,the ,philosophy of ,teaching4          
,,the ,,teacher1    ,,the ,,pupil1 ,,the
 ,,school4      ,,by    ,,nathaniel     
,,sands4        ,,new ,,york3           
,,harper  ,,brothers1 ,,publishers1     
,,franklin ,,square4    #ahfi4          
,entered1 according to ,act of          
,congress1 in the year #ahfi1 by        
,,harper  ,,brothers1    ,in the        
,clerk's ,office of the ,district ,court
 of the ,united ,states for the         
,southern ,district of ,new ,york4      
,,the ,,teacher1 ,,the ,,pupil1 ,,the   
,,school4      ,,teacher ,,and ,,pupil4 
,of the various callings to which the   
division of labor has caused man        
specially to devote himself1 there is   
none to be compared for nobility or     
usefulness with that of the true        
teacher4 ,yet neither teachers nor      
people  at present realize this truth4  
,among the very few lessons of value    
which might be derived from so-called   
classical studies1 is that of the proper
 estimate in which the true  teacher    

should be held2 for among the ,greeks no
 calling or occupation was  more        
honored4 ,yet with a strange perversity1
 albeit for centuries the  precious time
 of youth has been wasted1 and the minds
 and morals of the  young perverted by  
classical studies1 this one lesson has  
been  disregarded4    ,what duty can be 
more responsible1 what vocation more    
holy1 than that of  training the young  
in habits of industry1 truthfulness1    
economy1 and  sobriety2 of giving to    
them that knowledge and skill without   
which their  lives would become a burden
 to themselves and to society8 ,yet1    
while the  merchant seeks to exercise   
the greatest caution in selecting the   
persons  to whom he intrusts his        
merchandise1 and yields respect to him  
who  faithfully performs his commercial 
engagements2 he makes but scant inquiry 
as to the character or qualifications of
 the ,,mind-,,builder upon whose  skill1
 judgment1 and trustworthiness the      
future of his children will  greatly    

depend4    ,the position assigned by our
 social rules to the teacher accords1   
not with  the nobility of his functions1
 but with the insufficient appreciation 
entertained of them by the people1 and  
is accompanied by a corresponding       
inadequate remuneration4 ,and what is   
the result8 ,except a few               
single-hearted1 noble men and women1 by 
whom the profession of the teacher  is  
illustrated and adorned2 except a few   
self-sacrificing heroes and  heroines   
whose love of children and of mankind   
reconciles them to an  humble lot and   
ill-requited labors1 the class of       
school-teachers  throughout the whole   
civilized world barely reaches the level
 of that  mediocrity which in all other 
callings suffices to obtain not merely a
  comfortable maintenance in the        
present1 but a provision against        
sickness  and for old age4    ,what     
aspiring father1 what ,cornelia among   
mothers1 select for their  children the 
profession of a teacher as a field in   

which the talents and  just ambition of 
such children may find scope8 ,nor can  
we hope for any  improvement until a    
juster appreciation of the nobility of  
the teacher's  vocation1 and a more     
generous remuneration of his labors     
shall generally  prevail4    ,it is to  
the desire to aid somewhat in bringing  
about a juster  appreciation in the     
minds alike of teachers and of people of
 the utility  and nobleness of the      
teacher's labors and vocation that these
 pages owe  their origin4    ,when we   
consider the nature of the ,being over  
whose future the teacher is  to exercise
 so great an influence1 whose mind he is
 to store with  knowledge1 and whom he  
is to train in the practice of such     
conduct as  shall lead to his happiness 
and well-being1 we are lost in amazement
 at  the extent of the knowledge and    
perfection of the moral attributes which
  should have been acquired by the      
teacher4 ,it is his duty to make his    
pupils acquainted with that nature of   

which they form a part1 by which  they  
are surrounded1 and which is rubbing    
against them at every step in  life4    
,but he can not teach that of which he  
himself is ignorant4 ,every  science    
then may in turn become necessary or    
desirable to be employed as  an         
instructive agent1 every art may be made
 accessory to illustrate some  item of  
knowledge or to elucidate some moral    
teaching4    ,man is his subject1 and   
with the nature of that subject and of  
his  surroundings he must be acquainted1
 that the object to be attained and the 
means for its attainment may be known to
 him4    ,what is man8 ,what are his    
powers1 what is his destiny1 and for    
what  purpose and for what object was he
 created8 ,let us enter the laboratory  
of  the chemist and commence our labors4
 ,let us take down the crucible and     
begin the analysis1 and endeavor to     
solve this important problem4 ,in       
studying the great ,cosmos we perceive  
each being seeking its happiness        

according to the instincts implanted in 
him by the ,creator1 and only in  man we
 see his happiness made dependent on the
 extent to which he  contributes to the 
happiness of others4 ,what1 so far as we
 can see1 would  this earth be without  
any inhabitants8 ,what great purpose in 
the economy  of nature could it serve8  
,a palace without a king1 a house       
without an  occupant1 a lonely and      
tenantless world1 while we now see it   
framed in all  its beauty for the       
enjoyment of happiness4    ,the ,being  
upon whom the art and science of the    
teacher is to be exercised  is one to   
whom food1 clothing1 fuel1 and shelter  
are needful2 possessed of  organs of    
digestion1 whose functions should be    
made familiar to their  possessor2 of   
breathing organs1 to whose healthful    
exercise pure air is  essential2 a being
 full of life and animation1            
locomotive--desirous of  moving from    
place to place2 an emotional being1     
susceptible to emotions of  joy and     

sorrow1 love and hate1 hope and fear1   
reverence and contempt1 and  whose      
emotions should be so directed that     
their exercise should be  productive of 
happiness to others4 ,he is also an     
intellectual being1  provided with      
senses by which to receive impressions  
and acquire a  knowledge of external    
things2 with organs of comparison and of
 reason1 by  which to render available  
for future use the impressions received 
through  the senses in the past4        
,lastly3 he is also a social being1 to  
whom  perpetual solitude would be       
intolerable2 sympathizing in the pains  
and  pleasures of others1 needing their 
protection1 sympathy and co-operation   
for his own comfort1 and desirous of    
conferring protection upon and of       
co-operating with them4 ,but1 further1  
he is a being who desires to be  loved  
and esteemed1 and finds the greatest    
charm of existence in the love  and     
esteem he receives2 to be loved and     
esteemed and cared for1 he must  love1  

esteem and care for others1 and be      
generally amiable and useful4    ,such  
is the ,being1 susceptible of pain and  
pleasure1 of sorrow and joy1  whom the  
,,mind-,,builder is to train up so that1
 as far as possible1 the  former may be 
averted and the latter secured4    ,the 
teacher1 then1 must train him in habits 
of industry and skill1 that  work may be
 pleasant and easy to him1 and held in  
honorable esteem2 for  without work1    
skillfully performed1 neither food1     
clothing1 fuel nor  shelter can be      
obtained in sufficient quantity to avoid
 poverty and  suffering4 ,knowledge also
 must be acquired by the laborer1 in    
order that  the work which is to be     
skillfully performed may be performed   
with that  attention to the conditions  
of mechanical1 chemical1 electrical1 and
 vital  agencies necessary to render    
labor productive4 ,a knowledge of the   
conditions of mechanics1 of chemistry1  
of electricity1 and of vital  phenomena 
should be imparted by the teacher2 and  

to impart this knowledge1  he must first
 possess it4    ,how sublime1 then1 are 
the qualifications1 natural and         
acquired1 which the  true teacher should
 possess6 ,how deep should be our       
reverence for him who1  by his skill and
 knowledge1 is capable1 and by his moral
 qualities  willing1 to perform duties  
so onerous and so difficult4 ,what      
station in  life can be regarded as more
 exalted2 whose utility can be compared 
with  that of him who proves himself    
faithful to the duties he assumes1 when 
he  takes upon himself the office of a  
teacher of youth8    ,the question which
 is ever present to the mind of the true
 teacher is3  ,what can ,i do to insure 
the happiness of these beings confided  
to my  charge1 whose minds it is given  
to me to fashion1 not according to my   
will1 but according as my skill and     
judgment shall1 more or less1 enable  me
 to adapt my teachings to their natures8
 ,what shall ,i seek to engrave  upon   
the clear tablets of their young and    

tender minds1 in order that  their      
future lot may be a joyous one8 ,let me 
illustrate 7he will say7 my  profession4
 ,i will raise it high as the most      
honored among men1 and for my  monument 
,i will say3 ,look around2 see the good 
works of those whom ,i have  taught and 
trained2 they are my memorials6    ,such
 may1 such will become the hope and     
aspiration common to teachers in  that  
good day to come1 when their labors     
shall be honored as they deserve2  when 
parents1 in all the different ranks into
 which society falls1 shall  vie with   
each other in the respect and honor     
tendered to the teacher1  whose true    
place in society is at least not beneath
 that of the ,judge4    ,the teachers to
 be developed by such a state of society
 will1 as their  first step1 seek to    
obtain a clear and comprehensive view of
 the work they  propose to accomplish1  
and will then seek to adopt the most    
judicious  means to reach the end       
proposed4 ,they will adapt their methods

 of teaching  to the nature of the      
object to be taught and to the order in 
which the  faculties of the human mind  
naturally unfold themselves1 for true   
education is the natural unfolding of   
the intellectual germ4 ,in order to     
obtain the knowledge necessary of the   
object to be taught1 the true  teacher  
turns to nature as his guide1 for the   
voice of nature is the voice  of ,god1  
and in reading her statutes we read that
 grand volume in which ,he  has left an 
impress of ,himself4 ,the science of    
nature is nothing more  than the ability
 to read and interpret correctly the    
lessons taught4 ,there  was a period    
when mankind knew very little of the    
planet upon which they  lived and moved 
and had their being2 there was a time   
when they knew  almost nothing2 and     
there will come a time when they will   
know almost  every thing that can be    
known by finite man4 ,the earth is our  
mother1  and nature is our teacher1 and 
if we listen to her voice1 she will lead

  us higher and higher until we will    
stand the master and the king in the    
glorified temple of wisdom4 ,to reach   
results so grand and a position so      
exalted1 our natures must unfold in     
exact harmony with all the laws and     
forces which surround and control us    
from the time our existence commences   
until its close4    ,from the period of 
conception until birth the child draws  
to itself all  the essential elements   
required for the organization of a human
 being2 the  capabilities and powers of 
the parent are taxed and called upon to 
contribute their material to enable     
nature to reproduce itself4    ,the     
child is born1 and then1 in a higher and
 more enlarged and more  independent    
state of existence1 commences drawing to
 itself the materials  and substances   
necessary for its growth and unfolding4 
,it draws in its  mother's milk1 it     
draws in the air1 and it builds up in   
itself the unseen  forces of life4      
,nature1 true to her mission1 goes on   

