in history and social science; in eloquence, or the art of talking; in the moral capacity and spiritual destiny of man; in the coequal value, responsibilities, and destiny of woman; in the education of mothers; in the Bible, as the charter derived from Heaven; and, finally, in whatever shall make man a thinking, spiritual, active, responsible agent. Such he must be before this world can realize, even in a small measure, those beautiful and exquisite pictures of a renovated earth, so forcibly depicted by the holy prophets.

3. American education, in order to attain the perfection of society and perpetuate the institutions of freedom, must adopt these general principles in practice; and also adapt itself to whatever is peculiar in America, peculiar in Christian civilization, and peculiar in the laws of social progress, as developed in history.

The idea of American education, then, is of an education, in fact and theory, in conformity with the idea of a complete republic; in conformity with the idea of a Christian republic; and in conformity with the idea of both a physical and spiritual development of all the faculties in each individual. It is not ne

cessary, in order to attempt this, that we should assume the perfection of any such system, or of society itself, at present. It is only necessary to place before us such an IDEAL of what education ought to be, in order to stimulate zeal, excite ambition, and energize effort. It is impossible for an individual or

society ever to improve, without placing before it the ideal beauty of something better than exists, or has existed, in our experience. It is thus that scripture continually places before us, for imitation, the character of God, the beauty of excellence, and the loveliness of a holy society; and is it not certain that he who strives to form himself upon such models will attain a purer and a higher character, than he who shall confine himself to any standard of character yet. attained among even the brightest of men? American education must ever keep in sight the fact that it is not the most glorious nation of antiquity, nor the greatest of modern days, that we are to imitate; but that, on the contrary, there is no model for us. We are to be ourselves a model: we are a model. If America has presented any thing new to the world, it is a new form of society; if she has any thing worthy to preserve, it is the principles upon which that society is instituted: hence it is not a Grecian or a Roman education we need-it is not one conceived in China, Persia, or France. On the contrary, it must have all the characteristics of the American mind, fresh, original, vigorous, enterprising; embarrassed by no artificial barriers, and looking to a final conquest over the last obstacles to the progress of human improvement.

The organization of the business of education concerns chiefly three things: 1st, The teacher, and his qualifications; 2d, The process of instruction; and 3d, Knowledge and its classification.

The first two, the teacher and his method of teaching, are intimately connected; for whatever the mind of the teacher is, that he will, as far as depends on human power, impress upon what he does and upon those he instructs. The power of mind upon mind, in this respect, is most wonderful. Could the whole truth on this subject be known, we should be more careful in selecting teachers than in making laws. So far as biography and history give us an insight into the effects of education upon mind, there is scarcely a single example of a really great mind whose early bent or impressions have not been derived from a mother or teacher remarkable for the strength or brilliance of their own minds. If, then, we could secure the thorough education of mothers and teachers, we should secure the best education of society. In the following chapters I have considered first the teacher and his qualifications, for in them are laid the foundations of all education.

Knowledge and its classification constitute the subject of teaching; and its special topics must be chosen and emphasized (more or less) according to the principles I have already indicated. They must conform to the organization, the civilization, and the religion of the nation, if, as I suppose, the object is to perpetuate the institutions already existing, or to improve them, if the primary ideas of those institutions.

are correct.

At the foundations of this knowledge, in regard to the republic of the United States, lie these ideas :

1. The idea of its government, contained in the Constitution.

2. The idea of modern science, as developed in modern civilization.

3. The idea of Christianity, contained in the Bible. These are the elements peculiar to our nation and times; and while they are by no means all the topics which enter into a complete system of instruction, they are those which require an emphasis in America. One who reads and reflects will see that they hardly touch upon what were the great staples of ancient instruction. Metaphysical philosophy, which was then discussed among all classes of people, scarcely enters into the above account except as a systematized branch of modern science; but does it follow that we shall be deficient in that branch of philosophy? Not at all; for a free country is the very cradle of metaphysical discussion. At this moment there is hardly a political question in the nation which does not involve metaphysical arguments ; but yet more has Christianity rendered that instruction unnecessary, by defining all that it was necessary to define, and leaving to human reason all that can fairly be deduced from revealed facts.

In this volume I have confined myself chiefly to those subjects which belong to the idea of an American education, as it has been here described.

CHAPTER IV.

THE TEACHER-HIS QUALIFICATIONS, HIS TEACHING, AND HIS

CHARACTER.

"It requires great wisdom and industry to advance a considerable estate, much art and contrivance and pains to raise a great and regular building; but the greatest and noblest work in the world, and an effect of the greatest prudence and care, is to rear and build up a man, and to form and fashion him to piety, and justice, and temperance, and all kind of honest and worthy actions.”—Tillotson.

In

Who is the teacher said to be abroad upon the earth,—once the subject of inspiration-now of legislation, seeking to mingle with statesmen in the government of men? What are his limits? vain I seek to confine him. It seems to me that earth has no prison-house for him. His limits are the boundaries of mind itself. For into what circle of the arts does he not enter? Over what secret emotions of the soul has he not control? What field in the wide domain of knowledge does he not penetrate? Into what lonely nook of society does he send no influence?

Though the business of teaching (considered in its absolute sense) may be as wide and as durable as the universe of intelligent beings, yet we may study and deduce the laws of right instruction, from our knowledge of the laws of mind, and its operation in society. The philosopher in vain attempts to trace the