£l)c Javmcr's ittontl)hj lUgitor. 



175 



Common School Department. 



CONDUCTED BY PROF. RUST. 



Knowledge, i source or Happiness. 



All are in pursuit of happiness. A desire of 

 happiness is an original, inherent principle of 

 human nature. Although this attribute exhibits 

 clearly the blasting influences ol the fill, yet it 

 still lives and glows with intense vigor in the 

 human breast. It is the main-spring of action, 

 the polar star of our existence, the nucleus, 

 around which all our efforts cluster with vigor- 

 ous tenacity. If a desire of happiness is stamp- 

 ed in such glowing and imposing characters on 

 human nature; why is it that so few attain th'/ 

 desired good ? The answer is obvious. Th/y 

 err in the ohject and pursuit of happiness. In- 

 stead of repairing to the clear, crystal fountain 

 of knowledge ; instead of directing their ener- 

 gies to the cultivation and the irradiation of the 

 deathless miud, that principle which distingished 

 man from the beasts that perish, and, which so 

 vividly reflect the impress of Jehovah ; they 

 choose to range in the dark labyrinths of igno- 

 rance and superstition ; smothering their intel- 

 lects, and prostituting the brightest hopes of hu- 

 man bliss. Misguided effort is the rock upon 

 which thousands have foundered and shipwreck- 

 ed. Myriads are launching forth their fragile 

 barks upon the tempestuous sea of life, follow- 

 ing in the destructive wake of their predecessors. 

 But amid the dense darkness of ignorance in 

 which we are enveloped, a few rays of light 

 gleam, and soon a rainbow of promise shall be 

 seen gilding our horizon. Yes, science is spread- 

 ing her beams on the darkness of the present 

 age, scattering her refreshing influence over all 

 classes. Knowledge is to the mental world 

 what the sun is to the physical ; and as sadness 

 and sorrow would enshroud all things terrestrial 

 should the sun be blotted out from the firma- 

 ment, so would darkness and misery settle on 

 every thing mental should the sun of know- 

 ledge lie annihilated. There is indescribable 

 happiness in the acquisition of knowledge: eve- 

 ry new idea that darts into the mind is like a ray 

 of light Hashing in upon midnight darkness. 

 The most exquisite jny thrills the breast upon 

 the acquisition of some (as yet unknown) princi- 

 ple or truth. Who can fathom or estimate the 

 rapture that swelled the breast of the ancient 

 philosopher, who upon the discovery of a certain 

 important truth, cried out, "eureka?" Who 

 can comprehend the inexpressible delight that 

 Franklin experienced when be caught the elec- 

 trical spark from the gathering thundercloud ? 

 It is pleasant to stand upon some towering cliff, 

 and behold the sea-beaten, linen-winged mistress 

 of the mighty deep dance and leap from wave to 

 wave ; at one moment towering among the 

 cerulean clouds; at the next, engulphed in the 

 jaws of old Oceanus. But how transcendent is 

 the rapture, to stand upon the Alps of science, 

 bold sweet communion with the citizens of other 

 planets, to unlock the temple of universal na- 

 ture, to inspect the armory of heaven, and to 

 direct the flashing lightning in its raging career. 

 Yes, knowledge has shorn the hoarse thunder of 

 heaven, whose terrific peals struck terror to the 

 minds of men, of its terrible aspect ; and has 

 caught the forked lightnings upon the pointed 

 wires and conducted them harmless to our feet. 

 A few thoughts in the form of argument. The 

 Creator has endowed us with a priceless mind, 

 capable of acquiring a vast amount of know- 



ledge, anil, of almost infinite expansion; man 

 may, by studious, persevering application, be- 

 come emphatically intelligent, a sort of a Cyclo- 

 pedia. History furnishes a vast amount of incon- 

 trovertible proof of this position. His mind 

 net 'Is 10 be cultivated ; this is the specific object 

 for which it was granted to man. God never in- 

 tended that this choice legacy should lie dor- 

 mant nor concealed in a napkin. He is guilty of 

 gross perversion of the will of heaven, who suf- 

 fers his mind to wither and die for the want of 

 cultivation. Man must necessarily be happy in 

 the performance of those duties inculcated and 

 imposed upon him by his Creator. The path of 

 duty, although it frequently leads through moun- 

 tains and forests, is a happy path. Obedience 

 is inseparably connected with happiness; culti- 

 vating the immortal mind is in perfect accord- 

 ance with the requirements of our Creator; 

 hence man obtains happiness in the acquisition 

 of knowledge. Ignorance is an eternal foe to 

 man; it is waging a war of extermination upou 

 every blessing sent by heaven to cheer life's rug- 

 ged pathway. What distinguishes man from the 

 brutes? The fragment of divinity that glim- 

 mers through the mortal part, which breathes 

 forth ardent aspirations after God, after know- 

 ledge, after happiness. Yes, it is the deathless 

 miud that adds dignity to man. But this mind 

 must be cultivated, or its loveliness and dignity 

 will soon fide away. Ignorance destroys man's 

 influence and usefulness. The first step to take 

 in order to ivield an influence over others, is to 

 cultivate ourselves and obtain a large amount of 

 information. An ignorant man who attempts 

 to be useful is like Sampson shorn of bis locks. 

 Ignorance is destructive to happiness. It makes 

 man cold, selfish, conceited, overbearing, banish- 

 es every noble principle from bis breast, and 

 leaves him an easy prey to vice and dissipation. 