unfolding the child1  and teaches it    
daily and hourly the lessons best       
adapted to its condition4  ,in a few    
days after it is born1 its powers of    
observation begin to show  signs of life
 and action1 and it can distinguish     
light from darkness2 in  a few weeks its
 mother and nurse are known--in a few   
months quickened  intelligence displays 
itself in all its actions2 in about     
twelve months it  has learned the most  
difficult art of balancing itself so as 
to walk1 and  also to speak a few words2
 at from two to two and a half years of 
age1  only thirty months from birth1 it 
has learned a language which it speaks1 
and has become familiar with a vast     
number of things surrounding it4 ,from  
a state of entire ignorance it has in   
thirty months learned what would  fill  
volumes4 ,horses1 cows1 pigs1 dogs1     
toys1 whips1 birds1 people1 trees1      
houses1 fruit1 food1 clothes1 music1    
sounds1 parents1 friends1 and a         
thousand other things are all familiar  

to it4 ,without professional  teachers1 
almost without effort1 all this valuable
 and indispensable  knowledge has been  
acquired1 through the unconscious       
adoption on the part  of the mother of  
the true system of education--e duco--,i
 lead forth1 and  hence nurse1 cherish1 
build up1 develop4    ,the child feels  
or reaches out1 like the tendril1 to the
 material world1  seeking to make itself
 acquainted with that world2 even the   
young infant  soon begins to observe    
closely1 soon knows its mother from all 
other  persons1 clings to her1 loves her
 above all2 soon it recognizes light    
from  darkness1 sweet from bitter2 soon1
 when it sees a dog it will recognize it
  and jump with delight almost out of   
its mother's arms2 it will show an      
eager delight to watch the motions of   
the horse1 and imitates the sounds      
employed by adults when driving4 ,he    
spreads forth the tentacles of his      
feeble mind for knowledge1 and his mind 
grows by what it feeds upon1 and  it is 

for those intrusted with the infant's   
training to respond  intelligently to   
the child's desire1 to place within its 
reach the mental  food adapted to its   
digestion1 to nourish and develop it so 
that its  mental hunger shall be at once
 gratified and excited anew4    ,it is  
here1 and to this end1 that the able    
teacher steps in1 to perfect  the       
development of the future man and woman4
 ,he educates1 by assisting the  natural
 unfolding of the intellectual germ1 he 
places within reach of the  child-mind  
the food needed to its growth1 and the  
child-mind reaches out  its tentacles   
and absorbs the nourishment offered to  
it4 ,thus the mind  grows from within   
outward1 and the teacher aids its       
development1 as the  careful husbandman 
by tilling and enriching the soil       
according to the  nature of the plant he
 cultivates1 produces a healthy and     
fruitful plant4    ,the true teacher    
does not seek to teach by simply putting
 books into the  child's hand1 and      

bidding it to learn2 he addresses       
himself to those  faculties and powers  
of the child's mind1 which bring it in  
relation with  the world in which it    
lives4 ,sight1 hearing1 touch1 smell1   
taste1 and  thence observation1         
judgment1 perception1 reason1 memory1   
hope1  imagination1 and the love of the 
beautiful are appealed to1 developed and
  strengthened by natural exercise1 even
 as the organs and limbs of the body    
are developed and strengthened by       
gymnastic and other appropriate         
exercises4    ,education1 mental and    
physical1 is but the ,,absorption of    
surrounding  elements into the mind and 
body--an arrangement an assimilation of 
materials so as to incorporate them into
 the being to whose nourishment  they   
are applied1 just as the tree or plant  
assimilates to its growth and           
subsistence the materials which it draws
 from the air and the soil4    ,it is   
thus apparent that a great change in the
 system and principles now  adopted in  

teaching is required1 and if we change  
the principles we must1  of course1     
change the instruments4 ,these are now  
adapted to the method of  teaching from 
,,without inward4 ,if we are to invert  
the system1 and teach  from within      
outward1 then must our means and        
appliances be adapted to this  change4  
,the task1 the forcing process1 the     
stuffing and cramming must all  give way
 to the natural mental growth1 fostered1
 cherished1 unfolded by  culture1 in    
accord with nature and with law4 ,the   
inquiry then arises3 ,what  are to be   
the new means and appliances for mental 
culture8 ,we have but to  turn again to 
,nature as our teacher and our guide2   
her instincts are  unerring4 ,the seed  
germinates and pushes forth its root    
from within  outward4 ,the expansion or 
growth takes place by means of the      
elements  which it attracts to itself1  
when these are placed within its reach1 
and  towards which it stretches forth   
its organs4 ,these elements it          

assimilates  into and makes a part of   
itself4 ,this process of ,nature1 so    
familiar to  most of us1 serves to      
illustrate exactly what should take     
place in  intellectual growth4 ,the mind
 hungers and feels out for and is       
impelled by  a natural internal impulse 
to gather to itself the elements of     
knowledge2  the wise teacher steps      
forward and becomes to the germinating  
intellect  what the sun and dew and rain
 are to the plant4 ,the mind must be fed
 in  conformity with its longings1 its  
wants1 its desires4 ,blessed are they   
that hunger and thirst after            
righteousness4 ,the teacher develops    
this  hunger and thirst by stimulating  
inquiry1 and by presenting to the mind  
the use and beauty of knowledge2 and    
when the mind gives signs that its      
hunger is temporarily appeased1 that    
time is now required for mental         
digestion and assimilation1 the wise    
teacher rests1 and would no more        
attempt to stuff and cram the mind than 

the wise mother would seek to  force    
food into her child's stomach4          
,intellectual growth of some kind1 not  
less than bodily growth1 whether  good  
or evil1 is constantly taking place4 ,it
 should be the teacher's care  to render
 that growth a healthy one1 calculated  
to insure the happiness of  the subject1
 and1 in securing his own happiness1 to 
contribute to the  happiness of others4 
,the body being visible to the physical 
eye1 its growth is also visible1  and we
 do not think of feeling impatient at   
the long months and years  required for 
it to attain its full proportions2 nor  
do we seek by any  forcing process to   
produce a man at #aj instead of at #bj  
or #cj years of  age4    ,were the mind 
and its growth also visible to the eye1 
we would be equally  careful in our     
treatment of it4 ,man's first impulse in
 an uncivilized  state has generally    
been a resort to force for the          
accomplishment of his  objects2 and as  
he took his first step forward the      

habits of his barbaric  life remained   
with him4 ,hence1 the first steps in    
teaching were by  force--the lash1 the  
rod1 the school penal code2 but even as 
when hungry1  wholesome and well-dressed
 food rejoices us1 so will the mind     
gladly  accept the mental food carefully
 prepared for it by the true teacher4   
,we live in a world adapted by its      
,creator to our happiness and highest   
well-being4 ,it is not only possible1   
but easy1 to win from ,nature all that  
is necessary or desirable1 for our      
sustenance and comfort4 ,it is the true 
teacher's duty to fit the child thus to 
win its happiness2 and such a  teacher  
has ever present to his mind the        
question3 ,how am ,i to perform  this   
duty8 ,what sort of teaching and        
training am ,i to give to the subjects  
of my care8 ,let us endeavor to find    
some direction to guide us to ,nature's 
answer to this question4                
,,teaching ,,and ,,training             
,whether we regard private schools or   

public schools1 boarding or day         
schools1 we find that much which goes on
 at them affords an important  lesson1  
not as to what to follow1 but what to   
avoid4    ,is there any thing worthy of 
the name1 of confiding intercourse      
between  teacher and pupil known upon   
this continent1 or to extend our        
inquiry1 we  may say1 known anywhere8   
,here and there exceptional instances   
will be  found1 as we have before said1 
both in this country and in ,europe1 of 
men  and women devoted to their noble   
profession1 between whom and their      
pupils  there has grown up the strongest
 bond of parental and fraternal         
affection4  ,to these teachers the      
pupils run in every difficulty for its  
solution1 in  every danger for          
protection2 but with these exceptions   
the teacher is  looked upon as a        
task-master1 sometimes even as a spy2   
the tasks set to be  shirked as much as 
possible1 the observation of the teacher
 to be eluded  and deceived4            

,lesson-time over1 the children resort  
to their tame animals1 to their         
weaving-machines1 their wind-mills and  
dams2 to their gardens1 kites and       
ships2 to swimming1 rowing1 foot-ball1  
marbles1 leap-frog1 base-ball and       
cricket4 ,in the practice of these      
games1 skill1 dexterity and knowledge   
are acquired of which the pupils        
appreciate the utility1 and enjoy not   
only for present1 but for anticipated   
future use4    ,natural ,history1 to be 
taught in school and made a reality1 by 
following  the guide given us by nature 
in the amusements to which children     
resort of  their own accord1 should be a
 prominent subject of instruction and   
training in the school4 ,cultivating the
 faculties of observation and of        
analysis1 it should be among the        
earliest subjects of instruction1 and1  
at  the same time1 of amusement4    ,but
 they ought not to be taught from books2
 nature and the teacher are the  only   
books to be employed until considerable 

progress has been made by the  pupils4  
,it is so easy to procure the things    
themselves for the study of  botany2 an 
abundant supply of wild flowers can be  
so readily obtained1  sufficient to     
enable each child to be supplied with   
specimens for  examination and          
dissection4 ,the interest of the        
children in their study  can be so      
easily awakened and sustained by the    
judicious teacher1 the  difficulties of 
the supposed hard words of scientific   
names disappear so  readily1 that the   
real difficulty is to understand how so 
obvious a  subject of instruction is    
either wholly banished from the schools1
 or  sought to be taught only from      
books1 without any reference to living  
nature4    ,the variety and multiplicity
 of insect life affords ample           
opportunity for  the study of that      
branch of natural history--and          
entomology would be found  not less     
beautiful and interesting than botany2  
the delightful excursions  in which     

teachers and pupils would join for the  
gathering of objects of  natural history
 would at the same time serve to        
strengthen the bond of  affection which 
should exist between them4 ,the nature  
of his own body and  the functions of   
his various organs will soon interest   
the pupil1 and  along with instruction  
therein he would learn the qualities of 
the  different kinds of animal and      
vegetable substances in use for food1   
their  relative value and importance in 
building up his body2 he would learn to 
compare the food now in use with that   
which was employed by our ancestors1    
and what has given rise to the adoption 
of the new and abandonment of the  old2 
the methods of cookery best adapted to  
each kind of food1 and what  kinds of   
food are suitable for particular ages   
and states of health2 what  material1   
vegetable or animal1 is most suitable   
for clothing1 separately  or in         
combination4 ,he would learn to compare 
our present style of clothing  with that

 adopted in past ages2 he would learn   
the history of the changes  which have  
been adopted1 and while feeling desirous
 of retaining such as  have been wisely 
adopted1 might learn from past          
experience to desire to  return to some 
good habits as to clothing which have   
been abandoned4    ,the tight-fitting   
garments in which we unhealthily clothe 
our bodies1 a  fashion for which we are 
indebted to the use of armor in times   
when the  chief occupation of man was   
mutual slaughter1 and the great object  
of  desire to secure protection against 
hostile weapons1 might some time come   
to be discarded for the more healthful  
practices of the ancient ,asiatics  and 
,romans1 if a general knowledge of the  
unhealthfulness of our present          
practices should come to prevail4       
,the necessity and meaning of light and 
cleanliness1 the indifference of  the   
human body to all natural changes of    
temperature1 when strengthened  and     
maintained in health by wholesome food  

