A cube and the various species of parallelopipeds, may be presented to a child, very much to his aid, in getting a clear and distinct idea of the elementary principles of solid measure; and may dispel darkness from every step of his future progress, in the mensuration of solids, whether of wood, timber, bricks, walls, or of cisterns, casks, bins or any other kinds of containing vessels. The light which they thus throw upon the subject at the outset of the pupil's progress, and the aid which they render in his future investigations, may and ought to impart to him both courage and strength in grappling with the most abstruse and difficult principles of the science of geometry. But if by the abuse of them, they lead the pupil to suppose, that all geometrical science consists in measuring a few blocks, they check effort and weaken intellect.

The Infant School System has, by abuse, produced some evil with much good. It is the opposite extreme to our common school system, which produces some good and much evil. The common school, by withdrawing the child from everything which has a tendency to excite and invigorate the mind, too often cramps its energies, and impairs its independence. The infant school, calculating principally upon excitement, surrounds the child with pictures, amuses it with stories, and soon brings the mind into such a state as not to be able to act at all, except when stimulated with external machinery. The one is hence calculated to benumb, the other to dissipate the mind. The proper course undoubtedly lies between them. A portion of the infant school machinery is needed to awaken interest and encourage effort. A portion of the common school system is needed to cultivate patience, and to give the power of long continued effort.

The picture system which is so much the order of the present day, undoubtedly produces some good, but it must unavoidably produce immense evil. Children, and adults too, are coming to feel that they cannot read a book or a paper which is not filled with 'pretty pictures.' But who ever heard of a person acquiring a strong or well disciplined mind by looking at pictures? Is it not evident that stimulants of this kind produce an effect upon the intellect and heart, resembling that of alcohol upon the body? When such excitements become necessary for intellectual effort, the mind does not move by its own inherent power, but by the influence of foreign or extraneous stimulants, and is consequently in a diseased state.

If then the facilities for acquiring knowledge are sometimes carried so far as to defeat the object they are intended to promote, it becomes a serious and most important question, how far they can be introduced for the advantage of the great cause of education. On that question, it may perhaps be safe in nearly every

case, to be governed by one principle; which is, to aim at encouraging and invigorating effort. All the facilities, and all the aid a mind can receive to induce and enable it to increase its own efforts, will probably prove salutary: the moment a mind begins to depend upon the facilities afforded it, rather than upon itself, its efforts are impaired, and its growth checked. A distinguished teacher, and president of a college, defined genius to be the power of making efforts.' The most distinguished statesman of our republic, once very modestly replied to some inquiries made by a friend respecting himself, that if he was superior to most others in anything, it was in his power of fixing and confining his mind to a given subject for a long time. In other words, in his making vigorous and long continued efforts. The same remark was long since made by Sir Isaac Newton. This power is undoubtedly the essence of intellectual energy, wherever it is found. Of course, whatever tends to give a mind that power over itself, is calculated to answer the legitimate and highest purposes of education. Whatever tends to draw away the mind from itself, and to lead it to depend upon foreign aid, whether it be in a multiplicity of teachers, voluminous libraries, scientific or illustrative apparatus, beautiful pictures, or fictitious or real stories, can hardly fail to defeat the great purposes of education to impair the intellects they are intended to strengthen, and to dissipate the minds they are designed to sober and dignify.

A few cases will be sufficient to show the importance of some aid to the young mind, particularly, in obtaining clear conceptions of the elementary principles of the subjects presented for its examination. A gentleman, not long since, took up an apple to show a niece, sixteen years of age, who had studied geography several years, something about the shape and motion of the earth. She looked at him for a few minutes, and said with much earnestness; Why, uncle, you don't mean that the earth really turns round, do you?' He replied, But did not you learn that several years ago? Yes, Sir,' she replied, I learned it, but I never knew it before.' Now, it is obvious that this young lady had been laboring several years on the subject of geography, and groping in almost total darkness, because some kind friend did not show her at the outset, by a globe or an apple, that the earth really turned round.'

6

It is related by Miss Edgeworth, that a gentleman, while attending an examination of a school, where every question was answered with the greatest promptness, put some questions to the pupils which were not exactly the same as found in the book. After numerous ready answers to their teacher on the subject of geography, he asked one of the pupils where Turkey was. She answered rather hesitatingly, In the yard, with the poultry.'

6

Three or four years ago, a gentleman sold a right of some water for carrying a mill. The quantity first agreed upon, was a stream which could be discharged through a two-inch tube. When asked what he should charge for the quantity which would pass through a four-inch tube, he answered, twice the price of the other. The purchaser of course obtained four times the water for twice the money, as a tax upon the seller's ignorance; which a glance at a diagram might have removed.

6

It was stated in one of the most respectable newspapers in Boston* a few days since, that London was seven miles long and five miles wide; and allowing for its irregular shape, was eighteen miles square.' It was meant that it contained eighteen square miles. If the editor, when a school boy, had glanced at a simple diagram, he would have learned, that in eighteen miles square, there are 324 square miles.

Mistakes equally gross with those above, are occurring by thousands every day, and all for the want of a familiar illustration of the elementary and fundamental principles of the common practical sciences. How few in our schools, or among farmers and mechanics, have a clear and distinct idea of what is meant by a cubic or solid inch, or foot, or mile! And until a person has a clear conception of that original elementary idea in solids, how can he move one step on the subject, except by groping in midnight darkness? And how is he to gain a conception of that idea, except by some familiar practical illustration?

