^^ }K LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. I I <&^^/.. XML... I I M^c// ..G..6.L.... \ ! * ^UNITED STATES OF AlIERICA. | EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS J)ljg0ical, Intellectual, anlr iHoral BY S. W. GOLD, M.D. "That constitutes a complete and generous education which fits a maa to perform justly, skillfully, and magnanimoasly, all the offices, both in public and private life " — Milton. Keb3 Yotfe M. W. DODD, PUBLIC3^,m^,,V^^3mti^ Corner of City Hall Square and Spruce street, opposite City 1850 7T^ V*,N Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1850, by M. W. DODD, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Ihe United States for the Southern District of New York. B. O.JENKINS, Printer, 114 Nassau St. PREFACE. The very grave importance of the subject of Education is the apology for the present treatise. To awaken more interest for the young, on whom, peculiarly, rests the destiny of the future, and to suggest a rational course in their physical, intel- lectual, and moral training, is deemed an object of no ordinary importance. The present age is one of unprecedentedly rapid improvements. Knowl- edge has produced these improvements, and to continue them, it must be increased. Strong arms, sound heads, and warm hearts, are needed for the work. How to obtain them is the question ; a right education is the answer. We see in our cities a large class of the sons and daughters of the wealthy trained up in a manner which unfits them, in a great measure, for the duties of life. Nothing great or noble can ever be expected from mere exquisites. Health, usefulness, and happi= ness, are all jeoparded by such a course. The evil is not confined to the city ; it is spread widely lY PREFACE. over the country, and may be found, to some ex- tent, among those of humble pecuniary circum- stances. We need an intelhgent, virtuous, and vigorous class, to carry forward the great work of improving and perpetuating the institutions which constitute the happiness and glory of the Ameri- can Republic. Let parents and guardians exam- ine this subject. It demands the serious attention of the Philanthropist, Patriot, and Christian ; for Education is truly the friend of virtue, the segis of civil freedom, and the companion and support of pure Christianity. Cream Hill, April 10, 1850, EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. EDUCATION. A RIGHT education consists in a perfect development of all the powers of the indi- vidual. There are three distinct divisions or parts to this subject — Physical, Intellectual, and Moral — each of v^rhich requires a par- ticular course of training. Whenever either of these is neglected or imperfectly accomplished, a defect exists in a proportionate degree to that neglect, and the individual suffers accordingly from a bad education. When a high degree of physical develop- ment is attained, with little or no cultivation of the intellectual or moral faculties, we have an example of a strong animal, and an igno- rant, vile fellow. 1# 6 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. Where the intellect alone is cultivated, we see one of the worst specimens of the race ; feeble in body, with no moral principle, yet with a mind perhaps capable of solving the most profound problems of mathematical science, or plotting the deepest and darkest schemes for the destruction of man. While a moral training, with total neglect of the other two powers, would give us hon- esty of purpose, without ability for execution. The threefold character of education nat- arally demands a particular examination of each division of the subject ; in what each consists, and the best methods for their cul- tivation, so that a symmetrical result may be obtained ; in which all the powers of the mind, body, and soul, may be blended in a perfect whole. Acquiring a sound head and heart to devise and direct, and strength of purpose, with full power to execute ; thus making the individual capable of accomplish- ing the highest degree of good, and of en- joying the greatest amount of happiness of which he is capable. PHYSICAL EDUCATION. 7 PHYSICAL EDUCATION. In order to a perfect understanding of the nature and importance of physical education, it will be necessary to allude briefly to the anatomical structure of the human system, and the physiological principles or laws of health which i-elate to the subject. Each of these organs has a particular office to perform, and when they all act together, agreeably to the laws of health, a normal condition of the system is the result. But where a single organ is deranged, or acts imperfectly, by a law of sympathetic in- fluence, a part or all the other organs are en- feebled, or diverted from a healthy condition. This may not appear to be a curious fact when we consider that affections of the liver are almost universally attended with some disturbance of the stomach, for the first-named organ is an important part of the digestive apparatus. But it is no less true that, in a large amount of cases where the primary affection is seated in some remote organ, the stomach also sym- pathizes. 8 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. This is particularly the case in diseases of the brain, kidneys, &c. If a person receives an injury on any part of the body of sufficient importance to pro- duce a considerable amount of irritation in the part, a sympathetic movement soon reaches the brain, and through that organ other parts, and a degree of fever is the re- sult. Thus we find that to preserve the whole body sound, each organ must be sound also, and that any defective organization of a vi- tal part must necessarily be attended with debility and derangement far beyond the im- mediate functions of the part idiopathically affected. For a better understanding of these prin- ciples, and a full appreciation of the import- ant rules of physical education, a cursory view of the anatomical structure of the prin- cipal organs of the body, together with the laws which govern them, will here be pre- sented. ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. Human Anatomy is that science which ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 9 treats of the various parts which constitute the human body. Physiology defines the laws which govern the various parts, and their uses in the ani- mal economy. It is only intended in the present treatise to exhibit briefly a general view of a small portion of these several subjects, that the object of physical education may be properly understood by ex-profes- sional readers. The various parts of the human body consist of the bones, muscles, internal viscera, such as the heart,'brain, liver, stomach, &c. — the blood-vessels, nerves, skin, &c. The bones are the foundation of other parts, giving protection to important viscera, and being levers for motion and points of insertion for the muscles. They are the most imperishable part of the body, being composed of earthy matter, agglutinated by a gelatinous substance, and under favorable circumstances are capable of resisting decomposition for centuries. In the young subject the amount of ge- latinous matter predominates, while in the aged the earthy qualities are more abundant, rendering them brittle and easily broken. 10 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. In a healthy state the bones are nearly destitute of sensation, but when diseased are often acutely painful. Although in the young they possess a degree of softness in perfect health, yet in delicate, debilitated children, this softness often extends so far as to constitute disease. In such cases, the bones become bent by the weight of the body. This flexion is sometimes general, as in rickets, or only local, as in curvatures of the spine. A want of a due deposit of earthy matter is the cause of theise evils. Children who are confined too closely, who inhale an impure air, or those whose digestive organs have been seriously de- ranged for a longtime, are particularly sub- ject to this difficulty. Where a delicate or- ganization exists, it will be particularly demanded to adopt such a course of train- ing as is best calculated to invigorate the system, that this soft state of the bones may be avoided. As the bones form the foundation for all the other parts, it is obvious that any unnat- ural flexion or curvature of these will de- ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 11 stroy the symmetrical beauty of the form, as well as derange the condition of those organs which are ordinarily protected or supported by them — '* a penny's worth of prevention is worth a pound of cure " in such cases. The muscles compose the fleshy parts, and it is by the contraction of these that motion is performed. They are so arranged as to enable the body to perform its various movements in a dexterous and wonderful manner ; also, so as to give beauty of pro- portion to every part. Muscular fibre, even after death, has a ten- dency to contraction, but it is only while liv- ing the muscles are susceptible of the par- ticular stimulus designed to call them into action. A part of the muscles are subject to the will, such as move the limbs, &c.; another portion have a mixed character in this respect, such as the diaphragm, with the other muscles used in respiration ; while the remainder, like the heart, act independently of the will. Thus the muscles, variously conspiring and 12 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. opposing each other, enable us to perform the numerous forms of attitude or motion which belong to the living body ; but they are also useful in compressing the contigu- ous veins, and secreting or excreting vessels, and thus promoting a healthy condition of the whole system. When any muscle remains a long time unused, a flaccidity and shrinking takes place ; on the contrary, a free, daily use of the same will cause a plumpness and firm- ness which is particularly observable in the arms of the shoemaker and blacksmith. It is obvious, from even an imperfect view of the muscular system, that exercise is ab- solutely demanded by the laws of health, not in small quantity and at long intervals, but habitually and daily, that the muscles themselves may be fully developed, and be- come strong, also the circulation of the fluids may be properly promoted. THE BRAIN. The brain, which is the seat of vitality and the source of sensation through the me- dium of the nerves, is placed in a bony cav- THE BRAIN. 13 ity, where it is peculiarly protected from in- jury. Its importance and its delicate struc- ture both demand such a position. The spinal marrow is an elongation of cer- ebral matter, and forms a continuation of that organ throughout the whole length of the spinal column, the bony rings of which, like the arched cranium about the superior mass, give to this portion a very secure po- sition. The brain is not only the seat of all ani- mal vitality, but also of the intellectual and moral powers. Here, while the body and spirit are united, dwells the soul of man. On the condition of this organ depends, then, not only the health of the individual, but the reasoning faculties and the various passions... Where the brain is perfectly developed, and in a healthy state, we can only expect to accomplish much in the way of education. This organ is plentifully supplied with blood-vessels ; of course a healthy and vigor- ous circulation can only be expected by a sufficient amount of exercise. It is also sympathetically affected often by derangements in other parts of the system; 2 14 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. consequently, whatever tends to promote the general health, will conduce favorably to con- tinue a sound state of the brain. It is some- times injured from without, but a large share of the causes which produce derangement are internal. Of the latter, the most common which may be mentioned are food of improper quantity or kind, stimulating drinks, inhaling narcotic gases or vapors, — too intense men- tal application, but probably more than all 'Other causes combined, we may consider in- juries of this nature to arise from the effects •of violent passions. The passions, properly disciplined and con- trolled, afford a healthful stimulus to the brain ; but when they usurp the place of reason, whatever their character, the nat- ural effect is injurious to the brain. Natural cheerfulness, hope, and content- ment of mind, conduce to preserve the health, and largely promote longevity. The pos- session of these benefits cannot exist without employment, and must be of short continu- ance, unless that employment is of a rational and useful kind. THE BRAIN. 15 Mere amusement, if long pursued, fails to accomplish this important end. Hypochon- dria most frequently takes up its abode in the dwellings of such as have no useful oc- cupation. No inconsiderable portion of childhood may be spent in play, but that parent who most regards the future welfare of his chil- dren, will not fail to form in them habits of industry and early attention to useful occu- pations. A habit of this kind is worth more for the child than a large patrimonial estate without its possession. When we consider that in the brain dwell the intellectual and moral faculties, how im- portant is it that the early impressions upon those delicate tablets should be pure ; that in this virgin soil should be sown the seeds of virtue, and that nothing noxious be allowed to take root there ! From this starting-point may be traced the forms which in later life are matured, and constitute the character of the individ- ual. The first ten years are worth more than the twenty which succeed them in forming rightly the disposition and habits which govern for life. 16 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. It is at this tender age that intelligent pa- rents watch with a guardian angel's care over their offspring, diffusing the sweetest aroma of their own best affections, which ex- hale from parental love and tenderness, around the soft buddings of the young flow- eret. They will remember that " youth is the spring-time of life ;" that as they desire their children to reap golden harvests, so will they thoroughly subdue and mellow the soil, and implant therein seed of the choicest kinds — plucking away with unsparing labor the nox- ious weeds which may spring up there. Such parents will not pamper the desires of their children with lavish indulgence, they will not foster a morbid appetite for mere trifles, but point them to the path of useful- ness and honorable distinction. They will not allow them to become the companions of the vicious, or take them on pleasure excursions, instead of attending with them religious services on the Sabbath. The children of such parents will be truly, as described by the inspired penman, **Iike olive-plants around thy table." '* For truly shalt thou eat of the labor of thine hands.'' LUNGS AND HEART. 