and efficient bathing1 might  lead to   
the taking of effective measures to     
restore the old ,roman bath to  general 
use4    ,as regards shelter1 why a      
building on the ground is generally to  
be  preferred to a cave or shelter in   
the ground--what materials are best     
adapted for roofs1 what for walls1      
floors1 windows1 why we use stone or    
brick in one part of the country and    
wood in another2 what sizes1 shapes1    
means of warmth and ventilation1 for    
privacy and social enjoyment1 should  be
 adopted1 and as regards furniture and  
utensils1 what are most suitable  for   
the several parts of a dwelling2 what   
should guide our selection of  material1
 fabrics1 shape1 size and pattern2 how  
to establish a  communication from one  
part of a building to another2 how water
 and light  are to be had most readily4 
,all these things should form the       
subject of  school study and inquiry4   
,the means of locomotion1 how streets1  
roads and paths should be laid out  and 

maintained2 the construction and use of 
carriages1 cars1 wagons1  tramways1     
railroads1 ships1 steamers1 propelling  
power2 where bridges  should be built1  
and how2 viaducts and embankments to    
cross valleys1  cuttings and tunnels to 
penetrate hills and mountains2 these1   
too1 simply  at first1 and afterwards in
 more elaborate detail1 should form     
subjects of  school instruction1 the    
rules determining the selection of each 
and the  methods of their construction  
not being preached in lectures1 ex      
,cathedra1 but evolved by a patient     
questioning of nature1 by experiment    
and the ,socratic method of inquiry4    
,exercise of the limbs under the        
direction of a skilled instructor1 so   
that all the muscles of the body may  be
 duly trained1 and a healthy body built 
up to support a healthy mind4  ,the     
kinds of recreation to be selected1     
whether bull-baiting1  cock-fighting1   
rat-catching or prize-fighting1 should  
be preferred to  games of skill and     

strength1 to the drama1 literature1     
works of art1  public walks1 gardens1   
and museums2 the comparative influence  
of all these  upon the health1 strength1
 courage1 activity1 humanity1 refinement
 and  happiness of society2 how people  
may be led to prefer such as tend to    
general well-being to those which have a
 tendency to brutalize and debase4  ,all
 these also should be dwelt upon in the 
school4    ,how stores of food1 of      
clothing1 of fuel and of the materials  
for building  may be collected and      
preserved2 how present labor may be made
 to supply  future wants1 and the       
thought of future enjoyment be made to  
sweeten the  present toil4 ,how the     
means of instruction and of amusement   
may be  secured4 ,how all engaged in    
supplying one need of society co-operate
 with  all who are engaged in supplying 
its other needs4 ,what form of          
government  is best1 and how it may be  
best administered4 ,how upright judges  
may be  secured1 justice administered1  

and society protected against internal  
and  external foes4 ,these and all the  
other subjects enumerated would1 if     
handled by a true teacher1 be found most
 attractive to children4    ,the names  
given to the subjects at which we have  
glanced are3 ,natural  ,history1 the    
,mathematical and ,physical ,sciences in
 all their branches1  ,vegetable and    
,animal ,physiology1 the ,political and 
,social ,sciences2 which  should be     
presented in the order in which the     
attention and desire to  learn could be 
aroused4    ,it will hardly fail to     
strike the mind of the reader that      
nothing has yet  been said about giving 
instruction in the use of those tools   
for acquiring  knowledge1 reading1      
writing1 ciphering and drawing4 ,the    
true teacher will  understand the       
omission4 ,the commencement of the      
instruction in reading1  writing1       
ciphering1 drawing1 and in spelling1    
would take place as part of  the object 
lesson which should be adopted as the   

first step to knowledge1  and should be 
retained in the most advanced classes as
 the most perfect  method of applying   
the knowledge which has been acquired4  
,it would soon be  understood by the    
pupils that the power of reading1 of    
writing1 of  designing and of           
calculating is essential to the         
acquirement of knowledge1  and to any   
thing like extent and variety of        
information on subjects  relating to    
individual and social well-being4 ,the  
desire of acquiring this  knowledge     
would quicken the faculties of the      
children1 augment their  industry1 and  
lighten the labors of the teacher to an 
indefinable extent4  ,the teacher who   
should fail to impart a moderate degree 
of skill in these  arts to most1 and of 
excellence to many1 at the same time    
that adequate  progress was made in the 
study of the sciences we have named1    
should be  deemed unfit for his         
profession1 and not be allowed to       
relieve himself  from disgrace by       

magnifying the difficulties of his task 
or by complaints  of the idleness or    
want of capacity of his pupils4 ,as     
children will take  interest in what    
they learn in proportion to their       
understanding of its  bearing upon their
 own happiness1 and upon their actual   
life and  surroundings1 the knowledge of
 themselves as beings acted upon by     
surrounding objects and by their own    
kind1 should be carefully imparted to   
them simultaneously with the knowledge  
of the qualities of the surrounding     
objects destined to act upon them4      
,children thus worked upon by skilled   
and earnest instructors2 led to find    
out and observe the properties of that  
,nature of which they form a part2      
their minds nourished by the enjoyment  
which follows the mastering of  every   
difficulty1 and the addition of every   
fresh item of knowledge to  their       
previous store2 trained also in habits  
of healthfulness and of  amiability2    
will not only cheerfully give themselves

 to study1 but will  also seek to       
dignify by their conduct and to improve 
by practice the  knowledge they         
progressively acquire1 soon             
understanding1 among other  things1 why 
they are sent to school and the         
importance of that education1  part of  
which they are to acquire at school4    
,as the object of the school-teaching   
should be to prepare the pupils for     
actual life1 they should be made        
familiar with the idea that all their   
means of subsistence and enjoyment can  
only be obtained by labor2 not only     
should their attention be called to the 
fact1 but they should be made  sensible 
how much skill1 knowledge and labor and 
economy were needed for  the creation of
 existing stores1 and are needed for    
their maintenance in  undiminished      
quantity2 nor can this be done in any   
way more fitly or  completely than by   
performing under their eyes1 and causing
 them to take  part in1 the actual      
business of production4 ,the            

well-ordered school is an  industrial   
school1 in which every industrial       
occupation1 manufacturing or            
agricultural1 for the carrying on of    
which convenience can be made1 should   
be successively practised by the        
children1 under the direction of skilled
  workers4    ,the farm1 the factory1   
the shop1 the counting-house and the    
kitchen1  should each have its type in  
the school1 and present to the minds of 
the  children a picture of real life2   
while their practice would impart a     
skill  and adaptability to the pupils   
which would insure their preparedness   
for  all the vicissitudes of the most   
eventful life4    ,can any reason be    
suggested for adopting a different      
system of instruction  for girls than   
that which shall be determined on as    
best fitted for boys8  ,we confess to   
our inability to perceive any--both are 
organisms of the  same all-pervading    
nature--to both the most intimate       
knowledge of that  which skill and      

perseverance secure1 seems to be        
desirable for their  happiness1 and that
 of all mankind4 ,of the two1 perhaps1  
the greatest  knowledge is needed for   
the woman1 ,,for ,,hers ,,is ,,the      
,,more ,,important ,,and ,,more         
,,perfected ,,organism2 to her is       
committed the performance of the chief  
functions of the highest act of         
organized beings1 viz41 reproduction2   
therefore1 upon her knowledge and       
conduct1 far more than upon that of the 
man1 depends the future of the beings in
 whom she is to live again4    ,another 
great object with the true teacher1 will
 be so to train the  judgment of his    
pupils as to avoid that forming of      
unconsidered opinion  which is the      
parent of prejudice and a chief obstacle
 to progress4 ,trained  to investigate  
the foundations of every fact in nature 
and in science1 to  weigh the evidences 
on which they are asked to receive      
assertions1 whether  of a physical1     
moral or social nature1 they will ever  

have a reason for  the faith that is in 
them2 and will know how to ,,suspend    
,,judgment when the  means of knowledge 
are insufficient4    ,such pupils will  
not be apt to form opinions either in   
physical science1  politics1 or         
industrial life1 without having first   
thoroughly examined the  bases of the   
opinions they form and express1 while   
the prejudices imbibed  from nurses or  
parents1 will be subjected to vigorous  
investigation1 and  either received as  
sound doctrine1 or discarded as         
ill-founded and  superstitious4 ,of how 
many prejudices are we not the victims1 
without  being ourselves in the least   
conscious of the fact6 ,our political   
opinions1 our social customs1 are taken 
up like the fashion of a coat1  without 
reason or reflection2 and habit and     
association1 but too often  hold us     
captive long after reason has pronounced
 her condemnation2 our  minds have been 
warped from truth1 and we fail to       
perceive our own  deficiency1 to        

recognize the mental dishonesty with    
which we are  afflicted4 ,all this will 
be averted in the case of those who in  
their  youth are trained to a rigorous  
investigation of every fact presented to
  their minds1 until the habit of truth1
 not merely of speaking and telling  the
 truth1 but that mental truthfulness    
which shrinks from accepting a          
falsehood for truth1 and acknowledges   
ignorance rather than utter what is  not
 assured--will become as much a part of 
the pupil's nature as is his  desire for
 food4 ,in short1 he would be so trained
 as to feel as great a  repugnance to   
plunge his mind into moral1 as his body 
into material filth4    ,again1 while   
ever merciful and pitying to the        
criminal1 he would be  intolerant of    
falsehood wherever it might be found2   
and he would deem  himself derelict in  
his duty1 as a man and as a citizen1 did
 he leave  corruption to rot and fester 
in the ,commonwealth1 because he and    
others  like him would not take the     

trouble to raise their voices against   
wrongdoers6    ,what a different aspect 
would not this great city of ,new ,york 
offer to our  inspection to what it now 
presents1 had a generation been trained 
in the  knowledge1 and practised in the 
observance of their duties as citizens6 
,did those merchants and traders1 who1  
in their private dealings would  scorn a
 lie1 but recognize the duty they owe as
 citizens and as men of  truth1 they    
would1 by uniting1 soon sweep away the  
serious discredit to  our country and to
 ,republican ,institutions1 the         
festering corruption of  this city and  
of the ,state2 yet it is to their       
supine1 nay wicked  tolerance of the    
evil that we owe the specimens of       
judicial corruption by  which we are    
robbed and dishonored4 ,can it be said  
that any system of  education can be    
sound1 which shall fail to demonstrate1 
at least to the  older pupils1 their    
duties as citizens1 to take an active1  
intelligent and  upright interest in    

public affairs2 that shall fail to      
instruct them in  the principles by     
which their judgments should be guided1 
and lead them to  discard every action  
in public affairs1 which they would not 
approve in  private life8    ,we must   
cease to live in books1 in past         
mystifications1 in useless  theories1 in
 foolish and unprofitable discussions1  
in ancient ideas and  customs1 and grasp
 the living present with all the        
richness1 fullness and  beauty of its   
life4 ,the chemistry of nature1 the work
 of her great  laboratory1 should be the
 study of youth as of age1 instead of   
dead  languages and the vain and foolish
 mythology of ,greeks and ,romans       
wherewith at present we poison the minds
 of the young4    ,can we take burning  
coals into our bosom and not be burned8 
,can we  suffer the impressionable minds
 of youth to be impregnated with the    
filth  of the heathen poets in their    
imaginings of gods as disgusting as     
themselves1 without staining the pure   

