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275995 
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE
             Washington
Founded 1836
U. S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
Public Health Serrice 
 
 
DISCOURSE
DELIVERED AT CASTLETON,
MAY 27, 1830,
AT THE OPENING OF THE
Hftvmont Classical <£emfu&rg*
/
     BY WILLIAM B. SPJtAGUE,

PASTOR OF THE SECOND PKESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN ALBANY.

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          ALBANY:
PRINTED BY PACKARD AND VAN BENTHUYSEN.
1830.

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DISCOURSE.
                     I. Cor. X. 31.
     Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of god.

    This inspired precept furnishes a rule of living that
 is of universal application.   It applies to men of every
 class,  and to the conduct of men in  every relation.
 No man can be so high, no man  can be so low, but
 that this precept reaches him in all its divine author-
 ity.  To the king on his throne, to the minister at the
 altar, to the parent in his family, to the teacher in his
 school, to the merchant in his counting room, to the
 mechanic in his workshop ;  to all of every condition
 and character, it addresses itself without distinction.
 It proposes to eradicate the native selfishness of the
 heart;  to bring man to act  from a principle which is
 alone worthy of his origin as a creature of God,  and
 worthy of his destination as a creature of immortality.
   The  glory of God is  the manifestation of his per-
 fections ; and as it is the ultimate end of all his works,
 so it ought to be the ultimate end of all our  actions.
 This end we are to attain by conforming our actions
 to his law, which is a transcript of his moral charac-
 ter ; and thus reflecting in  our own character  the
image of his. 
4
   The general precept contained in the text, requiring
 that all our actions should be dictated by a supreme
 regard to the glory of God, I purpose, in the present
 discourse, to accommodate to the occasion on which
 ue are assembled.  I shall consider it as addressed
 especially to those who are charged with the educa-
 tion of youth, and in  a general sense, to the whole
 community in relation to this subject; requiring that,
 in this deeply interesting department of action,  they
 should be governed by the great christian principle of
 doing all to the glory of God.  With  this application
 of the text,  I shall call your attention, first, to the
 END WHICH OUGHT TO BE KEPT IN VIEW IN EDUCATING
 youth ; and secondly, to the means by which that
 END MAY BE MOST SUCCESSFULLY ATTAINED.

  I. The end at which we ought to aim in the edu-
 cation of youth is twofold : it is to enable them to do
 the most good, and to enjoy the most  good.
  It is obvious,  upon  the least reflection, that the
 author of our being had reference to this double end
 in our creation.  That we are  made  for action, and"
 for benevolent action, is manifest from the very con-
 stitution of our nature ; for it  were impossible  that
 God should have given us the noble faculties we pos-
 sess, if he had not designed that they should be em-
ployed ; and the only way in which they can be legi-
timately employed is in doing good.  He has intimated
the  same purpose in respect to us by having set be-
fore us the most powerful motives to  benevolent ac-
tion, and by having placed us in circumstances every
way favorable to it.  Moreover, he has taught us that
to do good is the perfection of his own nature ; the
 exercise in which  he  especially delights: hence he 
5
cannot but delight in the  same exercise in his crea-
tures ;  and this must have been an important end in
their creation.
  But man was not only designed  by his Creator to
do good, but also to enjoy  good.  This is also proved
by a reference to the constitution of our nature ;  for
benevolent action and happiness sustain to each other
in human experience the relation of cause and effect
And besides,  all the means of enjoyment which God
has prescribed for us in his word, are connected with
doing good ; and  it is every where implied that  the
measure of good we accomplish, will, on the whole,
be the measure of good we enjoy.  As we are  en-
dowed with faculties which qualify us for action, so
we are endowed with susceptibilities of enjoyment;
and  it is manifest that the Creator designed that  we
should glorify him in both  parts of our nature.   I
hardly need say that I here speak of man, both as it
respects action and enjoyment, as an immortal crea-
ture ; and consider the design of God concerning him
as relating to the whole  period of his existence.
  You  hence perceive that, while happiness is with
every person a legitimate object of pursuit, it is so
only in the way of doing good.  There are many who
make happiness an  ultimate end without any  re-
spect to duty : the true order is, to be faithful in  the
discharge of duty,  and look for happiness only in its
train.  He who adopts any other course, is sure to
defeat his object, and ultimately to reap a harvest of
misery.  Even the redeemed in glory find their happi-
ness not in indolence, but in action; and their  su-
preme object is to serve  and glorify their Redeemer. 
