OF EDUCATION I 7 



received a letter from Philip, the King of Maeedon, 

 as follows : "Be informed, O Aristotle, that I have a 

 son, and that I am thankful, not so much for his birth, 

 as that he was born in the same age with you ; for if 

 you will undertake the charge of his education, I 

 assure myself that he will become worthy of his father, 

 and of the kingdom which he will inherit.' 



Philip's son was Alexander the Great. Alexander 

 was soon with Aristotle, and remained with him eight 

 years, when he ascended the throne at twenty years 

 of age. During these years Alexander fully appreci- 

 ated his advantages and made remarkable attain- 

 ments in all directions. He saw so much to admire in 

 Aristotle's methods that he became, from that time, 

 an enthusiastic patron of learning ; and his first act 

 on the throne was to furnish Aristotle with material 

 and all necessary appliances for the illustration of his 

 methods in the school at Athens. To accomplish this 

 without delay, Alexander sent several thousand 

 learned men to all parts of the known world to collect 

 material for the illustration of every science. But to 

 make a model school at Athens was only the beginning 

 of Alexander's influence upon education. Ambitious 

 as a conquerer of nations, he was still more ambitious 

 in making a better civilization for all men. 



It was Alexander's ambition to conquer all nations, 

 and combine all nations into one empire whose insti- 

 tutions should all be permeated by the learning and 