tablet of the mind with spots and       
grossness1 while the children acquire a 
distaste for that glorious nature  whose
 volume should be their constant study8 
,we have to deal with the great present1
 with life1 not with death--to  promote 
health1 physical and moral1 not to      
propagate infectious sickness4  ,the    
present1 wisely improved1 leads to a    
happy future1 and is the only  road to  
that goal4 ,we can not jump the present 
and its duties and reach  the future so 
as to enjoy it1 neither can the dead    
past lighten the labors  of the living  
present4 ,there is a past which still   
lives and vivifies the  present1 but the
 quaint and filthy imagery in which the 
ancient priests  disguised from the     
profane--from all but the initiated--the
 mysteries of  their lore1 can be of    
small account to a people whose great   
duty is the  dissemination of light and 
truth4    ,every thing that has any     
relation to man's comfort and           
well-being1 or to  his happiness as a   

social being1 that it is1 and not the   
dead past that we  should learn1 and of 
the things that affect us most nearly we
 should learn  first4 ,what did the     
ancients know of steam1 of electricity1 
of the  material elements of nature1 of 
her forces8 ,and little as we know1 how 
much of that little could be learned    
from a lifelong study of ancient  lore8 
,if there be aught of value in the laws 
of ancient ,rome which has not  been    
translated into our native tongue1 let  
it be translated2 but let not  our youth
 waste precious years in learning to    
play upon an instrument  7,greek or     
,latin7 which when learned can give     
forth no sound4 ,but if we  turn to     
,nature and to her grand volume1 we     
there find all the knowledge  man can   
acquire4 ,from her study1 too1 we can   
learn a lesson1 not perhaps  among the  
least important1 as to the limits fixed 
by nature to human  knowledge4 ,to know 
of a surety what those things are which 
never can be  known to mortal man1 is a 

knowledge1 the want of which has driven 
many to  puerile and superstitious      
practices1 and many more to madness and 
despair4    ,from the great book of     
,nature1 ,god's book1 is to be learned  
the principle  of justice1 of love1 of  
wisdom1 of truth2 and as the germ of    
justice is  developed in the mind1 the  
mind is brought in contact with the     
,great  ,fountain1 absorbs a portion of 
its light1 enlarges1 develops1 becomes  
stronger1 assimilates to itself the     
essence of the great ,godhead1 and      
renders man godlike4    ,so with each of
 the other faculties of man2 each draws 
its nourishment  from its special       
,,fountain4 ,wisdom1 love1 justice1 and 
truth should  preside2 and if judgment1 
sympathy and conscientiousness be       
judiciously  trained and developed1 they
 will help to develop harmoniously all  
the  other faculties4 ,but to this end  
they1 and each and all of man's         
faculties1 must be brought into a       
wholesome1 natural contact1 each with   

its proper food2 and by natural we mean 
not that contact which might            
peradventure happen if left uncared for1
 but such as the nature of the  faculty 
demands for its development in due      
harmony1 to produce the  greatest amount
 of happiness to its possessor4 ,to     
supply this food1 to  bring to each     
faculty its proper aliment1 is the      
business of the true  teacher4 ,if we   
desire a child to be truthful1 we must  
bring it in contact  with truth1 and    
bring it to love truth by causing its   
practice to inure to  the child's       
enjoyment4 ,if we wish it to be wise1 we
 must bring its mind in  contact with   
wisdom1 exercise its analytical powers1 
and train its  judgment2 let it see     
sound judgment producing happiness2 let 
it see how  beautiful and desirable is  
the possession of wisdom1 and the child 
will  soon learn to seek it for its own 
sake4    ,to chastise a child for       
speaking that which is untrue may fill  
it with  fear1 but does not make it love

 truth4 ,the love of truth and of wisdom
  must be cultivated as we cultivate the
 love of music4 ,seek me early1 and  ye 
shall find me4 ,knock1 and it shall be  
opened unto you4 ,that which  the mind  
seeks it will find4 ,the natural        
relationships are established1  and it  
is only for us to work in harmony with1 
and not obstruct or  interfere with     
them4 ,it is the true relationship of   
things we need to  learn4 ,there is     
nothing in us that is not in nature4    
,all the forces  developed in man are   
but developments of nature2 and all the 
forces  required for his nourishment and
 strength exist in the bosom of ,nature4
  ,matter1 light1 heat1 electricity are 
not produced by him4 ,in nature they    
exist2 remove any one of them and he    
perishes4 ,to ,nature then must we ever 
turn as the reservoir of nourishment and
 as the teacher1 by the study of  whose 
volume we learn all of wisdom that can  
be known of mortal man1 or  that can    
tend to his well-being2 and her true    

relationships must be the  constant     
object of our search4 ,before the       
knowledge of her true  relationships    
disappear superstition and fear and     
mystery4 ,the lightning's  flash1 the   
thunder's roar1 the falling meteor and  
the sun's eclipse cease  to terrify and 
alarm4 ,witches1 hobgoblins and demons  
come no longer to  trouble us2 the most 
unusual phenomena awaken only           
philosophical research  and curiosity4  
,and what is true of the full-grown man 
is not less true of  the child4    ,that
 school wherein children above the age  
of infancy fail to assist the  teacher  
in his instruction1 is an ill-ordered   
school4 ,it is not the  subject1 but the
 teacher who is uninteresting2 he       
scolds1 worries and  punishes his       
pupils1 when he himself is the fitter   
subject for the lash4  ,he awakens the  
sense of fear which should lie dormant1 
while the other  faculties of his pupils
 slumber in spiritless inactivity4      
,as the object of education is to       

prepare children to enter successfully  
and happily into life1 and wisely to    
discharge all the duties devolving  upon
 them as they unfold into men and women1
 and occupy the sphere  assigned to     
them1 the simple rule for the course of 
instruction seems to  be1 that they     
should learn those things in the order  
in which they can be  received by the   
child's mind1 which most vitally affect 
their well-being  and happiness4    ,as 
only a healthy1 well-developed body can 
afford a home to a healthy1             
well-developed mind1 physical culture   
claims early and constant attention1    
and should receive that careful regard  
to which the truth contained in  the    
well-known aphorism3 ,we are fearfully  
and wonderfully made1 entitles  it4 ,the
 teachings of the sciences of ,pathology
 and of sanitary science  should be     
judiciously and carefully elucidated1   
practically and  theoretically2         
presented step by step to the mind of   
the child2 and the  child's body and    

mind should be carefully trained1 so as 
to develop all  its physical and mental 
powers in harmony4 ,gymnasiums for the  
body1  conducted by men who have made   
themselves masters of anatomy and       
physiology1 should be an essential      
feature in every school1 so that        
ignorance and the desire to excel may   
not lead to putting a strain upon  the  
system calculated materially to injure  
organs which need careful and  judicious
 development4 ,plays1 games1 dancing1   
marching and the gymnasium  all require 
the careful supervision of a teacher    
well versed in a  practical knowledge of
 the human system1 and thoroughly       
appreciative of  the great truth1 ,we   
are fearfully and wonderfully made4 ,but
 the  foundation for the school as for  
the life career must be laid at home1   
and  much as the teacher can do1 he can 
never supply deficiencies resulting     
from the want of a well-ordered home or 
of a healthy home training4 ,never1     
save under necessity1 should the parent 

yield up his sacred duty to  another1 at
 least during the tender years of       
childhood4    ,the education of the     
heart and of the affections1 is as      
essential as the  school education1 and 
these can never be so well cultivated as
 under the  influence of home4 ,all must
 be developed in order to maintain the  
true  equilibrium4 ,the boarding-school 
is not the place for children to attain 
a  sound moral development1 and the     
sooner parents generally understand this
  truth1 the better for their children1 
for themselves and for society4 ,as     
well uproot the flower1 or shrub or     
tree1 and expect it to flourish1 as to  
cut the child off from the influence of 
home1 and the care of a loving  mother1 
father1 brother and sister1 and hope    
that the sympathetic  faculties of its  
mind can attain their just development4 
,physical culture1 heretofore neglected 
among us--the body being left to  grow  
up as it may happen or chance--will form
 a prominent feature of  training in    

every well-ordered school4 ,all the     
muscles of the body will be  in turn    
exercised1 developed4 ,the ancient      
,greeks afforded us here also a  wise   
example1 which we have signally failed  
to imitate4    ,let us secure for our   
children all the advantages we can from 
an  enlightened and natural system of   
education1 and do all we can to perfect 
both mind and body4 ,how often is the   
cry repeated1 ,mamma1 tell me a  story1 
and mamma1 tired and weary1 says she is 
too busy1 or1 for the want  of a better1
 tells over again for the hundredth     
time1 ,little ,red ,riding  ,hood1 or   
some other equally foolish or more      
injurious tale1 such as  ,bluebeard or  
,cinderella4 ,anecdotes of great men1   
suitably arranged1 events  in history   
and biography1 carrying with them       
valuable and important  morals1 will    
afford all the amusement the child      
desires1 without  developing a love for 
the marvellous and false1 which leads it
 away in  infancy from the simple1      

truthful1 and natural4 ,if children are 
to be  taught to think naturally and    
truthfully1 we can not begin too young1 
and  it is the duty of parents to       
remember that ,valentine and ,orson1    
,cinderella1 ,bluebeard1 and such       
stories1 are a web of false and         
exaggerated statements that will1 and do
 produce injurious effects upon  the    
child's mind4 ,the story of ,aladdin's  
,lamp has made many a child desire  to  
enjoy wealth without labor1 and has     
exerted a most pernicious1 though       
unsuspected1 influence upon his future4 
,children1 not less than men1 seek  an  
easy road to the objects of their       
desires2 and while works of  imagination
 are to be by no means discarded in     
mental training1 such  should not be    
selected as give false notions of the   
busy and industrial  life into which the
 child is to be introduced4 ,even in the
 choice and use  of the finest works of 
fiction1 the greatest caution is        
necessary4 ,the  little one can hardly  

distinguish between a fable that amuses 
it1 and a  lie told to shield it from   
punishment4 ,if it hear nothing but     
truth1 it  will know nothing but truth2 
and a truthful mind is a glorious thing 
to  behold in children as in men4 ,an   
idle brain is the devil's workshop2     
therefore let there be no idle brains1  
but let all work usefully and           
pleasantly4 ,usefully we say1 for even  
amusement is useful4 ,we live in a      
world of use1 in a world of beauty1 a   
world that can be greatly improved1  and
 human happiness largely increased1     
according as we avail ourselves of  the 
knowledge already acquired for the right
 teaching and training of the  young1 so
 that they may grow up and develop into 
happy1 self-supporting  men and women1  
diffusing happiness to all around1      
themselves happy in  proportion to the  
happiness they cause4          ,,the    
,,school4      ,upon the organization   
and arrangement of the school largely   
depends the  success of the educator4   