6
   Now, if such be  the  object for  which man was
 created, viz. that he might do all the good and enjoy
 all the good of which he is capable  during his whole
 existence, surely it is his duty to co-operate with the
 Creator in the accomplishment of his design.  Every
 individual should do this in respect to himself, and so
 far as he can, in respect to others  also.  This espe-
 cially should be the object constantly kept in view in
 the education of youth ;  not only on the general prin-
 ciple that we are bound in all our conduct  to fall in
 w ith the designs  of providence so far  as  they  are
 made known to us, but because youth is the forming
 period of the character, and  the influence which is
 exerted then, whether for good or evil, is usually far
 more  decisive than at any subsequent  period.   It
 should be the object of every institution designed for
 the education of youth,  and of every individual  ac-
 cording to the measure of his influence in this impor-
 tant sphere of action, to mould the character in such
 a manner as to secure  the greatest  possible amount
 of good both in the way of action and enjoyment; not
 in this life only, but through eternity. It is lamentably
 true that education has  too  often had respect  to
 enjoyment only, and not to action ;  to this life only,
 and not to another;  but  it must regard both action
 and enjoyment, time  and eternity, or the proper end
 of it cannot be answered.

  II. If such be the  end which ought to be  kept  in
view in  the  education of  youth, we  will consider
secondly, the means by which it is to be attained :  in
other words, we will notice some of the leading cha-
racteristics of a system of education which will  se-
cure the advantages of which we have spoken. 
7
  1. Such a system contemplates the culture of the
intellect in all its powers.
  Notwithstanding the mind of man, according to all
correct philosophy, is a simple  and indivisible sub-
stance, it is capable of different modes of operation ;
in other  words, it possesses various faculties,  as
perception, judgment, memory, &c.  Now each of
these  faculties has  its distinct office ; — an office
which is  performed only  in  proportion  as it  is
brought  successfully  into operation.  The reason-
ing faculty, for instance, is evidently designed for a
most important purpose; but if it be not trained by
a course  of judicious exercise, if it be given up en-
tirely to the guidance of  accidental circumstances,
that purpose can be answered, to say the least, but
in a very inferior degree.  The  same is  true of the
imagination—if subjected to a proper discipline,  it is
capable of operating with sublime effect; but let the
proper culture be withheld, and the consequence will
be, either that its fires will never kindle, or else they
will  burn only with  a  bewildering and malignant
brightness.  And so it is of every other faculty : just
in proportion as it is suffered to remain dormant,  or
as it is turned out of its proper direction by improper
discipline, the end for which it is designed is defeat-
ed : there is just so much to be deducted from the
amount, both of action and enjoyment, of which the
soul is susceptible.
   But the importance of the culture of all the powers
of the mind appears not only from the fact that where
any one  faculty is neglected there is so much clear
loss, but also from the consideration that the different
faculties  exert a reciprocal influence upon each other. 
8
 There is a mutual dependence between the memory,
 the imagination, the judgment, the reasoning faculty,
 in short between all the powers of the mind ; each
 one borrowing from all the rest, and all like the parts
 of a well-adjusted machine,  operating  most legiti-
 mately and most effectually,  where the balance is
 carefully preserved.  The cultivation of one faculty,
 to the neglect of the rest,  destroys  the original har-
 mony of the mind ;  it is a manifest departure from
 the design of the Creator ;  and that system of educa-
 tion of which this is a feature, can  secure but very
 imperfectly the object which education is designed to
 answer.

   2.  But notwithstanding  the importance of a due
 regard to all the powers of the intellect in the busi-
 ness of education, I observe, secondly, that this mat-
 ter should  be conducted with suitable reference to the
 variety which children exhibit, of intellectual constitu-
 tion.
   It admits of no question that there is in this respect
 an original diversity ; that  while some minds are on
 the whole more  gifted than others,  some  also more
 than others are  gifted in respect to particular facul-
 ties.  In some,  for instance,  the reasoning  faculty
 is originally the strongest; in others, the imagination;
 in others, the judgment: while, on the other hand,
 there are individuals in whom some  faculties would
 seem originally to  have a feeble and almost a dubious
 existence.  Now,  whether it  be  that one  faculty
stands out with commanding prominence before the
 rest, or whether it be that in one faculty the mind is
comparatively deficient, either case  deserves to  be 
9
carefully considered in the affair of education.   In
the latter case, it  is obviously proper  that so much
attention should be paid to the culture of that faculty
which possesses the least degree of strength, that the
mind shall attain  a fair and just proportion; while,
on the other hand, it is equally clear that the intellect
should be trained to put  forth its most commanding
efforts by means of some of its stronger powers.  In
the former case,  that  is,  where one faculty greatly
takes the precedence  in  strength and vigor  of the
others, though there is here no reason for neglecting
the  cultivation of any, there surely is a reason why
this should be  cultivated with special care; because
here lies the highest capability of the mind : into this
particular power the Almighty Creator has thrown,
if I may be allowed the expression, more of his own
energy than into any other.   And he  has hereby
intimated, in a general manner at  least,  his will, in
respect  to the particular direction which the mind
shall receive, and even the employment to which it
shall be devoted.
