TIIE EDUCATOR—ON TIIE MEANS OF RAISING THE SOCIAL POSITION OF

TEACHERS.

THIS volume, published by the General Society of Education, con- tains five prize essays on the Expediency and Means of Elevating the Educator in Society—one of the very few subjects on which competition by advertisement is likely to produce compositions of worth. Upon questions of science or learning, men with the re- quisite knowledge have used or intend to use the cream of their acquisitions in some other way, and probably are not inclined to run the risk of defeat from the preconceptions or incompetency of their judges. On subjects of pure belles leaves, one man can rarely choose for another, because a successful choice must depend upon the bent of the writer's genius, the nature of his previous studies, and his taking to the theme. Iknce, persons of inferior capacity, or who turn their thoughts to the subject when the advertisement appears, are generally the candidates for such prizes. The subject of education forms an exception to the rule ; because it occupies the public mind, and engrosses the attention of many who devote their energies to an examination of its practice and to speculations on its theory, with an ardour as great as the Abolitionist brought to slavery. An offer on such a subject merely stimulates the de- velopment of flu:Amities already in existence ; the generality of ad- vertising competitions require the formation of fheulties as well as their exercise.

The volume before us is a testimony to the truth of this prin- ciple. Whilst many subjects yield nothing more than one work of haste and mediocrity, Mr. MALDEN, the Greek Professor in London University College, was able, out of the twenty-four essays sub- mitted to him for judgment, to select four " containing matter worthy of public attention," after he had adjudicated the prize of one hundred guineas to Mr. LALOR, Of the justice of his deci- sion there can be no question. The successful work is a produc- tion of very remarkable thought, observation, and power. It is distinguished by a large comprehension and thorough grasp of' what is already known on the subject ; by a practical plan ; by a clear anti methodical arrangement ; by an elevation of view which never passes into the dreaminess of the fanatic or the wild- ness of the projector ; and by a style which adds force of diction to weight of matter. It may be objected that the easier parts of his educational system are well known, and some of them practised in a few of the more enlightened schools ; which Mr. LALOR distinctly admits. It may also be urged, that some of his objects are of difficult or remote attainment under the present system of society, and that the perfection he would attain by education is scarcely compatible with the weakness of human nature. In works, however, that deal with the first principles of a subject, the highest possible development is rightly in- sisted on ; for no truth is much more certain, than that in practice we shall fhll short of the excellence we propose. If there is a public for books on education, we think a cheap edition of Mr. LALOR'S Essay would not only promote the immediate object for which it was written, but tend to disseminate sound and enlarged views on the subject of education itself.

Overleaping time verbal bounds of the Society's proposal—" the Expediency and Means of Elevating the Profession of the Educator in Society," \1r. LALOR begins by taking a rapid but comprehensive view of the nature of education ; the improvement of the species, especially of the people, which a well-considered plan would pro- duce ; and the general MOMS by which so desirable an end could be brought about. lie next considers the comparative inutility, of time existing modes of education, and the disesteem with which educators are regarded ; tracing both to the incompetency of the profession—which is merely a receptacle for those who have fhiled, or are waiting for an opening, in some other line of life ; and he attributes this incompetency, compared with the skill manifested in the other professions, to the absence, in the scholastic walk, of great prizes and social rank. Iii endeavouring to solve the pro- blem proposed—the means of raising the social position of the educator—Mr. LALoa resorts to analogy. Following the rise of the other professions,—arms, the church, the bar, and commerce, (to which he might have added medicine, with considerable sup- port to his views,)—the author shows how the more peaceable and intellectual occupations have gradually risen with the increase of ci- vilization ; and hence infers, that as literature is only now advancing towards its true position, educators will rise in importance with their increasing- good conduct, skill, and capacity ; the character of the teachers and of the pupils they educate having a mutual and beneficial reaction. The first step towards forwarding this con- summation, he conceives, should be the institution of Normal Schools, where selected volunteers should be initiated in an en- larged and practical course of teaching ; not a superficial teaching

of " reading, writing, arithmetic, and the Bible," but physical, moral, and intellectual education, after some such view as that unfolded in his opening sketch, and where the mere amount of cramming should be subordinate to the establishment of cleanly and healthful habits, a cheerful disposition, and regulated mind, with an intellect formed to acquire knowledge, and make it its own by assimilation. The plan of Normal Schools is also suggested by the other four essays, printed with Mr. LAton's, as one chief means of accom- plishing the end in view ; and indeed it is obvious, that all attempts to raise the profession in public estimation, other than by raising the professors, will be futile. The establishment of a Normal School has these further advantages : it makes the educator's ad- vancement depend upon his own conduct ; it uses simple and na- tural means; and works with society instead of against it, or before it—postponing the final means of a national education, a public provision for teachers, and a gradation of places, till the national mind is sufficiently advanced.

