THE CULTURE
OF THE

OBSERVING FACULTIES
IN THE

FAMILY

AND THE

SCHOQL:

OR,

THINGS ABOUT HOME,
AND

Bnm

tn mnh tbtm 3nHtrndint tn tbt 1:nnng.
BY WARREN BURTON,

1

AOWOa. o~ "TIDI ~8TB•OT eoaooL A8 IT WAS.," AN D
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s.DUO~TlON," EM.
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NEW YORI{;
HARPER &

DROTHERB, PUBLISHERS,
lf'BANKLIN

~QUABE.

l 8 6 5.

C'

: . cl

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!._

HARVARD UNIVERS11"f

~MDUATE SCHOOL OF EDU CATI~

M.ONROE C. GUTMAN LIBRARY

A FEW WORDS
TO PARENTS, TO OLDER BROTHERS · AND SISTERS, AND TO SCHOOL-TEACHERS.

FRIENDs,-..ij'you would go hand in hand with
genial Nature, and have children learn easily and
much from things all around them as instructive
as books ; if you woitld enjoy sensible, animated,
and charming tallcs with qitick-witted and blithe
companions; if you would have the dear learners gratefitl long aj~erward for a culture p ecidia1·ly qualifying them f or life's practical aJf'airs j
if, withal, yoit woitld learn much y ourselves while
teaching otliers,'please put in practice the sugges·
•\~J.<Jtl8 ,of this littk book, which is now /i0pefullv
.'Q/:ered to your service by the
·

Entered, according to Act of Uongre,., In tlrn yeo.r one thousand eight
hundred and sixty-five, by

HARPER

&

BROTHER~

In t11e Clerk'• Office of the District Court of the Southern District of
New York.

AUTHOR,

2
DE.C3t 1930

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SUGGEST Io~~~~~~
ON

THE CULTURE OF THE OBSERVING
FACULTIES .

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.·j!J-~;
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The beginning.

THE intellectual development ofthe human
being begins as soon as he can open his eyes
and put forth his hands-as soon as his senses
come in contact with the material world.
From this time 'onward he is continually gain·
, .. ingAtnowledge, .and -preparing 'fot his future 'of
-"'~~ ·· ~~-usefulness ··!1-nd enfoyment. · It is said that all
. ·the s'inple elements of knowledge and the best
part of man's education are obtained before he
is seven years of age. These foundations are
mainly laid at borne. The work is, or should
be, under the supervision of th~ parents. This
education, however, goes ofl, whether they at-

- .-..... ,,, ... ......
10

~.

OBSERVING FACULTIES:

'l'HE auJ¢Ufl.Jµ _ OF THE
- - -- -"""""

~1

Knowledge without books.

,t

tend to . it , or not. Indeed, the child will be
continually educating himself. It may be truly said that the first 'and the most . important
part of man's intellectual culture, as things have
been, is self-culture. · Now this fosteripg from
kindly nature, this forth-putting and fortbgrasping of the infant faculties, may be greatly ,·
assisted by the parents and other older members of the family, if they did but think of it,
and would but give themselves to it. H elp
in this primary home institution is as valuable
as in the public seminaries to which the mind
is afterward introduced. In the majority ·o f
hoines, however, this assistance is casually a:nd
poorly !endered. It is. ·bftoause. parepts ~ave.
the · notion that they have nothing tor.do .wi~b
intellectual development. This, they ·suppose,
belongs only to the school. If a child asks a
question ·about any thing new to bis curiosity,
he inay be kindly answered. If he persistently puts many questions, be is patiently borne
with, or perhaps hastily hushed or snapped off.
.The parents have not the. least· suspicion. that,
in replying to such questions, they are really
. exercising tutorships and professorships as im-

portant; to say the least, as any in college . .. ln~J .
deed, it may be affirmed with absolute truth,
that, as schools have generally been conducted, especially for little children, the education
mostly stops at the school threshold ; at least
it begins to be exceedingly hindered, as will
plainly appear.
'

;

, KNO'\_VLEDGE WITHOUT B\)OKS• . " ,
• Just watch a: babe, and see what Nature, or
rather his own divinely 'Q.evised constitution,
prompts him to do, and let us gather useful
hinti:i"from 'the observation. As soon as there
is any visual discernment, there is a separation
of one thing from another, and the reception of
distinct ideas. The little one leaves the maternal~la~for what? to work; and to get knowl· · ed~ -t6 ~prep~e . Jiim for more and more work.
)le :~reeps about"the room, not only for the
-pleasure ofniuscular action, bU:t to seek for new
objects to his curiosity ; bunting for prey, if
we may so speak, as food to bis awakened and
craving perceptions.' Every thing be gets hold
of is a subject of interest..:._a fund of entertain:
ment j and, though bis mother perhaps thinks
1

12

OBSElWING FACULTIES.

'l'Irn CULTURE OF THE

Jndn ~ tr i n l

_

_ __ _ _ _
K"u_o_wl_cd_g_
c ,_vit.11011t book_"·- -- - --

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not ofit it is a source of most valuable instructi.on. W' e can not just yet say of him that "he
who runs may real1," but we may say that he
who creeps cn,n - can read the great book of
perceptible and practical knowledge, which is
open boundlessly before him, just as fas~ an~
far as h e can get at it. Toeing and kneerng it.
along, he bys hold of every thing within the
touch anJ the crook of his fin gers. Why? be
wants knowledge, and he will have it. F irst,
the thing-the individual-it is separate from
some other thing he perceives, and be wants to
know about it as another and distin ct object.
The several perceptive powers then come into
action: finding out the various qualities -figure, color, size, weigbt--as they are peculiar to
each individual thin g. Thus the child ranges
through the room ; and when, in du e ti.me he
mounts to the top of bis feet, be runs about the
house and soon out of doors, and then round
about ' th e premises, all the time after knowledge - knowledge of objects, qualities, operntions, uses. Before the little looker and hunter
is four years old, he is acquainted with hundreds of thin gs - perhaps we might say thou-

13

efforts.

·----- - · - -- -

sands. He knows nothing about the book, it
may be, but is he d'eficient in language? By
no means; objects are distinguished by names;
qualities by appropriate terms. What riches
of language are his, even now, though he may
never have been at school, and can not read a
word! All this time he bas been in training
for the duties and enj oyments of maturer life.
He has been studying the Creator's perfect
works, and unconsciously findin g the steps
which lead up to the Most "Wise and Most Loving. Ile has been acquainting himself with
the things also made by hum an bands, and examinina
o the materials of which they are composed. This is in preparation for the time
when he himself will make similnr things, and
will need accurate know ledge of fabrics and
materials as to qualities and fitness for specific
purposes.
INDUSTRIAL EFFOH.TS.

Nay, farther, our little beginner at life is
something more than a learn er-he is a maker.
He is at bis mechanics, too. See him putting
this thing with that in rude efforts at constrnc·

14

THE CULTU RE OF 'l'RE

OBSERVING FACULTIES.

]Jl(lustrinl efforts.

An nhn fl'C of na t ure.

tion ! Give him a dozen blocks, and he is in
absolute bliss at work; building up and pull ing down, and altering his wall or house, or
whatever else he may be striving to imitate.
How wonderfully industrious, imitative, and
constructive! H e wants to do every thing he
sees others do. Give him little tools :fitted to
his little fingers, and how delighted I How he
skips off, mightily earnest, to his miniature business! Now th ese applications of bis strength
and trials of his skill are instincts and impulses
to prepare him for the labors, duties, and pleasures of life. And the parents, therefore, ought
all the time to sympathize with him, lending
a hand now and then to help just enough and
no more; catching hints from instructive Nature, and carrying out her plans far beyond
what the child's unassisted mind could think
of in his own behalf. But they generally do
no such thin g. On the contrary, they cut off
the little learner from the very education he
was getting, as well as he could, almost all
alone. They practically declare, " Nature, you
do not know as much as old usage does usage begun iu ignorance and continued in stupidity .!'

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AN ABUSE OF NATURE.

But let us more particularly consider what
is done. Oh the sad change which comes over
this childhood's dream, or rather over this contented, sweet reality! '11 1.iis is what we do-we,
g rown-up and pretendedly grown-wiser people
-we catch up the active, looking, learning,
working, and manufacturing happy little creature, and clap him, together with twenties, thirties, forties, or fifties besides, into a wooden box,
hardly, in some instances, large enough to bold
them without jamming and hurtin g one against
the other, and fasten him upon a seat, out of
the reach of the many objects he has been in
the midst of, and which be has been doing witli
as Nature intended. Yes, there we fasten him,
or permit our agent, the school committee or
the school-teacher, to do it; and we make him
bend his neck, and fix his eyes on a plain, dry
surface of paper. This he must not cut, fold,
crumble, or variously shape, in the way of cultivating his manufacturing abilities. No, he
must look straight down upon this metamorphosis of cotton. Were it but the rags out of

16

'l'HE CUL'l'UHK OF 'l'HE

OBSERVING F ACUL'l'IES.

An abtH!C of nature.

Profitable •chooling.

which it came, many-shaped, many-hued, there
would be something to hold the eye; but what
does he see now? vVords, words, words; little black, immovable images, which he can not
get his fingers under. ·what cares he for them ?
- Nature made him to care for things, and for
words too, just so far as they stand for the
things he bas to do with, or can have any
clear idea of. Ile, indeed, has an appetite, if
we may so speak, for words, so far as they convey any ideas ; but we do not consult this appetite, but give him the words all tasteless of
meaning_ vVhen I say this, I do not mean to
affirm that no explanations at all are given,
but that none scarcely are given, in a large
majority of schools, in immediate connection
with the things to which they belong. Before
the child enters school, it is always first things
with him, then words. At school, it is first
words, and then things-that is, if the pupil
shall happen to come across them; otherwise
be must go without such substantial acquaintance. Now it ought not so to be. The period
lent by Nature to prepare for future industry
and livelihood ought not to be so unprofitably

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and wretchedly spent. In all_.-co-itlli)o_!i,:sen~ ~-- ·._
and true philosophy, thi~ paper-El.qaqelJi.ng,, ink-"-:--~--\
blinding delusion should be- ft!k3'-"Wnj . - But ~ - :_
what shall take its place -? RCaliE58s~ - 11fQ,_- : :
thought, action, intelli gence; just ~wmi:t~tbe ~ _/
child has been forced to leave at-liis o\--VIfhvrn\'.-· ·__.rrbcse mi ght be at once brough t
u.u ctT~J£----­
easily and cheaply besides! Really-.1 Cwould
not cost, on the whole, so much as school-weariness or school-hate costs, when it breaks over
bounds an<l runs wild into mischi ef.

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PROFI'l'ABLE SCHOOLING.

Let our primary school-rooms, and, indeed,
the hi gher school-rooms, be well provided with
shelves an(1 boxes. Let these be fill ed. with all
sorts of productions of nature and art; specimens of -all sorts of wood and metal; all kinds
of cloth and leather, or any other fabric - indeed, with every thing which can well be
brought into a school, and put in some proper
receptacle. Let each one of th ese objects be a
subject for examination by classes in convenient order, under the direction of the teacher.
In this way the plan begun by Nature at borne

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TH E CU L'l' Ulrn OF 'l'HE
Profitable scf1 ooling.
.

OBSERVING FACULTIES.

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Profitable schooling.

·.

. 'J.Outdbe
out, and carried out much far·- . . :CaTi·ied
...
. · · ih~r- ~~:1.!_1_C.Q tJ.ld possibly be done at home under
.. -- .o~jnary qirgumstn.nces, as mrmy objects would
> ~ l}e-suppJie<l by the scholars from diffe rent fam. ~ ili~l'y':Qli co1~l~·not be had excepting as each
··.:-----'.f@~.[o:g_ud Jtt ·a_('lifferent home. All the percep· --. iJ~ S1Jllfflt:i ~.s- ivould here find delightful occupatl6i1, arid be continually gaining in strengtl1.
Children would hardly be tired of such observation, due regard being given to their comfort
and cons ti tn Lional power of attention. Indeed,
if rightly m:maged, they would enter heartily
into minute examinations and comparisons of
one thin g with another, for there might be a
healthful and spirited emulation in the exercise.
It may be farther remarked, that the words
designating th e object in hand and its qualities
and uses must come into the occasion. These
the children learn just as readily as they learn
at home the name of the "lamp, and that it is
bright and hot, or the terms belonging to any
thing else. Lang uage is not lost, but rather
richly gained, by such use of the time. Furthermore, just consider the practical utility of
this mode of education. ·what a wide and mi·
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nute acquaintance is formed with things, as
necessaries, comforts, and luxuries in living, or
as apper tainin g to the various affairs of business ! IIow the qu ality of the materi al and of
the manufacture of a commodity will be com·
pared with th e quality of anoth er of th e sam e
kinll; so th at, by th e time the chilc1 shall be
ol<l enough to leave school, he shall have run
throug h the who1e range of objects ever used
in ordinary li fe, and be able to J ctcct the minutest differences between one and an other of
the same so rt! With such a trainin g, it would
be utterly impossibl e for manufacturer or trader
to impose rm in fe ri or prodaction on the purchase r. U c mu st proportion bis pri ce to th e
q uality, or k eep hi s goods on his hand s. ""\Vith
the ig noran ce of commodities in which people
have been kept until grown up and obliged to
purchase for themselves, how continually have
they been subj ected to impositions on th eir
creduli ty, and to consequent ann oyan ce of spirit! It has really taken a li fetim e to obtain
that practi cal knowledge of qualities and fit·
ncsses which might be acquired by boys and
gir1s before th ey are half throu gh their teens,

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'rHE CULTURE OF 'l'HE
P rofitable ochooliog.

were the common-sense and time-saving meth od above explained adopted. How also are
the poor now imposed upon ! They must tak e
a second or third rate article at a very little reduction from the price of the best, to
make a small saving. Yet, in the long run,
theirs are the dearest purchases of all. But
with such an education there could scarcely be
any imposition on any body. The children of
the poor in our common schools are equally
learn ers with those of the rich. If those who
are pinched for money must seek the cheapest
thing, they will know exactly its comparative
value, and will either have fair terms, or go to
some competitor more favorable to their circumstances. Then the struggle would be among
the manufacturers to see who should excel who should go ahead in improvement- as
knowing that the purchasers have been trained from very infancy to detect imperfections.
Then the trader could not deceive the buyer,
if th e manufacturer should succeed in deceiving him. Indeed, retailer, jobber, wholesale
dealer, and manufacturer must all be honest
men, selling at pri ces exactly just; that is, ac-

OBSERVING FACULTIES.

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Loso nod gnlo.

cording to quality, all other circumstances be·
ing equitably considered. If every article in
a dry-goods store, or a gro.cery, or any other
furnishi1 w0 establishment were thus put to the
test of minute examination and comparison,
the reign of that old hollow- hearted despot
whose power is in his own pretense and in the
ignorance of his subjects - the reign of King
Sham-would be ended.
LOSS AND GAIN.

Thus much might easily be done in our
schools; yes, and money enough might be
saved by the "operation," as trading people
have the term, to pay the whole school-tax.
Just th ink of it, friends 1 how much the majority of people actually lose out of pocket by
overpaying for poor commodities 1 or, if price
and quality do go honestly together, how much
discomfort is often occasioned to the body and
trouble to the spirit by these cheap imperfections! H6w often, too, the purse suffers in the
long run by all the rips, breakages, and goodfor-notbingness for which the few dollars or
fow cents saved are far from making up! Who

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'I' ll!!.: CULTURE OF 'l'Irn

OBSERVING FACULTigS.

Losfi and gain.

L ORR nwl guin.

has not had occasion to feel the truth of the
saying, "the cheapest things are the dearest?"
Just look round your premises, and take a distinct observation of all the various necessaries,
comforts, lux uries, and elegances there gathered. Consider the ceaseless rush of wearables,
eatables, drinkables, and burnables into your
household receptacles. Then reflect that all
this mixed an<l continuous avalanche of earthly matter is sweeping through your doors from
the beginning to the encl of married life, half a
century perhaps and more, costing to moderate
fortunes, for fifty years, fifty thousand doll ars
at least, and to others twice or four times that
amount; and then reflect how often through
this long period the twain and their dependents have been mistaken, have been cheated,
or somehow have lost in their bargainings, in
con13equence of not having their senses about
them-at least one sense wide open and sharp
-that is, the sight. Yes, friends, take all these
absolute realities into a clear comprehension,
and then tell me whether the shelves and boxes
of specimen goods at the school-room, and the
careful inspection and comparison of them by

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the pupils in the course of all the long years
passed there, are nothing but a theorist's whim.
But, alas ! even if you should think this com·
modity project not a whim, but rather an allimportant requisite, it would be qu ite in vain
as schools are now arranged. Even if par·
cnts, comm ittees, and teachers should all be
convinced of the value of the proposition, it
might take no short time to get it into action.
Who does not know that public improvements,
however well acknowledged, are often post·
poned for years? Inconvenient and unhealthy
school-rooms in cities, and miserable old school·
houses in the country, prove this fact. rrhe better time, however, is comin g, as a few schools
here and there in our country bear witness.
In the mean time, good parents, what shall prevent jOU from going into this commodity·
training at once in your own families? Indeed, your children are at it now, all by themselves-even the youngest creeper on the carpet. They only want a little assistance. Their
senses are all alive and awake ; their observ·
ing faculties are at th eir appointed work. The
difficulty is, there are so many new things all

24

'rHE CULTURE OF 'fHE

OBSERVING FACULTIES.

Lose and gain. .

about in this freshly entered world, that they
do not work long enough on one piece of matter; they are not thorough. Now what these
little candidates for purchases and house-keeping want is your help and companionship in
inspection . How much can be learned of real
substantial knowledge even before the child
shall arrive at the school-going age! Without
any help at all, except bis own keen senses or
the eager perceptives behind t1rnm, he becomes
marvelously knowing at four or five years of
age. Now, amid all your gettings of new .
things, what a constant opportunity is there
for him to get an understanding of them, if
. you will but stop to show him! What ample
time is there during the three meals a day, at
the table, for the inspection of things in use
upon it, and for talk about those which have
been seen elsewhere ! Indeed, friends, you may
take your children n,long through your whole
house-world, and over and over again, searching every thing as thoroughly as air, light, an<l
heat search them, by the time they shall come
to the edge of their youthful yen,rs. Even a
seven-year-old errand-doer would hn,ve some-

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Loss and gain.

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thing like · a mature judgment as to the bad,
the better, and the best, at the ~re where he
carries your cents, dimes, ·and quarters, to bring
you back, as you hope, the best artic1e to be
had for the money. You wou1d find, I can
affirm without fear of contradiction, the immortal adage to be true even of a child, that
"know ledge is power" - power over a storekeeper or any other money-maker. Just try
the plan at once, my friends, and be convinced.
You will then have something to talk about
with your. children, not so much to grumble
about, and not so much time for grumbling.
Finally, when you shall have thoroughly proved
the value and the pleasure of this thing-learn ing in the home seminary -then try all your
influence for a change in the school. Both institutions · earnestly working together, be ass.ured that all sorts of producers would have
to go ahead toward -perfection, and trade would
be compelled to be honest. Adulteration, that
vile deceiver, that sometimes awful poisoner,
would be cornered, starved out, and have to
give up. Old and mighty Sham, as was intimated before, would have to abdicate, and his
line wonld perish .

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'l'HE CULTURE OF 'l'RE

OBSERVING FACULTIES.

Infantile activity.

Jnfontile activity.

Much more is yet to be said about the inves·
tigation of material things. I shall now take
up the subject somewhat methodically, and in
various relations. All, however, will have a
. bearing more or less on practical utility .

...

INFANTILE ACTIVITY.

The exercise of the observing faculties-object-study-begins in early infancy, prompted
by the in bom instincts. Some hints apper·
taining to this tenderest age may be of bene·
fit, so they are here given intermediately as we
pass alon g.
Set it down, friends, as a fact that your chil·
dren want things substantial and palpable to
the senses from the time they are pu,t on the
floor from the mother's lap. They must have
them at first or nothing. Let them, therefore,
have what they want, but it must be judiciouslu '1"Ylrl

•J

-··~

Y\'l'V"\'Y\ O "rlTT
.r:•~yw•.J

•

f'f1h o inf'lnt
.;Q
•··--••• • · ~~-

nl PQ C P rl

y·- - - - -

T:u ith

•••• ••

that which be can grasp, and shake about, and
put to his mouth. But do not, like some ignorant parents, give him what would be hurt·
ful - a painted toy, for instance - so that be
shall be in danger of sucking the paint and of

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being poisoned; for the.taste is one of the first
avenues to infantile knowledge ~njoyment,
and there is a sucking instinct. Put into bis
bands little hard things of different shapes, and
made of ivory, or so me other clean, firm substance, which m:i.y be found, perh aps, at the
toy-shop; or thin gs of solid wood, which you
can carve out for yourself. When he shall
fairly get upon. the floor, there to be seated
like a monarch on his throne, or to move about
like a mechanic in bis shop, provide him with
little blocks, and other manageable things, to
pile up and-toss about. "When he shall be old
enough to try ::my thing like building with
th em, some one should show him how, and
help his beginning. Few probal>ly need this
hiut ; yet some are too busy with work or
amusements, or too indolent to stoop a few
moments to the incipient constructor, if he is
not in the 7¥0.J" of tQcir feet, or n:~!-:es !lO dis·
turbing cries. Any thing which will not harm
him, and which he himself can not injure,
micrht
be within his domain or l1is workshop.
b
Pray use the good sense not to let him have,
even to gain a moment's quiet, what be may

28

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OllSEIWIN

THE CULTURE OF 'l' HB

~L'l'JES.

29

Sympathy wanted.

SymJli\ thy wa nted .

tear or deface, such as the yet-unrerrd newsp::tper or a v::tluable book. He must understand
Lbat he b.1,11 lH::ver have such things, at least
unless there are those of the kind <levoted to
his special use alone. You will save a great
llc:al uf Liiu ·~ a1Hl uuuhle Ly tirrnncss rn this
luaLLer. I11 prv1.;e::;::; uf die months he becomes
<J. tr<J.vd1.;r vu all-luLus about Lhe rvow; lie is.
J..Li b0t:t.i\..iL. vi" ~ui iv::iiLic :-3 u.uJ. ad ve11tures.
lt is
now far better to keep entirely out of his reach
things he must not to1wh, than to he ever anxiously on the watch, and perpetually stopping,
headlona
cr>rw .
thwartin!!.
and irritatin Go- t.hR
'"-''
-- ·a rl
_.._ .i. ""''-''-.,
erer. .As for things which can not be put
aside, such as the stove or the :fireplace, and
the implements belonging to them,justlet him
understand that it is your will, which can not
be ciiangect, that lie must never touch them. If
necessary, just let him get, under your careful
watch, an uncomfortably hot, but not a burnt
:finger a few times, and he will perceive why
he must not go too far in that direction.

how a chilcl mflv be 0ntertained and instructed
for the first year. As the seco nd comes on,
Le l;t.;g iHs tv ru11 abuu L, am1 tu gv c vc1 j .\ \'he re:,
and get nt every thing, and yo u arc put to
your wits to keep b11n within safo bounds.
He i::: l·"-"IJ .".:lLlail_y Iim'iiu g ! lt:w 1L1i11;c,;;. lii;;
ui ai u i::; Luv w1.;a], Lv 'uc kqJL very lu11g ut u 11c

SYMPATHY WANTED.

Enough has been said, perhaps, to indicate

!1

f

"1 ugk

vi_;j <.:1.;l, ;,v lL L:i a Laµ]J.)i

t.,,;Uiit.J.::>iLj ~uuu~d

t;alJ)'

L1111

pruvi,;1011 tLaL

ll U;c~_\_;J

t '1u11l

v11v

thing to another. Nevertheless, let Lim hold
on to what h e h :ifl :lfl long ns lw wi ll ; 1110 lon ger the better; for th us he will form th e habit of r.onr.e ntrat.P.rl nt.t.en t.ion , pn'parin g him to
stick to a lesso n till he thoroughly lea rn s it, or
to any other pursuit in the future till be shall
h:wc aecompfo;J1c<l it. l3y-an<1-by, when he
shall discover some new and curious thing, he
will run with it to you if he can, or bring you
to it, to show you what a wonderful discovery
he has made. H e is a social bein g, such as he
is to be, or ought to be in all his after life. It
is worthy of remark, and of gratitude also to
the good Creator, how children want the presence, the attention, and especially the sympathy of others. Above all things, in gratify ing

30

nrn CULTURE OF 'l'HE

OBSE HVING FAC UL'rrns .