17 LUNGS AND HEART. The chest, formed by the ribs, sternum, and superior portion of the spinal column, and separated from the abdomen by the dia- phragm, contains two important viscera, the Heart and Lungs. The former is formed of strong muscular fibre, and contains four cavities ; connected with these cavities are the blood-vessels, called arteries and veins. The former are for carrying out the blood from the heart, and the latter for returning it. From one cavity of the heart the arteries convey the blood to the lungs, from whence, after it has been acted upon by the process of respiration, it is returned to another cavity by the veins. From a third cavity the blood is sent out by another set of arteries to every part of the body, and returned to the fourth cavity of the same organ, to be again sent through the lungs for correction, when it is anew distributed, to given utri- ment and warmth to every portion of the system. As the blood has to undergo an important - change while passing through the lungs, by 2* 18 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. being brought in close proximity with the air we breathe, these bodies are very vascu- lar, blood-vessels and air-vessels constituting principally their volume. When the air is inspired, they are much enlarged ; when expired, they are diminished in bulk. The muscles move the ribs and sternum for the purposes of respiration, and when these bones are carried upward and forward, the cavity being thereby enlarged, the inspiration takes place ; and when acting n the opposite direction, expiration is pro- duced. The blood which flows into the lungs from the heart is of a dark color, and after being subjected to the process of respiration it is of a bright florid appearance ; without which change it is not fit to circulate through the system. The air-vessels of the lungs are lined with a delicate membrane, which is the me- dium of the peculiar chemical change pro- duced in the blood by respiration : also from its surface exhales continually a fluid which is thrown off by the expired air. Many persons enclosed in a small space LUNGS AND HEART. 19 injure each other not only by depriving the atmosphere of its respirable element, but particularly by altering its composition, by the combination of all the substances ex- haled both from the surface of their bodies and the lungs. These emanations become putrid in a short time, and being inhaled by respiration, become the cause often of the most fatal dis- eases. The hospital, jail, and ship fever, so comnionly fatal, originates from this cause. A dry and temperate air, containing twenty-seven parts of oxygen and seventy- three of nitrogen, is the fittest for respiration. There is found, by analysis, a small fraction of carbonic acid gas in the atmosphere. The pressure of the atmosphere is in pro- portion to the surface of the body. The surface of a man of ordinary size is estima- ted at fifteen or sixteen square feet, and bears a weight of air amounting to about thirty-six thousand pounds. When this pressure of the air is diminished by ascend- ing a mountain of very great height, the effect is strongly observable : the breathing becomes quick and laborious, the pulse is 20 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. quickened, great weakness occurs, and some- times bleeding from some of the superficial vessels. The ordinary pressure, although so im- mense, is easily resisted by the human body, because it is equally and constantly applied. It is constituted to exist under such a pres- sure, for when, by exhausting the air over any part of the body, swelling takes place, a rush of fluids tends to the part, and the skin appears in danger of bursting. It is evident from the arrangement of these organs, and the important offices which they have to perform, that no restraint should be allowed to their fre^ action. Whatever compresses the sternum and ribs too closely about the lower part of the chest, or upper portion of the abdomen, operates like holding together the handles of a bellows when desired for blowing. Much has been written condemning close applica- tions about the chest, and many intelligent families understand well the subject, but whether from ignorance or the force of fashion — a fashion, too, at variance with good taste — many still adopt the injurious practice. LUNGS AND HEART. 21 The effect is to enfeeble the growth of the organs therein contained. The vessels are diminished in capacity, forming an im- perfect and. unhealthy structure ; unfitted to the uses for which nature designed them, and are thus strongly predisposed to disease. In order that the effect which respiration is designed to produce on the blood should be fully obtained, it is necessary that the in- haled air should be pure, or nearly so. A small portion of carbonic acid gas ex- ists in the atmosphere ; but when this article abounds largely, the air is poisonous, and even productive of death. As carbonic acid gas is thrown off from the lungs by respiration, it accumulates in a short time in rooms which are illy ventilated and crowded by many persons. The air soon becomes unsuited to healthy respiration, causing, as its immediate re- sult, faintness and headache ; but often lay- ing the foundation for subsequent diseases, as heretofore noticed. The habit of stooping or sitting in a bent posture is obviously detrimental to the free action of the heart and lungs, and instances 22 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. of inflammatory affections of the chest, and consumptions, are vastly more frequent in such cases than in those who are usually erect, and who possess a full and round chest. The direct effect of exercise exhibits itself upon the heart and lungs. By it the heart beats more rapidly and forcibly ; the blood is sent coursing through the lungs with more celerity. The whole circulation, by the same cause, is quickened, and heat evolved. Thus every organ acts with more vigor, and under an habitual course of daily exer- cise in a healthful atmosphere, is formed am- ple, firm, and perfect, with vessels capable of resisting disease to a large extent. A full, round, ample chest, giving room for the easy play of the vital machinery placed within, is thus obtained. Looking at this brief exhibition of the physical structure of those vital organs, what parent can be willing to allow his child to grow up in an easy and luxurious condition, and thus fasten upon his darling son or daughter a defective organization, and rottenness of constitution, thus bringing NUTRITION. 23 him or her within the grasp of consumption, and a premature death, by niere indulgence and a mistaken zeal for delicacy ? NUTRITION. The organs of nutrition embrace those of mastication, digestion, and assimilation. On these depend the support of the body. There are two currents passing through e ystem ; one is the result of the various secretions which are constantly carrying off matter from every part of the animal machine : to counteract this loss, which, if not soon supplied by nutrition, would pro- duce emaciation and exhaustion, this supply is obtained through the digestive organs by the secreting vessels, the latter being con- nected directly with the blood-vessels, or in- directly through the medium of various glandular structures. In order to maintain a healthy condition, an even balance between these opposite cur- rents is required to maintain this balance ; nutritive food, at regular intervals and in due quantity, is required on the one hand, while on the other a regular and daily use of 24 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. the body is required to consume and move off what otherwise would become, by too long retention, a source of disease. With the digestive organs there is a close sympathy between every part of the body, consequently violations of the rules of diet or exercise are attended with disturbance. A person who labors severely six days in the week, requires a more substantial diet than one who takes but little exercise. The stomachs of Captain Ross's men, while exposed to cold and hardships as they prosecuted their long journey over the im- mense fields of polar ice, could digest the hard and dry leather cut from their dress, while a sedentary seamstress would be satis- fied with a dinner of dried biscuit. Too full a supper disturbs the night's re^ pose, by irritating the gastric nerves, and involving by sympathy the brain, and thus interrupting sound sleep. Notwithstanding this fact, drowsiness commonly succeeds to a hearty meal. In the case of a person laboring under general debility, or merely debility of the digestive organs, after eating, for a time all THE SKIN. 25 the powers of the system seem required to aid this process, and a season of rest is proper ; but those in good health and strength, habituated to regular exercise, do not need this precaution, for in them the powers of nature will be found sufficiently strong to carry forward muscular effort with the pro- cess of digestion. THE SKIN. The covering of the body called the skin is formed of three distinct layers or coats. The innermost one, called the Dermis, or true skin, is much the thickest portions, and on the external surface of which the nerves are everywhere spread out, constituting the sense of touch. The middle coat is called the Reta Mu- chosa, the principal use of which is to give complexion to the individual. It is nearly colorless in Europeans, and of a dark color among the natives of southern climates. This coat, being of a gelatinous nature, is destined to keep the nervous surface be- neath in a state of moisture favorable to the touch. 3 26 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. To complete the arrangement of the skin, a third covering, called the Cuticle or Epi- dermis, is formed over this moist and sensi- tive surface. The hair and nails are com- posed of the same materials. The cuticle is the thin and delicate membrane which is raised by blistering, and is composed of ex- tremely thin scales, and between these mi- nute scales are countless small openings, which emit freely the perspirable matter, while by this ingenious covering the nerves are duly protected. The skin possesses not only countless ex- cretory vessels, but also absorbent ones. An oily matter also flows slowly through the skin, from the adipose substance be- neath. This oil is what soils the linen. It is more abundant in some constitutions than others, particularly in those of a bilious temperament. It serves to prevent too rapid a desiccation of the skin, and defends the surface from the effects of friction, to which it is particularly exposed. An excessive quantity of this excretion is injurious, by obstructing the process of per- spiration. In a healthy state of the system, PHYSICAL EDUCATION. 27 a large amount of perspirable matter is passed off daily through the pores of the skin. The necessity of keeping the surface free from the too great accumulation of such must be very obvious. Hence frequent change of the clothing worn next the skin, as well as ablutions, are essential to comfort and health. Thus having examined, though briefly, the structure of the human system, and the laws which control the various functions, a way is prepared to attend to the first divis- ion of our subject, viz. : — PHYSICAL EDUCATION. Suppose two children of one sex to be born of the same parents, and both possess- ing apparently, at birth, similar constitutions. We will consider them both at birth to be sound in every organ, and that they are the offspring of a healthy parentage^ At the end of a month after birth, each is to be placed where an opposite course of physical training should be adopted and fol- lowed, to the full maturity of the individuaL 28 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. To try this interesting experiment, where shall we place thena ? It is not necessary, to test it fully, that one be left in the care of a family of limited means, and the other be cast into the arms of wealth, although we should expect a bet- ter physical training with the former than the latter ; but in many cases a superior in- telligence may give to the last-named an im- portant advantage over the other. We will suppose each taken to a place of comfort, and where all their natural wants will be supplied. Having learned their loca- tion, and seen that they are sufficiently pro- vided for, let us examine the particular course of physical education pursued with each individual. The first of these children, whom we will call George, was given to a family in easy circumstances, who, having no children of their own, were desirous of adopting some common object on which their affections could centre, and one which they fondly hoped would afford them pleasure to lean upon in their old age. George was committed at once to the un- PHYSICAL EDUCATION. 