"It is no trifling good," says Mr. Southey, "to win the ear of children with verses, which foster in them the seeds of humanity, and tenderness, and piety, and awaken their fancy, and exercise pleasurably and wholsomely, their imaginative and meditative powers. Poetry, in this sense, may be called the salt of the earth; we express in it, and receive in it sentiments, of which, were it not for this permitted medium, the usages of the world would neither allow utterance nor acceptance. And who can tell in our heart-chilling and hearthardening society, how much more selfish, how much more debased, how much worse we should have been in all moral and intellectual respects, had it not been for the unnoticed and unsuspected influence of this preservative." If a school book can furnish defence against the tempter within, and the incentive to sin without, who would deny the young such protection?

There are two modes of instruction which must work together, in ordinary cases, to awaken and furnish the intellect; they may be called the intelligent, and the mechanical. The intelligent is that which presents facts and ideas through some living agent, and demands of the pupil to reflect upon them, leads him to comparisons, and guides him to inferences; and then points out the error of false conclusions, if he happens to make them. The mechanical is that which puts instruments, books, &c., into the pupil's hands, and requires him to furnish his memory with principles, and to exercise his skill upon demonstrations, insisting rigidly upon application and labor, as the condition of all success in the pursuit before him. This treatment presumes that subsequent development will be informed with a germinant principle, infused by the material of knowledge through self-pains, and operating through life in the conduct of the understanding, furnishing and guiding it at the same time. These two forms of instruction are called the new and the old way, because the former, from time immemorial, has been too much neglected, and has but lately, - chiefly since Edgeworth's Practical Education was written,- been much discussed, and strongly insisted upon by theorists; using that word in no disparaging sense. Superficial thinkers often separate these modes of instruction, and assume that the old way is a weariness of the flesh, and little worth, and that the new way is all-sufficing. But if endeavor, and industry, and the sense of responsibility for the gift of talents, either

of two or ten, are to be cherished as rational and moral means of self-culture, then the intelligent method, applied orally, and indispensable to a certain extent, is of the same use to the young, as the surveyor of the coast, and the pilot are to the navigator. They merely send him forth upon adventure, leaving him to apply his own judgment and energy, in the use of powers that require science and art for their direction; which science and art he must obtain by study and practice, — for without them he could never reach the desired haven.

The fallacy of presuming to obtain much knowledge, through mere reception of oral informations, without proper appliances and intellectual labor, may be proved generally by the very persons who place confidence in such a course. Their shallow attainments commonly demonstrate the want of what they depreciate. Those persons, who are always searching for, and proposing to others, short and easy roads to learning, are usually destitute of any variety, comprehensiveness, and depth of knowledge themselves. Abridgments, compendiums, and popular lectures, are chiefly of service to those already informed of their elements. From the very nature of science, moral or physical, it cannot be acquired without method and patient thought. Principles must often be presented to the mind in the same form, before they can be imprinted upon it. A book takes, preserves, and reflects a truth in one unvariable form, and from it the student can "minister to himself." "This is the book that teaches without telling," we heard a little child say of one of Mr. Jacob Abbot's excellent little books. Invaluable little book to the toil-worn expounder of the "nature and power of letters!"

Skill and perseverance are effects of habit, and intellectual habits of the best kind are formed alike by natural intelligence and industry. Industry, either voluntary or compelled, often enlightens intelligence, dormant without it, as efficaciously as intelligence guides industry. Application is the great means of securing the ends at which all rational instruction aims. They who educate the young, or who provide for their education, may be assured that all schemes intended to develop the mind of an individual, or a people, without regular and strenuous endeavors of those who are subjects of instruction, those endeavors being aided by suitable implements entirely at command of the learner, all promises to insinuate learning, so that small expense of time and labor will be sufficient for every useful ac

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quisition, must end in comparative ignorance, and in actual diminution of intellectual power. It is only by early and efficacious discipline of that power, that a rational being appropriates to himself the largest measure of the wisdom and truth, which constitute the worth of all study and literature.

If it be objected that they, who resort to our common schools, have not time for much study of books, it may be answered, that they have the allotted time of childhood, and every seventh day of their whole lives, in which to take hold of instruction; and that instruction given at the beginning of life ought to be of the best quality, and after the best method, because the time allowed is too short to be wasted; but, blessed be God, not too short to acquire that wisdom whose ways are pleasantness, and whose paths are peace.