Individuali zing.

Individualizing.

cunos1ty, and getting knowledge, and doing
their li ttl c pby- work, they crave sy mpathy.
Ilow this infantile innocence instructs far -off
manhood and womanhood, and rebukes so1itary and co1c1 self-seeking ! Your child wants
sympathy; give it to him on the spot. He
will be satisfied with a very little. Do not
turn him abruptly off, unl ess the house should
b e on fire, or somebody is in agoni zin g pain,
and must h:w e help at once. Look as he
holds up- his new-found treasure: look! perhaps you will learn something yourself; for
children often fi nd out interesting items of
knowledge which their parents had been utterly ignorant of before. Then dismiss the novelty-finder with a tender word and a kind look,
and he will run away as happy as ever Agassiz was after having discovered and lectured
about some new species of fish ; for genial
science delights to impart as wen as to find .
INDIVIDUALIZING.

But your child has begun to talk: he calls
things by name; that is, if, with all patience,
you will tell him what the names are. Now

31

or soon you may help him to cultivate into
strength and acuteness the most im portant perceptive faculty of his mind; it is the individualizing faculty. 'l'he phrenologists nam e it "individuality." All qualities of material things
whi ch fit them for special uses inhere in separate indiviclual obj ects. Certain qualities are
com bin eel together, and thus form a certain species of things. Now~ unless the sense distinctly detects and gets hold of the thin g, the qualities and uses can not be apprehend ed. So, one
of the very first observing powers put in action is that of individuality. It is not some
new quality, but some new and distinct object
which the child drives at and lays hold of,
and then he looks for its properties. Some
have this faculty constitutionally much stronger than others. Many a boy and girl, many
a man and womap., go along the roads in a
country place, or the streets of a city, with
their eyes half shut, or gazing about with a
vacant stare, or fastened straightforward upon
nothing. Others observe every thing, and gain
knowledge at every step and at every turn of
the eye. Such being the constitutional differ-

32

THE CULTURE OF 'fHE

OBSERVING FACULTIES.

The object game.

The object game.

ence in children, it will be well for parents to
attend early to this matter. P erhaps they
themselves are deficient in this individuali zing
ability, and it is time that they should make
up th e deficiency.
THE OBJECT GAME.

As a mutual benefit and pleasure indeed, let
parent and child lrnve a sort of game at finding
objects. It may be call ed "the thin g game,"
or, if you please," th e object game." The wall,
ceiling, window, floor, carpet, table, chairs, and
so on, will probably first strike attention, and
be named. Soon all the prominent objects of
the room will be exhausted. Then there will
be a scramble for something more. Objects
will be discovered which otherwise would not
have met the eye, or been thought of. The
head of a nail, a shred of cloth, the minutest
thread, or any particle of matter; a spot or
mark on the furniture or wall, or any thing
else-any thing which may bear a name, will
be detected one after another; and he is the
victor who shall find the minutest or most outof-the-way thing to which may be put a name,

33

or the ]QSt thing to be found. At anotue r
time the same game may be played with objects in the yard, or any where around the
house, or as far away as the sight can reach
from door or window. Differen t apartments
in the house muy be made th e scene of the
game. If th e time be the durk evening or a
winter's cold day, let the trial be who sha11
call to recollection the most objects in some
other room in the house, or in the more distant
shed .or barn. What un inventory will thus
be made of the implements und various goods
of the household! You might go farther and
call to recollection whut may have been noticed in a neighbor's domicile, or any where else. r_{'hus, in mere exciting pastime, you will
develop in your child and in yourselves the
central and most important faculty of the intellect. You will all be trained to keep your eye~'>
open, to look, to see, and to separate one thing
from anoth er, and thus to obtain knowledge
of new and di stinct things wherever you go.
How keen at catchin g objects at a glance will
you become, if you only try! You know how
the sailor will discover a ship at the distant

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nrn

CULTURE OF 'l'HE

OBSERVING FACULTIES.

35

Qualities: form.

Size and measuremen t.

horizon when it seems but a speck, but which
the undisciplined passenger could not possibly
perceive. It is because he has been for years
searchin g the ocean's surface for any object
which may break the blank uniformity, and
flspecially for his eye's love-a sail. His success at such perception is a matter of discipline
and use. Just so the sight of children might
be trained to acuteness of observation among
the obj cct_s on the land, if parents would set
themselves and their children about it. Of
course, as was intimated before, there will be
differences in accomplishment according to differences in organic constitution.

the child in due time (for I would force nothing) might learn the various geometrical names.
At his impressible age, it will be as easy for
him to fasten on bis memory a scientific term
as any other word, if there is only a real visible object under it. How easily, then, will he
learn whether any object his sense falls on is
most like a square, triangle, cube, parallelogram, sphere, cone, pyramid, or any thing else!
I need not here run through ·the several geometrical :figures and names. You may easily
get a book and look at them, and the advant:ige to yourselves and children will amply repay the trouble.

QUALITIES: FORM.

Next after individualizing the world of matter around comes the learning of the forms of
things. These forms can be seen by the eye
in the light- can be felt by the hand in the
dark : they are the objects of two senses.
Soon will the child learn the ideas and the
names, long and short, square and round. Indeed, you may cheaply provide blocks exhibiting all the various geometrical :figures, and

1'

SIZE AND MEASUREMENT.

To proceed with qualities: next comes the
size of things. · The child soon perceives this,
wi~hout your telling him that one object is
larger or smaller than another. All he wants
from you are words to designate differences in
dimension. Yes, he does want, or rather need
something else. Ile needs training to accuracy in discriminating the size nnd bulk of different things. Let him then have, wh en he shall

36

'l'HE CULTURE UF '!'HE
Size ancl measurement.

be old enough, a two-foot rule such as carpenters use, or the household yard-stick, marked
off into feet and inches, and set him to measuring objects, whatever or wherever be pleases,
bating all harm. He can find the length and
breadth of the floor; the length, width, and
height of furniture. Indeed, have him measure the dimensions of any thing he may put
his rule arrain st within or around th e house.
"' be old enough, furni sh him with
When he shall
a ten-foot pole, or a rope, or an iron chain of
longer stretch, and with this set him to find-;
ing the length and breadth of a field, or the
distance between your own house and the next
neighbor's, or the school-house, or the church. ,
Thus your boy is becoming a surveyor before
be knows it. This procedure will not be a
dry task to him, unless you make it so; it will
seem to make a man of him, and he can not
but like it. I see no impropriety, moreover,
in a sister's taking a part in such outdoor,
healthy, and instructive action. Certainly a1l
indoor exercises in such measurements will fall
within the proprieties of female life, and much
in the uses of it. Why not make a sort of

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Size and measureme nt.

compet1t10n and game of this qnality of size?
L et a guess be made as to the length, breadth,
or height of any thing, and then sec who comes
nearest to the fact by the measure. Your uoys
and girls will like it, and so will you, if you
have any of your young sportiveness still left
in your soul.
But some will inquire of what practical advantage can this possibly be in the future? It
• is replied that the active busi ncss of almost
every one depends more or less on off- hanll
and immediate decisions based on a knowledge
of things. 'rhc farmer docs not often scie11tif.
ically survey the portion of a ftcld lie intend s
to plow up for a crop. Ile llcCillcs on tl1e
•[Uflntity through hi~ previous knowledge of
comparative dimensions. The more accurately he c.tn judge of lengths and breadths, the
nearer will be his work to bis wishes. Oftentimes tbis kind of judgment will come into play
in respect to spaces and distances. Again, in
buying and selling loads of commodities, men
often g uess nt the dimensions, or judge by the
eye without definite numerical measurement.
He, therefore, who shall have the truest per -

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THE CUL'l'URE OF 'l'HE

OBSERVING FACUL'fIES.

Weight.

Color.

ception of size will have the advantage. In
the affairs of a household, moreover, such as
the cutting and repairing of garments and the
proportioning of quantities in cookery, the faculty of size comes into most useful requisition.
Why, therefore, shall it not be assiduously developed from early life onward, to the saving
of work, time, money, and comfort quite worth
the while?

which you exhaust in the using, or some little
piece of finery quickly worn out, but the scales
will last for years, and outweigh their own
price a thousand times over in this educational
usefulness. With these let him weigh all the
various commodities proper to be put into
th.em. Do not make a task of the matter, but
rather a pastime which you may join in yourselves. In the first place, let each one present
take the commodity in hand, and lift it up and
down, aud guess how much it weighs, or rather
try to form an accurate judgment about it.
'.L1hen put it into the scale and see who comes
nearest to the fact. Thus the little company,
parents and children, not only receive entertainment, but gain knowledge, and a special
faculty is disciplined for future and valuable
use in the affairs of life. It would be easy to
show the special application of this training to
practical purposes, as in the case of the other
faculties and qualities. Thinking readers can
readily illustrate for themselves.

WEIGHT.

Now comes the quality of weight. _In[a
most incidental, unlesson-like, and playfu~ay
you can teach your child, boy or girl, the difference between one thing and another as to
weight. Let him lift first one object, tJ:ien
another, so that he may perceive the difference
in the pressure upon his hands. You can tell
him that this pressure is weight, and that one
thing weighs more than another. He will
learn, too, that the difference in different kinds
of things does not depend on size. In due
,time you can show him what it' does depend
on. Provide some scales. These will not cost
more than a few cigars, or any other luxury

COLOR.

There is a special faculty likewise to observe

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41

'l'llE CUL'rUHE OF 'l'HE

OBSERVING .F ACUL'l'IES.

Color.

Color.

color. Such different properties of objects as
form and weight must certainly require the
use of a specific power; so also must color, for
this differs from every other property in nature. '11 his faculty of color may be disciplined
to marvelous acuteness and enjoyment if pains
are only taken with it. Of all the appearances
of matter, the child earliest observes and delights in color. It is the color of the fire and
the lamp which so early attracts the infant eye;
so of other objects one after another. Bright
and dazzling colors are his joy. As his age
shall warrant, teach hi?1 the names of the various distinct colors. By the help of a book,
if you need one, you may be somewhat methodical in your instructions. You can give
him the names of the three primary colors, then
of the secondary, and at length of all the various colors made up from these, together with
the many hu es, tints, and tinges which have
names. Provide patterns of cloth as copies,
and from these let the child get the idea and
name of th e distinctive colors. This will be a
pleasant matter, if you choose to make it so.
You may get np a color game, as you do with

the other qualities. Take any object of an indeterminate color, and see who will quickest
find the standard color which it most nearly
resembles. See who shall name the colors,
hues, or tinges to the greatest number of obj ects according to some text-book. Here are
the thin gs both of art and of nature innumerable all around, with colors of all sorts; what a
source of entertainment and discipline for the
special faculty, if parents will but think of it,
and go at the work, or rather the sport ! The
training of this faculty is of singular importance to those who have much to do with dry
goods, and especially to ladies, who are the
principal purchasers . . I once knew a farmer's
wife, the mother of an infant boy and of a little g}rl perhaps thi·ee years old at the time I
have in mind. She had no help but that of
her own bands and of this little bud of a maid.
Among other things, she must make, mend,
and alter garments. She could not well run
up stairs to a closet or drawer for a piece of
cloth whenever she might want it, so she had
all the various fabrics of wool, cotton, or silk
done up respectively in separate parcels by

42

'l'HE CULTURE Ol!' 'l'HE
Nature.

themselves. Not only so, but, if I recollect
aright, she had a subdivision of fabrics according to color. So, when in her work the mother
needed a particular cloth of a particubr color,
she sent the little active and willing girl away
up stairs for it. If she made a mistake in the
selection, she had to go back and forth till she
got the right little roll. The result was that
the child became exceedingly dis~riminating in
whatever belon ged to cloths and their colors.
She at length manifested remarkable taste as
to the fitness and proprieties of dress. Her
natural organization might have been favorable to such ability. Nevertheless, such an
~arly use of the special faculty must have enhanced this prominent characteristic.

OBSERVING FACULTIES.

I

NATURE.

In this training to the observance and enjoyment of color you will, of course, not omit
the infinite variety in the aspects of nature.
\Vith su~shine and cloud, mountains, lowlands,
woods, waters, and other features of nature,
what a range for the eye I How it may be
bught to fasten and feast on distinctive colors,
and their many lights and shades!

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Flowers.

FLOWERS.

Flowers can not possibly be omitted, for
they are among the first things which attract
a child's admiring gaze. These will aftord al·
most numberless lessons in discriminating colors. They may not be so practically useful as
the lessons on cloths, but the living and won-,
derful beauty will make the instruction far
more delightful. What a taste might be nurtured, what pleasure secured and continually
enhanced by a little pains! How easily might
the delighted mind be carried, in due time, from
the charm. of the flowers into the rich botanical science which lies in their various characteristics, and in th~ leafy structure which they
adorn I
Another sp!)cial subject of notice· is ·the various colors and hues of the 'different vegetable
productions. What a difference between one
kind of grain or grass and another! What
changes of hue in the same kind as the growth
proceeds! Habituate your child to watch, day
after day, as the invisible Painter varies the
tints, and tinges, and shades. Direct his eye to

44

THE CUL'I.'URE OF THE

OBSERVING FACULTIES.

Grains.

Trees.

all the appearances presented by the vegetable realm, as there may be cloud or sunshine,
breeze or calm. Thus training him to observe
Nature in all her many shows, you may fit him
for landscape painting; at any rate, you will
prepare him bet,ter to enjoy the painter's work.
But, above all, you will educate him to delight
in the matchless wonders of the all- rerfect
Hand.
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GRAINS.

Furthermore, do not let the little learner go
without knowing one grain from another as to
both stalk and kernel. It would be well to
put each kind of grain into a little box or
transparent vial for convenient future observations. It is perfectly wonderful how much
music or mathematics, and many other things, ,
are learned, or rather are pretended to be learned, while the commonest and most useful thin()"s
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are left out of the catalogue of requiremen.ts.
I once traveled in a stage-coach with a little
girl eleven years old, who was going from her
home to a high· priced fashionable boardingscho.ol fift.y miles away to be educated. The

45

schools close by her father's door-and they
were quite good schools too-would not answer. I made some inquiries of the child as
- to the particulars of her course of instruction.
Her studies seemed to me very remarkable, but
she knew so little of them that she could make
no remark about them herself. vVe passed a
large. wheat-field, goldenly rich and' beautiful,
for it was just before the harvest. I inquired
if she knew what grain that was, and she had
no more idea of it than she would have had of
the vegetation of the tropics if she had been
dropped suddenly down into th e midst of it.
She was equally ignorant of a great many other striking objects and useful things along the
road. Just so thousands of our young ladies
go to school, spend money, tug at lessons, and
learn w9rds, and yet hardly know what their
bread is made of. At least they know not
much about industrious Nature's primal and
indispensable factory out in the fields.
TREES.

A word more about another kind ·of production. Your child learns, doubtless, very early

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THE CULTURE OF THE

OBSERVING F ACUL'l'IES.

Trees.

Len.ves.

which is the apple, or pear, or peach, or plum
tree, _and how each looks, if such be near by ;
::md can also tell the elms from the maples
standing, it may be, at tl1e door or along the
street. But it is possible, unless you take some
little pains, and certainly if you put him into
the school-prison early and there keep him,
that he will not advance much farther in, his
knowledge of trees. Many a boy grows ilp
without being able to name the trees in a neighboring wood, and of qualities he is much more
ignprant still. As to girls, the majority know
next to nothing about these magnificent mon·
archs of the vegetable kingdom. They lift
themselves all alive out of the ground, stretch
out their leafy sceptres, wear their foliaged
crowns, and there tower, waiting to be looked
at, admired, and studied; and yet, with. all their
beauty and stateliness, how little noticed they
are! Now, friends, parents, let it not be so with
your children, whether sons or daughters, if
you would have them truly educated. Turn
their attention to the difference in form and
general appearan~e between one species of tree
and another. They will most readily learn

the names. Show them clearly the different
parts of the tree, and teach them the words
designating each part. According as the age
permits, you can have much conversation with
them on the philosophy of its growth and nature. I was once walking on a farm with the
owner's little boy five years of age, and he
pointed out to my unnoticing sight, with a
keen eye _and the zest of a naturalist, a peculiar characteristic of a great oak near which we
passed. · That father, I found, made it a pastime to show his child the things of nature,
and to make explanations about them; and I
am sure it was a pastime to my bright companion and instructor.
But to proceed: take the little learner into
the woods, and see what new trees you can
find there, and help him to a knowledge of
these. If you are ignorant yourself, become
his fellow-learner.
LEAVES.

One thing in particular might be done to
improve the observing powers as to minuteness, and to prepare entertainment for the fu.

48

THE CULTURE OF THE

OBSElWING FACULTIES.

I~eaves .

ture. Th e leaf of one species of tree differs
from that of another. Now, let the exact difference be noticed, and at length fixed in the
memory. Let a number of leaves be culled
from each tree, and thoroughly dried by pressure in a book; then, when all the foliage has
fallen under th e cold, and the inclement winter
has come, what fun and instruction too can you
and your children have with the leaves! You
can n).ake it a pleasant game to see who shall
b est tell th e name of the tree to which each
kind of leaf belonged. It may take several ·
games to associate some twenty or thirty of
these little things, so variously shaped and
notched, each with the name of its parent of
the· pasture or forest. Then, when the next
vegetative season shall arrive, how sharp the
young eyes will be after the different kin~s of
trees, each with its peculiarly-shaped foliage!
The leaves of shrubs, plants, grains, and grasses might also be prepared in the same way for
the winter's amusement and instruction. It
would be a good plan, moreover, to provide
little pieces of all sorts of wood, letting .a .portion of the bark remain as one of the d1stmct·

49

Minerals.

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ive marks. Thus the child and yourselves,
companions as docile as he, will learn the difference between the color, _fibre, and strength
of one species of wood and those qualities in
another species. He will come to know the
kind of wood from its internal look as well as
from its external, with which he began. By
this inspection he will be gradually acquaintiug himself with all the various sorts of timber
which, in after life, he may have to do with either as a manufacturer or a purchaser. As
things have been, this valuable knowledge has
been left to a life-long experience of mistakes
and losses, mingled in with whatever successes
may have come.
l\IINEUALS.

Still farther, you may lead your youug looker into the mineral kingdom, and find many
treasures there before saying any thing about
mineralogy. You may, however, give the term
if you please, and he will remember and like it
at his age as well as any other word. You
may in cidentally teach him many mineralogical term s, only be sure to have them stand for
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'fHE CUL'l'URE OF 'l'HE
Minero.ls.

OBSERVING FACULTIES. I

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Minerals.

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visible and real objects. What makes children dislike these matters is the taking the
life out of them, if they have any, by a hard
lesson -task, without any intelligible explanation . In the first place, you can easily have at
hand for illustration specimens of the several
metals in common use, such as iron, lead, copper,
silver, gold, and other metals, and also their vaTious combinations. Let the differences, uses,
and comparative values of these substances be
shown, together with their original locations
and-conditions in the earth. How very much
you might communicate, from time to time,
about these minerals, storing treas ures in the
mind richer and more lasting than the precious
metals themselves! Again: have your child
hunt for rocks which are peculiar for size,
shape, color, streaks, spots, or mossy pictures.
Show him the different layers of earth, disclosed by a cut through a hill where a road
passes, or in a river's bank. He has eyes as
well as a farmer to notice how the productive
soils differ from each other, and also from the
barren strata beneath, 'rhus, from this early
date onward, be will obtain thflt knowledge of

laud which is all -important to the agriculturist, and indeed is useful to any one who cultivates but a little patch ofa garden. You may
have a game together to see who shall find the
greatest number of curious stones ; or, if you
are at the water-side, try who shall be most
successful in spying out beautiful pebbles.
This slight beginning in mineralogical science ,
may possibly lead to a zealous and thorough
conti nuance. Many years ago, some crystals
imbcdded in a lump of iron ore were pointed
out to a youth.* He was so surprised at their
regularity and beauty, and with the fact that
they had been hidden for ages in that entirely
different and shapeless mass of matter, that his
eyes were afterward put on the watch for similar things. '!'his trivial circumstance first gave
the start to .one of the most distinguished min-:
emlogists ofour country and the author of valuable treatises on the science. Now, if your
boy shall.not become eminent, he may, by your
aid, become a minute observer of mineral substances. Ever afterward bis eye will be sharper to detect them, and his traveling be made
• The late Francis Alger, of Bos ton.

'l'HE CULTURE

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'l'HE

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Animals.

Animals.

interesting by boulders in the pasture, stones
by the wayside, or even gravel rattling beneath bis carriage-wheels in th e road.
It will be well to help your little fellow-rambler to begin a mineralogical cabinet, although
this may seem too grand a phrase for the occasion . 'rhe rudest boards, and the lad's collection of curious pebbles or coarser stones to p ut
upon them, will suffice to commence with, if
there be nothing better. The very fact th at
a particular depository has been prepared for
such thin gs will induce effort to fill it up.
Great pleasure, perhaps great usefulness, may
grow in the future from such humble beginning. Should it be so, your son will thank
you a tho usand times for this first setting out
in the science which he got from a loving parent.

arc the substantial animate creatures themselves ! These move about, and have a purpose in mov in g, as has the child himself. They
do something, and there is a sort of wonder
wh at th ey will do next. The household dog
and c:tt :tre favorites, and the animals about the
yard :mu barn arc objects of interest-all this
before much instruction can be given. Nature
is gettin g th e pupil ready. In due season, and
soon will this come to most, how much may be
taught concerning the distinctive natures . and
habits of these tenants of the homestead I But
the wider animal kingdom-curiosity can not
reach the end of this; but it can delightedly
travel on and on, if instruction will only lead
it forward a little. The birds, which make th e
spring so gladsome and the summer fi elds and
groves so all .alive, have specific forms, colors,
notes, habits, histories. Now the boys and girls
might become knowing and acute in these various matters, just as well as so sharp-eyed . after birds' nests, as most of them are. Indeed,
young people in the country, if parents and
teachers would only look to it, might make no
small progress in ornithology before the cus-

ANIMALS.

If the very ground beneath the feet can be
made to yield so much to the early inind, how.
much more the living creatures which move
above it! How delighted even infants are with
the pictures of animals ! 'IVhat a marvel, then,

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'l'HE CULTURE OF THE

OBSERVING FACUL'rIES.

Insect curiosities.

Insect curiositi es.

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tomary school-years should be over. As for
the larger four-footed creatures, there is not
much chance at them, except by happening on
a menagerie or a wilderness. Some of the
smaller quadrupeds, however, n.re within easy
reach. '11 he nimble, chirruping squirrel has sev,, eral habits of his own. The opening curiosity
would be just as ready to learn about these as
to watch his freakish motions. Even rat and
mouse rni ght be made somethin g of scientifically. r erhaps, if more truth were known of
these skulks, they would seem very much less
offensive. Even snakes and worms might also
have a better repute through. pleasant associations. Les us save our children from a lifelong disgust, if we can.
INSECT CURIOSITIES.

Another division of the animal kingdom
spreads all around the home in every direction
-that of insects. How countless their species
and varieties I There is no reason why the
young should not be introduced into considerabie acquaintance with the science of entomology, and this without hard and dry study.

Even so long and strange a scientific term
would be no burden to the fresh memory, because it would mean something. What a trifle
would n. microscope cost for family use! so
that, wh en any singular little creature should
be found, there might be a minute and wondering inspection.
'rhere is a country town, one of the roughest
in New England, which was favored with a
clergyman who. well understood the true methods of education. Among other investigations,
he devoted some of his leisure to entomology.
Somehow, he inspired the people of the whole
town, more or less, with his spirit, and especially the young. All eyes were opened and
sharpened to discover some new bug, or worm,
or butterfly; and happy was the little boy or
girl who could run with some prize of the kind
to the minister, receive his thanks, and get a
peep through his microscope at the wonders.
Now, if one man could exercise such an in.flu- enee over a whole town six miles square, what
might not be expected of young learners, were
school-teachers in their separate districts, and
parents at the homestead, all to get their :per-

56

57

THE CULTURE OF THE

OBSERVING F ACUL'fIES.

Fishes and shells.

Phenomena of nn.tnre.

ceptions awakened to these variously constituted tribes, amid whose creepings, flyings, buzzings, and hummings they have their,own being
and habitation!

children, on a winter's day, to sort out these
flowers of the sea according to species, size, or
some other rule. Thus several of the observing facu1ties would be cultivated, together with
pleasant occupation.