,two things must be borne constantly in 
mind4  ,first1 to create truthful and   
intellectual atmosphere1 where wisdom1  
honor1 and knowledge can be inhaled as  
with the breath1 and second1 to  make   
the school cheerful and attractive in   
every way possible4 ,we must get  rid of
 the idea now generally prevailing among
 children1 that the school  is to be    
resorted to with regret and escaped from
 with pleasure4    ,so soon as the child
 will look at and become interested in  
pictures and  toys1 and will listen to  
tales and little stories1 it can        
profitably be  introduced in the school1
 the first department of which should be
 the  ,infant-school1 or1 as the        
,germans so aptly term it1 the          
children's garden1  or ,kinder ,garten4 
,here plaiting1 modelling1 and building1
 with simple object lessons for the     
older infants1 develop their powers of  
observation1 and give employment  and   
impart skill to little fingers which    
might else be engaged in  destroying    

furniture or clothes1 or in pilfering   
from the sugar-bowl4  ,practical        
familiarity with the properties of      
lines1 angles1 circles1  spheres1       
cylinders1 cubes1 cones1 and the conic  
sections will be acquired1  which will  
give a life and reality to the          
geometrical studies which will  occupy  
them in their school career4 ,dancing   
and singing will relieve the  tedium of 
sitting1 shake off the surplus energy1  
give rest to the body1  and power1 time1
 and tune to the voice4 ,models of      
houses1 stores1  workshops1 kitchens1   
farms1 and factories1 which later on    
they will assist  in making1 will be a  
source alike of amusement and           
instruction4    ,in the children's      
garden no teacher should have charge of 
more than about  twelve children1 who   
should regard her as their              
mother-teacher1 while she  should seek  
to win the love and confidence of the   
little ones as the  beginning of her    
work4    ,each class of twelve should   

have their own special room1 while for  
general  purposes1 such as music1       
drilling1 gymnastic exercises1 games1   
tableaux1  and exhibitions of the magic 
lantern1 the oxyhydrogen microscope1 the
  stereopticon1 and the like1 they      
should assemble in a large hall4 ,the   
details of arrangements will readily    
suggest themselves4 ,the main feature   
is to have all things natural1 free1    
pleasant1 cheerful1 bright1 refined1    
and unrestrained by external forms or   
rigid rules1 at the same time that      
order is secured by an easy discipline4 
,so deeply are we impressed with the    
importance and utility of the kinder    
garten1 and with the high qualities     
required by the teacher of the very     
young1 that we are more and more        
disposed to believe that the true order 
in rank and promotion among teachers    
should be1 to speak in paradox1         
downwards2 that is to say1 the younger  
the children to be taught1 the  higher  
the rank and remuneration of the        

teacher2 for not only is an  extensive  
range of knowledge necessary to enable  
the teacher truthfully  to answer the   
innumerable questions of inquisitive    
infancy1 and to avoid  giving false     
notions1 to be afterwards with greater  
or less difficulty  removed--always with
 a shock to the moral sentiment when the
 child  discovers it has been           
deceived--but also a knowledge of the   
infant mind1 a  perception of the       
thoughts and fancies which chase one    
another through the  infant brain1 a    
knowledge and perceptive power which    
only a watchful and  loving experience  
can acquire4 ,an industry and a patience
 far beyond any  needed by the teacher  
of more advanced pupils are also        
required by the  highly-cultivated men  
and women1 to whom alone the training of
 infant  minds should be intrusted4     
,advanced pupils go more than half-way  
to meet  their teacher--the infant can  
render no assistance to his1 all has to 
be  borne1 suffered and done for        

him--his future habits depend mainly on 
those  given to him in his earliest     
years4 ,yet the care of him in these    
important  days is generally confided to
 ignorant nurses and to the less-skilled
  class of teachers4    ,in building the
 school1 a pleasing style of            
architecture should be  adopted1 and the
 walls of the main hall should be hung  
with diagrams of  all kinds1            
illustrative of natural history in its  
largest sense1 of the  sciences and of  
the mechanical arts1 and with portraits 
or busts of  distinguished men4 ,the    
walls of the class-rooms should be      
decorated with  diagrams and maps and   
figures referring to the special        
branches taught  therein4    ,a large   
and commodious laboratory should be     
fitted up in the building1 to  enable   
every pupil to acquire experimentally   
that knowledge of chemical  forces and  
action which books alone can never      
impart4 ,a convenient  observatory      
should afford facility for astronomical 

study and observation4    ,on the top   
floors or around the building should be 
arranged workshops1  where the use of   
tools and machinery could be taught4    
,the classes should  assemble in the    
large hall1 in the morning1 where they  
might join in  singing or light         
gymnastic exercises1 or listen to some  
short appropriate  address before       
betaking themselves to their            
class-rooms4    ,the teaching in these  
latter should be conducted1 wherever    
practicable1  upon the ,socratic method1
 and every branch of science and of art 
could be  thus explained4 ,the mother   
unconsciously uses this method in       
educating or  drawing out the first     
perceptions of infancy and early youth2 
and the  impressions derived from this  
method of acquiring knowledge are the   
most  lasting1 being such as become most
 absolutely assimilated with the pupil's
  mind4 ,the teacher would also1 at     
frequent intervals1 conduct his class   
into the fields and woods for the study 

of botany1 entomology1 and  geology1    
where ,nature would supply in abundance 
the materials1 and the  teacher would be
 the only book4 ,instruction in the     
various trades which  could be          
conveniently practised should receive   
attention1 the taste of the  pupils     
being made a guide to selection4        
,some portion of the teaching which goes
 on in school should be performed  by   
the pupils1 under the supervision of the
 teacher4 ,no adult can so  thoroughly  
enter into a child's mind as can another
 child2 nor is this the  only reason4   
,that is not fully known which can not  
be thoroughly used and applied1 and     
knowledge can not be applied which its  
possessor can not himself impart4  ,a   
perfect illustration of this truth is   
furnished us in the training of  the    
soldier4    ,upon nothing1 perhaps1 have
 the knowledge and skill of the most    
powerful  intellects been more          
concentrated than upon the science and  
art of mutual  slaughter2 and in        

establishing the soldiers' drill1 an    
exhaustive analysis  of the means by    
which the desired object was to be      
attained has been  pursued4 ,the men    
whose intellects have developed that    
drill1 have not been  content to treat  
the soldier as a pupil only4 ,each      
recruit has in turn to  teach1 as well  
as to learn to practise what he has     
learned1 by drilling  others whom he is 
made temporarily to command1 as well as 
to practise his  drill under the command
 of his officer2 for only by such means 
could the  highest degree of efficiency 
be secured4 ,the reasons which led to   
the  adoption of this principle in the  
barrack apply equally to the school4    
,this principle of giving and receiving 
we also see exemplified in ,nature4     
,animals inhale oxygen from the air and 
return carbonic acid1 which serves  to  
build up the structure of the plant1 and
 the latter in its turn gives  out      
oxygen to supply the consumption of     
animals4    ,every day--in the middle of

 the day1 in winter1 in the summer1     
early in  the morning1 or in the        
evening--gymnastic training on the      
system of the  ,swedish anatomist ,ling 
or of the ,german ,turners would form a 
portion of  the curriculum1 for which   
convenient apparatus would be provided4 
,biography should form an important     
feature in the course of reading1 its   
subjects being arranged in groups2 and  
the true glory of a ,washington1 a      
,bentham1 a ,stevenson1 a ,morse1 and a 
,cobden distinguished from the false    
glare and tinsel of a ,louis ,,xiv4 and 
a ,marlborough4    ,music1 both vocal   
and instrumental1 would be taught to    
all1 but only those  more gifted by     
nature would be educated to perform     
solo4 ,nearly all  persons can be       
trained to sing part-music pleasantly   
and intelligently1  and to perform      
moderately on some instrument4 ,the     
cultivation of the  musical faculties   
harmonizes the mind1 and affords a      
never-failing source  of solace and     

recreation4 ,the attempt to convert all 
persons into solo  performers1 and the  
hypocritical applause with which their  
discordant  notes are indiscriminately  
greeted1 deprives society of the        
pleasures  which part-music well        
performed would afford1 by encouraging  
all to  attempt what they are pretty    
sure to do badly1 to the exclusion of   
what  they would be equally likely to do
 well4    ,we have reserved for the     
last1 to enumerate what is1 perhaps1 the
 most  important of all the subjects of 
instruction4    ,,to ,,all children1 so 
soon as they can be promoted from the   
kinder  garten--perhaps even to the     
higher grades therein--instruction in   
the  conditions of human well-being1 and
 in the phenomena and arrangements of   
social life should be given1 and should 
be continued throughout their  school   
career4    ,what6 teach political       
economy to children8 ,even so4 ,it will 
be conceded1  that to teach the future  
laborers the laws by which the wages of 

their  labor will be regulated1 how high
 wages may be secured and low wages     
prevented--to teach the future          
capitalists the laws by which their     
profits  will be determined1 how large  
profits may be secured1 and loss1       
failure1  crises1 and panics            
avoided--must be a desirable1 if it be a
 practicable  thing4 ,is it practicable8
 ,the experience of twenty years has    
proved that  it is4 ,the experiment has 
been tried by ,mr4 ,wm4 ,ellis1 the wise
 and noble  founder of the ,birkbeck    
schools of ,london1 ,england1 who not   
only devoted  his surplus means to the  
endowment of true schools1 but gave also
 his time  to instruct in the principles
 of the science of human                
well-being--alike  the poor children by 
whom his schools were attended and the  
children of  the ,queen of ,england4 ,he
 also instructed and trained a corps of 
teachers1  professional and volunteer1  
and by one of the latter a class was    
conducted  in the winter of #ahfg1 '#fh 

at the ,normal ,school of this city of  
some #ce to  #dj teachers engaged in the
 practical work of teaching in our      
common  schools1 who1 under his         
guidance1 became1 after a short course  
of some  twenty or more lessons1        
enthusiastic advocates for the          
introduction of  this study into the    
schools2 for not only does it teach the 
conditions of  industrial success1 but  
it is also a science of morals and of   
ethics far  more worthy of the attention
 it has never yet received in this or1  
indeed1  in any country1 than that which
 is given to what goes under the name of
  moral teaching and training4 ,it is by
 gradual steps--by the employment of    
the ,socratic method of                 
instruction--with a rare use of         
text-books1 that  the most intricate    
problems of this science can be unfolded
 to pupils with  such effect that a     
child of fourteen or fifteen years of   
age1 who shall  have passed through a   
course of four or five years'           

instruction1 would put  to the blush1   
with few exceptions1 alike the members  
of both houses of  the ,united ,states  
,congress and of the ,british           
,parliament4    ,a museum and a library 
would be necessary adjuncts to such a   
school as we  have described4 ,it would 
need but a few seasons to get together  
in the  various excursions taken by     
pupils and teachers1 quite a collection 
of  botanical1 entomological1 and       
geological specimens4 ,these would serve
 as  objects for illustrating the       
teacher's lessons1 and for examination  
by the  pupils4 ,the drying1            
preservation1 and arrangement of plants1
 animals1 and  minerals1 in which the   
pupils would assist1 would serve to     
impart to them  a skill and dexterity1  
which they would know how to value1 and 
would be  eager to acquire1 and1        
together with their frequent visits to  
the museum1  would serve to cultivate a 
love of nature and devotion to the study
 of her  works4    ,the library1 besides