   It hence appears that it is a matter of fundamental
importance in the education of youth, to ascertain, as
early as possible, the  character of their minds; that
the discipline to which they are subjected may not be
adopted at random, but may be suited to their parti-
cular constitution.  In  many respects  indeed,  the
 course of intellectual discipline, especially in its early
 stao-es,  must be substantially the same ; but  a mind
 accustomed  to  close attention and  accurate  dis-
 cernment, will soon discover on the one hand which
 of the mental powers of a child are most susceptible
 of cultivation  ; and on the other, which of them need 
10
  most to be strengthened, that the intellectual charac-
  ter may not be deformed through the want of goodly
  proportions.   How obvious is it that  the mind of
  Locke was wonderfully fitted for deep research into
  the mysteries of the human understanding; and how
  much he accomplished in this department of intellec-
  tual labor,  none need be told : but had Locke with
  the same powers which he possessed,  attempted to
  be a poet, he would probably have long since been
  forgotten,  or would have been remembered only for
 having attempted what he knew not how to perform.
 Milton wrote a treatise on theology;   and had  he
 done nothing more, he would have been  known only
 as having erected one of the most stupendous fabrics
 of absurdity which the world has seen.   But happily
 he wrote poetry also; and  here  he  was at home :
 this was the element in which his soul could most
 freely breathe; an  employment  for which his bold
 and  lofty imagination especially  fitted  him.   And
 hence  the glory that hangs  around his name at this
 day ; a glory that will brighten rather than fade with
 the lapse of coming ages.  And so it is in innumerable
 other cases—An individual may accomplish much in
 one department of action, who can accomplish  little
 or nothing in another; the actual amount of his suc-
 cess depending in no small degree on the adaptation of
 his powers to the object on which they are employed.
 Let this important truth then always be kept in view
 by those who are entrusted with the education of
youth.   Let it be an object with them to discover not
only the general, but the particular capabilities of the
youthful mind.  And this point once settled, let them
while they take care not to neglect the culture of any 
11
faculty, direct their main efforts to the developement
of those powers which exist in the highest perfection;
in other words, let  them train  the mind  in such a
manner that it shall act with all the energy and ad-
vantage of which it is capable.
  3. A system of education, to  answer the  end
which ought to be kept in view, should unite the
double object of particular and general utility: that
is, the various  branches which are pursued should
be such as  may  be  turned to some practical use,
while they minister  to  the  general culture  of the
mind, and give it the command of its own powers.
  It were altogether too contracted a view of edu-
cation,  to regard it  merely with  reference to the
amount of  acquisition  which it secures, indepen-
dently of the discipline to which it subjects  the in-
tellectual faculties.   A far nobler and more interest-
ing view is that which regards it as the training of
the mind;  as a system of effort designed to bring
out its powers, and carry it  forward from one degree
of strength to another.   What  though a  youth
should have  acquired ever so much knowledge; if
he has not, along with  it,  acquired the easy com-
mand of his faculties, and if every new  degree of it
has not been with him a new degree of intellectual
power, rely on it, he does not reap the legitimate
fruit of his mental toil.   That this important end of
education may be gained, it is essential that, in every
branch of study, the mind should be directed to the
spirit, rather than the letter; that it should be en-
couraged to think its own thoughts, and even to pre-
sume that the text book itself, where  it is any thing
else  than the  Bible, may  be  wrong.   Not that I 
12
would encourage a habit of intellectual presumption
in youth—nothing is more disgusting than to see a
stripling  who has scarcely advanced beyond the
threshold of the temple of science, pertly question-
ing established authorities, and  with an air of self
conceit, obtruding his own  crude or  novel specula-
tions : but this is one thing; and that independence
of mind which asks for a reason for  whatever it as-
sents to, and which modestly pushes its inquiries be-
yond authority, or even in the face of authority, is
quite  another.   Let those to whom the office of
educating youth is entrusted, encourage this habit of
modest inquisitiveness as much as they may, only let
them  take care that it does  not degenerate into a
habit of intellectual vanity and self confidence; and
instead of having occasion to apprehend any unfavo-
rable result, they will find it the most efficient means
of giving to  the mind a knowledge of its own pow-
ers on the one hand, and the use and command of its
powers on the other.
  Let me here  say a word in regard to the use and
the abuse of text books.   That they furnish impor-
tant facilities, when properly employed, both to the
teacher and the pupil, there can be no doubt; and
there is as little question that they are capable of be-
ing perverted as auxiliaries to mental inaction.  The
true use  to be made of them is, not to  supersede
but to assist reflection ; not merely to communicate
information, but to give an impulse to the intellect,
by suggesting hints and principles which it may fol-
low out to their legitimate results.   But  has it not
too often been the fact, that while  the  memory of
the student has been laid under rigid contribution to 
13
gather up whatever is said  in  the  text  book,  the
other faculties have found a ready dispensation; and
has not this lazy habit of study too often been  en-
couraged  by an equally lazy habit of instruction—
that of confining the recitation to  the very letter of
the author which has been the subject of it.  In or-
der to guard against this evil, when the subject is of
such a nature as to admit of it, let the text book be
regarded  only as the basis of the  instruction to be
communicated ; and let the teacher conduct his  pu-
pils into other fields of thought than those which
the author has directly opened ; and let him encou-
rage them to scrutinize every principle,  and seek for
a solution of every difficulty  that may present itself.