FISHES AND SHELLS.

"!

q

Again : th ere are the inhabitants of the waters. It is well known how interesting the distin guished iehtbyo1ogist, Agassiz, can make a
lecture or an incidental ta1k about fish es.
\Vhetber older or younger hearers bang delighted on hi s descriptions of the finny creatures, hardly thought of before, except as now
and then ·Seen glancing within th eir own glassy
element, or as presented by quite another sort
of professor - the cook, it is anticipated that
the time will come when parents will be so
well informed as to show their children, in table conversation, that trout, haddock, and shad
may afford menta1 as well as bodily nutriment.
All that is needed for this purpose is a little
reading, observation, and a desire to be instructive.
Some families have on band a great variety
of shells. It would be o. pretty exercise for the

PHENOMENA OF NA'fURE.

\V c will ghnce again at the inanimate world.
Various phenomena and processes in it may be
made interesting and instructive subjects for
sight and speech. Nature is passing through
changes and performing operations continually
all around. 'l'he child observes many of them.
\Vhen they fi rst strike bis sense his curiosity
is likely to be aroused, and he may ask, "\Vhy
is this or that? what makes it do so?" The
loftier refl ective faculties are now beginning to
operate: they want to know the how, the why,
and the wherefore of every thing, especially of
the changes and the actions of things. The reflective facu1ty-the causality more than any
other-prompts to questions. In answer to
this, the considerate parent will reply and instruct; but many a thoughtless or busy one will
turn the child off, and thus stop him from stud-

58

59

THE CULTURE OF THE

OBSERVING FACULTrnS.

Phenomena of nature.

Phenomenn. of nature.

ying lessons and receiving knowledge from the
greatest and truest book in the universe-the
universe itself. Before long, in ordinary experience, the child becomes so entirely accustomed to these natural phenomena that he loses all
curiosity about them, and asks no more questions. 'l'hus millions live and die in the civilized world, and even in this book-blessed and
school-favored land, utterly ignorant of wonderful processes going on around them all the
time; whereas, had the earliest curiosity been
kept up and nurtured, creation would have
been an ever-opening and yet untiring volume.
I once asked quite a large boy what clouds
were made of. He replied," Smoke." He had
seen with his own eyes thick smoke go up into
the air from all the chimneys of the neighborhood, and what could it possibly do there but
be turned into clouds? Nobody had ever
pointed out to him the grand round of the vapors from the ocean and all the waters of the
land, up through the sky, and down to the
earth, the streams, and the seas again, doing all
the world good on the way. Yet that boy was
at school, and might have been great at words,

remarkable before his school committee, and
wonderful to his parents.
I asked that young girl in the stage-coach,
before mentioned, what clouds were, and she
replied, "Ohl they are great bags up in the
sky ; and now and then holes get torn, and
down comes the rain." This was all she seem<:'d to know about this ever-varying and manifestly beneficent part of nature. But was she
not at a grand boarding-school, learning great
words in big books, and at high expense? vVas
she not getting a fashionable education? What
more could the world ask of her?
But it is not boys and girls alone who are
ignorant of Nature. A large proportion of the
grown-up do not understand her most common
operations and appearances. There are mists,
clouds, rain, hail, snow, ice, dew, fire, light, air;
now how few in all the civilized world have a
philosophical knowledge of these phenomenal
Why is it so? One answer may be that they
were not explained to the young. Their eyes
at length became accustomed to them, the newness passed away, and curiosity passed away
with it; so a whole lifetime is spent in igno-

60 ,

THE OBSERVING FACULTIES.
Phenomena of nature.

ranee of changes, combinations, and beneficent
results in the wise plans and works of the
adorable Creator. Could some such natural
phenomenon take place but once in a hundred
years; and .then be advertised as a spectacle,
there would be a rush of eager multitud.es, to
behold it, and a niost earnest listening to ' the
scientific explanations. Ah ! what minute processes, what mighty movements, what numberless benefi ts every moment! and how millions
of the most privileged of our race live in the
midst, and see . not, and ask not how or why!
Good parents, you are entreated not to suffer .
your own beloved . childre;i to. grow up with
such deadene~ cu~9sity and- contented .!gnorance. If -you bav&not 'the requiSi~ ; ~:o:owl~
' edge already, become fellow-learners witji.ihem.
' A book or two for the purpose can be 1bought
for what you would spend for some tr.a nsient
amusement or perishable luxury.*
· ·
• The treatises here named would be convenient: Tate's
"First Lessons in Philosophy, or Science of Familiar
Things;" Wells's "Science of Common Things;" Brewer's
"Guide to the Scientific Knowledge of Things Familiar;"
and P eterson's "Familiar Science, or the Scientific explanation of Common Thing~ . "

.FAR'.I'HER SUGGESTIONS.

~i!M!!.,;.,,,:i~~~~.........,._.k.. '~--

I

ON THE

:.·:·il:it·:"

''
iJ~·~i· · :~,

In

FARTHER SUGGESTIONS.
PLACE.
NOTE.
The following suggestions pertain to a different class of
qualities-those which arc not inherent in substance itself,
but which are circumstantial and concomit:int. These also
are exceedingly important subjects of the observing faculties,
and afford occasion for careful direction and discipline on
the part of parents aml other teachers. Tl10•e who have an
earnest and conscien tious int eres t in early nnd right incntnl

culture will proceed without requiring any special inyitation.

PL:A-CE, Olt GEOGRAPHY AT HOME.
Pio.cc, or geography nt home.
->l"'(<., ......

~

~

~

""':·' -A: ':OHiLD may begin geography long before
h; 'goes .to school, or, rather, he may lay the
aure and proper foundations for this science.
When he shall have been taught the points of
the compass - east, west, north, and south then •vhich side of tlic room the fi. rc is. wliich
,,,
tbc table, and in whi ch di rcction arc the Larn
:md the garden ; and when he shall see j ust
bow the laud lies an<l looks . close around his
_:~"-~""'-- ho.me, _Qe~ji~ had an introduction to gcogra- -- ---- --phy,- or _h_n..s, in a small (lcgrec, been prepared

-t

--

--

"'it-.=-; _J?.r; :\n intruuuction. A lil:gi rllli r:g lw;-; lJv:n
_,,...____:--- ., mide according to the re:ctl natu re of things.
lie undcrstamls wh:tt he acok:; alJ0nt aml what
ha is told. All the words have a meaning to
his l ttLlu mind . J\o w wktL yo1.t m:tv d1), aml

.~

64

65

'l'HE CUL'.L'URE OF THE
Pl&cc, or geography at home.

Place, or geography at home.

what he will be glad of, is that you carry him
on a little farther, and still farther than he
would go, clearly and certainly, without your
personal guidance. You must talk him along,
and walk him along, until you have together
surveyed the neigborhood. all around, and h~
bas obtained a positive knowledge of,it-a
knowledge which he feels to be his own, just
as he feels that a know ledge of your dooryard or sitting-room is his own. For instance,
you can ask him in what direction the stre~t
runs ; and, if be has not already found out,
tell him, and he will soon know beyond forget·.
ting. Have him learn who lives in the next
house to bis own home on the right hand
and
the left; who in the second; thfrd, 'a'nd
fourtlJ, and so on. Of course, this could hardly

on

be <lone in the urick-blvc.:kccl, L.ctcrogc ncously
neigl1bored but unneighborl y city. Children
at :.1. very early a;;c sorncL1rJw .karn wliat are a

road. a field, a pasture, a wood, a hill, and a
liro,)k .

Lndcc·d, tlt('y quick lv

Ul'CU!ll<'

ra:nil:ar

with most of the prominent features of nature,
:111d t!:c 1\'unb l 1y wl1tuli t licy arc: d, ·;-;ig uat1cd.

They learn much by the incidental conversa-

tion of persons around. But you might, by a
little pains, make your child a more accurate
as well as far-reaching observer than he would
otherwise be. Train him to notice every distinct object within the scope of his eye; all
the inequalities of the surface, all the varyiua
.
f
b
tints o the vegetation between the first tender
green of the spring and the russet of the aut.umn.. _Every rock, every little hillock and
bush, or what.eyer else may make a distinctly
observable thing, should be a lesson to his eye.
Were these · diminutive traits in the landscape
~nly magnified, they would be such geographical features as might be noticed in the bia
school-book; yet tlJc fact that they seem bu~
insig nificant lines an<l dots, as it were, does not
-t;:
mako them uugeographical. If geography, ac,-~~=·-· _ -~ conlj~g_t<? precise defini tion, is a l!cseriptiou of
~.,,--:=-tn~;-tlien , when' these dimin utive things
".',
, are described by your c1:ild , Ji,, Jr1akcs n ·:d
;· gepgraphy out of them, and it will be unspeakably more profit:dJl1 : tkui 1!i1 1 iln-, l::in l LkSQription of text-books, as they ha~e generally
iJt'('.11 forced upun pvur little lcarn n:::, or rnt11cr
wurJ -gctters. ff a chdd be accustomed to sud1
' F,

66

OBSERVING FACULTIES.

THE CULTURE OF THE
--=.:.--=-

..._~ ,-

minute observation, he will not, of course, overlook the more prominent marks in a prospect.
But, in farther commendation, even some of
these minutix of the land's Bur!'ac·.~ itl'C irnportant indications to tbe eye of science ; and
wonl(l yon 11ot be g;hd to -have your son look
at nat~re with such an eye? Wherever 'be
shall rarnbk or travel, would you not have
him exerci~e a keen, detective sigLt, iusteac1 of
a vacant ga1:c?
HGW NOT TO GET LOST.

'l'he e.x.auL uuderstarnling of tL.c lJOln t> .of Lhc
conmass 'is mactica1lv of no small importance.
Many pcrs(;J1s most - en:si~y lose the . direction
when they find themselves in a new place.
Indeed, there arc those who arc alx-oolutcly so
turned about that sunrise and sunset seem ·to
have exchanged horizons, and it takes some
considerable looking round and reflection · to
get out of the bewilderin~ dilemma. Did all
roads run at right angles toward east and
west, north and south, and were all houses
built square upon them, there would be no
difficulty. But,'transversed and crookedin all

Ht+w w+t to

--------

~et

67

lo ...,l.

directions as roads and streets h:wc to be, the
points of the compass are sometimes hardly
found in a whole lifetime. Tnc1cec1, there ::ne
th1J SO wl10, af'tcr a 1012g rc::i•Jl:llC•J iu Bu:oi01i ,
scarcely know the direction in which r1 rns th:>.t
0