 containing treatises on science and for
 reference1  would be filled with books 
of travels1 and the nobler ,english and 
foreign  classics2 the books would be   
loaned to the pupils as in ordinary     
circulating libraries1 and a pleasant   
reading-room would be furnished with    
the better class of periodicals and     
newspapers4    ,to be deprived for a    
time of the right to visit the museum or
  reading-room1 or to borrow books from 
the library1 would be one of the        
severest punishments known in the       
school4    ,it is hardly necessary to   
say that the selection of the principal 
of such  a school as we have indicated  
is among the most difficult problems of 
its  establishment4 ,his qualifications 
should be as near the perfection of     
manhood as can possibly be found4       
,invited by a large and generous salary 
7to be dependent1 beyond a stated sum1  
on the number of the pupils71 it is  to 
be hoped such a teacher could be found4 
,such a principal1 after a fixed period 

of probation1 should not be  removable  
except on a very large vote of the      
proprietors of the school to  that      
effect1 but his office should be vacated
 on his attaining the age of  #fj or #fe
 years4 ,the selection of teachers to   
assist him in his duties  should be left
 to himself4 ,the remuneration of the   
assistant teachers  should also be      
large1 and should be such as not only to
 enable them to  live in comfort1 but to
 make ample provision for their future  
when the age  of labor shall have       
passed4    ,the chief position in       
society should be assured to the        
principal and his  assistants by the    
proprietors of the school4    ,the      
visits of the former to the houses of   
the latter should be regarded as  an    
honor1 the greatest respect and         
deference should be paid to them1 and   
the pupils should be taught to look upon
 them with love and respect next  only  
to that they pay their parents4    ,the 
best investment a parent can make of his

 wealth is in the proper  education of  
his children4 ,life is not merely to be 
born1 to grow1 to eat1  to drink1 and   
breathe4 ,noise is not music4 ,life is  
such as we take it and  make it1 or     
rather as it is taken hold of and made  
for us by those to whom  the care of our
 youthful days is intrusted4    ,let us 
endeavor to picture to ourselves the    
being likely to be produced by  a system
 of teaching and training1 continued for
 successive generations1  such as we    
have indicated above4 ,let us imagine   
the full development of  the most       
complex of nature's organisms--a part of
 the one living organism  of the        
,universe1 the latest product of her    
laboratory2 considered1 as a  part of   
the great ,cosmos1 the most perfect1 yet
 but an integer in the  whole2 the      
ultimate development of nature's        
chemistry1 yet forming an atom  of her  
living unity2 combining and possessing  
the widest relationships1  even         
embracing therein the entire volume of  

that nature whose true  relationships   
comprise all knowledge1 truly the       
noblest study of  mankind4 ,let us try  
and draw the picture of the developed   
man6    ,robust and supple of limb1     
symmetrical of shape1 his muscles       
swelling  beneath their healthy         
development2 with head erect1 conscious 
of his  strength and skill1 which he    
puts forth for the protection of the    
weak1  and for the purpose of drawing   
from nature her bounteous stores2 free  
from  sickness or disease1 in harmony   
with nature1 at peace with his          
fellow-men1  possessing a competent     
knowledge of nature's laws1 and guiding 
his conduct  to be in accord therewith1 
sitting beneath his own vine and        
fig-tree1  blessed in all the works of  
his hands1 and diffusing blessings and  
happiness around4 ,such is the picture  
of ,,the ,,healthy ,,mind ,,in ,a       
,,healthy  ,,frame1 which it is in man's
 power to procreate and rear6           
,,appendix4        ,,department ,,of    

,,public ,,instruction1    ,,corner ,,of
 ,,grand ,,and ,,elm ,,streets1         
,,new ,,york1 ,june #eth1 #ahfi4        
,,to ,,magnus ,,gross1 ,esq41           
,chairman of the ,executive ,committee  
for the ,care1 ,government and          
,management of the ,college of the ,city
 of ,new ,york3    ,,dear ,,sir1--,i    
have observed with surprise1 and with a 
sense of deep regret1  that the         
proposition is entertained by a large   
number of the ,trustees of  filling the 
chair of ,latin and ,greek1 now vacant1 
and even of establishing  separate      
chairs for each1 at the ,college of the 
,city of ,new ,york2  involving1 with   
the necessary tutors1 an outlay of not  
less than #bj1jjj  per annum4 ,the      
subject in all its bearings is one of   
too vast importance  to be treated in   
the ordinary method of discussion by the
 ,committee1 and ,i  therefore beg leave
 to place my views in writing1 to insure
 their  receiving more matured          
consideration than oral observations    

could secure4    ,i pass over the       
question 7on which considerable         
difference of opinion  exists7 as to the
 propriety of sustaining at all1 at the 
enforced expense  of the public1 an     
educational institution to supply the   
needs which the  ,college of the ,city  
of ,new ,york is intended to meet4 ,the 
,college exists by  law2 we are its     
guardians1 and the only question we have
 to consider is1  how most efficiently  
and most economically to secure the     
attainment of the  ends desired by the  
,legislature4    ,these ends we shall no
 doubt all agree to be--first3 that any 
of the youth  of this city possessed of 
special talents1 but lacking means for  
their  cultivation1 may have placed     
within their reach an education the best
  possible for the development of their 
powers for the benefit of  themselves   
and of the community2 and1 second1 to   
provide for the  comparatively          
well-to-do the means of pursuing useful 
studies in  compensation for compelling 

them to provide for the instruction of  
their  less fortunate citizens4    ,as  
it is self-evident that whatever course 
of studies will tend to secure  the     
first of these ends will tend also to   
secure the second and less  important1  
we are spared the necessity of a        
two-fold investigation4    ,a very few  
statistics suffice to show that neither 
of these ends has been  hitherto        
attained by the ,college of the ,city of
 ,new ,york4    ,it is immaterial what  
year we select for examination1 the     
numbers which  follow will be found to  
bear about the same relative proportions
 in every  year4 ,i quote from the      
,trustees' ,report for #ahff merely     
because it is the  latest document at   
hand which furnishes the numbers in the 
different  classes and of the graduates2
 from this report ,i find1 that while   
there  were three hundred and eighty-one
 students in the introductory class1    
only  twenty-five graduated in that     
year4 ,the number of graduates in #ahfg 

was  thirty1 and twenty-nine in ,july1  
#ahfh4 ,of the three hundred and        
eighty-one  who composed the            
introductory class in #ahff1 one hundred
 and fifty-one  left the ,college during
 the year1 and doubtless the two hundred
 and thirty  who remained will have     
dwindled to about twenty-five or thirty 
by the year  #ahga4    ,without doubt   
some proportion of the three hundred and
 eighty-one leave  the ,college because 
of the necessity they are under of      
obtaining1 by their  labor1 the means of
 subsistence2 but when it is remembered 
that these  three hundred and eighty-one
 are the picked youth from the many     
thousands  attending the public schools1
 and when the sacrifices and privations 
which men and youth imbued with a love  
of learning will make and undergo  for  
the acquirement of knowledge are borne  
in mind1 we must look to  something in  
the constitution of the ,college itself 
to account for this  result4 ,in short1 
we can but come to the conclusion that  

the main cause  of this falling off is  
to be found in the feeling which grows  
upon the  pupils and their guardians1 of
 the comparative uselessness of the     
studies  to which they are consigned4   
,let us examine the course of studies1  
as given from pages #h to #ad of the    
,report of the ,board of ,trustees for  
the year #ahff1 or from pages #bd to #bh
  of the ,manual of the ,college4       
,the first observation which must strike
 the mind of every thinker is the  fact 
that the primary analysis--the main     
classification which has been  adopted  
of studies which ought to be framed to  
fit the students for  complete          
living--is one of words1 i4 e41 the     
tools of knowledge1  instead of         
knowledge itself4 ,or in the words of   
the ,report3 ,there are two  courses of 
studies--ancient and modern--differing  
only in the languages  studied4    ,on  
examining the course for the            
introductory and freshman classes1 a    
feeling of astonishment must fill the   

mind at the marked want of wisdom by    
which it was dictated1 but which at the 
same time affords a sufficient          
explanation for the abandonment of the  
,college by its students4    ,even if   
words ought to be the real object of    
education1 it would be  supposed that   
,english words would be more useful to a
 people whose  mother-tongue is         
,english1 than the words of any other   
language2 yet the  students of the      
introductory and freshman classes of the
 ancient course  receive instruction    
five hours a week through both terms in 
,latin and  ,greek1 and one lesson per  
week during one term in the ,english    
language4  ,the students of the modern  
course substitute for ,latin and ,greek 
the  ,french and ,spanish languages4    
,i purposely abstain from saying any    
thing as to the method of instruction1  
which is the converse of that adopted by
 nature1 and as a consequence  signally 
fails4 ,this has been so forcibly put by
 ,president ,barnard1 of  ,columbia     

,college1 that ,i need only refer the   
members of our ,committee to  his essay 
on ,early ,mental ,training1 and the    
,studies best fitted for it4    ,what   
steps are taken to familiarize the      
students of1 say the freshman  class1   
with that great nature of which they    
form a part8 ,what1 for  instance1 do   
they learn of the structure of their own
 bodies1 and of the  means of preserving
 health8 ,one lesson a week is given on 
,physiology and  ,hygiene1 and that is  
all6 ,the fear of making this letter too
 long compels  me merely to refer the   
,committee to pages #dj to #db of ,mr4  
,herbert  ,spencer's chapter on ,what   
,knowledge is of ,most ,worth1 in his   
work on  ,education1 in farther         
illustration of this subject1 instead of
 making  extracts from it as ,i would   
otherwise like to do4    ,attention1 it 
is true1 is paid throughout the college 
course to  mathematical studies1 yet    
very little to their practical          
application2  while to ,chemistry1 the  

parent of modern physics1 the manual    
7which is our  guide7 prescribes two    
lessons per week to the introductory    
class1 and to  the freshman1 sophomore1 
and junior classes absolutely none at   
all6  ,mining1 ,mechanical ,engineering1
 ,architecture1 ,theoretical            
,agriculture1  ,biology1 and ,botany are
 utterly ignored2 and no branch of      
,zoology is even  mentioned in the      
curriculum4 ,we next come to a science  
more important1  because universal in   
its application and in its need than any
 other1 viz43  ,the ,science of ,human  
,well-being1 commonly called ,political 
or ,social  ,economy4 ,here1 too1 like  
exclusion6 except that in the sophomore 
class1  for one term1 one hour per week 
is given to it4 ,that is to say1 a      
people  who are to live by labor are    
left by the guardians of their education
 in  ignorance of the laws by which the 
reward for that labor must be           
regulated2 they who are to administer   
capital are to be left to blind  chance 