 Our conclusion is, that knowledge is a source of 

 happiness, and should be sought with great en- 

 ergy by all, but especially by the young. 



former years when there were neither Normal 

 Schools nor Teachers' Institutes. So have we 

 found distinguished philosophers like Franklin, 

 and mathematicians like Rowditch, where diplo- 

 mas did not herald their co .dug, but followed in 

 their wake. These exceptions to the general 

 course by which high scholarship is attained, 

 seems to us as having little or nothing to do will) 

 the case in hand. Good scholarship is indeed a 

 very needful preliminary preparation for a teach- 

 er, and it just qualifies him to go with advantage 

 into one of the Institutes, where he wiH soon gain 

 another degree of qualification by seeing how 

 others teach or have taught. After all, the first 

 school that a young person teaches, is lint an ex- 

 perimental school. Some say thai teachers are 

 born, not made. We think they are born, and 

 made too. We do not however believe, that be- 

 cause a young gentleman lias heen to college, 

 that hence be can leach a common school, any 

 more than we believe that reading a good author 

 on music, will make a good singer or player. 

 The Institutes expose fallacy, develops truth, and 

 make the teacher practical. 



Teachers' Institutes. 



These temporary institutions have never yet 

 been sufficiently known and understood by the 

 public at large to be fully appreciated. They are 

 now being held in many places in this and the 

 neighboring States, preparatory to the winter 

 campaign of teaching; and our advice is to all 

 young persons who desire to make teaching their 

 employment, that they by all means attend the 

 sessions of these Institutes. No matter what the 

 qualifications of candidates for the office of con- 

 ducting the affairs of a school bouse, they should 

 attend, either to impart or receive instruction in 

 these cheapest and in some respects the best of 

 all Normal Schools, where the best modes of 

 teaching are made a subject of special consider- 

 ation, by a company of inquiring persons who 

 are aiming at improvement. Teachers' Institutes, 

 so far as we have been able to observe them, 

 have in general been under the care and direc- 

 tion of competent persons, the ablest and most 

 skilful teachers (and none others should be em- 

 ployed to manage them) have been employed, 

 ami the learners have therefore been able imme- 

 diately to learn how the best instructors teach. 

 The skilful teachers who have been engaged in, 

 or have encouraged these Institutes, have receiv- 

 ed, and will hereafter receive, consequent and 

 incidental advantage from them. It tends to sig- 

 nalize and professionalize the teacher's calling. 

 The assembling of well educated persons liir the 

 purpose of improving themselves in the modes 

 of teaching, shows that something more than a 

 mere common scholastic course is necessary in 

 qualifying one for the profession. Hoes all] no- 

 vice, or any antiquated pedant, answer that all 

 this parade was not in former generations thought 

 necessary to enable the graduates of our higher 

 institutions to teach in the lower? It proves no- 

 thing to us that good teachers have arisen in 



School Houses. 



We trust our readers will not regard the sub- 

 ject of this article as one of limited importance. 

 It recommends itself most strongly to the notice 

 of all who feel an interest in general education ; 

 in other words, to every parent and to every pa- 

 triot. Every one who has reflected upon this 

 subject, knows how much the excellence and fit- 

 ness of the school house has to do with the suc- 

 cess of the school itself. The relation between 

 school-house and school, is almost as intimate as 

 that between body and mind, and it is as impos- 

 sible for education to be efficient where it is un- 

 dertaken in a crowded, filthy and badly furnished 

 school-room, as for the mind to develope itself 

 in a disordered body. Within a few years jrreat 

 improvements have been made in the structure, 

 comfort and neatness of our school buildings, 

 though a large proportion of them are illy suited 

 to the harsh winters of this climate. Still, the 

 public mind has been directed to this matter, 

 and at the last session of the Legislature, a reso- 

 lution passed, instructing the Treasurer of the 

 State to procure a copy of " Barnard's School 

 Architecture," for the use of each town in the 

 State. The author, Mr. Barnard, is the Commis- 

 sioner of Public Schools, in Rhode Island, and 

 has been for over ten years among the most zeal- 

 ous and successful laborers in improving the con- 

 dition of the Common Schools. The subject of 

 improved school rooms was forced on his atten- 

 tion in the very outset of his labors. Go where 

 he would, in the city or country, he encountered 

 the district school-house standing in disgraceful 

 contrast with every other structure designed for 

 public or domestic use. Its location, construc- 

 tion, furniture and arrangements seemed to" bin- 

 der and not promote, to defeat anil not perfect 

 the work which was to be carried on within and 

 without its walls. Mr. Mann, in one of his re- 

 cent reports, says that not one half of the public 

 school-houses in Massachusetts would be consi- 

 dered tenantahle by any decent family out of the 

 poor house or in it. Although many convenient 

 school-houses have been built in this State with- 

 in a few years, yet a majority of those in use are 

 badly constructed, poorly warmed, and wretch- 

 edly supplied with seats and desks. The friends 

 of education should see that these obstacles to 

 health, comfort, and improvement are at once 

 removed, and that every school room is furnish- 

 ed with all suitable aids to study, and to that 

 higher education which consists iirthe formation 

 of correct habits, correct taste, and sound princi- 

 ples. 



This topic may seem a trifling one to those 

 who have not had their attention directed to this 

 subject, but no teacher will inns regard it. No- 

 thing is trifling on which the health of body and 

 mind of the future nun and women of the coun- 

 try in any degree depend, and hence the experi- 

 ence devoted to the Study of proper distribution 

 of room, suitable forms of disks ami seats, and 

 modes of wanning and ventilating, is must pro- 

 fitably employed. It is impossible to get at the 

 amount of discomfort caused by ihe neglect of 

 these matters, and how much ol the uneasiness 

 and inattention) restleness, weakness and languor, 

 to say nothing of ill health, exhibited by school 

 children, are caused by these delects. 