29 remitting attention of a careful nurse. The warmest room in the house v/as selected as a nursery, the air of which, at least during the cool part of the year, was kept at a high temperature. The child was dressed in ample clothing, and wrapped in extra coverings of blankets, lest he should get cold. " The residence of the child was in a city, and in addition to the impure air of a close room, was superadded the impure atmo- sphere out of doors, which was being re- spired by tens of thousands, and fully impreg- nated with the various noxious gases com- mon to such localities. During the winter seasons, George suffered much from frequent attacks of catarrhal dis- ease, and occasionally from inflammatory affections of the lungs. He also, in conse- quence of the close confinement to which he was subjected, was affected with a softening of the bones, attended with some curvature of the same. The summers rarely passed without some attack of bowel complaints, to avoid which a very scrupulous regard was had to his diet, so that he was rarely quite well. 3* 30 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. At the age of ten he was nearly the height of Other boys of his age. He possessed but little physical strength, with a pale counte- nance, soft and flabby muscle, irregular pulse, an unsteady and feeble gait, and a highly irritable temper. At this age it was determined to send him to school. But instead of selecting some healthy place in the country, where he might have enjoyed the benefits of pure air and change of scenery, and where, too, nature would have taught him to acquire a more free use of his limbs, he was sent to a school in the city. Frequent turns of illness interrupted the course of his studies ; and although his mind appeared for a time to possess vigor, it soon proved to be nothing but a precocious de- velopment of the intellect, the result of bad physical education. Under such a state of things did George reach the period of manhood, enervated in body and mind. Though possessed naturally of a warm and kind heart, yet a morbid irri- tability spoiled his temper, and unfitted him either for social pleasures or the toilsome PHYSICAL EDUCATION. 31 business of life. He possessed neither the spirit of enterprise nor energy of purpose requisite to engage successfully in active business. He found too many obstacles which ap- peared insurmountable to venture far in any pursuit. He had never learned to take care of himself, to unite his hands and head in action ; and now his broken constitution and badly-formed habits showed him that it was difficult, if not impossible, for him to obtain success. Without tracing this picture further, let us examine the course of physical training pur- sued with his brother, and notice the result. Samuel was placed in the family of a farmer. His residence was on one of the New England hills. The pure atmosphere around him, the plain though nutritive food of which he partook at regular intervals and the athletic sports and employments which occupied his early years, gave him strength of body and energy of mind. At the age of six years he was sent to the district school, situated about one mile from his residence. When nine years old he used 32 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. to drive the cows to and from the pasture morning and evening, assist in milking them,, drive the oxen for ploughing, or ride the horse for the same purpose, and go with the grist to the mill occasionally, also help to stir the hay and rake it, use the hoe in the garden, and the axe at the wood-pile, take care of the fowls, hunt up the eggs, with many more similar little occupations. These pursuits did not fill up the whole day, but allowed the usual time for attending school, except for a short period of the most hurried season of the year. A few years more his arm had gained the manly strength required to yoke the oxen, load the hay and the heavy logs of wood, swing the scythe, and, in short, to engage successfully in all the various exercises of farm work. At twenty, who could have believed him to have been the brother of the feeble George? His fine, erect, manly form, ex- hibited the full, round muscle, the ample, broad chest, in which a well-formed heart and lungs played healthfully, without being hurried in their movement by ordinary ex- PHYSICAL EDUCATION. 33 ercise, with a strong nervous system not easily excited, but giving steadiness and firmness to action. The intellectual organs had no dullness^ for dyspepsia did not exist to give the head pain, and the mind v^^as strong and vigorous Samuel had reached the full period of man- hood v^ith a perfect physical development, and was prepared to continue the business of farmer with success, or adopt a course of study to fit him for a learned profession. He chose the latter, passed rapidly through the required preparation, and entered the arena of active life. At the bar he was found the sound and able lawyer, and in the Senate the good and efficient legislator. He not only had learned practically the right use of his hands and head, but the true value of property, the feelings and interests of the laboring classes ; and whenever, pro- fessionally, he met with one on even ground, differently trained, he was sure of victor3^ These two cases may be supposed by some mere beings of the imagination. But scores of instances may be found in our 34 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. country in strict resemblance to these, ex- cept the merely fancied fraternity. The former may be instanced in the femi- nine young men of our cities and large villages, who, governed by a love of morbid excitement, fall early victims to self-indul- gence, or live on, the weak-minded and inef- ficient members of the community ; some reach the learned professions, but usually suc- ceed but poorly, or utterly fail, if not from imbecility of mind, from weakness of body. Of the latter, you may find them the brightest in the most honored circles of our country, either as the high-minded, intelligent farmer, mechanic, or tradesman, or among the highest ranks of the learned professions. Physical education consists in whatever is calculated most perfectly to develop the various powers of the system, giving growth and strength to every organ. There are various things necessary to such a result — among these, the most import- ant are, pure air, light, free exercise, (plain) nutritive food, sleep in sufiicient quantity, bathing, suitable clothing, a cheerful temper, and good habits in everything. PURE AIR. 35 It is deemed important to examine these several causes separately. PURE AIR. It is not sufficient that the out-door air should be pure, free from noxious effluvia and destructive gases, to contribute most highly to the growth and health of an indi- vidual. It is also requisite to the same end that particular attention be paid to ventila- tion and temperature w^ithin doors. Crovv^d- ed rooms, with imperfect ventilation, is so decidedly injurious as to be quite perceptible in its effects on the health even of adults, and must be particularly so on the young, whose systems are more irritable and less able to resist deleterious influences of any kind. The present practice, adopted so general- ly in our cities, of warming the whole house with hot-air furnaces, requires careful man- agement to prevent enervating effects upon the younger members of the family. The air in the sleeping apartments particularly is apt to be kept at too high a temperature. Probably the child who passes the nights 36 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. during the cold season in a temperature greater than 50° to 55° Fahrenheit, will be less healthy and vigorous than one kept in cooler air. JSudden change of temperature exposes an individual to take cold, but one who is in the constant habit of taking a cool air bath is less subject to ailments from that cause than those kept a greater portion of the time in a heated atmosphere, and only occa- sionally going into the open air. Indeed, I have known many children dis- tinguished for healthy and robust constitu- tions, who were born and reared in open houses, on bleak situations, thinly clad, often playing with bare feet on the snow and ice. The physical formation of such individu- als w^as decidedly superior to those carefully sheltered and tenderly cared for. Not that so rigid and extreme a course of physical education is recommended as the best that can be adopted, by any means — a rational medium would be preferable. But the child should be warmly clothed, and habituated to out-door exposure almost daily through the whole year. Nurseries and school-rooms should be LIGHT. 87 well ventilated, and particular care be exer- cised to avoid allowing at any time too high a temperature in-doors during the winter season. A temperature of 60° is perhaps that most conducive to the health of the young. LIGHT. . This agent is not less important to perfect animal than vegetable healthfulness. The shaded plant may attain the full height of its kind, but it neither bears the fruit nor arrives at the full strength and firmness of those of the same species which grow in the open air. Its pale color, and loose, delicate texture, are proofs of its position ; and if at once re- moved to an unsheltered location, it is with- ered by too strong a sun-light, and broken by the winds, which serve to strengthen and beautify its kindred plants, which are con- stantly exposed. The child, by similar laws, is affected in like manner when too closely shielded from the light and breath of heaven. Surely, it is a false maternal tenderness 4 38 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. which dreads to witness the brown, healthful hue upon the brow and cheek of the darling child. EXERCISE. Man was made for action. Could he be so situated during the various periods of his existence on earth as to be entirely free from want of every kind, to have food and cloth- ing placed upon him without the necessity of even lifting his hand — could he repose upon a bed of down, and indulge perpetually in in- dolence and ease, he Avould need to possess a different organization than that with which the Creator has endowed him, in order that he might enjoy health or happiness. A necessity of twofold character impels him to action. The arrangement of his ex- istence is such that, to supply his numerous wants, he must put in motion his various fac- ulties of mind and body. There may be fatigue and often pain in the employment of these faculties, but he must not permit them to remain long inac- tive, and he cannot^ without exposing himself to debility, disease, and death. EXERCISE. 39 Free, habitual exercise, then, should be particularly regarded, as essential to the well-being of all. It should be estimated as no less an element of healthfulness and en- joyment than the air we breathe, or the food by which we are nourished. The effect of indolence or continued re- pose of the physical organs is to induce de- bility of the whole system. Unused muscles shrink ; they become soft, and unable to sus- tain great exertion. The blood ceases to cir- culate freely, and the bile becomes stagnant in the vessels of the liver, the stomach is dis- ordered, costiveness, indigestion, disturb the brain, dullness and restlessness succeed. The step is no longer firm and elastic, nor does the cheek glow with the lively hue of health. The opposite of these results are witnessed in those who pursue a free, daily exercise. The fluids circulate freely through every vessel in the system. Every part is supplied with its share of nutriment, and feels a natural stimulant mov- ing it on to healthy action. These princi- ples are true in regard to man, in almost every situation ; but it is in considering the 40 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS, condition of the young that they assume their greatest importance. While the body is growing is the most im- portant period to form an entire set of large, strong, and healthy organs. Free exercise daily, in the open air, is most favorable to such a result. This will expand the chest, the lungs, and heart; it will give the brain and every part a right proportion, while within such a constructed organization will dvi^ell, provided the intel- lectual and moral faculties have been duly cultivated, a vigorous intellect, a firmness of purpose, a spirit of enterprise, and a power of execution nowhere else to be found. Strength will give grace to every motion, while the sparkling eye and glowing cheek will tell of health and happiness. The kind of employment most suited to the con- dition of the young will be more particular- ly described while considering the moral part of education. FOOD. The physiological principle which shows us the fact that a constant waste or decay FOOD. 41 is taking place in every part of the system, points out the necessity of supplying that loss, or a total failure and emaciation will result. The young also require a supply of nutri- ment, not only sufficient to replace the quan- tity thus removed by the various secretions and excretions, but also a due proportion to enable the growing parts to enlarge and be built up with full capacity and strength. To answer these demands, children and young persons require a nutritive diet. The food should consist of such materials as afford the requisite amount of nutritious mat- ter, without those qualities which strongly excite or produce stimulation. The young possess sensitive nerves, which sensibility should not be exhausted by too free a use of strong excitants, which effect would naturally be produced were they freely and habitually applied. A bland as well as nutritive diet, then, should be pre- ferred. This should be taken in sufficient quantity, and at regular periods. There is probably no one article of food more particularly adapted to the condition of 4^ 42 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. the young, in a state of health, than milk. In the case of a child naturally delicate, a pro- portion of meat would often promote a stronger vital action, and therefore be highly beneficial. But generally, bread and milk, bread and butter, with very little meat, would be preferable. Potatoes, as an article of food, are unex- ceptionable for children of two years or more of age, who are in good health ; but for those whose digestive organs are impaired or deranged, they prove highly deleterious j sometimes not digesting at all, affording little or no nutriment, and irritating the first pas- sages, causing obstinate diarrhoea and ema- ciation. Fresh eggs, and ripe, newly-plucked fruit, in proper quantity, constitute healthful arti- cles of diet. The various narcotics, such as tea and coffee, should not be given to the young. They are too exciting to the sensitive nerves, and tend to produce a love of strong stimu- lants. ■ For similar reasons, pepper and other pungent condiments are injurious, and should be very sparingly used in the diet of children. SLEEP. 