mos t !:uni!i:tr ol' all its tlioron:rl1: :tn''1, W :t''li

ton Street, or which way exactly the g rand and
fa r-seen ~t~lte· housc faces. I t seems, thell, that
__t~£e. ~ig~~ be a real advantage in early U! ! d
contin ually training the observation as to the
poiu~ - of tho compass. At home, it can be
ma<le a nrn:tter a1together incidcnt:o.l, :tnd cost
.uo time wL.id1 may Le ]Jetter em1Jloyed. L et
tbe cnrdin:>.l points be well fiwrl , :tnd it wil1
h~: ca~y to lix ·i n tlic c li il•J's rnind ihc dircctJun

~~~<::~~_..:_ _ of prominent obje~ts between, n.nd also tho

·------~~-=-· CQUr§O of th e streets~ roach~~ and strca1ns.
:F:·~~i:o · tne ~~~-ise _?fiindivi~u~lizing objects be, _ -~En~, -as ..~he · child s understanding
!ialfn'dv'ince~-i will be well to locate the vari~ "oojefetii,' in ·:all dhections, in respect to the
,...oints of the compas:s. There might be a little
emµlous 'pastime abqut it, as was recommended
~ b~foro in the culture of the J)erce1)tion1:l. \Vh v
I
•
•
should not the pare~ts be at the pains of pur1

\f

-

68

THE CULTURE OF THE

., OBSERVING FACULTIES.

How not to get lost.

Judging of distances.

chasing a compass for this very purpose? It
would cost no more than many other things
usually provided, but which might equally as
well be done without. With this instrument,
every point of direction might be exactly established. Thus it would be not onlJeasy;hut
pleasant and profitable, for children to be_trained, as they grow up, to know the precise point,
from home as a centre, of every farm and house
in the town; or, if in the city, of every prominent object there. So accustomed would the
young learners become to such definite observations, that, as they should travel out to other
towns now and then, they would quite readily
fall into these ·exercises; and the turnings of a
road or the windings of a stream, the house on
a hill, the village church spire in the distance,
might be made an additional trial for this sort
of judgment. So eventually, wherever they
should travel through the country, their heads
would not get confused, as now so often happens. At least sunrise and sunset would keep
their places, to their eye, j ust as Kature really
UUL:::>

l Dcui.

69

JUDGING OF DISTANCES.

In this connection, it may be well to say
something more about the measure of spaces
'and distances. There is a great deficiency in
people's minds generally as to accuracy in distance: One has only to travel in the country,
and inquire of various people how far it .is from
one certain place to another certain place, es. - ~y:if 'it)e · ~to the .way from one town
tb'"'ii"nother, to
convinced how vague are the
notions of many persons in respect to space.
Why need this be so, if parents, at times, without interfering with any business, should just
instruct and amuse themselves and their chil<lren in this matter? If a father and son are
, i ,proceeding to a. dist~nt field to work, or to any
,,, fl.eld,-why' not for once take a ten-foot pole ora
measuring chain, and find out tho exact distance? But suppose a boy is going of [ln errand to a neighbor's, who lives, according to
vague supposition, a (p1:1rtcr or half a mile oiI:
Jet h im t:.kc his pole or chaiJJ, aml get tho exact measurement, uncl settle it for goocl uml all.
Ur, on some leisure time, lot tl1c boys, if t11rro

be

70

THE CULTURE OF THE

OBSERVING FACULTIES.

Education on a hill-top.

Education on a hill-top.

are more than one, and the father with them, if
he pleases, make a little pastime of the thing.
This measuring entertainment may from time
to time be extended to any house, or any object, or through any distance whatever, accord·
ing to convenience. · Thus a judginent abou.~
distances will be formed,·which will come frequently into use in subsequent life.
·
EDUCATION ON A HILL·TOP.

Suppose, now, a pleasant day, and a little
leisure at command, to afford your children,
and indeed yourselves equally, ·some little entertainment, perchance instruction . . You haye
already become ~acquaintedrperhaps,·:with wpatever-is within View · Of home.:· Yo\r' have .,;ooserved every house, field, pasture, wood, rock,
s~rub, gleam of water. However, it is not!nec·
essary to wait to get all these nearest things by
eye and heart. Take your little company+tQ
the highest hill-top you can conveniently reach.
From this elevation can be discerned various
prominent objectS in towns around. Give the
young observers the names of these localities,
and just the direction in which they lie. There

71

are certain eminences, each perhaps with a
name: tell them the name. There, beneath,
arethe valleys also. Perhaps it may be known
that. a considerable river has its course through
some of them, or at least some brook large
enough to turn the useful mill. Describe .these
streams, well known to your larger experience,
~whi<;h the children can not discern in · their
1
,~and shaded channels. But tMy can: l'lee
· wifilLth,«i.-tta.1'ed:·eye, ras•well a8 you; the many
::;:~iari'ed*feafiires , .of' the· landscape between the
-centre where they·starid and the whole. horizon
·round; Now make a game of it: see who can
~unt the greatest number of distinct fields, or
pastures, or separate pieces of woodland, and
~, ·~ ,, tb.e greatest number of hills. Indeed, as to this
"' ~~.i;you ma~ let the eye desr,end to ~be. mi.,. "f~9• proll'!ir,len~ on the suefaee;·and yoiq:;will
find that the sigh will beco'me amazfogl y sharp,
and p~ck ~the , east little haycock of a hill at
a dist;wice
which'.I would not have been thought
.
~po8sible before. : Then let the vision hunt after
'V'alleys,. and an~ little dips and crinkles in:·the
.]an<i's surface, i~ the same manner. There are
cliffs, and rocks and single t:rees sta!.)ding ii}
~

I
I

'

I

I

'l

~

'J'l!E

l'Ll,'lT H ~~

UI·' Tlli·:

lauJ. a nti iiuu.-..;es alH_t nu t ]1 1) U~es tn l.H_ .
Jilavl'lll !y SOU!-.rJ1t l ikewise. \\' ithaJ, take llO(C
i 11 \vl 1icl 1 (Ji n_·c1,i()11 cx :v_•.t1 y an _v !'(i:u1 n1ay n1 n: o r

(>PL:ll

\"a 1!t·.v \vin\ i , nr :--:t r\ :11n 111ca11(11'r: at \\.1!at }11.'J int
1

L: ' 111: 1\· ~u e :--:i·u ateJ. lf the re he a mountain in the distance,
111crc will Ji,: something not on l_v to fasten the
~·y· · ! l •11 i J; ) i ~e+J it \vi1U l _ie[lU t.v ()!' ltl'L it to gra11d ,:11r. JJcpc rHl 11pon it, mv fri,·n d-:, that yo u
<,L'

1} 1t'. c ·.·· ~11 1 1 ; ~:--:~ : t: 1\

i1 o:t:~c ()~ ·

1

\vi d .~:i \'1• y<111r (' !1:'.d r1'lt :t1id yc1u:>:1 · 1'. - c·~

.

i 1nt 0111.Y

'

:L 1!Hl~t Cl J L 1 ' 1'Llllllll':...~- . ~ JU L :l \ ' C I"\" 111:-;1 rtlC~l \~C-

( ' ttrs1'J!J.

'J'l:u

Yi .~ '. t. t t > 1'.1c ~1-·, o~. l:t~~.Y

.,

j..J

ex -

Lc repeat1

ed. several times befo re all t he ohiccts of th1:
e:.: p:u1.c;c ::;L1all fa ll uc11catl1 i11:-;pcc ti un, or the lesson o r t he n)easure be exb [lmted. I3y-and-bJ'
yon \Y il) cli rnh. with vonr lit~lc con1p:tny of ob 8ervers, 80llle l of Lier lull or Lhe mountain-top,
!-t~Hl f'rOHl s 11e11 :t l H ··i·~·--': l · Ji. :-~c1v;t ll('1 ' \'Ot1f knO\\"ledge, possiuly, tu uu;tam states.

<1.r nt to

a11 that tl1e ex:1 •11in:1 : j,, 11 ol · an v rn:tk 1x:Ltf'r, J'ul'

rial th iner
h •\.' t l1c n a'-; ct1 f":t("11lt ir•s is
b

:l11 r0~-~i 1)l r. l l 1 1 1'jll)~t'<, tli:J l t}1f ' •·i· ;111 i11 ( \ j ' ~ l1idyin1-, ()f:t ,ie,~ cr i1 .1i ,,11 (I f' it.
IL i;-; s :1l'"r, « 1·1 1: 1i 11l \· 1n ~('1' :1 !':trl1l 'Sl ' lt ' ·~l · .':-:. (1\\l! t_ •\'C :-:. \ wLi:· 1 ·
~·

,-::)

j

1 :, : ,~-·l1~1~i n'!

it , tlirrn t» t r1i::'t. to :rny \~·riltcn clc~ni1,iin 11 .. 'l'\11 ~ ~ ·- .. 11 ,·r:1 1 \1"11•1 11 :10' :wt1wll_v in...;t"~~<~·tcd tho gru11nd 1:n \vlli~ : l 1 Lu 1~ lo 1nak0 a
campaign is for better preparc11 fo r its c m1:r-

"" 11cies than if he :k nr' w the fa]( '. of
~nly as -presented b-y the m ap. 'The sanrn rnav
be Sil.iU of ever y 1)r:1 1~~ical c•Jn('(_·rn . '[ 11(· T! 1i1 1fl
inu,-it be prepai~eil i..--. eomprchcrnl de:u:v whaL
1~ dhtan1, an1l "· li ~ t1
:~ ~ c n:-d ~ e( l ~( '!l~~· ~ ,

( · : t 11 i:()t

l1y ;\

\q ·

1·1' 1

\1 1 '

:n tl1r<'ll.'~-1 1

; h nT(-,i1 ,~h l n::=pc-r · ~;t-~ri

:. : in:l 1:1r thin .~:-: \v it111n t1 t··1r

t11 .

!'1 ':-, , ·: i.

..__~r:i•J
:~·~:" 't'heM imeilemual fuclli l.nw1:: scarcel.Y 'uee11
- - =-==11,:;-l1°l0-1ft -o--o f' by· \Jic' ,-,<•11c r;1li!.y of parents
and
.
>

~

_, .-

~

~·· reaohers

·n thifl time-consuming, awl , we irniy
-='S~~ hart-burde-~ing matter of P.OllCHtion . Now
-wha~ uo children, fo r the most part-, ~~~c~ \v Le.::

Now let us consider the, practical advantage
o fth1 ~ ~ctn~1 oh~Pr,.,.~ti on 'of the c~ rth's st:rfaec:o
and the various objects, natural or artificial,
thereon presented. In the first place, it is evi-

they ~t their eyes upon a map? Nothing but
~ ni;iiri ~urf:tco bf P8.TJC1\ w~~~ h1~clc 1~:ie~ ero0k· in·g here and thh~, ~alled roads and rivers/ and
little dotci bavi~g the names of towns and cit1-

I

74

OBSERVING FACULTIES.

'Vhcre and how arithmetic should begin.

\ Vh ern a rnl how nrithrnct.ic Hh o11\ (l lwgin .

ies, with blotches standing for mountains; and
this is just about all. The brute anim als would
take int.o notice almost as much. But with this
actual trair1in;::i: oftbe observing powers, :1s lias
been r ecommended, there would appear right
on the n:ar. as it were, in definite forms and
('r•lnr", "'" "ll by 1L1e vivid imagination , 1·cal hills,
vallrys, str rams, roads, every thin;::i: just as the
map was ir,tc~1c1ed to rcprcsrnt tlre m. 'J'lrnt
p !ain p::tner s•irf:1cc \'.'on ~ r1 seem mnn ~ rl rrl intn
all i.l 1c v:1riou;5 tcaturcs and ar, pcar:rncc:s or ltaLure by that r:1in cFs eye which had been stuJ.y -

p:.c::-ts:-tnt ~~u11:ly cx gc('gr.1pb icJ.l ]:-lngnilgn .._,\·on ~d
]Jr.; all filled and made rich ·with real scicncctbc earth's ·facts. P ray try the experiment,
and ~ec.

of matter by itself. This idea o[ cl ist i net things,
of individualities, is one of t l1c i1rimitive foundations of a11 knowleclge; ancl the i(1cn , therefore, is among the c:crl1csL introc111ccl1 intn tl1e
mind. 'l'he exercise of ind ividuality afford"
the first occasion for the ashm of' ann1l1cr 1':1c'.llty, that of 11 1Lmbcr. Tuis, ol' c<.'11rc;• ·, 1111i.' L
wnit. till words c::m be ncrinircd anrl llc applied
fo things. Quito an advance is usually made
In :i.- Jmow1edgc of things and their narnc8 before tho idea of number is r1i~tinctly apprehended, and its appropriate terms i11tell1c;ibly
uscJ . Counti11cr. lio-..,·c\·cr,i" an cx•.·1-.·i , ,_. 1» 111· ·11

in ,~ lliL~ rva l c:tnLi in these

curs~cin~.

'fi;i_ ~c;

to it in son 1c

-:--- --'-~--

f'.-o.:.u
- ,;...,....;
11•V\'f

:;i.

1il:1yf'1 11111\_1 1

tr!1!iu g gri ef.

--~1·v
thu1......,bs,
IJ

J. lh'-

.J\); early intcllet.:tua.l exercise, :ts bas Leen
before rnPntionPfl. i« tbrtt ofindivifl 11nli:>:in<Y oh-

c; r 1' > (li\·1. ,11 :; 11 111

Tiic·.r arc :1'k, ·tl , 1"'1'1 1:11'',
<]
l.
:lV''
'- • '('.\'
• -.,
~1'
'-J 01'

].. !•()W
1t

n'I<·1 '1"
' .}

In tJJi .'3 w:iy, or in some other as inbegiris w }1ieh rc:whcs ur
into the sublimest m:i.thcrnatic::<. l t d· •c'.~ 11< )i
tako l~ng t.o geL throug:l1 tLu1HL~ aud Lugc_'.rs,
and to tho Jlr,;t :111c1 :i:l- i111j •(•rla1.t '.\·:v:111:lrL.
ten ia the 11un1erical pru.'.:..:·~"\.~~:-: . ;)u l~tr, cacli
te1m h?~~ ft tb1n ,[~ t b whieh it 1~ ~rp1irorl - n
flnrrers.

-- eiifent.tl.(that science

lllmlu

75

THE CULTURE OF THE

76

· onSERVI~G FACUTil'IES.

1'HF. CFT/l'UHE OF THE
\\:ht:rt:'

tiH<l

how nrithmctic should begin.

- - - - - -- - ------- --- - --- -- -- - majority of d1i1<1rcn, accon1ing to u1Jo;crvation.
:.ire t::wght to use the terms aostractlv. to utte;.
them without any reference to indi,;ictna1 and
obscrval.Jlc objects. Th ere arc, uu JuuLL, par-

ents who, in teaching the child, are wise enough
to apph·, in a muclt g reater cxte11L, tlie m1merab to tmb::<Lan Lial things. Sometimes children
themselves, without any 11int from others, wi11
make the application . Nevertheless, the maJOrity, I th ink, in tltei r first accp1i:-;iti"m ol numerical terms, arc tan git L tltu words wi tl 1out
things, in t.be same manner as much of other
educaliou i::; condu cted. Now tl1iR nerd not
be so; it ought not to be, ina,Smuch as individual things arc all around, from one up to hundreds, thousands, and millions ; and for every
numerical term there may be a positive object
on which to place the eye. 'l'hus the little
learner would clearly apprehend that counting
is not merely putting one new word after an~
other, but is adding thing to things, object· to
0l;ject1::, one after another; it is m:i.kiu!! an increase of quantities unde~ the notice ;nd evidence of hiR own immediate senses. In counting, for instance, articles of furniture in the

77

The countin_rr gumc.

room , steps in the stairway, or duurs :1ml win<l.owi; in_tlie house, the newly-starteu ariLhmGiical faculty hn.s something real an<l firm to nm
11lvug on, ru:; the carliur us,.:cl 1Jcrc0ptiv0 po11·cr:c1
have.
lr: the ol>,icct g:rn11•, nTorn1nc11d1'cl in a previous section, there is an e.xccllt!11~ 01-•J:-•Urtuuity
;;,t u uu:tJcr ; fur tlic g:unc rnay lx: nut onl_y to
. a-ee wil~- shall be quickest to ilud o1Jjeets one
:r.li,cr -miother, or who shall come to the very
last thing possible to be found, but also who
~hall come to the largest number incln<ling
t h•::SD objcc1B-who sba!i count tlic 1tighc.:st in
the game. Besides things in the house, those

-""''l!!!Df•.-

al)roa1.l a re :s uG'lcic11t ft1r 111.fin~t.c ('.()Ut1ting·, ( lt'
'Ulltj.l the mind even of the au ult might get ut-

vl,:tlred

~~---~-

and confused
in its simple and
.

'XiFM:~. y;t.'iJk.

I -.. . .·: - '"·

. . 't:f~t ci"''f ~-- . - .

- _-:--_:::-____
---=:=~THE COUNTING GA!>rn:.
-""'! ... _
•
:.
i"'\

~:i

;,;;;:~~"J

~~_: ~

r ~;

: "'""'~~a. goo.d plan to:train children to observe
· tlie~nroportions between t11e num brr nnd the
•bulk~ of things. For instance, it will take about
so many apple~, or any other kind of fruit, conlIa certain measure. Let
sidering size, to fill
,

i
!

78

- 79

THE CULTURE OF THE

OBsERVING FACULTIES.

The counting go.me.

An economical Ide&.

- the precise number .be ascertained. Make a
pleasant thing of the matter, and see who shall
come nearest to the fact in a guess about the
measure of fruit from the tree, or of potatoes,
or turnips, or any other production from the
grou~d. Though you make a pa.Stime of your
guessing and counting, the judgment thus edti:
cated will be a circumstance of positive practical gain in those affairs where gain or loss
depends on accuracy of judgment.
This counting sport might be carried on in
many ways, and to an indefinite extent, among
brothers and sisters, enlivening the home. But
~he parents, especially the father, might well,
m the · eyening's 1eisure, take a; part'~iri.rtqese
numerical operations. ·' Agricultural life ·affords
a great variety of instances for thl.s kind.of mental action. Indeed, in any sort of civilized
life, there must be purchases of farm products,
and numerous opportunities for maturing ·the
judgment about num.bers, quantities bulk and
' a family
' '
we may add, cost. There is scarcely
which does not suffer more or less detriment
in consequence of poor judgment about commodities bought and mon ey paid. Certainly

the needed ·abiJity can not be had except by
experience, and this experience might as well
begin as soon as nature gets ready for it, as to
be deferred to a later period, when immediate
oooasion shall require.
AN ECONOMICAL IDEA.

· One particular application of the numerical
,.,. ,fiiculty is very easy and of practical imporu\D'(;;;&na~~fl!Jt, ,ther~fore, ·be interesting •to the
yeung learner. Various things of household
use are in· sets, consisting of a definite number.
For instance, so many chairs belong to a room,
or there is a particular number in a set of
crockery, or knives and forks, and of spoons.
'r4e child will most easily count these, and
la~~ n. um~ ill memory. 1 ;· rt,his. i('I.a w.a,t•. te;r..
ot ..,r~~
...~;...1 ~ •, for' hnless. ii ~e-i: D.:unibeff'of '. i.
tliese'.lhlligs1is'·1fept int mind, ~here' may be :an .
unheeded:lo8s.< :It will be really a strengthening of:t~~ charadter, and a positive preparation
for ·carefulness ii1 the future, to give a daughter ci.uite early ,a specific charge over these
more losable implements. There are also 6th·
er sets of thinga, the number of which might
h
.
O

11

1
1

-

l·.'.

·,;.

80

THE CULTtJRE OF 'I'II E

- -- -- -- - ------_
Outdoor..

An economical idea.

be ob Lai1ted ai id hel d w ith advftnt ~t UC', snch a,"
napkins, towels, pillow-cases, sheet;, and perhaps other kin ds of fu rniture. By this appl ication of the enumerative ability, you might
early enlist a daughter's special in terest in VOlll"
gooJ.s and their safety. - In this connection,
moreover, she might be easily led to consider
it her ~uty ~o keep them all in their proper
places, m their proper order, and with all desirable nicety. Thi~ care will be a re1ief to vonr,"
1
•
::>c.;1, llli.>Luer, arnl a prvLiLu'ule discipline to her.
There is no reason why a boy also might
uoL 1e traiueJ. in this numerical knowledge as
to household matters. Of course, he is adeq~a~ tQ it ~qually. with .a .si$,ter; aud, _together
with her, .he is more particularly under · · the ·
maternal care in his earlier years. It is altogether proper, and it will be beneficial for him
to learn whatever he may in company and in'
sympathy with sisters. All indoor knowledge,
however minute, will the better qualify him
for manhood and . a new home of his own.
Every man should have at ,least a general
knowledge of his own household affairs, however perfect the wife may be in her admini~-

trfttion.
CjltlOn

•·

.

--..,;· ~-

-

-

:

..__...-.._ -___::__ _
~

7

••

0 1 come:

thoroughly acquainted with U:lattfil'$ .~hirgtng /
to the domestic domain. It cottla.7'n\Jt · Qi'lt ·b~,-i n most cases, altogether pleasant -a1so;ns· fo ng
as he is privileged with such affectionate comgwionship.
OUTDOORS.

d l'he:re are however ou t.<loo1· couccrus in

,;t<'.

.

·

- .- ""-· ·._

Now, inasmuch as a ·boy'o h crn~:-~.d,u ordinarily continue~ ~~-~9~~ ~~~ ~-:-: ~

would be altogeth er easy for h·1m_ t v

~

-

'

,

,

whfch a . boy can . exercise numerical accuracy
· and care about sets and classes of things. .Let.
him count the fowls on the premises, get the
precise number in each :flock of a species, and
have an eye that no~are missing. So also
· ·_Jwn; know and keep in mind the exact
. ·~::efl'.'~wS,· s~eep, . and ~~ei'~~,jl~.ung,,.:01
. whitevl'r"'d se·ofthe1domestic anunal krnd may
· ./ pert8.i.n to>tQ~ home~tead. · A" sister also might
. "'(_ery· properly accobpany him in sympathy
and· care;· for thus her mind would be expanded; and, 'w ithout any undue straining or task, 1. · :work, would easily :and agreeably acquire.; an
. iµ,itiation into that io utdoor knowledge which
II F
-

__'l'~ E CULTURE OF T;I:IE
.-

- ~-"----=---"- ~ /"

· "'

-

...---

~

•

·:_, Ownership.

~~--:· ·

/ -~ !11Ei-Z~t_ii"[c~"i~-ev~tu~lly might wish to have
~ >-1-n~ fhe' 13~~es~oi1s, plans, and operations of her

:_ - hrn,-bind: ~ -~ · ~ - :

·.___<-. -1%.9:ii;.~!1;'1Y- 8rii~r~ at this reference to proba-

·· ·b)~ -£12r:~ist~ )ife ; but just as surely as early

habi·ts --of-any kind will influence the remote
future for good or for evil, so surely will this
sort of knowledge and carefulness affect the
future economical character of the woman.
OWNERSHIP.

'

In this counting of furniture sets and of
flocks and herds, a child's interest must naturally be quickened by the circumstance that
tbey ·belong to parents, and have a certain use.
This matter of ownership will draw the little
heart toward them. It would be quite a different affair to put the numeric faculty to work
on stones in the public road, or pebbles along
a water-shore. Let it be especially considered
that the idea of possession and utility will be
of no sma!l importance to the incipient aritbmetici ~n . In continning, therefore, this sort of
discipline indefinitely onward, let the exercise
l,,, :ts mlw11 as possible on ol•.iei:ts ol' property.

·l

f

.;..t-lil,·.-~ · ~y\~

·-"\;

OBSEftVI:\1; FA\ TLTJES.
- ·- - --~----- - - --

- - - - - - - --------- ----

-- - - --~- -- - - - - - -- - -

( \· irn t lnb

i1.

\':onlcl inifocncc

1rl1ole L11;-; i 1 1c.~s life.

:1.

\\'OU ]cl C'Cl't:1_i11 1\'" ht ~ of 110
..

.,, ,,

~

•

-

'

C:! :-1 • 1,l
• • • -· <(

'

generally the case in the cou~tr.Y.

It may be objected to t he nfan of ['.ivin17 ehil U.LS .;pcci<.l iJta of p1:operty ~nd ~~ner­
ship that it will make them think too much o f
H:a~erja~ i10;-;:--;(•ss1on:::\ attd. strengthen tileir aflec~
tion for these things to a clc.grce whi ch in aft-

cl·c:..;.

:;rL·
--

1· -r1·
-

11.l··- -

t_

1

-~ ·

,
to ti1c

---~ --

--

JL
COL')."TT:\<} O:'\'

·, ,, 1, 1 ) 1.t,-1 ,, n, ,
' "
.,;,. .
' " ' . '·,.J_
.;.. l l

conauctm~ the concerit!'l of a store, especially
o ne conta1n:11 .~ a ll sorts of [!:nu(;:-:, ~t~ is n"-1nre

cr

- -

i11 •1,·f:11i1 1 ·I\.

,
cu·tr•1crer

Such a consequence would greatly dep~~~d -0~
Li.ic uati ve men La} nrnstitmioD . No doubt scm0.
children have the love of gain so born with
them, th at, without counter infi u'en·c·e-$, the~x­
ercises would really .intensify.the inherite!:avarice. But there is to be a moral and religious euucation; and if parents are as faithful in
this as in the discipline pertaining to material
things, any such tendency will, in general be
quite sufficiently counteracted. Let it be · ~n­
derstoo<l by readers, once for all, that in the
present treatise there is intended no such neglect of th e higher nature as will leave the lower
unrestrained, or in the least degree unbalanced.

i'.';l>l<FJ'.';Tl'l·:J.Y.

After the class of foings above reforred to
sh;!l ;~ll have bi.:c11 gone ove r, tlrc. cxc·rc:isc rnay
be continued on ohjects which excite no interPst , exc:('pt that tlil·y a rc to uc enumerated one
alte.r an~ther, each aJJiug w the sum. With
th•; st:1.rt the young numberer gets in the way
":--===~~~~:.:'.'.7-· ~ ~~g~ 1 ~ _\Vili now be able tu count to al ·
' - - · ---~"-'!('if;~ ~~ry' c~,te~t. Let him push ahead on any
~ ~1 i ng 110mipg _han diest.
.; Ontdoors· there ·are, for lessons, trees m the
woods... itlld stones in the ,~~al!s. I n counting
the tr~es, it may be worth while to remark,
ili_~ rB W i1l i ue-i c1t.~l l l~ t1 1,Y :.tri;-;e S( 1l llC 1::11U\\~lc (}g ~ Of
species and their uses. There must necessarily
.. ~~_g~;_,_l!;O~e glilllpses of de.ndrology, to u~e

.... _,.,~_Qit.erm,,wpioh 1 as}ong';~ -1~JJ.t~~w~t 1

~~ .c$Ur'wou~d .remember 3.s'.· well 'as 'a'riy

1,-qth~r-word. ...; Indeeµ, in touching and individu-

l ', .; .~ -1:-:-i:r-.:the

stones ill a wall, as he should trip
' a.l<lpgside, what curious varieties he might dis• •• : j': cover! and thus the diverse riches of mineralogy would now begin to open on him, if not
before. Within .d°lrs the learner may sit at
jJ

I

AJJ.LWo ~

>

il
I

I

I

- - - -------..---

86

'l'HFJ Cl'L'l'l'RE OF TIIE
-

- - - - - - ·-~ - -- ~ -·.-

--

-

87

OBSERVING FAC'CLTIES.

- -- ·---

C ut rn t !11:,s •oil inddin i t<-ly .

ease; and with a measure of corn , beans, or
l 'l'

~ JI

1;ca,.:, or tl:c sma.Her ::;rains, J1c m:1y cutrnt ou
tor hours, if he. shall choose, and renew the operati on 1hy afr• ·r d:ty . Awl \\·1: ,. ,o: ) 1• .; 1 ~.J l:e
not, if there b~ time and inducement? He may
as \Yell do t11 :s at homo as manv other CiaiLc
idle things, or something at scho~l called ~' ed-

ucation," but which amounts to nothing at all
toi··:c r.J C'ttr; 11 end. J:very grai>1 lie ton.:hcs is
an iuJi vicl ual obji:-et; it is a unit· i' t i's ''" a'i· :::>"~met aml o bscrv :dJle :is i l' it. were a mcm n t :ii n ;
it goes to make up a sum which is denominated
a thousand or a million. Now ,i ctst let a child ,
~· a~e~~~t~ .age and ability, enumerate palpawe, rnut vmual substances in ' this wav~ ' nn d he
will pn1cet"l, not Yagucly j,JlU eoufo~~Jly but
1
clea"
'
·
'
•·aJ, d efi m"tely,
ancl with
a perfect intellito ~-lmo~·
on~
amou nv of uurnoers,
'
i:renr""'
v
: · ' •
~
J <·
Pl·1ed
up, m idea, one upon another. Then, wh;n he
shall come to the examples of the text-books at
s:hool, ~hat otherwise would be empty abstractions will to imagination cover and contain as
it were, like clothing, substantial and de:fi~ite
~orms. He will have a distinct idea of numerical quantities, such as will be of invaluable
•

.._

!)

0

•

.

L

'"

'

(.~>.,.;

service in the h1gber mathematical regi~ns,
'
1ww
· o'"'' ·" 11,c1\'
too often
¥iil-O-re, ~~
, ' l', h'\'
- •'1 ~ learners
~
r.rronc in a <lRrk and cold misty expanse.
::· - r.

AND (W INlilVlDl'OWER OF CONCENTRATION
.c
'"
•
• ···
L \ LIT\' l\l l'J:O\'Ef: .

Rt~g oth;>r h cncfit.q from our enumerative ex.mav be adduced. It affor<ls opportunity

<=l'(!?:u';

~-~~·
••
'l"t
.,,
•
•
~~~-'-~1£..-~J,1-_C l_:Ptrn.t111 g allcllL!UlL

rt "( 1 1 11 •·\r C tlJP
''\i Jll i 1_..

.J..

l-HL

.•

J

-.~.
:· .. --=c:=:"-===::ir:::::''"r...'-1..: . n"tur:illv
~- _ ., -:--~_,;:.-~~-.;::--~~Y:J~_U.l'-lllg- a- H
.,;

unstead Jv and wun, ·t
1,..n·
"
mind
to
act
for
a
time
coutinnousl y rn
·. Q_ lllo
...
.
a 'sPi<iific direction. This is n: small ~atter. m
cr\uc::iti on, nnr1 :t1so in tl1c pract1c::il affaus of life.
Again: the act of counting one u.y ~.u~ ,Ute<..'. ·
~, u..J c\·e
· ·1q·i·.._ ):--;~ 1 mo,·c
or le""
the lnmv10ua1css:1.n:v
• ,
_ ..... :
_
iziug i~ulty . Au o0jcd iuust Le :11yrc\11•w 11·•l
~
'="
tinct u,niq it is individuahzt;d. Per·
~~;;:-.,::~~:;;;_c : -·~Un.deed,~"thia- ~ the . best meth od possible
_ . . ;; · 'O~de~opkg.tlie ,c~ntralana leading per~ept~ve
·
,Po.wer.-.. . The .occ~i6n wou~d ~e. of s~ecial .1m.. »rtance'to a' child whose rnd1v1duahty might
weak, as is often the case. Such
a person, in passing along a village s~reet, would
have' a vague idea' of houses, and this would ·b e
all ; but if be w~ set to counting the houses,
1

, re··naturally

'
!•

•

........... ........

.......------~ -

.

88

THE CULTURE 01<' THE

OBSERVING FACULTIES.

89

P ower of concentration and of individuality improved.

e~c~ one wo?ld come, at least momentarily, into
d1stmct notice, and in some degree also .ts
.
'
' 1
concomitant
ci~cumstances. Or, supposing
you
tak~ such a child t~ a store, you might suggest
to him to _count, while you are doing an errand,
all the kmds of things he might see on . the
~ounter, shelves, or any where else, without being obtrusive beyond propriety. Then afterw~rd, let him ~ve you his account, a;d you
~ill fin~ that his store-visit has been quite an
I~structive occasion. Still farther, the subordmat~ observing faculties wo 4 ld be called into
exercise more or less in connection with individuality: Of course, as each object is enumerated and noticed, its .form, size, color, place,
etc., would be also in some degree · observed:
Thus we perceive how a simple operation which
at home is carried scarcely beyond th um'bs and
fingers except in abstract words, and which is
pursue_d at school probably never beyond tlie
numencal balls, may be made the means of
large'. various, and most profitable discipline.
It is hoped that enough has been said to
f:lbow cle_arly that simple counting is no unimport[rn t. lti> rn in intc•11r"c'tn:d disei p li n i>.

.Let it.

Businegs arithmetic.

not, then, be neglected because it is not in-

cluded, to the extent indicated, in the customary educational programme, or becaus~ there
is no precedent for it in ordinary expenence.
B USINESS ARITHMETIC.

In the young learner's first arithmetical exe:ciec, enumeration, the importance of havin~
tbUiga,t.o accompany words must be most ev1. · t t.o·ilie reader•.. But, furthermore, the same
J;iol<t.trne of other numerical operations.
The purpose ' of the ordinary arithmetical education is. to prepare the student for the business of adult life. Tbe more, therefore, that
numbers and figures directly pertain to real
substances and to actual transactions, the more
1,immediate and 11~tical will be their beti.ring
·on !ut~-exigen¥es. C~uld_ exerc!8~.:in addi..;on
•subtraction'I1 multiplication, d1v1s10n, etc.,
"' . I
directly concern ,commodities, and could th ey,
moreover, be performed right in the midst of
things, there would be a reality and an inter·
est which could not be felt at the distance of
the school, and especially in such abstract examples as generally make the lessons of the

.dl

90

"' ' O'B:!!ERVING FACULTIES:

91

THE CULTURE OF THE
Family ciphering .
Business arithmetic.

book. It is a common remark with business-·
men that they did not understand arithmetic
after all t~e time spent on it at school, till the;
had occas10n to use it in their own actual affair~. T~e reason of this is very plain. In
their busmess there are certain material substances. If these are not at the mometit within sig~t, they are before the mind's eye: the
numencal relations of these things are therefore, more distinctly apprehended. The;e is no
blur of abstraction about them. A calculation
must be made, and this with perfect accuracy :
no guesswork can be allowed here. Hence
th:re is a real and pressing demand on the
science of.numb~r: :> The interests'.the 'fee!ings,
and ~he anthmetwal operation' all tend 'together
toward one end. Something of immediate and
practical importance is to be accomplished.
No wonder, then, th at men who have quite
forgotten their school -book ru;cs :o11011ld now
invent rules of their own and as is sometimes
1
'
tne
ens0. even nuke short ' eross-cnts
t 0 accurate
and provable conclusions. Such is the testi~
mon y nf pr ~c c ikal

;..;vw, eoulu

experienc~e.

ii1 .,
~ 1, rueLi0n ·u
'· ~
1" 1-.,,
-1 ·- 1•1.cu' ,cV_ .i
v
,..,._...;ou:;
LLle

..;tore, the ·ixiecbanic's shop, or the farm, there is
no.7.d0 :ai!i>t2that: arithmetic would be understood

and' ~-ppreciated to a degree which can not
possibly be realized at the school-room, _as the
science is there more generally commurncated.
The intellect may be, to some degree, disciplined by the abstract le~so~s - ~he_re_: they are
better than nothing. This d1sciplme, however,
falls far short of what would come from the
demands of actual business;
-

-··But the

school must remain in its one assigned location. Its exercises are likely to
continue for some considerable time as before
-abstract and unreal; for it takes a long while
impr0ve te:x.t-books, and, we may add,~ .im1
, p.r~V'e~ same· of ~he teachers who supen~tend
th"eir :use..- - Now, parents, must your children
be limited to school -book examples ? M ust
they r emain wi th tl :i::i b:t zy , h alf-way knowled<Te of .arithmetic, until they also shall come
in~o the actual bns! rice's of a1l111 t 1ife, or at least
that of apprenticeship ? By no means, if you
wi11 nn1y take a l iU1c prcins yollrselvcs. Yon

.., u;

..

..;.

FAMILY CIPHERING.

92

'l'lIE ClJLTUHE OF 'l'lIE

----- - - - - --------- -- - -------- -- - have had yonr own school-days, ancl have gone
through the abstractions a;-; yom chilclrcu arc
doing now, ancl probably witl1 no rnorc profit.
l~ ut, siuc '~ tl1c 11, you have uccll putting these
<l1mly- :-1pprchcndcd ;i.bstradior1s iu concrete
:Lncl liOsit i vc usu. l>cr1 U1J;;) yvu have 1.Hjt;Jl .iu-- -- -- -~ -

-

venting rules and methods of your own. At
any rate, you can apr1ly number aml fi!!ure to
visi ble an<l palpable commodities, to all._the intents and purposes oflivcliLoocl and accumulation. Now it is just such an application which
your own children need at t11is vc:-y moment,
and whicu most probably they can not have
. .
'
except man imperfect degree, at school. Wbv.
1.
' }l l .
.
" ,
tuen , sna " tucy not baye it at bon:w, :::md.--1.Ulde~·
the instruction of those whom they natur~11v
love better than any one outside the farnil v ci;cle '? ~11 you ~ave to do is to sit down a~ong
them m the leisure evening, and nresent the
examples of your own business, j~st such as
you have worked out in your own head or on
, .
'
:-c iarc or paper, J.t your 11eed. If you Lave 1een
long in life, your memory must abound in in:
s~a~ces, or you can invent numerous examples
smular to what really occur. Depend upon it,
.

OBSERVING FACULTIES.

