REMARKS ON PHRENOLOGY. 417 



ever, I earnestly entreat all those who take any interest in the 

 improvement of the human mind, to turn to the first volume of the 

 '* Phrenological Journal," page 505, where the original article will 

 be found. 



The small progress made, in this instance, by the boy under his 

 first course of training, was clearly referable to the want of tact in 

 those who ought to have been his instructors. And had it not 

 been for the new lights afforded by phrenology, they would have 

 proceeded in the same track of irksome labour to themselves, and 

 unutterable anguish to the pupil. 



An individual who has been entrusted for many years with the 

 education of a large family, on being asked by a lady whether he 

 was a believer in phrenology, after much hesitation answered — 

 *' Why — why. Madam, I'm wavering." By his expression at the 

 time it was easy to see that he was ashamed to confess the plain 

 truth that he was opposed to phrenology. There are some minds 

 naturally so warped and contracted that they cannot see phrenolo- 

 gy in any other light than as a " lump and bump" affair ; to which 

 class the person above alluded to belongs. 



The following sound advice, given to teachers in general, ig 

 extracted from an excellent little work on education, by Mr. Abbot, 

 whose views on this subject are perhaps as perfect as views on 

 education possibly can be without the illuminating influence of 

 phrenology j — "Never get out of patience with dulness. Perhaps 

 I ought to say never get out of patience with anything. That would 

 perhaps be the wisest rule. But above all things, remember that 

 dulness and stupidity — and you will certainly find them in every 

 school — are the very last things to be out of patience with. If 

 the Creator has so formed the mind of a boy, that he must go 

 through life with difficulty, impeded by obstructions which others 

 do not feel, and depressed by discouragements which others never 

 know, his lot is surely hard enough without your adding to it sar- 

 casm and reproach."* 



How very common it is to hear parents and masters, when 

 a pupil is backward, exclaim and repeat with great eni|)hasis, 

 'There must be the will — nothing to be done without the will." 

 True, very true ; but how is the will to be got. It seems to me 

 that the asserters of these profound truths expect their pupils, by 

 some magic, to become anxious to acquire that which is naturally 

 distasteful and repulsive to them — or perhaps they think that the 

 frequency of the repetition will impart this indispensable " will." 

 However that may be, it is certain that they expect the pupil of his 

 own accord to gain this much desired will, and, like all those who 

 found their expectations on false grounds, they always have been 

 and always will be disappointed. Those who are naturally idle are 

 no more to be reproached for that failing, than the studious are to 

 be lauded for their diligence. All that the master has to do is to 



♦ The " Teacher," p. 124. 