43 SLEEP. Sleep is a suspension of the sensations and voluntary motion. Dreaming is the result of partial sleep, and cannot take place in a profound and entire state of repose. Som- nambulism is that condition in which the in- dividual is still farther removed from perfect sleep than v^hen in ordinary dreaming, and in w^hich a considerable degree of the power of voluntary action exists, but without entire wakefulness. Sleep is as essential to the enjoyment of health and the continuance of life as food. Action and rest is a law of the animal and vegetable existence. The restoration of the principle of vitality demands it. The action of the heart strikingly illustrates this fact. Its contractions and relaxations succeed each other with great regularity ; the excitabil- ity is restored by the rest attending the latter, and thus continuous alternations are produced. Muscular movement of the whole, or any part of the body, cannot very long be con- tinued without producing fatigue. The prin- ciple of vitality or excitability which these 44 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. parts possess, and which is contained in the nerves of each, is derived wholly from the brain and its appendages. The mind also has its seat in the brain. When awake, a large portion of this import- ant organ is in action. The thoughts, pas- sions, and various muscular movements, all serve to use a portion of the cerebral exci- tability, and it requires seasons of rest to restore it, or exhaustion of vitality would ul- timately result. Long watchings, frequently repeated, pro- duce debility of the vital powers, and tend to the destruction of life. Sleep is an essen- tial nutriment of the brain, the restorer of its wasted excitability. It is an opinion expressed by many emi- nent physicians, that a too diminished quan- tity of sleep tends directly to shorten life ; and it cannot have escaped the notice of the common observer, that any abstraction from the usual quantity produces a degree of dis- comfort, thus admonishing the individual that violence has been done to the system. To neglect such admonitions for any considera- ble time, is to induce decay of the vital SLEEP. 45 powers, and ultimately premature death. " Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.'' Early rising, so important as a means of health and usefulness, becomes a positive evil, except when used in connection with an early re- tiring to rest. Eight hours of each twenty- four is considered usually as the medium time required for sleep. Some constitutions require more and some less than this amount. Children require a much greater amount of sleep than adults — ordinarily, 'from one to three hours longer period than persons in middle life. The night season is peculiarly fitted for the enjoyment of sound repose. The silence and darkness attending it withdraws a large share of the stimulants from the brain, which necessarily act upon it during the day, and display the wisdom and goodness of the Creator in adapting the favorable circum- stances of our existence. In order, then, to attain the best physical development, and give that vigorous tone to the brain which is requisite to sustain the 46 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. waste of its excitability from mental or bodily action, a full amount of sleep should be allowed to the young. That this important object may be best secured, they should retire at an early hour to rest, and then, with the return of light, they may go forth to mingle in the pursuits of the day, stored with the principle of strength, and buoyant with the pleasurable sensations of perfect health. Early retiring, and early rising, should be fully impressed by uninterrupted habit upon the character of the young. I am well aware of the difficulties which exist in the city in perfectly adopting this principle in the case of young persons. But did every parent view the subject in its fullest importance, it would awaken an interest for the lovedones which would even prove too strong for the herculean power of fashion and custom ; it would correct many of the evils at present attending a city resi- dence ; fortify numerous delicate constitu- tions with sufficient strength to resist the encroachments of disease, who otherwise CLOTHING. 47 would sink under it, and restore them from a state of languor and feebleness to a state of usefulness and increased enjoyment. Early retiring to rest, as well as early rising, should become an established habit with every individual, and that it may be so, it should be adopted while in youth. CLOTHING. In a climate so variable as that of the United States, the right adaptation of cloth- ing requires a very judicious and careful at- tention. No specific rules can be laid down to govern the quantity for the different sea- sons of the year, but some considerations may, perhaps, be advanced which will serve to guide the judgment with tolerable accu- racy on this point. The physical strength of the individual needs always to be carefully regarded in the application of clothing, particularly dur- ing the winter season. The feeble child re- quires a warmer covering than one who is strong and vigorous. The amount in any case, at any tempera- ture, should be such as to prevent chilliness, 48 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. or allow but a small degree of sensation of cold. The employment should be consider- ed in determining the amount of clothing ; as one of confinement or sedentary character requires more than one of free and athletic exercise. Habit, also, has much influence, in the case of every individual, in respect to what would be proper in dress. A part of the body or limbs accustomed to a thin covering or an entire exposure to the air acquires a power of resistance to the effects of cold, so as not to endanger the health ; but when a part or- dinarily well protected is thus exposed, an injury is produced. This is the same law of Physiology which renders a person accustomed to a high tem- perature in-doors during the cold season very subject to injury when exposed to the out-door air. Females often expose their health by violating this principle while fol- lowing too intently the ever-changing forms of fashionable attire. Warm feet and a cool head is found among the sage maxims of olden times, and although it has been stereotyped in every language BATHING. 49 of the civilized world, yet it is too little re- garded. The feet should be kept dry in cold weather, and warm also, where any degree of feebleness exists. The chest and abdomen also should be well protected in such cases, so as to allow daily exercise in the open air during the cold (as well as the warm season), without occa- sioning chilliness by such exposure. The "materials best adapted for clothing next the skin are such as are the least conductors of heat. For this purpose, fabrics of cotton and woolen are preferable to any other in use. The inflammable nature of cotton renders it objectionable for outside garments, for chil- dren particularly, for which purpose woolen or silk is well adapted. BATHING. If a child is judiciously treated during the first year of its existence, it may be washed over the entire body in cold water at any season of the year with no injury and much benefit. Frequent bathing is not only required to free the skin from perspirable matter which 5 50 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS, is constantly pouring upon it, and thus pro- moting cleanliness, but when applied cold it gives a vigorous action to the capillaries, giving them power to resist the injurious effects of any subsequent exposure to damp or cold air. It also acts upon the brain, by causing a reactionary effect, which occasions the glow of warmth which soon succeeds its applica- tion. Bathing is justly considered among the most invigorating agents where there is not too little power to create a reaction. In the latter case, a more brief and partial applica- tion of water, higher in temperature, so as not to produce an unpleasant shock to the system ; from which point it may be gradu- ated until it can be used freely and cold to advantage. Cheerfulness and good habits in every- thing are important agents in producing a perfect physical development. The subiect is merely named in this place that we may not overlook its importance in controlling the laws of health ; but being also intimately connected with the moral INTELLECTUAL EDUCATION. 51 part of education, will be duly considered in that place. The importance of a healthy body in giv- ing a right tone to the nervous system, and thus largely influencing the temper, also its tendency in the acquirement of good habits, and general influence on the character of the individual, will demand a special notice while presenting the subject of Moral Edu- cation INTELLECTUAL EDUCATION. Whatever serves to develop or improve the intellectual powers of an individual be- longs to Intellectual Education. The operation may be partial or general, but the latter is needed to promote a right education. The memory must not only be stored with facts, but the judgment should be disciplined and strengthened, while the imagination is refined, chastened, and in- vigorated. It is difficult, or perhaps impossible, to improve in any considerable degree either of these mental faculties without producing some influence upon the others ; but a very 52 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. disproportionate amount of culture may be bestowed upon either, and the result would constitute a bad education. In order to ob- tain the highest point of improvement of which any particular case is capable, all the intellectual powers must be proportionately cultivated. There is an almost infinite variety in the relative proportion of these faculties, as ex- isting naturally among different individuals. Some, with little mental culture, are distin- guished for good sense or judgment, but with a moderate memory and feeble imagination ; others, equally uncultivated, possess a very retentive memory, with a weak understand- ing. It is the aim of education not only to im- prove each of these powers, but to make them harmonize. This must be accomplish- ed not by nurturing principally the faculty best developed by the physical organization, nor by repressing the natural growth of either, but by bringing the others up to a level with the highest, and thus completing a harmony of the whole. A well-balanced mind is a rare boon from INTELLECTUAL EDUCATION. 53 the hand of the Creator to any who have not enjoyed the benefits of education in some form. The uncultivated mind may display cunning ; but its powers resemble more the instincts of the inferior animals than the noble qualities which are attained by the in- vigorating and polishing processes of a fin- ished education. It is the object of the present inquiry to examine the causes which may most judi- ciously be adopted to obtain the desired end, in order to secure which in the highest de- gree it is necessary to furnish a healthy brain, which mainly depends on a proper physical training. The child should not be put to tasks of learning too early. This is a point where parents frequently err. Every one who is not well informed on this subject is pleased to witness the early mental devel- opments of his child. The fact is, that almost every instance of strikingly early exhibitions of intellect is the result of cerebral disease in the individual, which, if not followed by premature death, is too often found at last to result in a failure of mental growth in subsequent years. Wherever this precocity appears, let it 54 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. be viewed as the effect of a delicate organ- ization of the brain, and the subject be treat- ed accordingly. In such a case, physical education should be scrupulously regarded, and every means adopted to lay the foundation for sound health, while the mental powers should re- main to a later period untasked, except so far as may be inseparable from the bodily employments. During the whole course of education, such an individual should be careful to ob- serve all the rules laid down for a good physical training. A child of ordinary constitution may com- mence an easy course of mental training at five years old ; this is the earliest period at which any ought to be confined to the school- room. A proportionately later period should be chosen for sending to school where constitu- tional debility exists. This doctrine may surprise many parents, for it is contrary to common usage, as most children are sent to school or taught to read before attaining the fifth year. But in this position I am not only sustained INTELLECTUAL EDUCATION. 55 by the opinions of several sensible writers, but it is based upon a long and extended course of experience and observation upon this subject. From such evidence, I am decidedly of the opinion that six is a better age at vi^hich to commence the tasks of the school-room than four. Perhaps the medium may be prefer- able to either. The brain having acquired a good degree of strength, and all the animal powers being vigorous, the mental training should begin. By the term mental training is not meant moral culture (for the latter cannot be com- menced too early), but simply the knowledge derived from letters. The task, at first, should be rendered light and agreeable ; but a habit of superficial ac- quirement ought to be avoided from the be- ginning, for thoroughness should form a part of every lesson through the whole course of education. Great pains should be taken to secure the undivided attention of the young learner, that right habits may be formed early in this respect. 