nishing. Bloomfield the poet relates of himself, that nearly one half of his poem, the Farmer's Boy, was composed, revised, and corrected, without writing a word of it, while he was at work with other shoemakers in a garret. Similar rules apply to the cultivation of these powers in young persons. They may be chiefly referred to the following heads: I. Exciting constant attention and constant interest. For this purpose it is of essential importance that whatever reading is presented to children shall be of a kind which they understand, and in which they can feel interest and pleasure. This will be greatly promoted by directing their attention to the meaning of words, and explaining them by familiar illustrations. The practice of setting tasks as punishments cannot be alluded to in terms adequate to its extreme absurdity. On this ground also it must be considered as a great error in education, to make children attempt too much; that is, more than they can do with close attention. When a sense of weariness or mental languor takes place, what follows is not merely a loss of time, but an important injury done to the mental constitution; and t appears to be of the utmost consequence that the time of children should be as much as possible divided between intense attention and active recreation. By a shorter time occupied in this manner, not only is more progress made than by a longer, with listless and imperfect application, but an important part of mental discipline is secured, which by the other method is entirely neglected. Similar observations, indeed, apply to persons at every period of life, and we are fully persuaded that progress in any intellectual pursuit does not depend so much upon protracted laborious study, as on the practice of keeping the subject habitually before the mind, and on the intensity of mental application. II. Cultivating habits of association, by pointing out to children the relation of facts to each other, the manner in which they illustrate one another, or lead to some general Anecdote of Bloomfield. Means of cultivating the memory in the young. Influence of attention and interest? Errors in education? Habits of association. conclusion. By directing them in this manner from any particular fact to recollect similar or analogous facts which had formerly passed before them, they will be trained at once to attention, memory and reflection. III. Cultivating that general activity of mind which seeks for information on every subject that comes in its way. The most common and trivial occurrences may thus be made the source of mental improvement: the habits of animals; the natural history of the articles that are constantly before us, in clothes, food, furniture; articles of manufacture from a watch to a pin; the action of the mechanic powers, as illustrated by various contrivances in constant use; the structure of a leaf, a flower,. a tree. To those farther advanced, a constant source of interest may be found in history, geography, and memoirs of eminent individuals; and in the leading principles of natural history, natural philosophy, and chemistry. Every new subject of thought which is thus presented to the mind is both valuable in itself by the powers which it calls into action, and by proving a nucleus to which new facts may be afterward associated. IV. Memory and attention are greatly promoted in young persons by writing; provided it be done, not merely in the form of extracts from books, but in their own words: in history, for example, in the form of chronological tables; and on other subjects in clear and distinct abstracts, neatly and methodically written. V. These exercises of mind are greatly promoted in the young by verbal communication. Hence the importance of frequent examination. The teacher is thereby enabled, not only to ascertain their progress, but to explain what they do not understand; to impress upon them important points to which they may not have sufficiently attended; to excite attention, inquiry, and interest; and so to cultivate the habits of association and reflection. These, in fact, ought to be the objects to be kept in view in all such exercises, as of much greater moment than the mere putting of Activity of mind. Means of awakening it? Written exercises: of what kind? Verbal communication-how secured? Advantages of it? questions. On the same principle, a most useful exercise for young persons is instructing others still younger, on subjects which they have themselves recently acquired. VI. In the cultivation of the mental powers in the young, a point of essential importance is the selection of proper and worthy objects of acquirement. In the general conduct of education in this respect, the chief error appears in general to have been, devoting too much time and attention in females to superficial accomplishments, and in males to mere acquirement in languages and mathematics; and the great object to be kept in view from the very earliest period is the paramount importance of the actual knowledge of things on subjects of real utility, the actual cultivation of habits of observation, inquiry, association and induction; and, as the foundation of the whole, the habit of steady and continued attention. The cultivation of these mental habits is of greater value by far than any one acquirement whatever; for they are the basis of all future