CHAPTER IV. CONTINUATION OF MEANS OF INSTRUCTION.-EMULATION. "The Christian pupil has an internal emulation; he seeks to equal a model placed within his own breast."-ANONYMOUS. It is not only important, in education, to combine and skilfully to employ good methods, but to act upon the will, and subdue or direct the strongest and most impetuous feelings of the soul. The learning and the plans of an instructer are of no use, if he have not the address to secure the coöperation of his pupils; if he cannot excite and maintain in them, a desire to learn. To succeed in this, he must make use of motives, which act powerfully upon the human soul; he must either take advantage of the natural desire for knowledge, or stimulate it, when dor mant. In some cases, little more is necessary, than to arrange for the pupil a course of studies. The taste for learning, once produced, will carry him onward, often, indeed, beyond proper bounds; for, as the regular lessons every day inspire with new zeal, this thirst for knowledge may have even an unfavorable influence upon the character. We must, then, consider the subject in a moral point of view. This duty becomes the more necessary, where the mind appears premature in its developements; as we have reason to distrust an unnatural precocity. The tastes, which favor the progress of the young in various kinds of knowledge, are almost universal. The fondness of children for flowers, shells, birds, and all the brilliant objects of natural history; the interest excited by the recital of the wonderful facts and heroic adventures which history presents; the agreeable impressions derived from the arts of music and drawing; the curiosity excited by the wonderful or mysterious phenomena of natural philosophy and chemistry; the pleasure attached to mental activity, and the pride of mastering difficulties; in short, the satisfaction of acquiring new ideas, of comprehending the reasons of the varied operations of art which they see around them, and the hope of being, themselves, able to perform the same ;-such are the natural sources, whence may be derived a taste for study. These are the motives, whose strength education may safely invigorate; and the more proof we have of their activity, the more confidently we may expect their future improvement, and the more interesting do they, for the present, appear. These motives may exist; they may operate silently; and their influence will often wholly disappear, when more lively pleasures are presented. We cannot expect, that the charms of study will strike the imagination of childhood, like their noisy games and turbulent pleasures. These are delightful compensations to those, who are willing to sacrifice lively amusements for study; but children do not know of this; for intellectual enjoyments have no sensible signs, by which they can be painted to the imagination. Children will, it is true, resign themselves, from necessity, to that which they would never have preferred; but a preference for study must be carefully cultivated. In this preference lies the germ of talent, the hope and promise of the future man. The taste for intellectual enjoyments increasing with years, at length no pleasures are relished, but such as are allied to our purest and most noble faculties. But it would be unwise, to speak to children, too much, of enjoyments which they are neither prepared to understand, nor to relish. We need not flatter ourselves, that the hope of the pleasure, to be derived from study, will be sufficient, to excite them to the performance of this duty. We must place other motives before them; but none should ever be employed, which will tend to impair the natural tastes which would insure future application. What, then, shall we say of such motives, as, by impairing the amiable dispositions and disturbing the serenity of the mind, would endanger the moral character? Punishments and rewards are small means, whose utility, at best, is of short duration. But we must, in treating of education, not forget to study the effect of the great instrument, whose influence always increases with increasing years; that exciting instrument, self-love, which often leads to the most sordid selfishness in mature years. In remarking upon the subject of emulation, it is proper to make certain distinctions. If we understand by emulation, the powerful effects of example; that sudden conviction of the power of the will, which is produced by witnessing the success of another; that sympathetic ardor, which is naturally communicated among those who are running the same race; we speak of a result, as innocent as it is advantageous. We cannot blame, nor should we seek to stifle, in the child, a desire of being noticed, and the particular object of approbation or esteem. This is an indestructible propensity, and a powerful motive to improve ment. But, from the desire of elevating ourselves above others to that of seeing them descend below us, there is but a short and slippery step. Does education always tend to guard against this? It is one thing, to suffer a propensity, which Nature has implanted, to remain; and another, to rouse and strengthen, in every possible manner, that propensity. Self-love is mingled with all our emotions; it is allied to our most disinterested affections; if we analyze our most noble