566 Great Design of Education. instead of being himself the teacher, employs the various excellent schools of the village, according as they are suited to the age and wants of his pupils; while he himself is in the habit of daily reviewing, illustrating, and explaining the lessons in an easy and familiar way;-thereby giving the individuals under his care the benefit of two instructors, and separating the school entirely from the house.' The great design of education is, not merely to put our youth in possession of a certain number of scientific and historical facts, nor merely to teach them the ancient and modern languages, but to develop and to cultivate the powers of their physical, intellectual and moral nature. That this cultivation would be much better carried on, in such a school as that of Dr B.'s, than in those in which the more common system is pursued, we should conclude, even if no experiment had been made, because the former approaches much nearer to the Divine appointment in the great model school, the family. The history of this school confirms, in the most decided manner, this conclusion. We do not believe that there is a school to be found in the United States, in which more attention is paid to the physical education of youth, or whose members exhibit a more healthy appearance, than those connected with Dr B.'s institution; and that the moral and intellectual culture which his pupils enjoy, is of an equally high order, we do with the utmost freedom affirm. In confirmation of this statement, we can appeal to the reputation of his pupils in the community in which they reside. We are quite sure that there is not a school any where to be found, the moral reputation of whose pupils is better. The question, whether it is better for youth to be educated at home, or in a boarding school, is one which will doubtless be variously answered. To those who wish, from whatever motive, to have their children educated from home, we do most heartily recommend the school of Dr B. We recommend it to the attention of all parents and guardians, for the sake of the principle on which it is founded, and on account of the admirable manner in which all its departments are conducted. J. F. Education Convention in Boston. 567 MISCELLANY. EDUCATION CONVENTION IN BOSTON. A MEETING of some of the friends of Education in Boston, was held at Park Street vestry, on Saturday the 3d of November. It was a meeting of no ordinary interest, but as we were absent from the State at the time, and had no reporter, we are obliged to collect a brief account of it from the newspapers. The meeting was one of discussion; and the subjects discussed were various. Among them, however, was the want of healthy, well constructed school rooms. This subject was particularly dwelt upon by Mr Eliot, the mayor of the city, who presided at the meeting, and by Messrs John Pierpont, Jonathan Phillips, C. F. Barnard, and Amasa Walker. Another evil complained of, in primary and common schools, was over stimulus. This topic elicited remarks from some of the individuals already mentioned, and also from Rev. Mr Blagden, Hon. James T. Austin, Rev. Nehemiah Adams, and Mr F. Emerson. A discussion also took place — and a very animated one, too-in regard to religious instruction. The following, as a part of the discussion, from the papers, verbatim. we copy 'Rev. Nehemiah Adams said it had seemed to him that the course of the Board of Education in relation to religious education in schools, was a very difficult and delicate one, and he observed by the public prints that there were jealousies.* It was said that their object was to give a Christian Education. But the question was, who is to decide what are the principles of the Christian Religion? The feeling is that to attempt to teach this will be to teach sectarianism. In illustration of this remark he would state a fact that occurred in the School Committee. A member of the committee objected to the introduction of a book because it had this verse in it, in reference to the consequences of lying and stealing. I shall see the just afar, Radiant as the morning star; While with trembling steps I go, To the darker world of wo! The committee man would not have this book introduced, because it taught the doctrine of future punishment. * He alluded, perhaps, in part, to articles which have recently appeared in the New York Observer.-ED. 568 Education in New Hampshire. On the other side, there might be ground of complaint on account of what was left out of the school books. If any thing is taught as the christian religion which falls short of it, there is equal ground of complaint as though error were directly taught. In illustration of this, he alluded to a stanza, found, he believed, in Mr Pierpont's Third Reader, which is an alteration of one of the most beautiful hymns in our language, and which is found in almost every nursery in our land. The original is, For Satan finds some mischief still, For idle hands to do. The alteration reads, For there is always something ill, For idle hands to do. The implication here is that there is no such being as Satan; and the discerning child, having the original hymn in his possession, would be impressed with the idea that the author of the book and the school committee did not believe or at least doubted the existence of such a being. Mr Pierpont rose and said; 'As the gentleman has kindly given me permission to correct him, if he is in error, I would say that the alteration alluded to is in no book which I have given to the public. But his memory deceived him. The precise language quoted is to be found on page 137 of The Young Reader, by J. Pierpont. Mr P. of course, was not guilty of an intentional mis-statement, because many teachers who were present, use his book in their schools, and would easily perceive We have since accidentally learned that he has made a suitable and satisfactory explanation to Mr A. of his mistake. his error. EDUCATION IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. A meeting of the Cheshire County Association of Common School Teachers, and other friends of Education, was held at Keene, New Hampshire, in October, at which the following topics underwent a thorough and animated discussion. 