To the mode of proceeding which Mr. LALOR seems to prefer—a Normal School supported by Government—many grave objections offer themselves. No doubt, an instructed, strong, and capable Minis- try, cott/t/ work it better than any private association supported by voluntary subscription : but have we a strong, an instructed, or a capable Ministry ? Are we likely to have one for many years ? If such a miracle were formed for political questions, could they esta- blish a State Normal School, without frittering away their boldest proposals, to obviate the opposition of various sects making religion a cloak for party purposes. Nay, looking at the class from which Ministers of State are drawn—at the constant demands upon their time—and the reliance placed upon others, from idleness or ne- cessity—it may be questioned whether a Government with ample power is not likely to do as much mischief by their meddling as good by their support. Late experience shows, that any thing in the way of education beyond the jog-trot routine of Methodist teachers, or divines of the Established Church, must emanate from the zeal of individuals.

Having given an outline of Mr. LAi.oa's general views, we shall not attempt to expound his system in its details, or even in its parts. In taking some quotations, for their intrinsic merits and as speci- mens of his style, we shall, however, take them from his three branches of education—physical, intellectual, and moral.

WHAT EDUCATION IS.

Education does not mean merely reading and writing, nor any degree, how- ever considerable, of mere intellectual instruction. It is, in its largest sense,

a process which extends from the commencement to the termination of exis- tence. A child conies into the world, and at once his,education begins. Often at his birth the seeds of disease or deformity are sown in his constitution ; and while he hangs at his mother's breast, he is imbibing impressions which will re- main with him through life. During the first period of infancy, the physical frame expands and strengthens; but its delicate structure is influenced for good or evil by all surrounding circumstances,—cleanliness, light, air, food, warmth. By and by, the young being within shows itself more. The senses become quicker. The desires and affections assume a more definite shape. Every ob- ject which gives a sensation, every desire gratified or denied, every act, word, or look of affection or of unkindness, has its effect, sometimes slight and im- perceptible, sometimes obvious and permanent, in building up the human hein„o ; or rather, in determining the direction in which it will shoot up and unfold itself. Through the different states of the infant, the child, the boy, the youth, the man, the development of his physical, intellectual, and moral nature goes on, the various circumstances of his condition incessantly acting upon him— the healthfulness or unhealthfuluess of the air he breathes ; the kind, and the sufficiency of his food and clothing ; the degree in which his physical powers are exerted ; the freedom with which his senses are allowed or encouraged to exercise themselves upon external objects ; the extent to which his faculties of remembering, comparing, reasoning, are tasked ; the sounds and sights of home, the mural example of parents ; the discipline of school ; 66 nature and degree of his studies, rewards, and punishments ; the personal qualities of his com- panions; the opinions and practices of the society, juvenile and advanced, in which he moves; and the character of the public institutions under which he lives. The successive operation of all these circumstances upon a human being from earliest childhood, constitutes his education; an education which does not teminate with the arrival of manhood, but continues through life—which is itself, upon the concurrent testimony of revelation and reason, a state of pro- bation or education for a subsequent and more glorious existence.

IMPORTANCE OF PllYSICAL EDUCATION.

The influence of the physical frame upon the intellect, morals, and happi- ness of a human being, is now universally admitted. Perhaps the extent of this influence will be thought greater in proportion to the accuracy with which the subject is examined. The train of thought and feeling is perpetually affected by the occurrence of sensations arising from the state of our internal organs. The connexion of high mental excitement with the physical system is obvious enough, when the latter is under the influence of stimulants, as wine or opium ; but other mental states—depression of spirits, irritability of temper, indolence, and the craving for sensual gratification, are, it is probable, 310 less intimately connected with the condition of the body. The selfish, exacting habits which so often attend ill health, and the mean artifices to which feebleness of body leads, arc not, indeed, necessary results ; but the phy- sical weakness so often produces the moral evil, that no moral treatment can be successful which overlooks physical causes. Without reference to its moral effects, bodily pain limns a large proportion of the amount of human inissry. It is therefbre of the highest importance that a child should grow up sound and healthful in body, and with the utmost degree of muscular strength that education can communicate.

ADVANTAGES OF STRENGTH.

It $11011111 be an important object in education to give children a considerable degree of bodily strength. It is not merely of high utility for the laborious occupations in which most persons must pass their lives ; it is often a great support to moral dispositions. We should excite good impulses in children, and also give them the utmost strength of mind and body to carry them out. A child ought to be able to withstand injustice attempted by superior strength. Nothing demoralizes both parties more than the tyranny exercised over ,younger children by elder ones at school. Many good impulses are crushed an a child's heart when he has not physical courage to support them. If we make a child as strong as his age and constitution permit, lie will have cou- rage to face greater strength. A boy of this kind, resisting firmly the first assumption of an elder tyrant, may receive some hard treatment in one en- counter, but he will have achieved his deliverance. His courage will secure respect. The tyrant will not again excite the same troublesome and dangerous resistance. This is certainly not intended to encourage battles at school; far from it. But, until a high degree of moral education is realized, the best security for general peace among children of different ages is to give each a strength and spirit which 310 one will like to provoke. It will further give each a confidence in his powers, and a self-respect, without which none of thehardy virtues Call flourish.

We must leave many passages in each of the twofold objects of Intellectual Education—the development of the intellectual powers, and the communication of knowledge. We will, however, spare room for one passage on the

BENEFITS OF A TASTE mu POETRY.