Such a use of text books, while it will not expose
the mind to be enslaved  by authorities, or leave any
of its faculties to rust through inaction, will secure
every positive advantage which a record of the la-
bors of other minds can impart.
  But while the general culture of the mind should
constantly be kept in view in a system of education,
each particular branch that is pursued should be of
practical utility.  It cannot be denied that the intel-
lectual labors of many of the schoolmen, previous to
the revival of learning in Europe, were  of  great ex-
tent, and were calculated to produce a high degree of
mental acumen.  But who that has looked at all into
their writings, does not know that the subjects upon
which they employed their faculties, were usually of
little practical moment;  and that  they would often
pour out a world of learned  nonsense to establish a
point which after all was not worth establishing?
And even this very sharpness of intellect, which they 
14
 gained by such expensive means, subserved no impor-
 tant purpose; for the highest object  at which they
 seemed to aim, was to envelope every subject which
 they touched in the dense fogs of metaphysical specu-
 lation.  Now the true theory of education does not
 indeed overlook this branch of intellectual culture :
 the power of accurate discrimination it regards as of
 vast importance:  but it aims at this end by employ-
 ing the mind upon subjects of practical utility ; sub-
 jects which  it can turn to some account in the every
 day business of life.   And let me say that it is impor-
 tant not only that the knowledge which is acquired in
 the course of education, should be, so far as  pos-
 sible, of a practical character,  but that the ability
 should also  be gained of reducing it to practice; of
 carrying it out in the various departments of human
 action.  You  may store  the  mind of a youth with
 every variety of learning, and if withall he has not
 learned to reduce  it to practice, he will be only an
 educated dunce;  whereas a much less degree  of
 knowledge with the  ability of applying it,  will ren-
 der him at once respectable and useful.
  I may be permitted here, in passing, to advert for
 a moment to the opposite views  which prevail, at
 the present day, in respect to the study of the Greek
 and Roman classics.  There are those who maintain
 that all the time which is bestowed on these produc-
 tions  of antiquity is  literally  wasted, and  even
 worse; inasmuch as the  mind is constantly brought
in contact with the corrupt maxims and principles of
 paganism.  There are those, on the other hand, who
will have it that, whatever  else a  man may know,
without a knowledge of the ancient classics,  he 
15
knows little to purpose;  making them, as it would
seem, the beginning and ending, the sum and  sub-
stance of a good education.   Now, is it  not more
than possible that the proper estimate of this depart-
ment of study is found between these two extremes;
that that class who would totally exclude them on
the one hand, and that class who would make them
all in all on the  other, have alike fallen into error ?
It must be acknowledged that the advantage to be
derived from these studies is rather general than par-
ticular ;  that it  consists more in  the refinement of
the taste and  the general culture of the mind, than
in any  stores  of knowledge  which admit of being
directly applied  to the  practical  objects  of life.
Nevertheless  it cannot be successfully questioned
that some of the finest efforts of genius  and taste
which the world has seen,  are embodied  in these
productions; that there is a spirit, a beauty, a pow-
er, in  the originals, which no translation can  ever
reach;  and that he  who  would cultivate poetry or
eloquence in the highest degree, will look in vain for
any  finer models of either, out of the Bible.  Let
the ancient classics then retain a place in the system
of education; but  let them be considered as subor-
dinate to other branches of study of a more practical
character.  And that the student may not draw mo-
ral poison out of these classic wells, let the oral in-
struction which he receives be partly of a monitory
kind, and let  the morality of paganism often be set
in contrast  with the morality of the Bible.  In this
way, while he will be gaining the intellectual benefit
which the study of the classics is fitted to yield, he
may not only incur no moral disadvantage, but may 
                       16
actually be acquiring a deeper interest  in  the  pre-
cepts and principles of Christianity.
  4. A system of education, in order to accomplish
its  legitimate  design,  must provide for the healthful
exercise of the bodily powers and organs.
  Notwithstanding we know  so little of the nature
of the connexion between  the  body and the mind,
we know that they exert  a  powerful influence on
each other:  wc know that  the one is at  present the
organ of the other's operations; and that  a vigor-
ous and healthful mind is rarely found in connexion
with a diseased and languid body.  Hence the great
importance of what is very properly denominated
physical  education;  for  if this be  neglected, the
body  becomes enervated;  the mind, however vi-
gorous it may  naturally be,  sympathises in its weak-
ness ; and the  effect of the  whole is, that the power
of action is, in a great measure, paralyzed.