--------- - -- - - - ---- - --- - - - - -- - - - - -------- - - r~nnll y riplwri iq~.

arithmetic will pnt on a new aspcc:t to the learn-

au the brighter aucl all the more plco.rnnt
lJt:t:ause it shines ont from a ligl1t rctlcctec1 by
tho most beloved. aml trm;tcL1 friL n\l,; . It' you
have not 1Jcc11 e:111"L1 '1 ) .\' yonr own :iffairs to
maku much use or HU lllDCr::>, aml if y our own
;;chool abstracti ons - figure-shadows , as they
1-ihlY l.>~ callc<l - 11 :\Yc tJccn \tuitc forgottcn-t<'>M~ ,fallen even from shadows into absolute
~1 dtli'f~gnc~s, then you can beco:ne a, fcllow-~leatM1"~Witlf~io,~r children . . - W ith - this fresh
-•- sC11o~J -l~nowicdge, such as it is, th ey- can perhaps instruct you, or at lcX:;t uc the occasion
of vour learning. You can, at least, mutually
ass;st c:i.ch otilcr in
1i!:·likc
11111;ince,;
in ca1cu1ation. Your larger general experience
ti.nd maturer j nc1 grnent will, of course, take a
,,, , res~~d -lead: Hf~e is the prop~rplace for
<?.bi1dren · in~the evem ng; but then there must
be work or study,!or some sort of entertainto make home agreeable and worth stayin-g--- in, preferably to any outside allurcrncu\s.
Suppose, now, for insta~ce, you t~y, among other things, this arithmetical experiment, and see
if it does not, as tfe saying is, come to some~;;.

-irient

thing.

:

94

95

THE CULTURE OF THE
Tile power of eventuality.

Explanation.

- r· .

EXPLANATION.

By what has been said, let it not be inferred
that any objection is intended to the more ab·
stract exercises in numbers, in due process of
~n ~dvanced educat~on. This right beginning
md1cates really no hmderance to an a8cent into
the veriest sublime of mathematics Indeed
the best assurance for the profound~st attain:
r:ient~ in this science must be thoroughly distmct ideas of material objects in their numerical relations at the outset.
In conclusion, let me say that I have dwelt
to sue~ _extent on this topic, because that in
th-e · antlimetical branch of·education; as in 'almost· every other, time, .pains: and 'm:6ney"a1re
spent out of all proportion to profitable results.
,Boys and girl~, instead of going straight' bn,
step after ~tep, 1U clear light and on a palpable
·path, Jearnrng the world and its things as·they
really are, wander, or rather, perhaps, are driven, over ground without any certain footh'old
-a sort of ~host-land. They are set to peer
after and strike at flitting images, and not to
lay hold o~ substantial knowledge, which stops
and stays rn the hand.

-- ------ -

-~--

-

----- ·-- --~- - ~=-

'

.

,ACTION.

-~=-f"/.~;1; .. :.: "
• .,. ·THE POWER OF EVENTUALITY.
1

· IT is one of the earliest perceptive functions
to observe action, to see what things do, to

watch curiously for what shall be done next.
No ·matter what it is that acts or simply moves; ·
- the little eyes are intent. ·It.'may=be'-•.tbe £l1t. ~g.~a t'e&t4er .or tl;i.e fl~tter'.Cl)f·a-,le~'~ the
"<;>bject, ~·' ' living ._ one, like . ~he 'Etten, the dog,
the
horse,·or a bird ' how delig~dly the vary·
,
.
ing 'movements are followed I The com1~gs
and goings of human beings still more stnke
'attention, especially those of new forms and
faces , which may happen along.
.
·Now the observing of movement requires a
distiyXct -Operatioh of the intellect. 1: _- Fu,ss;~~~ep
andjperl'ectly still in ber· corner· iJ M c>bj.ect. of
notice altogethJr different from puss sk1?prng
across the room: and hopping into some mdulgent·lap: ·So different is the action of an indi•vidual object from the individual itsel~, ~bat
phrenologists a,ffirm there must be a d1stmct
faculty to take )cognizance of it. Indeed, they

'

/•

96

THE CULTURE OF THE

-97

Differences In the obeerving power.

think they have discovered a special organ for
the purpose in the brain. This organ, matter
and spirit together, is denominated Eventuality. Whether the theory be true or not it
.
'
gives us a more distinct idea of the intellect in
its relation both to actions in continuance and
actions completed. Now . this.· partiGular 'observing faculty is of incalculable importance in
the educational course of the young. It needs
a systematic and thorough discipline as much
as any other faculty.
DIFFERENCES IN THE OBSERVING POWER.

Parents and educators have scarcely thought
of th_e difference between qne· pe,rson- ~pd ·another as to the ability of clearly perceivi~g ac-.
~ions as they occur before the sight. . Even in
the same family, one organization will be found
~uch superior to another as to this sharp-sightedness at events. One particular child will be
strangely and habitually unobservant of incidents around. Ask him if he saw such a thing
done, and he knows nothing about it. It is as
if he had been closed round with a thick mist
or been living in a dream-world of his own. or'

~~+rlo;l5y~"'at . ail. · .His brother, m:.u-ch ·youn.
·i~.,
..: 'm·· -,.·°'J
_·;..·be, catches' at the same•.t une, every
· geit
::.p·~n~ !circumstance as with a kmd of appe- •
, itit~.h: He will look and learn at any rate. He
. --Will ~iee incidents just in the order and ~onnec·tion in which they took place, and he will nar.. ·rate' them with equal exactness. Now these
" ·• .differences will run on through life, and c~ar.
·acterfae1· the mental operations a~d . 'acqu1re'onterifi;~a:nd. 'j:>erhaps the' m~teriairf6rtune8'of th'~
two relatives. The origma11y strong powe1
·will ·become stronger through ever-new occa,sions, which it instinctively seizes on just f~r
··its :own gratification. It will grow because it
can not help growing. On t.he othe'. hand, the
.defective perception will still _contmu~ "\V~ak
·and inadequate i that is, unless .it be .1~Y~~~ped _
by ~j>ecial trai~ing, or
peculia~·~cni~~F~tan·
·ces business
necessity.
.
The .eventual~ty of the majority of pe?ple,
though of normal and average strength, is so
·lftterlJ neglected in specific education as but
very., ~imperfectly to perfor~ it~ o~ce', " 'J.1he
are
world is full of action. 'l'hmgs mammate
L. .
·in movement and produce effects.
lvmgcrea-

or

Jr

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b!

G

98

THE CULTURE OF THE

t~res, :Vhile awake, are almost always in mot10n, either with or without some definite purpose. So thick, so various are activities of one
• sort and another around the human being, that
he can not possibly notice all of them. He observes only a part, and such as attendant circumstances muy bring to sight. Even these
he may not observe. distinctly and accurately,
because there seems no special need of it. He
notices, if he notices at all, simply because he
happens to look. As a gen eral matter, there is
n~ directness of attention caused by any previous special discipline. There is, moreover,
no sense of moral obligation to . endeavor to
know exactly what takSls. place •a& .he,1Q.oks.
Of course; if there _is no call for p~rticularity, ~hy should. the child or the.youth be particu1~r? He will have no more reason for it than
would have in counting the trees in the
0~9hard, or the stones in the wall, till he shall
b~ put upon the exercise, as in the case of the
arithmetical discipline which has been already
advised.
·
·

h?

99

OBSERVING FACULTIES.

Differences of the obf:!erving power.

ConBequencea of neglected culture.

.,.
OONSEQUl!lNCES OF' NEGLECTED CUL'rUHE.

, _Thus it is 'that a faculty of incalculable prac· tioal imP<>rtance has failed in ~ts office; and,
like all neglects and failures, .this. has been follo'\\cd by more or less of :ctnbut_1o:p. T o consider all the evils resulting from maccurate ob: ation of facts, and careless statemen~s about
. . Id' be to take in alLthe ~?_I'ld an9; all
.
~dam's falt<·":Words ' and :figur~s
'tf'ithe amount. ' -A few instances will
' ~give us s0me· faint idea of the abounding evil.
A careless young observer, giving ~n account
of any disorder in a school-room, w1l~ make a
sta.t-0ment quite different from what might h ~ve
...eome.from another witness with .a.. clea:~seemg
~·-' './}
,,.,.·. '. N\n.seJuence sonie. pQ9r , ur~~1,R ~ay
v:v. ;._'t
'
""·~i .• 1 ·,!1·· ·1
~
n3u8t p~nishmen~'. · 'f~~! Sa.me. 9~i( ess
~at- the p:ffense,-coming" to be a man, or
~-~'Ven bef()N lie arrives at this age, m~y b~ called
1o the Witness-s~and in a court of JUstwe, and
. ii.y~u~iritentionally testify so wide of the truth
as ·i0 what his ~yes seemed to b:1hold, .that a
fellow-man niay ~nnocently be subjected to fine,
imprisonment, 0 even death on the gallows.

aescn

1

100

OBSERV:ING FACULTIES.

101

THE CULTURE OF THE
CoMequcnces of neglected culture.

_ _ _ __ _
uo_n_aeq_uences of neglected cu._
lt_
u r_•·_ _ _ __

Again: the mistake might originate from the

Now consider all the millions of cases which
~n all _the wo~ld,_have been brought before mag~
istrac1~s and Juries, and there decided according
to testimony, and we can have some idea of the
thousan_ds of unjust decisions-unjust because
o~ the imperfect perceptions of really honest
witnesses.
Take human society as it exists every ~here
around l~~- Suppose any city, town, village,
or e:en ittle neighborhood: what misapprehens10ns and misstatement of facts are continually occurring! Now and then some base scandal starts u_r, ~nd comes to an enormous growth.
In the. m::i:Jon.ty ?f such cases the story is not
a~ entire fabncat10n : There ·has :becn ~8ome--1n­
~1clen~ as a groundwork. But the eyes of the
ti rs~ ooserver and reporter of that incident were
so madeqnate to their office that he g;wc only
a part of the truth, or aclcled a trifle to it. Thus
the
error
snr~nu
+ cx;qtcnC''"~ +'·
.
r· _ first
.
• ~ t-i ;,
,. '"1" 0 -....
uDCTI, TI:1RS111g.1rOm lip to lip, ii grew at length into a ~Tl'aL
fi,ct10n,_having but little of the original v~ritv
a tJont i~ .
rni,,.1
.
•:\ ~!
, . _ 11
,_ , 1;q
"
- , _•,.:, i 1t iiu1ppen
t r1 rnnrrh n
mere intellectual defect, without the least i~ten­
t ion of (tcp~ u· tnr·: f!·,)nl t1.1 e cxnct trutl.L
i ,__ '

·

1
- -

1

•

aame incapacity in some one of the hearers of

an• affair. It must be understood that those
~us who would naturally see a transaction
but imperfectly, would also, from the_ san:e
weakness of facu1ty, get imperfect notions 111
hearing an account of a transaction, even if
\bnt should be thoroughly correct. In the first
' -''.plAOOj~they receive but a dim idea of an occur'' rence: JlB'dt::cornes to the ear; then they but
:faintly:-l:emember; it. , In a procedure embracing a series of incidents, some one item or more
may fall out of memory altogether. Conseucntlu their statement of t11C case will make
Q-

~;:::.~
·~

quite Ja l <liiiercnt matter. 'J'hns, however exactly truthful a first o1iscrver and narr::i.tor rn'."y
lx, hearers will inadv ertentl y receive only dnn
and 4iltogcther in~dequate ideas of an affair.
In tbis way, a chance auditor of some truthful

~"--~----- );ia,~tion· m~y start a most egregious error on
i.rrcnressible course th1«)11gh the li1>s :i.nd
~;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;.,,--;;;;---~+·'a -eornmunity. \VJ 1ile t11cre i:" bu1 one
'.{!~ ilnl' ,
...
: .
. 1
hf' 1 th
ori'!inal
witness, and he entue y trut u; ere
\Jc: at kn gllt ,a liu11l1rcLl liL':J.rers of his account, many of whom will unintentionally re;-

)h,

m:i.y

102

'.l'HE CULTURE OF THE
.

Consequences of neglected

OBSERVING FACULTIES.
culture.

103

-

peat It with more or
facts as they come to t;s~ variation from the
that falsincations so nu e1r ears. No wonder
versally prevail wh
merously and so uni, en we consid th.
pl e, ~nth ought-of
intelle
er . is one simSt11l, all the e ·1· . . ctua1, de:fic1ency
v1 is not t b .
.
s~urce. There are ver o e llnp'uted to this .
y often moral perve· .
ties through wh· h
IC suchm·
k
.
rs1and made far more
:sta es are magnilied
~cteristic love for g op~rat1ve for evil. A.. char~
Imaginative abTt oss1~, together with pecur
I r :y, will en1
iar
~onderful magnitude a
. arge_ a trifle into
nous forms. B t h' n.d diversify it with
.
h ..
u ' w at is m h
cu- .
. ~c worse, an unc ~ritable, censorious dis
ate and blacken littl . positron .will exaggero
.
e mnocent a:ffi . .
. us sms or even enor
. .
azrs mto,hein1t, with ·a big imagin~~us c~1mes. A.. bad spirout of almost nothin
n, will ~r~ate monsters .
burnings, broken frie~dsh~hus it is that heart- ·.
assaults and cruel m d ips, and even bloody
· h ·•
ur ers ha
wit out number. Ver
ve come to pass
been and now is go th y few, as society has
'
rough life . h
PersonaI experience of th
w1t out some
e sort.

What a new discipline would do.

.. ,.
~

JOST.A.KEN SUBMISSION TO THE EVIL.

Such carelessness has there always been in
observation and statement, so uncommon is per·
feet accuracy, tha~ errors are taken as a mat·
ter of course, and as what can not be helped.
W hile an individual is under personal grie:vauoe, be will complain of careless eyes .and
'. $rotl:i:le$1 ~b, but otherwise there is a singuJu_ ~e~n~e ~ the _evil. ·." People do not expeet "the trutli. Yrhey are inured to falsehood,
and.let it go. No idea of improvement in the
way of education bus occurred probably to one
in a thousand. Any moral obliquity, it is expected, may possibly be corrected by Christian
.·· , .. , . in.tluenoos, but any. thing farther is hardly con;~~1'r, ::•.aide~ :with~n the range of reform_. Things are
1~: ,,. M"thet._h~ve ):>eenl and so '.m ust' they contiiiue .
l
to be, unles8 supernatural influences shall arrest
their- oourSe and z4ke a change.
' ~ - ~ -

i

.', - ~T A NEW DISCIPLINE WOULD DO.

It is rational to suppose that much improvement may be acbi~ved by simply understanding the mental orf anism, an<l conforming the
I

104

THE CULTURE OF THE
OBSERVING FACULTIES. ·

105

What a new dlacipl!ne would do.

eal'ly discipline to its cond·t·
· a
great advanta ·
. i 10ns· Th ere IS
dep d
ge In good Intellectual habits i .
en ent of moral convicti
.
' n
if these latter influeu
ons and prmciples,
had. Let a child b tee~ on conduct cau not be
. .
e rained as a
.
c1phne, to see and d
"b ' , . matter of d1sescn e thrn
they are and th· h b"
gs exactly as
.
'
IS a it of accur
·11
tmue in after line J·u t
acy WI. con.
' s as any oth b b"
continue, entirely separate from th:rth a ithmafy
moral oblirration
A
oug t o
0
•
person may b d
to extraordinary f: .1. ,~ .
.
e e ucated
ac1 itJ lll anth
.
lations · no m 1
met1cal calcu.
ora e1ement t
culiar ability Just
.
en ers into this pe.
so It may b
·h
ception of events. Could 11 e wit . ~he pert~e .families of a
neighborhood be trained
fancy upward, to see thin m t ~I.Z: earli~st foare, ,and to describe themg~uprecISely as they,,.:
seen; and could the sam ~ ~t ~ they were ·
into schools, and the u ~I d~ciph?e be carried
exact in b
. P P s e tramed to be as
· .
o servat10n and d
are trained to be
.
escnpt1on as they ·
.
exact In performin
.h
ical problems th
g ant met.
' ere would be
Improvement in conversatio
an unexampled
and in neighborly el t.
nal trustworthiness
r a wns. There won Id be
as there is ; 11 )ti
.. • < 1cr t1' Jn as
.
, '"'''a so
i t u f ,_.,nulative'

fr:

How the discipline may begin.

desire for accuracy, and perfect truthfulness tci ·
fact. , A failure as to the precise fact would
lower the intellectual standing and reputation.
A faulty observer and teller of incidents would
be considered as poorly educated, like a blundering reader or a bad speller. Could such a
discipline be carried into every family and every school of the country, there would be a nationo.treform. A whole people would be edu- ·
~ fjc) se,e events accurately, as they:might be
edu.oa~to..survey !correctly and minutely the
geographical features of their native town, as
was recommended in the suggestions about
place. They would be capacitated not only to
observe actions in their progress, but to appre't,'·(i' '., hend the causes apd the results of action to a
. ; degree _bey:ond alil former precedent. Could
_,;: h i mq~ ~.religiot{s motives be bro;ught to bear
on this point of c.ulture as they ought, what won- ·
ders .oi improverdent might be accomplished!
· But,:theoall~mportant aid of the conscience and
. t!ie;be8irt will be hereafter ·considered.
HOW THE :QISCIPLlNE MAY BEGIN .

'

.

As soon :is a child is able to tel1 bis expe-

. <

106

~'HE CULTURE OF THE
How the dh!cipllne may begin.

riences, it may be easily .perceived what native
strength and precision. of eventuality he may
possess. Then accordmg to his lack must be
the particularity and assiduousness of his educators.
Now the question comes, Where and how
shall the necessary training be commenced?
There need be no search after lessons; for-to
use several of the appropriate terms - motion
action, incidents, events, and facts are close b/
and every where around. The first thing tha~
ha?p~ns may be an exercise of discipline, if the
child is old enough to notice and give some account of it. Still, t?ere must be advantage in
systezp ; and, for this reason, one subject i will
be preferable to another.
.,, ~-~-\i
. Cer_tain transactions are better suited to begm with than others, which might be good for
a farther stage of progress. One of the acknow1edged rules of education is to commence
with what is best kn?wn or can be most easily
known, and thence proceed to things more dif:ficult. The chief requisites are distinctness of
perception and correctness in recital. It is import:mt tli:.tt the se veral part:; uf a proeeccli11g

OBSERVING FACULTIES:

107

Household lessons.

should"be noticed according to their precise
.
. Those operations are excellent for
auocession.
.
attention and questioning, at the outset, ~n
.w.b',.h'
1.... first one thing is done, then another, m
necessary order.
HOUSEHOLD LESSONS,

- . The industrial concerns of a household are
, WDetoUJ and diverse: let them, by turns, ~e­
. .~ . · · !Manns foL observation. No l,>etter m-

«>m,o ~ · ·•
· h th
'$i,nces,0Ali
be.pi;esented 'fo ·children t an e

· · goin~-on::;&round therri in or~ina~y work.
They are interested in what theu fr_ien'.18 ~o.
The smiling a.spec~ and kind ton.es ofi~vitati~n
'.•,dl l· w ill be all that is wanted to enhst their
.
f special
.~i .: .ittention to any movement, or se:1es o move' ,'·..
+a performed by their domestic friends .
' - men...,,
.
r
·I. • ~- 13u.t1et u8 il1U$trate.
Take, for. example, the
-ee."-LU
~'-g ofthe;
t.abl~
for
dinner.
· There is, first,
.
,
. the .drawing-out q the table to. the ~roper po, Sition; second, thei lifting and fastemng of the
leaves. then the spreading of the cloth, and so
on, on; performarn;:e after another, .till the meal .
. rea dy , and the family
are at kmfe
is
,
. .and
. fork.
Now let the cbild,'us a matter of d1sc1p1me, ex-

108

'rHE CULTURE OF THE

OBSERVING FACULTIES.

Household lessons.

lessons.
Manufactu rl ng & nd •nmcultural
.,, ••

actly describe every process of the table-setting in its exact order. Let there be no mistake in the sequences, as perfect accuracy in
this particular respect is one of the benefits of
the lesson. The same use may be made of
other household duties in which there is a methodical routine. Of course, children, whether
desired or not, usually notice such proceedings.
These are among the occasions of that unconscious and gradual development of intellect
which will go on without care or thought on
the part of the little lookers or their friends.
, But, according to their native power of eventuality, they ·may either. notice ~acll. particular
of a transaction in ·i ts1due. erder; or iliave' but
imperfect perceptions and confused ideas. ' The
important point aimed at is accuracy in seeing
and telling, as a settled characteristic; an ability which shall prevent no small harm, and dd
great good, in that future which depends so
much on early-formed habits. rrake mental
constitutions as the average, and this perfect
exactness of sight and :;pccch can not lJc Lael
WiLl.iuUL 8UU1t :SJ.lecial uis0ipliue. 'fhe practical
nav: Ll1U1gr:.: \\·a~Tan t aJl the pailJS wliiclt Ctl.U
pos~ih~\·

fil'

, .. •. I ,.
-'i",i. "

~~UF.A.CTURJNG

109

LESSONS.

k. ds of orderly work
. Bes.d ithe vanous m
b
.
l es
1 divisions of skilled la or,
at home, the sev~ra
cu ations of people,
the distinct and hfe-long oc p .ses in this sort
will afford most valuable exerc1
!. •

•

of observation.
. le mechanical
.
tnlre those more s1mp
·1
, First,
in every country v1 .
-..:i. w.hioh are common
.
. d
b
.,~~~ :..1 ·-;ud.:are .mairily came on Y
·.~e,. <?r
. i:
there is an order, . It.o'Wllt·
,, ~· one of tuese
"'liand~· m ·
h. 1·8 done then an.·
drire. ·first one t mg
k
'
.lJ<:;proce
.
h a course of wor .
-'Other, and so on t~ro~g uate aae watch the
Now let a child o ade~ an :'tact account.
d afterwar give
,<
•
processe~, an
him visit mills and factories,
Iu due time, have .
lex operations, notheir more comp
d
an d trace
ted forces pro uce
ticipg how the se~~ral connec •.
. . .

-...u1ts. ··

.i..

"'"""

,..._ .

•'
'

r·

.• .I

·,

~

AGRICULTURAT. r;EssoNs.
.
.
l ,·,·ts to tho farm must. oert:unly
- Educatwna ' 1:-il
· • .
. b::i.bly more
. . 1 It s ·11h1rs a re p10
not be om1 tte< .
' ' .
\ . ' r '\ff\ ' other
1 1i \'crsc than L10sc 0 ' ..
numerous am \
·
t
:From tlic
sq 1:i.rat <) l >rodnotivc 0 mploymen ·

~:· i\'v!: to t~i c sr1Li 1·ct.

-.

110

THE CULTURE OF THE
· OBSERVING FACULTIES.

111

Benefit..
What a father might do.

first touch of culture in the spring till, all the
harv~sts are gathered i~, there is orderly progress1:e work. Then, Ill the winter, there is
the kindly care of animals in several daily
processes. . There are, besides, useful but less
regular domgs which come in between the rest.
Now all these matters, judiciously-presented
:vouid be exceedingly interesting and instruct~
~~e to the fresh. perc~ptions of the young.
~hey sb?uld begm their agricultural observat10~s with the earliest movements in the
Aprmg. .Let t~em notice every distinct kind
of labor m all its items and these . th .
'
m
e1r orderly and precise succession. Then an account
shou1~ be re~uir~d as perfectly' exact JlS. any
prescribed rec1tat10n at school.
".~,::.·:,-

make up for, this positive knowledge caught

•1.

BENEFITS.

All. in.dustrfal occupations might afford lessons s1m1Jar to those indicated above. It is not
~ecessary to particularize any farther. Now
it .can not be doubted that this peculiar disciplme would be of no inestimable advantaa-e to
the you:g as candidates for life's activitie: and
uses. No descriptive books could equaJ, or

by the naked eye.
One special and important benefit would be
. tbe obtaining of some considerable insight into
the various trades and pursuits of men. The
pupil would also learn something not only
about methods of procedure, but about the materials and implements used. What is, moreover; of much consequence, he would obtain
.tha.t · la!awledge of .different kinds of business
which.· is really ·necessary to devekp his own
taste. and 'to form his judgment in respect to
the ~hoice of an employment for himself. Still
farther, he would eventually come to that understanding of the various avocations of men
I
,.
.
.
- wh.ich is .quite f ecessary to iorm . a Just ~st1mate of their r~pective and peculiar services.
Indeed, such a ~nowledge w_o uld lead to that
charity ·ii.nd kindliness which is so much needed but is so often withheld.

'

'

WHAT A FATIIER MIGHT DO.

It may be averred that, in this intelligent
part of the country, most people have some
general ideas of the different departments of

I

112

1'ffE CULTURE OF THE
Nntuoo'e works and ways.

