has given to parents a work to do, of such intrinsic difficulties, as very far exceed the capacities and the powers of those whom he was commissioned to execute it. There seems, at first view, to be a want of cor- respondence between what, in a wisely bal- anced plan, we might suppose ought to be nice- ly adapted to each other, — the moral capabili- ties of the parent and the moral necessities of the child. We say at first view, for on more mature reflection we discover simple principles 106 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. which common sense and honest faithfulness will always suggest, and which, steadily pur- sued, must secure favorable results. Among the lower classes of society, we find many, very many families of children well brought up, and among the higher classes, and those too where virtue and christian principle seem to reign, and where religious instruction is pro- fusely given, we find total failure. The chil- dren are sources of trouble and wretchedness to their parents, from the time when they gain the first victory over their mother, by scream- ing and struggling in the cradle, to the months of wretchedness in later life, during which they are brought home, night after night, from scenes of dissipation and vice, to break a mother's heart, or to blanch the cheek of a father with suppressed and silent suffering. "What are the causes of these sad failures'? Why are cases so frequent in which the chil- dren of virtuous men grow up vicious and abandoned ? There are many nice and delicate adjustments necessary to secure the highest and best results in the education of a child, but the principles necessary for tolerable success must be few and simple. There are two, which we wish we had a voice loud enough to thunder in the ears of every parent in the country; — FAMILY GOVERNMENT. 107 these are two, the breach of one or the other of which will explain almost every case of gross failure on the part of virtuous parents, which we have ever known. They are these : " 1. Keep your children from bad company; and, 11 2. Make them obey you. " There is no time to enlarge on these points; but it seems to us that habits of insubordina- tion at home, and the company of bad boys abroad, are the two great sources of evil, which undo so much of what moral and religious in- struction would otherwise effect. The current of parental interest is setting towards mere in- struction to such an extent as to overrate alto- gether its power ; and the immense injury which comes in from such sources as bad company and insubordination, is overlooked and forgot- ten. What folly to think that a boy can play with the profane, impure, passionate boys which herd in the streets, six days in the week, and iiave the stains all wiped away by being com- pelled to learn his Sunday-school lesson on the seventh ; or that children who made the kitchen or the nursery scenes of riot and noise, from the age of three to eight years, will be prepared for any thing in after life but to carry the spirit of insubordination and riot wherever they may go. 108 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. No ; children should be taught most certainly, but they must also be taken care of. They must be governed at home, and be kept from contaminating influences from abroad, or they are ruined. If parents ask, how shall we make our children obey? we answer, in the easiest and pleasantest way you can, but at all events make them obey. If you ask, how shall we keep our boys from bad company ? we answer, too, in the easiest and pleasantest way you possibly can, but at all events keep them out of the streets. The alternative, it seems to us, is as clear and decided as any which circumstances ever made up for man ; you must govern your children and keep them away from the con- tamination of vice, or you must expect to spend your old age in mourning over the ruins of your family." RELIGION. Religion claims the highest place in the range of education ; but still it is a subject which, in most of its details, must be left to the spiritual guide of the reader. He will inculcate its sub- lime truths, its holy obligations. He will en- force upon parents the necessity of stamping into the bosoms of children an ineffaceable con - RELIGION. 109 fidence in the truth of the Bible. This is the corner-stone of our faith. Without this, the re- ligion of Christ has no foundation in the mind. On this point permit me to warn parents of the fearful force of example. Childhood is like a mirror, catching and reflecting images from all around it. Remember that an impious doubt or a profane thought uttered by a parent's lip, may operate on the young heart like a careless spray of water thrown upon polished steel, staining it with rust, which no after scouring can efface. I need not say that religion is the basis of all virtue, the foundation of all excellence in character, the only inexhaustible fountain of happiness ; for all this is generally admitted. We may bequeath to our children houses, lands, and other earthly treasures, but if they acquire not a title to some better inheritance we leave them poor indeed. That better inheri- tance may be compared to an estate in a dis- tant country, which can only be secured by travelling thither. Now, in order to induce a person to undertake this journey, it is proper, as a first step, to convince him of the actual exis- tence of this inheritance, and the necessity of the journey in order to obtain possession of it. If he disbelieves or even doubts the reality of 10 110 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. this land of promise, he will never set forth to visit it. Thus, in religion, a firm, undoubting belief in revelation is the first step. Without this, there is no progress in the real journey of life. Now there is one means in the power of all parents which I conceive to be very effec- tual in establishing a confidence in the sacred Scriptures, and which they alone are likely to employ at the proper season and with due effect. At a very early period of education, children begin to acquire some geographical knowledge. They soon learn that the earth is a sphere, and that its surface is distributed into various coun- tries. They learn that the Eastern Continent is scattered over with remnants of antiquity; they learn that Rome is filled with mouldering arches, broken columns, and moss-covered walls, bearing the impress of ages that are passed. They learn that Greece is strewn with similar ruins. How powerfully do these vestiges speak of the past, — how distinctly do they call up from the slumber of centuries the mighty na- tions which once inhabited these realms ! How vivid is the conviction that is engendered in the mind by such witnesses, that the story of these great nations, handed down to us by the page of history, is no dubious fable, but a positive, unquestionable reality ! Now the parent may RELIGION. Ill carry the mind of his child, hy the aid of books in common use, to Judea. He may show him that Jerusalem still exists ; that the Jordan still flows on ; that mount Calvary still throws up its frowning battlements toward the sky ; that the sea of Galilee still spreads out its level surface, reflecting the image of heaven, as when Christ trod its shores and the apostles cast their nets into its bosom. Let the parent speak of these things as they now exist, and as travellers describe them, and these will all become living witnesses to the truth of revelation. Spread before a child a map of the Holy Land ; show him the course of its rivers, the shape of its boundaries, the position of its mountains. Point him to the names of places rendered familiar by the Scriptures. Point, to Jerusalem, Jericho, Bethlehem, Samaria, Nazareth. Let him know that these places, though more remote, as truly exist as New York, London, or Paris. Let him learn them as geographical facts ; habitu- ate him to this train of thought, and his child- ish doubts of the validity of revelation will vanish. He will then read the Bible with unwavering confidence. Those mists which are so apt to gather over the mind, and seem to render the scenes which the sacred page unfolds, dim and doubtful as the visions of an Arabian 112 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. tale, will be cleared away, and faith, strength- ened by habit, will take that deep and strong anchorage, from which no tempest in after life can drive it. Having enforced the necessity, and pointed out the means, of laying deep in the minds of children the foundation of confidence in the Bible as the word of God, I proceed to offer a few general remarks connected with religious education. There is no subject on which the influence of parents is more felt by children, than religion. It is so vast in its compass that a child does not, at first, attempt to grasp it. It baffles his comprehension and overtasks his imagination. He shrinks back from the effort to master it, and yields to the guidance of those who are wiser than himself. He submits his faculties to the parent on this subject with im- plicit obedience. He gives up his mind and soul, — believes as he is taught to believe, and feels as he is taught to feel. Parents ought deeply to ponder their respon- sibility in this matter. The child surrenders his immortal spirit to the father and the mother, saying, in effect, mould me in this as you will ! And let me appeal to parents in behalf of this confiding child. Remember the character of the " golden bowl " that is entrusted to your RELIGION. 113 care, and that it may be broken at the very fountain ! On the great question of our rela- tion to a God, and the duties and the des- tiny connected with such a relation, — on the subject which involves our highest hopes and our most anxious fears, — which embraces, not the happiness of a life of threescore years and ten, alone, but of that life which stretches from an earthly shore across the boundless sea of eternity, — in regard to this vast subject, the child makes you his trustee. He has an im- mortal existence, and may claim a glorious heri- tage, if. his interest is rightly managed. Will you fulfil this trust faithfully, or will you betray your own offspring, where betrayal may result in irretrievable loss ? Consider your position. You may determine whether your child shall be an infidel or a be- liever, an atheist or a Christian. If you openly avow a disbelief in the Bible, will your child not be an unbeliever also 1 If, on the contrary, you are a believer, and act consistently with your faith, will your child be a skeptic ? Nay, does not observation teach us r .ll that children will not only follow the creed of their parents in its general doctrine, but that in most cases they will adopt its minuter dogmas, and catch the very tone of the religious feelings they en- gender? 10* 114 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. Care should be taken that children imbibe no prejudice against religion, on account of the faults and foibles of some of its professors. It sometimes happens that persons professing to be religious, and affecting a peculiar degree of sanc- tity, are still marked with certain disagreeable traits of character. They are perhaps gloomy, and would give the impression that religion im- parts gloom to those who become subject to its influence. Or perhaps they are disputatious, and draw the sword of controversy on unsuitable occasions. Or they may combine ignorance with conceit, and undertake to instruct those who are wiser and better than themselves. Or they may imagine that they have some call from heaven to persuade mankind to become Christians, and, forgetting or disdaining the pro- prieties of life, force religious conversation upon people at improper times. Or they may have that peculiar species of arrogance, which begins with expressions of humility, and ends by giv- ing you to understand that they have been blessed with heavenly light, while you are in the " gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. " All these, and many other forms of error, igno- rance, impertinence, or hypocrisy, are to be met with in people who profess to be religious ; and it is an unfortunate fact that such persons are frequently zealous, and therefore render RELIGION. 115 themselves conspicuous. And the mischief that has been done by such people to the cause of religion itself, by attaching to it their own disa- greeable characteristics, is very great. But there is one remedy for this evil in the hands of parents. Let them teach their chil- dren at the proper age to discriminate between religion, and the faults, follies and foibles of those who assume its sacred garb ; teach them to discriminate between vulgarity of manners and errors in principle. It must be admitted that the Christian character seldom approaches perfection; that, if we look to individuals, we shall find that the best of men are still fallible. The purest heart, when closely scanned, dis- covers the strands of selfishness, braided in with piety or benevolence. Instead therefore of looking to individual professors of Christianity as perfect mirrors of religion, or instead of refer- ring to any one sect for a full reflection of it, we should look to its fruits, as displayed by the whole body of Christians. Instead of testing religion by a reference to particular persons or particular creeds, we should regard the great results of the whole system. If you judge the tree by its fruit, it should be by the average of what it yields, and not by a single speci- men. And in this way, Christianity will stand 116 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. the test. Bring together the whole body of Christians, of all persuasions, and I hesitate not to declare that they will exhibit a loftier stand- ard of virtue, a purer code of morals, a higher sense of justice and humanity, than any other class of men that exist on the face of the earth. Let the Christian religion be viewed in this light, and it will readily claim the admiration of every candid and enlightened mind. Let it be well understood that there are quacks, fana- tics, and impertinent meddlers in religion, as in every other good cause ; but let it also be un- derstood that these persons are marked with individual qualities which the spirit of true reli- gion would rebuke, and the existence of which, wherever they may be found, goes far to prove the absence of that spirit. Let these views be entertained by parents, and, on proper occa- sions, communicated to children, and these will be saved from those perilous misapprehensions, which have driven more persons intu infidelity than any other single cause. One thing farther. The common cant of the irreligious and profane is made up of gibes and sneers at religion, on account of the errors and inconsistencies of those who bear the name of Christians. There can be no surer mark of ill breeding, no more palpable instance of bad RELIGION. 117 taste, than to participate in this poor wit. But, at the same time, it is not wise, unduly, to pal- liate the faults of those who profess to be reli- gious. Whoever furnishes any reason to a child to suspect him of want of candor, to suspect that he is influenced by a sinister design, runs the risk of turning the whole strength of the child's mind and heart against that which he would desire to inculcate. The true rule, on this point, would seem to be this, — admit frank- ly the imperfections of individual Christians, but, on suitable occasions, illustrate the spirit of Christianity, by exhibiting its effects upon the world at large. Suppose you were to blot Chris- tianity from the earth, and what would be the condition of the human family? To what creed should we resort, to support our hopes of im- mortality, or unfold the duties and the destinies of man? Would Mahometanism, or Bramanism, or any other pagan scheme, content us? Would not the moral world seem deprived of the great luminary which gives it light, and warmth and vitality ? We know, indeed, that the fool, who has said in his heart " there is no God," aflirms that, in spite of the diffusion of Christian know- ledge, the world goes on now as it has gone before. But the fact is not so. Within the last century, the human mind has made great 118 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. progress, and it requires no very profound study- to discover, that Christianity has been the pio- neer in this onward march. The advance of civilization has resulted from a diffusion of po- litical liberty, and this has arisen from a better knowledge of the rights of man. And from what; source has the sense of justice sprung, which has thus been scattered over Christendom, and induced even kings and emperors to mitigate their sway of despotism? It is from Christianity, alone. It is this which has established, on a firm basis, the principles of equity between man and his fellow man. Greece and Rome had beautiful schemes of liberty, but they rested upon no substantial basis of morals, and their institutions perished. Modern civilization is supported by the eternal pillars of Christian mo- rality, and the world's progress must now be onward. How different is the spirit of this age from what has ever been witnessed before ! How many charitable institutions have arisen, within the last few years, to benefit the poor, the distressed, the unfortunate ! How many as- sociations have been formed for the suppression of vice and the promotion of virtue, and how wonderfully have their efforts been seconded by society ! And are not these, at once, proofs of an advanced state of civilization, and strides RELIGION. 119 in the march of human improvement? In look- ing at our own country, can we not remark a purer morality than existed twenty- five years ago ? Is not the standard of church discipline, throughout all sects, higher now than it was then? Is not public opinion sounder now than formerly? Would not vices, which were tole- rated in society but a short time since, subject a man who should practise them to reproba- tion now ? Are not individual rights regarded with more respect ? Is there not a nicer sense of justice and humanity throughout the com- munity than before ? And is not Christianity the leader in this great progress ? Are not the great body of Christians, the active and effi- cient originators and promoters of these various improvements in society? May we not, then, wisely direct the attention of our children to these views of Christianity, as an important means of establishing its claims to their confidence ? Though the topic is a delicate one, it may not be improper to make a few suggestions as to the rules which should govern parents in in- fluencing the religious faith of their offspring. I would bring up my children in my own reli- gious creed, and I would commend it to every child to follow the faith of his parents till he has reached his majority ; and then I would only 120 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. advise him to change it upon deliberate consid- eration. I would commend it to every person of mature age to adopt a religious creed, and to attach himself to some religious society, and, if he can conscientiously, to become a member of a church. Aside from higher motives, which may be deduced from the injunctions of Scripture, it may be remarked that by these means a person fortifies himself against unbe- lief; that he draws around him religious friends, who may strengthen his faith in those times of doubt which sometimes beset every mind • and, furthermore, that he subjects himself to the wholesome watch of a community whose inter- est and duty it is to deal frankly with his foibles and his frailties. There is no more false or dangerous doctrine than the one often heard on the lips of the in- considerate, that it is of little or no consequence what a man believes. Creeds are opinions, and opinions the basis of action. The moral character must in general conform to, or at least be greatly influenced by, the religious doc- trines which a man embraces. As the stream never rises higher than the source, so a man's conduct is seldom better than his principles. If his religious faith is loose, his life will be so too ; if he adopts a faith which presents high motives RELIGION. 121 to virtue, it will lead him to adopt a high stand- ard of moral character; if it presents feeble motives to virtue, it will scarcely enable him to stem the natural current of human passions, and, with the profession of Christianity, may leave him but little better than a heathen. While, therefore, I admit the importance of definite and settled religious opinions, and com- mend it to every person to sustain his own faith, that having been duly considered, with steadfastness, and on proper occasions with zeal ; I conceive, however, that this should ever be done with a full admission that Christ's church embraces the pious of all creeds ; that no one sect can claim to hold exclusively the keys of heaven's gate ; that indeed all those who have experienced the grace of God in their hearts, of whatever name, may finally hope to enter in. I deem it important that parents should imbue their children, at the proper age, with these views. They will serve many good purposes : they will lead to the exercise of charity towards those whc hold opposite tenets ; they will induce them to look upon the bickerings of rival religious com- munities as collisions of the steel and flint, sharp and fierce it may be, and in such cases cer- tainly to be condemned, but as a means which 11 122 FIRESIDE EDUCATION. may still develop the light of truth and the glow of piety. They will lead them to look upon the divisions in the Christian world, not with despondency and sickness of heart, as it might seem that our religion has introduced a sword among mankind; but as a system by which religious liberty and religious zeal are secured and perpetuated in the world. In conclusion, let parents ever remember that religion is a gift which riches cannot purchase nor poverty deny. It is within the poor man's ability, and he may be assured that his child, with a good religious education, even with an empty purse, has surer and better wealth than all the gold of Peru. The rich man's children particularly need a religious education, for they are exposed to peculiar dangers. As a ship in a gale of wind needs a more careful hand at the helm than at other times, so those who have wealth to give wings to their passions, especially require the monitory influence of that wisdom / which comes from religious experience and instruction. Of all the means for cultivating religion in the heart, I know of none so effectual as reading the Scriptures. A familiar anecdote may illus- trate this. The child of a drunken sailor once asked him for bread. Irritated by this request, the dissolute father spurned the boy from him with his foot, and he fell into the sea from FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 123 the beach. Nothing could be immediately done by the people on the shore, and the child soon disappeared; but, by clinging to an oar or raft that he came near, he floated till picked up by a vessel then under weigh. The child could only tell the people on board that his name was Jack, but the humanity of the crew led them to take care of him. Poor Jack, as he grew up, was promoted to wait on the officers, received instruction easily, was quick and steady, and served in some actions. At last he obtained so much credit that he was ap- pointed to the care of the wounded seamen. While engaged in this duty, he noticed one who was sick, with a Bible under his head. He showed this man much attention, and when he was near dying, he requested Jack to accept this Bible, which he said had been the means of reclaiming him from the ways of sin. By some circumstance, poor Jack recognised in the penitent sailor his once cruel father. It ought not to be forgotten that in religion, as in other things, exercise is a principle of cul- tivation, and habit a sure means of confirma- tion. See then that the children under your care are duly required to read the Scriptures, to pray, to read pious books, to join in pious con- versation, and give proper attendance to the 124 RELIGION. public worship of God. Let this be the special care of the mother, for she has that nice skill which enables her to do all this in a pleasant way ; in a way to prevent that dangerous wea- riness and disgust which ill-managed teaching often begets. Let her see that by these means, on which she may hope for the blessing of Heaven, religious principles, tastes, and feelings, are nourished in the heart of childhood ; so that the love of mankind may become the control- ling habit of the heart, and fashion the whole character. I shall close this interesting topic by an earnest appeal to a mother, whose power and responsibility in the business of religious edu- cation are great indeed. TO A MOTHER. You have a child on your knee. Listen a moment. Do you know what that child is? It is an immortal being ; destined to live forever ! It is destined to be happy or miserable ! And who is to make it happy or miserable 1 You — the mother ! You, who gave it birth, the mo- ther of its body, are also the mother of its soul for good or ill. Its character is yet undecided; its destiny is placed in your hands. What shall it be ? That child may be a liar. You can prevent it. It may be a drunkard. You can FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 125 prevent it. It may be a thief. You can pre- vent it. It may be a murderer. You can pre- vent it. It may be an atheist. You can pre- vent it. It may live a life of misery to itself and mischief to others. You can prevent it. It may descend into the grave with an evil memory behind and dread before. You can prevent it. Yes, you, the mother, can pre- vent all these things. Will you, or will you not ? Look at the innocent ! Tell me again, will you save it ? Will you watch over it, will you teach it, warn it, discipline it, subdue it, pray for it 1 Or will you, in the vain search of pleasure, or in gayety, or fashion or folly, or in the chase of some other bauble, or even in house- hold cares, neglect the soul of your child, and leave the little immortal to take wing alone, exposed to evil, to temptation, to ruin? Look again at the infant ! Place your hand on its little heart ! Shall that heart be deserted by its mother, to beat perchance in sorrow, disap- pointment, wretchedness and despair? Place your ear on its side and hear that heart beat ! How rapid and vigorous the strokes ! How the blood is thrown through the little veins ! Think of it; that heart, in its vigor now, is the emblem of a spirit that will work with cease- less pulsation, for sorrow or joy, forever. 11* 126 MORALS. MORALS. The great law under which man is laid by his Creator is this — " Love the Lord thy God WITH ALL THY HEART, AND THY NEIGHBOR AS THY- SELF." This is the whole compass of religion. The love of God, or piety, is the object of the first branch of the law ; the love of mankind, or benevolence, is that of the other. This last is usually denominated the moral law, and in- cludes duties to ourselves and our fellow-men. Morality is sometimes considered as indepen- dent of religion, and we often hear people speak of a moral man, as distinct from a religious man. But true morality is but a portion of religion ; it has its foundation in the love of God, and exists only through that love. There is no such thing, therefore, as morality without religion — as a moral man who is not a religious man. A man may observe externally the rules of society, from a selfish regard to his own interests, and thus be called, in common phrase, a moral man ; but the truly moral man is one who feels the force of the great law — " love thy neighbor as thyself," and who obeys it, because his heart approves of it, because it is a good law, and because it comes from the great Lawgiver. It is obvious that such motives of action only FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 127 belong to one who loves the Lord his God with all his heart, and who is therefore pious. Mo- rality and religion, accordingly, go together : whatever a man's pretences may be, he is un- sound in both, if unsound in either. In Christian countries, we deduce the obliga- tions of morality directly from the Bible. Hav- ing satisfied ourselves that this contains the word of God, we look upon it as furnishing the surest guide in all matters upon which it pre- tends to instruct us. But if we need other proof of our obligations to observe the great laws of morality, we can easily find it. I have before stated that man has moral faculties, by which he perceives right and wrong. " Every one feels that it is wrong to lie, to steal, to murder, to be cruel. Every one feels that it is right to tell the truth, to be honest, affection- ate, kind and grateful. And if any person will think for a moment, he will perceive that there are certain results which always follow these two sorts of actions. If any one do wrong, as, for instance, if he lie, or steal, or abuse another person, he feels a peculiar sort of unhappiness, which is called the feeling of guilt ; he is afraid of being detected, he wishes he had not done it, and if he be detected, he knows that every one dislikes and despises him for his conduct. And, 128 MORALS. on the contrary, if he have done right, as if he have told the truth, have been grateful, or have returned good for evil, he feels a peculiar sort of pleasure ; he is satisfied with himself, and knows that all men will look upon him with respect." Now that faculty by which we perceive our actions to be right or wrong, and which begets a feeling of pleasure or of pain, as we may have done well or ill, is denominated conscience. "We are told of a follower of Pythagoras, who had bought a pair of shoes from a cobbler, for which he promised to pay him on a future day. He went with the money on the day appointed, but found that the cobbler had in the interval departed this life. Without saying any thing of his errand, he withdrew, secretly rejoicing at the opportunity thus unexpectedly afforded for obtaining a pair of shoes for nothing. There was something in him, however, which would not permit him to remain quiet under such an act of injustice ; so, taking up the money, he returned to the cobbler's shop, and, casting in the coin, said, " Go thy way, for though he is dead to all the world beside, he is alive to me." Such is conscience. This gift pecu- liarly distinguishes man from the animal crea- tion. It appears to exist in all countries and in FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 129 every condition of society. In savage and bar- barous tribes, it is sometimes obscured and often perverted. But in general, it is a sure guide, and, being written by the finger of God on every man's heart, is a universal law. There is, however, a disposition in mankind to throw off the obligations of this law ; or, in other words, to neglect the dictates of conscience. This is the fact even among Christians, in the midst of religious institutions, and the effort is often successful. But if this be the case where the light of revelation is shining, how much more likely are those who live in the darkness of heathenism to succeed in quenching the spi- rit of truth that is within them. At the time Christ appeared to preach the gospel in Judea, nearly the whole world had succeeded in put- ting out the light of conscience. For the law of benevolence, mankind had substituted the law of retaliation. The fashionable doctrine was, " an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." It was in the midst of this pervading darkness that Christ announced the beautiful rule of ac- tion, " Do to another as ye would have another do to you." " Love your enemies," said he, " and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you." There was a sublimity in all this, which, to 130 MORALS. my mind, surpasses the achievements of con- quest and the discoveries of science. In the midst of a moral night, which overshadows the earth, in a spot favored by no moral illumina- tion, a being appears and writes, as it were, upon the sky, " Love thy neighbor as thyself!" The golden words dispel the darkness, and throw light and lustre over the world. They remain from age to age, gathering brightness with time, and still showing that, after all the discoveries of man, no rule of human duty can be produced, no code of social obligation, which weakens or supersedes them. The law of conscience is therefore universal, but it is sanctioned and enforced by revelation.^ * I beg the parent's attention to the following observations, by Dr. Wayland. " Those faculties are the strongest which are used the most. If one man be stronger than another, we shall find that he uses his strength more than the other. He whose occupations require the use of his arms, becomes strong in his arms ; while he who walks or runs much becomes strong in his legs. He who uses his memory habitually remembers easily, that is, acquires a strong memory ; while he who rarely tries to recollect what he hears or reads, very soon has a weak memory. And thus men have come to this general conclusion, that all our faculties are strengthened by use and weakened by disuse. " This rule applies to conscience in several particulars : — " The more frequently we use our conscience in judging be- tween actions as right or wrong, the more easily shall we learn to judge correctly concerning them. He who, before every action, will deliberately ask himself, ' Is this right or wrong ? ' will sel- FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 131 It is also strengthened by a consideration of the benefits to which it tends. The happiness of dom mistake what is his duty. And children may do this, as well as grown persons. " Our conscience is also improved in this respect by reflecting upon virtuous actions and thinking upon virtuous characters. The more we do this, the easier we learn to distinguish and avoid every thing that is wrong. It is for this reason that we should think much on the character of our blessed Savior, if we wish to improve our conscience and make progress in virtue. So young persons should reflect upon the character of Samuel, Joseph, Daniel, in the Bible, and of George Washington and other good men of later times. And of course, on the contrary, we shall weaken our power of making moral distinctions if we neglect to inquire into the moral character of our actions. If children or men go on doing right or wrong, just as it happens, without ever inquir- ing about it, they will at last care but little whether they do the one or the other, and in many cases will hardly be able to dis- tinguish between them. Every one knows that children who are taught by their parents to reflect upon their actions and distinguish between right and wrong, know much better how they ought to act than those whose parents never gave them any instructien on the subject. " And, again, we injure our power of judging correctly of moral actions if we allow ourselves to witness or hear of wickedness, or if we are in the habit of letting wicked thoughts dwell in our minds. If a boy for the first time hear another swear, he will feel it to be wrong ; but if he associate much with him, he will soon care nothing about it, and very soon will begin to swear himself. The same is the case with lying, cruelty, bad language, or any other wickedness. This shows us how careful we should be to avoid all bad company, and never to mingle with those who per- sist in doing wrong. " I have mentioned, above, that we could all observe in the feeling of conscience a sort of command, urging us to do what is right. Now this command becomes stronger or weaker just in proportion 132 MORALS. society at large is promoted by a universal ob- servance of the moral law. as we use it. For instance, he who is careful always to do what his conscience commands, finds the power of temptation over him to be weaker. He who strives always to be just, and never to de- fraud any one of the least thing, either in play or in earnest, will find a very strong opposition in his mind to doing any injustice ; while he who only occasionally allows himself to lie, or cheat, will find that his opposition to lying and dishonesty is gradually growing weaker, and it is well if he do not in the end become a confirmed thief and liar. " And it is, moreover, to be remembered, that both of these last rules have an effect upon each other. The more we are in the habit of reflecting upon the right and the wrong of our actions, the stronger will be our inclination to do right ; and the more scrupu- lously we do right, the more easily shall we be able to distinguish between right and wrong. " Once more. I have alluded to the fact that conscience is a source of pleasure and of pain. It is so in a greater or less degree, in proportion as we use it. " The oftener we do good actions, the greater happiness we re- ceive from doing them. Do you not observe how happy kind and benevolent persons always are ? Do you not observe that persons who seldom do a good action, do it almost without pleasure, while really kind and benevolent people seem to derive constant enjoyment from making others happy ? And if there is so much happiness to be derived from doing good, we ought to be grateful that God has placed us in a world in which there is so much good to be done, and in which every one, poor as well as rich, young as well as old, may enjoy this happiness almost as much as he pleases. " And, on the contrary, the oftener men disobey their consciences, the less pain do they suffer from doing wrong. When boys first lie, or use bad words, they feel guilty, and very unhappy ; but if they are so wicked as to form the habit of doing thus, they soon do it without pain, and sometimes even become proud of it. This is the case with stealing, or any other wickedness." FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 133 In illustration of the high moral endowments of man, and the inward impulses implanted by his Creator, I subjoin the following striking pas- sage from Dr. Dick's Philosophy of a Future State. " Man is formed for action, as well as for con- templation. For this purpose there are inter- woven in his constitution, powers, principles, Conscience, as we all know, may be listened to or disregarded ; and in this, habit has great influence. The following story, from the Juvenile Miscellany, illustrates this. " A lady, who found it difficult to awake so early as she desired in the morning, purchased an alarm watch. This kind of watch is so contrived as to strike with a very loud whizzing noise at any time the owner pleases. The lady placed the watch at the head of the bed, and, at the appointed time, she found herself effectually roused by the loud rattling sound. She immediately obeyed the summons, and felt the better all day for her early rising. This continued for several weeks. The alarm watch faithfully perform- ed its office, and was distinctly heard so long as it was promptly obeyed. But, after a time, the lady grew tired of early rising, and, when awakened by the noisy monitor, merely turned herself and slept again. In a few days, the watch ceased to arouse her from slumber. It spoke just as loudly as ever, but she did not hear it, because she had acquired the habit of disobeying it. Finding that she might just as well be without an alarm watch, she formed the wise resolution, that, if