  I am aware that so  much has been said and writ-
ten on this subject of late years, that any hints which
I can suggest may  appear trite; but I  also know
that any outline of a system  of education of which
this should not be a part, would be altogether  defi-
cient:  and  moreover  it may  reasonably admit  of
question whether there is not far too little responsi-
bility felt on this subject, even by many who conduct
our literary institutions.  Admitting even  that the
only object  of education were  the  culture of the
mind, if a proper attention  to the body be necessary
to secure  this object, or to  secure  it in  the highest
degree, such  attention undoubtedly constitutes  an
appropriate  part of the duty of those to whom the
business of education  is  entrusted.   Nor  is this a 
17
 matter which may safely be  left  to a youth's own
 discretion; nor can  it be fairly presumed that the
 buoyancy of youthful spirits will secure that amount
 of exercise that is necessary to the healthful action
 of all the bodily organs:  for experience proves that
 many young persons at least are not only sadly neg-
 ligent in  relation to this matter,  but they submit
 more reluctantly to precepts, and even to authority,
 on this subject, than any other.  I say then, it is de-
 sirable, nay it is absolutely essential,  to the attain-
 ment of the grand object of education, that syste-
 matic measures should be adopted for invigorating
 the bodily powers ; that it should not  be left to the
 pleasure of the student whether to fall in with such
 a course  or not;  but that it should be required of
 him by the same authority which summons him to
 his daily recitation.   It  were desirable that such
 should be the economy of every institution  for  the
 education of youth, that each student  connected
 with  it should  be  brought under the eye of his in-
 structors  in relation to this  matter;   and that he
 should feel as responsible  to them for the discharge of
 this as of  any other part of his duty.  For while, as
 I  have already intimated, a vigorous state of the
 body is essential to  the most  rapid and  successful
 improvement of the intellect, it is also to be borne
 in mind that a habit of  inattention to this subject, as
 it is fraught with most disastrous consequences, so,
 when once established, it is very rarely broken up ;
and even  when it is, its consequences are not unfre-
quently visited upon the constitution in a  wreck of
some of its finest powers. 
is
   The object of which I here speak, viz. a vigorous
 and healthful state of the body,  is to be attained
 chiefly by due attention to diet, rest, and exercise.
   In respect to the  first of these, viz. diet, one im-
 portant thing to be observed is, that it should be sim-
 ple.  Any thing which is the  opposite of this, as it is
 contrary to  nature, has a tendency ultimately to im-
 pair the animal i unctions.  And as the food should
 be simple in its nature, so it  should be received  in
 moderate quantities; in quantities accommodated to
 the digestive  power of the system.  Many a vigo-
 rous constitution has been sacrificed to an early ha-
 bit of  luxurious  living;  and talents  which  might
 have blessed the world for half a century, have pre-
maturely gone down to the grave under the stupify-
ing, withering influence of gluttony.
  Not less  important is it  that  proper  attention
 should be rendered to the habits of a student  in  re-
spect to sleep.  The errors into which students fall
on this subject, vary with different constitutional ten-
 dencies,  and especially with  various degrees  of ap-
plication.  The indolent student will  be  in  danger
of spending  so many of his hours  in sleep as to ex-
haust nature, and induce a frequent, if not an habi-
tual lassitude, as  unfriendly  to the functions of the
body as to the operations of the mind.  The diligent
student, on  the other hand, will be in danger  of de-
 voting a smaller portion of time to sleep than is ne-
 cessary to restore the vigor of his faculties from the
 exhaustion  produced by  their intense exercise___
 Both  these  extremes should be carefully guarded
 against;  so much  time,  and only so much, being
 spent in sleep, as is found best to subserve the vigor 
19
of the animal system ;  for though sleep exerts an in-
fluence  upon the  mind, its direct influence is upon
the body; and the mind is affected only from its con-
nexion with the body.  And let me say that it is of
great importance that the  hours  which are  profes-
sedly devoted to sleep should be really so ; that the
student, when  he lays himself down, should with-
draw his mind from his books  as much as if he had
no interest in them.  I have heard it remarked  by
one of the most distinguished physicians of the pre-
sent day, that close thought, while  the body is in a
horizontal posture, is always unfavorable  to health ;
but be that as it may, it is certain that if the mind be
severely occupied by any subject, after one  has  re-
tired for rest, it not only entirely prevents sleep du-
ring the time, but renders  the  sleep which  is after-
wards obtained at best partial  and interrupted.
   Moreover, a student should be trained to a habit of
suitable bodily exercise.   Without  this, all  other
means  to preserve health will be to little purpose.