· ··

industry. But why not possess--a- m-or-e-th,--_o-rough and systematic knowledge, when it can
be so easily gained? During the years usual·IY. devoted to education, there might be ob~med a quite extensive and comparatively intim~te acquaintance with the various pursuits
~f life, and this without much that would seem
l~ke a task. Nothing would be necessary but
simply to take or make occasions. A father
could scarcely better employ a little respite
from business than to take his children as a
p~easant pastime, to places of various i~dus- .
tnal activity. A small portion of the time
now spe?; in school on studies unadapted to
th~ pupils age, but faintly · understood and
quickly forgotten, would suffice for the purpose.
NATURE'S WORKS AND WAYS.

Man's art and industry should not engage
the whole attention. In the mean time let
children, from the earliest ability, observe 'the
movements and processes of nature. If t4ey
are capltle of ad miring human inventions and
their e~cts, they can be led to admire and

•

l I+

'!'Ill•: Cl i L 'ITHE <JJi' TllE
Nature's works nnd

wR.y11 ,

eue<l au<l useless. 1l 1he infinite Designer and
Maker JJot did so intend . The infant 1iussessu r l>cgins carJy allll aright to use them, liis
innate instincts, almost as soon as he fairlv e-ets
1is eyt·s open, promrt him to look am1 Jc;rn.
How intently he gazes on the flickering .Bame
or the waving tree! He is pleased with any
sort of gentle motion. But these instincts
should grow into earnest desires to look farther
and farther, and to learn still more and rnore.
All that is needed with most is easily. given
direction and sympathy. At first the child
simply observes movement, and has no thought
bey?ild the impression on his sight. · But this
observation is the initiative step · toward the
whole philosophy of causes, effects, and uses.
This one perceptive power, eventuality, holds
the key, as it were, to all natural science. Th~s
science, in large degree, consists in understanding how the masses and elements of ·matter
and the organic forms of it, act on each other,'
and ahat are the ends designed. Of course,
the a~ion must first be known before it can be
discerned whence it comes, or to what it tends.
What rounds, and ranges, and mazes of move1

Besides those processes which take place in
rcgnhr routine, and which m ay be w•reatenly
observed by the learner, and, as it were, got by
heart, there are other occurrences which are
-!- Jo~"HB and·unex.p.e~ted. Nothing bef?re has
n:,1:
. -;. . ' • ,
.
. ,.
.'Jt: ';11een i)~ctly ~e, the and n~t):nng w1H follow
'«i\ e~jfSimilar<in: the ollocat1on ·of all the sev. it,:,· , :enu,objecta•nndicircui:µstances. Events of this
. sotf transpiring e~ry moment. Mankind,
.. ex,:ercising their own wills, are continually do' ing ithis and that, accprding to contingencies.
It is such transactionsi not distinctly observed,
1wd affording no secdnd opportunity for bet-

are

116
TIIE CGLTlJRE OF THE
- - - - - - - - - - - - -- -- ·---- -

OBBERV l l~G

.FACULTIES.

117

C rtr.nn.! r";'"r n t ."'.

ter sight, which occasion those misstatements
whence cou1e irmu rnernbl e difficnltics and heart- .
Lurniug.; iu .,;01.:ieLy. l \ irfouL auuuracy iu ou~ervi ng and representi!1g these is of sarp::cssing
i iH1H· ,;-Hu 1·:~. ~ L~L.:. ~ t:.•L L'~~.:..: 0· ~.:: ~~~ l· ~~ ;..u i.~c~
should as early as possible be formed. To this
end, no discipline can hardly be too persistent
and thorough.
Those unimportant incidents, ever new and
various, which are continually happening within and around the home, present the most convenient lessons to the little observer. Of course
it is not necessary that he shall get through ·an'
the methodical processes before alluded to, even
those within the house, before he mav .be ,put
upon these. Let it be an emphatic· requir~­
ment that, in his account, he shall omit no cirumstance, nor put one out of its exact order,
p.ny more than h e did in the case of the table1
•
pettmg, or .any other fixed and regular proceeding. Thus a habit will be formed of distinct
and consecutive observation. Besides, in this
way, the young mind will be aided in acq uiring that ability of concentrated attention which
,i s so important to success in either study or.
business.

f

If those casual occurrences which are in
ihl'n1sc lvcs o f no "prcial irnpo r Urnc(~ "11 :111 be
accurately uuLiceJ, Llivo>e t 1a11sactiu11B \Y L.icL
make their mark on :-i, chy or a week, or on thP.
Li1nea, VYill, of t;ou:::~c, :.:.: :...:c :.-!.!'~ L~-: l--;: ·1 1 1 i ~- -~ 1 · ~,:-'<l'.
~.no minute attention. There are those prbeeedings which may be not only a discipline, b u L
a rich instruction. Among these are public
movements and spectacles. Some of them grow
out of prevalent tastes and customs', such as
funeral and civic processions, ordinary military
parades, and anniversary occasions. Others
make a part of the history of the times, such
as the marching of troops and the sailing of
war-vessels, as in the present great national crisis. Hithe~to no spe~ific and circumstantial attention to such, events has generally been required as a pa~ of educ_atio~; ?ut thr~· ~fford
lessons of far weater value, if nghtly cond~ct- .
·ed
than are found in the naked, crumb-like
.
I
facts •ofsome historical text-books, which weari·ly occupy much time in seminaries of learning.
INFLUENCE UPON LITERATURE.

It is by no ~eans intended to disparage the

118

THE CULTURE OF THE

OBSERVING FACULTIES.

Influence upon litel'aturc.

Influence upon llterature.

study of well-written history. Indee<l, intent
a~d thor?ugh observation, study of passing affairs, which has been recommended, will be a
valuabl~ preparative for the study of histor.y in
the school, or fo r the profitable perusal of it at
any ~ubsequent time. It will be a useful quali·
ficat10n for any sort of reading in which facts
a re comprised. A person who, from constitutional defect, takes but a sligh t or confused
notice of present occurrences, will have but a
slight remembrance of them. He will have a
muc:h more imperfect iJca and rc rncmbr;i,nce of
transactions which a re presented only through
lang uage. The action-noting faculty, which bas
teen well disciplined by wh at trans.pire!'l immc.,tc1"
.• . ''l l 1e1norcrea1y1mrrcsse<1
a ·i .
<ll·..
. .._v 10 t •f')i·e
. • .
t,,w1,
~y mu·c \•erlxi.l cornrnunications.
(j:CCii r:rnr

1
'"'

~i n t !-n1s 1n~-

i

---#-:-

. !:___

A narrated

11 u r1_-~ c \ ·: lrl \:" eo 11 cci vcd

of : it wil l not ::;rrm ('\io::t.ant acd di; n, 11 11t., a.<: it
Were, present and dist.inct., tD t his pnrtiPn } ~rob­
:--:CT\'1 !1 .~· f Jn \ \"( ' J'.
1'l1<: 1 nrn1o r,_r ~ n~c·_.:._·coYcr; \Vill
be proportionally rete ntive; ·for Afl l1.h i r!t-t-11 ~ct1t;tl L11 ·11 ]1y ·i;; su11;-i o.~1· \l t() l1ave a n1e~nnr_v of ju.;
own, so that the eventualit.Y which is k een to
p er(:C'i\-f'. 1~ :t; ~1J ~1.ron .£I 1n rPtain .

....,.....

-

119

This exactness in .the know ledge and presentation of events, as a matter of culture and
general habit, must necessarily have a most
salutary effect upon the literature of the people, both that which they themselves make ~nd
that which is made for them. If conversat10n
become more true to fact, epistolary communications will share the improvement. Gossip
by the pen will be reformed. as well as gossip
by the tongue. But, beyond this, historical
composi tion" will be chamcteri /\ed by m ore
thorough and satisfactory rcseareh . A pu1i1ic
opinion wl1ich hft.s been trained up to tl 1e mark
of absolnte trnt.h must prPss 111"111 tlic r0spon";1,:
1itv
of writc·rs ' sn 1li:1t li i,;tun·.
in futur,-,
' _,_, +,
·'
•.
s h:i.11 not h :-i.n• t'-' lH~ n• \1·riii<' 11 , [1J11l t l1c c l 1:irac:·
ters of men rej l,l<lg cJ, as lien.: to fore , for the sake
of rio-h
t anc1 J· nslicc .
D
.
f\r;r:i.in: with t bi :: bettrr en1tn rc as to act1nn,
fiet.it·i~ns prorluctions, w hich now make so large
11 n:.irt of1.11e cnn1nvH1 1·1':~1111 1 ~ ; '\\·i'.l bt' :t1 t1 >.'.. '.i' 1l1er.;. n1ore. falt.hCn1 t o n ature . No smgJl p~i1·i.!u11
' '
.
·1
1)f' t.hC'. l10Vl']_...;
;111d t.'.~J\\'l_' l:L] i _y (1 l till: ,JU\f t' l 1l.t '
1

tales of the day, are poor represeniatiuus of
l1urnan lil ;._ ' l'lil·ir author:-: se(·rn to 11'.LV\' 1 >( ' <'11

120

THE CU LTURE OF THE
OBSERVING FACULTIES.

121

Newspaper r eform.
~ e w s paper

living, from childhood up, in an imaginary
world. They have not studied, as they should,
nature and man in those multitudinous activities by which traits and qualities are truly
made known. Now this special culture ~f
eventuality will supply fancy and invention
with those truthful materials which have hitherto been so much wanting. Thus the creations of genius will become verisimilitudes of
what has been actually experienced, or what
at least is possible to man in view of the known
principles of his being and his surrounding
conditions.
Coming generations will have this true literature. When the whole pepple shaJJ bt:l. train.
ed to an exact observation of the real and
moving world, then the few who shall write
for ·the people will not fail of that best discipline and knowledge which comes through the
primitive and s urest use of the eyes.
_:\J::\':SJ'..\J'El{ H EFVH.\ I.

Ouo vf' tL e most important benetit.3 to cvme
from e ventualitv, ~ s it shonla be, is t l 1 1 ~ imJ•ro\·l ·1 1H·nt. in n1 ·w:-:p:1!."'l' 1it1 ·r:t1.ur1-. Even•

reform.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~-

body i~ our country, who can i:eacl at all, reads
the newspaper. It exerts a wide~· and deeper
influence than any other emanation from the-press. . It does unmeasu:ed good, but also
much evil. A new appetite has been engendered or rather a constitutional one intensified
tenfol,d. It is a rabid hunger for something
new; _and, besides this, for something as much
~ p.ossible exciting. The new~paper :would
not be a newspaper unless it furrnshed .th1s new
thing. Hence a coin petition be.tween Journals.
That goes off best which con tams t~e k eenest
stimulative for the moment. The slightest rumor is caught up, and made the most of to-day;
but it may be utterly contradict~d to:morrow.
N 0 matter; it serves its end; it satisfies the
craving. Thus, if, no other h~rm is done,
thought is prevented from scttl m ~ down 011
serious ' and reall y important subjects. 'lhe
popular rnirnl is unset tll'd, :tn1l i:; kept llll<;C't tled and uni:;t.ablc. 'l'Le re i::; l'l'J'ec 1ally a baJ
- '
.I ) ·•\<;
" l \ l l\' ll j l '
cflect
upo n t j 1c } "un g, ">t(,
· •lt<'\"
' · • '"'
ought to lie uet\.ing their fac ulue::; lll1..• r0 :u1 d
lll orc, and C<~tli nu:tlly. into :t condition of
1

S!i'<'ne!tl i :tnd l'OllS\•li d:-i tion.

V1•r tl1orm1gl1-<.>·<i·

122

THE CULTURE OF THE

123

OBSERVING FACULTIES.

Newspaper reform.
Pal'tllli.n calumnies checked.

ing, substantialreading th
.
.
as f( d
' ere Is not time . and
or eeper science and h ·1
'
scarcely thoue-ht of ft 1 p ~ osophy, they are
....,.
.
.~·
· a. er ,cavrnu t ) 1c ~c ' 1
J.\0\" SU

·,

1 l
1
ou,u
t1.rnre
be n

,

.

,_,

LIOU

'·

t .

·

·1

1

n

of ::.cc iu:t r:v
•«.,Le ivr n. V

. ,

'"

rn 0 ,.

, ;

•

•

--- ...

,-:::,'' .

i!l con.~(·( n 1t_·nc0

;

e~1 :ir~1,~ 1' J! f' f"\
•. .

- l

. "

..,

1,'_

11

,

~-

,.,

..._

•

'''' " ' J .

./\_ -- "'-' \. . :. . ~:i:.-1 ... un P. t.;;·1v o -

----

-.-

......·--~·-·

o~

0

. ,

.

"' <.

1r1-i • _

1

('

':•

"

l.t

<> .u.,.
1 _ ·l .
:·mcu
trnnrrs

o-

l,lUJt 1vdl s:i.y "
.

, _._.._

'-'•

'

.,

-- "

(CLn ~ :\' ('XJ1cr1t ' 1l(' ' ~

nrc,qt·n1· h

._,

; ·...

l

_

~

as

·\

c

..

(·.orne tn an r•r i d .
T hese arc the worst conGornit:-mt:-i of our c1cr:t -

.. -;%-'=:~"i07i":'::c•O ~. ci va·:goverament.

_

-·- ·~-~--

..

Li , W:;

But, above all, tb.: bitter calumnies 0[ po1itpartisanship must receive a wholesome

c1H:e\-, if they d• ) not

•

lL

curio~ i ty

tC'~l1

gm:;hcd J· /,.'.
··
~." " ec.. "' . d1st111 .'
~ ,fc_. s
·:wy \\ lll nul. be oll;"irlcd h
sornc ndse rmnor nbo•it l , . . . .
~·
. '"Y
.\t l, .L.~ ;~; fl()\\r C.::
.
t.1mcs t:t (' cn,r · T) 11 1. 1. . l , . · · ··· · · · orne.
l1·c·in•" en
· ct' i o encl f'
ii
'
· • '" '· -• : i.1s •ca
··
,;, te 1 ~nd . 'L 'ilousands o r t h1 er
~-'
:
-- i ( >
l'f\l I- - :;
"11
-- .... nos, lhtcny unwar' .Lee., w1,, not h·
lwc:~tL , , '
·- ., ..... J(ii ll"O rcro1"t'
l

f/)

l'ARTJSAN C.\.LU\tNrns CHECKED .
·-- -- - -

.l-1.\Vn,y

'l'h
.
. •
will compete ·~itl " 1' · "' ·
~- .• us Journals
,
• ,
"
.1 eac.i other 0Jr • .. •t
2t u o tru t.b
l
• 1,•
,
· • cx.1c. ness to
:
. ., _ • _"""-l ,!l~L"l; :e !~!!n ·s cJ11. ;_ t'~!'''"0.,... ~;".
.a. snte1.v n ot- T··., .f-1_
•
· L--~.,_, .._
~ 111 ilU\.'"o
. . LJ,"llllf! O · t!1 '°' '"

.

.

cat~hpenny

f.-tbricat1ons, or even tl1e more
ln noccnt scintillations of :~;cniu;; .

ftuy

somcthin rr n• •·t

tbe pn blic tn.ste • ~1'1'] I ,r, ~·. wec1': utterly false,
\VJtn t]u rn ~

c rn, nu1y be 'luiLt as fttir~tc.t i v·(;
1

.~

' -.. . . ., news ~

.... l1f< fiJ'tn1 ·· t-; 1 •

_._

h.. rrwnrl ,-," ;).

1 '~'
1

,

c c. • .:.U<.;u f eUUP.1"8 tJ1p

.

p.'.lµer Jl.An1 ?.hrrn~ ~,-,,_ , ,1 . ~
_
, _
- .. ' "Lt.:Juuy ur
•11.t'-'e a <'"ro1·n11 (>f' . , , · 1·
~)

h

O~scrvat10n :m.:i
j"
' , .. ... u
·"-~ , ·:ii ":o n, \\·c:_11tl 1
r 1o 1·- ri1·t _ f'

ague

, l.
--· . e ..,~ n-,...e. cn~C
- .

_

h.'.tr JJ t

·1

•• .t

.

' _,_,.:In this advanced age, when steam and tel~
graph bring 'news from all quarters of the
WQr19i sufficient for evrry <l:i.y's cntr:rt:i.inment,
falsehood will not be needed. Indeed, there
wi ll hanlly 1ic ] ( ·i~urc to g1:rncc along tlw
abundance of authenticated facts; and many
of lliese, in th is new a1Hl w•imler - pr•,.1 ucing

earlieRt to ., 1 ~ ,
' n_ eauc::itwn from the
-- '" 0.enr perccpt1011 of , ., . - . . .
d•.:nfs
,1
t
,
1
Jl,ts ... 111g rnc111
. ' " ·--· .o .t t11orouulilv
·nccurat . .
0
v
e l:itate1uent
of them the
- .1
tip' i· no
t " '"•11e
.r
wit
·' ..... . young· would come
· ·
Y\.: , ;

.

at

'
' Y tnh l!ut brc::ith of' tJ,_.., 1· +'
ne=
a n,·'l e-xc!t~
· · nQ'.
'"- ~ re ,or
~~
, +bo
v

- ---,:--- ---

'

Thcso are the abominations
These too often t.hrust our
best men prematurely into rctircrncnt, or prC'·vcnt them from corning ont of i1. at all. ;\'1
thi ngs are now, c11:1r:c<'tcr i,; 1
in,_.political warfare. f'o11l11 t'!'' I'"''p1c or· tili'<
com1try be trained tc> be faithful to faet, a salu tary influence rnnst he exi:rtcll in L11is direction.
A change for tbc better woulJ be wrought,

of the

eountry~

124

THE CULTURE 0 1'' THE

OBSERVING FACULTIES.
Partisan calumnies check ed.

Present state of our nation .

..
---~-,

..

. PRESENT STATE OF OUR NATION .

B ut such n 01tntc of things h ns not yet l1ec:n .
and · m::my tear tb: it w: ll DO ~ c:s:::3t p c1:.,J.p.;
for ag-es. Onr nat~o:l ~ rrt tb~s n; tJ:nent, l:e: :iy-c·~
:tnd tosses 11kC' 0 c c ~ :i in th e ::::.Jrrn; ye-:~, ~s '1Y::'.1
the more terrihle f'H r th11 1rnkP, opPnin()" nPw
ehas1ns t10\Vll \\"~trd. sliuotl11 .~· 11c's Y·>\::~11 ( \c·~

1111 -

ward, even shM.hing tl1'3 11Ctti u11s tl1at are ah 1
off, and perplexing monan:lis on their thrones.
And all tliis b:1s come f•\1m tl1c lies of :-;c-1ilo11.
wid::cl1 llll'll . 0 1ll CU~(Olll 1 1i 1( · ;on• ci'.' l' :tS<', or
power, of \Yf':tltl1. ;\rl!l ]11:-;1;1T . um\11 l\(1j ]l'\' .~; l.J'.y ha\. ~ 11rl·vailcd, L: Ld 1L iLt1L L{T11 !(1r t.his
ll ia'oolical ' ·ri·!'11 µ·1 · t"1i' li1 · ~ '' Il:1d ll !1' ir -'i t.'~ ~ 1~
U)

tfi.ct'"', nod11ng- b11t.

tltr~

tru th . hf" c·n pr,-·:- : 1· 11h ·d

from tho ]'latfonn a11rl t l 1(' p ress fc)r the h:'I
thirty year&-bad the peop le received the truth.
:md-Tef!cctcd it to each other just ns the millions o f t,Jie summer dew •lrcips reflec:t the un fail in g, benignnnt s11n, tlic pre~C'n t rrnt ri<'i•h1
war could 1ieyc r l1:1Y• · l "'r·1 1. It wonld l 1:1. \ .,,
been as utterl y irnpos:;ilile as for liailstones and
th underbolts to have fallen from the cloudl ess
sk v on herb, and beast, and man below.

'
126

I

THE CULTURE OF THE

:eBSERVING 'F .A.CULT!ES.

Present state of our nation.

Discipline of the conscience.

The demons of falsehood still divide the
land. The Father of Lies himself hangs, as it
were, invisibly over it, in all his hideous, heaven-defying malignity, and scatters his own arrows of destruction into the ears and the understandings, and down into the hearts of a
credulous people. What the end will be no
one but the omniscient God, or foreseeing 'and
truthful angels, can tell. Parents and teachers
~uc~ now is the state of our country; and wh;
is It so ? why has it been so ? Because the
parents and teachers, your predecessors, . gene~~
ation back behind generation, did not train the
young to seecthe truth~ ·to; ~peak the, truth · and
t0: live the 'truth. 'It -is because the edu~oors
themselves have been false: hpw, then, could
they train their children and pupils to be
true?
.· Now, shall this state of things remain? Shall
i1t be ages before we become a stable 'people
i
. h
'
~ wit. a stable government and a stable pros"per1ty? It all depends upon you, parents and
~eachers of this nation, whether we shall grow
mto safety, and realize the hopes of vearning
millions the earth over, or not. A;cept the

!

/

127

'Views w)lich· have been here imperfectly preJienteQ.:as'j;O training to the truth; l~t them be
adopte<Hn the family, in the sc~o~l,1~ the land
throughout; and, with one addition m the ~d­
ueational plan, there will be, there must be, mevitable success.
•

DISCIPLINE OF THE CONSCIENCE.

·;But.this addition-the discipline of the ·con1

;cie~~is .the most . impor~t matte~ 0£ all~

Without'. Wther.e:can ·be no assural)ce .of·steady
p~gress and of final security: T~is is t~e culture· of the conscience side by side with ~he
· discipline of the observing intellect. Nothmg
can be more true, as all history proves, than
that the human heart is deceitful above all
ihings, .and desperately wicked. Such is the
· selfishness of h~man ·nature-a selfishn~~ .act' ing from '. very i .fancy, an4 . strengtheni~g::~hth
the years, subju:gating the;: mtellect to its service....-tbat the c~nscience must be awakened at
" . r-. th$. ,earliest ana set -to its restraining work.
. ·;"' All the · solemn ·warnings of religion will be
needed with some constitutions to make the
tongue's statement true to the eye's witness·
1

i

128

\

THE CULTURE OF THE

OBSERVING FACULTIES.

Diacipline of the conscience.

Two beings who can not be escaped.

129

to feel that they might as well struggle up, despite of graviLation, into the clouds fur a l.tiaing-place, as to st I'll
a w av, and fo re ver 1-:cc p
aw:1 v. from tl1c f:1 ctl1l'SS of fa,;t

:111 11

the ;;1 ':\!\:!1

in g ~~vcrt t.r uf tru th .

TWO BEINGS WHO CAN NOT BE ESCAl'.IW.

There a rc two beings from whom the unOne
is him self. A t tlie momen t of its uttcrnncc h e
is consci ons of the faio;chood.. H enceforth it
is writt 1;n on hi s memory thnt he k ts Tirri. He
e~w no more w;p, · it out tli:1n lie can wipe out

truthful man can not conc1::al b.is guilt.

tln_~ y,;n11k1t:S on L
~ lr1.. i \\ : i.l \.i\-,'. \ ~ ur ~.J::q_-, ~,::
into ill fan ti 1e
U1c si11i:"'t1•r c:-:pn _ ,:-.;:-;ion
oflJi::-'i Ctct~. 'l'JL rG i;_. l.-: .
• ' l'l'(l t\1: Li:-:i rncni -

ory fore ver. It may sink aw ay fr om the cu n·
1
stant ghnee of' \iis own tho11gl1t, per 1:1:is it
rrnw remain unseen for yearn; but it is 11ot
f!:O~e. rl'lie leaves o f mor 0 rcccut experiences
· .·. ( )l ! lC tlll l ! ', \Vith
it.are b ut l ::uc· 1 ov \:r ·,L... ~,

nincr S\v1 f'tnc:::s, i.1i c;-.;c k·:t\·c;-.; rn: ty l>c
bac~\:.;
'='
.
. t t'
lici<J rc. 'u:' az•.:s uu
uc
, Tilfi'
. , 'i\
. ;ach
,
.your c1 n ll1rcn ,
rccon l 1
1
tberef..we t b D.t, 1· f t 1lC un tor1.1 t'n t-·ll 1 s·11n,1l escape all

aucl therr', :is in ye-arc;
-_-:::,,"E -.