There is one subject which requires a short consideration before passing to the third branch of education, or that which relates to the formation of moral character.

It may be thought extravagant to propose the cultivation of a taste for poetry as a regular part of education, especially- for the poorer classes. Yet, education, which seeks to develop the faculties of a human being, must be very inadequate if it neglects the culture of the imagination. The power of poetic creation is, indeed, the rarest of endowments, but the power of enjoy- ment is general. The highest human mind differs not in kind, but in degree, from the humblest. The deepest principles of science discovered by the slow toil of the greatest men, the loftiest imaginings of the poet, having once been revealed in the form of human conceptions, and embodied in language, become the common property- of the race, and all who go out of life without a share in these treasures, which no extent of participation diminishes, have lost the richest portion of their birthright. Man rarely feels the dignity of his nature in the small circle of his common cares, It is when brought into communion with the great spirits of the present and the past,—when lie be- holds the two worlds of imagination and reality, in the light of Shakspere's ,,e-enius, or is filled with the sacred sublimities of Milton, or from Wordworth learns the beauty of common things, and catches a glimpse of those " clouds of glory " out of which his childhood coma—that he feels the elevating sense of what he is and may become. Ln this high atmosphere, so bracing to the moral nerves, no selfish or sordid thoughts can live.

But assuredly there is no class in society to whom the sustainment of such communion is more requisite than to the largest and poorest. The harshness of the realities about them requires its softening and soothing; influence. It is a good which they may have with no evil attendant. Its purifying excite- ment may displace stimulants which brutalize and degrade them.

The elaborate section on Moral Education must be passed over with equal brevity.

TEACH THE LAW OF CONSEQUENCES.

But it is necessary that the man should be able to control his appetites, and therefore the child must attempt it. The early strength of these impulses is probably not more necessary tbr the preservation of our physical frame than for our moral probation and rlvancement. We must begin with the slightest trials. If the child's attention has been awakened to the pleasure or pain of others, he will often be disposed to give up a pleasure in order to relieve pain, or to make another happy. All such impulses and nets should receive their due reward of alThetionate encouragement. lle should be made to feel that such things, above all others, win for him our esteem; and his own feeling will teach him that self-denial has its reward. his imagination should be ex- cited by brief and vivid anecdotes of those who have given up their pleasure to benefit mankind; but particularly. of Him, so humble and so gentle, the friend of little children, and se like one that little children would love, who gave up all for the good of men ,• and, rejecting the bright road of ambition and of royal power, took up the bitter and humiliating cross. But we must guard against any unnatural forcing. We must beware of exciting a false and cal- culating benevolence. Every act of kindness in the child. should lie followed by its precise natural consequences, both painful and pleasant. All education ought to lead the mind to a more perfect acquaintance With the realities of nature and society, the real properties of things, the real consequences of actions. If a child has willingly sacrificed his own enjoyment for another, he must suffer the loss, and fiord his reward in the pleasure of doing the kindness and of seeing the happiness he produces. But if we, as a reward for his benevo- lence, pamper the appetite which he has denied—if we restore the apple or orange which lie has given up, that he might bestow a penny in charity, we do much to destroy the good of his action, nod to teach him the trick of hypo- crisy. On the next occasion, he will expect his loss to be made good, and lie will readily please his teacher or his mamma, by benevolence which costs him nothing. It we would avoid this, we most be content to see the power of self- control at first very feeble. By apportioning its trials to its strength, it will grow until the enfippenrnemmt of the intellect and the increased appreciation of enjoyments other than sensual confirm it into a ruling principle of action.

Of the other four productions, selected as containing "matter worthy of public attention," and furnishing useful hints and sug- gestions, our notice must be very brief. Mr. IltutAvo grounds his views of what education ought to be, on MturoN's plan, and would have a Normal School established by the State, and teachers licensed by Doctors Commons. The Reverend E. IIIGGINsoN takes a liberal and rational view of the existing state of education and educators : he also agrees in the necessity of some institution for teaching teachers, whom he would put upon a par with the Church, giving them a certificate of preference, but leaving parents at liberty to teach their own children, or to send them to unrecognized schools. Mr. Simesox propounds a plan of education elaborately minute : his views of the mode of elevating the social position and character of the teacher are thus summed up by himself-

" First, the nation must establish the machinery and substance, on a scale not lower than national, of E017CATING TnE NDUCATOIL

" Secondly, the nation must improve, to the utmost practicable extent, the whole substance and system of education.

"Thirdly, the nation must raise the remuneration of the educator, from being below that of the day labourer to one worthy of a liberal profession.

" Fourthly, the nation must demand from the source of honour and the leaders of opinion those distinctions which are bestowed on eminence in the other learned professions."

The essay of Mrs. l'owrsa is in the main statistical, taking a rapid survey of education in Europe and America, and of the num- bers of teachers and the taught in England. She estimates the net expense of an extensive normal institution at 8,0001. a yeti •; a sum which, if the public care for education, might surely be raised by subscription. A large parish can raise as much for Episcopal objects.