56 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. During the first years of attending school, the child should be confined but a short pe- riod at a time, and but a very small portion of each day to the school-room, restricted 'to the confinement required in that position. Very frequent exercise in the open air should be allowed ; this will not only serve to fortify the brain, and allow the intellectu- al organs to become more perfectly devel- oped, but also give a healthier tone to the nervous system, spreading a joyousness over the whole spirit of the young student, thus casting a brilliant halo round the early school-days, and Mending in happy associ- ations the task imposed from books with the brightest enjoyments. After a child has acquired a thorough knowledge of the elementary studies, the particular course further to be pursued should depend upon the design of the parent respecting the amount and kind of learning to be obtained. Is a liberal and finished ed- ucation intended ? the ancient languages should early be introduced. A thorough knowledge of these lays the foundation for a more perfect understanding INTELLECTUAL EDUCATION. 57 of the English. There are some who do not understand the reasons why a good educa- tion demands the study of the dead langua- ges ; but in addition to the reason above suggested, there is another of equal, if not superior importance. This consists in the fact that the pupil who is required to adopt this course, acquires a mental power for discrimination, and a habit of industrious investigation, from the necessity of following a word to its root, and the incessant labor of examining the Lexicon. By such a course his powers of discrimi- nation and habits of industry are not only cultivated, but the taste is refined, the imag- ination strengthened by familiarizing the mind with the beautiful, poetic imagery, and the chaste, perspicuous, and manly style which adorn the ancient classics. It is rare to find an example in either sex of a good writer, who has not acquired a knowledge of the Greek and Latin languages. Where this acquirement is wanting, almost universally is found to exist a diffuse and verbose style, tedious and disagreeable to a refined and well-cultivated mind. 58 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. In determining to what extent the parent is willing to afford opportunity for acquiring an extended education, either for son or daughter, I would urge upon him every con- sideration possible to adopt the most liberal course consistent with his means to accom- plish. Property is of little consequence com- pared with knowledge. Has a parent one thousand dollars only, which he designs as a portion for his child, how can he best apply it ? Shall he limit his education, that he may bestow it in money or land ? or if even the whole of it were expended judiciously to enrich the mind, would he not confer a much greater good ? Tere can be no doubt but the latter would be the wisest course. The learning thus acquired would soon recover the cost of it, and in the course of life, in a country like ours, would prove a rich investment, yielding a large interest. Knowledge not only confers benefits on the individual possessor, but extends the power immensely of doing good to others. I am aware that well-cultivated minds will need no arguments to convince them of the INTELLECTUAL EDUCATION. 59 justness of these views ; but to those who have not enjoyed the full advantages of edu- cation, and who, in consequence, do not ap- preciate its importance, I would, did I pos- sess the power, speak in " thoughts that breathe and words that burn," that they might be persuaded to confer on their off- spring this inestimable boon. What has learning done for the people of New England ? Her ungenial soil of diffi- cult tillage has proved no obstacle insur- mountable to the attainment of wealth and refinement. Her schools and colleges have shed their benign influence not only upon her own children, but on thousands of others through- out the Union. The erection of the church and school-house, wherever a settlement was formed, have conferred upon the descendants of the Puritans their richest blessings. A people thus enlightened could not be en- slaved. Civil freedom can only dwell among a people who understand their rights and how to preserve them. The institutions of the United States are based upon this prin- ciple. A love of freedom and true patriot- 60 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. ism demand of every citizen of this great republic the promotion of education to the fullest extent in his power. Can a parent do this while he permits his own offspring to grow up in ignorance ? What was consid- ered a good education forty years ago, would be comparative ignorance now. The improvements of the present age de- m.and proportionately a higher standard of knowledge. To secure this, an improved method of instruction is to be adopted. Bet- ter school-houses and teachers of higher acquirements should be obtained, and a wider range of studies adopted. That State which shall pursue the wisest and most liberal course of legislation on the subject of education for a century to come, will hold the greatest sway in the Union. Such a State will be best prepared to legis- late well on other subjects. Her intelligent sons and daughters will not fail to hold the first rank wherever they go, and will shed a lustre upon the land of their birth, by their acloiowledged superiority. In such a community, all the legitimate re- sources of wealth will be developed and ap- INTELLECTUAL EDUCATION. 61 plied with success. The arts, a pure taste, and whatever conduces to the comfort, con- venience, and embellishment of her public buildings or private residences, in their con- struction or furniture, will adorn her thriv- ing cities, and mingle their loveliness with her richly-cultivated hills and valleys. Such a State, compared with her sisters of the confederacy, would rise to a more lofty "supremacy than ever Athens attained among the cities of ancient Greece. If ever the hand of ruin shall be stretched out to complete the destruction of this now glorious and happy republic, it will first open wide across the path of its destiny the yawning and impassable gulf of popular ig- norance. An ignorant people will elect ignorant and base representatives, and when intelli- gence and virtue shall cease to hold a place in the halls of legislation, then will faction " rule the hour " — our country's happiness and glory will be no longer regarded. De- magoguery will sit in the place of patriot- ism, bribery and corruption walk with un- blushing front through every channel of offi- 6 62 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. cial action ; anarchy unfurl her banner of strife and blood over these now peaceful hills and valleys, and the crumbling pillars of public intelligence and 'virtue will sink to- gether with the falling temple of freedom, and be buried in one common ruin. MORAL EDUCATION.. Whatever degree of perfection may have been attained in the Physical and Intellect- ual parts of education, one important, and even essential, requisite is wanting, without goodness of heart. From the heart proceed the actions, and if this fountain is purified and made sweet, then salubrious and sweet will be the streams which issue from it. A. right prin- ciple of moral action must be established as the foundation of all good character. The truths of revealed religion can alone accom- plish this important object. When this is obtained, love to God and man occupies the place of the native selfishness of the human heart. Instead of rendering evil for evil, which is the base spirit of revenge, the one of kind- MORAL EDUCATION. 63 ness controls the actions. A heart thus cor- rected reflects upon all around the sunny influence of the heavenly beams by which it is warmed. Its possessor is rich in good works. He delights to confer happiness on others. He loves the truth and hates false- hood. Evil purposes find no place in his thoughts. Benevolence beams in his eye, and afl^ec- tion softens every expression of his counte- nance. Suavity of manners, disinterested and no- ble action, mark the conduct of such an indi- vidual. When these exist, along with a good physical and intellectual culture, we have the true gentleman or lady ; genuine polite- ness is inseparable from such an education. It has already been remarked that the truths of revealed religion are essential to effect such an object. These truths should early be inculcated upon the young mind, both by precept and example. The man- ner of conveying these truths to the minds of children is contained in the truths them- selves. Kindness and gentleness of manner is the 64 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. fruit of a Christian spirit. While a wrong action of the child is rebuked with earnest- ness, the parent should not chide in anger, but in love. Let some of the earliest lessons taught the loved one be to render good for evil ; to speak the truth, to obey its parents, to con- trol the temper, to observe order, and a scrupulous regard to the rights of others. These will soon become habitual, and essen- tially aid to bring the individual at length under the full power of divine truth. In early childhood, the great fundamental principles of moral action should be firmly implanted. Lessons on all these great prin- ciples should be taught before the child ever leaves the paternal roof, to gain knowledge in school. It is from lessons received on the *^ mother's knee " that much of the charac- ter of the men and women of our country is formed. But these moral lessons should not be taught alone at home. They should be repeated in the school-room, by the way- side, in the field, and wherever human beings congregate in large or small numbers. In MORAL EDUCATION. 65 all places, at all times, let falsehood, obscen- ity, backbiting, or profanity be excluded. Let children be taught habitually to ven- erate the Being who made, and who contin- ually sustains them. When the inquisitive mind of childhood asks who made the bright sun, or the moon, or the beautiful stars, let lessons of the goodness of God be united with the proofs of his wisdom and power. When their young hearts are buoyant with the joyous changes of seasons; whether as they pluck the gay flowers of summer, or are delighted with the pure frost-work of winter, let them be taught to see the good" ness of God in them all. Obedience to parents and teachers, and respect to superiors, should ever be main- tained. That youth who arrives at manhood un- used to submission, will have a miserable ex- istence himself, and will prove a nuisance to the community in which he lives. He will not only disregard the salutary restraints of society, but, urged on by uncon- trolled and headlong passions, will be in- clined to trample upon the civil laws, which 6* 66 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. are created for the protection of his own rights, as well as the rights of others. The benefits of education are strongly and most happily illustrated in the life of that illustrious statesman for whose death our nation has recently been called to mourn. The history of his life would fill volumes, and is intimately connected with that of our country, for a period of more than half a century. Early taught in the school of pure moral- ity, and his mind inspired with a high aim, he exhibited through the whole of his long and brilliant public career the excellency of his early training. As an instance of that training, when he was eleven years of age, attending school abroad, his excellent mother conveyed in a letter to him these noble sentiments. Says Mrs. Adams to her son, "Great learning and superior abihties, should you ever pos- sess them, will be of little value, and of small estimation,unless virtue, honor, integrity, and truth are cherished by you. ''Adhere to the rules and principles early instilled in your mind, and remember that READING AND BOOKS. 67 you are responsible to your God. Dear as you are to me, I would much prefer that you would find a grave in the ocean which you have crossed, than to see you an immor- al and graceless child." That instruction to that boy was not lost. He was a bulwark on the side of virtue through a long life, and being dead, his name is registered in the temple of fame, by the side of that of Washington. READING AND BOOKS. The object for which books are designed is threefold^: the acquisition of knowledge, amusement, and the improvement of taste. In selecting books for the young, these several ends should be embraced. Reading merely for amusement ought not to be allowed to any great extent. Like every other frivolous employment, it tends to enfeeble the mindr and to the acquisition of a morbid appetite, which gives a disrelish for more substantial mental aliment. That reading which is ex- pressly designed to convey knowledge should be dressed in an agreeable garb, or the young mind, particularly, will be soon fatigued and 68 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. disgusted. The moral tendency of a culti- vated taste should not be undervalued in de- termining the choice of books for children. Coarse and vulgar expressions, ribaldry, or vile inuendoes, should be excluded, by the just maxim, that " evil communications cor- rupt good manners." Truth and nature ought to be inscribed upon every page we put into their hands. To give the young a false view of what is before them in the path of life, is a greater evil than to afford them no view at all, and allow them to learn as they proceed, in the dear school of experi- ence. The reading of the present day is pro- verbially encumbered with fiction. It will not be denied that this circumstance has increased largely a fondness for reading.; but has it increased the desire for sound and useful reading? In proportion to its indulgence, does it not create an aversion to history and sober reading? In cases where purely works of the imagination are largely perused, a passion for reading of this kind is often produced, A mind thus influenced passes into a state nearly allied to, if not READING AND BOOKS. 