1

T

130

THE CULTURE OF THE
Time.
Time.

the rest of the world, he shall ever, ever
pursued and fqund by HIMSELF.
The other being from whom the liar can n~fbide is that One of whom it is said in the ~a­
cred oracle:\ H IIo that p;nntcd the car. shall he -=-·~~~~
not hear? He that formed the eye,. shall he~·
not see? Shall not God search this out? F or
bis eyes are upon the ways of man, and he -seetb all his goings. There is no darkness;
nor shadow of death, where the workers of in:
iquity may hide themselves. Hell and destruc~ .
tion are before the Lord ; how much more;
then, the hearts of the children of men !''
.-

TIME.

IN close connection with action is another'i
important matter of discipline. It regards the ' ··
relation of time. Movement occupies more or '.;'.
less duration according to the space or dis- .
tance passed through, or according to the num·
~er .of motions, as in those indicated by the
t1ckmg of a time-piece or in the pulsations of
the blood. It is supposed t1rnt there is a spe-

· ~l~ for the perception of time, as t~ere

Ul,~ case of other qualities and relations
· ·~ . · There RTe those who can tell al·
&ny hour of the day or night wi.tbont
'cibr,;'k or watch. Such persons huvc a natnY keen percept1on of tlrne, whid1 ha::i been
..<'~Id bv constant use. They are always
a, rovm.ti~t punclutLl to their cng:1gcmcnts.
;~"XeeP nobody waiting ~ that . is, if their
-:m~-nature i~ as true 5S. tbe1r one mtelleetual
-.~bility: :: Otbers have.·a character directly the
.,reverse. Owing to a constitutional weakness,
. OJ' the undeveloped condition of t.bis faculty,
t.hoy have but little consciousness of the p~ss·
' ing moments. In early life, they are behmd
at. school, unless well prompted; as they grow
y;·~! \lPt \bey are behind~and in ~heir engag:ments,

.'......'.~i!l~'m
.lttheir busi9.·ess; ~~.md a~.'.~Jb.'hc me~.t·
b )P, Ale they on ~omm1ttees,.or m any ser~-

• ' .;r~ated with. others-they are always
11~ ~ keep the~r fellow-officials in une_aay
Perhaps, when they .do arrive,
iQa,:yi consume much time in needless talk;
\b)'ough 1Jie same unconsciousne~ ~hich ma~e
\)lem late.
1
··

·+.

, .

I
~

I'

\,

135

FACULTIES.

134

THE CULTURE OF THE
D!aaatroua lack or promptitude.

he is constitutionally defective, and can meas~
11re days and hours scarcely much better than
the senseless clock with its machinery askew.

ON TO •rn.E TIME·FACULTY.

. ,defect as to time is often a con·
•-$his
. 1.t should be understood
Ill defornuty,
·
ery outset of education, and be rem·
b the moot assiduous cul~ure. It may
,1·_.Y -~ bv a little attent10n, wba. t the
u.~YC!'-"U, J
h.
spect
~tv of children is in t is re .
.

DISASTROUS LACK OF PROMPTITUDE,

In human affairs, there are crosses and losses
innumerable and incalculable through lack of
promptitude. At the first battle of Bull Run; '· ,
~~~they nro p_rompt at ~chool, churc~,
the long delay ofone division in the morning's
- _ -" -.
4i.ce, at the a.ppomted momen ·
~r.An~
~t'Jr
P .\.
to lose all idea of
march was an incidental cause of that lament• ,!idiuu1,er ..uoy. seem
.
able defeat. Had our army got into action· as
:
. ;__ or talk when some pressmg duty
~.U>.
P~Y
early as was intended in the commander's plan,
""aJWii'.i•-~ , ,,
...
.
b
Should tbere appear· an. un·
~
• llN0re
t i em. '
b
n decisive victory would have probably been
IB
f
l .. ,·,Jn th('ll thcv mnst c
. ·u-- r•c.:"·!> o 'llLLl , , · .1 . • \s 'l. l l'lS·
l-~~
-t,~';."'C;U ·1' ~ ·-won several hours before those re-enforcements .,~~,it·..,
~~tcbC'l\ un•i tmin1~1\ accuru1 ut, '.Y · -'- .· , uy
arrived which turned the scale in favor of the
-~
..u-Y
·. cxcr-c1sc.
. - •'11\')'
:.;'tf~
~
' - rnav
' • be put rn ·ma u
enemy. It was probably a miscalculation as
to time on somebody's part which prevented
,..·,.-l'J'~9 t:_'1 ()f( n."
bl
the pontoon-bridges from reaching Fredericksi
'"·" ·
' ,.
. •. u; re a certain mcasura e
: ""!>.•n o~...:-m,11)ns rt.'G, •. .
,. \
•t 'rhc
burg coincidently with the r,rmy, and thus de._.,,,.,i,·.--=
~- " - ' ..-.f-~1ncfor tile!r f\•_
;c,omp .1s1mc1.. i >
-·--.'?-- _ .. - _... - ·-'~ , ., ",
f
. ,,. , dav in houscholu or
laying Burnside's great movement and leading
-.i
.•,,.~: "out.me o. CH · } • •
to ultimate defeat. History records numerous
-'~~·
i•\ diYi•Jecl i11tu several p::trts a1p·
.•
'1<.fli l • • ·· " - "
•
.l
thar l 11 LlC
i1: stances or similar disasters.
·~~·;!;!···!:!··~~~~~~-·~~•§.;:;
... ~-~-~=- lit ..~;-..~ thin~ anu n.no v .
v..

·. .;:~~~~

-

'· .

,.:~;:: ~; :h~ li~~~ ~~~.~va~i1~1~o~!eti~~:i~~' ~c1~

.:·• .::ia."""

L -

·:~·' .t-1.u.Ha~ ..

"··

_'-

1.1

·i·

• ..

1, ·u 1at ions arc

_.-· :~. ~ T°'lr e.1l-1f1 tH_~r~..t-~ .a.u11 ili l cn~'i t; ..t ... ...,
----~-:c-.. j
d in ..... <mMt to the quant1ty

~--

~~~
-' ~- __ . "ly

l

Ufl\

e

· -r-

-

·

136

THE CULTURE OF THE

OBSERVING FACULTIES.

Help from the time-piece.

Meaauring time by th o onn.

of time dem1;tnded by each, so that every thing·
may be attended to and iinished in order. But
the young generally nceu some special discipline before they can accurately adjust one
thing to anot]:ier in their engagements. Some
require very much care for the purp9se. . If
they should be neglected in this matter by the
iirst parental educators, they would be likely
to go through the whole subscrplent life, coni'u~e c'.t 11
·'
·
u:tCtiH::ici
veR; ano..J con f usn1g
others. Innumerable people continue all their 11ays in this
uu furt.unatc predicarnetiL, aud just from the
Jack of forethought and discipline.
J..

::. -·

l!E~P_ -FR.OM THE TIME· ;E'IEQJiJ••~. ';,;: '".

Accustom, therefore, your childrc~ to notiee
particularly the hours, the half hours,.aµd even
n the minutes occupied in any regular· work or
duty. Let it be, however, insisted on that performance shall be thorough and without fluttering haste. In this way they will learn bow
to_ portion out ti~e to its several uses. They
will be educated mto a substantial and reliable
judgment as to the seasons of regular duty.
. Th ere are occasional transactions which also

,_I::,_

• 1

137

may well be made lessons. In doing errands
at ·a store,-or a neighbor's, or any where else,
let-the time of going aud coming at ordinary
speed :be· carefully noted. As children are
fond of special exercises if they be made agree·
able, let them guess bow long it will take to
walk or run a certain distance and back again,
or to make a certain number of motions with
tbe feet or hands in imitation of work, as in
the. Kinder · gartcn plnys. Suppose any new
work is to be undertaken: let there be guesses
as to · the time occ-upied. Indeed, no matter
what the operation is, it will serve to disciplme
the- voung to mark time with precision, and to
form habits of adjusting movements to movements with an economicfl.l ae<'nracy, which Rha1l
be a lifelong benefit to themselves and to every
body ~ho h~ to do with them.
· n;'
~

.

.

~

.MEASUjRING
! TIME BY THE SUN.

;•;. rt -is a gootl plan, furthermore, to have children' measure!time by the place and the prog.
I
.
ress 'o f the sun. Let them guess the time of
day by the stjn's position in the sky, and then
refer to the tifne·piece to see bow near the pre-

138

THE CULTURE OF THE

A flpec iltl faculty.

1\IeaBuring tfme by the f!.un.

cise moment they Lave hit. Let such an exercise be pursued till the hour of day, at any
place of the sun, may be quite accumtely dc~ermiued . A similar course might be pursued
rn respect to the moon and the stars, for the
sake of a more thorough education of the faculty, and perhaps for occasion:tl and valuable
use iu emergencies that might arise. Indeed,
} r ·. ·i
·
.
.
·
Lie l rst IL.ea of time came from the regular
movements of tl1c heavenly bodies. Hence
or:giua!.ccl thusc tt1\·i;:;io11s of dura tion wlucli
arc n:m1cd in the languac:;l's, :tllll govern the
d oing·s of' :tll tl1c v.~ur>-'.. 'TL e~e
na of

order.

"'...

.ii

J

- - --- - - - - - - - - -

OH.DER

."i:;

. ="'f~ •c, ..
'

the ltcavens perpctu:-il!y teach and remind mankind of' tl1e importance of mctl.wd or economv
in tl1c use of time. No lesson ncrtainincr t~
i · (',''
.,- ·1 · ... l
, .. - .
• 1 - )._
0
, 1.c s pi .u.c1ca 1:tJ1:urs is mcu2,~:tt.cd on a «.;nmdcr
scak ti1:ui t.r1 i:'. 1Lis w ritt,•n on th e cxnansc of
ttic. firmarn<'llt . lt i;-; ·ill ustrated by r;volvipg
ci!o~rs . ?;:.:cnts, sh:-t~~- I.Lis \v _:.~1~10 1n , so 111 i g}~t~
1. I..'~ n •,1 u1 " 1o·n • 11 ·•·1')l 1s,1y voue.u~,
!' f.~' b
'
' aJ·
1 , c .!.ost to
your children because yon fail to interpret it
to then· ~mckrstaricEngs and i mn rcss it 011 their
Lteart::; l
,
.. ,,
- , ,

139

OBSERVING F ACUL'l'IES.

tb.e works of Goel there is a cert:i.in on1cr,
or methodical a rr:cng•·mcut, which is best mhpt
ed to the e11(1 for 'shi ch tlwy we re made'. Not
only org:cnic forms of matter, bnt _the operations by which they :i.ccomrlish then uses, ex hibit this perfect adaptation of one thing to
another, and of means to end8. Thus they
give an all-important lesson to man for h is
own works and ·ways. fn human affairs, by
l~
·st
a siinilar sy~.:;tt~1na.tiz~tLl\_)11, 11H'
brouglit to p:-t:ss .
A D'EClAL FACTl.'l'Y .
· , ,1
, :-;" )•_
It 1· s suppo'."C(-,1 t l1: tt· t.11c1,.. , i,,,
. t ..•Ll . wcnt::t1
.
1 'C.
facul tv w 11i:·' · takes cognizance of order. It
gives .. to thu u;1<lividual tuc ability to notice
.
. . ·' . . .
·onnrl ""'rt n1so
:i.nd appreciate 1L rn t1 11 11 .";S :-ti · · :'. ""
t.11e al)ilitv to do thin~~> H.nd k~·~P l.ldugs il1.1.~ ·
- 1.Ill.'; • 1•) th c s:i.me r 11· 1e
self, aeeon
' .. 'l'here are
""

1

.__.

;;ometirncs wid<e: (1ilfore11c1:s bctwcc11 one person and another as to the native ;:itreugth of
'tl.iis fac ulty. 'l\J lw eonv inccd of thi", \l'L'
·-

-

--

- -.... · · · p

-

140

141

OJJSERVING FA.CULTIES.

'PRE CULTURE OF THE
- ---- ---~~crfat frtc l1lry.

- ------

oim · uot· ealoulate on themselves. They. are
have but to recall our experiences with vari(!i~"rnrbed by ternlcncics whi.ch h ave crept mto
ous ? cop1c. 011c l1as a p lace for every thing,
--- - - - -- thee. --natures from some progcuitor: so tlil'· "'~
au<l Kcc!Js every thing in its own pbce. Such
:~. one. ~s th.oroughly systematic in business. ..., . ·-~ -= . . ~-es impel them to and fro, up aiHl (1uw n,
~r~m:).-e, because no educating haml caiu0 m
Tnat thmg is done first which in good judg· ~§~~~~~-~...~.,.._
ment should come first. He knows when his
.
good season to the rescu~.
- ~....h ooinrr the contmgenc1es of ·poor hu·
wor~ is completed. There are no hurried
~ natu~ ~hey should be looked after withrunnmgs or flurried huddlings to finish up
out fAil.; and right early. The educator sh~~ld
wh.at "'.as supposed to be already finished;
und~ct the .child's .native mark ·:o.f .ability
~1th h:~' "done" means done, and is truly...so.
11();:· w~ata :orde1':;8.nd~nform.;.to ,its • la~s.
His a~t1c1pated leisure is not all cut up or cut
It -0an.,.soon be .seen whether. · much. attention
short m the least by his own neglects. As
* "-H 00 r>".auired. Be the faculty stronger or
~ar as depends on himself, he is always sure ,of'
weak~;, it ;hould be put to its use, and consetime for ~~time. Just like the sµn . that regqu..ently under discipline, the same as the other
ularly shmes on him; he knows his exact
intellectual powers. The parent's loving heart
path, and his exa?t place in that path, at every
'ftUl be· glad at an easy task; and the .same
hour from mornmg until evening; and then
~
with a quickenin.g conscience,
he knows when his day is done as the sun
., •ft prompt perseverance· and· msur~ success
·; ·
knows his going down.
'
How entirely different from this is th~ con·
· in' $he.more ifficult case. ·•
'
stitutional character and prevalent habits of
, ·
THE FAC.pLTY. · .
another person l Indeed, how many there are
· ~:US n9.w consider what a child: ~ay be
who, as to a systematic disposition of things
put )ipon qllf'lte early in the way oftrammg _the
are about as much to be calculated on ~ th~
dust blown and tossed by the wind! ; ~hey
flooalty

;

eogelhE

~· ~ ~ISCIPLINE

ofor r.

. .

I

......

-.....-·

~-

·-

· ~~·-~'""""'"'"'-

\.

•

.

!.

~J,.it"'li!lll!a~-=l/ll';!!!ll!l:l!!'11!!!1!l!!!!lll!!!!!l'!l!!ll!i"""l!!Jll. . . . .

..-----------.....

142

TH E CULTURE OF THE

OBSERVINa FACULTIES.

How to discipline the faculty.

Care of playthings and clothes.

I once knew a child, not more than nine
months old, who was disturbed and uncomfortable when some prominent article in the
room, as a table, work-stand, or chair was not
i~ its accustomed plac~. H e would point with
his finger, together with a sig nificanh-indeed
an .imploring expression 0fhis eye, to the thin~
Ul lts irregul ar position.
rrhis child, no doubt,
posse~sed the faculty of order in very strong
const1 t n t10nnJ d('vrlormf'nt. Bnt '\\"C m a y info r fro m the instance t hat children, on. the
a vera ge, may, i n th is respect, be (111ite early
tr:rn1cd to c;trc1wtl.i
:>nll
'""
'"'"" •
a ··
.... ..._ .. .,,..
....,....,'U "'""''>.JJ'

,,

0

•

- - - -. .. -----....-

·;;, - ·

CARE OF PLAYTHINGS AND CLOTHES.

' 'il
' l" J.U·'

..:..!.. . v

who only creeps mig ht be ·set to the use of
ru shing a displaced cbair into its nosition in
line with the ot1Jer chairs. Vv' hen l;e shall get
fairl y npo n h is fee t, h e might Lave a care, Re cordi ng to stl'ength , that any article offornit ure in t he roo m, w11cn out ~f p]ace, sho1:1ld be
1-JUt rigut. Such a 0barge wo~l<l be no~ only
a discipline in the phin of tl1e pri.rf' 11 t. 1Jnt ri.n
actu:d p~ca~nre :11 tl1c iJca uf :i child. J!,,
wants to move' ; he can not lH=-:i,r to be still : if
he c:c n do thin gs to a certain crnl li k c others.
~md espcciull.y if Le can g m Li fv others by h i ~
n ct1 \'1 t1 c: lw j, ill lii s l i f(.':; rl, ·! ic: !1t.

143

- -~- =s:=··-~

1
~~

--~-

Accustom a child to take the b est possible
care of his own playthings-to have a special
place for them when not in use. They should
n~ver be thrust confusedly down, and lie in a
iumble, as so often happens, but be laid by
~ith as much regard for convenient arrangement and neatness as any implement of adult
industry shou1c1. b e put away, each where it
belongs. This. order about playth~ngs will be
an important preparation for order m the work things of uftc r life.
Still farth er : let chilrl ren be educated to keep
thci r own clotlics in tl1e best
d
in the drawer, chest., or closet, or \vu crc:v cr
they nrny be ph ccd. Let cael1 arti dc, 110wever small, n ave its ow n particular pos1t10n,
where, if need be, i t migh t lie fo und in t he
dark .
'J'lteir clothes, on being takc11 off fo r th e
niuht. shonl(l lw put in a certain ,}c{\ nik and
" , ·
arpropriai.c'
) I·1:lG<.'.~ ; l··t ( J •~ '1lC I c •·tt· ,.,,,• .• t imC' nnd
there at an ot111·r, 11111 rn t11 c 1"·,;l po,.:1tlon ,oi
airin f' ; and each ar ti de in ::;uch a manner a~
v

.

•

,

< ('

,

144

THE CULTURE OF THE
.·

OBSERVING' F .A.CULTIES.

Household matte..,;. ·

Boys.

to be. most easily come at, even without light.
Thus, in the case of :fire and the necessity
of quick escape, whether at home or abroad
whether at the house of a friend or at a strang~
hotel, the clothes could at least be. snatched by
the hand, if there should not be time · to put
them on. By an orderly habit.· of this'rsort;
thousands in the conflagrations of the past
would not have been driven almost naked
fr.om the burning into opposite elements, which
diseased them perhaps for life by their inclemencies.
"·'' . r:

j,

;,, HQtJ:SEffQ!tD ~'.f'.l:ER~. ·: ·~~r:, Li,,.-;,

I·
·1

·Wheri children·shall <be old: enough>1t.oc::(ISSist
in .household affairs or other duties, J t is of':
m~ch conse~uence that they should <lb every
thrn!S accordmg to that exact successio.n ol' operat1011s by which any kind of work can be
most speedily and thoroughly acco~plished.
Days and weeks, and, in a long life; even
months, are lost to some because the;· precise
firstly, secondly, thirdlj, etc., are not linked into
habit. The buzzing, clattering, rumbiing factories of all sorts might instruct such wasters· ·
.

.

'

fcir .here ·must be a certain beginning, a 'regular
progress, and a definite and su~e compl~tion.
Early and fixed habits of this sort :vrll hav~
great influence on their own industrial conditions and success in the far future. In the
ease of girls, the practice of order can not be
too early commenced, and it ~hon!d neve~ be
intermitted. They grow up right m the midst
of.those matters and things, the like of which
is; to ·make their own chief duty as wives and
~xiotheis. > · Laxitf of order in-· girlhood, unre·
for~ed. then; will run very prO'bably a disturb·
· ing force through all their housekeeping fu.
tu re.
BOYS.

I~· the dase of boys, they may'be 'put

to ap·
prenticeships in which there is a 'neeessity for
a certain drder M in mechanical trades and the
'
'
use . of machinery.
They may be compelled
to .be :sys¢matic ·in their .vocations to ·a cer~ain
extent, yet in other affairs they may fall mto
exceeding laxity and confusion. \Vhatever, ·
therefore 'they have to do, within or around
'I
.
the house, should be performed w1tq regular·
I

K

I.

146

'

147

THE CULTURE OF THE

OBSERVIN<:J" FACULTIES.

Nfatness.

Neatness.

ity and precision; not only because it is best
for the occasion, but because it will be a valuable discipline toward their future.

Such children should be set particularly to
put and keep things in order about a house or
the surroundings. If any thin g should be out
of place, they, above all others, should be set
to put it in place. If they must go, in case of
need, up into the garret, down into the cellar,
to some distant out-house, or away into a field,
so much the better. The farther they shall
have to run, the more impressive and profitable the practical lesson. This sort of task
should be ma.de an imperative duty, to lJc continued as lo ng as is neccss:try . Dy tllis discipline, such fr111lt.y org·:u1izati0ns will lie forced

NEATNESS.

Personal neatness comes. under this; head of'
order. This, with some . constitution~; will be
found to require much traini ng and discipline.
There are children who, from a native instinct,
have n strong abhorrence of any soiling of
their persons or clothes. They are early quite
sensible of any lack of' nent ncss about a room.
0Lhero are much the reverse. 'l1 hcsc seem to
enjoy <lirt ancl disorder as much as others do
th e best cond ition of tLings. 'l'ucsc disorderly
natures mu st be early looked to, :mcl con tin u .
ally watched a::; they go alon g 11p. tLat, through,
mere <1iseip1i1w, they may ktn· tli<1t habit oi'
ncatncs;:; whic0i1 wi ll tJC necessary !or 1he comfor t and satisfaction of other;;, if uot for their
own. ~Jany a man, slm-cnly in his person
.;.1rn.l in Li.s liusiuci:;.s, many an UlltiJy wom an
and housekeeper, might have been blessed with
at 1t)- a~t :l.V(\Tag o hat.its oi' neaLuess liuJ. tbcv
hef'n rrnper1v -di::>ciplined in their c:irly home;.

i nto the ,1,·~ir:tl1k

__ j
_j__ -

1

•'\·1 ·11

11st

t 11cir

own n:ttUffS.

There is a neatness in work, and in the w:1y
of doing n thou~:tml li ttle things, which many
ncoplc, for the lack of early c<lt1c:ttion, do uot
jv,,,s c ~s. Thcv will drop an 1l slop, spill arnl

Rpatter, in every~ Jirectioll, simply because t hey
nre not trnin011 to Ele:11li 1wss of liam1, carefulness of the foot, or q uieb:. vlio;ervation of tLc
P ains and pcrsc\·l'r:u1C•' \\'il ~ 1 s11ch cl1il c1ren wiil save mm:h trouuk uwJcr t lie p arent.:11 roo r. :tnd will; rrcvcnt them, doubtles<1, frnm

eye.

148

THE CULTURE OF THE

OBSERVING FACULTIES.

An appeal.

An appeal.

innumerable discomforts · and a thousand chagrins in their own future home. But let it be
especially remembered that example will bo
unspeak~bly more powerful than precept. The
young will hardly practise order amid the surrounding confusion of their elders. The disorder in ~hich they have been brought up,
and to which they have been from the earliest
accustomed, is quite likely to be the earliest
and_ ~abitual experience of their own rising
famil:es, a~d to become, possibly, the unprofitable mhentance of generations still beyond.
AN. APPEAL. ·

·

·

,.«': ,..

Parents ! for· your owin sakes in ·the+- dear,

home; for the sake of loved children in·~:thcir
future ._?.bodes and vocations, and for the sake
of that c~mrr_10n usefulness which every one
; owes to his krnd; for the sake of some higher
and ~ide~ good your son or daughter may be
providentially called to accomplish, do not-omit
a duty comparatively so easy as the one now
e~joined. Train your young families to that
methodical arrangement, to that best order
which is so necessary to give to art and indus-

-

149

try, and to all virtuous endeavors, the highest
success. By such a habit, work that must be
done, however coarse, may be done in a way
which is not only the shortest and the easiest,
but which may have even something lilrn a
gracefulness about it. By this, the humblest
task may have' an adornment.
'·. The inferior animals, each after its kind, are
orderly by instinct, and might instruct the intelligences put over. them in dominion. Inanimate nature, close by and all around, teaches those who labor in its midst the same lesson. How instr'uctive are soil, water, air, heat,
a~d light, as they work and build up blooming and fruitf11l vegetation! The same wis. dom comes from the far silent heavens: with
a,power mightier than any human speech, they
proclaim the f,,ecessi'ty of system. They show
forth the bea~ty, the majesty, the divine perfectness of order, while they declare the glory
of God.

150

THE CUL'l'URE OF THE
OBSERVING FACULTIES.

151'

Conclusion.
Conclusion.