she ever heard the sound again, she would jump up instantly, and that she would never allow herself to disobey the friendly warning. " Just so it is with conscience. If we obey its dictates, even to the most trifling particulars, we always hear its voice clear and strong. But if we allow ourselves to do what we fear is not quite right, we shall grow more and more sleepy, until the voice of con- science has no longer any power to waken us." 12 134 MORALS. instincts, feelings, and affections, which have a. reference to his improvement in virtue, and which excite him to promote the happiness of others. These powers and active principles, like the intellectual, are susceptible of vast im- provement, by attention, by exercise, by trials and difficulties, and by an expansion of the intellectual views. Such are filial and fraternal affection, fortitude, temperance, justice, grati- tude, generosity, love of friends and country, philanthropy, and general benevolence. Dege- nerate as our world has always been, many striking examples of such virtues have been displayed both in ancient and modern times, which demonstrate the vigor, expansion, and sublimity of the moral powers of man. "When we behold men animated by noble sentiments, exhibiting sublime virtues, and per- forming illustrious actions, — displaying gene- rosity and beneficence in seasons of calamity, and tranquillity and fortitude in the midst of difficulties and dangers — desiring riches only for the sake of distributing them — estimating places of power and honor only for the sake of sup- pressing vice, rewarding virtue, and promot- ing the prosperity of their country — enduring poverty and distress with a noble heroism — suf- fering injuries and affronts with patience and FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 135 serenity — stifling resentment when they have it in their power to inflict vengeance — display- ing kindness and generosity towards enemies and slanderers — 'Vanquishing irascible passions and licentious desires in the midst of the strong- est temptations — submitting to pain and dis- grace in order to promote the prosperity of friends and relatives — and sacrificing repose, honor, wealth, and even life itself, for the good of their country, or for promoting the best inte- rests of the human race, — we perceive in such, examples features of the human mind which mark its dignity and grandeur, and indicate its destination to a higher scene of action and en- joyment. " Even in the annals of the Pagan world, we find many examples of such illustrious virtues. There we read of Regulus, exposing himself to the most cruel torments, and to death itself, rather than suffer his veracity to be impeached, or his fidelity to his country to be called in question — of Phocion, who exposed himself to the fury of an enraged assembly, by inveighing against the vices, and endeavoring to promote the best interests of his countrymen, and gave it as his last command to his son, when he was going to execution, ' that he should forget how- ill the Athenians had treated his father' — of 136 MORALS. Cyrus, who was possessed of wisdom, modera- tion, courage, magnanimity, and noble senti- ments, and who employed them all to promote the happiness of his people — of Scipio, in whose actions the virtues of generosity and liberality, goodness, gentleness, justice, magnanimity, and chastity, shone with distinguished lustre — and of Damon and Pythias, who were knit together in the bonds of a friendship which all the ter- rors of an ignominious death could not dissolve. But of all the characters of the heathen world, illustrious for virtue, Aristides appears to stand in the foremost rank. An extraordinary great- ness of soul, says Rollin, made him superior to every passion. Interest, pleasure, ambition, re- sentment, jealousy, were extinguished in him by the love of virtue and his country. The merit of others, instead of offending him, be- came his own by the approbation he gave it. He rendered the government of the Athenians amiable to their allies, by his mildness, good- ness, humanity, and justice. The disinterest- edness he showed in the management of the public treasure, and the love of poverty, which he carried almost to an excess, are virtues so far superior to the practice of our age, that they scarce seem credible to us. His conduct and principles were always uniform, steadfast in the FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 137 pursuit of whatever he thought just, and inca- pable of the least falsehood, or shadow of flat- tery, disguise, or fraud, even in jest. He had such a control over his passions, that he uni- formly sacrificed his private interests and his private resentments to the good of the public. Themistocles was one of the principal actors who procured his banishment from Athens ; but, after being recalled, he assisted him on every occasion with his advice and credit, joyfully taking pains to promote the glory of his greatest enemy through the motive of advancing the public good. And when, afterwards, the dis- grace of Themistocles gave him a proper oppor- tunity for revenge, instead of resenting the ill-treatment he had received from him, he con- stantly refused to join with his enemies, being as far from secretly rejoicing over the misfortune of his adversary, as he had been before from being afflicted at his good success. Such vir- tues reflect a dignity and grandeur on every mind in which they reside, which appear incom- patible with the idea that it is destined to retire forever from the scene of action at the hour of death. " But the noblest examples of exalted virtue are to be found among those who have enlisted themselves in the cause of Christianity. The 12* 138 MORALS. apostle Paul was an illustrious example of every thing that is noble, heroic, generous, and benevolent in human conduct. His soul was inspired with a holy ardor in promoting the best interests of mankind. To accomplish this object, he parted with friends and relatives, re- linquished his native country, and every thing that was dear to him either as a Jew or as a Roman citizen, and exposed himself to perse- cutions and dangers of every description. Dur- ing the prosecution of his benevolent career, he was ' in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by his own coun- trymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren ; in wea- riness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in stripes above measure, in cold and nakedness.' Yet none of these things moved him, nor did he count his life dear to him, provided he might finish his course with joy, and be instrumental in accomplishing the present and eternal happi- ness of his fellow-men. In every period of the Christian era, similar characters have arisen to demonstrate the power of virtue and to bless mankind. Our own age and country have pro- duced numerous philanthropic characters, who FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 139 have shone as lights in the moral world, and have acted as benefactors to the human race. The names of Alfred, Penn, Barnard, Raikes, Neilde, Clarkson, Sharpe, Buxton, Wilberforce, Venning, and many others, are familiar to every- one who is in the least acquainted with the annals of benevolence. The exertions which some of these individuals have made in the cause of liberty, in promoting the education of the young, in alleviating the distresses of the poor, in meliorating the condition of the pri- soner, and in counteracting the abominable traf- fic in slaves, will be felt as blessings conferred on mankind throughout succeeding generations, and will, doubtless, be held in everlasting re- membrance. " But among all the philanthropic characters of the past or present age, the labors of the late Mr. Howard stand pre-eminent. This illustri- ous man, from a principle of pure benevolence, devoted the greater part of his life to active beneficence, and to the alleviation of human wretchedness, in every country where he tra- velled, — diving into the depth of dungeons, and exposing himself to the infected atmospheres of hospitals and jails, in order to meliorate the condition of the unfortunate, and to allay the sufferings of the mournful prisoner. In prose- 140 MORALS. cuting this labor of love, he travelled three times through France, four times through Germany, five times through Holland, twice through Italy, once through Spain and Portugal, and also through Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Poland, and part of the Turkish empire, surveying the haunts of misery, and distributing benefits to mankind wherever he appeared. ■ * From realm to realm, with cross or crescent crowned, Where'er mankind and misery are found, O'er burning sands, deep waves, or wilds of snow, Mild Howard journeying seeks the house of woe. Down many a winding step to dungeons dank, Where anguish wails aloud and fetters clank, To caves bestrewed with many a mouldering bone, And cells whose echoes only learn to groan ; Where no kind bars a whispering friend disclose, No sunbeam enters, and no zephyr blows ; — He treads, inemulous of fame or wealth, Profuse of toil and prodigal of health ; Leads stern-eyed Justice to the dark domains, * If not to sever, to relax the chains ; Gives to her babes the self-devoted wife, To her fond husband liberty and life, — Onward he moves ! disease and death retire ; And murmuring demons hate him and admire.' DARWIN. i 'Such characters afford powerful demonstra- tions of the sublimity of virtue, of the activity of the human mind, and of its capacity for con- tributing to the happiness of fellow intelligences to an unlimited extent. We have also, in our FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 141 own times, a class of men who have parted from their friends and native land, and have gone to the c uttermost ends of the earth,' to distant barbarous climes, exposing themselves to the frosts of Labrador and Greenland, to the scorch- ing heats of Africa, and to the hostile attacks of savage tribes, in order to publish the salvation of God, and to promote the happiness of men of all languages and climates. Some of these have felt their minds inspired with such a noble ardor in the cause of universal benevolence, that nothing but insurmountable physical ob- structions prevented them from making the tour of the world, and imparting benefits to men of all nations, kindreds, and tongues." But it has been before suggested that man may abuse his moral gifts, and pervert them to evil purposes, and thus bring misery upon him- self and those around him. It may be well to consider some examples of this kind, and bring them into contrast with the foregoing examples of virtue, and thus show that while peace and content flow from acts of obedience to the dic- tates of conscience, bitter remorse follows close upon the heels of vice and crime. " While Belshazzar was carousing at an impi- ous banquet, with his wives and concubines and a thousand of his nobles, the appearance of the 142 MORALS. fingers of a man's hand, and of the writing on an opposite wall, threw him into such consterna- tion, that his thoughts terrified him, the girdles of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. His terror in such circum- stances cannot be supposed to have proceeded from a fear of man ; for he was surrounded by his guards and his princes, and all the delights of music, and of a splendid entertainment. Nor did it arise from the sentence of condemnation written on the wall ; for he was then ignorant both of the writing and of its meaning. But he was conscious of the wickedness of which he had been guilty, and of the sacrilegious im- piety in which he was then indulging, and, therefore, the extraordinary appearance on the wall was considered as an awful foreboding of punishment from that almighty and invisible Being whom he had offended. Tiberius, one of the Roman emperors, was a gloomy, treach- erous, and cruel tyrant. The lives of his peo- ple became the sport of his savage disposition. Barely to take them away was not sufficient, if their death was not tormenting and atrocious. He ordered, on one occasion, a general massa- cre of all who were detained in prison, on ac- count of the conspiracy of Sejanus his minister, and heaps of carcasses were piled up in the pub- FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 143 lie places. His private vices and debaucheries were also incessant, and revolting to every principle of decency and virtue. Yet this ty- rant, while acting in the plenitude of his power, and imagining himself beyond the control of every law, had his mind tormented with dread- ful apprehensions. We are informed by Taci- tus, that, in a letter to the senate, he opened the inward wounds of his breast, with such words of despair as might have moved pity in those who were under the continual fear of his ty- ranny. Neither the splendor of his situation as an emperor, nor the solitary retreats to which he retired, could shield him from the accusations of his conscience, but he himself was forced to confess the mental agonies he endured as a punishment for his crimes. Antiochus Epi- phanes was another tyrant remarkable for his cruelty and his impiety. He laid siege to the city of Jerusalem, exercised the most horrid cruelties upon its inhabitants, slaughtered forty thousand of them in three days, and polluted, in the most impious manner, the temple, and the worship of the God of Israel. Some time afterwards, when he was breathing out curses against the Jews for having restored their an- cient worship, and threatening to destroy the whole nation, and to make Jerusalem the com- 144 MORALS. mon place of sepulture to all the Jews, he was seized with a grievous torment in his inward parts, and excessive pangs of the colic, ac- companied with such terrors as no remedies could assuage. 'Worms crawled from every part of him ; his flesh fell away piece-meal, and the stench was so great that it became intolera- ble to the whole army ; and he thus finished an impious life by a miserable death.' During this disorder, says Polybius, he was troubled with a perpetual delirium, imagining that spectres stood continually before him, reproaching him with his crimes. Similar relations are given by his- torians of Herod, who slaughtered the infants at Bethlehem, of Galerius Maximianus the au- thor of the tenth persecution against the Chris- tians, of the infamous Philip II. of Spain, and of many others whose names stand conspicuous on the rolls of impiety and crime. "It is related of Charles IX. of France, who ordered the horrible Bartholomew massacre, and assisted in this bloody tragedy, that, ever after, he had a fierceness in his looks, and a color in his cheeks, which he never had before ; that he slept little, and never sound, and waked fre- quently in great agonies, requiring soft music to compose him to rest ; and at length died of a lingering disorder, after having undergone the FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 145 most exquisite torments both of body and mind. D' Aubigne informs us that Henry IV. frequently told, among his most intimate friends, that, eight days after the massacre of St. Bartholo- mew, he saw a vast number of ravens perch and croak on the pavilion of the Louvre ; that the same night Charles IX., after he had been two hours in bed, started up, roused his grooms of the chamber, and sent them out to listen to a great noise of groans in the air, and, among others, some furious and threatening voices, the whole resembling what was heard on the night of the massacre; that all these various cries were so striking, so remarkable, and so articu- late, that Charles, believing that the enemies of the Montmorencies and of their partisans had surprised and attacked them, sent a detachment of his guards to prevent this new massacre. It is scarcely necessary to add, that the intelli- gence brought from Paris proved these appre- hensions to be groundless, and that the noises heard must have been the fanciful creations of the guilty conscience of the king, countenanced by the vivid remembrance of those around him of the horrors of St. Bartholomew's day. " King Richard III., after he had murdered his innocent rc^al nephews, was so tormented in conscience, as Sir Thomas Moore reports 13 146 MORALS. from the gentlemen of his bedchamber, that he had no peace or quiet in himself, but always carried it as if some eminent danger was near him. His eyes were always whirling about on this side, and on that side ; he wore a shirt of mail, and was always laying his hand upon his dagger, looking as furiously as if he was ready to strike. He had no quiet in his mind by day, nor could take any rest by night, but, molested with terrifying dreams, would start out of his bed, and run like a distracted man about the chamber. " This state of mind, in reference to another case, is admirably described in the following lines of Dryden. 1 Amidst your train this unseen judge will wait, Examine how you came by all your state, Upbraid your impious pomp, and in your ear Will hollow, rebel ! traitor ! murderer ! Your ill-got power wan looks and care shall bring. Known but by discontent to be a king. Of crowds afraid, yet anxious when alone, You '11 sit and brood your sorrows on a throne ' " Bessus, the Pgeonian, being reproached with ill-nature for pulling down a nest of young spar- rows and killing them, answered, that he had reason so to do, ' because these little birds never ceased falsely to accuse him of the murder of his father.' This parricide had been till then FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 147 concealed and unknown; but the revenging fury of conscience caused it to be discovered by himself, who was justly to suffer for it. That notorious skeptic and semi-atheist Mr. Hobbes, author of the ' Leviathian,' had been the means of poisoning many young gentlemen and others with his wicked principles, as the Earl of Ro- chester confessed, with extreme compunction, on his death-bed. It was remarked, by those who narrowly observed his conduct, that 'though, in a humor of bravado, he would speak strange and unbecoming things of God ; yet in his stu- dy, in the dark, and in his retired thoughts, he trembled before him.' He could not endure to be left alone in an empty house. He could not, even in his old age, bear any discourse of death, and seemed to cast off all thoughts of it. He co aid not bear to sleep in the dark; and if his candle happened to go out in the night, he would wake in terror and amazement, — a plain indica- tion that he was unable to bear the dismal re- flections of his dark and desolate mind, and knew not how to extinguish nor how to bear the light of ' the candle of the Lord ' within him." Enough has been said to show the importance of the moral powers of man ; that these are the highest portion of his nature; that upon the pro- 148 MORALS. per training and right exercise of them depends our happiness here and hereafter. It has been also shown that the moral faculties are as capa- ble of cultivation as the intellect. Yet it is a remarkable and alarming fact that our system of seminary instruction almost wholly over- looks this important branch of education.^ The * " Teachers address themselves to the culture of the intellect mainly. The fact that children have moral natures and social af- fections, then in the most rapid state of development, is scarcely- recognised. One page of the daily manual teaches the power of commas ; another, the spelling of words ; another, the rules of cadence and emphasis; but the pages are missing which teach the laws of forbearance under injury, of sympathy with misfortune, of impartiality in our judgments of men, of love and fidelity to truth ; of the ever-during relations of men, in the domestic circle, in the organized government, and of stranger to stranger. How can it be expected that such cultivation will scatter seeds, so that, in the language of Scripture, ' instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come v.p the myrtle tree V If such be the general condition of the schools, is it a matter of surprise that we see lads and young men thickly springing up in the midst of us, who startle at the mispronunciation of a word, as though they were personally injured, but can hear volleys of profanity unmoved ; who put on arrogant airs of superior breeding, or sneer with contempt at a case of false spelling or grammar, but can witness spectacles of drunkenness in the street with entire composure ? Such elevation of the subordinate, such casting down of the supreme, in the education of children, is incompatible with all that is worthy to be called the prosperity of their manhood. The moral universe is constructed upon principles not admissive of welfare under such an administration of its laws. In such early habits, there is a gravitation and proelivity to ultimate downfall and ruin. If persevered in, the consummation of a peo- FIRESIDE EDUCATION, 149 Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Edu- cation seems to consider the statute of this state, providing that no school books shall be used in any of the public schools calculated to favor any particular religious sect or tenet, as an ex- planation, at least in part, of this neglect ; but as the same inattention to moral culture per- vades nearly all the seminaries of other states and other countries, it is obvious that there is a more extensive cause at work in this matter. It may be that the fear of rendering moral cul- ture a means of instilling particular religious tenets into the minds of the young, has, in a few instances, led some parents to exclude it from the school-house and the academy ; and perhaps they have been seconded by the caution of their religious guides, whose position is likely to ren- der them scrupulous on this subject. But these views are wholly unreasonable, if they actually exist, and, after all, do not probably exert a powerful influence. pie's destiny may still be a question of time, but it ceases to he one of certainty. To avert the catastrophe, we must look to a change in our own measures, not to any repeal or suspension of the ordinances of nature. These, as they were originaily framed in wisdom, need no amendment. Whoever wishes for a change in effects, without a corresponding change in causes, wishes for a violation of nature's laws. He proposes, as a remedy for the folly of men, an abrogation of the wisdom of Providence." — First Annual Report of the Secretary of the Board of Education of Massachusetts. 13* 150 MORALS. The true explanation of the neglect of moral culture in our seminaries, and of its neglect al- together, except so far as it may receive the casual attention of the parent or the preacher, to be found in the worldly views of life which are current in society. The intellect is known to be the seat of knowledge, and know- ledge is known to be power. Those who have the charge of children look forward to the means of acquiring wealth and station as all- important : they therefore endeavor to cultivate the mind and enlarge its capacity, believing that they thus put those under their care in the sure road to fortune. And this may be so, if we consider fortune to consist only in the world's wealth. But if we regard virtue as the highest attainment and the richest treasure, and con- sider that wealth without it is a worthless pos- session, nay, usually a snare to its holder and a curse to society, we shall see that true wisdom condemns the policy which cultivates the intel- lect and neglects the heart. Let this subject, therefore, receive the careful attention of pa- rents. Let them consider that moral culture is indispensable, and let them bear in mind, what has frequently been said before, that the soul may be educated as well as the mind. If we bring up our children to a trade or profession, FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 1^1 we see that they acquire, by study, practice and habit, the knowledge, the knack and the taste necessary to success. The trade or profession of virtue is more necessary still, and it may be 7 by study, practice and habit, as strongly im- pressed upon the character as the knowledge of any art or profession. I shall now proceed to notice several impor- tant moral duties, including those which involve obligations to society and ourselves. I shall not pretend to go through with the whole cata- logue of virtues, but shall only mention those which seem most important. And let me ob- serve, that one of the most efficient modes of impressing a child with the importance of any thing, is for a parent to let him see, by his own looks, words, and conduct, that he sets a high value upon it TRUTH. Truth is the foundation of virtue. An ha- bitual regard for it is absolutely necessary. He who walks by the light of it has the advantage of the midday sun ; he who would spurn it goes forth amid clouds and darkness. There is no way in which a man strengthens his own judgment and acquires respect in society so surely as by a scrupulous regard to truth. The 15B MORALS. course of such an individual is right on and straight on. He is no changeling, saying one thing to-day and another to-morrow. Truth to him is like a mountain landmark to the pilot; he fixes his eye upon a point that does not move, and he enters the harbor in safety. On the contrary, one who despises truth and loves falsehood is like a pilot who takes a piece of drift-wood for his landmark, which changes with every changing wave. On this he fixes his attention, and, being insensibly led from his course, strikes upon some hidden reef, and sinks to rise no more. Thus truth brings suc- cess; falsehood results in ruin and contempt. JUSTICE. This is a great virtue, implying in its general sense the obligation to render to every one what is his due. In common acceptation, it is the duty of being honest and fair in all our deal- ings. But it has a farther signification. It not only binds us to deal equitably in matters of property, but requires us to respect the feelings and character of others. If you take an unfair advantage of a man in a bargain, you cheat him ; if you take away his goods or merchandise, without his consent, you are guilty of theft. If you forcibly take away another's purse, yo T i FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 153 are a robber. For all these acts of injustice, human laws provide punishment; there are comparatively few, therefore, who will be guilty of such crimes. But I am afraid that many persons, who would be shocked at the idea of cheating, thieving, or robbing, in matters of property, have no scruples in cheating an- other of what might be due to his character — of stealing away his peace of mind or rob- bing him of his fair fame. But it should not be forgotten that justice requires fair dealing in the one case as well as the other ; that if human laws watch over the rights of property, the all- seeing eye of justice watches over the subtler rights and possessions of the heart. It is true we have walls and fences to protect our lands, bolts and bars to secure our mer- chandise ; we have also statutes against acts of injustice in respect to property ; we have courts to try, and prisons to punish offenders against these laws ; and all this array of power admo- nishes every member of society to be just in the common business of life. But there are dearer possessions than those of lands and merchan- dise, which are thus protected. " He who steals my purse steals trash, but he who robs me of my good name leaves me poor indeed." And how shall these delicate interests be defended? 154 MORALS. I know of no other way than by inculcating a sense of justice in society. And to make this effectual, let parents begin with their children. Let them not only caution them against theft, and cheating, and robbery, but against all those little tricks, arts and artifices by which children attempt to wound each other's feelings; by which one child endeavors to shift to another the blame that belongs to himself; and, above all, against the wanton, mischievous, or mali- cious tendency, which children often have, to exaggerate the faults or misrepresent the con- duct of others. Let parents encourage justice in all things. Let them set examples of justice before their children, especially in dealing with them. Let them never reward or punish un- justly. One thing farther. Teach your children, by example and precept, never to wound a person's feelings because he is poor, because he is de- formed, because he is unfortunate, because he holds a humble station in life, because he is poorly clad, because he is weak in body or mind, because he is awkward, or because the God of nature has bestowed upon him a darker skin than theirs. The rich man, who makes an ostentatious display of his wealth, and there- by robs a poor man of his peace of mind } is ; in FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 155 the eye of morality, a robber. The fortunate man, who bestows scorn and contempt upon the unfortunate, and thus takes away his self- respect, is in the eye of morality a thief. Let such lessons as these be engraved by a mother's hand on the heart of every child. MERCY. This is benevolence, mildness, or tenderness of heart, and disposes a person to overlook injuries, or to treat an offender better than he deserves. " Mercy is twice blessed ; — It blesseth him that gives and him that takes. 'Tis mightiest in the mighty ; it becomes The throned monarch better than his crown. His sceptre shows the source of temporal power, The attribute of awe and majesty, Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings ; Eut mercy is above the sceptred sway ! It is enthroned in the hearts of kings ! It is an attribute of God himself! And earthly power doth then show likest God's When mercy seasons justice." But this beautiful virtue may be also exer- cised by us all in the common intercourse of society, and be thus twice blessed, blessing "him that gives and him that takes." Let children, therefore, be taught to be kind and gentle to all around them. Let every act of 156 MORALS. cruelty, whether wanton or malevolent, be re- buked ; let them be required to observe this rule even toward the brute creation. The Scrip- ture says that the merciful man is merciful to his beast. If, therefore, you would educate your children thoroughly in this virtue, require its exercise even toward insects, and birds, and quadrupeds, and every thing that can feel. It is lawful to make these creatures subservient to our pleasure and our comfort, and to this end we may take their lives; but we may never wantonly subject them to pain or deprive them of existence. If we do this, we not only com- mit a sin, but cultivate the spirit of cruelty in our own hearts. There is one trait of character in our Ameri- can boys which I think deserves to be checked ; and that is the incessant war that they carry on against familiar birds and the lesser quad- rupeds. As soon as a boy can hurl a stone, he becomes a Nimrod, and goes forth as a mighty hunter against the bluebirds, cat-birds, swal- lows and robins that venture into our gardens, orchards and fields. Not even the little wren, that comes with his fair offer of a dozen beau- tiful songs a day for the rent of some nook or cranny about the house, is safe from the whiz- zing missile. Not even the little sparrow, that FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 157 would build beneath your window, is tolerated. Not even the little ground squirrel, that enlivens the woods, is permitted to eat his nut in safety. And when the boy becomes a youth, the same exterminating war is carried on, though with a different weapon. With the fowling-piece in his hand, he roams the orchard and the field, slaughtering, without discrimination, jays, woodpeckers, sparrows, blackbirds, bob-o-links, and the rest of the feathered family. Now, is not this all wrong? Does not this partake of cruelty ? And, beside, is it not obvi- ous folly 1 For my own part, I love to see the birds enlivening the landscape. The rigor of our climate drives them away for half the year, but I mourn when they are gone, and rejoice at their return. They are a great resource to those who will observe them. Their songs, how- ever varied, are ever beautiful. Their forms, habits and capacities are themes of interesting study. It is delightful to see them building their nests, rearing their young, pursuing their food, and displaying their various musical gifts. Why, then, should we drive these creatures away 1 Some of them, it is true, are thieves, and take more cherries and corn than we are willing to spare them, and I approve of neces- sary scarecrows and suitable pelting in these 14 158 MORALS. cases. But why banish the whole feathered race, most of whom are not merely innocent, but absolutely useful in diminishing the num- ber of noxious insects ? It is not so in other countries. In England, birds generally are pro- tected and cherished. I do not speak now of pheasants, partridges, and other game, which are sheltered in the parks, and preserved from all but his lordship's shot; but, throughout the whole country, the sparrows, bulfinches, gold- finches, thrushes, blackbirds, and other little songsters, are permitted to live almost without molestation. They are seen by hundreds in every hedge and field. Many of them are al- most domesticated around the houses ; and even in the cities, such as Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, London, and others, amid the smoke of coal, the din of factories, and the throng of people, you see thousands of these little birds. In the heart of an English city, I have sometimes waked up in the morning, and, from the bursting melody of finches and spar- rows around, have imagined myself to be in the country. Why is it that our custom in respect to birds is so different in America? Have we derived from our pilgrim fathers a spirit of extermina- tion 1 Because the first settlers of this country FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 159 cut away the forests, slaughtered the Indians, smote the bear and the bison, hunted down the panther and the wolf, have we derived from them a spirit of extirpation, which, now that the monsters of the forest are slain, is given up by men, but lives in our children, and vents itself on cat-birds and sparrows 1 I know not ; but, be this as it may, I mourn over the soli- tude which is gradually gathering over the landscapes of New England, from the' absence of the feathered songsters; and I mourn over that spirit of wanton cruelty which makes man the enemy, instead of the friend, of harmless birds. FORGIVENESS. " To err is human ; to forgive, divine." " Teach me to feel another's woe, To hide the fault I see ; That mercy I to others show, That mercy show to me." " Of him that hopes to be forgiven, it is indis- pensably required that he forgive. On this great duty, futurity is suspended, and to him who refuses to practise it, it might seem that mercy might reasonably be denied. " The discretion of a man defers his anger, and it is his glory to pass over a transgression. By taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy, but in passing it over, he is superior. " 160 MORALS. PITY, PATIENCE, &o. There are various other virtues, such as pity, patience, forbearance, humility, candor, content, gratitude, all of which deserve the attention of parents, and which should be inculcated upon children as occasion may arise. And let it be remembered that these, as well as other virtues, may be made to grow in the heart by being cherished and called into frequent exer- cise, or may never exist there if a parent's hand do not sow the seed. The last of these virtues which we have mentioned is commended to every heart by the lines of Burns — " The bridegroom may forget the bride Was made his wedded wife yestreen ; The monarch may forget his crown, That on his head an hour hath been The mother may forget the child That smiles sae sweetly on her knee ; But I'll remember thee, Glencairn, And all that thou hast done for me." The beauty of gratitude is heightened when we contrast it with its opposite vice. " Ingrati- tude is a sin so shameful that there never was a man found who would own himself guilty of it. Ingratitude perverts all the measures of religion and society, by making it dangerous to be charitable and good-natured. However, it FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 161 is better to expose ourselves to ingratitude than to be wanting in charity to the distressed. He that promotes gratitude pleads the cause both of God and man, for without it, we can neither be sociable nor religious. An ungrateful man is a reproach to the creation, an exception from all the visible world ; neither the heavens above nor the earth beneath affording any thinff like him. Blow, blow, thou wintry wind ; Thou art not so unkind As man's ingratitude ; Thy tooth is not so keen, Because thou art not seen, Although thy breath is rude. Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky ; Thou dost not bite so nigh As benefits forgot ; Though thou the waters v/arp, Thy sting is not so sharp As friends remembering not." DISCRETION. This is a nice perception of what is right and proper under the circumstances in which a person is called to act. It may be illustrated by the feelers of the cat, which are long hairs placed upon her nose, with which she readily measures the space between sticks and stones through which she desires to pass, and thus 14* 162 MORALS. determines, by a delicate touch, whether it is sufficiently large to let her go through without being scratched. Thus discretion appreciates difficulties, dangers and obstructions around, and enables a person to decide upon the proper course of action. " There are many more shining qualities in the mind of man, but there is none so useful as discretion. It is this which gives a value to all the rest, which sets them at work, and turns them to the advantage of the person who is possessed of them. Without it, learning is pedantry and wit impertinence; nay, virtue itself often looks like weakness. Discretion not only shows itself in words, but in all the cir- cumstances of action; and is like an agent of providence, to guide and direct us in the ordi- nary chances of life." But how shall discretion be cultivated in children ? Chiefly by example. It is a virtue especially committed to the cultivation of the mother. She may do much to promote it, by rebuking acts of imprudence, and bestowing due encouragement upon acts of discretion. Let the mother remember that discretion is impor- tant to men, and see that she cherishes it in her sons ; let her remember that it is essential to women, and make sure of it in her daughters. FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 163 CHEERFULNESS, Of all the virtues, cheerfulness is the most profitable. It makes the person who exercises it happy, and renders him acceptable to all he meets. While other virtues defer the day of recompense, cheerfulness pays down. It is a cosmetic, which makes homeliness graceful and winning; it promotes health, and gives clear- ness and vigor to the mind. It is the bright weather of the heart, in contrast to the clouds and gloom of melancholy. It is particularly susceptible of cultivation by exercise and repe- tition. It is infectious, and may be communi- cated to all around. I have seen a bright-faced child in the midst of a family, over whom some shadow of dulness was creeping, suddenly dis- perse the clouds and bring a clear sunshine over the whole group. Such a child in a family is worth his weight in gold. A mother's cheerfulness is important. She is to the family the centre of the solar system, and as she smiles or frowns, the household is bright or dull. But in proportion as cheerful- ness is beneficial, its opposite is hurtful. There is a species of melancholy which has a pleasant flavor to the heart, but pensiveness is the proper name for this. There is a constitutional me- 164 MORALS. lancholy, which manifests itself in a love of mournful music, and lonely landscapes, and pathetic poetry. I have seen this displayed in very early childhood. I remember a child, who, at the age of five years, was often found in some sequestered part of a garden, with her lip curled and the tears flowing down her cheeks, without the power to tell the reason. If asked for explanation, she would dash the tears away, and say she could not help it. This kind of melancholy is of dangerous tendency, and may bring evil, if indulged or encouraged. There is misery enough to beget real sorrow, and we should rather nerve the heart to resist despon- dency, than indulge a state of mind, which, seconded by the influence of real trouble, may break down our courage and destroy our energy. I am afraid many good and pious people make a great mistake in cherishing gloomy views of life, both among themselves and their children. Under the idea that it is necessary to wean the heart from the pleasures and pos- sessions of this world, they speak of it habitu- ally as a vale of tears, a path of thorns and briers, through which we must pass in our journey to another state of existence. This is certainly an erroneous view of life, and is the FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 165 fruitful source of many evils. It disgusts the young and the cheerful with religion and reli- gious people, who become associated in their minds with moody dulness or revolting gloom. But the effect of these views upon persons of a melancholy temperament is even worse. They are apt to sink deep into the mind, and, coin- ciding with the tendencies of the heart, to over- shadow the whole being with the dismal mist of habitual despondency. In such cases, in- sanity is the frequent result. And where this does not happen, where the mind is sustained by religious hope, still how desolate is the ex- istence of that individual who is trained to look upon this world only as a scene of sorrow and trial. And, beside, is it not a false, unprofita- ble and impious view of existence ? Has God given this to us as a curse'? There is, doubtless, a great deal of misery in the world, but it is chiefly brought upon us by our own miscon- duct. And, moreover, the balance of pleasure infinitely outweighs the pain. Dr. Paley remarks that " it is a happy world after all. The air, the earth, the water, teem with delighted existence. In a spring noon or a sum- mer evening, on whichever side I turn my eyes, myriads of happy beings crowd upon my view. The insect youth are on the wing. Swarms 166 MORALS. of new-born flies are trying their pinions in the air. Their sportive motions, their wanton mazes, their gratuitous activity, their continual change of place without use or purpose, testify their joy, and the exultation which they feel in their lately discovered faculties. A bee amongst the flowers in spring is one of the most cheerful objects that can be looked upon. Its life ap- pears to be all enjoyment; so busy, and so pleased ; yet it is only a specimen of insect life, with which, by reason of the animal being half domesticated, we happen to be better acquainted than we are with that of others. The whole winged insect tribe, it is probable, are equally intent upon their proper employments, and, un- der every variety of constitution, gratified, and perhaps equally gratified, by the offices which the Author of their nature has assigned to them. But the atmosphere is not the only scene of en- joyment for the insect race. Plants are covered with aphides, greedily sucking their juices, and constantly, as it should seem, in the act of sucking. It cannot be doubted but that this is a state of gratification. What else should fix them so close to the operation and so long? Other species are running about, with an alac- rity in their motions, which carries with it every mark of pleasure. Large patches of FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 167 ground are sometimes half covered with these brisk and sprightly natures. If we look to what the waters produce, shoals of the fry of fish frequent the margins of rivers, of lakes, and of the sea itself. These are so happy, that they know not what to do with themselves. Their attitudes, their vivacity, their leaps out of the water, their frolics in it, which 1 have noticed a thousand times with equal attention and amusement, all conduce to show their ex- cess of spirits, and are simply the effects of that excess. Walking by the sea-side, in a calm evening, upon a sandy shore, and with an ebb- ing tide, 1 have frequently., remarked the ap- pearance of a dark cloud, or, rather, very thick mist, hanging over the edge of the water, to the height, perhaps, of half a yard, and of the breadth of two or three yards, stretching along the coast as far as the eye could reach, and always re- tiring with the water. When this cloud came to be examined, it proved to be nothing else than so much space, filled with young shrimps, in the act of bounding into the air from the shallow margin of the water, or from the wet sand. If any motion of a mute animal could express delight, it was this : if they had meant to make signs of their happiness, they could not have done it more intelligibly. ' Suppose 168 MORALS. then, what I have no doubt of, each individual of this number to be in a state of positive en- joyment ; what a sum, collectively, of gratifica- tion and pleasure have we here before our view! " The young of all animals appear to me to receive pleasure simply from the exercise of their limbs and bodily faculties, without refe- rence to any end to be attained, or any use to be answered by the exertion. A child, without knowing any thing of the use of language, is in a high degree delighted with being able to speak. Its incessant repetition of a few articulate sounds, or, perhaps, of the single word which it has learnt to pronounce, proves this point clearly. Nor is it less pleased with its first successful endeavors to walk, or rather to run, which precedes walking, although entirely igno- rant of the importance of the attainment to its future life, and even without applying it to any present purpose. A child is delighted with speaking, without having any thing to say; and with walking, without knowing where to go. And prior to both these, I am disposed to believe that the waking hours of infancy are agreeably taken up with the exercise of vision, or perhaps, more properly speaking, with learn- ing to see. " But it is not for youth alone that the great FIRESIDE EDUCATION, 169 Parent of creation hath provided. Happiness is found with the purring cat, no less than with the playful kitten ; in the arm-chair of dozing age, as well as in either the sprightliness of the dance or the animation of the chase." No one can read this passage without per- ceiving its truth, and deducing the inference that life is bestowed as a benefit by the Creator to the tenants of the earth, the air, and the sea, to fishes, insects, birds and quadrupeds. And is man the only exception to this beneficence? Is life a good to all beside, and a curse to him ? There seems to me to be impiety in the very thought. Let us look then upon life as it really is, — a great and good possession — good, not only as the means of preparing us for another and better world, but good in itself; a path leading to another country, but still a pleasant path. Such are the true views to be taken of life, and we ought to support, cultivate and cherish a spirit of cheerfulness, by the habitual contem- plation of our present existence in this aspect. FIDELITY. This virtue is displayed in the fulfilment of promises, whether expressed or implied, in the conscientious, scrupulous discharge of the du- ties of friendship, and in the keeping of secrets, 15 170 MORALS. It is therefore a great virtue, and may be used as a decisive test of character. He who has it is entitled to confidence and respect ; he who lacks it merits contempt. If a man carefully performs his promises, may we not confide in him ? If he violates them, must we not des- pise him ? If we find a person is true to friend- ship, we may be sure that he has just percep- tions of virtue. If we find one who betrays a friend, or who is guilty of any species of treache- ry, we cannot doubt that he is essentially base and corrupt. To those who cannot keep a se- cret, we commend an anecdote of Charles II. of England, which ought to engraved upon the heart of every man. When importuned to com- municate something of a private nature, the subtle monarch said, " Can you keep a secret?" "Most faithfully," returned the nobleman. " So can I," was the laconic and severe answer of the king. Let parents, who desire that their children should possess the respect of the community and enjoy the pleasures of friendship, take care to imbue them with fidelity of character. PRUDENCE. " Aristotle is praised for naming fortitude, the first of the cardinal virtues, as that without which no other virtue can steadily be practised ; FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 171 but he might, with equal propriety have placed prudence before it, since without prudence for- titude is madness." The parent may cultivate prudence, by bestowing commendation upon instances of it. in a child, and rebuking its op- posite, rashness ; by kindly and clearly setting forth the advantages which result from the first, and the evils which spring from the last. There are few families, where there are chil- dren, that do not furnish a daily text for com- ments of this kind. COURAGE. This is of two kinds, physical and moral. The former is chiefly a constitutional endow- ment, though it may be cultivated by judicious training. It is that unflinching steadiness of nerve which impelled Putnam to enter the wolf's den, and face the grizzly brute in his very lair. It is a sentiment which renders an indi- vidual superior to a feeling of personal danger. It peculiarly befits the soldier and the seaman, and all who are called upon to exercise cool judgment in situations of peril. Moral courage is a virtue of higher cast and nobler origin. It springs from a consciousness of virtue, and ren- ders a man, in the pursuit or defence of right, superior to the fear of reproach, opposition or 172 MORALS. contempt. You often see it in children, who, from a feeling of rectitude, will tell the truth, though it may subject them to reproof or pun- ishment, It is a beautiful trait of character, and deserves careful parental encouragement. It has led to many of the finest actions detailed in the history of mankind. It was moral cou- rage that sustained the apostles in undertaking to preach the religion of the crucified Jesus, in opposition to a splendid mythology, which had been cherished for ages, and to the support of which, the architect and sculptor had long con- secrated their genius. It was moral courage that sustained Wilberforce, through good report and evil report, in his protracted efforts to effect the abolition of the slave trade. It was moral courage that sustained Howard in his pilgrim- ages to hundreds of prisons, reckless of infec- tion and pestilence, if so be he might alleviate the misery of the prisoners. Such are a few of the higher examples of moral courage. But it is a virtue which may be called into daily exercise in the common business of life. It is this which induces a man, on fit occasions, to express his honest opinions, with- out regard to the unfavorable effect they may have upon his own interests. It is this which induces a man to stand by the virtuous^ when FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 173 they chance to he unfortunate, and when pub- lic scorn or reproach are turned against them. Cowardice of all kinds is contemptible : but there are many fears, the seeds of which are cast into the childish imagination by careless nurses or imprudent mothers. In this way, vague apprehensions while in the dark, cold creeping fears of ghosts and apparitions, and various silly superstitions, are engendered. How much misery has been caused to indivi- duals by such vicious folly. All this should be most strictly guarded against. But of all kinds of cowardice, that which makes a man afraid to have an opinion of his own, and leads him always to seek to be on the strong side, is per- haps the most truly despicable. Physical fear may be involuntary, but the moral cowardice of the lover of popularity, the time-serving weathercock of opinion, evinces intrinsic and cherished baseness. Let parents consider these things well ; let them begin with the first symp- toms of that weakness which leads children to equivocate or deceive, with a view to avoid responsibility. Let them follow it up, and by constant exercise give full development to the moral nerve. In dealing with children who are marked with constitutional timidity, or whose imaginations 15* 174 MORALS* have become filled with unreasonable fears, by false instruction, I would warn parents against attempting to correct the evil by harsh measures. In some cases within my knowledge, the en- deavor to force timid children to be courageous, by placing them in situations of apparent dan- ger, has resulted in serious injury. I knew a man who had a son of fine talents, but of great gentleness and shrinking timidity; and, being ashamed of this trait in his child, he determined to remove it. He therefore took him on his own horse, and rode with him among a crowd of soldiers, who were discharging their muskets and cannon. The boy spoke not during this severe trial, but from that hour his cheerfulness deserted him. and, though he afterwards acquired distinction, a smile seldom visited his face, and his powerful intellect seemed often hovering on the verge of insanity. Do not attempt therefore to force courage. The true method of dealing with unreasonable fears in children, is gradually to accustom them to those situations which ex- cite their fears. It is also well to place them in the society of courageous children. SELF-GOVERNMENT. In the midst of events which seem to bespeak predestination, man still feels that he is free. FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 175 The planets wheel through the heavens ; the earth revolves on its axis, and performs its vast annual circuit ; the seasons come and go ; the clouds rise and vanish ; the rain, the hail, and the snow descend ; and in all this man has no voice. There is a system of government above, beyond and around him, declaring a sovereignty which takes no counsel of him. But still, in the midst of all this, man possesses a conscious- ness of freedom. The metaphysician may be confounded with the seeming inconsistency of an omnipotence, ruling over all things, yet granting free agency to the subjects of its power. But common sense does not puzzle itself with an attempt to discover the precise point at which these seeming principles of opposition may clash or coalesce. It contents itself with the obvious fact that God is a sovereign, who has yet created beings, and given them their free- dom, prescribing boundaries to their powers and capacities indeed, but within these limits permitting them to act by their own volition. Man then is free ; he has the power to seek happiness in his own way. He enters upon existence and sets forward in the path of life. But as he passes along, a thousand tempters beset him. Pleasure comes to beckon him away, offering him present flowers, and unfold- 1?6 MORALS. ing beautiful prospects in the distance. Wealth seeks to make him her votary, by disclosing her magic power over men and things. Ambi- tion woos him with dreams of glory. Indo- lence essays to soften and seduce him to her influence. Love, envy, malice, revenge, jeal- ousy, and other busy spirits, assail him with their various arts. And man is free to yield to these temptations if he will; or he has the power to resist them, if he will. God has sur- rendered him to his own discretion, making him responsible, however, for the use and the abuse of the liberty bestowed upon him. If a person mounts a high-spirited horse, it is important that he should be able to control him, otherwise he may be dashed in pieces. If an engineer undertakes to conduct a locomotive, it is necessary that he should be able to guide or check the panting engine at his pleasure, else his own life, and the lives of others, may be sa- crificed. But it is still more indispensable that an individual, who is entrusted with the care of himself, should be able to govern himself. This might seem a very easy task ; but it is one of the most difficult that we are called upon to perform. History shows us that some of the greatest men have failed in it. Alexander could conquer the legions of Persia, but he could not FIRESIDE EDUCATION- 177 conquer his passions. Caesar triumphed in a hundred battles, but he fell a victim to the de- sire of being a king. Bonaparte vanquished nearly the whole of Europe, but he could not vanquish his own ambition. And in humbler life, nearer home, in our own every-day affairs, most of us are often drawn aside from the path of duty and discretion, because we cannot re- sist some temptation or overcome some preju- dice. If we consider that self-government requires two things ; first, whenever we are tempted to deviate from the path of rectitude or to act im- prudently, or whenever we are tempted to neg- lect any duty, that we should possess and ex- ercise the power to check ourselves in the one case, and to compel ourselves to the required action in the other, we shall see that it is the great regulator of conduct, the very balance- wheel of life. Without it, a person is almost sure to miss happiness, however great may be his gifts, however high his fortune ; with it, the humblest individual may command not merely the world's wealth, but the world's respect; and, what is better, peace of mind and the con- sciousness of Heaven's approbation. If parents would not trust a child upon the back of a wild horse without bit or bridle, let 178 MORALS. them not permit him to go forth into the world unskilled in self-government. If a child is pas- sionate, teach him, by gentle and patient means, to curb his temper. If he is greedy, cultivate liberality in him. If he is selfish, promote generosity. If he is sulky, charm him out of it, by encouraging frank good humor. If he is indolent, accustom him to exertion, and train him so as to perform even onerous duties with alacrity. If pride comes in to make his obe- dience reluctant, subdue him, either by counsel or discipline. In short, give your children the habit of overcoming their besetting sins. Let them feel that they can overcome temptation. Let them acquire from experience that confi- dence in themselves which gives security to the practised horseman, even on the back of a high- strung steed, and they will triumph over the difficulties and dangers which beset them in the path of life. PATRIOTISM. Patriotism, or love of country, is a sentiment which pervades almost every human breast, and induces each individual to prefer the land of his birth, not because it is better than another country, but merely because it is his country. This sentiment may be illustrated by a variety FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 179 of anecdotes. Many of the Swiss, on account of the poverty of their country, are induced to seek military service in foreign lands. Yet, in their voluntary exile, so strong is their affection for their native hills, that whole regiments have been said to be on the point of desertion, in consequence of the vivid recollections excited by one of their national songs. A French writer informs us that a native of one of the Asiatic isles, amid the splendors of Paris, beholding a banana tree in the Garden of Plants, bathed it with tears, and seemed for a moment to be transported to his own land. The Ethiopian imagines that God made his sands and deserts, while angels only were em- ployed in forming the rest of the world. The Maltese, insulated on a rock, distinguish their island by the appellation of " The Flower of the World." The Javanese have such an af- fection for the place of their nativity, that no advantages can induce them, particularly the agricultural tribes, to quit the tombs of their fathers. The Norwegians, proud of their bar- ren summits, inscribe upon their rix dollars, " Spirit, loyalty, valor, and whatever is honor- able, let the world learn among the rocks of Norway." The Esquimaux are no less attached to their frigid zone, esteeming the luxuries of 180 MORALS. blubber oil for food, and an ice cabin for habi- tation, above all the refinements of other coun- tries. Such are some of the exhibitions of this uni- versal sentiment in less refined nations. In a state of higher civilization, it becomes a more exalted passion, and is thus beautifully ex- pressed by Scott : — " Breathes there the man, with soul so dead, Who never to himself hath said, This is my own, my native land ! Whose heart hath ne'er within him burned, As home his footsteps he hath turned, From wand'ring on a foreign strand? If such there be, go, mark him well; For him no minstrel raptures swell ; High though his titles, proud his name, Boundless his wealth as wish can claim ; Despite those titles, power and pelf, The wretch, concentred all in self, Living, shall forfeit fair renown, And, doubly dying, shall go down To the vile dust, from whence he sprung, Unwept, unhonored and unsung." It might at first seem that patriotism, which implies a preference of one country over another, was opposed to philanthropy, which embraces in its generous scope the whole human family. But a consideration of the practical effect of patriotism will lead us not merely to dismiss all distrust, but to admire that dispensation of pro- FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 181 vidence, by which the inhabitants of every land, whether it be a region of sterile mountains, or an inhospitable climate of snow, or a land flow- ing with milk and honey, or a desert of sand, are attached to the soil where their lot is cast. In the first place, this love is a source of con- tentment and happiness, even though it may be founded in ignorance or false comparisons ; and, in the second place, it excites the people to seek the good and promote the prosperity of the inha- bitants. It stimulates them to act individually and unitedly, and, in cases of emergency, to put forth great efforts in the sacred cause of coun - try, whether it be to realize some desirable ob- ject, or avert some threatened evil. Thus it would appear that, by implanting this sentiment in the breast of man, God has provided an active agent, the design and ten- dency of which are to cultivate and cherish the advantages which each country possesses; to develop its resources, to increase its comforts and riches, to raise the standard of civilization, and, in short, to promote its true glory. Such is the design and such the tendency of that sen- timent called patriotism ; and if it is more cir- cumscribed in its view than philanthropy, it is far removed from selfishness, and the bosom in which it dwells must be exalted and purified, 16 182 MORALS. in proportion to the sway it is permitted to ex- ercise over the heart. Patriotism, love of country, then, is not merely a justifiable sentiment, but it is also ennobling to the soul which feels it, and beneficial to the community which calls it into exercise. It is alike dictated by nature and sanctioned by rea- son and religion. It becomes, therefore, a fit object of attention to all enlightened minds, and is worthy of the particular consideration of every one charged with the education of youth. While springing up spontaneously in the heart, it should be strengthened by all those means which are known to exert a strong influence on the young mind. Among these there is none, perhaps, more efficient than the exhibition of fine examples ; and the best and most copious source of them is to be found in the story of our revolution. The striking instance afforded by Mr. Reed, the president of the continental con- gress, who, although offered a large bribe by some British agents to betray his country, re- plied, "Gentlemen, I am poor, very poor, but, poor as I am, your king is not rich enough to buy me !" is one of those which not only furnishes a vivid illustration of high patriotism, but is likely to excite in the breast of youth a glow of admiration and an ardent spirit of emulation. FIRESIDE EDUCATION. DUTIES OF CITIZENSHIP. 183 Whatever may be thought of it, the govern- ment of a country is a matter of the greatest consequence. It is of consequence not only in a general point of view, but to each individual. There is not a living soul so isolated that the influence of government, good or bad, may not reach him; and, in point of fact, there are very few men, women or children, of any generation, who are not in a serious degree affected by government. We here speak not only of the form of govern- ment, but of the administration of it. The first is indeed of importance, but the latter is no less important; indeed, it has even been asserted that whatever government is best administered, is best. For the administration of our govern- ment, the people are responsible in a high de- gree, for they elect the individuals who admi- nister it, and as these are good or bad, fit or unfit, so is the administration of it. Now let it be considered, for a moment, what is meant by government, and we shall then see how immediately each individual is interested in it, and how deeply he may be affected by it. Government, then, embraces the making and enforcing all those laws which are designed to 184 MORALS. protect life ; all those laws which are designed to protect property ; all those laws which should insure to a man the peaceable possession of his home, his house, and his fireside — which should enable him to collect around him his family in security, and feel persuaded that the fruit of his labor, his skill, and his care, is so guaranteed to him, that he may appropriate it to his and their comfort and happiness. Nor is this all the benefit designed to be con- ferred on us by government. It is this which should provide a system of general education ; it is this which should protect us in the free exercise of our religious opinions; it is this which should enforce justice between man and man ; it is this which should regulate com- merce, and render it a source of national and individual wealth ; it is this which should pro- tect the arts and sciences, and give encourage- ment to manufactures and agriculture, — thus increasing the comforts and enjoyments of the community. Such a thing is government ; it is charged with all the great interests of the community. It is designed for good ; but let us consider that it is as pervading as the air we breathe ; — that, if we bar our doors, it will still enter our houses, and exert an influence upon all our interests. FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 185 But government is not a machine that goes regularly on, necessarily accomplishing its des- tined task. If it be compared to a machine, it is one that needs skilful and diligent care. It may be neglected, get into disorder, and fail of its proper object; or, if wickedly or selfishly managed, it may produce extensive and fatal mischief. Government, then, though designed for good, is only good when well and wisely managed. When ill managed, it sometimes fails of its real design, and, instead of good, produces real evil. To apply it to our own case, suppose that the government falls into the hands of bad men, who only care for themselves, and are willing to sacrifice the good of the people to their selfish schemes. What then is our situation ? Why, all our interests, our lives, our property, the peace of our homes and our firesides, the pro- duce of our labor, the great cause of educa- tion, the rights of conscience, the interests of justice, the paramount interests of commerce, agriculture, and manufactures — all the great sources of wealth and prosperity, all the dearest interests of the heart— are committed to the mercy of men who have no mercy ; men who look upon the people as their servants and their slaves, to be gulled, and cheated, and used, as their own interests may dictate ! 16* 186 MORALS. Such must be our situation when the govern- ment falls into the hands of artful, selfish and designing men. Nor can our interests be much safer in the hands of a weak, ignorant or in- competent set of rulers. We have compared government to a machine. It may be illus- trated by a manufactory filled with various complicated engines, all of which are set in motion by a fall of water, acting upon one great wheel. Under a skilful and vigilant superin- tendent, the work goes regularly and safely on ; the great wheel communicates its action to the others, and a vast complication of wheels, and bands, and cogs, proceeds, with different degrees of celerity, indeed, but each according to its design, and each accomplishing the end for which it was intended. Thus the whole estab- lishment proceeds with safety and success. But suppose that the superintendents are ignorant, and do not understand the machines ; or sup- pose they are negligent and inattentive. Dis- order will soon creep into all parts of the estab- lishment. There will be the grating of wheels here, the rending of bands there, and the crush of cogs in another place. The great wheel will acquire an irregular motion; and the whole work, so lately a beautiful and useful contri- vance, will rush into a state of anarchy and utter ruin. FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 187 This illustration cannot be said to impute too much consequence to government. Let us go to any country, ill governed, and compare it with one well governed. Look at Turkey, and see what desolation covers three fourths of its surface, and that too where the soil and climate are celebrated for the highest fertility ! Look into society, and see how dreary and comfort- less is the condition of the greater part of the people. Compare this with England, where the soil is naturally poor and the climate for- bidding, and see what a difference. In the one case, poverty, distrust, selfishness and ignorance are characteristics of the people, while wealth, frankness, liberality and intelligence are com- mon to them in the other. And a great part of this difference arises from the difference of government. A good government is, then, a great blessing, but a bad government is a curse. The Turks have a striking proverb, which bit- ter experience has taught them — no grass grows where the sultan's horse has set his foot. In other words, prosperity ceases and desolation comes wherever a selfish and unprincipled ru- ler has sway. If these things are so, what does patriotism dictate to an American citizen 1 Each citizen has the right to act in the choice of our rulers. 188 MORALS. No one is deprived of this right, and no one, consequently, is free from the responsibility of using it, and using it wisely. All may vote, and many may exert influence upon other voters. This, then, is the situation of every American citizen — he has the power to exert a greater or less influence upon the choice of those men who govern the country; and upon this choice depends the happiness, the peace, the prosperity, of nearly fourteen millions of peo- ple ! Such is the vast interest at stake, and such the high responsibility which is laid upon the soul of every citizen of this free country. No one can shrink from the duties which follow from this state of things. He who uses his vote or his influence selfishly, basely betrays his country; he who uses them inconsiderately, puts at hazard the interests of his country ; he who neglects or refuses to use them, deserts his country, and, like a sentinel, flies from his post in the hour of need. Let us then draw a few inferences, and make a few observations as to the political duties of each American citizen. 1. It is the duty of every American citizen to vote for public officers. The theory of our government involves the doctrine that the peo- ple are capable of governing themselves. And FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 189 so they doubtless are. But what will become of the country if the people refuse or neglect to vote ? The safety of our country depends on having a full and fair representation at the polls of all classes — rich and poor, the laborer and the capitalist, the refined and the simple. If the polls are given up to any one class, will the rights of all be secured? No. Let every citizen vote then ; it is his bounden duty. 2. It is his duty in voting to lay aside selfish and narrow views, and act as he conscientiously thinks best for the good of the whole country. 3. He should act for no party, and with no party, only so far as that party tends to promote the good of the whole country. 4. Public officers being public agents, or trus- tees, to perform certain duties, a voter should choose for the public as for himself; he should take care never to aid in electing an artful and dishonest man, for he may betray. He should try a candidate, strictly, by the questions pro- posed by Mr. Jefferson, — Is he capable ? Is he honest ? Is he a friend to the Constitution ? 5. The Scripture says, " put not thy trust in princes." We may add, put not thy trust in politicians ! Our real safety is in the honesty of the people. If they are dishonest, or corrupt, or ignorant, or negligent, we are exposed to ruin. 190 MORALS. The child will partake of the diseases of the father ; the government of the country, where the people rule, will be like the people, good or evil. Is there any man among us so bad as to aid in debasing, corrupting, destroying our go- vernment 1 Let each man read, examine, pon- der, and act intelligently and honestly. Let the people act in such a manner as to make politicians see that honesty is their best policy, and then they will be honest — not otherwise ! 6. Political virtue, like all other virtue, con- sists partly in self-sacrifice, or rather in consi- dering our own interests only as they make part of the whole. The spirit of '76 was of this character ; it was a spirit of self-forgetfulness, self-denial, self-sacrifice. These times of peace may not demand the same acts of virtue, but they demand the same kind of virtue. Let no man, who values a pure conscience, or seeks a good name, be found sacrificing the country to his own love of office, or power, or fame. Let no one, who values his independence, be made the dupe of such as do these things. 7. This right of voting is a great matter. It is a thing for which millions are yearning in other lands. Let us not abuse it. It is a vast power. It gives into our hands the destiny of millions. Will any one trifle with it? Will FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 191 any one abuse it? Will any one sell it? Who has the knavery to confess to himself or the world that he will lay this mighty talent up, unused and useless, in a napkin; or that he will use it according to his prejudices; or make it the instrument of his own ambition; or throw it away upon friendship, or family aggrandize- ment, or any other narrow, personal considera- tion? Who is the man that can look into his own bosom and confess that he can forget his country, forswear patriotism, and do these, or any of these things ? 8. If it is said that it is sometimes difficult to choose between candidates for office, let us bear in mind one rule — that it is never safe to promote the political schemes of designing, selfish managers. An artful, cunning intriguer for office is always to be shunned by honest voters. 