69 identified with, a monomania. It ceases to view objects in their true light. Everything wears a shadowy and unreal form. The dreams partake of these false images, and in the waking hours, the hero or heroine of fancy's creation can almost be recognized in»propria persona, and he or she who should be first in esteem, is perhaps rivaled in af- fection by some imaginary personage of the last-out tale. This description of reading consumes immense portions of time, thus ab- stracting from life much of its usefulness. It is also too often a vehicle for conveying false and immoral sentiments, thus corrupting the heart, and poisoning the fountain of our best and kindliest emotions. How large a portion of books designed for children should consist of truth illus- trated with fiction, is well worthy the ear- nest consideration of parents, and all who have at heart the highest interests of the young. Numerous books of this class have found their way into almost every family, and have been introduced to a large extent into the various Sabbath-school libraries. Generally, children seek for those books 70 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. which are most replete with exciting inci- dents. It is obvious that when the incidents related are imaginary, the tendency of such books, largely indulged in, is to create a love of novel-reading, and to blunt the taste for unembellished truth and plain history. Too much caution cannot be exercised by th^se whose duty it is to watch over the juvenile mind, that they may mould its plastic mate- rials into the symmetrical forms of nature and truth. Individuals may form a habit of too much reading. If the capacity of the mind is flooded with incidents, and the various thoughts and circumstances contained in books, its powers are necessarily weak- ened. Without time for arrangement, the memory becomes a mere lumber-room, where everything is in confusion. The aliment of the mind requires digestion and assimilation, that it may strengthen as well as that of the body. There should be re- flection with reading. Passages distinguish- ed either for beauty of sentiment or style, also such as contain important facts, should be carefully noted and arranged in the mind, READING AND BOOKS. 71^ SO as to become a fund for after use. A few lines of sensible reading treasured up in the mind becomes a more valuable possession than scores of pages carelessly run over, and on which little or no reflection is bestowed. The facilities for the acquisition of books at the present day allow to almost every one the opportunity of making ample selec- tions of such as contain valuable reading. It also demands a vigilant e3^e that any of the vicious class do not fall into the hands of those entrusted to our care. The young mind should be carefully guarded against coming in contact with the relations of extraor- dinary crime ; tales of piracy, murder, or any of the gross instances of human deprav- ity. The life of Col. Munro Edwards, and others of similar character, by their publi- cation, are calculated to effect more injury on the community, than all their deeds of villany while living. What a delightful appendage to every house is a well-selected library ! What a luxury on which to repose the mind after the toils and labors of the day are com- pleted ! what a solace for the lonely hour ! 72 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. what an agreeable pastime for the family circle, during the long winter's evening! what attractions does it place around the family fireside ! and more than these, what a bulwark does it furnish against the encroach- ments of vice, and protection on the side of pure morality and religion ! SCHOOL-HOUSES. The subject of improvement in School- Houses is so intimately connected with that of education, it is deemed not out of place •here. While a few minds are awakened to entertain just views of its importance, they are only as oases of an immense desert, com- pared with the masses who remain indiffer- ent to its claims. Who, that has arrived at middle or later "life, does not entertain a freshness and inter- est for the place where the early school- days were passed ? Who does not feel that a moral power, an abiding and effective in- fluence, was exerted upon the tender mind of childhood by the associations of the school- room, when the halcyon days of life were ours ; when the buddings of hope were SCHOOL-HOUSES. 73 sweetest, and the young and tender sensibili- ties imbibed deeply and indestructibly the impress of every surrounding object ? The taste and order displayed in the arrange- ments of such a place leave their traces in after life ; and it is extremely doubtful whether they are, v^^hile memory remains, ever obliterated. To form a correct taste and a love of order, then, should there not be a place distinguished for these desirable attributes, where children spend so many years of the most susceptible period of life ? It ought also to be considered, ybr the time, that surrounding objects exert no inconsider- able influence upon the manners and moral feelings of children. It is a trait of the hu- man character to be overawed, and the natural rudeness of the manners to be held in check by the surrounding circumstances. A rude boy may be tempted to tear off a loose board from a shabb}' school-house, who would regard with care one of neatness and order. Children are more inclined to play roughly and rudely in a barn than in the parlor. They will be likely also to estimate the value of learning by the means furnished 7 74 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. to obtain it, and when they see the school- house the poorest cared for of any in the whole neighborhood, they can but conclude that the acquisition of learning is of small consequence. In considering the subject of school-houses as they generally are at present, and in sug- gesting my own views of what they should be, cannot, perhaps, be better expressed than in the language of a highly distinguished American writer,* whose labors have con- tributed largely to the moral and physical comfort and benefit of his fellow-country- men. " With so much to be proud of in our system of common schools, there is nothing so beggarly and disgraceful as the externals of our country school-houses themselves.-' *' A traveler through the Union is at once struck with the general appearance of com- fort in the houses of our rural population. But by the way-sides, here and there, he ob- serves a small one-story edifice, built of wood or stone in the most meagre mode — dingy in aspect, and dilapidated in condition. It is placed in the barest and most forbiding * A. J. Downing. SCHOOL-HOUSES. 75 side, in the whole country round. If you fail to recognize it by these marks, you can easily make it out by the broken fences and tumble-down stone walls that surround it ; by the absence of all trees, and by a gen- eral expression of melancholy, as if every lover of good order and beauty in the neigh- borhood had abandoned it to the genius of desolation." " This condition of things is almost univer- sal. It must, therefore, be founded in some deep-rooted prejudices, or some mistaken idea of the importance of the subject." These prejudices and mistaken views of the public in general, in regard to this im- portant subject, are beginning to give way, and occasional instances may be found of beautiful examples of what the school-house ought to be. Says this writer, " We saw last summer in Dutchess county, N. Y., a free- school, erected to fulfill more perfectly the mission of an ordinary district school-house which had been built by a gentleman, whose taste and benevolence seem, like sunshine, to warm and irradiate his whole neighbor- hood. It was a building simple enough. 76 EDUCATION FOR THE MILLIONS. after all. A projecting roof, with slight, or- namented brackets, a pretty porch, neat chimney-tops ; its color a soft neutr-al ; these were its leading features. A single glance at it told that the evil spirit had been cast out, and the good spirit had taken its place. The utmost neatness and cleanliness appeared in every part. Beautiful vines and creepers climbed upon the walls, and hung in festoons over the windows. Groups of trees and flowering shrubs were thriving within its inclosure. A bit of neat lawn surrounded the building, and was evidently an object of care and respect with the pupils themselves. Altogether, it was a picture of a common district school which, compared with that we before described, and which one every day sees, was a foretaste of the millennium. *' We have an ideal picture that refreshes our imagination of common school-houses, scattered all over our wide country ; not wild bedlams, which seem to the traveler plague-spots on the fair country landscape ; but little nests of verdure and beauty, em- bryo Arcadias, that beget tastes for lovely gardens, neat houses, and well-cultivated SCHOOL-HOUSES. 77 lands ; spots of recreation, that are play- grounds for the memory for many years, after all else of childhood is crowded out and effaced forever. "For ourselves, we have perfect faith in the future — v^e believe that our countrymen, as soon as they comprehend fully the value and importance of external objects on the mind, on the heart, on the manners, on the Ufe of all human beings, will not be slow to concentrate all beautiful, good, and enno- bling influences around that primary nursery of the intellect and sensations — the district school-house." OP VALUABLE PUBLICATIONS ISSUED BY M. W. DODD, PUBLISHER AND BOOKSELLER, eor. €it2 31^ all Square atiK Spruce St. (opposite city hall, new YORK.) CHARLOTTE ELIZABETH'S WORKS, WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY MRS. HARRIET BEECHER STOWE. 2 Volumes, Octavo. CONTAINING PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR ON STEEL, WITH SEVERAL OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS, ENGRAVED EXPRESSLY FOR THE WORK. The Publisher invites the attention of the public to this new Edition of one of the most popular and useful writers of the present age. It contains, in the compass of nearly 1700 large octavo pages, all the productions, in Prose and Poetry, of this admirable authoress, suited to a Standard Edition of her Works. Several of these were furnished in manuscript for this edition by Mrs. Tonna, which has her express ear dorsement, and is the only one in this country from which she has de- rived any pecuniary benefit. To give additional value to the work by illustrating and embeliishii^ it, we have, at considerable expense, added to it several Engravings from Steele, got up expressly for this purpose. It is believed few work« can be found surpassing these in value for family reading. They cobv- bine, to an unusual degree, an elevated moral tone, with reading attrae- tive to both old and young. And for the requisites of beauty, cheapnesA, and legibility combined, this edition of Charlotte Elizabeth's works is not excelled by anything in the market. The last edition contains her Memoir by her husband, designed to be s Supplement to Personal Recollections, and embracing the period from the close of her Personal Recollections to her death. Also, " War with the Saints ; or, Count Raymond of Toulouse,"— the work she fmishad Almost simultaneouslv with her eeurtblv career. 1 Books Published arid for Sale hy M. W. Dodd. THE MERCY SEAT; Thoughts suggested by the Lord's Prater, By GARoiNia Spring, D.D. " In this volume intrinsic excellence and mechanical beauty are well combined. Richness and maturity of evangelical thought and senti- ment are its characteristics; tlie ripe experience of a devout Christian clusters on every page ; it is full of • marrow and fatness, of wine on the lees well reflnedV and contains food for both heart and intellect. ' The Mercy Seat' will be— cannot but be — highly prized by Christians of all denominations." — Commercial Advertiser. "We regard it as the most valuable of all the distinguished author's valuable works. It is a book for the family and the closet, and is equally well adapted to profit the plainest Christian, and the most cul- tivated man of letters." — .,¥. Y. Observer. ''The present work is among the author's happiest productions. We think it surpasses ihem all in richness of instruction, tenderness of spirit, earnestness and fidelity of appeal, and power to awaken and sway the best feelings of the sanctified heart. His general observations on prayer, and his remarks on the matter and manner of prayer, are most excellent, and worthy of careful and thorough study."— fi«6. Rep. "The volume contains some of his best and most interesting dis- course, and cannot fail to be most heartily welcomed by the religious public. The style in which it is published is exceedingly neat and at- tractive." — JV. Y. Courier and Inquirer. "It is a delightful work, and replete with noble Christian views, which ought to obtain in all spheres, and to exert an influence upon all minds."— jV; Y. Evangelist. "This volume will not please because it contains ingenious specula- tions or startling novelties ; but because it presents the old, rich themes of Gospel truth in a clear and chaste style. The doctrinal and the practical are happily blended in its discussions— not a page is dull or dry. The author's judicious remarks on 'Forms of Prayer' are commended to all who would like to see this subject kindly exhib- ited in its true light — the Bible and the History of the Church. V.'^e Bay to all, get 'The Mercy Seat' by Dr. Spring." — JVewark Daily Ad- eertiser. "It is certainly one of the most favorable exhibitions of Dr. Spring's powers in illustrating and enforcing truths of the highest moment. His theme is a delightful one, and the method of treating it is all that could be desired. The publisher has presented it in a very attractive dress." — Phil. Presbyterian. "This work is in Dr. Spring's best style,— vigorous, perspicuous, and breathing the true Christian spirit. It is not a book intended simply for the closet. It seizes upon man in his daily walks — amidst the cares of his business — at his desk or in his workshop, and recalls him to a sense of his divine relations — and is worthy of a place in the choicest niche of the library." — Journal of Commerce. " We give a cordial welcome to this new work of Dr. Spring. It is refreshing to meet with a book like this, so clear and chaste in style, so fraught with important instruction, and above all, so eminently spiritual in its tone, and so well fitted to promote devotional feeling." — JV*. Y. Presbyterian. " A rich and valuable work, replete with the distinguished author's best thoughts on a great subject, of universal interest — the communion of man, weak, sinful and mortal, with the Infinite Jehovah, his God aad Saviour."