sentiments, we may find traces of its influence. All that we can ask is, that the generous feelings may prevail above the selfish, and appear so decided, that we cannot mistake them. We can expect nothing more of a human being, and ought to respect even that amiable illusion, which leads one to suppose himself entirely disinterested. Here, as elsewhere, the bounds of our duty do not extend beyond our power. To pretend to root out selflove is chimerical; but intentionally to increase it is sinful. And when we see institutions for education so conducted, as to foment envy, and excite rivalry, making one pupil desire advantages from the faults of another, can we avoid raising our voice in condemnation of such an order of things? Why maintain that knowledge ought to render mankind better, when, for the sake of a little more knowledge, we expose them to be made worse? It is asserted, that the evil, which results from this course, is satisfaction of acquiring new ideas, of comprehending the reasons of the varied operations of art which they see around them, and the hope of being, themselves, able to perform the same ;-such are the natural sources, whence may be derived a taste for study. These are the motives, whose strength education may safely invigorate; and the more proof we have of their activity, the more confidently we may expect their future improvement, and the more interesting do they, for the present, appear. These motives may exist; they may operate silently; and their influence will often wholly disappear, when more lively pleasures are presented. We cannot expect, that the charms of study will strike the imagination of childhood, like their noisy games and turbulent pleasures. These are delightful compensations to those, who are willing to sacrifice lively amusements for study; but children do not know of this; for intellectual enjoyments have no sensible signs, by which they can be painted to the imagination. Children will, it is true, resign themselves, from necessity, to that which they would never have preferred; but a preference for study must be carefully cultivated. In this preference lies the germ of talent, the hope and promise of the future man. The taste for intellectual enjoyments increasing with years, at length no pleasures are relished, but such as are allied to our purest and most noble faculties. But it would be unwise, to speak to children, too much, of enjoyments which they are neither prepared to understand, nor to relish. We need not flatter ourselves, that the hope of the pleasure, to be derived from study, will be sufficient, to excite them to the performance of this duty. We must place other motives before them; but none should ever be employed, which will tend to impair the natural tastes which would insure future application. What, then, shall we say of such motives, as, by impairing the amiable dispositions and disturbing the serenity of the mind, would endanger the moral character? Punishments and rewards are small means, whose utility, at best, is of short duration. But we must, in treating of education, not forget to study the effect of the great instrument, whose influence always increases with increasing years; that exciting instrument, self-love, which often leads to the most sordid selfishness in mature years. In remarking upon the subject of emulation, it is proper to make certain distinctions. If we understand by emulation, the powerful effects of example; that sudden conviction of the power of the will, which is produced by witnessing the success of another; that sympathetic ardor, which is naturally communicated among those who are running the same race; we speak of a result, as innocent as it is advantageous. We cannot blame, nor should we seek to stifle, in the child, a desire of being noticed, and the particular object of approbation or esteem. This is an indestructible propensity, and a powerful motive to improve ment. But, from the desire of elevating ourselves above others to that of seeing them descend below us, there is but a short and slippery step. Does education always tend to guard against this? It is one thing, to suffer a propensity, which Nature has implanted, to remain; and another, to rouse and strengthen, in every possible manner, that propensity. Self-love is mingled with all our emotions; it is allied to our most disinterested affections; if we analyze our most noble sentiments, we may find traces of its influence. All that we can ask is, that the generous feelings may prevail above the selfish, and appear so decided, that we cannot mistake them. We can expect nothing more of a human being, and ought to respect even that amiable illusion, which leads one to suppose himself entirely disinterested. Here, as elsewhere, the bounds of our duty do not extend beyond our power. To pretend to root out selflove is chimerical; but intentionally to increase it is sinful. And when we see institutions for education so conducted, as to foment envy, and excite rivalry, making one pupil desire advantages from the faults of another, can we avoid raising our voice in condemnation of such an order of things? Why maintain that knowledge ought to render mankind better, when, for the sake of a little more knowledge, we expose them to be made worse? It is asserted, that the evil, which results from this course, is |