9. We who vote are acting for ourselves and our children. We may spoil the great and good work of our forefathers ; we shall do it if we are not careful ! Who will aid in the destruction of this fabric, which has excited the admiration of the wcrld, and go into the land of spirits, and say to their sires and grandsires, we have done what we could to destroy your work ? Such appear to be the views which every 192 MORALS. American citizen should take of his political duties, and in these, at the proper age, ought not fathers carefully to instruct their sons '? Ought they not to teach them that we are as truly bound to be honest and true in dealing with the coun- try as with our fellow-men ? Ought they not to warn them against the infamous maxim, current with some people, that "all is fair in politics V 1 PERSEVERANCE. Perseverance, the steady pursuit of a lauda- ble and lawful object, is almost a sure path to eminence. It is a thing which seems to be inher- ent in some, but it may be cultivated in all. Even those children who seem to be either indolent like the sloth, or changeful as the butterfly, by the skilful training of a watchful parent, may be en- dowed with the habit of perseverance. The fol- lowing anecdotes may aid in illustrating to youth the nature and value of this virtue. The cele- brated Timour the Tartar, after a series of the most brilliant victories, was at length conquered and made captive. Though confined in a prison, whose massive walls and thick iron bars dis- couraged every attempt to escape, he still strove at each chink and crevice to find some way of deliverance. At length, weary and dispirit- ed, he sat down in a corner of his gloomy pri- FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 193 son, and gave himself up to despair. While brooding over his sorrows, an ant, with a piece of wood thrice as large as itself, attracted his attention. The insect seemed desirous to as- cend the perpendicular face of the wall, and made several attempts to effect it. But, after reaching a little elevation, it came to a jutting angle of the stone, and fell backward to the floor. But again, again, and again the attempt was renewed. The monarch watched the struggles of the insect, and in the interest thus excited forgot his own condition. The ant persevered, and at the sixtieth trial surmounted the obstacle. Timour sprang to his feet, ex- claiming, " / will never despair — perseverance conquers all things!" A similar anecdote is told of Robert Bruce, the restorer of the Scottish monarchy. Being out on an expedition to reconnoitre the enemy, he had occasion to sleep at night in a barn. In the morning, still reclining his head on a pillow of straw, he beheld a spider climbing up a beam of the roof. The insect fell to the ground, but immediately made a second essay to ascend. This attracted the notice of the hero, who, with regret, saw the spider fall a second time from the same eminence. It made a third unsuc- cessful attempt. Not without a mixture of con- 17 194 MORALS. cern and curiosity, the monarch twejve times beheld the insect baffled in its aim; but the thirteenth essay was crowned with success. It gained the summit of the barn, and the king, starting from his couch, exclaimed, " This des- picable insect has taught me perseverance ! T will follow its example. Have I not been twelve times defeated by the enemy's superior force? On one fight more hangs the independence of my country ! " In a few days, his anticipations were fully realized, by the glorious result, to Scotland, of the battle of Bannockburn. A few years since, while travelling in an ad- jacent state, I came to a little valley, surrounded by rocky and precipitous hills. In that valley was a single house. It was old, and, by its irregularity of form, seemed to have been built at various periods. It was, however, in good condition, and bespoke thrift and comfort. Not a shingle was missing from the roof, no dang- ling clapboards disfigured its sides, no unhinged blinds swung idly in the wind, no old hats were thrust through the windows. All around was tidy and well-conditioned. The wood- house was stored with tall ranges of hickory, the barns were ample, and stacks of hay with- out declared that it was full within. The soil around, as I have said, was rocky, but FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 195 cultivation had rendered it fertile. Thriving orchards, rich pastures and prolific meadows occupied the bed of the valley and the rugged sides of the hills. I was struck with the scene, and, when I reached a village at the distance of two or three miles, I made some inquiries, where I learnt the story of the proprietor. He was originally a poor boy, and wholly depen- dent upon his own exertions. He was brought up as a farmer, and began life as a day laborer. In childhood, he had read that " procrastination is the thief of time." He did not at first un- derstand its meaning, and pondered long upon this desperate thief, Avho bore the formidable title of Procrastination. It was at length ex- plained to him ; but the struggles he had made to comprehend the adage fixed it deep in his mind. He often thought of it, and, feeling its force, it became the ruling maxim of his life. Following its dictates with inflexible persever- ance, he at length became proprietor of the lit- tle valley I have described. Year by year it improved under his care, and, at the period of which I am speaking, he was supposed to be worth at least twenty thousand dollars. Such is the force of perseverance. It gives power to weakness, and opens to poverty the world's wealth. It spreads fertility over the 196 MORALS. barren landscape, and bids the choicest fruits and flowers spring up and flourish in the desert abode of thorns and briers. Look at Boston ! Where are the three hills which first met the view of the pilgrims as they sailed up its bay 1 Their tops are shorn down by man's perse- verance. Look at the granite hills of Qxiincy ! Proudly anchored in the bosom of the earth, they seem to defy the puny efforts of man, but they are yielding to man's perseverance. For- bidding and hopeless as they would appear to the eye of indolence and weakness, they are better than the treasures of Peru, and the gem- strewn mountains of Brazil, to a people endowed with the hardy spirit of perseverance ! They are better, for, while they enable them to com- mand the precious metals yielded by other climes, they cherish a spirit and a power which all the gold of Golconda could not purchase. INDUSTRY. Let me say a word in behalf of this home- spun virtue. It may seem superfluous, perhaps impertinent, to enforce industry upon the hard- est working people in the world, as I conceive our good countrymen to be ; but I speak of it as a part of education — as a principle to be inculcated upon childhood. Its proper limits I FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 197 shall hereafter attempt to define. In this coun- try, it is the duty of every individual to live an active life. No one, even though he be rich, has a right to be idle or useless. In the hive of bees, there is a privileged class of drones ; but there the government is despotic, with a queen at its head. Ours is a republican government, which admits of no drones, and tolerates no aristocratic indolence. Nor is industry more a duty to society than a source of individual happiness. There are no pleasures so sweet as those earned by effort, no possessions so dear as those acquired by toil. The truth is that the main happiness of life consists in the vigorous exercise of those faculties which God has given us. Thus it usually happens that more enjoy- ment is found in the acquisition of property than in its possession. How often does the rich man, surrounded with every luxury, look back from the pinnacle which he has attained, with fond regret, to those days of humble but happy toil when he was struggling up the steep ascent of fortune ! Make industry, then, a part of fireside edu- cation. Teach it to your children as a point of duty; render it familiar to them by practice. Personal exertion and ready activity are natu- ral to some children, and these hardly need any 17* 198 MORALS. stimulus to the performance of duties requiring bodily exertion. There are others who have an indolence, a reluctance to move, either uniform or periodical, in their very constitution. If neg- lected, these children will grow up in the habit of omitting many duties, or of performing only those which are agreeable. It is indispensable that such should be trained to patient exertion, habituated to the performance of every duty in the right time and the right way, even though it may require self-denial and onerous toil. A person who cannot compel himself, from a mere sense of duty, to overcome a slothful reluctance to do what is disagreeable, is but half educated, and carries about him a weakness that is likely to prove fatal to his success in life. Such a person may act vigorously by fits and starts, as he may be occasionally urged by impulse : but the good begun will often remain unfinished, and, from subsequent negligence, will result in final disaster. The only safe way is to found industry upon principle and establish it by habit. To show children the benefits of this virtue, and enlist their reason in its favor, pa- rents may recount to them the following tale. In the northwestern part of Asia, there is a famous city, called Bagdat. The people here believe in the existence of certain spiritual be- FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 199 ings, whom they call genii. Like fairies, they are supposed to have great power, and to hold intercourse with mankind. All this is, of course, a mere matter of fancy, but it will answer the present purpose as well ac if it were true. There was once in this city of Bagdat a little boy, who was poor, and obliged to earn his daily bread by rearing flowers in a small garden. As the price of flowers in that luxuriant climate is extremely low, the boy was compelled to be very industri- ous, in order to obtain necessary food and cloth- ing. But still he had good health, and he ate his coarse meal with high relish and satisfac- tion. But this was not his greatest pleasure ; his flowers were a perpetual source of enjoy- ment. They were his flowers ; he planted them, he watered them, pruned and nurtured them. Beside all this, they were the source of his live- lihood. They gave him bread, shelter and rai- ment. He therefore loved them as if they were his companions. He saw them spring out of the ground with pleasure ; he watched the bud- ding leaves and unfolding flowers with delight. But, at length, discontent sprung up in his mind, and in the evening of a hot day he sat down in his garden and began to murmur. " I wish," said he, Ci that flowers would plant and prune and water themselves. I am tired of this 200 MORALS. incessant toil. Would that some good genius would step in and bring me flowers already- made, so that I might be saved all this trouble." Scarcely had he uttered this thought, when a beautiful being, with bright wings, stood before him, and said, "You called me, boy; what do you desire?" "I am weary of my employ- ment," said the boy. "I live by cultivating flowers. I am obliged to toil, day by day, with unceasing industry, and I am only able to ob- tain my daily bread. If I mistake not, you are a kind and powerful genius, who can give me flowers if you will, and save me all this toil." " Here ! " said the genius, holding forth a beau- tiful fan of feathers, " take this; wave it over the earth in your flower-pots, and the brightest blossoms of Cashmere will spring up at your bidding !" Saying this, the spirit departed. The little boy received the charmed fan with great delight, and waved it over one of his flower-pots. A bud immediately shot up through the soil, gradually unfolded itself, and in a few minutes a beautiful moss-rose, bloom- ing and fragrant, stood before him ! I need not describe the transports of the little gar- dener. He found his charmed fan to be just the thing he had desired. He had now no labor to perform — a few sweeps of his fan brought FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 201 him all the flowers he needed. He therefore spent his time in luxurious indolence. Things went on very well for a fortnight. But now, a different kind of weariness began to creep over him. His appetite, too, failed by degrees, and he no longer enjoyed his meals. He lost his interest, too, in the flowers. He saw no beauty in their bloom — their very odor became sicken- ing. The poor boy was unhappy, and again began to murmur. "I wish," said he, "the genius would come back and take away this foolish fan." In a moment the bright being was standing at his side. "Here," said the boy, handing forth the fan, "take back the charm you gave me. Forgive me, sweet ge- nius, but I was mistaken. The weariness of indolence is far worse than the weariness of industry. I loved the flowers which were pro- duced by my own skill and care ; but things which cost nothing are worth nothing. Take back the charm, and leave me to that hum- ble happiness which my own industry can secure, but which your potent spell would chase away." Such is the fable ; and you may, by repeat- ing it to children, make them understand the benefits and feel the duty of industry. If, after telling them the tale, they desire a charm, more 202 MORALS. powerful than that of the eastern fairy, you may give them this, — Ne'er till to-morrow's light delay What may as well be done to-day ; Ne'er do to-day what on the morrow Will wring your heart with sighs and sorrow. But let me add one word of caution, here, to parents. Though industry be a duty, yet labor should have its limits. It is not only true of children, but of grown-up people, that '-all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." And is it not matter of fact that many of the good peo- ple of our country run into the error of exces- sive devotion to business 1 It appears to me that we are the most laborious people in the world. Day and night we are perpetually " grinding at the mill." I have noticed in Eng- land, that, when the hours of labor are over, the mind relaxes from its cares. The merchant, in turning his key upon his counting-room, shuts in his restless plans and projects, and goes home to spend the evening sociably, with his family. The farmer, also, and the mechanic, follow a similar custom. Nothing indeed is more plea- sant than to see the sociable and cheerful manner in which these English families, of all classes, spend their evening leisure. But it is very different with us. When the sun is set FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 203 and the farmer is by his fireside, he is too often silent, in cogitations about the farm. The mer- chant, though he has left his daybook and leger behind, is still moody and absent-minded in the midst of his family, for his thoughts are run- ning on business. This is all wrong. During the hours of business, a. man must pursue it with vigor, if he means to obtain success. But he should still give himself several hours of relaxation each day. This is necessary for health, and indispensable to cheerfulness of mind. Beside, the claims of society demand that every individual should spend some portion of his time in easy and pleasant intercourse with friends, neighbors or general society. Pa- rents, above all, are bound to keep up a lively and pleasant sociability in their families, so that home may be rendered agreeable to the children and happy to all. While, therefore, I would inculcate industry, I would remark that it may be carried to excess. Every virtue has its bordering vice. The ex- treme of courage touches upon the precincts of rashness, and a step beyond the proper limit of industry brings you into the dreary regions of avarice. The reason why we are peculiarly exposed to this error in America seems to be this, that, in every department of life, the harvest 204 MORALS. is great and the laborers comparatively few. On every hand, fields of enterprise are opening and beckoning adventurers to thrust in the sickle. This is the powerful excitement, operating upon every individual, to put forth his utmost exer- tions, and it has the effect to induce almost every man to undertake a little more than he can well attend to. Thus, like Issachar of old, he becomes a strong ass crouching down be- tween two burdens. He is rendered the slave of business, and, making the same mistake as the miser, who fancies that gold is an end, and not a means, he thinks that life is made to be spent in the hurry and turmoil of business, and not that business is, to some extent at least, an instrument by which higher and better enjoy- ments are to be secured. If this be true, — if we Americans are exposed to peculiar tempta- tions in this matter, let us be wise, and correct the mistake into which we have fallen. ORDER AND NEATNESS. These two virtues generally go together, and you seldom see one without the other. In illus- tration of their benefits on the one hand, and the evils which result from their neglect on the other, let me introduce to the notice of the read- er the following sketches, which he may have FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 205 seen before. They are pictures of village life, but lessons may be drawn from them to suit the city, as well as the farm-house and cottage. The village of Decay is situated somewhere in New England. The land is good, and the people have all the means of comfort and hap- piness, but they don't know exactly how to use them. We shall give a sketch of Capt. Seth Wideopen's house, which is a sample of the whole town. Capt. Wideopen, by the way, is a good sort of man enough, and is well off, as the saying goes. He has two hundred acres of land ; but he has not the good sense to observe the advice of the old rhymes, — " 'T is folly in the extreme to till Extensive fields and till them ill. The farmer, pleased, may boast aloud His bushels sown, his acres ploughed, And, pleased, indulge the cheering hope That time will bring a plenteous crop. Shrewd common sense sits laughing by, And sees his hopes abortive die ; For, when maturing seasons smile, Thin sheaves shall disappoint his toil. Advised, this empty pride expel ; Till little, and that little well. Of taxing, fencing, toil, no more Your ground requires when rich than poor j And more one fertile acre yields Than the huge breadth of barren fields," The captain is also ignorant of the advan- 18 206 MORALS. tages to be found in following the injunctions laid down by the same writer, as follows : — " Neat be your farms : 't is long confessed The neatest farmers are the best. Each bog and marsh, industrious, drain Nor let vile balks deform the plain ; No bushes on your headlands grow, Nor briers a sloven's culture show. Neat be your barns, your houses neat, Your doors be clean, your court-yards sweet j No moss the sheltering roof enshroud, No wooden panes the window cloud, " No filthy kennels foully flow, Nor weeds with rankling poison grow ; But shades expand, and fruit-trees bloom, And flowering shrubs exhale perfume. With pales your garden circle round ; Defend, enrich, and clean the ground ; Prize high this pleasing, useful rood, And fill with vegetable good." The fact is that there is more comfort in neat- ness and order than most people think of. There is also much virtue in these things. They stamp themselves, after long habit, on the mind and heart, and, to some extent, mould the intel- lectual and moral character. No being but a pig is happy and at ease in the midst of filth and. confusion ; and if a person, by living among them for a long time, gets reconciled to them, he is so far depraved and degraded toward the standard of one of the lowest of the brute crea- tion. FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 207 But to be a little more particular. Capt. Wideopeu's house stands on a broad street, that runs for a mile in length through the village of Decay. It is an old farm-house, one story high, with its gable end to the street. In front of the house is the wood-pile, spread out so as to cover a rood of ground. As you pass by, the barn, cow-house, and yard, with its deep mo- rass of manure in high flavor, salute the eye and nose. The pig-pen, wide open and in full view, is between the house and barn. In a warm day the congregation of vapors is over- whelming. The well, the wash-shed, the wood- shed, all are in full view to the passers by. The space around the front door is defiled by the pigs, who root and grunt there by day, and by the geese, who roost there by night. Thus all the unsightly and unseemly objects are spread out to view, and the scene is embel- lished by the addition of broken sleighs, sleds, ploughs, wagons, carts, old posts, &c. There lies a shapeless heap of stones ; yonder is a gate hanging by one hinge, which will soon be broken for want of care. Here is a pair of bars thrown down ; there the stone wall has tumbled over ! Such is the scene presented by the residence of a wealthy, respectable fanner in New Eng- 208 MOEAtS. land ; and I am sorry to say that there ard hundreds, nay thousands, like it in New Eng- land — ay, in New England ! Not that every village is a Decay, or every farmer a Wide- open. No ! some of our villages are delight- ful, and some of our country people are pat- terns of good order and neatness. But I am speaking of those who are not so. And if these pages should come into the hands of any per- son, in New England or out of it, who is igno- rant of the advantages of neatness and order, let me urge upon him, as worthy of immediate attention, the following remarks, drawn from observation and experience. 1. A man, whose house, like Capt. Wideo- pen's, is out-of-doors marked by disorder, con- fusion, and want of cleanliness, is generally the same in-doors. 2. Where there is confusion and want of neatness, though there may be plenty of bread, butter, milk, cheese, fuel, clothing, and other necessaries, there is little comfort, little thrift, little good nature, little kindness, little religion, little beauty, little peace or happiness. 3. Children brought up in the midst of con- fusion and want of cleanliness, are likely to be low, vulgar, and vicious in their tastes i nd in their character. Let fathers and mothers FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 209 consider that, if they bring up their children in this way, they are schooling them to be drunk- ards, profane, mean, base, wicked and despised ; that the schooling of home is the most lasting of all schooling; that the ferule of the schoolmaster cannot efface what the father and mother have taught ; that the preacher cannot destroy the die stamped upon the young heart at home by pa- rental example ! Look to this, ye fathers and mothers, and if for your own sakes ye are indif- ferent to neatness and order, for the sake of the young immediately around you be no longer so ! 4. There is a constant tendency in the want of order and neatness to cause ruin and waste ; consequently a man who, like Capt. Wideopen, allows things to go on in this way, generally gets poorer and poorer, till at length mortgages, embarrassment, debt, losses, and the law, bring him to poverty. 5. Neatness and good order contribute to health, wealth, and happiness; while opposite habits tend to disease, misery, poverty, vice and short life. Let us now turn to another scene. The vil- lage of Thrivewell is also a New-England vil- lage, and is remarkable for its pleasant, cheerful aspect. Every person who rides through it is delighted ; and the place has such a reputation, 18* 210 MORALS. that the land is worth more, and the houses will sell for more, than in almost any other place of the kind you can name. And this arises from the good taste, neatness, and order, which characterize the inhabitants. I will give you a sketch of the house belonging to Capt. John Pepperidge; a careful, correct, upright man, who has risen from poverty, to ease and com- petence, by industry, economy, and prudence. His house stands three or four rods back from the street; the front yard is green, grassy, and decorated with handsome trees. The wood-pile is fenced in; the barn-yard, pig-pen, &c, are also tidily fenced. It is a favorite proverb with Pepperidge that there should be a place for every thing, and that every thing should be in its place. This is his great maxim; and he not only observes it himself, but he requires every man, woman and child about him to observe it also. He says it saves him one hundred dollars a year. He has other rules, such as a stitch in time saves nine: thus, as soon as a stone falls off the wall, he puts it up ; when a rail gets out of the fence, he replaces it; when a gate is broken, it is forthwith repaired ; if a clapboard is loose, a nail clenches it. Thus, matters are kept tight and tidy. Of a wet day, instead of going to the tavern, he spends the time in mak- FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 211 ing little repairs. At odd moments of leisure, he sets out trees and shrubs ; thus, year by year, beautifying his place, and rendering it not only more comfortable, but also worth more money, in case he should ever desire to sell it. Capt. Pepperidge takes great pleasure, and perhaps a little innocent pride, in his place, though, to say the truth, it is by no means costly. He loves better to spend his time in making it more convenient and pleasant, in setting out trees, improving the grounds, mending the fences, &c., than in going about to talk politics, or gossip upon other people's business, or in haunting a tavern bar-room. In short, his home is comfortable, pleasant, delightful. It is neat and orderly, inside and out. And he has made it so ; though his wife, having happily caught the influence of his example, contributes her share to the good work. His children are well dressed, well educated, well behaved. Can such a man be a drunkard ? Can he be vicious 1 Can he be wicked ? Who has so good a chance of health, wealth, and happiness? Who so likely to be respected by his neighbors? Who so likely to do good by his influence and exam- ple ? Come, Capt. Wideopen, I pray you, and learn a lesson of farmer Pepperidge ! Let us look at the practical effect of Pep- 212 MORALS. peridge's example. Formerly the Tillage of Thrivewell was called Uneasy Swamp, and was inhabited by a set of people becoming the name. They were poor, ignorant, idle and uneasy. They were jealous of all rich people, and considered the unequal distribution of pro- perty a dreadful evil. They were equally jeal- ous of the wise, and considered the unequal distribution of knowledge a nuisance to be abated. They were also jealous of the virtu- ous, and hated nothing so much as a just and honest man. In short, they were, half a cen- tury ago, where some conceited but ignorant and ill-minded people are now, willing to level every body and thing to their own standard. If a candidate for office was up, who addressed their prejudices, and coaxed them with pro- mises, though meaning to cheat them, he was the man for them. If he was known to be mean, slippery and unprincipled, fellow-feeling seemed to render them kind, and the more ar- dently they espoused his cause. Such was Uneasy Swamp ; a place which may have its image still in some parts of the country. But Pepperidge came among the people and set them a good example. They persecuted him, reviled him, hated him, ridiculed him, broke down his fences at night, and played him FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 213 Sundry mischievous tricks. But he was patient, and tough, in his patience, as the tree that gave him a name; and he overcame them at last. One by one, the villagers began to imitate him. The small brown houses* gradually lost their look of squalidness and disorder. The Swamp emerged from its shadow, and became a cul- tivated valley. The little farmers and the humble mechanics rose from their degraded condition ; education spread its light ; industry and frugality showered down their blessings; and Uneasy Swamp became the flourishing vil- lage of Thrivewell. And thus, though none of the people are what is called rich, none are poor. The small houses are neat, and the fruit-trees, the blossoming shrubs, the green grass, around them, declare that the people are happy. They are not mad in the foolish chase for riches, which is destroy- ing more peace in this country than all the bodily diseases our flesh is heir to. They are now, from better knowledge, satisfied that the rich man shall possess his wealth, both because they perceive that, generally speaking, the la- boring classes are the happiest, and that the security of property is the only steady impulse to economy, industry, providence, and the other important village virtues. They are more fond 214 MORALS. of knowledge, for they perceive that it increases their power of being happy. They respect talent and wisdom, for they know that these are gifts sent by Heaven for the guidance of man to happiness. In politics, they are staunch republicans, but always give their votes for men of sterling integrity. A man who has the general character of being an artful, intriguing office-seeker, has no chance with them. They are perhaps a little prejudiced against cities and city people. If they ever have any thing to do with a lawyer, they go to one who has been bred in the country, and one who was in early life a farmer. They think, and, perhaps, justly, that while this rustic breeding gives a man an habitually honest and plain turn of mind, it also renders him more knowing, sagacious, and favorable in his feelings, in respect to country people. I cannot better close this sketch than by in- troducing some lines which are much esteemed in the village of Thrivewell. Every man, wo- man and child there knows them by heart. " Let order o'er your time preside, And method all your business guide. Early begin and end your toil, Nor let great tasks your hands embroil j One thing at once be still begun, Contrived, resolved, pursued, and done. FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 215 Hire not for what yourselves can do, And send not when yourselves can go; Nor till to-morrow's light delay What might as well be done to-day. By steady efforts all men thrive, And long - by moderate labor live ; While eager toil and anxious care, Health, strength, and peace, and life impair. Nor think a life of toil severe ; No life has blessings so sincere. Its meals so luscious, sleep so sweet, Such vigorous limbs, such health complete, No mind so active, brisk, and gay, As his who toils the livelong day. A life of sloth drags hardly on ; Suns set too late and rise too soon. Youth, manhood, age, all linger slow To him who nothing has to do. The drone, a nuisance to the hive, Stays, but can scarce be said to live ; And well the bees, those judges wise, Plague, chase, and sting him till he dies." WARNINGS. In proportion as virtue is beautiful, vice is marked with deformity ; and as one deserves to be sought, the other must be shunned. I have endeavored to impress upon parents the impor- tance of inculcating virtuous principles in the hearts of their children, and I have incidentally warned them against the besetting danger of various vices. But this last is a point of so much importance, that it seems proper to make it the subject of particular comment. £16 MORALS. One of the most common, and, if we consider all the temptations to which children are ex- posed, one of the most venial vices of childhood, is falsehood. It manifests itself in various ways, — in direct lying, in deception, artifice, tergiversation, misrepresentation, equivocation, exaggeration, (fee. There may he a difference in children as to the facility with which they adopt these faults, but I believe that falsehood is spontaneous in very few of them. Truth is natural to children, and if they resort to any form of deception, it is, in almost all cases, through the infection of bad example. A child does not lie until he perceives some advantage to result from it — either the attainment of some good, or escape from some evil. And who teaches him this policy % Either his little com- panions or the grown-up people around him. But however the vice of deception may origi- nate, it is one of the most hurtful and danger- ous to which children are exposed. Like a thrifty weed, it grows rapidly from small begin- nings, and soon engrosses the whole soil, to the exclusion of useful plants. It deadens the mind to the beauty of truth, and, after long indulgence, blinds the moral vision, so that it cannot clearly discover the path of rectitude. It displaces frankness, and substitutes slyness ; FIRESIDE EDUCATION. »!• it roots out honesty, and weaves over the whole character a revolting tissue of trick, artifice and subterfuge. Let parents, therefore, deal vigi- lantly with this vice, and eradicate it in all its forms. If a root or fibre is left in the heart, it will soon or late shoot forth and flourish. Cunning is the legitimate offspring of false- hood, and ever merits reprobation and contempt. I know of no person more generally feared, shunned and despised, than one who has ac- quired the reputation of being cunning. He is generally compared to a snake in the grass, which slides unseen around your path, and, without giving you the opportunity of escape or defence, is ready to make you the victim of his selfishness or spleen. If you would not leave the image of the serpent stamped upon the character of your child, be careful to check in him every tendency to cunning. Envy reflects more disgrace upon human na- ture than any other passion. It seems so un- natural, and so exclusively useless and hurtful, that we cannot but wonder how it came into the world. Stripped of all disguise, it is hatred of another, excited by the perception of his superi- ority in some respect. Thus beauty, wealth, strength, talents, virtue, the best gifts of Heaven, beget this hateful passion. And let it be remem- 19 218 MORALS. bered that envy is not a sluggish or inactive prin- ciple; it is not content to gaze only at the hap- piness of another, but it stimulates the bosom in which it resides to exertion, for the purpose of despoiling the fortunate and the successful of their enjoyments. Let it also be considered that while this passion tends to evil in respect to the object which excites it, it also stings the heart in which it lives, without even affording the poor atonement of transient gratification. It might seem that mankind would be careful to exclude a drug of such unmixed bitterness from the cup which they put to their lips. But it is still largely mixed, either by accident or voli- tion, in the thoughts and feelings which make up the every-day draught of society. It is to envy that we may trace the spicy scandal, and the detractive gossip, which circulate with such electric energy in our towns, cities and villages. It is to envy that we may attribute that odious triumph, with which we sometimes see people trample on an individual, whom misfortune has hurled down from some elevated station. It is to envy we may attribute much of that sour discontent with which the poor or the less wealthy look upon the rich. It is to envy we may impute the malice with which the coarse FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 219 and vulgar look upon the refined, and with which the vicious regard the virtuous. Let parents beware of this pestilent disturber of human peace. If they are poor, let their children by no means indulge envy towards the rich. No person should be hated either because he is rich or poor. Above all, let not parents infuse a poison into the minds of their children, which can bestow no pleasure, and ensures cer- tain misery. Let them especially beware of those meddling people, who, knowing the readi- ness with which envy springs up in the minds of men, seek to promote it, and thus agitate so- ciety with strife and contention. In almost every village, town, and city, there are some persons of this sort. Even at school we often find some beardless politician attempting to ex- cite the children of the poor against those of the rich, by accusing the latter of pride, which probably they do not feel ; and we need not go far to find similar politicians in grown-up so- ciety. Of all people in the world, these are most to be shunned ; for while they are ever swayed by sinister and selfish designs, and while their exertions only tend to mischief, the weakness of poor human nature is still apt to give them influence. It is the duty, it is the interest of all to cultivate peace, good-will, 220 MofiAiS, good-neighborhood in society. Who then would endeavor to give up society to the demon of envy ? Who would give encouragement to the ministers of this mischievous spirit 7 Who would aid in scattering discord and strife among the members of the human family ? Jealousy is a twin sister of envy, and the two may often be seen hand in hand, helping each other in the work of mischief. Suspicion is of the same bad family, and, like its kindred, perpetually seeks to extend its power over the individual into whose breast it has gained ad- mittance. It drives away the nobler virtues, and at length takes possession of the whole tenement. When it has acquired complete sway, it degrades the mind and debases the heart. It suggests evil thoughts of others, be- cause the place where it dwells is evil. There is no surer sign that the core of a man's heart is thus rendered unsound by the worm within, than to see him constantly suspecting others of vice or meanness. It is pitiable to see some persons, stung with this malady, who are con- stantly seeking to give a bad interpretation to the conduct of others. These usually assume an air of superior sagacity, and, pretending to penetrate the hearts of men with a moral mi- croscope of their own, trace the best and most FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 221 benevolent actions to a polluted fountain. Such persons are self-deceivers, and, instead of being wiser than others, they are usually mistaken, and are very unsafe counsellors. Regulated by no sense of justice, and guided by no feeling of candor, they judge ill of others only from a consciousness of the evil springing up within themselves. Instead of throwing light upon the breasts of others, they only reflect what is passing in their own bosom. It may be laid down as an infallible rule, that a person is ca- pable of any meanness or any wickedness of which he needlessly suspects another. Let parents beware, then, of this noxious vice in children. Simplicity is better than sus- picion. It is better to be sometimes duped than to carry about, in one's breast, a viper that is constantly suggesting evil opinions of brothers, sisters, friends and neighbors. Pride is of two kinds : first, inordinate self- esteem ; an unreasonable conceit of one's own superiority in talents, beauty, wealth, accom- plishments, rank or elevation. Second, a no- ble self-esteem, springing from a consciousness of worth. The first of these is one of the great- est mischief-makers in society, and always bespeaks a want of good sense in those who are marked with it. It is, in fact, a species of 19* 222 MORALS, insanity, for it converts into a curse those very- advantages upon which it is founded. If a person is seen to be proud of any possession, he becomes the object of envy, malice and detrac- tion. And thus, what might be the instrument of attaching friends and promoting the happi- ness of others, draws around the individual a host of enemies, and turns human kindness into effervescent bitterness and spleen. But how shall we correct this evil passion, so rife and ready in the human heart, where it has even the least encouragement? The boy will plume himself upon his new jacket; the girl will seek to dazzle her companions with her new bonnet. The rich proprietor of the lordly mansion will look haughtily down upon the shed of his humble neighbor. The lux- urious occupant of the coach will peep super- ciliously out of the window upon the man that toils through the dust on foot. These things will sometimes be, and how shall we prevent or mitigate these evils? There are two con- siderations, which, if duly impressed upon the minds of parents, and properly inculcated upon children, will go far towards accomplishing this object. In the first place, wealth, beauty, power and station are not essential to happiness, nor do they, as the world goes, ordinarily bring FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 223 happiness. There is no reason, therefore, why the possessor of them should be looked upon with envy, or regarded as favored above others. In the second place, these envied possessions are no sufficient grounds for self-esteem. They are accidental gifts, implying no merit on the part of him who holds them. The true stand- ard of character is that of moral worth. One who is honest, just, and beneficent, be he rich or be he poor, is entitled to his own esteem and that of others. Riches, beauty and power are compatible with vice and meanness ; they are no part of the man, and ought not to bring upon him to whom providence has given them, either honor or reproach. Let parents cultivate these views of human character and human life upon themselves and their children. Let them manifest a solicitude that their children should be good, rather than great. Let them show that they place a higher value upon obe- dience, truth, and kindness, than upon riches. Let them beware how they excite the ambition of children to outshine their companions in dress, equipage, or any other sign of good for- tune. Let them beware how they stimulate the love of display, or tolerate a haughty self- esteem. Let them duly consider that wealth, power and station are dangerous possessions, 224 MORALS. and that he on whom they are bestowed, like one walking on the edge of a dizzy precipice, is imminently exposed to destruction; and that happiness, peace and security usually dwell with the humbler occupant of the lowly hill- side or the sheltered valley. Vanity, an empty pride, inspired by an over- weening conceit of one's personal attainments or decorations, is apt to beset young minds, and, with a little encouragement on the part of the parent, will soon spread itself over the whole character. But it is an offensive vice, and those who are infected with it soon find themselves subjected to ridicule and contempt. Let those who have the charge of children be careful that they do not feed this greedy passion, by ministering to its cravings in gaudy dress, or equipage, or display of any kind. Anger and revenge are such atrocious pas- sions, that the parent hardly needs to be warned against their indulgence on the part of children. Sulkiness is so ill-favored, that a child under its influence will generally dismiss it if he can see himself in a mirror. Good humor in the parents will always charm this moody intruder out of the house. Obstinacy must be reasoned with; when the understanding is convinced, and a little time is given for pride to subside FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 225 punishment may follow if it do not yield. Gree- diness, the spirit of appropriation of every thing to self, in the child, leads to avarice in the man. This may be easily overcome, by per- suading the child often to part with his posses- sions. The habit of giving away is soon es- tablished. The spirit of liberality readily com- mends itself to the heart, when illustrated by example and enforced by precept. Bat this must be done in childhood. If avarice gets hold of a man, it usually clings to him for life. It is in such a case the last vice which surren- ders to virtue, and even when religion enters the heart, it fiercely and obstinately disputes for the right of sovereignty there. Ambition is of tAvo kinds, the one laudable, the other vicious. The first springs from a love of excellence, and leads to a noble and generous emulation ; the latter denotes an inordinate and selfish desire of power or eminence, often accom- panied with illegal means to obtain the object. Parents and teachers should be careful to dis- criminate between these two kinds of ambition, and take heed that in giving scope to one they do not tolerate the other. There is a difference in children, as I have had occasion to remark before, as to the facility with which the princi- ple of emulation acts upon them. But, soon or 226 MORALS. late, almost all of them are imbued with a desire to rise in life, and therefore engage in the strife, to see which shall climb the highest. In this country, there are so many tempting fields of enterprise thrown open to ambition, that almost every person is roused to action, and stimulated to the utmost pitch of his powers. The humblest individual may rise to the high- est office or attain the most unbounded wealth. Every one can look around and see examples which assure him of this truth. And, as if this were not a sufficient stimulus, Ave systemati- cally urge such views and desires, not upon the young only, but upon the whole community, as lead to the impression that success in life con- sists only in riches or preferment, and that hap- piness is only to be found in standing upon the heads of others. This is wrong; and it deserves the serious consideration of parents. Competence and con- tent are true wealth, and those who exercise an influence over children sin against their true interest if they mark out for them a plan of life which goes beyond or falls short of these. The first step for parents to take in this matter is to get rid of a common mistake, that of making children the instruments of their own ambition. Mothers love to see their children better dressed FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 227 than others; fathers to see them excel in mental power; and thus the seeds of false ambition are sown, and, when the rank weeds shoot up, they are nurtured by the parental hand. The motive here cannot be disguised; it is selfish pride in the parent, though it may wear the semblance of affection for the child. To aid persons engaged in the training of children, so that they may cherish a virtuous ambition on the one hand, and repress vicious ambition on the other, I suggest the following table. POINTS OF SAFE AMBITION, WHICH PARENTS MAT INCULCATE UPON THEMSELVES AND THEIR CHILDREN, WITHOUT FEAR OF EXCESS. 