Persons who do not desire to see school books multiplied, may, perhaps, think better of their uses, by reading Cousin's account of those employed in Holland: "Those books, which are to be used first, have prints, calculated to be attractive to children, to give them some ideas of external objects, and to connect in their memories, the words with the ideas which they represent. Next, follow others containing short, moral stories, calculated to interest them. After these, come books which treat of natural objects, either curious in themselves, or useful to man; processes of art, the most necessary to be acquainted with; and, in all of them, useful reflections upon Providence, and the duties which man owes to his fellow-creatures are introduced.

"Sacred history, profane history, the history of their native country, treated in a manner to be understood by children, are the subjects of other books. There are some in which the principal civil and criminal laws are explained. Their hymns tell them the gratitude they owe to the author of nature; the kindly feelings they should attach to their parents, their employers, and their country, and the happiness to be derived from such affectionate sentiments. The fruit of all this is, that without devoting one minute more to instruction, than the time employed in the common method, instructers are imprinting on their memories what children in ordinary schools, either never know, or only learn with difficulty in after life, when their occupation affords them any leisure to read, after they have left school; and thus their minds are imbued with calm and noble sentiments, which intercourse with the world may weaken, but the impression of which, can never be obliterated."

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We have deviated from our direct object, to commend the uses of the Common School Journal, in order to combat what we esteem to be a false notion; but we trust that our opinions upon this subject are in accord with those of which the Journal is the proper organ. The great respect we have for the intelligence and moral power, employed upon that periodical, has induced this notice of it, and the cause to which it is devoted. To know what to teach, and to show what to teach, and how to teach it, is a noble vocation. To cast out of any popular practice or system all inappropriate instruction, to apply reason and religion, in place of blind custom, to the work of education, to form the rising race to just sentiments and good actions, to rescue them from low desires, vulgar habits, and the apathy of ignorance, is a truly elevated purpose. We believe that such a purpose is not romantic, but entirely attainable; that it grows out of the capabilities of man's moral nature, and our existing necessities as members of society, and that he who announces this purpose, and calls upon all other minds of kindred nature to aid it, confers a favor upon the whole community; a favor which they can best requite by encouraging and assisting his enterprise.

E. R.

ART. III. The Life of William Cowper: by ROBERT SOUTHEY, Esq., LL. D. Poet Laureate, &c. 2 vols. 1839. Boston: Otis, Broaders, & Co.

WE E are glad to see an American reprint of this new Life of Cowper, which has been prefixed to a new edition of the poet's writings, by the distinguished editor and biographer, Dr. Southey. That sectarian jealousy, which has always been alive and active, whenever the name of Cowper has been brought before the public, since his death, has manifested itself, on the occasion of this new and improved edition of the poet's writings; and it is owing to this jealousy, as we are informed in the preface to the English edition, that this edition cannot be called complete. The volume published some fourteen or fifteen years since, under the title of "Cowper's Private Correspon

dence," was secured by copy-right; and as soon as an offer was made to purchase the right, the old jealousy was roused, and a separate edition of Cowper's works, with a biography_prefixed, was hurried before the public, under the name of Mr. Grimshaw, who is lauded as "the only living man who could do justice to the Life of Cowper."

In consequence of the circumstance just mentioned, the edition of Southey must be said to be not complete. Still, he informs us in his preface, that he has wrought "the whole of the information" contained in the "Private Correspondence," so called, into the biography, as he felt himself justified in doing, so that "the purchasers of the present edition will in this respect lose nothing." We have not examined the rival edition, by Grimshaw, and of course cannot speak with accuracy concerning its merits or demerits, neither will the American public, any more than ourselves, be likely to be much interested in the rivalship of two London publishing houses. When, however, Mr. Grimshaw says, that it was his purpose to revise Hayley's life of the poet, purifying it from the errors that detract from its acknowledged value, and adapting it to the demands and expectations of the religious public," we are quite satisfied to remain in ignorance of his work. We do not affect these attempts to adapt works to a particular mode of thought and feeling prevailing in any portion of the community. We have had already too many of similar attempts to adapt Cowper's life to the wants of religious sectaries. There has been as much contention in the religious world among different sects, each of which was anxious to possess itself of Cowper's name and influence, to give vogue to their peculiar sentiments, as there was among the Grecian and Trojan heroes, over the dead body of Patroclus. We should be glad if this vain din might cease. And we welcome, for this reason, the production of an author, who has no sectarian bigotry to gratify by the accomplishment of his task, who is careful not to obtrude his own private religious convictions upon the reader; who takes up the character of his subject in its broad view and relations, who is thoroughly competent to investigate the poet's literary character and claims, and who has liberality of mind enough to consider Cowper as a man having religion, rather than as a religious sectary. How far Dr. Southey has succeeded in his attempt, can now be settled each one for himself. If his biography is not everything we could desire, it at least marks an im