Examples might be mentioned, almost without number, of wasted strength, and lost effort, both by children and adults, from the want of clear conceptions of a few elementary principles, which they might obtain by a glance even, at some appropriate illustrations; but we cannot add.

We have time only to remark, that the machinery of education is, in our opinion, important and necessary to encourage and invigorate effort, by giving the abstract principles light, and interest, and truth; and while used as a help merely for the operations and success of the more curious machinery of intellect and heart, it produces good; but the moment it is used as a dependence, it produces evil. And it is deeply to be regretted that, like most other good things, both in the external and internal world, it is often so abused as to become an evil, rather than a blessing.

*We believe this statement was originally derived from some foreign magazine; - perhaps Frazer's.

In the summer of 1826, several gentlemen of Boston, who had been engaged for some time, in efforts to introduce improvements in reference to Sacred Music, became acquainted with the views and plans of Mr Lowell Mason, since president of the Handel and Haydn Society, and editor of their collection of music, but at that time resident in Savannah. During a visit to this city he was induced to deliver a lecture on church music, which was heard with great interest; was published soon after, and passed to a second edition. After Mr Mason's return to Savannah, measures were immediately taken to obtain his aid and direction in the execution of their plans; proposals were made to him to remove to Boston, which were finally accepted, and he arrived here with his family in July, 1827.

Even at this early stage of the enterprise, it was the ultimate design of those engaged in it, to form an association whose object should be to devise and execute extended measures for the cultivation and improvement of sacred music. While this plan has been kept steadily in view, constant efforts have been made to cultivate musical talents, to improve musical taste, and to awaken the interest of the community upon the subject, by the instruction of choirs, adult schools, and juvenile classes, under the direction of Mr Mason.

These measures were in progress in 1830, when a lecture on Vocal Music was delivered before the American Institute of Instruction,* illustrated by the performance of Mr Mason's pupils, which opened to those interested in this subject, a wider and more important field of operation than they had before contemplated. From this lecture it appears, that in Switzerland and Germany, vocal music is one of the branches of common school instruction, and that it is there generally considered as necessary as reading and writing, and is regarded as an indispensable qualification for an instructor. In consequence of such general and early attention to the subject, this important portion of public worship can be suitably performed by the whole congregation. But in addition to this advantage, music of a chaste, and elevating moral character has been introduced to a great extent, and with the happiest effect, especially among children and youth, as the companion of the fire-side, and the play-ground. In Switzerland, this is especially the case. It was observed that it was the favorite recreation of the young, especially of the poor; that it was a cheering companion in many of their labors, and a substitute for drinking and riot in their social meetings.

[The Report here contains an extract from the Annals of Education for May, 1833, from p. 197 to 201, describing the state of musical instruction in Europe.]

*On Vocal Music as a branch of Education by W. C. Woodbridge. Boston: Hilliard, Gray, & Co.

Mr. Woodbridge brought with him the work of Nageli and Pfeiffer and Köbler on elementary instruction, the cards for class instruction, prepared for this purpose, and the juvenile music of Nageli and Pfeiffer, together with that collected for the institution at Hofwyl. He communicated the system and the music first to Mr E. Ives, of Hartford, (Conn.) under whose direction the first classes in this country were taught on the new plan, and examinations and concerts held, which demonstrated to the satisfaction of skilful musicians, that the children, even of an infant school, were capable of attainments in scientific and practical music, which had been deemed impossible. The same works were subsequently placed in the hands of Mr Mason, who adopted the system of instruction, and carried it into effect by a course of laborious instruction, given gratuitously to large juvenile classes. The results were fully exhibited in the Juvenile Concerts of 1832 and 1833, to the delight of large audiences. To aid in the extension of juvenile music, a small collection of social and moral songs, chiefly from the German, were published by Messrs Mason and Ives, under the title of the Juvenile Lyre,' which has been widely circulated. Two elementary books have been published by Mr Ives, based on the same principles of instruction. Another elementary work is now preparing, by Mr Mason, embracing the system, in a more complete form, with the most recent improvements of the German teachers.

In view of the wide and important field, which is now opened, it was resolved during the last winter, to establish an association which should endeavor to obtain for our country the advantages derived from vocal music in Switzerland and Germany, and should secure the services of competent persons devoted to this object. After some informal consultations, a meeting was held on the 8th of Jan. 1833, and an institution organized under the name of THE BOSTON ACADEMY OF MUSIC.

At a subsequent meeting, a committee was appointed to designate the objects to which the labors of the Academy should be directed.

[The report of this Committee (which we should be glad to insert, did our limits permit,) points out most clearly the wide field before them, and the multitude of objects to be accomplished, in order to place music in its proper rank in our country.]

The Academy can hope to accomplish but few of these objects at once ; but in order to commence, as efficiently as possible, a series of efforts for their attainment, the government of the Society divided themselves into a number of Committees, each of which was devoted to some special branch of labor.

In order to avail themselves of the facilities of action afforded by a charter, the Academy subsequently petitioned the legislature of Massachusetts for an act of incorporation. The petition was referred to the Committee on Education, to whom the objects of the Academy were stated; and by their recommendation the Academy was incorporated by the legislature in April, 1833.

The first step taken by the Academy was to engage Mr Mason