improvement, and are calculated to give a tone to the whole character. In this brief outline I have said nothing on the subject of religious instruction; for the same rules apply to it as to branches of inferior importance, in as far as it is to be considered as engaging the intellectual powers. The chief error here appears to be, the practice of trusting too much to the mere repetition of tasks or catechisms, without that kind of direct personal instruction which is calculated to interest the attention, to fix the truths upon the understanding, and to cultivate the habits of association and reflection. A leading branch of this subject, the culture of the moral feelings, does not belong to our present inquiry; but it is impossible to mention it without alluding to its intense interest even in a philosophical point of view. One of the most striking phenomena, certainly, in the science of the human mind, is the high degree of culture of which the moral powers are susceptible, even in the infant mind, long before the powers of intellect are developed for the investigation of truth. Mutual instruction. Influence of a proper selection of objects? Prevalent errors? What is really of paramount importance? Religious instruction. Common error here? Culture of moral feelings? In reference to the whole science of education, nothing is of greater importance than the principle of association, which, we have formerly seen, exerts a most extensive in fluence, not in the remembrance of facts alone, but in perpetuating and recalling mental emotions. We take a very limited view, indeed, of this great subject, if we confine education entirely or chiefly to the acquisition of knowledge, or even to the culture of the intellectual powers. That system is deficient in its most essential part which does not carry on along with these a careful and habitual culture and regulation of the passions and emotions of the young; their attachments and antipathies, their hopes and fears, their joys and sorrows; the cultivation of the social and benevolent affections; the habit of repressing selfishness, and bearing inconveniences and disappointments without murmuring; a disposition to candor and ingenuousness, and a sacred regard to truth. Their future character as social and moral beings will be greatly influenced by the manner in which they are taught from an early period to regulate their emotions, by directing them to adequate and worthy objects, and controlling them by the great principles of wisdom and virtue. In this important process the principle of association exerts a most extensive influence. The stern lessons of morality, and even the sublime truths of religion, may be rigidly impressed upon the minds of the young, and may, in after-life, recur from time to time, as a mere matter of remembrance; but many must have experienced how different is the impression when they recur in close association with a father's affection and a mother's tenderness, with the lively recollection of a home, where the kindest sympathies of the human heart shed around the domestic circle all that is lovely in life, while a mild and consistent piety habitually pointed the way to a life which is to come. Influence of association in regard to the moral feelings? Essential objects to be secured? What principle most effectual in securing them? Example. OF THE INFLUENCE OF DISEASE UPON ATTENTION AND MEMORY. THE preceding imperfect outline of the subject of memory naturally leads us briefly to investigate the manner in which this function is impaired in connection with bodily disease. This takes place chiefly from injuries of the head, affections of the brain, fever, and diseases of extreme debility. Similar effects arise from intemperance and other habits of dissipation. Our present purpose, however, is, not to investigate the peculiar effects of these various causes, but to endeavor to trace the manner in which attention and memory--and we may include perception-are affected by any or all of them. The first mental function which is impaired by bodily disease, is usually the power of attention; this we see illustrated in all febrile affections. The patient, in the early or milder stages, is incapable of fixing his mind upon any thing that requires much attention, of following out an argument, or of transacting business which calls for much thought or consideration. He is acute and intelligent as to all common occurrences, and shows no want of recollection or of the power of reasoning when his attention is excited; but he feels it an exertion that is painful to him. In a higher degree of this condition, he is still intelligent as to what is said or done at the time, or in recognising persons; but in a short time forgets every thing in regard to the person or the occurrence. He is incapable of that degree of attention which is necessary for memory, though the pow ers of perception are entire. In the next stage he becomes incapable of receiving the full impression from external things; and, in consequence of this, he mistakes the objects of his own thoughts for realities. This is delirium, and there are various degrees of it. In some cases the attention of the patient can be roused for a time, and directed to What bodily affections influence the memory? function first impaired? First stage, effects what? name ? Object of this discussion? What |