1. Neatness and propriety in dress, having reference to occasion and the circumstances of the individual. 2. Politeness ; paying due regard to the tastes and feelings of others. 3. Good humor. 4. Cheerfulness. 5. Justice in respect to the property, character, and feelings of others. 6. Cultivation of the intellect, with a view to the discovery and vindication of truth. 7. Wisdom ; the skill to avoid vice and misfortune, and to attain virtue and success. 8. Self-control ; the power to restrain one's self from acts of imprudence, -vice and folly; the power to compel one's self to do what is required at the right time and in the right way. 9. Moral courage ; the power to resist fashionable errors ; to maintain unpopular truth ; to show sympathy, kindness and hu- manity toward the unfortunate, the humble and the poor, even where it may threaten momentary contempt. 228 Morals. 10. Consistency, without obstinacy. il-. Charity in all its forms. 12. Excellence in the profession or pursuit to which a person devotes himself, accompanied by equity and modesty. POINTS OF DANGEROUS AMBITION, WHICH PARENTS SHOULD RE- PRESS IN THEMSELVES AND THEIR CHILDREN. 1. Display of all kinds, in dress, equipage, manners, accom- plishments, talents, wit, personal beauty, power and wealth. 2. Great riches, rank, station, office, as instruments of selfish gratification and pride. 3. Exclusiveness, by which persons affect to be of a superior caste. 4. That assumed superiority of taste which displays itself in hypercritical discontent. 5. That pretendedly superior sagacity which imputes bad mo- tives as the source of good actions. 6. That cunning which would make dupes of mankind. CHARITY. I have reserved to the last my remarks on this virtue, not because I would rank it as infe- rior to other virtues, but because it seems to be a union of them all. The sun, though so pure and stainless, is still the fountain of the primi- tive colors. If you take pieces of cloth, of these several hues, place them on a wheel, and then turn it rapidly, so that the colors blend together in the eye, they will form a pure white, like the liquid overflow which the sun pours out upon the universe. And as light is a union of all colors, so is charity a blending of all the higher FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 229 virtues. As the sun is the source of light, so i3 Heaven the great fountain of charity. As the sun gives life to the vegetable and animal world by its light and heat, so charity quickens the moral world, giving to mankind whatever love, peace, and happiness there may be in it. It is not necessary for me to enlarge upon the virtue of charity in its religious sense, as involv- ing love to God, the source of all good. But in its exercise to man, it cannot be too earnestly inculcated, especially as a point of education. I do not speak of alms-giving, the commonest, cheapest, and easiest kind of charity; for the demands upon us for this are few in our country, compared with what they are in most others. Perhaps the infrequency of occasion for the ex- ercise of this species of virtue may even lead us to forget it, which would certainly be wrong ; for there are instances in which parting with our substance for the relief of the needy is an indispensable duty. But I would ask parents to cultivate that charity of speech, feeling, and opinion, which may lead to peace in families, neighborhoods, villages and towns. Let them cherish all this in themselves ; let them culti- vate it in their children. If we consider the savage spirit which we often see in society, leading to duels, lynchings, mobs and riots ; and 20 230 MORAL& if we consider that even the press often stimtt-» lates these, by bitterness and virulence, rather than softens them, by justice, candor, and dig- nity ; we shall see how important is the inter- position of parents in this matter. Let them begin with childhood. Let them arrest the little arm that is so prompt to hurl a resentful stone, or thrust forth a defiant fist. Let them check the little tongue that is so apt and ready at catching sharp and reproachful epithets. Let them cultivate the habit of putting kind con- structions upon actions, and seeking for favor- able rather than unfavorable points of charac- ter. Let them check a satirical turn in children y and by no means indulge in them a love of ridicule. I have lately seen, with pain, the abominable taste of England for caricatures, creeping into this country. Already the shop windows of our cities teem with disgusting pic- tures, which are deemed very witty because they are very monstrous. The comic almanacs, thousands of which are now published and cir- culated everywhere, are among the worst instru- ments of depravity. No parent ought to tolerate one in his house. A turn for the ridiculous, the lowest and last species of wit, is a thing to be shunned, for it often terminates in grossness and brutality. The following fable may illustrate FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 23 1 the degradation of mind and taste to which it may lead. THE BEE AND BEETLE —A FABLE, A bee and beetle chanced to meet, One sunny day, upon a rose; His neighbor thus the bee did greet, Although, meanwhile, he held his nose:— *' I wonder much to meet you here, For surely you don't feast on roses?" The beetle answered, with a sneer, 11 1 know the idle fool supposes That in a rose there 's nought but honey. You think a flower, so fair to view, With breatih so sweet, and cheek so S4.mny t Is only made far things like you! But, — pnthee, do not look so sour, — A thing that hath a nose like mine May turn the breath of sweetest flower — ■ Of rose, carnation, columbine — To odors fetid as the air Where beetles love to delve and dine. Each has his gift for foul or fair — You, buzz, have yours^ and I have mine !" HEALTH. Though the body is but the temporary resi- dence of the soul, yet, during life, the most in- timate union subsists between the two. The former is material, and the mere instrument of the latter ; but every portion of it is penetrated by nerves^ which carry home to the brain, the 232 HEALTH. seat of the soul, a constant succession of sensa- tions. The mind is, therefore, in the closest sympathy with the body, feels every injury that is done to it, participates in its disease, derangement, and decay; or, on the contrary, shares in its vigor, health and prosperity. Thus, it is evident, that in order to have a sound mind, it is necessary to possess a sound body ; and to render this the more obvious, let it be considered that not only a large portion of the misery in this world consists in bodily distress, but that a considerable share of the ill temper, caprice, jealousy, envy, suspicion, which are witnessed among mankind, are either engendered or pro- moted by a diseased state of the body ; the soul itself being thrown off its balance by the irregu- lar action of the body upon it. In looking round upon life, we see some per- sons who are strong and full of health, and to whom disease is a stranger. We notice others who are feeble, who are subject to frequent sickness, and to whom the generous, happy glow of health is never known. And though it may be that the difference in these two per- sons is constitutional, founded on causes beyond human control, still, it is undoubtedly the fact that parents may, by judicious treatment, in most cases, ensure good health and good con- FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 233 stitutions to their children. And how is this to be done ? The rules to be observed in order to accom- plish this object are very simple, and generally understood. It is the wilful or careless breach of them in respect to children that so often en- tails misery upon them in after life. It may seem unnecessary to repeat here what is well understood in every nursery ; but as it is better to err on the safe side, I will mention some of those common maxims which must be observed in order to ensure health, vigor and long life. Children should retire early to bed and rise early in the morning. They should, especially during the warm months, avoid the evening air, for it is noxious to the blood. They should court the morning breeze, for it is full of invigo- rating influences. They should spend several hours in the open air every day when the weather permits; and even when it is incle- ment, they should be properly protected by clothing and sent abroad. There are few days, even in our severe winters, when children ought not to be out of doors at least for a couple of hours. Children of strong constitutions may take the risk of living in cities, but it is a se- vere and dangerous experiment even to them. Pure air and pure water are among the most in> 20* 234 HEALTH. portant instruments of health, and these are to be obtained in their perfection only in the coun- try. Those who live in the city, and have feeble children, should fly from it as from a pesti- lence. The best food for children under ten years old, is bread and milk for the morning and evening meals. No person should take meat but once a day, and this should be at dinner. Children should be allowed but a moderate quantity. Mutton and beef are the best kinds of meat. Yeal and pork are more difficult of digestion. Potatoes and rice are an excellent substitute for bread. It may be remarked that delicate children require that their food should be well cooked and of a good quality. Those who are strong and take hardy exercise need not be so scrupulous, though it is still better, in all cases, to have food in the most perfect con- dition which circumstances permit. Pies, cakes, and sweetmeats should be abso- lutely interdicted. I know it is a very pleasant thing to see children gratified. It is pleasant for grandmothers and aunts to bestow these nice things upon those they love, and they may deem it kind and generous to do so. But it is, in point of fact, mere selfishness. These things are universally known to be poisonous FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 235 to children, and those who give them are COf»* scions that they are purchasing the momentary smile of satisfaction at the risk of after sickness, and perhaps incurable disease. There is one practice which cannot he too severely reprobated, that of giving pies, cakes and sweetmeats to children without the consent of their parents. Whether this be done thoughtlessly or otherwise, it is a more serious injury to parent and child than to beat the latter, even without cause or provocation. Tea and coffee should be totally withheld from children under ten years old. The former should never be taken, unless it is weak, before the age of twenty. Green tea is a strong stimu- lant, and can never be taken without injuri- ous consequences by some persons. Black tea is much safer ; mixed with green it is very palatable, and has no bad effects upon persons arrived at mature age. Coffee is a strong nar- cotic, and operates differently on different per- sons. To some, it is a poison, producing nau- sea or great nervous irritability ; others appear to take it without injury. But it is never safe for children or young persons. Even if it pro- duces no immediate, visible evil, it is sure to lay the foundation of after mischief. It weak- ens the digestive energy of the stomach, and 23B HEALTH. soon or late begets dyspepsy and a perpetual craving for active stimuli. Early coffee drink- ing, in a climate like ours, subject to extremes and sudden changes, will often result in habi- tual drunkenness. That which has been im- agined to be hereditary predisposition to intem- perance, has frequently been nothing more than the craving of a diseased stomach, engendered, under a mother's eye and with a mother's ap- probation, by the early drinking of strong tea or strong coffee. It is perhaps needless to add that ale, beer, cider, wine and spirits are unnecessary to chil- dren, for they are probably unnecessary to all. But, connected with the subject of stimulating drinks, there are two questions for the parent to consider : the one as to health, the other as to morals. There cannot be a doubt that if a person desires to enjoy the highest vigor of body and mind, the most perfect exercise of his physical and intellectual powers, that his true policy is to avoid all stimulating drinks, except so far as they may be occasionally pre- scribed in sickness or decay by the physician. Experience and wisdom sanction this view of the matter. Why, then, do we not reject them? The simple answer is that we have got into the habit of using them, and this habit is so fixed FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 237 upon us that we cannot easily shake it off. It has come down to us from long antiquity. It is commended by the sweet associations of music and song ; it is connected with the memories of classic ages and classic climes. It has long been woven in with the luxuries of life and the hospitalities of home ; and though it be a pernicious habit, leading to frequent drunken- ness, and spreading desolation and crime over the land, still it clings to us with almost invin- cible pertinacity. But something has been done toward the disenthralment of the age from this giant vice. We, at least, know that stimulat- ing drinks are unnecessary and injurious, and some approach has been made toward bringing people to act consistently with this knowledge. Thousands have abandoned the use of them altogether, and other thousands have gone so far as to reject the use of alcoholic liquors. The fashion on this subject is changed. It is no longer considered a requisition of hospitality or gentility to offer liquors to a stranger, or to any one who may call at your house. It is compatible with gentility not even to have wine upon your table at dinner. It was once no disgrace for a man to get drunk in a convivial way. Intemperance is now looked upon in its proper light, as one of those vices marked by 238 HEALTfl. Heaven with peculiar reprobation, from the frightful consequences attached to its indulgence. Its immediate eifect is to deprive a man of rea- son, and lay him upon the earth, a loathsome image of man, while yet but a mass of breath- ing clay. Its next effect is to take away self- control and self-respect, to paralyze the under- standing, to undermine the health, and stupify the moral sense. It goes on to render the indivi- dual a burden to himself and a by- word on the lips of his fellow-men. If he is a parent, it makes him indifferent to the fortunes of his children; if a husband, he becomes insensible to the claims and privileges of a wife ; if a son, he cares not even though he bring down the gray hairs of a father with sorrow to the grave. We sometimes see the unsheathed lightning of heaven descend upon a human dwelling, and, in pursuit of the hidden iron, leap from point to point, shivering the rafter and splintering the beam, thus reaching the imbedded nail and sunken spike. And so the wrath of Heaven seems to follow the vices of the drunkard, first visiting the iniquity upon the shattered frame, then upon the ruined mind, and at last upon those who are connected with him — wife, chil- dren and friends ! A frightful illustration of the inveteracy of this vice ; and the supremacy FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 239 it acquires over the mind, is afforded in the anecdote of an Indian who was met at the rapids of Niagara by some travellers. He asked them for spirits, of which their servant had a bottle. It was agreed that he should have this if he would swim into the rapids and back again, a little above the falls. To this he con- sented, and, taking the bottle with him, ven- tured in. He went to the required distance, and then attempted to return. But the current was too strong ; for several minutes, he strove desperately for the shore, but without gaining a single inch. His strength gradually gave way, and he began to yield to the overmaster- ing tide. Finding that the strife was vain and his fate inevitable, he yielded to the cur- rent, and, rising above the wave, put the up- turned bottle to his lips, and in this attitude plunged over the roaring fall ! Alas ! how often has it happened that persons, without the excuse of this untutored savage, have been tempted to their graves by the love of liquor, and, while hovering on the very brink of eter- nity, have shown that they thought more of the thirsty lip than the immortal soul ! If such be the vice of intemperance, and if just views of its enormity have become current among us, and if the habit of taking stimulat- 240 HEALTH. ing drinks as cheering beverage leads to the practice of it, why then are not these drinks banished from society by general acclamation? Because many persons are still wedded to the old custom, and either their moral sense is so dimmed that they cannot see the truth, or, see- ing it, they prefer rather to take the fearful con- sequences of indulgence than perform an act of unpleasant self-denial. Beside, the sale of liquors is a source of profit to many individuals, and, while they know the evils of the traffic, they still claim it as a privilege to acquire wealth by scattering poison among their fellow- men. The wholesale dealer sells the hogshead to the retailer and the taverner, chuckling over the profit, though he knows that the liquor, as it is drained gill by gill from the cask, will lay many a human being prostrate upon the earth, send home many a drunken husband to beat and abuse his wife, and many a drunken father to set an odious example of vice and profanity to his children. The retailer and taverner dole it out, by the glass or the bottle, content with the gain, though aware that they take money from the profligate parent which ought to go to feed the starving children or comfort the over- worked and ill-provided wife. Such things are, and such things will continue to be, at least for FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 24 1 a time. But they are becoming more rare, and truth and reason will ultimately prevail. There are many of the present grown-up generation upon whom intemperance has fastened its talons, and who are doubtless destined to be borne down by it to an ignominious grave. But we may at least hope that the rising generation will be free from the dominion of this dreadful vice. Let parents, at least, see that their chil- dren reach the period of maturity untainted. Let them be brought up in total abstinence from all intoxicating drinks. Let this abstinence be founded on the conviction that any other course of action is but entering the path which leads to crime, and, as courting temptation, is dan- gerous and criminal. Let parents take care that their sons are never permitted to frequent a tavern bar-room where liquors are sold. A boy who once gets to like this disgusting temple of Bacchus, is in extreme danger of ruin. Let young men be taught that the practice of meet- ing at taverns, and treating each other with strong drinks, is alike condemned by good taste and good morals. Let the young, of both sexes, be kept away from balls and parties where wines, slings and toddies are drank. The breath of pestilence were less hurtful to them. To the young ladies of this country we 21 242 HEALTH. may appeal with safety on this subject, for their taste and feelings are right and pure. Let them make it a rule of good manners, the breach of which shall forfeit their esteem, that no young man of their acquaintance shall drink intoxicat- ing liquors. Let mothers inculcate these views upon their daughters. Before I leave this topic, let me say one kind word to parents as to their duty in respect to the great public movement that is now making in this country to banish intemperance, by banish- ing the facilities, temptations and inducements to intemperance. Where ought parents to be found on this question 1 Let me ask fathers and mothers to look at their own children, and, con- sidering the dangers to which they are exposed, to decide whether they will lend their aid to revive or perpetuate the custom of licensing certain establishments for the express purpose of selling intoxicating liquors ! Will parents aid in spreading snares for the feet of their children % The climate of this country is regularly abused by the inhabitants, for its extremes of heat and cold, and its capricious changes from one to the other. Along the Atlantic border of the New England states, the east wind is a theme of perpetual grumbling. But the truth is, our climate is a pretty good one, and those FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 243 who cannot live here would hardly be contented any where. The fogs and drizzle of England, the malaria of Italy, the simoon of Africa, the scorpions, flies, and serpents of Asia, or some other source of annoyance, would be found by these individuals, should they migrate to any of these countries. The wiser way is to con- sider that, to live happily in any country, it is necessary to exercise some vigilance and some industry, and that the variableness of our cli- mate calls upon us to exert these by changing our attire according to the weather. It is a com- mon mistake for us to dress agreeably to the almanac, and not according to the thermome- ter. We have caught from our English an- cestors the idea that May-day is a season of flowers, and, though this never was and never will be in New England, we seem every year to be disappointed that it is not so. We take off our winter clothing in April, because the English call it a spring month, and, finding that we get colds and consumptions thereby, we impute it to our bad climate, instead of our own folly. The proper course is for us to dress every day in the year so that we may be com- fortable. Even an east wind may be thus set at defiance, nay, converted into a friendly and invigorating breeze- for a man with flannel 244 HEALTH. next his skin and a warm wrapper without, whether riding or walking, will meet this breath of the briny deep rather with welcome than shivering abhorrence. The person who chooses to go out thinly clad in a chill east wind may warm himself by railing if he can. One of the worst customs to which our capri- cious climate has led, is that of keeping the in- habitants too much within doors. Every per- son, old or young, who is not confined by sick- ness, ought to go very often abroad, and take the free fresh air several hours. W alking is the best exercise for men and women. This should be practised every day in the year, unless the inclemency of the weather absolutely forbids. The English are the healthiest people in the world, and this arises in part from their system- atic exercise. Even the most delicate and high- bred ladies there take an airing almost every day, and usually walk several miles. They do not mind a drizzle or a shower. How different is it in this country ! It is here considered a matter of delicacy for a woman to keep herself immured at home, and she pays for it in a slen- der constitution, a pallid cheek, the early decay of her teeth, and the premature loss of all the beauty which health can bestow. I have been struck with the difference of custom, in this re- FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 245 spect, in England. There is no country where the women perform their domestic duties with more fidelity, but they still find time to gain daily healthful exercise beneath the open sky of hea- ven. This custom strikes an American on his first arrival in England. He there sees many of the women abroad, contrasting strangely with the shy imprisonment of the sex in his own coun- try. And one thing is to be remarked, that the English women dress to the weather, and do not expect the weather to suit itself to them. They put on thick cloaks and warm shawls, if the wind is rough, and do not disdain stout shoes or pattens, if the ground is wet or muddy. This example is worthy of being followed by our fair country women. Mothers should begin with their children, see that they are properly clad, -and see that they go abroad every day, girls and boys. Let them be made strong, ac- tive walkers. The power of walking a dozen miles without fatigue is a great accomplishment, and it is possessed by many young women in England. Young men may easily train them- selves to walk thirty miles a day, and with this talent, a person may travel over any country, and that too in the manner best adapted to the study of its customs, character and resources. There is perhaps no way in which children 21* 246 HEALTH. may better obtain exercise than in those sports which they follow at school. Young children, when they cannot go abroad, find a great amuse- ment in building houses, towers, bridges and fences with blocks of .wood cut in the shape of bricks. These should be three inches long, two wide, and an inch thick. I have seen a child of three years amuse himself, alone, in a room for four hours together, with one hundred and fifty of these blocks. Regularity of habit is indispensable to health. Children should be required to retire at night, to rise in the morning, to eat their several meals, at fixed hours. Regularity should also be ob- served in all the habits of the body. Personal cleanliness is very important to all, especially to children. Not only the hands, face and feet should be frequently washed, but the whole person should undergo ablution every day if convenient, at all events twice a week. In the matter of bathing we are sadly deficient in this country. Living in a land where pure water abounds, where a thousand bright rills and sparkling streams come down to refresh us, our houses are still worse provided with this element, so essential to comfort and health, than any other in the world, where the people have reached an equal pitch of civilization. FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 247 No house should be without a bath, and the easy means of supplying it. Yet not one in fifty is furnished in this way. To these remarks in relation to health, I need but add one general caution, and that is, that chil- dren should not be pressed in their studies before they are ten years old. The first three or four years are occupied in educating the senses, which they perform themselves with little aid. It is not important that they learn the alphabet till six years old. To require these little creatures to sit down upon benches, to bend studiously over a book, to restrain their tongues, and keep their legs and arms motionless, which Heaven impels them to keep in constant exercise, is violating nature, injuring the health, and disgusting the young pupil with the whole business of school education. The true rule seems to be this : that until ten years of age the main effort of the parent should be to develop the animal powers, to secure and establish good health, good spirits, and a good constitution in the child, by no means neglecting moral culture, which need not inter- fere with physical training. The parent need feel no humiliation at the late scholarship of his child, for those pupils who are backward at twelve years are frequently beyond others at fifteen. Those persons who come late to their 248 HEALTH. maturity are usually superior in soundness and vigor to those who are more precocious. I am unwilling to close this article on health without adding a caution against quack medi- cines, a common means of cheating the public, and a fertile source of disease and premature death. The whole business of quackery in physic proceeds upon the idea that ignorance and accident, in the management of diseases, are as good as experience, judgment and skill. And can any thing be more absurd and mon- strous? Let parents, then, not only avoid quacks and quackery, but teach their children the true character of this odious business. The vend- ers of these quack medicines, and these quack doctors, are not self-deceived, but are, without exception, determined and wilful impostors, cheating the public by design, for the mere pur- pose of gain, and often knowingly sending down their dupes to a hasty grave for the poor profit on a box of pills ! There is something so shock- ing in this that it ought to rouse the whole com- munity. Parents, at least, should fortify their children against such impositions, and this is the more necessary from the extent to which they are carried, and from the ingenious means which are resorted to for the purpose of de- ceiving the public. FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 249 AMUSEMENTS. As in some degree connected with the subject of health, it is proper to say a few words on amusements. The early settlers of New England discouraged them in every form. Surrounded by dangers from the wild beast and the prowling Indian, threatened with destruction from the rigors of an untried climate, and with famine in a country not yet subjected to cultivation, they found a constant stimulus in the high duties of self-defence and self-preservation, and need- ed not to seek excitement in pastimes. They had something also of religious sternness, which forbade light amusements, and held most social recreations as profane. These views have de- scended to our own time, though with mitigated rigor. It has at length been discovered that certain amusements contribute to health and promote virtue, and that some of the prevalent vices of this country have received encourage- ment from our lack of innocent public amuse- ments. There has been a degree of reproach and ill fame attached to our holidays and re- creations ; women having consequently been withheld from them, they have therefore been given up to men, and usually those of a some- what vicious character. These, being under 250 AMUSEMENTS. little restraint, indulge in drinking and coarse mirth. Thus, in temperance and rudeness have been encouraged. In France and England, public amusements and holidays are cherished by public opinion. Fathers and mothers, with their children, go together to fairs, shows, and other entertainments. With such sources of amusement, and in the presence of wives and daughters, men have no desire for intoxicating drinks, and no temptation to vulgarity. Under such circumstances, every thing tends to refine- ment. In connection with this subject, I offer the following passage from Dr. Channing's Ad- dress on Temperance. "In every community there must be pleasures, relaxations and means of agreeable excitement ; and if innocent ones are not furnished, resort will be had to criminal. Man was made to enjoy, as well as to labor ; and the state of soci- ety should be adapted to this principle of human nature. France, especially before the revolu- tion, has been represented as a singularly tem- perate country ; a fact to be explained, at least in part, by the constitutional cheerfulness of that people, and by the prevalence of simple and innocent gratifications, especially among the peasantry. Men drink to excess very often to shake off depression, or to satisfy the restless FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 25 1 thirst for agreeable excitement, and these mo- tives are excluded in a cheerful community. A gloomy state of society, in which there are few- innocent recreations, may be expected to abound in drunkenness, if opportunities are afforded. The savage drinks to excess because his hours of sobriety are dull and unvaried, because, in losing the consciousness of his condition and his existence, he loses little which he wishes to retain. The laboring classes are most exposed to intemperance, because they have at present few other pleasurable excitements. A man who, after toil, has resources of blameless recreation, is less tempted than other men to seek self- oblivion. He has too many of the pleasures of a man to take up with those of a brute. Thus the encouragement of simple, innocent enjoy- ments is an important means of temperance. " These remarks show the importance of en- couraging the efforts, which have commenced among us, for spreading the accomplishment of music through our whole community. It is now proposed that this shall be made a regular branch in our schools ; and every friend of the people must wish success to the experiment. I am not now called to speak of all the good influences of music, particularly of the strength which it may and ought to give to the. religious %h% AMUSEMENTS. sentiment, and to all pure and generous emo- tions. Regarded merely as a refined pleasure, it has a favorable bearing on public morals. Let taste and skill in this beautiful art be spread among us 5 and every family will have a new resource. Home will gain a new attraction. Social intercourse will be more cheerful, and an innocent public amusement will be furnished to the community. Public amusements, bringing multitudes together to kindle with one emotion, to share the same innocent joy, have a human- izing influence ; and among these bonds of soci- ety, perhaps no one produces so much unmixed good as music. What a fulness of enjoyment has our Creator placed within our reach, by surrounding us with an atmosphere which may be shaped into sweet sounds ! And yet this goodness is almost lost upon us, through want of culture of the organ by which this provision is to be enjoyed. "I approach another subject, on which a greater variety of opinion exists than on the last, and that is the theatre. In its present state, the theatre deserves no encouragement. It is an accumulation of immoral influences. It has nourished intemperance and all vice. In saying this, I do not say that the amusement is radically, essentially evil. I can conceive of a theatre which would be the noblest of FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 253 all amusements, and would take a high rank, among the means of refining the taste and ele- vating the character of a people. The deep woes, the mighty and terrible passions, and the sublime emotions of genuine tragedy, are fitted to thrill us with human sympathies, with pro- found interest in our nature, with a conscious- ness of what man can do and dare and suffer, with an awed feeling of the fearful mysteries of life. The soul of the spectator is stirred from its depths, and the lethargy in which so many live is roused, at least for a time, to some intenseness of thought and sensibility. The drama answers a high purpose when it places us in the presence of the most solemn and strik- ing events of human history, and lays bare to us the human heart in its most powerful, ap- palling, glorious workings. But how little does the theatre accomplish its end. How often is it disgraced by monstrous distortions of human nature, and still more disgraced by profaneness, coarseness, indelicacy, low wit, such as no wo- man, worthy of the name, can hear without a blush, and no man can take pleasure in with- out self-degradation." In regard to amusements of a more private character, such as every family may cultivate for the pleasant passing of an evening, I would 22 254 INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. specially recommend chess, as exceedingly in- teresting, and as exercising the habit of mental attention. There are many games of cards which are amusing, and of rather a useful ten- dency in training the judgment. Parents should, however, select proper occasions to warn their children against every species of gambling, and should specially require it of their sons never to play for money. This rule, if properly en- forced and rigidly obeyed, may save many a son from ruin into which he would otherwise fall. INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. The cultivation of the mind has been gene- rally considered as the whole business of edu- cation. But in our view it is but one link in the chain. It is, however, of great importance, and demands the special attention of parents in reference to their children. The