These limbs, and nerves,  and  muscles, were  made
 for action; and unless they are kept active, not only
 experience but  reason decides, that they can never
 preserve their native vigor.  To imagine that a child
 bred up in the lap of indulgence, and scarcely al-
 lowed in his  early years to  pass the limits of the
 nursery, could ever reach all  the strength and vigor
 of which his constitution  is susceptible, were as wild
 as to  expect  that the mountain  oak would be the
 growth of  a  hot-bed.    There are many  employ
 ments to which youth are trained, which involve the
 necessity of an adequate degree of bodily exercise:
                       3 
20
  such, however, is not the employment of a student;
  and hence it becomes necessary that a system of edu-
  cation  should  involve  some  distinct  provision  for
  the attainment of this end.  The exercise of the
  body, in order  to accomplish its purpose, should be
  universal,  vigorous, systematic.   It should  extend
  to the whole body, bringing into action every muscle
  and organ  belonging to  the system.  It  should not
  be like  the exercise which a child gets in the cradle
  when its mother would  rock it to sleep, but like that
  which the hardy yeoman gets in wielding his axe or
  his spade.   It should not be left  to  the  casual  con-
  trol of circumstances, to be performed or neglected
  as convenience  may seem  to dictate;  but it  should
  occupy  stated  periods,  and  never be omitted but
  from  imperative necessity.  Let it be performed  in
  this way, and the student  will soon learn,  not only
 that it is an efficient means of promoting  comfort,
 but of redeeming time.
   Now all this  system of means  for the  promotion
 of health, may be,  ought to be, so  far as possible,
 brought  into operation in  every literary institution.
 It supposes, I know, a great degree of vigilance and
 attention on the part of instructors and governors;
 but  the  object  to be attained is surely of sufficient
 importance to justify and  demand it.  It is just occa-
 sion for  gratulation to the friends both of learning
 and humanity, that the institutions for the  education
 of youth which are rising into existence at the pre-
sent  day, generally include  some  systematic provi-
sion  in relation  to this subject; and if there be any
who ought  to feel a deeper interest in this matter
than others,  they  are  sureJy those of us, who
arc 
21
reaping, in this respect, the legitimate fruits of past
neglect.
  5. A system of education ought to have particular
respect to the moral culture of youth.   Let the intel-
lectual and physical education be conducted with
ever so much skill and  success, it will subserve no
good purpose in the end, at least to the individual,
unless there be a corresponding culture of the affec-
tions.  Merc physical energy might leave a man a
brute ; and mere intellectual power might leave him
a devil.  Whether his acquisitions in either of these
departments of his nature are to be for good or evil,
must be decided chiefly by his moral dispositions.
  Moreover, it admits of no question  that the cul-
ture of the heart has an important bearing upon the
improvement of the mind.  That state of the affec-
tions which religion  induces, all experience proves is
far more favorable to the  vigorous exercise of the
intellectual powers  than any other.   Let  the heart
of a youth be brought under the commanding influ-
ence of christian principle, and it will be the surest
pledge of success in any department of mental ex-
ertion.  It will be a security  against the waste of
his time  and the perversion of his faculties, while it
will quicken his faculties to their highest and noblest
exercise.
   Now7  it cannot be questioned that where a con-
siderable number of youth are  brought together in a
public institution, they are placed in circumstances
involving powerful temptations ;  and if left to them-
selves, are more likely  to  fall, than  in almost any
other situation in which they could be placed.  What
is the secret history of many of our colleges, but a 
22
 melancholy comment on  the  truth of this remark ?
 Who has not seen the youth full of promise and hope,
 entering a public seminary, gradually lured into the
 company of the vicious, fighting with his conscience
 and yielding up his principles, till, at no distant pe-
 riod, he has become a veteran in crime, and finally
 has sunk under a weight of profligacy and  wretched-
 ness into an early grave ?  And how many parents
 are there who could read you from the record of their
 experience a melancholy  chapter illustrative of the
 same truth; who could tell you of children of whom
 they once dared to hope that they might be the faith-
 ful servants of God and their generation—but they
 sent them to a public seminary, and there their moral
 principles were assailed, corrupted, ruined ; and now
 these parents  are themselves sinking under a heavy
 burden of blasted hope.  And I venture to say,  my
 friends, that every institution which assembles a large
 number of young men, unless their morals are guard-
 ed with,  I had almost said, more than parental vigi-
 lance, will, to many of them, prove the grave of cha-
 racter, usefulness, and hope.  You see, at once, that
 there must be in such a community left to themselves
 the elements  of moral ruin—a spirit that worketh
 death; for here is inexperience,  the fire of youthful
 passion, the powerful influence of example, the dread
 of being singular, the soft voice of flattery, the barbed
 arrow of ridicule;  every thing that is calculated to
 wind the cords of depravity strong and close around
the youthful heart.  I say multitudes have fallen in
 these circumstances, and it is no wonder: the wonder
is rather that so many have stood. 
23
  What then can be done to prevent this mighty evil ?