1. The expediency of appointing an agent for schools, or a Board of Education for the State. 2. The improvement of school houses. 3. The evils of irregular attendance at school. 4. The proper age at which to commence the study of English grammar. Resolutions were adopted, either with or without previous discussion, recommending the appointment of a Board of Education for the State; the appointment of suitable persons to deliver Lectures on Common School Education in every town in the county; the improvement of school houses, especially as regards size, ventilation, location, internal arrangement; the constant and seasonable attendance of pupils at school; a closer attention to orthography in early education; the introduction of vocal music into common schools; together with much more of plain and familiar oral instruction. The last mentioned resolution was presented by the Rev. E. Rich, founder of the Orphan's Home in that immediate vicinity. EDUCATION FOR THE MINISTRY. The New York Observer, after copying, with approbation, an article which appeared in this work on the education of ministers, has the following appropriate remarks. 'Certainly, bodily health and vigor are not inconsistent with mental power. Moses was evidently a man of great bodily force. So was David, and many of his near relatives. Alexander of Macedon, notwithstanding his wry neck, was the only man who could tame the Thracian war-horse, Bucephalus. Julius Cæsar was a man of no inconsiderable bodily force. Look at his bust, his head and neck, the muscles of which could not belong to a feeble body. Our own Franklin, every school-boy knows, had at least twice the strength of an ordinary London printer. And, to mention a still more cherised name, our Washington had scarce an equal in muscular force in all that belongs to the perfection of the body. We might multiply examples; but these are enough. History does not record the names of six delicate, feeble-bodied individuals, whose minds have exerted so great an influence on the destinies of the human race.' SCHOOL LIBRARIES. At a recent examination of the public schools in Charlestown, Massachusetts, one of the pupils presented as his 'composition' for the occasion, an account of the school to which he belonged. Besides having a Temperance Society connected with it, containing 81 members, and an Association for Moral Improvement, he thus describes the Library. By the liberality of the citizens of this town, for which, on behalf of the Society whose organ I am, I improve this opportunity to express our sincere thanks, we have been enabled to procure a library of 370 volumes, consisting of history, biography, and other miscellaneous works. This library is considered as the property of the Neck School, to be used by the scholars of both sexes, who conform to the rules of the society. Thus instead of spending our evenings in the street, is noisy plays and brawls, we find a fit occupation at home, in reading our books and storing our minds with useful knowledge. Each member of the society is allowed the use of the library, after leaving the school; thus creating a connecting link between society at large and the school, and an interest in the cause of education and the common schools, which will be highly beneficial in its ultimate results.' 570 Instruction in Anatomy and Physiology. CHEEVER'S LATIN ACCIDENCE. Boston, 1838: pp. 72. If it were possible for mere antiquity to give claims to excellence in a school book, that before us should certainly be regarded as among the first in our own country. It is an elementary work, compiled by Ezekiel Cheever, who was 70 years a teacher of Latin, and was used in this country almost two centuries. The copy before us has just been carefully revised, corrected and stereotyped from the 18th edition. It is designed for mere beginners in the study; but might afford hints for not a few who are somewhat advanced. We cannot now enter deeply into an examination of the work; but it is at least a great curiosity. We observe, however, that it comes to us highly recommended by those who ought to be judges of its merits. POPULAR INSTRUCTION IN ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. The House I live in,' written by the editor of this journal, having been republished in London, with some slight changes by Mr Thomas Girtin, a surgeon, and having been once more carefully revised and somewhat enlarged by the original author, and rendered as perfect as the nature of the case will permit, has just passed to a third edition, and is stereotyped. In the present shape it is more happily adapted to schools than ever before; and will, we suppose, meet with a more extensive sale for this purpose. The advantages of understanding, thoroughly, the philosophy of the human structure, and the laws which prevail within us, are rated vastly too low, by the great mass of the community. It is not our object — it never has been our object — in pressing the study of Anatomy and Physiology upon the public mind, merely to render men better animals than they were before. We trust we have a higher and more noble object. Mankind can never-even professing christians attain to the standing they may desire-they can never become the perfect men and women they desire or should desire to be-till they have more perfect bodies than at present they possess. Teachers must understand these matters, and teach them to their children. Ministers must understand them, and their knowledge must modify their instructions. Legislators must make laws with the human constitution, its laws and relations, full before them; and, above all, parents must educate in the light of the same scien ces. In regard to the importance of having females so educated that they may become in this respect what they should be, in their influence upon society, we know not that we can do better than to make the following extract from the November number of the Library of Health. 'We had long been looking at every point of the social horizon, for the appearance of some intelligent and philanthropic female, whose in |