— CAWsftan Observer. BooTcs Published and for Sa^e by M. W. Dodd. IS CHRISTIANITY FROM GOD? Or a Manual op Bible Evidence for the People. By Rev. JoH^f Cdmmings, D.D., Minister of the Scot- tish National Church in London. With an Intro- duction BY Hon. Theodore Frelinghuysen. " Let. no one neglect this volume because its subject is one that has been ably and unanswerably handled before. If we mistake not, it has some traits of superiority over any that has preceded it. As a manual of arguments against infidel assaults and sceptical insinuations we du not think of another that we should call its equal." " Here is a book that we can heartily commend. Its title, " Is Chris- tianity from God? or a Manual of Bible Evidence for the People,'- indi- cates the character of the work. The author attempts no new theory- no new and startling truths — for these are not found in the Bible; but with singular ability he has explored the old truths of revelation,- and shown conclusively that the Bible is from God. * •* * " Its positions are taken with so much confidence, and held with so much quiet ease, that the reader can scarcely fail to feel a kind of con- tempt for the delirious twattling of upstarts, whose intellectual calibre is simply of the capacity to doubt what a manly intellect has estab- lished." — Religious Recorder. " In an age like the present, when scepticism is so fashionable, a work like this cannot fail to produce a wholesome influence on the mind of the reader."— CArisimyj Secretary. *' This work is an able one. It treats of very gi-ave subjects, in an earnest and practical manner. The work will arrest the attention of earnest thinkers, whether sceptics or Christians. The Introduction by Mr. Frelinghuysen is brief, neat, pertinent, and highly commendatory of the body of the book."— TAe Republican. " This is an able and valuable work on a most important subject, which the author has illustrated in a style and manner that cannot fail to interest that numerous class of readers for whom it was intended. It i-3 a good standard book for the Christian family library."— Cftrjsfjan Observer. "It is awG^-l: admirably calculated to enlighten the inquirer after truth, and to confirm the pious in the truth of the Christian Religion." — Baltimore American. " For all classes this is an admirable summary— compendious but complete — of the evidences of Christianity. Its style is more polished, and its learning more profound than Nelson's ; but it is well adapted to carry conviction to plain minds, and to suggest to the Christian argu- ments and facts for the defence of his faith. The moral argument is brought out with great strength ; and also that from prophecy."— TAc Independent. "We earnestly recommend the circulation of this volume. Where skepticism exists, here is strong argument, freshly presented, to settle the belief: where general confidence in the Bible exists, here are de- tolled proofs to give it corroboration," — Princeton Review. Boohs Published and for Sale hy M. W. Dodd. APOSTOLIC BAPTISM. Facts and Evidences on the Subjects and Modes of Chbis- TiAN Baptism. Br C. Taylor, Editor of Calmet's Dic- tionary OF THE Bible. "With 13 engravings. 12mo. " We are glad to see a revised and stereotyped edition of this learned and valuable work on the baptismal controversy. It is not necessary, at this late day, to speak of its peculiar merits. *We are not aware that these ' Facts and Evidences' here presented, have ever been invali- dated, either in this country or in Great Britain, and if not, they are certainly entitled to no little weight in favor of the arguments of Paedo- baptists, both as to the subjects of Christian baptism and the apostolic mode." — Biblical Repository. "This work has given no little trouble to immersionists. The facta of Mr. Taylor have never been denied, to our knowledge ; nor have hia evidences ever been disproved. The work before us has acquired a reputation which our endorsement cannot materially increase.''''— Prince- ton Review. " The American editor presents this volume to the American Churches, as the authentic delineation of original Christian Baptism — with the assured conviction, that an erudite polemic cannot be found who will seriously controvert Mr. Taylor's oracular position — 'Baptism, from the day of Pentecost, was administered by the Apostles and Evangel- ists, to Infants, and not by submersion :' the Facts and Evidences sus- taining this position, he regards as irrefutable, as the truth is in Jesus. •'The book displays wonderful research, and brings out the proof from philology and ecclesiastical history, with a distinctness and force perhaps never excelled. It even proves that the warrant for baptizing infants is more certain, or less open to cavils, than if that word had been employed in the command, or in the narration of examples of baptism— because a term is used of more certain meaning, which un- questionably includes little children. The work was published in Eng- land more than thirty years ago, and no Baptist author has yet at- tempted to disprove the facts, or to deny the evidences here adduced, in favor of Paedobaptist principles and practice." — Christian Mirror. " This is a very curious book. It commences the argument in respect to baptism at the right starting point, and enforces it by reasoning of the most convincing character. It seeks to carry back the interpreter of the teachings of the Scriptures, to the time when the New Testament was written, and to enable him to read the passages under circum- stances, like those under which they were originally heard. The en- gravings, which are copies of the oldest representations of the adminis- tration of the rite of baptism, in pictures, sculptures, and mosaics, speak forcibly to the eye and the mind." — jVew Englander. "This is unquestionably the greatest work ever published on this question. It has been thirty years challenging examination, and no Baptist minister, so far as we know, has dared to touch it. No minis- ter should be without it> Remember, it is a body of Texts and Evi- ievces. The history of the book is interesting, but we have not room to give it. It ought to be in every Sunday school library. It has thir- \een engravings^ themselves, as evidences, worth the price. The book ijas had an immense circulation in Europe and America. We wish Bome plan could be devised to put it in every family of our church." — Southern Methodist Pulpit. Books Published and for Sale by M. W. Dodd. THE ATTRACTION OF THE CROSS. The Attraction of the Cross, designed to illustrate the leading Truths, Obligations and Hopes of Christianity By Gardiner Spring, D.D. 12mo. Fourth edition. • "We are not surprised to hear that Mr. Dodd, the publisher has al- ready issued the third edition of the Attraction of the Cross, by the Rev Dr. Spring. It is the ablest and most finished production of its author, and will undoubtedly take its place in that most enviable position in the family, as a volume of standard reading, to be the comfort of the aged and the guide of the young. We commend it as one of the most valua- ble issues of the press." — N. Y. Observer. " This is no ordinary, every-day volume of sermons, but the rich, ripe harvest of a cultivated mind — the result of long and systematic devotion to the proper work of the Christian ministry. We regard Dr. Spring as one of the most accomplished preachers of the country. We never heard him preach a weak discourse ; and whenever he appears from the press, it is with words of wisdom and power. A careful perusal .of this admirable book has afforded us great pleasure. We do not won- der to find it so soon in a third edition. It will have a lasting reputa- tion." — Baptist Memorial. " This volume, which we announced two weeks ago, and which we thea predicted would prove to bo the most excellent and valuable work yet written by Dr. Spring, has more than equalled our expectations We trust" that every family in our land v.'ill read this precious work, which illustrates so beautifully and atti'actively the leading truths, ob- ligations and hopes of Christianity, as reflected from the Cross of Christ." — Albany Spectator. " We mistake if this neatly -printed volume does not prove one of the most attractive religious works of the day. It presents the practical truths of religion, which all ought to know, free from the spirit of sect- arianism or controversy. The book is prepared for permanent use, and bids as fair, perhaps, as any book of the kind in our times, to live and speak long after the author shall have gone to test the realities he has BO eloquently described." — Journal of Commerce. " Dr. Spring's new work, which we had occasion recently to announce, is very highly commended elsewhere. A New- York letter in the Boston Traveller thus introduces it to notice : — ' A new work of Dr. Spring " The Attraction of the Cross," has been published by M. W. Dodd, of this city. ..." The Attraction of the Cross " is destined to live among the very best productions of the church with which its respected author is connected. The style is remarkably pure, the arrangements of the topics lucid and methodical, and the arguments addressed with great force to the reason and conscience. It will stand by the side of '' Dod- dridge^s Rise and Progress," " Wilberforce's View," or the " Way cf Life," in the libraries of future generations.' " — Newark Daily Adv. " None will wonder at the rare success which this volume has won, who kive read it. For comprehensiveness of views, beauty of style and excellence and fervor of devotional feeling, few works haY lately ap peared that surpass it." — New-York Evangelist. " The grand relations of the Cross, its holy influences, Its comforts and ItB triumphs, are here exhibited in a manner cheering to the heart of the Christian. And the perusal of this book will, we venture to say. greatly assist and comfort the children of God. . . J''— Presbyterian. 9 Boohs Published and for Sale by M. W. I) odd. GOSPEL STUDIES. By Alexander Vinet, D.D., Author of Vital Christian- ity, WITH AN Introduction by Dr. Baird, . "These discourses are remarkable for originality and beauty of thought and elegance of diction. They are unlike anything that we ever read— they are delightful."— Z)at7y Evening Traveller. " Vinet, beyond any writer of our day, was characterized by the per- Eetual progress froni novelty to novelty. The originality of Vinet is is principal charm. He treats the most common topics of theology with a freshness which fascinates us like a discovery. In the conduct of his metaphors, he so fuses the thought in the illustration, as to give the most familiar truths the brilliancy of inventions ; and by penetrating and profound analysis reveals new relations of truth which elude com- mon sagacity, and are indeed so many new truths. We believe the pe- rusal of this volume will be an excellent discipline for those whose religious views need enlivening ; all here is full of nobleness, aspiring speculation, and enthusiastic love." — Literary World. "They possess the peculiar characteristics of French sermonizing— lively, abrupt, strikingly beautiful in description, and artistically ar- ranged."— JV. Y. Evangelist. " Vinet has been styled " the Chalmers of Switzerland," but his man- ner is different, although his thoughts are not less brilliant. In his style, Vinet is original. He was a profound thinker, and in communicating his ideas he knows how to make others think. No one can read these admirable discourses without entering into the spirit and feelings of the author, nor without gaining new and valuable ideas from him."— CArj*- tian Secretary. "The writer had a most versatile as well as a most discriminating and powerful mind ; and probably deserved, more than almost any othar writer, to be called, in the best sense of the word, a philosophical Chris- tian. He is equally at home in the heights and in the depths : and his range of thought seems illimitable."- jj/ia/^y Argus. "Gospel Studies" contains much that is adapted to stir the soul, to nourish piety, and to enlarge one's range of thoughts in certain direo tions." — Watchman and Reflector. " Simplicity, beauty, original thought, and ardent piety, are the prom- inent attributes of the author's mind as developed in this work. There is a freshness in his views which will delight the intelligent reader."— Christian Observer. "Such is the title of one of the best books on the subject of religion that we have seen for many a day. In an introduction of a few pages, Dr. Baird gives a short notice of the life of Dr. Vinet, whom he pro- nounces the greatest philosopher that the Continent, if not Europe, has produced in our times. He has been called the Chalmers of Switzer- land, but not very correctly. He was rather the John Foster. But he had a mind far more clear and discriminating than that of the great British Essayist just named. It has a freshness about it, and is so re- moved from the usual style of an English or American mind that it awakens and excites attentioii at every step.''— Jour?ja^ of Commerce. Boohs Published and for Sale by M. W. Dodd, PURITAN HEROES; Or, Sketches of their Character and Times. By Jchn Stoughton. With an Introductory Letter by JoEif Hawes, D.D. " This is a well-piinted duoiler.imo volume, wherein is given a series of admirable sketches of those noble minded men whose renunciations of existing glaring evils subjected them to so great a degree of sudering and calumniation. The present volume is not a continuous nor s prosy history. It is more ; for while the best and standard authorities, old MSS., and curious tracts, have been consulted in its compilation, it abounds with vivid and life-like pictures of the principal characters and events in the time of the Puritans and Nonconformists. JVo portion of English History can be more interesting than this, and none better deserves deep and earnest study." — JV. Y. Tribune. "The perusal of this volume has awakened in our heart more than our former love for the Puritans of the olden times, and given «is a burning desire that every American citizen may possess, individually, ' as intense a regard for the memory of those men whose principles, re- fined like gold in the fires of intolerance and persecution, laid the foundation on which the glorious superstructure of our Templ« of Liberty has been erected. The pen of Stoughton has given to these records of Puritan days all the vividness, power, and glory of life, ind ?.ir. Dodd has published them in a style of beauty and elegance worthy of much commendation." — Jllbany Spectator. "The author has evidently written so as to adapt his style to the young, and thereby secure their attention to the toils and sirugglea ot the early advocates of Truth, then im'perfectiy known, against ecclesi asiical domination and spiritual tyranny. This we have no doubt he will have accomplished. The book is one of the most readable that has been issued from the religious press for years. We mean that it possesses a captivation, both from the style and the subject, which is rarely fownd:'— Methodist Protestant. "This book commemorates, in a thrilling and powerful manner, some of the greatest spirits of perhaps the most interesting period of British history. It shows us the struggles and heaviness of the free spirit as it was coming forth to ripen upon the earth. It is history, the most inter- esting— but not continuous history. It is highly and most justly recom- )«iended by Dr. Hawes." — Albany Express. "This work relates to a period when great truths were struggling into >irth— when soul-liberty was assertec^ and maintained at the expense of fortune, reputation, friends, every Jiing : — a liberty which has long blessed our happy land; and which is extending a like boon to other nations."