There must be, in the first place,  the most watchful
care exercised toward the youth, either by the  in-
structors themselves, or by some responsible persons
connected  with  the institution.   There must be a
vigilance so active and close as to discover the moral
tendencies of each individual, as to detect the embryo
of a vicious habit, and to  ferret vice out through its
most dark and winding retreats.   And if there be in
such a community one  whose moral  principles are
found to be corrupt, let every effort be made to effect
a speedy and thorough reformation;  and if, after
suitable means have been used, the evil still continue,
let the offending member be cut off; for it were better
that one member should suffer excision, than that a
moral gangrene should be communicated to the whole
body.  Let a youth of thoroughly corrupt principles
and practice remain  long in  an institution  whose
members are brought continually in contact with each
other, and there is scarcely any degree of fidelity on
the part  of instructors and guardians that can coun-
teract his malignant influence; and where such an
influence has begun to operate, nothing short of an
Almighty energy can be expected ordinarily to arrest
it.
  But the means for preventing this  evil on which
the principal reliance is to be placed, is frequent and
well adapted  instruction  drawn directly  from  the
Bible.  Hitherto, there has been a deficiency on this
subject in most of our seminaries of learning, to which
no doubt much of the immorality  that has existed in
them is to be at least indirectly referred; and I must
confess that the  only hope  I have that this evil is soon 
                       24
 to be, in a great measure, removed, is identified with
 the conviction I cherish that the Bible is soon to hold
 a more prominent place, both as it respects study and
 instruction.  Not that I would have our seminaries
 converted  into nurseries  of religious sectarism :—
 far from it—I would  never suffer even a good man
 to pronounce his shibboleth  in any of our  halls of
 science—still I would have every instructor of youth
 standing on the broad ground of Christianity in all its
 rich  and glorious provisions,  commend this blessed
 religion both by precept and example,  to the regard
 of his pupils.  I would  have him often dwell upon
 the excellence of christian morality, and tho peculiar
 adaptation of Christianity to all the moral wants of
 man; and I would have at least some one connected
 with every such institution,  who would  be able to
 give  suitable directions to an inquiring sinner, and to
 encourage and assist the youthful christian.  I repeat,
then, let the Bible have a more commanding place in
our systems of education.   Let it be the  source
whence  all the  principles both of instruction  and
government shall be  derived.   And  let its divine
truths often be brought directly in contact with  the
understanding and  conscience.  A  seminary con-
ducted on these principles cannot fail to be a fountain
of healthful moral influence,  and of course, a rich
public blessing.
  Once more:  A system of education, in order to
answer the best purpose, should unite pleasure with
improvement.
  Little improvement is to be expected in any thing,
unless it be pursued with some degree of alacrity •
 that  which  is regarded as drudgery being  scarcely 
25
ever productive of much real profit.   It becomes,
therefore, a matter of great  importance that every
thing should be done that can be, in each department
of education,  to render the pursuits of the student
agreeable to him.
  This should be done in respect to the physical part
of his education,  especially  in regard to  exercise.
Let  the  exercise he adopts be of a kind to awaken
some degree of interest, or curiosity, or even com-
petition ; and, so far as possible,  let there be some
object in view—the more useful the better—beyond
the mere action of the bodily organs.  Let it not be
continued so long as to produce more than a momen-
tary lassitude  ; and if possible, let it be arrested at
the point at which the object,  for the time, will be
most effectually gained. By this means the repetition
of it will become increasingly pleasant,  and it  will
not only be performed but anticipated with alacrity
and  delight.
  In like  manner, every effort  should be used to
render the intellectual part of education a source of
pleasure.  This is to be done by suitable attention on
the  part of instructors not to task the mind too se-
verely on the  one hand, and not to throw out a bait
for indolence on the other ; by allowing the pupil to
advance no more rapidly than he can advance intelli-
gently and thoroughly;  by exhibiting the various
branches of study to which he attends in their prac-
tical bearings  and applications; and by encouraging
a well directed principle of emulation.   Secure the
deep interest of a youth in his studies, and you there-
by secure  his  improvement;  but if his interest be not
secured, your labors, however exemplary, will be to
little purpose. 
2ei
   And finally the same object should be kept in view
 in respect to the moral part of education.   I know
 indeed that the carnal  mind is enmity against God ;
 and that it is not to be expected that the heart of
 every youth should be open as a matter of course to
 welcome the influence of the gospel.  Nevertheless,
 I do believe that genuine Christianity may be present-
 ed to the mind of a youth in such a manner as not to
 disgust, but to attract,  him ; not to curdle his blood
 as if a spectre  had risen up before him, but to in-
spire him with'a conviction that religion meets him as
a friend, and  that she is a good angel sent down from
heaven on an errand of love.  And that this purpose
may be gained,  I would have every air of artificial
sanctity laid aside; and I would have religion acted
out before him in the every day intercourse of life, in
all her power and loveliness; and though the lessons
of morality and piety should be  frequent, yet they
should never be so long as to form an association in
the mind between religion and irksomeness.   Let
some such method as this be adopted, and I doubt not
that the result will be that Christianity will gradually
interweave itself with the most common thoughts of
the mind, and finally gain an influence over it which
will render it the power of God unto  salvation.