whether to act in accordance with those 
laws of nature which  determine its     
increase1 or ignorantly to violate them6
    ,restrained again from quotation by 
the fear of wearying the ,committee1    
permit me to refer them to the lecture  
of ,dr4 ,hodgson1 delivered at the      
,royal ,institution of ,great ,britain1 
on ,the ,importance of the ,study of    
,economic ,science1 which will be found 
in the work of ,professor ,youmans1  on 
,the ,culture demanded by ,modern ,life4
    ,i confess to a feeling of deep     
discouragement at the perusal of such a 
record as that presented by the course  
of studies at the ,college of the  ,city
 of ,new ,york1 especially when ,i find 
that this is the state of things  a     
large number of the ,trustees seem      
desirous of perpetuating4 ,my views on  
this subject are confirmed by the       
following remarks found in ,president   
,barnard's ,essay on ,early ,mental     
,training1 and the ,studies best fitted 
for  it4         ,whatever may be the   

value of the study of the classics in a 
subjective point of view1 nothing could 
possibly more thoroughly       unfit a  
man for any immediate usefulness in this
 matter-of-fact       world1 or make him
 more completely a stranger in his own  
home1 than       the purely classical   
education which used recently to be     
given1 and       which1 with some slight
 improvement1 is believed to be still   
given by       the universities of      
,england4 ,this proposition is very     
happily       enforced by a ,british    
writer1 whose strictures on the system  
appeared       in the ,london ,times    
some twelve or thirteen years ago4      
,common things are quite as much        
neglected and despised in the           
education of the rich as in that of the 
poor4 ,it is wonderful how       little 
a young gentleman may know when he has  
taken his university       degrees1     
especially if he has been industrious1  
and has stuck to his       studies4 ,he 
may really spend a long time in looking 

for somebody       more ignorant than   
himself4 ,if he talks with the driver of
 the       stage-coach that lands him at
 his father's door1 he finds he knows   
nothing of horses4 ,if he falls into    
conversation with a gardener1 he        
knows nothing of plants or flowers4 ,if 
he walks into the fields1 he       does 
not know the difference between barley1 
rye1 and wheat2 between       rape and  
turnips2 between natural and artificial 
grass4 ,if he goes       into a         
carpenter's yard1 he does not know one  
wood from another4 ,if       he comes   
across an attorney1 he has no idea of   
the difference between       common and 
statute law1 and is wholly in the dark  
as to those       securities of personal
 and political liberty on which we pride
       ourselves4 ,if he talks with a   
country magistrate1 he finds his only   
idea of the office is that the gentleman
 is a sort of ,english ,sheik1       as 
the ,mayor of the neighboring borough is
 a sort of ,cadi4 ,if he       strolls  

into any workshop or place of           
manufacture1 it is always to       find 
his level1 and that a level far below   
the present company4 ,if he       dines 
out1 and as a youth of proved talents   
and perhaps university       honors is  
expected to be literary1 his literature 
is confined to a       few popular      
novels--the novels of the last century1 
or even of the       last               
generation--history and poetry having   
been almost studiously       omitted in 
his education4 ,the girl who has never  
stirred from home1       and whose      
education has been economized1 not to   
say neglected1 in       order to send   
her own brother to college1 knows vastly
 more of those       things than he     
does4 ,the same exposure awaits him     
wherever he goes1       and whenever he 
has the audacity to open his mouth4 ,at 
sea he is a       landlubber2 in the    
country a cockney2 in town a greenhorn2 
in science       an ignoramus2 in       
business a simpleton2 in pleasure a     

milksop--everywhere out of his element1 
everywhere at sea1 in the       clouds1 
adrift1 or by whatever word utter       
ignorance and       incapacity are to be
 described4 ,in society and in the work 
of life1       he finds himself beaten  
by the youth whom at college he despised
 as       frivolous or abhorred as      
profligate4      ,take the preparation  
of our youth for their duties as        
citizens4 ,here1  again1 a knowledge of 
political and social economy is         
indispensable4 ,we  have seen the       
attention it receives2 and while two    
lessons a week for one  hour1 and that  
only to the senior class in its last    
term1 are given to  ,american citizens  
on the ,constitution of the ,united     
,states and on  ,international ,law1    
none whatever is given on the science of
 ,government  throughout the entire     
course of five years6    ,i might go    
through the whole course of studies with
 similar results4 ,here  and there1 in  
this or that class1 a small amount of   

attention is given to  some of the      
sciences omitted in the other classes2  
but the entire record  is one of the    
most disheartening character4    ,words6
 words6 engross almost exclusively the  
attention of the students  from the hour
 they enter the ,college until they     
leave it2 and it is not to  the         
five-and-twenty graduates the palm of   
useful industry should be  awarded1 but 
to the many who1 in discouragement1     
abandon a course which  tends to unfit  
them for the great battle of life6      
,what1 then1 are the reasons generally  
assigned for this perverse              
conventionalism of devoting the time of 
youth to the acquirement of dead  words1
 to the unavoidable exclusion of nearly 
every thing that is of  value8 ,first1  
we are told that we can not understand  
the ,english language  without a        
knowledge of ,latin1 from which it is   
derived4 ,the inaccuracy of  this       
pretension is at once made manifest by  
reference to ,webster1 where he  states3

         ,that ,english is composed of--
         ,first4 ,saxon and ,danish     
words of ,teutonic and ,gothic origin4  
,second4 ,british or ,welsh1 ,cornish   
and ,amoric1 which may be               
considered as of ,celtic origin4        
,third4 ,norman1 a mixture of ,french   
and ,gothic4         ,fourth4 ,latin1 a 
language formed on the ,celtic and      
,teutonic4         ,fifth4 ,french1     
chiefly ,latin corrupted1 but with a    
mixture of       ,celtic4               
,sixth4 ,greek formed on the ,celtic and
 ,teutonic1 with some ,coptic4          
,seventh4 ,a few words directly from the
 ,italian1 ,spanish1 ,german1       and 
other languages of the ,continent4      
,eighth4 ,a few foreign words1          
introduced by commerce1 or by           
political and literary intercourse4     
,of these1 the ,saxon words constitute  
our mother-tongue1 being       words    
which our ancestors brought with them   
from ,asia4         ,the ,danish and    
,welsh also are primitive words1 and may

 be considered       as a part of our   
vernacular language4 ,they are of equal 
antiquity       with the ,chaldee and   
,syriac4      ,but even were it true    
that our language was derived from the  
,latin1  wherein lies the difficulty in 
the way of the teacher explaining to his
  pupils the meanings of the parts of   
,english words which are of ,latin      
origin1 without the necessity of the    
pupil's acquiring the same knowledge  by
 the roundabout process of learning one 
thousand words he will never  need1 for 
one that may at some time be to him of  
some service as a  mnemonic8    ,driven 
from this position1 the advocates of    
classical studies tell us  that the     
study of ,latin and ,greek serves as a  
training for the intellect4             
,unquestionably the exercise of the     
faculties of the mind serves to develop 
the faculties so exercised2 yet if this 
were the object to be attained1         
,hebrew1 nay1 ,chinese1 would be        
preferable to ,latin2 but ,,science     

develops  the same faculties1 and far   
more efficiently4 ,the facts of science 
to be  stored up in the mind are so     
infinite in number and magnitude that no
 man1  however gifted1 could ever hope  
to master them all1 though he were to   
live  a thousand years4 ,but their      
arrangement in scientific order not only
  develops the analytical powers of the 
mind1 but exercises the memory in a     
method infinitely more useful and       
powerful than the study of any language4
  ,finally we are told classical studies
 develop the taste4 ,if then to this    
the advocates of such studies are       
driven1 its mere announcement must      
suffice to banish ,latin and ,greek from
 all schools supported by taxation2  for
 however essential it may be to provide 
the means of the best possible          
instruction1 it is as absolutely out of 
the sphere of the ,trustees of  ,public 
,moneys to provide1 at the public       
expense1 so mere a luxury as on  this   
hypothesis ,latin and ,greek must be1 as

 it would be to provide the  public with
 costly jewels6 ,but even for the       
cultivation and development of  art and 
taste1 ,,science is the true curriculum6
    ,he who is ignorant of anatomy can  
not appreciate either sculpture or      
painting6 ,a knowledge of optics1 of    
botany and of natural history1 are      
necessary1 equally to the artist or to  
the connoisseur2 a knowledge of         
acoustics to the musician and musical   
critic4 ,no artist1 says ,mr4  ,spencer1
 can produce a healthful work of        
whatever kind without he  understands   
the laws of the phenomena he represents2
 he must also  understand how the minds 
of the spectator or listener will be    
affected by  his work--a question of    
psychology4 ,the spectator or listener  
must  equally be acquainted with the    
laws of such phenomena1 or he fails to  
attain to the highest appreciation4     
,i now come to the last and most serious
 aspect of this question1 and ,i        
fearlessly assert that classical studies

 have a most pernicious influence  upon 
the morals and character of their       
votaries4    ,it should not be forgotten
 that ,greeks and ,romans alike lived by
 slavery  7which is robbery71 by rapine1
 and by plunder2 yet we1 born into a    
,christian community which lives by     
honest labor1 propose to impregnate the 
impressionable minds of youth with the  
morals and literature of nations of     
robbers6    ,this letter has already    
extended to so great a length that ,i am
 compelled  to abstain from making      
extracts from the works of the greatest 
thinkers1  which ,i had desired3 and ,i 
can now but cite them in support1 more  
or less  pronounced1 of the views above 
put forward1 viz43 ,president ,barnard1 
of  ,columbia ,college1 who with rare   
honesty and boldness has spoken loudly  
against the conventional folly of       
classical studies2 ,professor ,newman1  
himself ,professor of ,latin at the     
,university of ,london1 ,england2       
,professors ,tindall1 ,henfry1 ,huxley1 

,forbes1 ,pajet1 ,whewell1 ,faraday1    
,liebig1 ,draper1 ,de ,morgan1 ,lindley1
 ,youmans1 ,drs4 ,hodgson1 ,carpenter1  
,hooker1 ,acland1 ,sir ,john ,herschell1
 ,sir ,charles ,lyell1 ,dr4 ,seguin1    
and1  rising above them all in          
educational science1 ,bastiat and       
,herbert  ,spencer4 ,to a modified      
extent1 the name of ,mr4 ,john ,stuart  
,mill may be  quoted--for he loudly     
advocates science for all--science1     
which is  unavoidably excluded by the   
introduction of1 or at least the        
prominence  given to1 ,latin and ,greek 
in our ,college4 ,mr4 ,mill1 it is true 
also1  advocates classical studies1 but 
for certain special classes which exist 
in ,england who have no regular         
occupations in life4    ,neither is it  
without importance as a guide to        
ourselves to observe that  in the very  
best school in this country--a school   
perhaps not surpassed by  any in the    
world1 viz41 the ,military ,academy at  
,west ,point--neither ,latin  nor ,greek

 studies are permitted4    ,if now1 in  
any career whatever1 any use could be   
found for ,latin1 it must  be in that of
 the professional soldier1 to whom1 if  
to any one1 the  language and literature
 of the most military people the world  
has ever  seen1 should be of some       
service4 ,but no6 the wise men who      
framed the  curriculum of ,west ,point1 
though they knew that the study of the  
campaigns  of the ,romans would be      
serviceable to their students1 provided 
for their  study1 not by the roundabout 
method of first learning a language     
which  could never be of any other use1 
but by the direct method of the study of
  those campaigns6 ,are the pupils of   
,west ,point generally found deficient  
in  intellect8 ,is not1 on the contrary1
 the fact of having graduated at that   
school a passport to the highest        
scientific and practical employment8    
,our duty to the people is clear2 let us
 neither waste the precious time of  our
 youth on worse than useless studies1   