mind is the seat of knowledge, and knowledge is the lamp which lights up the path to power. Beside, cultivation of the intellect tends to elevate man above the sway of his animal nature ; it puri- fies and exalts the soul, and, by affording true sources of pleasure, affords a protection against the seduction of coarse vices. FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 255 It has been the common notion that parents have little or nothing to do with the business of education, farther than to send their children to school. But is this a just view of their duty? Let us examine our seminaries, and, as we pass along, consider what may be fairly expected of parents, and what parents may fairly expect from them THE PRIMARY SCHOOL. The fireside may be considered a natural seminary, pervading every nation and every grade of society. But more artificial institu- tions have been established, especially in civil- i-zed countries, for the purpose of instruction. These consist of seminaries of various kinds, from the infant school to the university. I shall first speak at some length of our common schools, and afterwards shall briefly notice the higher seminaries. In whatever point of view we may regard the district school, it is one of the most interesting institutions among us. In this humble temple of learning, a very large majority of the people receive what is called their education. It is the great instrument, therefore, which determines the character of society at large as to intelligence. Our colleges, our academies, and our high schools may give 256 INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. instruction to tens, but the common school to thousands. The people therefore will, on the whole, be well or ill instructed, according to the character of our common schools. Let us analyze these institutions, and attempt to define their proper limits and functions. Having done this, and compared our schools, as they actu- ally exist, with what they ought to be, we can determine what improvement in them society should attempt to make. In the first place, then, the common schools should be the nurseries of learning, in which every child's mind is to be ingrafted with the scions of knowledge and virtue. They should be universal — thrown open to all. I would not have gratuitous admission, even if it were fea- sible, for experience has shown that education which costs nothing is usually contemned by both parent and pupil. I would therefore have some toll demanded at the gates of knowledge ; but this should be so light that all who desire it, the poor as well as the rich, may enter in. In the second place, these seminaries should be so well managed as to satisfy all parents, even those who are rich and are willing to pay any price for good instruction. They should, wherever they exist, be the best schools in the place. If the public schools are poor or indif- FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 257 ferent, private schools will be set up, and will draw off the children of those who are able to pay liberally. From this, two evils will result. You lay a foundation at the very outset of life for a division of society into classes, which has done more to destroy the peace of mankind than all the wars and all the pestilence that have visited this earth; a division that in this coun- try it ought to be our special policy to avoid. The second evil arising from having inferior district schools is, that they soon get to be des- pised. They are looked upon as the seminaries only of the poor. The teacher is regarded as a mere drudge, and finds no spirit in the soci- ety around to cheer his labors. The rich and the intelligent send their children to other schools, and, the active interest of these being withdrawn, the seminary sinks into a mere pound, where the children of those who are engaged in laborious occupations can be kept out of mischief for six or seven hours a day. These schools are, therefore, not only likely to be ill managed, but sometimes they will be filled with the worst children of the place. A lady recently told me that, during the recess of a private school which her children attended, she had occasion to send her boy, about seven years of age, to one of these ill-regulated dis- 22* 258 INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. trict schools. The boy came home delighted, telling his mother that he liked it very much, for he was allowed to scratch and pull hair as much as he pleased ! In the third place, the district school should be the auxiliary of the fireside. The parent and the schoolmaster should go hand in hand. They should, when circumstances permit, con- fer together and act together. There should be mutual confidence, mutual aid, and hearty co-operation. It is the imperious duty of every parent to take a deep interest in the school where his children are taught. It is his duty to watch over their progress, to counsel the teacher, to support, not thwart, him in his arduous labors. It is not necessary that we should make any suggestions as to the studies to be pursued in our schools. These, though varying accord- ing to circumstances, will of course include the basis of that practical knowledge which is needful in the business of life, and which may be required in order to form just opinions upon the great questions which arise in society. But we may say a word in behalf of man- ners, or the " lesser morals." Though this subject is overlooked, it is, at the same time, of great importance. Politeness is morality in FIRESIDE EDUCATION, 259 little things. It is doing to another as you would have another do to you in the intercourse of every-day life. Self-love is the master pas- sion, and selfishness indulged will soon pervade the whole character. Politeness teaches an ha- bitual restraint upon this vice ; it teaches a deli- cate regard to the rights and feelings of others, I would, therefore, have in our common schools a manual, which should instruct every member of the rising generation in the principles of good breeding — in all those rules of refined society which are embraced in the word politeness. I do not mean merely the hollow ceremonies of fashionable life, but that code of lesser morals which requires the high and low, the rich and poor, to pay an habitual respect to the tastes and feelings of all around them. Consider the effect of diffusing such rules of action over a whole community ! Consider the benefits in a country like ours, where the design of our poli- tical system is to level down distinctions and weave all classes into one harmonious family. There is another point almost wholly neg- lected in our schools, yet very important; I mean physical training. The teacher should take care that his pupils do not sit in positions which are likely to injure their health or estab- lish awkward habits. We have the testimony 260 INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. of physicians to warn us of the painful fact, that constitutional diseases and incurable bodily de- formity often arise from the want of attention to this rule. The teacher should take care that the scholars do not remain too long without relaxation, and he should see that all have ex- ercise calculated to impart activity and vigor. He should go with the pupils frequently into the play-ground, and, in addition to the custom- ary sports, should teach them such other amuse- ments and exercises as may give durability to the frame and elasticity to the muscle. All children may not seem to need this, but it is useful to all, and in every school there are many who are indolent or feeble, to whom such train- ing is indispensable. The body is the tenement of the soul, the setting of an immortal gem. The mind and spirit, as I have before said, are linked in such close sympathy with the body, that, if this be weak or diseased, it entails misery on the whole being. If the tenement be ill built, shattered and leaky, the tenant must necessa- rily suffer. A great deal of the irritability of temper which we see in some persons arises from imperfect health. If, then, it is important to guard the happiness and ensure the useful- ness of our children, let us see that their physi- cal powers are duly perfected. I have had FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 261 occasion to speak more particularly on this sub- ject ; I only mention it here as being a point of importance in our schools. Moral instruction and moral training should constitute a leading feature in the plan of every school. The beauty and duty of justice should be illustrated and enforced. Charity should be inculcated. A love of truth should be engraven on the heart. Kindness and good will to all living things should be diffused abroad. The moral world is balanced by two powers analo- gous to those mighty forces which keep the revolving planets in their orbits. One is self- love, which tends to draw every thing to the centre — self; the other is charity, which would teach us to forget self, and act with regard to the whole social system. It is a proper balance of these powers, giving to each its proper force, that, can alone sustain the harmony of the moral world. This balance can only be en- sured by beginning with the young, and no per- son has a just sense of his duty to his children, or to society, who fails to use all due means to bring about this state of things. I have already expressed the fear that one reason why the heart is not as carefully educated as the mind, is, that the latter is deemed more necessary to worldly success. Knowledge, as I have before ^6^ INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. observed, is an instrument by which a man influences other men, and carves his way to for- tune. It is a power which unlocks the wealth of the mine and unbars the treasures of the miser. Parents, therefore, seeking the advance- ment of their children, take measures to give them gainful knowledge ; but, alas, they often neglect to cultivate and cherish those treasures of the heart which neither moth nor rust can corrupt. The enlightened teacher will not commit this error. It is not necessary to enter into details to prove the fact, that our common schools, though improved and improving, are in many respects defective, and fall short of the wants of the community. But what specifically can be done ? Let me recommend, as one step, that some great effort be made to give better teach- ers to our primary schools. Let us look at one of these institutions for a moment. In the first place, there is a building, and there are ranges of benches and crowds of children. But is all this a school ? Surely a teacher is wanted. And does not the whole success of the establish- ment depend upon the character of this teacher? Is he not as the soul to the body, giving it whatever vitality it may possess? What is the object of the school ;? It is not only to instruct FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 263 the children in various branches of knowledge, but to repress bad passions, and, at the same time, to develop the better feelings of the heart. Now we all know that, simple and easy as the task may seem, it is a matter of the greatest nicety to adapt instruction to the various capa- cities, tastes, and tempers collected together in a school-room. And without such adaptation, there can be little success. The study of human character is one of the most subtle that can be presented to our minds, and, when understood, it requires infinite address to deal with it effec- tively. Even children, guileless and unsophis- ticated as they may seem, often baffle our scru- tiny, and set at nought the suasive influence of authority. There is also great diversity among them, and they require to be treated according to their several characteristics. Some children are habitually superficial, and require to be trained in habits of reflection. I have heard of a Scotch lad, who, on being asked who made him, replied, u Hout, mon, I was na made, I just grew up." The celebrated Pascal, on the contrary, was a philosopher even in childhood. At a very early age, he was taught the ten commandments. For several days after, he was observed to be measuring the growth of a blade of grass. When asked the meaning of this, he replied, 264 INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. " The fourth commandment says, ( Six days shall thou labor, but the seventh is the Sabbath, in which thou shalt do no work.' Now I wished to ascertain if nature obeyed this great law, and therefore measured the grass, to see if it grew as much on Sunday as on other days." There are children who seem to be endowed with sublime thoughts even at a very early period. The celebrated Chateauneuf, at the age of nine years, was holding a conversation with a bishop. "I will give you an orange," said the latter, " if you will tell me where God is." "I will give you two," said the boy, " if you will tell me where he is not." Some children display an early relish for wit or humor. I have heard of a little boy, who, on seeing a man at work whitewashing a wall, was observed to smile. " Why do you smile ?" said a by-stander. " Don't you see," said the boy, " that he is lathering the wall, and when he has done I suppose he will shave it." Other children run into the habit of taking sound for sense, and this, if indulged, leads to ridiculous absurdities. I recollect a lad at school who in this way became a sort of oracle, and could readily answer the profoundest questions. One of his companions happening to meet with the word fortification, asked him the meaning of FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 265 it. " Fortification," said the oracle, " fortifica- tion — w hy it's two twenty fications, to be sure," An early turn for sarcastic retort is manifest- ed by some children. I once heard of a boy, who, being rebuked by a clergyman for neg- lecting to go to church, replied, that he would go ii he could be permitted to change his seat. " But why do you wish to change your seat?" said the minister. " You see," said the boy, "I sit over the opposite side of the meeting- house, and between me and you there's Judy Vicars and Mary Staples, and half a dozen other women, with their mouths wide open, and they get all the best of the sermon, and when it comes to me it's pretty poor stuff!" These and a thousand other diversities of character appear in children, even in the first unfolding of their faculties. Now, consider the task of the instructer. He is, in the first place, to weave over this diversified group of children the web of authority ; he is to train and sub- ject them to his government. He is then to sow the seeds of knowledge into soils as varied as those which stretch from "Lapland to the line." And he is not only to sow seed into the mind, but he is to cultivate the sou], — he is to nurse, to prune, to cherish and bring to perfection, the intellectual and moral harvest. And dees not 23 266 INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. all this require consummate skill? The com- monest mechanic must serve an apprenticeship of seven years hefore he can pursue his trade with success. Will you trust your watch, with all its fine mechanism, its delicate wheels, its elastic springs, its hair-strung balance, to a blacksmith? And how much finer is the mo- ral mechanism of childhood ; how much more subtle the springs of passion : how much nicer the cog wheels of thought; how much freer the changeful balance of the will than any semblance of them that can be found in the most ingenious of human inventions. And shall the management of these be intrusted to an inexperienced bungler, who has not learnt his art, who has never even served an apprenticeship to his trade ? Nay, shall we not seek as teachers of youth those who, in addition to skill acquired by training and experience, possess the still more needful qualifications of natural tact for their profession ? There is a story of a German schoolmaster, which shows the low notions which may be entertained of education. Stouber, the prede- cessor of Oberlin, the pastor of Waldbach, on his arrival at the place, desired to be shown to the principal school-house. He was conducted into a miserable cottage, where a number of children were crowded together, without any oc- FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 267 cupation. He inquired for the master. "There he is," said one, as soon as silence could be obtained, pointing to a withered old man, who lay on a little bed in one corner. " Are you the master, my good friend V asked Stonber. "Yes, sir." "And what do you teach the children?" "Nothing, sir." "Nothing! how is that?" "Be- cause," replied the old man, ' l I know nothing myself." " Why then were you appointed the schoolmaster?" "Why, sir, I had been taking care of the Waldbach pigs for a number of years, and when I got too old and infirm for that employment they sent me here to take care of the children." This anecdote may evince a degree of stu- pidity not to be met with in this country ; but even here, there is a popular and preva- lent notion that any body can be a school- master. I have heard of a man who contended that learning in a teacher was a positive hin- drance to success. He was accustomed to illustrate his opinions in the following man- ner : " When the prophet desired to blow down the walls of Jericho, he did not take a brass trumpet or a polished French horn: but he took a ram's horn, a plain natural ram's horn, just as it grew. And so if you desire to overturn the Jericho of ignorance, you must 268 INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. not take a college learnt gentleman, but a plain, natural, ram's-horn sort of a man, like me." Now this may seem a little too absurd, but do not some people entertain opinions analogous to these ? Do not some persons give a color of plausibility to this story by their practice? Is it not the current notion of society, that of the intelligent and talented we must make lawyers, physicians and clergymen, and pick out school- masters from what are left? Ought we not to reverse this system, and select for this most im- portant of all occupations the very best talents which are produced among us? And to secure these, ought we not to make the profession of a schoolmaster both lucrative and honorable ? Ought we not to establish seminaries where the art of instructing children may be thoroughly taught ? Let us not indulge the notion that in- stinct will make a good teacher. Let us not fancy that while every other art, including even the commonest trade, requires regular instruc- tion or long apprenticeship, the most im- portant and most difficult of all arts, comes by chance. Ought we not — I speak of the country at large — to hold out inducements to men of ta- lents to prepare themselves, by a specific educa- tion and careful training, as instructers ; and to devote themselves to this as the settled occupa- FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 269 tion of life? Is it not short-sighted to commit children, as is the case in many parts of the country, to the care of persons who take up the vocation of teachers as a casual employ- ment, and who are alike destitute of experience and special preparation for the task? Even the tiller of the soil must be instructed in his art, — should not the cultivator of the intellect and the heart be instructed in his ? It may be true, as is often said, that' any body can keep a school," but to keep a good one re- quires natural talents and special preparation. There is a great deal about the governing and teaching of children that is as truly technical as the disciplining an army or conducting a campaign. Whoever has been in the habit of visiting schools must have seen a prodigious difference between them. Some are well and some are ill governed. In some, the children are well instructed ; in others, more than half the scholars are rather injured that benefited. And why is this difference? Plainly because one understands his vocation and another does not. One has learnt how difficulties are to be overcome, and how success is to be obtained in governing children, and in developing their va- rious faculties ; while the other is uninstructed in these arts. 23* 270 INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. Children, if negligently taught, will often get into their minds absurd notions, which it is al- most impossible to eradicate. Miss Hamilton, in her admirable work on Education, states that when a child, she read the passage of Scripture, " on this hang all the law and the prophets," as an injunction, a command, and accordingly she fancied the law and the prophets hanging up in a row on pegs ! And she remarks, that so strong hold did this ludicrous error take of her mind, that it often occurred to her after she arrived at mature years. I once knew a boy, in the olden days of Webster's Grammar, who found this definition in his book: " A noun is the name of a thing, as horse, hair, justice." But he chanced to misconceive it, and read it thus : A noun is the name of a thing, as horse- hair justice. He was of a reflecting turn, and long he pondered over the wonderful mysteries of a noun. But in vain ; he could not make it out. His father was a justice of the peace, and one day, when the boy went home, the old gen- tleman was holding a justice's court. There he sat in state, among a crowd of people, on an old- fashioned horse-hair settee. A new light now broke in upon our young hero's mind. "My father, said he, mentally," is a horse-hair justice, and therefore a noun ! FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 271 Such arc some of the grotesque blunders to which children are exposed by negligent and stupid teachers. Let me state a fact of a dif- ferent kind, to show the power of a skilful in- structor in the management of his pupils. A few years since, I visited the celebrated infant school of Wilderspin, in London. It consisted of two hundred children, all belonging to the poorest classes. They were accustomed to en- ter the school-room through an alley six feet wide. In the centre of this, Wilderspin placed a mountain daisy, in a flower-pot, and directed the scholars not to disturb it. For several months, the little flower remained untouched by a careless foot or a wanton hand ! And how did this individual acquire such power in the government of children? By making his profession a study. He read the character of children with deep attention. He discovered amid their diversities certain principles, common to all. Among these he marked the well-known sympathy of child with child. Upon this he founded a system of mutual instruction, which produced the most surprising results. I would have every teacher possess the spirit of Wilder- spin. I would have him love his vocation. I would have him devote his life to it, study all 272 INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. its details, collect knowledge from books and wisdom from experience. We all know that great attention has recently been paid to common school education. The minds of great men, especially in Europe, have been turned to this engrossing subject, and many interesting discoveries and improvements in the art of teaching have been made. I would have the instructer follow up the progress of his pro- fession and keep pace with the march of dis- covery. If there is a new and useful invention, in any part of the world, for propelling a steam- boat or a locomotive, it is immediately brought into use among us. In such matters, we do not linger behind other nations ; nay, in many things we take the lead. Now let us consider that there is no coitntry to which general edu- cation is so important as this ; for the success of our government, the happiness of the nation, depend upon it. The people here are the sove- reigns, and if they are ignorant what must their dominion be 1 I hope, therefore, that while we see a spirit abroad that leads us to cherish enter- prise and improvement in steamboats, railroads, and spinning jennies, we may not prove lag- gards in this great movement of common school education. Let parents take this matter to heart. Let them, as a first step, seek for good FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 273 teachers. Let us all consider the exigent neces- sity of having such in our common schools. If a man has no children, let his philanthropy be excited by regarding the great benefits which a single teacher of the right kind may produce in a lifetime. In thirty years, he may instruct seven hundred and fifty children. He may therefore exert a decisive influence in forming the character and shaping the destiny of this number of persons. One man may thus almost ensure the happiness of seven hundred and fifty people ! I fear that it may often happen that an individual passes through life without being able to say at its close that he has made one fellow-being better or happier. And this may be because he has dealt only with grown-up men, who are hard to move. But childhood is more susceptible. He who devotes himself to its cultivation with zeal and intelligence, cannot fail of that noble recompense which is awarded to the benefactor of mankind. To such a one, I would sooner raise the marble statue than to the victor in a hundred fields ! While, therefore, I would honor the accom- plished schoolmaster, I would shun the quack and pretender, who, never having been instruct- ed himself, presumes to teach others. I would not take an uncouth apprentice in learning, 274 INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. and intrust the shaping of the immortal mind to him, even though I could save by it five or ten dollars a month to a school district. I would not spare the purse if thereby I starved or stinted the intellect of the rising generation. I would in this, as in other matters, employ a good workman, and pay him well. But are such teachers to be found? The public mind is roused to this subject, and several normal schools, charged with the high duty of qualifying men and women to become teachers, are now in operation. We hope for them abundant success. But, to render them useful in the highest degree of which they are capable, they should not become the hobbies of theorists, nor the instruments of disseminating questionable notions in philosophy, religion, or the arts of instruction. Let them adopt every improvement, but be sure to carry the sympathy and confidence of the community with them. Nor let it be supposed that any preparation, in any seminary, can of course produce compe- tent instructors of youth. There must be native fitness — knack — tact — besides artisti- cal skill. It may be often said of the school- master, as the poet, — he is horn, not made. As some cannot be musicians, or painters, so some FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 275 will become such, in spite of every obstacle. The same may be said in respect to school- teachers. We must therefore look alike to nature, and the aids which nature may receive from art, to supply our seminaries with fitting guides. It may be hardly necessary to add that scholar- ship does not, of itself, qualify a man to be a teacher. A person may have a great deal of knowledge, and yet have a bungling way of communicating it to others. Nor should per- sonal qualities be wholly overlooked. A teach- er of children should have a bland countenance. He should have a warm heart, pouring out habitual sunshine through his face and de- meanor. He should have no awkwardness of manner, no obliquity of temper, no dis- agreeable peculiarities which excite ridicule, and no weaknesses which beget a sneer. Children are keen observers in general, and every school has some special Paul Pry, who will sift the character of the teacher, and show to every body the particles of which it is composed. If, therefore, a teacher would preserve his authority, he must secure the re- spect of the school, and this cannot be done if there is any thing about him to excite contempt. 276 INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. Beside all this, I deem it essential that a teacher should possess good breeding. His man- ners should be both gracious and polite. In this, he should be an example to those he would instruct. Manners, both good and ill, are catch- ing. It were better to expose your children to an infectious disease than to place them under the tutelage of an awkward, crusty, ill-bred teacher. Such a one is very apt to leave his impress upon his scholars, as the waffle-iron is impressed upon the cake that is baked in it. Polished and gracious manners are also readily copied by children, and thus a well-bred teacher may be reflected in the demeanor of every member of his school. I cannot better illustrate my views on this subject than by describing two teachers whom I knew in boyhood. They were both veterans in their vocation. One of them, familiarly known by the name of master Stebbins, was already advanced in years when he took out his buck-handled penknife and began to point out to me the cabalistic mysteries of the spelling book. I remember him well. He had a large blue eye, a mild expression of countenance, and when I first stood before him, looking up to his face with profound awe, I remember how that awe melted away before the kindly smile FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 277 that he bestowed upon me. I loved him from the first, though my affection was perhaps a little chastened by the sight of a smart birch stick, with the extreme point a little shivered and peeled, lying upon the table. He was a kind- hearted, handsome old gentleman, with a stoop in the shoulder, which gave a touch of humility to his bearing, that inclined every heart in his favor. He was a lover of authority, and gave a somewhat literal construction to that passage of Scripture which commands us not to spare the rod. He believed every thing in the Bible, and, being of a practical turn, he did not confine himself in this matter to abstract theory. Still, he was kind-hearted, and if he bestowed the birch, it was in sorrow rather than in anger. He wrote a full, round, beautiful hand ; he was very thorough in spelling; he was a capital reader himself, and delighted in pupils who followed his example in this. He loved arith- metic. The slate and pencil and Daboll, ever seemed to possess the charms of romance for him. In short, master Stcbbins was at once an experienced teacher and well-bred gentleman, of the old school. He was tidy and precise in his dress, abstemious in his habits of eating and drinking, exact in matters of time, which were regulated by a thick, turnip-shaped silver 24 278 INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. watch. He was of an even pace, aided by a smooth hickory cane with an ivory head. And though he was a man of moderate abilities and of no great compass of learning, he was an eminently successful teacher. He may have passed to his tomb, but the benefits of his dis- creet instruction are living in numerous indi- viduals, now in the full vigor of manhood. I knew another teacher, whom we will call W******. I do not blame him that he was six feet two inches high, that he was extremely lank and lean, that in walking he swung his legs forward in a shambling fashion, that his face was long, pallid and cadaverous. I do not blame him for all this, but I think it was a mis- take that the school committee employed him as a teacher. He was a man of considerable scholarship, but he was supercilious, conceited and pedantic. He must perhaps be forgiven for this, for I recollect that he had a watch-key, consisting of a large oblong piece of pinchbeck, marked with these mysterious figures, $BK. It swung from his fob, at the end of a long steel chain, and was thus as ostentatiously displayed to the people of the village, as the tavern sign. It was understood to mean that the favored proprietor had been to college, and there admitted to some secret lore, forbidden to FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 279 common mortals. This idea was justified by the air of superiority assumed by the wearer of the mysterious watch-key. Surely, a man who has such a title to our reverence, must not be censured if he looks with sovereign contempt upon common men. So thought master W. Accordingly, when adjusted upon his seat at school, he sat with the corners of his mouth drawn down, and the outer sweep of his eye- brows drawn up, with an awful, ghastly and imperious aspect. But of all the places I have ever seen, the sehool-house under his dynasty was the most dismal and gloomy. The greater part of the scholars, overawed and trampled down, sat in their seats mouthing and mimick- ing the master, not. by design, but from an un- conscious sympathy with the presiding deity of the place. There were a few enterprising spirits, however, upon whom severity exerted no terror, and these were a dreadful annoyance to dominie W. They mimicked his awkward gait and his air of solemn conceit. They drew portraits of him on the sides of the school- house in charcoal. One of them ventured upon a translation of the mystic watch-key. as follows: — " B K, which is, being interpreted, Fie Betty Karter." This was written on a piece of paper and laid upon W.'s desk. There was 280 INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. a deep sense of injury depicted on his visage as he read this ; for in his heart he had as ten- der a regard for a maiden of the village, Miss Elizabeth Carter, as a conceited old bachelor can have for any thing but himself. The de- tection of the perpetrators of this joke was as serious a matter to W. as the settling the bal- ance of power in Europe with a congress of diplomatists; and Machiavel was never con- sulted more thoroughly in one case than he was in the other. By bribes and threats, the of- fender was detected, and he was then cudgelled, the rascality in him being thus stimulated and roused to double activity. Many a smart stick was worn out upon the rogues of the school, but they grew rebellious in exact proportion to the severity of their punishment. The truth is that this pompous pedagogue was ever thinking of himself. Selfishness curdled the last drop of human kindness in his breast. He was also capricious and unjust, and sometimes displayed his mighty littleness in vengeful discipline of the children under his care. The administra- tion of that man was fraught with serious mis- chief. The whole energy of the school was wasted in over- government; there was a prison- like darkness there, that shadowed the mind, chilled the heart, and stinted the growth of FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 281 knowledge, if perchance the sprouts shot up from the soil. What a baleful influence must such a man exert upon the after life of those placed under his care ! How little must be the respect for knowledge associated with such an image ! How likely are children, thus made to witness and feel injustice, to cultivate the spirit of the outlaw, and grow up with a savage determination to revenge on others the wrongs they have themselves experienced ! Yet pa- rents sometimes place their children under the care of such teachers, and, because they will not look into the matter, expose them to all the evils which may follow. Let parents therefore, take an active interest in the subject of teachers, and see that they are wisely chosen. Beware of placing your children under the care of capricious, tyrannical, or ill- tempered instructers ! A school is a despotism of the most unlimited kind. There is no check to the will of the monarch. If he is disposed to exercise his authority oppressively, he can- not be resisted : the poor children must submit and suffer. But the greater evil is not their immediate unhappiness ; their souls are con- taminated by evil example, by witnessing the display of injustice, partiality, and bad passions in one whose example and authority they are 24* 282 INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. called upon to respect. Wickedness is therefore inculcated, instead of virtue. Beside, the spirit of reprisal is ever roused by injustice. The child who is made to feel that he is under the dominion of one who does not love equity, will very soon learn to love revenge, and will, ere long, become unscrupulous as to the mode of obtaining it. He will also get the opinion that wrong doing is common among mankind ; and he will sink himself to this supposed standard of society. He will grow up with the idea that life is a game, in which each is to play his part, without regard to the rights, feelings, or inte- rests of others. If he goes on unchecked to manhood, he is a promising candidate for the state-prison. Though we present strongly the evils which arise from harshness, despotism, and injustice, in a teacher, let no one be led into placing their children under the charge of those whose gov- ernment is weak or ineffectual. All will admit that order is indispensable in a school : it is impossible that the studies should be pursued without it. But this order is not the only, nor even the highest, object of school government. In another place, we have endeavored to set forth the necessity of obedience, as the corner- stone of virtue — the basis of all good moral FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 283 training. This obedience, which is the recog- nition of law springing from a higher source than self, should be begun at the fireside and cherished and perfected at school. It is one of the first and most important duties of the teacher to train the heart — the soul of his pupil in the observance of rules, laws, obligations. He must not be content with external obedience, for that leads to hypocrisy ; he must not obtain obedience by flattery, for that implies no self- sacrifice, and, of course, no submission. It is clear that, in the discharge of this high duty, the teacher has often a most difficult and trying task to perform. In our cities especially, - — where the schools are large, and the unfortu- nate offspring of vicious parents, taught vice and crime by daily example, form a consider- able portion of the whole number of pupils, — he is called upon for the exercise of a degree of virtue and skill rarely united in a single indi- vidual. Nor is his burden lightened by consid- ering the jealous and sensitive tribunal which encircles him, in the parents. and the public at large, for whom he acts. In an especial degree is his situation rendered trying when, as at the present day, a morbid sensibility has crept into the bosom of society as to the use of one of the most essential and indispensable instruments of moral training, — that of corporeal punishment. 