-

• dee4,-Nature is continually i:;triving to educate ,.the ·perceptive faculties, and would really
. - ~~ double and q uadruple their developmeut u!1d
-- 0TIIER sp1.:uific Lopics belong to the sub . . - .
.- attainments if we would let her have her own
of these suggestions abd . h
uect
-~""""'~-~==
! (' .
'
m1g t properly havo
·J .cn considerc-(l
l ' ut tL.
. . . •
'
method ;;:, and lend lier a l1\"l1 •ill"· l1am1 arnid tlie
U' , ' . . '
- ..
., .
is c1iv1c;1uu vf tbc vol~~~~~~~
multituJe
vi uLj t:0L::; Wllivil wi'!SilL e011fli.::>t: tilo:;
. rnu ~~ ue1::n extended much bevond t - . . .
Jnal Ctcs · rrn 1 · · ] 1
•
;he O:r1g .·
yonng
learner's
:l.tt~:ntion .
,
~ Jc: ·
t, H
IOJ C<l tliaL 1
p····,_,
l'C:t tlCJ'~ \\" " 1 1 I
,
.. cLL e C O
There
a
rc
certain
in di' 1(1 u :~L w husc fJL:eul1ar
. h .. .._1 .!L'. "u. ouL for some closino- thoughts;
Qrgnruzation
will
make
\ them sh arp-sighted:
W h IC
mav
1<t11l
f:orth
1
·,
o
.
'
..
"'· . er f'"l
~ r·.c.._
· ·1 111__1.cuiJl1rm
' ' .
:
,1
·· · )(·· ·w
·"l
t .d
e LJJC'. Of'V l) )_'t -·<...:1•1i l e J
._ _;_ ~
wiJ l p~ace t}Jings, ancl all t i.H:ir qu~\liti c:::i, bl'forc
It is a ~v~ll'.k~~~n. f: , h
·
them just ai;i :they •are, in spite of the distract·
1
l
-aco t, at the m:iJ'ori t' 0· ['
lllall,(rnu_ do not L0cr'
·
}
ing circumstances of number, variety, :rnd even
~c:c 1 11 to sludv Q'"'ciric··Jl
.
'1Ull lll'JlUte 1 - t '
1-_
· -.,
· ~ ~ • i.i "Y
disorder;
but t hese arc t;uinparn.Livcly 11.:w.
• - 'Y ue suuota:nces on •~\; h ·· 1:
«re '
- vv L ,c t ucy
'l'he majori ty need help ;rn,l <:'!10\';i11µ, tl 1:tt. tl1e
'
cO operate throurru ::i.11 tl- · , · l
.
until t'
, .
o
,
lCll 111c ustn::i.l 1i n.~s
most may b,o mauu or lll0 ma~erii.ib aruuml.
i
uey get rnto apprenticeBbip or int ,
tua, busmcs-r1,:
,
,o ucThis must be evident from the exercises ia
-~---~.~.
, , ieu tncre Jn ncct b , 1;
. • .
tar'c
"lll1 J Jc_
c c .sac1 vano'Qj~ts and qualities which have lJccn lier•.)
h
1.() f .L t1n
. ' •
10, lll l J rrmortion "-o t'
1guorance. In som _ " · 1 -_ ." ·
'" ~
ue
propQsed; for how few, without advice, would
. _
.
e cn~ es, tu 1s ic:·nornnec
t111ucs quite nqJiv bl
, l . . ."
•
con pursue these matters in tl 1c best way, ancl to
''l'U'... U ,
tillrough
all th •
.. ,' •...t ·Y a-•a
- u'J
dV ::ilJ
the most profitable extent I Indeed, how has
NT_ t 1•t · ·
. , err vocat10nal• cours"'-·· _,_·uw
1
whl0n has been indi - d .
. c .raimng
.the
whole worl<l gone lJlunLkring alo11g wilh
.
catc is a p roce;;.s uf r. . ; .
one ' 111 <'l degree, f'or all sorts of b .
11tt.iJg
the idea that education consists in wordse
usrness whatwords wide apart from the things to which
ver-a process begun with the , .
.
of th .
'cry opening
they belong I It has scarcely occurred to edu·
e eyes and the putting forth of the h d
an .
cators generally that, in presenting things to

C 0 N C L tr S I O N.

.

1

<!.

"-

•'

•...,.-.:

[

,
152

OBS.ER:VING F .ACULTIES:-

'l'HE CULTURE · Ol!' THE
}low. a gooiljudgment comeo.

•

the learner,; th~y rriust almost necessarily pre.! '
sen~ words-"-- nouns, adjectives, and verbs-

whicb,. would stick to - these things like their
color m the daytime, or as their temperature
does both day and night.
HOW A GOOD JUDGMENT Colf;ES./'7•! k-"'·:,,,

. ~here is a common saying about certain in- ,
d1v1duals something like this: "He has an ·
~xcellent judgment; he is remarkab1e for his
. Judgment." Now what is meant? It is this:
He knows what things are in their qualities
and relations, a..nd he knows what to do· with
them ·. to
· .· .I nnu.·
. . ..t)le
. . . ,best
. . poss1
. ·.'~bl.y . a-dvan ta'
. ge,~;
i:ierable mstances in .the various'~av:ocations~of.:.
~hfe migh~ ~e adduced in illustratibn. ,: Ji<>.:w.: : .·
!Pommon it IS for a citizen 't.0 be \ruled': ~J< to~ '. '
~appraise ~he goods of a neighboring estat~lor, ·
.F a public officer, to make valuations of p~op1~rty for taxes! In such cases, a practical knd\vl~dge of commodi~i~s is all-i!J!portant. · We may
take the most strikmg and instructive instances
from these ver~ times. Mi_llions of money ~re
lost t~ th~ nation through the ignorance tof·
commissaries, quarter-masters, contractors, and
I'

153

Vivid recollectlone Important.

other .providers · for our armies, throu~h the
lack of that early and continued education of
observil)g · faculties which has now been advised. If the loss, for the most part, comes from
·any other cause, it must be from a criminal di~honesty, deserving the punishment of a pem·
.tentiary from a cheated country .
.

VIVID RECOLLECTIONS IMPORT.A.NT.

; ··Furthermore; a great deal of business is done
in· the. way of trade without the actual presence
and :inspection of the comniodity to be bought
and· sold. .In this case, much is to be trusted to
the honesty or honor of the seller. N evertheless,,a great deal depends, on both si~es, upon
· . the .actual knowledge of things prev1.o.~!Y . ac-·
i i;';'~~~d'. .W ithdut such knowledge;i,,the;•:buy~ !,1 ~ust :take te 8eller's word; and:.'iwith~ut
· this knowledg~, the seller himself ma! unmtentionally 1mislead; for in both ~f their memories and conceptions there may he a confused
mass of things, designated by certain names.
As for the absolute qualities, fitnesses, and values, it may bt the merest gu~ss-.w~rk. with
both. Or, if b)lt one of the parties is 1gnorant,

'" er

i

.'

154

.

THE CULTURE OF THE

OBSE:itVING FACULTIES;

Dlstlngui!hed men.

Dl8Ullgul8hed men.

he i:nust go by g"uess, or trust implicitly to·.the; •.
integrity of the otheri · Now, let a thorough: •
acquaintance with objects and their qualiti~, ~;·
be obtained, a;id there they lie in the memo.
ry in all distinctness. There is no confusion.· ··
The mind's eye sees similar commodities mthe
distant ship or warehouse, or any!.whei;;~~lse;
about as clearly as the physical eye would see
them lying beneath the face. The memory,
as a general rule, performs its office well or:ill
. .
.
JUSt m proportion as the original perceptions
are disciplined and developed; so that, .in a
large portion of business transactions, what .is
good judgment depen'dB"-on· distinct 'and: aoou, ,
rate "recollections. : ·
:~·: ,, o::·,
DISTINGUISHED MEN.

The histori es of many disting-nished nersons
show that a culture quite independent ' of pre.
scribe<l educational forms made them useful
and eminent. Among the extraor,dinary men
of our own country are those whose literarv
n~vantages were exceedingly li mi ted. Tlicy
simply exercised their naked faculties on what·
ever rnmc bcr.JJ'l' them, or by iu any provi,

155 .

dential line. of duty. They might have had
sonie ··one power, like individuality or eventu·.
·· ·ality, in-·,uncommon strength. This, spontane·
' ously leading the way, m-~~bt hav~ brou~ht
conoomitant powers into act10n and mcreasmg
' ability:· 'A ll the faculties were employed upon
. the objects, the events, the realities· of t~e pr~sent world arid state"'Of things, while their pnvilege.d. ·c ontemporaries were engaged on ab·
stract l)ooks and chapters, s~ntences and worqs.
Tho.ugh these ~tU:dents of .real life might· be
quite ·inaccurate .in the ni~e u.ses of language,
yet .tl;iey obtained the weightier matters of a
usefUleducation. Such men, nevertheless, generally possess an adequate ability at expression, as far as it is neeessary simply to convey
their o.wn iJeas. Indeed, these observers and
doers have often a remarkable facility of
speech. This comes from the ve:y nature of
their education. They somehow pick up words
appropriat; to all the things, qualitics,_rel::tti~ul:',
actions, and transactions within their notice,
irnJ th~sc won}; :ere prcsc11 t••(1 rniturnl ly and
. i>.nsily with the subjecLs to w~i~h they belong.
If there be any defect al all, 1t. rn that of sornc

156

THE CULTURE OF TH-E

OBSERVING FACULTIES.

Bookl.

Book.a.

little point which they might have rectified
.themselves, as many do, by a strenuous and
determined self-discipline,. . The strongest men
in our nation, the cent:r:es of momentous circles
of affairs, may be excelled by school-girls of
fifteen as to verbal and grammatical niceties.
Th~ ability ·adequate to the presidency;: of the
nation or to a cabinet secretaryship ·does not
depend on verbalities obtained at school or college,
. but on an acquaintance with things, and
actions, and principles- a knowledge of individual, social, municipal, civil, military, national, aml ' international realities.. Washin!lton's
. 0
SUCC(;)SS at the head Of armies -and admj_
qistratio~s ·was the ·result of that sound judgment
wh~ch had been matured ' amid present sub1, _ stances,
passin
g events.. an d nr
Ps.;<in<-." ·
.
,
'-•
cmergcn0
,', cies.
..,
I '

I

I

BOOKS.

,•

Let it not be supposed, by what precedes,
that an unwarrantable discarding of books is
advised. It is simply mea~t that books shall
not come into use so early, so numeroi.1s1y, :ind
so unintermittedly as to stifle and dwarf the

157

faculties instead of aiding to strengthen them.
The distinguished men alluded to improve~
themselves by reading as they had opportumty · and in one respect, they read with a pe' advantage.
'
.
culiar
Their preliminary experience with the wo:i;ld's naked realities enabled
them to take hold of language with a strong,
effective grasp, as if words were palpable handles to the meanings underneath. They la·
bored, however, under many and great ~isad­
vantages. . Their improvement came w1thout
system-now and then-here a little, and there
a little.
With our present command of means, .we
should seek for our children that educat10n
which begins exactly in the right place and at
the ,riSTht tim e ; which proceeds a1so in the best
ord~r: and
those directions, and ·~Oi ~bat ex' tent which sball make the largest and fullest
'
measure of good.
Dear fellow- educators! with what gentle
touches of nature's element<;, as with his own
tender fingers, does the infinite Parent awake~
his immortal off<>prin g to consciousness anu.
thought! Why shall we not follow these <l i-

in f
'

1

i

158

'

...

'l'HE OBSERVING FACULTIES.
Books.

vi.ne intimations? Be assured that they run,
with unbroken continuance, into grand rules
of.development and great infallible signs along
the way of everlasting progress.

-- A LETTER FROM THE AGENT OF THE MASSA·
r
'),

CHUSETTS BOARD OF EDUCATION.

"Rev.WARREN BuRTON :

•;_- "MY DEAR

Srn,-Your hints on' Object-teach-

. ,i ng' will accomplish much good, if they lead par-

'
I

~

.-

l •

.; -

.f

... ...

,.. " '

~

....

_

',

..

• ents to the early and proper discipline o.f tpe
- . observing faculties of their children. · So far as
relates:"to"iiitellectual traininog, l li'ea1:tily ~onciur
in"the sentiment of Ruskin,• The more I think of
it, I find this conclusion more impressed upon me,
•that the greatest thing a human soul ever does in
·this world is to see something, and tell what it
saw in a plain way. Hundreds of people can talk
to one who thinks, but thousands can think to
one who can see.'
"The importance and methods of ' Objectteaching' have been a frequent topic of my lectures at teachers' institutes and normal schools
for more tnan six years. The system is gradual. ly working its way into our schools, and, when in
skillful bands, with the happiest results. I have
spent several weeks during the last year in visiting the best• object-schools' in the country, especially in New York, Albany, New Britain, Conn.,

160 A

LETTER FROM THE AGENT OF THE

Toronto, C. W., and Oswego, N. Y. This system
has ~een more fully and successfully applie_d in
the schools of the latter place than any where
else in this country. As a result, the primary
sch~>ols of Oswego, which a few years since ,~ere
in a low condition, have been raised to a decrree
"'
of excellence probably not surpassed, if equaled,
in this country. I visited all the schools of the
city, with a single exception, in order to observe
the working of the system under a gr~at variety
of cir~umstances, and with all c\asses of children,
, the nch and the poor, Germans, French, Irish, ·
and Scotch, as well as Americans. So celebrated
have these schools become, that Oswego is now a
sort of Mecca for educators from nearly all the
loyal states. During a · yisit of less than two
week.s in that city, ·r obs.e rved ' representatives
present from several distant· states, including
teachers, committees, and superintendents. This,
~ I was told, was bnt the usual number of;~isitors
1~ from abroad. · While I should dissent
some
views and methods there adopted, the syst!em, ~
~ a whole, is, in my judgment, practical, philosophical, and admirably adapted to young children. ·
"But this drill ought to begin long before the
school age. The parent should daily give training-lessons in common things. I value this book
as one designed and fitted to make parents 'object-teachers ;' to convince them that 'the f.1cts

!·

from

MA8SACHUSE'l'TS BOARD OF EDUCATION;

161

and .objects surrounding the child in every-day .
life should be the earliest and most effective in.· s.t rnments in developing his powers, and that thus
habits of close, accurate, and exhaustive observation should be early formed.
"BIRDSEY G. NORTHROP,
"Agent Mass. Board of Education ."

L

"

.. N 0 TE.

f

<

That more inviting words might greet readers at the open ing of the book, this preface-like explanation is placed at the
end: Many years ago, the present writer, in lecturing on
early intellectual culture, together with more.I and religious
education, earnestly urged the discipline of the observini::
faculties. He then had not the remotest idea that this discipline, as an indispensable requisite, would be so long neglected; for it was at that time practiced in European schools,
and advocated also by eminent writers in our own country.
Mqre than twenty years, however, have elapsed since his
first humble efforts and sanguine expectations, and yet but
little progress comparatively has been made in this direction. In reflecting on this great educational deficiency, it
came forcibly to mind that a mu ch-needed help might be
rendered to the family and the school by publishing somethi11g simila.r to his former utterances. 'fhe lectures alluded
to were mostly extcmporl!-neous. By the aid, however, of a
single written passage which makes a few of the first pagC11,
together with some brief notes, they have been substantially
recalled to memory, and, with the interspersion of fresh matter, they constitute the body of this work. The original extemporaneous 6tyle in a degree ran into the composition .
This will account for occasional looseness of construction
and every-day phraseology, which it is hoped will be rather
agreeable than otherwise to the majority of readers.

W. B.

OBJECT TEACHING,
AND THE

CULTURE OF THE PERCEPTIVE POWERS.

FROM THE AMERICAN LITERARY GAZETTE AND PUBLISHERS'
CIRCULAR, SEPTEMBER

',.

15th, 1864.

"There is no royal road to learning;" but neither is it necessary that the acquisition of knowledge should be made hateful to youth. The young
mind is ready enough to receive information; it
craves facts, but it requires them to be in a nutri. tive and digestfble shape. All children ask questions. Som~ p~rents endeavor, with more or less
. success, to satisfy these inquiries; others turn the
1
inquirers over to the school-master, holding it to
be his duty to attend to the brains, and the parents' to care merely for tho bodies of their children. Yet others discourage the questioners.
The school-master, unless he be a man of genius,
is apt to furrish words and phrases, where the
child wants facts and ideas; therefore schools
are so often hateful and unprofitable to the most
intelligent of the children, and men are found to

166

"

167

OBJECT 'l'EACHING-TIIE CULTURE

OF 'l' HE PERCEP'l'lVE POWERS.

declare that in their boyhood they learned more
out of than in school hours.
Within a few years an important iwprovemem.
lias uLt:..iucJ. iu t bi::; cuuutry i11 t,he theory of education. Intelligent and thoughtful tea~hers ob~c; neJ the pl1eac;ure w Lid1 a!i chiidren take iu tLe
observation of natural obiects : t.h Pv nnti",,,.:i , h~•

that children aro the most practical of beings, who
refuse, phr~ses, and demand constantly facts.
· "ObJcct Teaching" did _not :rig,inatP- · in this
couutry; .iL Las been pr~ct1ccU lLl l:.urvpc 1n 1 h i<
best schools for many years; but the most complcLti liLt:rary a id ,, li a ve Lceu forni:>LeJ L) .\.1w.: rican teachers and authors, and this from the rea-

1d 1ilc spe:lii11.'.;· a nd

suu that \\·l1ilt~

rc:tlli~g a;·c a .w.ua;i~~~s~·~4~

young learners never tired of studying the varied
and interesting objects of nature which surround
them. "Suppose we should attempt to answer
~.hese many ques.tions of the ebildren ?" they said.
.'Suppose that, rnstead of teaching them to read
m dry ~ooks, convey'ing no useful or interesting information, we should provide them lessons which
should gratify their ?esir~ to co~prehend the nature ·an~ fix in 't_heir minds ' tile shape"and
t'(,f
tlie v.anons natural objects which so ·excite their
curiosity?"
'.
~
. Out of this suggestion has :wi;;en quite '.a' ~cbool
~iterature-a i'leries of works of remarkable merit,
~ntended to help parents and teachers to answer
mstead ofrepressing, the inquiries oftbe children'
and thus to foster and develop, instead of discour:
ag!;!,g, the burning desire for real knowledge.
. .iT1e i:;ystem of tuition which bas thus gro;vn up
is nghtly called "Object Teaching." It aims to
s~tis~y the cr'.1vin~ of the child oi· youth for µract1cal 111format10n; 1t recognizes the important fact

use

c 1)JJ111 1(' '1

~cl1PCil rdn r~tlC'•Tl i:-; uni -

versal in the United States, the great mass·of our
youth must turn early to trades and business pursuits, and have no time, after they leave school,
for the study o'f text-oooks .
The. principle of "Object 'l'eaching" is, there..
fore, peculiarly and admirably adapted to the ~rac­
tical, common-sense character of the American
mind. It has been seized upon with avidity by
parents and teachers; and its success is exempli~
ficd in the number of book~ whieh have been re, cently published, either directly relating to the
bubjeot., or iqvolving the use of its principle~ .
SHELDON in his "Manual of Elementary Irn<Lrnution" and his "Model Lessons on Objects,"
WELLS in his "Graded Schools,'' and "LILIENTHAL and WELCH in their "Object I.essons," and
several ~tber writers, have endeavored to help
the teacher to correct notions of" Object Teacl1ing." But among the series of works b earing
upon the subject, those of Marci m< \.Vilh;ou, E. A,
Calkins, and 1W orthington Hooker merit special

168 OBJECT

TEACHING~THE CULTURE

mention. These works, published by Messrs. Harper & Brothers,' and got up with great care and
at a heavy cost, are furnished with many hundreds
of wood engravings, executed in the best style of
the art, and especially for the books in which they
appear; t hey are admirably suited ~o the use of
}J:.1l'LHL>:> ~>=>

\\'ell a .., Lt~o.u;/ i erl".", au t1 tiley are gr::l.dn;itt-·•1 i~_q· tf tt~ itt"-'t! 'Uc·t1c1n of ch'. ldrcn of !111 !"l':C~ .
Dr. ITuukut· rurnarks in tbe prefac~ to ~ue of .
J1i~ o x eel lent !-< P. l'it·~. the ~' ( ;h i!d '-..; 1-~nnk of 1\ ;Hnrc\"
LL:1L <: t.Uu inqul;'.::lLi ve obserYaLi0u cl'. ehilJren i;.;
con11n0uiv re!H'e:-\~·w1l ln.:.: tP ~Hi nf hriing cnco111 9 :i.~r CT
:lD d
'l'hc (_·_ /1ici' r c:1 snn 1·1 1r 1l 1i..;; nnn :-ttnr:d

course is, that parents and t eachers are not in possession <?f the information which is needed for the
guidance of children in the ob::stirvation of Nature.
They have not themselves been taught arlght; and
so they arc not able to lead ot!.icrs aright. In
their own education the observation of Nature
has been almost entirely excluded, and they are
t.herPfore 11nprepared to te:ich a child in reo-ard
•
0
to the simplest natural phenomena." He might
justly have added that they have not even been
taught to observe. Most m en see without per<'eivln.~, excrpting in th e rns e of tL OiiC oLl ie cts

with which they are most intimately conn;cted
by business pursuits. Their children see more of
all oli~cc~:; :.i.boui. t.iwm tli.w tlieir pareuts. Ho w
sq o~ld the latter be able to g uide and instruct

•

I

OF THE PERCEPTIVE POWERS.

169

this faculty of minute and intelligent observation,
when they have themselves lost it?
Now the excellence of these works of Hooker,
Willson, and Calkins, and of others of the class,
consists in this, that they suggest to parents and
teachers bow to observe natural objects, how to
eaH thP Htt.~nuon (•t' c l 1l 1~1 n_·11 l.o t.11 1._~ir quaiiLlc::i ~i11J
iirirt>', !to w 1 <> c>::pl:1in tlH·rn, or ,·:1r t9C tl1cltl to explain . Lhemiselveis. They make tcachiug wh aL iL
Oll~!l 1t

t<) h0 , fl. p) 0:1S:1Tl t f•:t'\irnC' , r:1tJ1cr tlt:\11 \\] t:1i.
it t o o 0J\,H1i i;..;, LL(; luJi iLdi..:~.::=. Jru.·,..:.st..:r) uC a t.1rl11rnas t er. Thi"], c'<peci:>ilv trir<' nC t l1t• t.wu " :'1!::11 nals of Instrn< ·tio1; in ci°l,j«t't Lc•sson~," Ly I ' r u-

fessors Willson and Calkins, works which may be
regarded as quite. a'boon to the :mxinn" mother
and to the conscieut.iuu::s Leaclier.
·
Dr. Hooker's series, beginn ing with th e now
well-kuo wu au•l well -appr,,\,,J "L'ililJ's liuuk of
. •· Nature" and :including a "Natural History,'1 a
'
'
i
· "First Book in Chemistry," a Chemistry for more
advanced pupils, :J.!1d a. '' Nat'..lral Philos0phy>"
and soon to be enriched by the addition of a
carefully prepared iex L-iJook of "Geoiogy and
Mineralogy"-all fully and carefully illustrated<.:Olll]Jlele" ~ Ehr.1ry nf ~ r l ~nnl :ina F:>:ni 1y 'T'rx t books which is without a rival. In Dr. Hooker's, as in the others, the labors of the teacher or
pareut are ligLLeuec1 L•.Y judieiuw; l ic~F'> hiut,;, ;u1c1
suggestions; the in struction is conveyed in fa-

170

OBJECT TEACHING, ETC.

B.OOKS FOR SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

miliar language, and the aim is to satisfy the in~
t elligent curiosity of the child or youth, and teach
him to observe correctly and minutely, and encourage him to investigate the n1ysteries \Vhich
surround him. With the help of these books,
question - asking children need no longer be a
"bore" and "bother," and parents as well as
teachers will find it an easy pleasure to gratify
and encourage the questioners, whom now they

PU BLJJ:Ul.&D llY

HARPER & BROTHERS, FRANKLIN

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Aberc rombie on the Intelle ctual P o wers.

Wit!t

Abercrombie on the Philosophy of the M oral

·.--1·~..

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With Qlh:-~ t i·~·n.::.

A liso n on Taste .

1~m .-., 1r-. l"en t...::.

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Anthon's Latin Lessons.
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A ntliou's Lat in Pro s e Compo siti o n.

'·

' i'

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T'l1

D

1'?111,), Slw1·1•. -:::1 '! !'"·

By

1~, ,..,,

LEONARD