nor the money of the citizens on  worse 
than useless expenditure4    ,i do      
earnestly hope that our ,committee will 
give to my observations their  most     
serious deliberation4 ,let us come to no
 hasty conclusion on this  subject3     
accustomed as we have been to hear      
constantly repeated such  conventional  
phrases as that ,latin and ,greek are   
essential to the  education of a        
gentleman2 that classical studies are   
indispensable to a  liberal education2  
to hear applauded to the echo orators   
who have  introduced into their speeches
 quotations of bad ,latin or worse      
,greek by  audiences of whom not one in 
one thousand understand what was said4  
,we  have been apt to receive such      
phrases as embodying truths1 without    
ever  examining their foundations4 ,i   
respectfully urge the ,committee to     
consider  well before they act1 to study
 the reasons assigned by the great      
thinkers  ,i have named for condemning1 
as1 humbly following in their wake1 ,i  

venture  to condemn1 as worse than mere 
waste of time1 the years devoted to     
,latin  and ,greek studies4    ,let us  
endeavor to make the ,college of this   
city worthy of the city and of  the     
state2 let us cast aside the trammels of
 medival ignorance1 and  supply to the  
pupils of the ,college the culture      
demanded by modern life4  ,let us in    
this1 the first important matter which  
has come before our  ,committee1 act in 
harmony and without prejudice1 for the  
welfare of the  ,college and for the    
advancement of learning1 and so prove   
ourselves  worthy of the sacred trust we
 have assumed4      ,i am1 dear sir1    
very truly yours1          ,,nathaniel  
,,sands1      ,member of ,the ,executive
 ,committee for the ,care1              
,government1 and ,management of the     
,college of the    ,city of ,new ,york4 
,the ,philosophy of ,teaching4    ,,the 
,,teacher1 ,,the ,,pupil1 ,,the         
,,school4    ,,by ,,nathaniel ,,sands4  
#hvo1 ,cloth1 #a #jj4      ,an          

interesting and valuable work1 in which 
the science of teaching is  treated in a
 philosophical and practical manner1 and
 a sketch is given of  a school to be   
established on the principles developed 
in his pages4 ,mr4  ,sands takes the    
view that education1 mental and         
physical1 is but the  absorption of     
surrounding elements into the mind and  
body--an arrangement  and assimilation  
of materials so as to incorporate them  
into the being to  whose nourishment    
they are applied1 just as the tree or   
plant assimilates  to its growth and    
subsistence the materials which it draws
 from the air  and the soil2 and his    
theory of teaching is based on these    
truths4--,n4 ,y4  ,times4    ,he        
advocates a radical change in the system
 of teaching youth4 ,he proposes  a     
school where pupils shall be taught by  
illustrations from nature as well  as   
from books2 where the museum1 chemical  
laboratory1 and workshop shall  find a  
place2 where1 in short1 the mind of the 

learner shall not be  forced1 but shall 
have just the kind of food suitable for 
its age and  development4--,n4 ,y4      
,world4    ,much has been written upon  
education--much that is both wise and   
thoughtful1 and much that has been but  
sound4 ,among the most thoughtful  and  
suggestive recent writings is an        
unpretentious work bearing the title  of
 ,the ,teacher1 the ,pupil1 the ,school1
 by ,mr4 ,nathaniel ,sands4 ,small as   
it is1 it contains more ideas than many 
bulky volumes4--,n4 ,y4 ,tribune4       
,the question with which he mainly      
concerns himself is whether ,latin and  
,greek1 and certain other branches1     
shall be taught to the exclusion of     
more practical studies4 ,he thinks that 
what is commonly known as the  culture  
demanded by modern life--chemistry1     
mining1 anatomy1 natural  history1      
political and social economy1 the       
science of government1  etc4--should    
take the place now usurped by classical 
studies4 ,mr4 ,sands  believes in making

 no compromise between the useful       
sciences and the  classics4 ,he condemns
 as worse than mere waste of time the   
years devoted  to ,greek and ,latin1 and
 would bar them out                     
altogether4--,journal of  ,commerce4    
,mr4 ,sands1 who has just been appointed
 one of the new ,board of ,education1   
has long been known as an advanced      
thinker on the subject he is now called 
upon to deal with4 ,he has published a  
pamphlet on the ,philosophy of          
,education4--,n4 ,y4 ,sun4    ,we have  
in this compact and unpretentious       
treatise a great deal of pith  and      
acumen1 brought to bear upon a most     
important subject--that of  educational 
first principles4 ,mr4 ,sands has gone  
to the base of human  teaching1         
discarding pretentious themes1 in order 
to illustrate the  simpler beauty of    
that eductive and inductive             
co-relationship which1  beginning at the
 mother's breast1 proceeds through all  
the quiet processes  of mental          

development in infancy1 childhood1 and  
maturity4--,n4 ,y4  ,dispatch4    ,his  
hints may well arrest the attention of  
thoughtful men4--,n4 ,y4  ,tribune4     
,we commend it to the thoughtful        
consideration of all1 but especially of 
our public men4 99 99 99 ,commissioners 
of ,schools and others charged with     
youthful training may advantageously    
consider the reflections4--,n4 ,y4      
,evening ,post4      ,,harper           
,,brothers1 ,,publishers1    ,,franklin 
,,square1 ,,new ,,york4    ,,harper     
,,brothers will send the above work by  
mail1 postage prepaid1 to  any part of  
the ,united ,states1 on receipt of #a   
#jj4          ,,works ,,on ,,education  
,,published ,,by    ,,harper            
,,brothers1 ,,new ,,york4      ,,harper 
,,brothers will send any of the         
following books by mail1 postage        
prepaid1 to any part of the ,united     
,states1 on receipt of the price4       
,,harper',s ,,catalogue and             
,,trade-,,list will be sent by mail on  

receipt of  ,five ,cents1 or they may be
 obtained gratuitously on application to
 the  ,publishers personally4           
,,randall',s ,,popular ,,education4     
,first ,principles of ,popular          
,education and  ,public ,instruction4   
,by ,s4 ,s4 ,,randall1 ,superintendent  
of ,public ,schools of  the ,city of    
,new ,york4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #a #ej4      
,,sands',s ,,philosophy ,,of ,,teaching4
 ,the ,teacher1 the ,pupil1 the ,school4
 ,by  ,,nathaniel ,,sands4 #hvo1 ,cloth4
    ,,burton',s ,,observing ,,faculties4
 ,the ,culture of the ,observing        
,faculties in  the ,family and the      
,school2 or1 ,things about ,home1 and   
how to make them  ,instructive to the   
,young4 ,by ,,warren ,,burton1 ,author  
of ,the ,district ,school  as it was1   
,helps to ,education1 c4 #afmo1 ,cloth1 
#ge cents4    ,,calkins',s ,,primary    
,,object ,,lessons4 ,primary ,object    
,lessons for a ,graduated  ,course of   
,development4 ,a ,manual for ,teachers  
and ,parents1 with ,lessons for  the    

,proper ,training of the ,faculties of  
the ,children4 ,by ,n4 ,a4 ,,calkins4   
,illustrations4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #a #ej4  
,,willson',s ,,object ,,lessons ,a      
,manual of ,information and ,suggestions
 for  ,object ,lessons1 in a ,course of 
,elementary ,instruction4 ,adapted to   
the ,use  of the ,school and ,family    
,charts1 and other ,aids in ,teaching4  
,by ,,marcius  ,,willson4 #abmo1 ,cloth1
 #a #ej4    ,,abbott',s ,,teacher4      
,moral ,influences ,employed in the     
,instruction and  ,government of the    
,young4 ,by ,,jacob ,,abbott4 ,with     
,engravings4  #abmo1 ,cloth1 #a #ge4    
,,boes',s ,,education ,,in ,,new ,,york 
,,city4 ,public ,education in the ,city 
of ,new  ,york3 its ,history1           
,condition1 and ,statistics4 ,an        
,official ,report to the  ,board of     
,education4 ,by ,,thomas ,,boes1 ,clerk 
of the ,board4 ,with  ,illustrations4   
#hvo1 ,cloth1 #a #ej4    ,,beecher',s   
,,training ,,of ,,children4 ,the        
,religious ,training of ,children in the

  ,family1 the ,school1 and the ,church4
 ,by ,,catharine ,e4 ,,beecher4  #abmo1 
,cloth1 #a #ge4    ,,edgeworth',s       
,,practical ,,education4 ,a ,treatise on
 ,practical ,education4 ,by  ,,richard  
,,lovell ,,edgeworth and ,,maria        
,,edgeworth4 ,engravings4  #abmo1       
,cloth1 #a #ej4    ,,sir ,,william      
,,hamilton',s ,,essays4 ,discussions on 
,philosophy and ,literature1  ,education
 and ,university ,reform4 ,chiefly from 
the ,edinburgh ,review4  ,corrected1    
,vindicated1 and ,enlarged1 in ,notes   
and ,appendices4 ,by ,sir  ,,william    
,,hamilton1 ,bart4 ,with an             
,introductory ,essay1 by ,rev4 ,,robert 
,,turnbull1 ,d4,d4 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #c #jj4
    ,,dr4 ,,olin',s ,,college           
,,addresses4 ,college ,life3 its ,theory
 and ,practice4 ,by  ,rev4 ,,stephen    
,,olin1 ,d4,d41 ,l4,l4,d41 late         
,president of the ,wesleyan             
,university4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #a #ej4     
,,potter  ,,emerson',s ,,manual4 ,the   
,school and the ,schoolmaster4 ,a       

,manual for  the ,use of ,teachers1     
,employers1 ,trustees1 ,inspectors1 c41 
c4 ,in ,two  ,parts4 ,part ,i4 ,by ,rt4 
,rev4 ,,alonzo ,,potter1 ,d4,d4 ,part   
,,ii4 ,by ,,george ,b4  ,,emerson1      
,a4,m41 of ,massachusetts4 ,part ,i4    
,the ,school2 its ,objects1  ,relations1
 and ,uses4 ,with a ,sketch of the      
,education most needed in the  ,united  
,states1 the present ,state of ,common  
,schools1 the best ,means of  ,improving
 them1 and the consequent ,duties of    
,parents1 ,trustees1  ,inspectors1 c4   
,part ,,ii4 ,the proper ,character1     
,studies1 and ,duties of the  ,teacher1 
with the best ,methods for the          
,government and ,instruction for the    
,common ,schools1 and the ,principles on
 which ,school-,houses should be ,built1
  ,arranged1 ,warmed1 and ,ventilated4  
,engravings4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #a #ej4     
,,everett ,,on ,,practical ,,education4 
,importance of ,practical ,education and
  ,useful ,knowledge3 being a ,selection
 from the ,orations and ,discourses of  

,,edward ,,everett1 ,president of       
,harvard ,university4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #a 
#ej4          ,transcriber's ,notes3    
,passages in italics are indicated by   
underscore4    ,additional spacing after
 block quotes is intentional to indicate
 both the  end of a quotation and the   
beginning of a new paragraph as         
presented in  the original text4