284 INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. It is well known that the question whether this is ever admissible, is now warmly discussed. There are a few persons who take the negative of this, and would positively banish the rod and every other means of bodily chastisement, not only from our seminaries, but from the fireside. We have already said that we be- lieve some children may be well and thorough- ly governed without this, and therefore some families, and possibly some schools, where the teachers select their pupils, may be well man- aged without it. Still these cases are exceed- ingly rare, and we can conceive of nothing more dangerous than the attempt to lay aside the rod as a universal, or even a general rule. The inevitable consequences of this are of the most fatal and alarming character. Order, as we have said, is to be maintained in schools. But how, if corporeal punishment be prohibited? What is to be done with those hard, deter- mined, indomitable spirits, familiar to the obser- vation of all, who resist authority alike by all the instincts of their nature and the impulses of habit ? They are, of course, to be reasoned with ; appeals are to be made to reason, to love, and to conscience : but suppose these are despised ; what then ? What is to be done with the reprobate ? " Turn him into the FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 285 streets, — Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone." T n ' s experiment was tried in Phila- delphia, and the streets speedily became infest- ed with a troop of boys precocious iu every species of iniquity. It is said that, in the bloody riots which occurred there some years ago, these outcasts from the schools bore a leading part, and were among the foremost in promoting bloodshed and desolation. What other result could have been reasonably anticipated ? We have not space to go fully into this sub- ject ; yet we cannot close our remarks' upon it without suggesting to parents the wisdom of being guided by experience and the testimony of ages in this matter. The idea of governing children without authority based on power, is just as idle as to expect that society can be thus governed. It proceeds upon an assumption that man is not ''prone to evil as the sparks fly upward." Place a child in favorable cir- cumstances, says Mr. Owen, the originator and leader of this moral suasion school, and he will as naturally follow in the paths of virtue as water will flow in a descending channel. "J have," says he, "made of the same bale of cotton a coarse wrapper and a delicate muslin, Give me the control of human beings, and I will in like manner manufacture them as I please." How flatly is this view of man cot> 286 INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. tradicted, not only by the wisest and profound- est of books, but by all the other great lights of the world — Shakspeare, Milton, Pope, John- son, and others. All these regard man as an err- ing, wayward, sinful being — sinful in fact, sinful in the course of nature ; and only to be brought to a state of virtue by humiliation. " Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth," is a truth no more clear to the eye of the Christian than to that of the attentive and candid philosopher. Man is selfish, and his selfishness, indulged, ever tends to forgetfulness of the rights of others. It is necessary that he should be sub- jected to the moral law — love to God and his neighbor. This alone can save him. Yet this he resists from very infancy. "I will, and I won't," are among the very first lispings of life. The mistake of the moral suasionist lies in maintaining that the child has in himself not only a perception of the moral law, but a loill to adopt it. Where is the proof of this ? What a cloud of witnesses are against it ! How then is this law to be enforced upon the child ? How is obedience, which his nature resists, to become a part of his life? By the appointed means of Heaven, — parental government and discipline, enforced at home, and followed up ill all the after instrumentalities of education — a government and discipline, whether of force or FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 287 otherwise, always securing that humility which makes it easy, pleasant, desirable, to obey. Such means, and such only, have the assured promise of God's blessing. After these remarks, it is hardly necessary to answer the objections urged against corporeal punishment. Yet a few words of a practical tendency on these points may not be amiss. We are told that such discipline is, in its very nature, hardening to the heart ; that, whether ap- plied by the parent or teacher, it begets aversion, instead of docility, in the mind. This is doubt- less true of the abase, but certainly not of the proper use, of this species of chastisement. Indeed, the actual evils of even the former are doubtless overrated. It is well known that, in China, where the discipline is severe, the pre- vailing virtue — religious as well as civil — is obedience to parents. Filial piety is there not only the constant theme of eulogy, as marking the highest moral elevation, but it is common, nay, almost universal. This implies not only external but internal obedience, founded on reason and love, and is well illustrated by an affecting instance familiar to most readers. A Chinese youth, whose mother, while living, was peculiarly afraid of thunder, was once, after her death, seen, during a thunder-storm, standing over her tomb, saying, " Mother, be not fright- ened : thy son is here." 288 INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. It is said that, in cases where chastisement does not beget resistance, it breaks the spirit, and destroys individuality of character. What is meant here by spirit? Nothing more nor less than that imperious will which would trample on every thing that stands in its way. And should not this be broken ? We are told that Aaron Burr, when a child, ran away from home, and went on board a vessel. When he saw some one coming to fetch him, he climbed to the topmast, and defied pursuit. Such, says his biographer, eulogistically, was the spirit he displayed even in boyhood. It was because that spirit was not subdued, because his moral obliquity was not chastised out of him in early life, that his splendid abilities were eclipsed, and his name handed down to enduring infamy. Among the anecdotes of Napoleon's childhood is one which tells us that, on a particular occa- sion, he remained in the garden during a thun- der-storm, absolutely refusing to come in at the call of his mother. The story does not tell us that punishment followed this act of disobedi- ence. We have, indeed, no reason to suppose that he was subjected to proper early discipline ; and we cannot doubt that this spirit of his youth, nurtured with advancing years, grew at last into that gigantic and terrific ambition which has strewed the fairest portions of the FIRESIDE EDUCATION* 289 earth with unnumbered graves. Would it not have been better that the spirit of the young Corsican had been subdued and broken, and that he had lost, through proper discipline, so much of his individuality, as to be amenable to laws, human and divine ? Let us turn to another example — that of Washington. How was his character — the ad- miration of the world — formed ? In childhood we know that he was passionate and head- strong. Had his mother been a moral suasionist of the modern school, we have every reason to suppose that his propensities would have been indulged, and that his name and fame had been very different from what they are. We know from her character, and from glimpses of histo- ry, that Washington was rigidly subjected to parental authority in childhood • and we have no reason to doubt that bodily chastisement was among the instrumentalities for securing his early, constant, and complete obedience. To these circumstances — to this breaking of his spirit — our country and mankind are doubtless indebted for the most perfect character to be found in the pages of modern history — a character which owes its chief beauty to the sacrifice of self before the higher requisitions of the moral law. What a debt does the world owe, in this simple instance alone, to thorough discipline ? What a 25 290 INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. curse to mankind had it proved, if the loose notions of our day had presided at the fireside 7 and in the school, where George Washington received his education ! Let parents ponder these things deeply. In the course of providence, some one of those master spirits, who, "from the foundation of the world, have been thundering at the gates of power," may be intrusted to their care. It is for them to say, in such a case, what shall be his character. Shall he be subdued by thorough training, and prove a blessing to mankind, as in the instance of Washington ? or shall he be left to his impulses, and prove a scourge to his country and his kind, as in the cases of Burr and Bonaparte ? With these views, we deem it our duty to warn parents against yielding to the seductive theory of government without corporeal pun- ishment, whether at home or at school. The thing sounds well, and coincides with that natural pride of the human heart which revolts at the idea of entering into the "kingdom of heaven through much tribulation." Mankind would in general prefer going thither on their own merits, and by the cultivation of their own inherent good qualities. The reception of virtue, as the gift of God, through the chastening of pride, is not relished by the unreflecting mind. FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 291 Let fathers and mothers bew-ire how they are drawn into the path of evil by the temp- tation which now besets them. Nor let them be misguided by another, to which they are exposed. A parent is loath to believe his child guilty of wrong, and is very apt, if the lat- ter is chastised by his teacher, to take part against him, not upon the merits of the case, but through the suggestions of sympathy and pride alone. Let society be fortified against these seductive sins, and especially at a time when a sinister current of opinion is abroad, tending to give fatal efficacy to errors which spring up spontaneously in the breast. Let parents array themselves firmly in opposition to the abuses of corporeal punishment, and still as firmly against its abolition. OTHER SEMINARIES. It is not necessary for my plan to enter at large into a full discussion of high schools, academies and colleges. Some of these are of great utility, and deserve encouragement at the hands of the public. The high schools, espe- cially, which afford the means of perfecting scholars in those studies begun at the common school, and of instruction in other branches of knowledge, as Natural History, Natural Philosonhv, Chemistry, Botany, Mineralogy 292 INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. &c.j are of the first importance. They are in their nature possessed of many qualities akin to the common schools. They are, or ought ta be, constructed on a plan which will render them easy of access, even to the poor. They are, or ought to be, numerous, affording the opportunity to all children in our larger towns, who desire it, of acquiring a pretty thorough English education. But when children are sent to these schools, they should still be under the watchful guardianship of their parents. These should continue to take an interest in their edu- cation, and regard the high school, not as super- seding the fireside seminary, or as justifying a relaxation of duty on their part; on the con- trary, as only helping out the parent m his high task of giving to his child a vigorous mind in a sound body. But while the high school may thus claim encouragement, and thus prove useful, it ought by no means to interfere with the primary schools. The great effort of the public should be to improve the latter. Spread common schools throughout the community, and raise the standard of education in them to a high mark, and the higher seminary will flourish of course. If you enlighten the whole comm unity, you will promote a general desire for better and FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 293 still better seminaries. But let every friend to public prosperity take care not to permit high schools, or any other institutions, to draw ofF the public interest or public support from the district schools. Let the men of influence in every town and village cherish these institu- tions, send their own children to them as far as may be, secure to them good teachers, and do whatever else may be necessary to make them accomplish the great ends for which they are instituted. Our academies are important, but, like other seminaries, they are good or ill according to their management. Under the charge of well- trained and faithful instructers, they become blessings to their immediate pupils and the community at large. Those which are devoted to the preparation of young persons for the practical duties of life are deserving of special encouragement, if wisely conducted. There are many private seminaries in the country, which rank with our high schools and acade- mies, and which, from the energy and vigil- ance with which they are conducted, arising from the concentrated interest of the superin- tendent, may be regarded as among the. most valuable of our institutions. It is a curious fact, that in almost all the seminaries which 25* 294 INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. have originated in individual enterprise and rest upon individual responsibility, the teachers hold an intimate and kindly intercourse with the pupils, supplying, in a great degree 3 and in some instances fully, the place of parents. It is seldom that we find a chartered institution, sustained by its own funds, where this state of things exists. If parents are obliged to send their children from home for instruction, it will be well for them to see that they are placed in schools where the principal feels it to be a duty to act as a father to his pupils, and at the same time has the happy faculty of gaining the kindly position of a parent in their hearts. As to colleges and universities, I need say but little. They originated in ages of darkness, long before our humble village seminaries were dreamed of. They were not designed as bene- fits to the whole community, by aiding in the general diffusion of knowledge ; on the contra- ry, they were connected with a selfish scheme of imparting light to the few and withholding it from the many. In later times, they have been encouraged from a better feeling, and, in this country, colleges have been of incalculable bene- fit ; but it has been affirmed, by high authority, that the two great universities of Oxford and Cambridge, in England, the most splendid estab- FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 295 lishments of the kind in the world, have been for the last half century actual hindrances to the progress of knowledge. The plain truth is, that human improvement, like heat in water, works upward and not downward. If you would warm the whole mass, begin at the bot- tom. So, in society, if you would enlighten the community at large, if you would raise the standard of human character, begin with the people. Educate them, and fear not that we shall have among us men of great learning and scholarship, even though you endow no colleges for their special benefit. What higher stimulus can you bring to act upon genius and talent than to throw around them an enlightened and well educated people? Educate them, and colleges and universities may be safely left to stand or fall, as public opinion may decree. When the people at large are well instructed, institutions of a high grade, suited to the wants of the com- munity, will spring up and receive encourage- ment. An artificial impulse is not wanted, even now, to stimulate the rich and the intelli- gent to give an expensive education to their chil- dren. They set a high value upon whatever may distinguish their offspring and raise them above others, and will take means to secure these. But the poor and the ignorant need 296 INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. encouragement and stimulus. Aid the district school, therefore, and do not divert either public money or public sympathy from this true point of effort and philanthropy. I know the arguments in favor of colleges, and admit their force. We doubtless need in- stitutions where youth may be fitted for the learned professions. We need institutions where a love of science and scholarship may be cher- ished, and where a spirit may be engendered that will ever keep alive the efforts to dissemi- nate learning over society at large. But are richly endowed seminaries, in our country, the best device for accomplishing these desirable objects ? If a college has ample funds to sustain its professors, will they not, according to the com- mon course of human events, become indolent, indifferent, or inefficient? Their salaries are secure, the institution is safe, whether they toil or not. Here and there an individual may be found who will triumph over the seductive influence of such circumstances, but in general, these will prove fatal to that activity, vigor and vigilance necessary to render a seminary of this kind useful. The whole establishment will fall into a lazy routine, the officers will be negli- gent and the pupils indifferent. The funds of FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 297 the college will be as a carcass to the eagles, and among those gathered to share in the spoils, a spirit, is likely to reign which will overlook duty in the pursuit of selfish ends. Such a col- lege may have a celebrated scholar for a picsi- dent and learned men for teachers ; it may have a splendid library and costly cabinets, and a noble philosophical apparatus in every depart- ment of science; but it will still be an ineffi- cient instrument of education. Once in a while it may produce a brilliant scholar, but the ma- jority of graduates will be injured, rather than benefited. Nine out of ten will waste the best period of life for instruction, and thus be sub- jected to irremediable loss. Nor is this all. In such a college, the pupils are left almost wholly to their own guidance. Separated from their parents, at the most stormy period of life, when more than ever they need the chart and compass of parental counsel, they are cast loose upon an institution where the teachers stand aloof, holding no other than a cold official intercourse with them, and usually conducting in such a manner as to be looked upon, not as friends, but as adversaries. Thus the college pupil is thrown into the society of young men, and subjected to the influence of a community, among whom all the yesty passions 298 INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. of early manhood are bursting forth, and this too without a friend to chasten, to control, and to warn. The young child, as yet untutored in wickedness, comes home from the village school, and in simplicity tells the mother all that it sees and hears, and thus gives her the opportunity to warn and correct it. But the position of the student at college, separated from his parents, is widely different. He is now exposed to vices which seek concealment, and which at the same time appeal with seductive force to his bosom. Will he not be likely to become their victim, and, if so, will not all the circumstances of the case operate to dig deep and render impassable that gulf which so often comes between young men and their parents ? Children educated at home, or near home, so as to sustain a frequent, almost daily, intercourse with parents, keep up their habits of intimacy, which afford, espe- cially to the mother, so many opportunities for kindly and useful counsel. But if once sent to college, if once touched with college vices, and tinctured with the sophomoric conceit which is apt to infect collegians, is there not an end to that parental sway, which owed its chief influ- ence to an intimate, kindly confidence? Let me ask parents, when their sons have returned from college, even garnished with its laurels, FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 299 whether they have not often felt that these are a poor compensation for the sundering of those intimate ties which in other days united the heart of the child in familiar sympathy with the parent? Such is the general course of things in the rich college. Fortified by ample endowments, what salutary fear of public opinion will lash its managers up to a discharge of their duty? Aware that mankind seldom despise what is costly, and are apt to look with reverence upon what is vast, they know that the mighty uni- versity is entrenched behind a strong prejudice. If any one assails it, it is easy to repel the attack by. calling hard names, and charging upon the enemy a desire to hinder the progress of know- ledge and eclipse the light of learning. Beside, there is something very fascinating to the minds of parents and pupils in a rich college. It is esteemed an honor to be among its graduates. It is a mark of distinction, a badge of superi- ority, to hold a parchment with a blue ribbon from such an institution. As obesity is the sign of gentility in Japan, to be a graduate of such a seminary is a patent of nobility in other countries. The parents and pupils are of course the champions of an establishment which confers such benefits on them, and will draw 300 INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. the sword of controversy in its behalf when it is assailed. Sure of such aid, what necessity for the heads of a university to take the trouble of watchful, laborious and careful instruction? The esprit de corps , engendered among the pupils of a college, is also a powerful support of the institution. It operates like the bonds between the members of the monastic orders, allying them together by the spell of a common sympathy. A graduate of a college is ever the ready supporter of his Alma Mater. If he is in the legislative hall and she asks for money, will he not give it ? If she is attacked, will he not defend her ? Will he not ever be her ready champion, supporting her from affection, whether right or wrong ? And are not the skilful wri- ters, the eloquent pleaders of our country, thus bribed to do battle in behalf of the colleges, even though they may be public evils 1 How then can such an institution be subjected to the wholesome influence of a responsibility to public opinion 1 Its stability does not depend upon its good management. It is, at least to some extent, placed beyond the reach of cor- rection and chastisement at the hand of society. , It has only to guard against gross abuses, and then it may hold the proud tenor of its way, secure of the support of the learned and the FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 301 patronage of the powerful, even though it ma^ on the whole prove injurious to society. I do not by these remarks intend to point at any particular seminary. I am only showing the general tendency of rich endowments on literary institutions. By placing them above the necessity of vigilant and steadfast exertion on the part of the managers and teachers, the greatest inducements and the most active and sure impellents to usefulness are withdrawn. If parents therefore are desirous of sending their children to a college, let them not be be- guiled by a mere prejudice. Let them not prefer an institution because it is rich. On the con- trary, poverty should rather be a recommenda- tion. The institutions which depend on the good name they may get by their activity, vigor and just management, are likely to be the best. Private institutions, on so small a scale as to allow the teacher to have intimate intercourse with each pupil, and depending wholly upon their good management for success, could such be established and sustained, would, in my humble judgment, be preferable to chartered colleges. But until such can be found, parents, who wish to give their sons a classical educa- tion, must choose between such institutions as exist. Let them choose, then, considering the 26 302 INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. dangers to which their children may be exposed if placed in ill-conducted seminaries. Let them consider too that there is no charm in a college which ensures any benefit whatever. It is a fact, well established, that many young men graduate, knowing little more than when they entered. Not more than one in five really im- proves the advantages which the college affords. Not more than one in five fulfils the hopes and expectations of his friends in sending him to col- lege. Beside this, many young men are taught vices at these seminaries which they never shake off — many who enter them in purity go forth corrupted for life. Before sending children to a college, therefore,, parents should acquaint themselves thoroughly with the character of its officers and professors, and with the practical effects of the institution, literary, moral and religious; they should then duly consider the temptations to which the stu- dents are exposed, and whether those whom they propose to place within their influence, are of a disposition to withstand them. It is ob- vious that some of these difficulties are miti- gated or removed where parents reside in the immediate vicinity of the college, and can watch over their sons ; or in cases where some judicious person, in the institution or near it, FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 303 will undertake the guardianship of youth in behalf of their parents. But when no such provision can be made, it is a serious question for the parent to decide, whether the uncertain and contingent benefits of the college, are not too dearly purchased by the risk of the child's morals, to which he is exposed. If indeed a college can be found where the officers and professors are vigilant in the discharge of their duties, where they sustain a kindly and inti- mate connection with the pupils, and avail them- selves of the opportunities thus afforded for watching over their morals and supplying the place of parents — in this ease, the greatest dan- gers of college life may be avoided GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. There are two mistakes current in society, both of which have been incidentally touched upon, but which deserve to be placed more directly before the reader. The first is, that the whole duty of a parent, so far as respects education, is discharged by sending children regularly to school ; the second, that although parents must attend to the physical and moral culture of their offspring, that their minds, at least, may be left wholly to the schoolmaster. The reader may feel that the former of these 304 INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. propositions has been sufficiently noticed, and I therefore remark only that school instruction never can supersede the necessity of vigilant parental teaching and training at the fireside. If a comparison were to be made between the two, I should not hesitate to attribute greater importance to home education than to school education ; for it is beneath the parental roof, when the heart is young and melted by the warmth of fireside affection, that the deepest im- pressions are made ; it is at home, beneath pa- rental influence and example, that the founda- tions of physical, moral and mental habits are laid; it is at home where abiding tastes are en- gendered ; it is at home where lasting opinions are formed. The other error, that the minds of children may be wholly left to school instructers, has also been noticed ; but it is worthy of more special comment. It may be true that some children, without counsel or guidance, may have that docility of temper and expertness of intellect, which will lead them to take ready advantage of the means of instruction afforded at the schools. But these cases are very rare ; and in all instances, children will study with livelier relish if they see that their parents are interested in their progress. If parents look over their FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 305 lessons with them, and approve or condemn as they are attentive or negligent, they will be quickened by a sense of responsibility. If pa- rents aid them in the mastery of difficulties, and teach them to think and reflect upon their studies, they will not only be cheered by the assistance, but will find, in the exercise thus given to their minds, that delight which the young bird feels as he first tries his wings and discovers the joyous power they bestow. An experienced and sagacious teacher told me but yesterday, that he had one child in his school whose parents treated him in this way, and that, although he had moderate abilities, he was one of the best and most successful of his pupils. Is it not a mistake of parents, then, to give all their thoughts and devote all their time to more worldly cares, and leave the mmds of their children to accident? For what employ- ment more delightful than to train the youthful intellect ; what occupation so full of pleasure as 10 lead one's own child forth in the paths of knowledge, and, like Adam, when the world was neAV, give names and characters to all around ; what pursuit so profitable to the child itself, for whose benefit we are willing to toil, as to take him with us and climb the pinnacle of knowledge, teach him the dangers of the 26* 306 INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. way, aid him in surmounting difficulties, and at last unfold to him the world of truth, which lies outspread to the view of the beholder ! Say, ye parents, if ye would make an investment for your children, is it better to make it in cash or in wisdom 1 Is it better to lay up treasures in the bank, where the moth and rust may cor- rupt, and where thieves may break through and steal, or in the mind, whose stores are im- perishable ? Let parents, then, not leave intellectual cul- ture wholly to the schoolmaster ; let them rather look upon him only as their assistant, and, while they render him all needed aid and en- couragement, let them watch his progress and see that he performs his duty. Let them also accompany their children in their studies, and see that they perform theirs. Of one thing let them beware, and that is, not to permit children to be witnesses against their teachers. The relation of pupil and teacher is one which often leads the former to misinterpretation, perhaps to misrepresentation. Let not parents ever be discouraged in the mental culture of their children, under the idea that they are of inferior capacity. Children are of different degrees of quickness, but not one in a thousand is incapable of receiving the full FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 307 benefits of instruction. And let it be remarked, that, with good education, children of moderate natural endowments are, in the average of life, happier and more useful than those on whom nature has lavished the gifts of genius. "Give mc neither poverty nor riches" is as wise a prayer in respect to mental gifts, as the more sordid treasures of the world. But let it be remembered that the mind, like the body, is strengthened by exercise, and, though it may be debilitated by being overtasked, it is still necessary, in order to give it vigor, to inure it to patient labor and continuous toil. As the proper adaptation of exercise to the degree of health and strength of the subject, is the great art of physical training, so, in mental culture, is the suitable exercise of the mind the chief means by which its powers are unfolded and enlarged. It may be well for parents to recollect that the habits of the mind are of more importance in youth, than the actual amount of knowledge they possess. A child that has habits of inves- tigation and reflection will soon gather stores of facts, and, being of his own acquisition, he will hoard them with care and use them with effect. It is better, therefore, to consider the early periods of mental education as properly 308 INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. devoted to the discipline of the mind, to the establishing of good habits, rather than to the mere accumulation of knowledge. It is with learning as with money — if given freely, with- out teaching the means of its acquisition, it is apt to be lightly valued and lightly parted with, and poverty must then ensue, if the skill of obtaining more is not possessed. BOOKS. Previous to the invention of printing, in 1441, books of every kind were scarce, and, being written with pens, were necessarily costly. A copy of the Bible was then worth as much as a good house and farm are now. King Alfred is said to have given a very large estate for a single volume. In these times it is clear that the art of reading must have been confined to few persons. How great is the change that has taken place in four hun- dred years ! Of the making of many books there is now no end, and the idea of instructing every member of the community, not only in the art of reading, but in the elements of geo- graphy, history and philosophy, is no longer a chimera. The printing of books upon type was a startling invention, indeed, but strange combinations have taken place in our own day FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 309 to accelerate and expand its power. It would seem that the vast beds of coal which have slept for centuries in the gloomy recesses of the earth, could have little to do with the progress of knowledge. But these are now dragged from their repose, and compelled to lend their power to the manufacture of books. Hundreds of steam presses are at work on both sides of the Atlantic, throwing off countless reams of newspapers, pamphlets and volumes of every form, filled with every species of literature. A single printer in Scotland had a few years since forty thousand volumes of the various works of Sir Walter Scott, in the press, at one time. Three millions of a single tract, by Hannah More, were published in her lifetime. Books to the value of a million and a half of dollars go from the Eastern to the Western States, annually. From these scattered hints we can form some faint conception of the stupendous progress of improvement in the various arts devoted to the circulation of knowledge. But while we are impressed with the advan- tages we possess over the people of former ages, let parents consider one thing — that books are human productions, and that some are good and some bad. Every volume has within it a spirit, and imparts, to those who commune with 310 INTELLECTUAL CULTURE. it, either good or evil. Indiscriminate reading, therefore, is dangerous to most; to the young it is perilous in the extreme. Parents should ex- ercise the same discretion in the choice of books for their children, as in the choice of their com- panions. The danger is greater, indeed, from a bad book than from a bad associate, for there is a magic in print which gives it great authority over the mind of the reader. Nor should the vigilance of parents be restricted to any one form of publication. The newspapers which they admit to the fireside, to become the daily and weekly counsellors there, should be selected with great care. And this is becoming a matter of more serious consideration from the fact that many newspapers are now thrown forth upon the public, seeking to obtain patronage by minister- ing to the worst passions of the human heart. Let parents be cautious then on this subject, if they would not run the risk of taking into the bosom of their families, evil counsellors, which may not only poison their own minds but those of their children. It is impossible to lay down general rules in regard to the selection of books for children, which will not admit of many exceptions. It may be safe, however, to remark that works of fiction are usually fascinating to children ; they FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 311 therefore need to be restrained, rather than en- couraged, in the reading of them. Those works which deal in facts, as geographies, histories, biographies, travels, &c, are the safest for young minds. The modern trashy tales, of both Eng- lish and American authorship, are by no means calculated to elevate the scale of morals, purify the heart, or chasten the conversation, of our American youth. These, without exception, should be banished from the family library. The works of Hannah More, though not in the best taste, are perhaps better in point of moral effect than those of almost any other English writer. Many of Miss Edgeworth's tales are admirable, but are not entirely adapted to our state of society. I am inclined to give a decided prefer- ence to the books for youth written by our native authors. Among these, it is not necessary to name, as worthy of particular commendation, the works of the Messrs Abbott and Mrs. Child. ACCOMPLISHMENTS. Beside the knowledge and skill which belong to a person's profession and qualify hiin to discharge the serious duties of life, there are certain graceful arts, which are useful, as being sources of pleasure to himself, and as rendering 312 ACCOMPLISHMENTS. him an interesting or agreeable member of so- ciety, I have already said something in respect to drawing and music, but it may be well to repeat that although there is great difference as to the aptitude of children for these arts, there are still none who are incapable of becoming pro- ficients in them, provided you begin in child- hood and follow a proper mode of instruction. The importance of these arts to individuals and society at large, as furnishing innocent excite- ments and refining pastimes, and therefore as tending to the purification of public morals, can- not be too highly estimated. Let parents do their duty to their children and society in this matter. The power of walking several miles a day, as well for a lady as a gentleman, though not usually ranked as an accomplishment, may still be entitled, from its utility, to decided encour- agement. Reading well is an art which gives the posses- sor the power of bestowing rich entertainment on others. But of all accomplishments, that of conversation is doubtless the highest. Wo- men excel in this art, especially so far as it is employed in the description of passing events and discussing the lighter topics of the day. I know that a lady's tongue is a standing theme of satire with men, but the conversation of an FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 313 intelligent woman is among the richest sources of entertainment which society affords. But let any one who desires to be loved, happy, or respected, be careful not to indulge in personal satire or ridicule. A talent for either of these kinds of wit is seldom associated with a great mind or a good heart. Besides, there is a debasing tendency in these things. A satirist who is just and decent at first, after a little practice, disregards both equity and propriety. He is eternally seeking for some object of satire or point of ridicule. Under such efforts, the understanding is soon warped, and becomes as incapable of just perception, as a piece of wrin- kled glass of transmitting true images. I once knew a lady who had acquired a reputation for wit, and who had yet gone so far in a turn for ridicule that her sense of propriety seemed to be lost. On hearing a clergyman pray that "the happy day might come when men would all act with a single eye to the glory of God," she remarked that " she imagined it would be a long time before every body would see with one eye!" How pitiable is such degradation of taste and intellect ! Let us beware of such things, and teach our tongues not to corrupt our hearts. We should remember that there is something in human nature like gravitation, 27 314 ACCOMPLISHMENTS. ever tending to draw us downward. The ar- row that is aimed below the mark will never reach it ; for it will sink, rather than rise, in its flight. You must aim high, if you would hit. It is so in all moral things. A person who would enjoy the consciousness of a pure and generous heart, must