  I have now exhibited before you a brief outline of
the means necessary to the attainment of the great
end of education.  And may we not regard it as an
indication that a brighter age is opening upon us, that
this subject is rapidly gaining in the regards of an
enlightened community; that not only the philosophy
of education,  but, if I may be allowed the expression
the Christianity of it, is occupying both the heads and
the hearts of many wise and good men.   It deserves 
especially to be gratefully noticed, that many 01 the
abuses formerly connected with this subject  have
already passed away, and that others are yielding to
an enlightened public  opinion ;  and it  can scarcely
be doubted that the  institutions  which are hereafter
to come into existence, are destined to sustain con-
tinually a more and still more  elevated  character,
Be it so.   Let our seminaries of learning be nurseries
of religion;  and from the altars of religion let the
prayer of faith go up for their prosperity and enlarge-
ment ; that  thus learning and religion may be fellow
helpers together for  the advancement of the present
and eternal  interests of men.

   My  friends, on  this auspicious occasion suffer me
to congratulate you.  Let me congratulate you as the
inhabitants  of a state, which, though younger than
many others, has already attained a strong and vigor-
ous manhood ; as the inhabitants of a village which
is not  more  distinguished by the magnificence  of its
surrounding scenery,  than  by its advantages for in
tellectual and  moral culture.   I join with you  in
hearty thanksgivings to God for his goodness to you
as a people;  while, as his ambassador,  I admonish
you to the  faithful improvement of your  superior
privileges.   Let this institution especially be sacred
to the legitimate ends of education.   Let it  be  in the
best sense a christian institution, training  and mould
ing the whole character for eternity.   May it stand
here in  coming centuries, as a monument of an en-
lightened and well directed public spirit.   May  it
gather increasing glory with  each successive age
 May it contribute to  give you a character stable  a*
 vour own mountains,  majestic as the oaks that wave
 upon  their  summits! 
              VERMONT CLASSICAL SEMINARY
  This Institution is situated in Castlcton, one of the most beautiful ril
 lages of New-England, fourteen miles east of Whitehall, or the head of
 Lake Cham plain, and on the great stage road from Albany to Montreal.
  The building erected for the purpose, stands on an eminence south ol
the village, and commands an extensive view of a rich and beautiful coun
try.  It is 160 feet in length, and 40 in breadth, with projections in the
centre  and ends of 46 and 55 feet, and is three stories high, exclusive of a
basement.  The basement contains a large dining hall,  kitchens, wash-
rooms, domestics' rooms, &c.   In the second story are professors' rooms,
a laboratory,  chapel, a public school room, four private recitation rooms
a library and business room.   The two upper stories contain instructors'
rooms, and fifty dormitories, about 13 feet square,  exclusive of a closet;
which  are provided with stoves, beds, tables, desks, chairs, &c.  To the
building is attached a play-ground of about six acres, apart of which is to
be devoted to a garden.
  The  course of instruction in this institution will be arranged under five
divisions, to wit:
        1.  CHEMISTRY AND  NATURAL HISTORY.
        -\  MATHEMATICS AND NATURAL PHILOSOPHY.
        i  ANCIENT LANGUAGES.
        4.  MODERN LANGUAGES.
        5.  ENGLISH LITERATURE.
  Each of these divisions will be  under the charge  of competent instruc -
tors.  Where the course of study is left discretionary with the superin-
tendents, they will prescribe that, which, in their opinion, is best calcu-
lated to render the pupil an accomplished scholar; but a parent or guar-
dian may select any particular branches, to which the attention of the
pupil will be exclusively directed.
  Chemistry, Natural History, and Natural Philosophy, will be taught by
lectures and recitations.   During appointed hours of the day, the other
studies will be pursued in a school-room,  under  the eye of a teacher
The exercises of each day will  open  from 5 to 7 o'clock A. M. (varying
with the season,) with prayer by the chaplain of the seminary; and there
will be from two to three recitations during the day.
  The  recreations of the pupils will consist, in  the  summer, in collecting
specimens in botany, mineralogy, &c; during the winter, exercises  of
various kinds will be conducted in the large hall in the seminary.—A cer-
tain number of the more advanced students will, in  rotation, act as assist-
ants in the lectures on Chemistry, Natural Philosophy, Botany,  &c.
  On the Sabbath, all the students will be required to attend Church, or
the religious exercises of the chaplain in the chapel.   Recitations will also
be had upon Ecclesiastical History, Evidences of Christianity, &c.   The
greatest attention will at all times be paid to the moral deportment of the
youth  who may be  placed in this institution.  They will in no case be
permitted to leave the grounds attached to it, without permission.
  There will  be two vacations;  one from the third  Wednesday in April
of three weeks; and one from the second Wednesday of August  of five
weeks.
  Terms, $200 a year, including tuition, board, room, furniture, washing
mending, firewood,  lights, &c.  payable semi-annually in advance   No
 ttudent to be admitted for legs than a year. 
 
 
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