— 7%e Trojan, " This book is of decided interest. The times to which it relates ; the characters it describes; the stirring events which it sketches ; and the noble sentiments which it illustrates, lend to it a peculiar charm." —Biblical Repository, " The volume before us gives an admirable insight into the character and times of the Puritans. It is not a dry history, like Neal's : it is a spirit-stirring review of the men and the age, in which every character and every scene lives before us. Here we may worship with 'th» Islingvon Congregation' in the woods : here we may follow Barrov and Greenwood, and Perry, to the gallows : here we may vTitness th« em- barkation of the Pilgrim Fathers: here we may sit by the death-be- of Owen, and Baxter, and Howe ; and walk among the graves of met of whom the world is not worthy."— TAe Independent. Books Published and for Sale hy M. W. Dodd. A WHEAT SHEAF GATHERED FROM OUR OWN FIELDS, By F. C. Wood WORTH and T. S. Arthur. 1 voL 12mo., illus- trated with nearly Fiftt Exgravings. No work of the season has been more flatteringly noticed. " The preface to this volume is worthy of being printed in letters of gold. It is elegantly written, and fall of meaning and instruction. We suspect it is from Mr. Woodworlh, than whom, perhaps, no writer knows better how to write for children and youth. The contents of the volume are a joint production, about equally divided. Mr. Arthur has shown himself skilful, in this most difficult kind of writing. Altogether, it is a sweet volume, and got up with all the elegance of an annual." — JV. Y. Commercial Adoertiser. " We have scarcely ever seen a more tasteful and attractive book : its fine embellishments, and elegant printing and binding, render it beauti- fully ornamental. " Its contents possess that variety of subjects, and that familiar, easy, and graceful style, so well adapted to engage the hearts of the young, and for which we think both these authors — i>articularly Mr. Woodworth — have uncommon tact and ability. The pieces are brief, fuU of meaning, and never without some definite aim of instruction or moral impression. That it will be attractive and useful, parents and the friends of the young may be assured." — JV. Y. Evangelist. " The two authors, contributing about equal portions, have produced a volume, which, we are sure, will find a cordial welcome among the gift books of the season. The volume is very neatly printed and embel- lished." — J\r. Y. Journal of Commerce, "This is the title of an elegant gift book for children, which, both in mechanical beauty, and the excellence of its contents, is quite above the average of such publications." — Boston Chronotijpe. " A beautiful book for the young, with many fine engi-avings — stories short, interesting, and of good moral tendency." — Youths'' Companion. "A very attractive and ornamental volume for the young; prepared by gentlemen who have much experience and taste in providing for the wants of this important class of readers. The articles of prose and verse are well composed, refined in their style, and instructive in their moral, while the embellishments are neat, chaste, and adapted to the volume and its readers." — JV*. Y. Observer. " This is a beautiful gift book, consisting of some of the choicest of the productions of the two gifted writers whose names appear on the title page. It is handsomely illustrated, and got up in splendid style."— ./2^ bany Evening Atlas. ANECDOTES OF THE PURITANS.-l vol. 18mo. " They give a picture of Puritan life, full of interest, besides conveying most important trutiis and lessons. As it is a kind of reading delightfiil to the young, and as the anecdotes give a just and exalted view of the Puritan character, we would commend the book to parents, as one of unusual value. It may be read by every one with great profit and interest."— JV. Y. Evangelist. "A little bock, that contains many great truths, many lessons of Chris- tian fortitude and resignation, and unbending integity."— Commercjo/ Advertiser. Books Published and for Sale hu M. W. JDodd. AN EARNEST MINISTRY, The Want of the Times. By John Angell James, With AN Introduction by Rev. J. B. Condit, D.D., of New. ARK, N.J. " There is a power in the very title of this book. It strikes home t« the convictions of every mind that is wakeful to the condition and want* of the church. ' An Earnest Ministry.' The ear tingles with the sound, it stirs up thought ; it lingers in the memory ; it turns into prayer. " ' Has the evangelical pulpit lost, and is it likely to lose any of iti power V is the question with which the veteran preacher and authoi commences his discussion. In the progress of his own earnest mind through the several stages of this subject, he begins with the ministry of the Apostles, finding his theme in it ; examines the nature of ear- nestness, and shows its appropriateness in him who handles the word of life, in respect to its matter, manner, and practice ; illustrates his points by numerous quotations and biographical notices; and from the .whole, gathers motives of great power to bear on the conscience of the professional reader. " We wish that we could lay a copy on the table of every pastor, and put it into the portmanteau of every missionary in<|J*ie land : we should feel quite sure that the Sabbath following, at least, would bear witness to its effect; and we should hope for still more enduring results. And we could scarcely imagine a more useful appropriation of money, than would be made by supplying the young men of our own Theological Seminaries, with each a copy of tliis exhibition of an 'earnest minis- try.' " — JV. Y. Observer. " We read this work with the greatest interest. A more impressive, truth-telling, pungent appeal to the ministry, we have never met with. This noble, stirring effort to infuse new life and energy into the minis- try cannot be too highly praised. Without attempting an analysis of its contents, we beg to assure our brethren, that of ail useful and able productions of this author, this is by far the most useful and able. There are hints, and appeals, and principles in it, of incalculable im- portance, and of most awakening interest." — JV*. Y. Evangelist. "Every work of his we have read meets an exigency — in other words, is opportune to the state of the Church, and shows profound thought, thorough investigation, and withal, is given in a chaste and vigorous style. This last volume in no sense falls behind — there is a clearness, a comprehension, and a power in it, which makes it com- pare with anything he has written ; and throughout it is an illustration of the very earnestness he commends. Dr. Condit of Newark, has written a very judicious introduction to the volume. We feel that Mr. James may well be taken by young men in Theological training, and ministers generally, as their oracle on the importance of earnest- ness in the ministry." — Christian Intelligencer. " His specimens and illustrations, drawn from the most eminent divines of ancient and modern days, and of various countries, are extremely apt and interesting. By the method he has pursued, Mr. J. has given us a kind of biographical library of the ministry, in such a manner as to im- press their excellencies upon the memory, and to inspire a wish to imi- tate them. The work is richly worthy of the perusal of the class fo^ whom it is specially designed." — Christian Review. "Not to make a book, but to do good, seems to have been the whole object in view. All our ministers, especially the younger, should giv« this book a reading, and we believe its circulation generally among om people would be productive of great benefit to the whole Church."- MetAedist Pulpit. 10 Books Published and for Sale hy M. W. Dodd. MACKNIGHT'S EPISTLES. A NEW LITERAL TRANSLATION FROM THE ORIGINAL GREEK. OF ALL THE APOSTOLICAL EPISTLES. WITH A COMMENTARY AND NOTES, Philological, Critical, Explanatory, and Practical. TO WHICH IS ADDED A HISTORY OF THE LIFE OF THE APOSTLE PAUL. BY JAMES MACKNIGHT, D.D., AUTHOR OF A HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS, ETC. A New Edition, to which is prefixed an Account of the Lift of the Author. KNAPP'S THEOLOGY. LECTURES ON CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY. BY GEORGE CHRISTIAN KNAPP, D.D., PROFESSOR OF THEOLOGY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF HALLB. TOANSLATED BY LEOxNTARD WOODS, JUN., D,D,, PRESIDENT Qt BOWDOIN COLLEGE, BRUNSWICK, MAINE. Third American edition, reprinted from the lasJ; London edition. 11 Books Published and for Sale hy M. W. Dodd. CRUDEN'S COMPLETE CONCORDANCE. A COMPLETE CONCORDANCE TO THE HOLY SCRIPTURES OF THE OLD AND NEW* TESTAMENT; OR, A -DICTIONARY AND ALPHABETICAL INDEX TO THE BIBLE: Very useful to all Christians who seriously read and study the inspired writings, IN TWO PARTS: CONTAINING, I. The Appellative or Common Words in so full and large a manner, that any verse may be readily found by looliing for any material word in it. In this part the various significations of the principal words are given ; by which the true meaning of many passages of Scripture is shown; an account of several Jewish Customs and Ceremonies is also added, which may serve to illustrate many parts of Scripture. n. The Proper Names in the Scriptures. To this part is prefixed a Table, containing the signification of the words in the original lan- guages from which they are derived. TO WHICH IS ADDED A CONCORDANCE TO THE BOOKS CALLED APOCRYPHA. The whole digested in an easy and regular method : which, together with the various significations and other improvements now added, ren- ders it more useful than any book of the kind hitherto published. BY, ALEXANDER CRUDEN, MA. JVom the Tenth London Edition, carefully revised and corretted by «*• Holy Scriptures. ' TO WHICH IS ADDED AN ORIGINAL LIFE OF THE AUTHOR. ** Ever since the first publication of Crhden's Concordance, in 1738, it has maintained the acknowledged reputation of being the very best work of the kind in the English language. Indeed, no other has eveo 14 Bnnk9 Publishea and for Sale by M. \\. Dodd. SERMONS, NOT BEFORE PUBLISHED, ON VARIOUS PRACTICAL SUBJECTS. By the late Edward Dorr Griffin, D. D. " Dr. Griffin may be regarded as having been a prince among the princes of the American pulpit. He left a large number of sermons carefully revised and ready for publication, part of which were pub- lished shortly after his death, but the greater portion of which consti- tute the present volume. They are Joubtless among the ablest dis- courses of the present day, and are alike fitted to disturb the delusions »f guilt, to quicken and strengthen, and comfort the Christian, and to serve as a model to the theological student, who would construct his discourses, in a way to render them at once the most impressive, and the most edifying." A MEMOIR OF THE REV. LEGH RICHMOND, A.M. Rector of Turvey, Bedfordshire. "By Rev, T. S. Grimshaw, A. M.. Rector of Burton-Latimer, &c. Seventh American from the last London Edition, with a handsome Portrait or. Steel. " We have here a beautiful reprint of one of the best books of it class, to be found in our language. Such beauty and symmetry of cha racter, such manly intelligence and child-like simplicity, such officia.- dignity and condescending meekness, such warmth of zeal united wit! a perception of fitness which always discerns the right thing to ba done, and an almost faultless prudence in doing it, — are seldom found combined in the same person. It is a book for a minister, and a booh for parishioners ; a book for the lovers of nature, and a book for thp Mends of God and of his species. Never perhaps were the spirits anr* duties of a Christian Pastor more happily exemplified. Never dir warmer or purer domestic affections throb in a human bosom, or exer cise themselves more unceasingly and successfully for the comfort, thf present well-bein^ and final sa' vation of sons and daughters. From nc heart probably, did ever good will flow out to men, in a fuller, warmei current. In a word, be was the author of the ' Dairyman's Daughter, and the ' Young Cottager.' " The engraved likeness of l\Ir. Richmond alone is worth the cost of the work ; as illustrative of the uncommon benignity that adorned and endeared the man to his friends and the world." UNCLE barnaby; Or Recollections of his Character and Opinions, pp. 316. " The religion of this book is good— the morality excellent, and the mode of exhibiting their important lessons can hardly be surpassed in anything calculated to make them attractive to the young, or successful in correcting anything bad in their habits or morals. There are some twenty chapters on as many common sayings and maxims, occurrence."? and incidents — in this respect bearing a resemblance to ' the Prompter, a somewhat oracular book forty or fifty years ago. It is an excellent book to keep in a family, an t may to alike beneficial to parents and ehUdren." 18