cultivate pure and gene- rous speech ; at all events, he must avoid de- basing his own mind by dwelling upon the obliquities, vices and follies of others. The art of narration is one of easy cultiva- tion, and not only affords ample scope for the exercise of talent, but may also furnish much amusement and instruction. This seems to be a natural gift with some, and the society of those who possess it is generally much sought after. Parents may easily cultivate this talent in their children, by teaching them, of a winter evening, to recount the events and adventures of the day, or detail the substance of the books they may have read, or invent tales from the resources of fancy. As to the ornamental arts of the needle, I need not speak, otherwise than to remark that they are always becoming to women of every degree; and though I would not bestow upon them, in this age of utility, very high commendation, I would not wholly discourage them. The time FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 315 has passed by when ladies were immured in lordly castles, and, being denied a participation in the cares and duties of busy life, and unfitted through lack of education for the pleasures of literature, were driven for pastime to the inge- nious mysteries of needle- work. This has therefore ceased to claim an absorbing interest, even at the hands of fair ladies, but it must be permitted to hold a humble place among grace- ful female accomplishments; always, however, being second to the more thrifty science of housewifery, MANNERS. Every one is familiar with the significant adage, " birds of a feather flock together;" which means that people of similar tastes, habits and pursuits will naturally seek each other's society- It is through the operation of this principle that we see the community grouped into a variety of circles. Thus, there are fashionable circles, political circles, literary circles, and many others. These things exist in all countries, and every- where arrange themselves nearly according to the same laws and in the same way. Two men, one of coarse tastes, a lover of profanity, 316 MANNERS. of rude jokes, and animal enjoyments, the other of a cultivated mind, delicate perceptions, and intellectual tastes, can find no pleasure in each other's society. The first will feel himself con- stantly rebuked in the presence of the last, and will be eager to leave him and seek the society of those like himself; the other will be shocked by the rude manners of his companion, and will remain in his society no longer than is ab- solutely necessary. Thus, impelled by two motives, a dislike of those who differ from them in taste and manners, and an affinity for those who resemble them in these respects, the seve- ral members of society are everywhere col- lected into distinct groups. . In every populous place, there will be, of course, a circle, or society, consisting of the more intelligent and refined. It is true that this may be, and generally is, sprinkled with the merely rich and fashionable ; these, however, are admitted into a society where they do not properly belong, from the homage they pay to intelligence and refinement. The laws of etiquette for each town or city are usually established by this circle of fashion, or what is called, as often in irony as compliment, good society; but this draws its edicts from some higher source, as perhaps from the metro- polis of the state, or from some one of our larger FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 317 cities, and this from the higher circles of London. Our ladies borrow their fashions in dress from Paris, but in matters of etiquette, the last ap- peal is to the customs of England. Without undertaking to delineate the general character of this higher grade of society in other respects, it may be remarked that manners are usually carried to the highest polish and delicacy among persons of this class; and though some of the customs which prevail among them are unworthy of our notice, still, in attempting to ascertain the rules of good breeding, the pro- per course has been generally supposed to be to study this society and mark the conduct of the individuals who compose it. It is by such a process that a code of manners is usually made out. Though we may sometimes discover ceremo- nies and observances, in what is called genteel society, that do not appear to be founded in reason, yet such is the force of fashion and authority, that these are found to be followed by the world of gentility as reverently as more fundamental points of good breeding. Thus, for instance, we can see no good reason, in the nature of the case, why a person at a fashiona- ble table may not send a second time for soup, or, in finishing off his plate, may not gather the 27* 318 MANNERS. fragments and put them into his mouth with his knife. But these are interdicted, and no emer- gency of appetite, in either case, can excuse a breach of the law. The mode in which the manners of the re- fined are caught by those who are subjected to their influence, is easily explained. If we see a certain thing practised by one who occupies a high rank in society, it becomes associated with that individual, and, at last, partakes of the taste, respectability and refinement which we attri- bute to him. Even if the thing is insignificant in itself, it soon becomes, in our view, appropri- ate to a person of high breeding, and is thus commended to our imitation. If, on the con- trary, we see any thing done by a person who is coarse, rude and vulgar, it becomes in our minds associated with the individual, and the rude demeanor with which he is marked. Thus it is that certain manners become agreeable to us as proofs of good taste and good breeding, and others disgust us as being signs of obtru- sive selfishness, or of those evil communica- tions which are said to corrupt good manners. It is not my present purpose to attempt to codify the laws of etiquette, or draw out at length the enacted statutes of the fashionable world. These attempts have been frequently FIRESIDE EDUCATION, 319 made, but I have yet seen no book which could be safely trusted in the hands of the young in this country, as furnishing a guide to manners, except, indeed, the "Young Lady's Friend," which is an excellent work for those to whom it is addressed. Lord Chesterfield's Letters to his son are written with great vivacity and dis- crimination, but, however well they may be adapted to a certain class in English society, I should be sorry to see them in the hands of our American youth. They are, throughout, founded in selfishness, and carry the impression that good appearances are of the utmost importance, while principle is either insignificant or secon- dary. Though they may inculcate the forms and ceremonies of politeness, they must ever fail of communicating that best and highest finish of good breeding, a feeling of good will, shining through looks, words and actions. In the absence of what appears to be a good manual of manners for parents to place in the hands of their children, one that is suited to our republican country, to a state of society which exists nowhere else and has never existed be- fore, I shall offer a few brief remarks upon the subject; hoping, however, that the author of Home, or some other lady in this country, who combines that writer's views of society with the 320 MANNERS. talent of enforcing them, will ere long supply one of the most exigent demands of the com- munity. In my view, good manners must rest upon three principles, honor, grace and politeness; and whatever is incompatible with these, or either of these, must be inconsistent with good breeding. HONOR. This is a feeling of self-respect, which leads a person to shun every species of meanness. It is therefore incompatible with trick, artifice and cunning, by which some advantage is to be gained over another. It interdicts lying, de- ception and equivocation of all kinds. Such is true honor ; and though it may generally be considered rather as a masculine accomplish- ment, still, it is not unworthy of being woven in with the graces of female manners. The dignity, frankness and sincerity which the prin- ciple of honor imparts to the air and bearing of every individual in whose heart it resides, is not unbecoming in a lady, though it may be a more indispensable and appropriate finish to the manners of a gentleman. I need not say that duelling, though often designated as an "afiair of honor," usually FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 321 springs from a violation of the principles of true honor. If a man has done another an injury, he best avoids meanness and consults his dignity by making due acknowledgments. If these are not satisfactory, does he act a noble part in being cowed by public opinion so as to risk his own life and seek that of another, rather than stand upon his own conscious rectitude 1 GRACE. The definition of this, in application to man- ners, is that ease and propriety which win the favor of all. It displays itself in those move- ments of the body, those expressions of coun- tenance, those forms of speech, and that gene- ral bearing, which bespeak good taste, chastened feelings, and refinement. It is a quality which puts a stranger at ease, and banishes uncomfort- able restraint, even among those who may be of unequal conditions in life, or who chance to meet for the first time. It is opposed alike to affectation and awkwardness, and is of so cap- tivating a nature that it may be witnessed by the plebeian in the patrician without envy, and without exciting a painful sense of humiliation. As honor is the essential mark of a gentleman, grace is the special ornament of a lady. 322 MANNETIS. POLITENESS, This consists in an agreeable personal demea- nor, and is founded upon the great rule of mo- rality, — do to another as you would have ano- ther do to you. We are apt to restrict this to the greater transactions of life. What I now propose is an observance of it in little things — in the every-day intercourse between man and man. I do not mean the arbitrary forms and ceremonies of mere fashionable life, but I mean an habitual regard for the feelings of others, and those looks, words and actions which spring from such a prin- ciple. We have no more right wantonly to wound the sensibility of another, than wantonly to in- flict wounds upon his body. We have no more right to steal away another's peace of mind, than to steal his visible and tangible property. In a moral point of view, as I have said before, the one act is as wrong as the other. We have laws to protect money, lands, and merchandise; politeness is a code of delicate morals which would throw protection around the nicer and subtler feelings of the heart. Establish these in the minds of children ; render them familiar by habit, easy by repetition. Teach a child to regard the feelings of his brothers, sisters and playmates. If you see him attempt, by look. FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 323 word, or deed, to inflict pain upon the sensitive bosom of his little playfellows, interpose a de- cisive check. If yon see him indifferent, care- less, or wanton in respect to the feelings of his companions, let him understand that it is an offence against parental authority. Teach him to mould all his feelings and manners so as to please and gratify those around him. Self- love, as before remarked, is the master passion, and selfishness unchecked is likely to rule the heart, and obtrude its harsh features through every look, and tone, and gesture. If we would be virtuous, we must repress selfishness. If we would be loved, we must learn to check its dis- play. Politeness is a training which renders this easy. It teaches us, when tempted by self- ishness to snatch at some proffered pleasure, to defer our own wishes to the claims of others. It not only hides, but it crushes those petty de- sires, whims and caprices, which, if indulged, deform the character, and, if diffused, would deprive society of its brightest charms. I would say, then, teach politeness to children; teach it as a principle of duty ; encourage its practice, that it may become a matter of habit. After sleep, let the family circle meet in the morn- ing with a kindly salutation ; as they part to rest, let their last words be a fond " good night/' 324 MANNERS. Meeting or parting, let the different members of the household be accustomed to show a deli- cate regard to the wishes, tastes and feelings of one another. This will exert a powerful influ- ence upon the heart itself, the source of all our emotions. It will give charms to the counte- nance, which no other beauty can bestow; a sweetness to the voice, which is better than music; and a graciousness to the manners, which is the best letter of recommendation. Thus, while peace is promoted in the family, the chil- dren will be trained in those manners which are called a good address, and which will do more to ensure their success in life than any wealth you can bestow. In illustration of this subject, let me relate a piece of history. A few years since, there lived in an adjacent state, and perhaps still live, a family of five brothers. They each received a small estate at the death of their father, and all settled in the same village. It was about forty years ago that they united in establishing a store. As this was successful, they started a second, and finally a third. In these, they were all equally interested, and, what is remark- able, each individual took from these several establishments whatever articles he desired for himself and his family, and of these no account FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 325 whatever was made. There was no regulation or restraint to prevent one from taking more than another. Each supplied his family and his household, without question, and without accountability. This system was pursued for thirty years, and these five brothers went on in harmony. They had no family jars, no envious strife, no squabbles about property. At length, they were advanced in years, and the joint estate having increased to a large amount, they thought best to divide it, and the division was effected in perfect amity. Each individual received for his share nearly one hundred thou- sand dollars. Can 3^011 tell me the charm by which peace and harmony were preserved among these five families for so long a period, and under circum- stances so likely to beget suspicion or jealousy 1 You will perhaps suggest that they were go- verned by religious principle. No ; they were not religious, but worldly men. You will per- haps say that they were high-minded and gene- rous. No; in their ordinary dealings with others, they were sharp and grasping as their neighbors. What then was the secret? I have myself been in the families of these individuals, and marked their intercourse. I could observe among them but one peculiarity, and that was 28 326 MANNERS. very striking. They were strictly and punc- tiliously polite to each other. They never met in the morning but there was a shaking of hands and cheerful salutations. They never parted at evening but with a kind "good night.' ; There was evidently a mutual feeling of respect and good- will pervading them all, and their habitual observance of the rules of politeness prevented their harmony from being disturbed. Polite- ness, then, performed an office, and wrought benefits in this family, which no other power or principle in society is accustomed to achieve. Let me remark again, that I do not now use the word politeness in that narrow sense which restricts it to merely artificial and arbitrary rules of society. I speak of it as a principle, founded on just morality, and leading to delicate propriety of action towards others. I mean by it an habitual regard to the feelings of others, founded on a conviction that we have no more right to wound the heart than to stab the body, and that it is alike our duty and our interest to make our manners grateful to those around us. Let this be once inwrought upon childhood ; let the child learn these precepts at the fireside ; let them be enamelled upon the mind by a mother's emphatic teaching, by a father's omnipotent example. Let them be rendered dear by the FIRESTDE EDUCATION. 327 sweet memories of home. Let them be rendered familiar in the fond fellowship between brothers and sisters. Having done this for your child, let him go forth into the world, and he will carve his way to success. His kindly and gra- cious manners will win him easy access to the hearts of men. He carries Avith him a magic key, which will unlock every door which inter- poses between him and fortune. Let me present the subject to you in another point of view. It is the dispensation of provi- dence that inequalities of condition shall exist in society. The Creator has thrown the surface of the earth into a thousand forms. He has heaped up hills and mountains ; he has spread out plains and valleys. He has endowed some portions with barrenness, and others with fer- tility. To some regions, he has given a climate which scatters them over with never-dying ver- dure and bloom ; to others, he has sent the pinching and withering sway of never-relenting winter. And this picture of nature is but an emblem of the diversified condition of human society, as ordained of Heaven. He who ex- pects equality of condition expects that which providence forbids. One is endowed by nature with strength, another with weakness ; one with beauty, another with deformity; one with 328 MANNERS. vigor of intellect, another with mental imbe- cility. Diversity in the moral, as well as in the physical world, is the design of Providence, and we might as well ask that the mountains and the hills should he shorn down, and the ragged surface of the globe reduced to one unvarying level, as that society should present uniformity of condition. I cannot now stop to illustrate the benefits which flow from the inequalities of society, but these are to my mind obvious, and abundantly prove that it is a scheme founded in infinite goodness and wisdom. But, however varied may be the lot of humanity in external things, there is a perfect equality of rights. "Do to another as you would have another do to you." This is the golden rule, which lays its injunc- tions on all alike, and levels the rich and the poor to one mutual standard of obligation. Here, then, is the foundation of that great prin- ciple set forth in our Constitution. All men are born free and equal; not equal in condition, but equal in their rights. If this were well under- stood and thoroughly practised, it would carry peace into every hamlet. That jealousy which springs up among the different classes of society, and which is often fomented by base and crafty agitators to serve their own purposes, would FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 3^9 find no existence. But this evil does exist. It springs up in our villages, and carries strife into our legislative halls. In casting about for the means of correcting or mitigating this evil, I have often turned to fireside education as most likely to afford it. Teach your children polite- ness. Teach them to do to another as they would have another do to them. Teach them to mould thought and feeling, word and deed, look and manner, according to this holy precept. Teach them this, and if rich, they will have no offensive haughtiness; if poor, they will be disturbed by no bitter envy. The equality of rights being understood and practised, the ine- quality of condition will be no source of strife. . NOTES ON GOOD BREEDING. I have hitherto spoken of the principles upon which good manners rest, and which are as essential to a thorough discipline of the charac- ter as to the formation of an agreeable personal demeanor. But beside these principles, there are certain conventional rules established in refined society, which it might be well for every person to practise habitually. I shall therefore point out a few of these which seem most es- sential, and leave it to parents to bring up their families in the observance of them, as far as 23* 330 MANNERS. they may think proper ; remarking, by the way, that in this case, as in all others, practice alone can give full effect to precept. The words of Locke are worthy of special notice here : — " Think not that children are to be taught pro- priety of conduct by loading their memory with rules, directing them how to act on every par- ticular occasion. Burden them not with rules, but impress them with habits." Manners at table. — Avoid all display of greediness. It was formerly esteemed a matter of propriety for each individual to delay the commencement of his meal till all were helped ; but as this introduces a stiff formality, and moreover causes the food to get cold before it is eaten, it is now considered proper for a person to begin to eat as soon as he is helped. Avoid putting food into your mouth with your knife, and help yourself to salt only with the salt- spoon. Eat with the least possible noise of the lips and teeth. Never help yourself from any dish with your own knife and fork, but apply to the person who is near it, or who undertakes to distribute its contents. If you are called upon to help any person, never disgust him by overloading his plate. If you help to gravy, put it on the plate by itself, and do not pour it over the food. Do every thing with delibera- FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 331 tion and an air of leisure and delicacy. If asked to take wine, it is generally esteemed a point of etiquette to accept the invitation ; but if your health or principles forbid your drinking wine, you may merely touch it to your lips, or you may decline, saying, "I'll thank you to excuse me," or you may ask to be permitted to take water instead of wine. Easy, pleasant conver- sation should be promoted at table, but all argu- ment and discussion should be avoided. Awk- ward positions, restlessness, picking of the teeth, absence of mind, inattention to the remarks or wants of those around you, are gross breaches of good manners. Before coming to the table, take care that your toilet is finished, and after- wards do nothing which may seem to indicate that you are thinking of your dress or personal appearance. There is no disgrace in a good appetite; but even in satisfying it, we should habitually cultivate an air and manner which may assert the dignity of human nature, and discriminate between intellectual and moral beings and mere animals. The strict observ- ance of established rules of etiquette at table will have a tendency to produce this result. Manners in the street and on the road. — Never push against people in the streets, or in any crowded place. If by accident you come in 332 MANNERS. contact with another, make immediate amends by saying, " I beg your pardon." It is esteemed indelicate for ladies to turn and look back in a public street. If in driving upon the road you meet another person, be solicitous to give him ample space for passing you. Children should be expressly forbidden to shout at passers by. These inconsiderate beginnings often grow into habitual rudeness and impertinence. If a man, young or old, meets a woman upon the road, where she is unprotected, and by word, look or deed does any thing to offend her delicacy, he displays a gross instance of dastardly brutality. Let mothers, especially, train their sons, under all circumstances, to pay a nice regard to the rights and feelings of the gentler sex. The ex- ample of a certain New-Hampshire mountaineer is worthy of all praise. A lady, with whom I chanced to be acquainted, was travelling, a few years since, on the White Mountains. In as- cending a steep acclivity, some accident hap- pened to her carriage, and while the coachman was repairing it, she went up the hill on foot. On turning an angle in the road, she met with a wagoner, who respectfully bade her good morning. She then made some inquiry as to the road, and concluded by expressing her sur- prise to find people living among these wild FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 333 hills. "Well, ma'am," said the wagoner, "I suppose we couldn't live here if we didn't once in a while see a lady." This was genuine politeness, — pure, native gold, and not the less brilliant for the rustic ore through which it shone. In riding on horseback, a gentleman should be at the lady's right, for he can better offer her assistance in this way, should she need it ; she is also more at her ease, from a consciousness that her position is more graceful to her attend- ant. In travelling, cultivate a pleasant inter- course with those who give you the opportunity; but obtrude yourself upon no one. Put up with little inconveniences, and be not pertinacious about your rights. Avoid all John Bullism to tavern-keepers, servants, and others. Be nei- ther inquisitive nor unduly communicative. Readily conform to the customs of a private family in which you chance to be a guest. Rules in regard to dress. — Man is not pro- vided, like the animals, with a natural cover- ing, but he is endowed with ingenuity and left to his own invention. In eastern countries, the fashions of dress have remained the same for centuries, and among the peasants of Europe they continue, with little change, from genera- tion, to generation. But in. the commercial 334 MANNERS. cities, they are as variable as the hues and shapes of the clouds. The milliners and man- tua-makers of Paris are the lawgivers on the subject of ladies' dress throughout Christendom. The tailors of London constitute a final court of appeal in respect to coats, waistcoats and pantaloons. Fashion in dress is not without its importance. A clergyman who should enter the pulpit in regimentals would be considered as bringing scandal upon the cloth; and a mer- chant who should appear on 'change in a sai- lor's jacket, would subject himself to ridicule and contempt. The true rule in regard to dress is this — let it be appropriate to your condition. A person who is eager to adopt any new fashion of dress is always despised, for it is proof of a little mind. Keep rather behind than before the fashion. Study simplicity. Let ladies avoid the display of gaudy colors. Cleanliness and neatness of attire are among the most decisive marks of good breeding. Vulgarity often dis- plays itself in ostentatious and dashy decoration. Miscellaneous hints. — Personal cleanliness is indispensable to those who would be esteemed well bred. The teeth, especially, should be kept scrupulously clean. Spitting, combing your hair, and cleaning your nails, are three things to be done in private. A superabun- FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 335 dance of whiskers on a man's face evinces a proportionate lack of brains. A dandy in dress or manner can only find his model in the monkey tribe. An exclusive, one who holds himself aloof as being better than his fellow- men, may be ranked with the orang outang, who refuses to associate with any other mem- bers of the four-handed race. At church, let your manners ever be marked with reverence and decorum, paying respect to the rights and ceremonies of the worshippers, though you may be of a different creed. In conversation, do not court argument, and never use contradiction. Speak in a low but distinct voice, and be rather solicitous to draw others out than display your- self. Ladies are excellent talkers, when duly prompted, and he who has the art of drawing them out may derive great pleasure and instruc- tion from their society. Be not ready or prompt to take offence, and shun temptation to bitter retort. The spirit of the porcupine is of no great dignity. Good humor is a better shield than an armory of poisoned quills. Converse rather about things than persons. You may be witty upon the former, but beware of being so in respect to the latter. Shun loud laughter, loud talking, and horse play. Avoid all bustle. A quiet demeanor is essential to dignity of man- ners. 336 GENERAL REMARKS. GENERAL REMARKS. l?rom the observations that have been made, I think it will be obvious to the reader that parents are responsible for the physical train- ing, the moral education, and the mental in- struction of their children. If in any of these respects they do not undertake to be their teach- ers, they are still bound to provide suitable means of culture. But this is not the whole extent of their duty. Parents are generally called upon to select the profession of their children for life, and to furnish the particular instruction necessary for its successful pursuit. This is a subject, the full discussion of which would fill a volume ; but I only propose here to give a few general hints in relation to it. In the first place, let parents select the pro- fession of their children, not with a view to family ambition or parental vanity, but with par- ticular regard to three points : — 1. The health, constitution, and aptitudes of children; for it must be remembered that some cannot endure sedentary occupation, that some are fitted for action rather than contemplation, and that none are likely to succeed in a vocation for which they have no taste or talent; 2. the proba- ble happiness of children, taking into view the FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 337 whole life, and weighing against the dangers, cares and vicissitudes which attend an am- bitious and brilliant career, the peace, safety and content of a humbler vocation; 3. their usefulness as members of society. And in re- spect to this, I wish to say a few words to wealthy parents. They have the means of giving their children a good education, and they usually employ them to this end. But are they not too solicitous to have them established in cities, engaged in mercantile pursuits, or de- voted to some one of the learned professions'! Let me suggest to such parents a course which might often better secure the happiness of their children, and greatly promote the good of the community at large. Suppose that these sons of the wealthy were properly educated for coun- try life, and should accordingly settle in the country, as farmers, merchants or mechanics. Possessing wealth and superior education, they would enjoy great influence, and this might be used to the benefit of all around. An intelli- gent, well educated, gentlemanly mechanic, or farmer, or merchant, in a country town, who is disposed to associate with his neighbors on friendly terms, has opportunities for doing good, a range for the exercise of laudable ambition, and sources of general satisfaction, far beyond 29 338 GENERAL REMARKS. what an individual can usually obtain in the crush of the crowded city. It is hardly necessary to remark that the general education of children should have some reference to their after vocation. Still, it is im- portant that all should receive that degree of mental culture which may not only place them at least on a level with society around them, but enable them to reason wisely upon the social, political, moral and religious questions which are agitated in the community, and upon which every individual is required to form opin- ions. It is a matter of necessity that profes- sional men should possess extensive erudition. But there is no reason why learning should be restricted to them. The mechanic, the farmer and the tradesman may be benefited by knowledge, and may, without neglect of their proper vocation, cultivate a love of letters. '•A little learning," it is true, " is a dangerous thing," for it sometimes begets conceit, and leads its possessor into fatal danger, as the ad- dled moth is drawn into, and destroyed by, the dazzling name. But this being guarded against, the laboring man may still consult his own hap- piness by the pursuit of liberal knowledge ; and parents who design that their sons shall follow some laborious calling, may wisely give them a FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 339 thorough English education, and thus imbue them with a strong and lasting taste for litera- ture. Persons who are thus instructed, though devoted to a life of labor, still appear to me to possess very eligible prospects for life. I happen to be acquainted with an individual, in the vicinity of Boston, who is a working man, laboring day by day with his hands, and who has, for years, invested the surplus of his earnings in books. He has a taste for good edi- tions, — a circumstance which deserves the more commendation from the fact that bad paper and bad print are so much in vogue, — and he has accordingly collected together one of the most splendid libraries in this country. It now con- sists of several thousand volumes, embracing many of the most costly and rare productions of the British press. It is the design of the pro- prietor to make such a disposition of this library that it shall be kept together after his death. With such an example before us of elevated taste and exalted public spirit in a working man, let it not be imagined that the pure plea- sures and ennobling influences of literary pur- suits are necessarily denied to those who lite- rally earn their bread by the sweat of the brow. There is, I think, a common mistake in soci- ety, that a man's character is determined by his 340 GENERAL REMARKS. vocation. If this be generally true in point of fact, there is no good reason why it should be so, and we know indeed many exceptions to the rule. Almost any vocation, in this country, if pursued with industry and skill, results in wealth, and a man may as well display those qualities which claim the respect of mankind in one profession as another. Parents may, therefore, have little solicitude as to the par- ticular vocation they may select for their sons, provided these are imbued with good moral principles, trained to industrious habits, and possessed of cultivated minds. There are two cautions, however, which it may be well to subjoin : first, that young men be thoroughly warned against that greedy appetite for wealth, which has led so many persons, in this coun- try, unduly to expand their business, or engage in flattering speculations, and which have finally resulted in bankruptcy and ruin ; and, second, that they be also warned against a thirst for political preferment. If a man's fel- low-citizens, unsolicited, confer upon him a public trust, he may properly accept it, and take to his heart the gratification which the bestowal of such confidence is calculated to excite. But there is no species of ambition, in our country, so universally repaid by disap- FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 341 pointment, self-reproach and conscious degra- dation, as that which leads a man to depart from his proper pursuits, and court, with a shifting sail, the breezes of popular favor. There is one point that may need to be en- forced upon the attention of parents, in plan- ning out the path of life for their children, and that is, that happiness usually depends less upon one's vocation and upon the success with which it is pursued, than upon a proper balance of responsibility. If a man is so situated as to hope for nothing and to fear nothing, he is of course miserable. The father who toils to place his child beyond care, toils for his child's wretchedness. We all need to be hoping or fearing, and this cannot be but by taking upon ourselves some risk or some responsibility, so that by exertion we may attain the good desired or escape the evil threatened. It is the just balance of this responsibility that constitutes good fortune; a balance which excites us to steady action, with cheerful hopes of success and moderate fear of failure. Whoever is thus situated, be he rich or poor, in the vale of ob- scurity or the temple of fame, is as happy as the lot of humanity permits. He who is called upon to exercise neither of the great passions of the soul, hope or fear, whether he is above 29* 342 CONCLUSION. or below the stirring breath of fortune, usually becomes the subject of ennui, despondency, or hypochondria ; his bosom engendering " vile thoughts and creeping miseries." as the depths of a stagnant lake become infested with rep- tiles of every form. It is he who is wrought into activity by the gentle force of changeful passions, whose breast is like the flowing wave, reflecting bright images on the surface, and holding fair forms within. CONCLUSION. "Is duty a mere sport, or an employ ? Life an intrusted taieat,. or a toy } " In coming to the close of this work, I cannot but feel an apprehension that these pages may fail of producing the good results I could desire. Enlightened parents have heard so much on the subject of education, that they may be weary of the subject, and therefore turn away with disgust. On the other hand, those who, like the untutored animals., regard their offspring with interest only so long as they require pro- tection and while the instincts of nature impel them to watch over them, will never be reached and roused from their insensibility by so humble a voice as mine. But I am still cheered by remarking the spirit of improvement that is abroad. The dreary clouds of a long dark age are drifting by, and the light of a better day is dawning through upon society. The recent shock in the commercial affairs of the world has checked mankind in the headlong pursuit of wealth, and called them to reflect whether it is wise to invest the whole interest of the immortal mind, in those goods, which so easily take to themselves wings and fly away. There is an ancient Greek story of several persons, who, in making a voyage on the Mediterranean, were east away and thrown upon an FIRESIDE EDUCATION. 343 island, having lost all their goods. Among them was a scholar, who remarked to his fellow-voyagers, whose entire wealth was invested in merchandise, and which was now sunk in the sea, that his treasures, being stored in the mind, had survived a calamity which had proved fatal to theirs. The pith of this anecdote has come home to the bosom of a whole nation within the last few years ; and there is no doubt that the recent impulse given to the cause of edu- cation, throughout this country, has in part arisen from the wholesome reflections which have been suggested by the ad- versities of trade. At such a moment, in the current of such a movement as is now making, even humble efforts may not be without effect — as a feeble oar, when the boat speeds with a flood tide, may contribute something to its onward pro- gress. I therefore give my book to parents, far as it falls short of my desire and my design, and. will still venture to hope that it may not prove wholly vain. If, as is asserted by the poet, Man is a soil which hreeds Or sweetest flowers, or vilest weeds — Flowers lovely as the morning's light, Weeds deadly as the aconite- Just as the heart is trained to bear The poisonous weed or floweret fair," — I will entertain a confidence that there are many reflecting parents disposed to admit the full force of the obligation which rests upon them, and who, therefore, will not turn a deaf ear to the appeal which I have here made in behalf of their children. One suggestion more, and I have done. I have not deemed it necessary constantly to enjoin upon the reader the ineffectual character of all human efforts, unseconded by the Spirit of God. That the heart of the parent and the teacher, toiling in the field of education, should habitually ascend to Him who alone can "give the increase," might seem too plain to require line upon line and precept upon precept.